The season has come to an end, with Ralf and Sabine each bringing 2 songs for us!
Here is my second last wrap-up, with my comments! (My LAST wrap-up will be to announce the winner(s).
Rob - The Same Boat, reading of a poem by Julie Sheldon
Wonderful poem, and excellent reading, Rob. Love the video. Very moved by this. Thank you so much.
Alan - The Cane Bottom'd Chair, a poem by William Makepeace Thackeray set to music
I LOVE THIS!!! WOW. What a wonderful poem! And you have made it even more wonderful here! Love the description of the room and the things in it. I can almost smell the room. Really enjoyed how the story unfold as I listened to your lovely picking and beautiful singing. It was almost like you had taken me on a tour around this chamber. What a surprise to realise it is a sort of love song. Thank you so much, Alan! (Cane-bottomed chairs used to be pretty popular here because they are cooler to sit on. Nowadays, partly because almost everyone has air-conditioning in their houses, these chairs seem to have gone out of fashion.)
Joo - All Of Us, the last verse of Raymond Carver's poem, In Switzerland, set to music
(I used to like Carver's short stories first, before getting into his poems. I really like them. if you don't mind sad stuff, check him out.)
Rob - Them Moose Goosers, a poem by Mason Williams set to music
comments as follow:
joo: Moosey Goosey good!!!! Love that guitar riff! Actually, love everything about this. Yep. Thank you, Rob!
Rob: it is full of americanisms that are not in a British English
joo: I know right! dun understand anything but I still enjoyed it! haha!😂
Rob: verb. goosed; goosing. transitive verb. : to poke between the buttocks with an upward thrust.
Hiny: It is derived from words based on the root word hind, meaning “the back,” as in behind
(another euphemism for the buttocks) and hindquarters... only redneck would find fun in poking moose in their backside.
joo: haha! wonder how that came about!! And I called your video Moosey Goosey Good. 😂
Arcy - Fleas, a poem by Ogden Nash set to music
Haha! Epic! I love seeing your whiskers move when you sing. Please never shave, Mr. Rabbit. But you might get fleas. Thanks so much for bringing this delightful little poem! Oh, I forgot to say- how dangerous that Ambien drug can be! Glad you bought a uke that you like though!
Arcy - The Llama, a poem by Ogden Nash set to music
haha! So cute. The best part was what you said at the end! I never read any Ogden Nash. He must have taken Ambien when he wrote these poems. (oh, that rhymes!)
Jim Yates covers Take This Waltz by Leonard Cohen, which lyrics are a loose translation, into English, of the poem Little Viennese Waltz by Federico García Lorca
ooooh i love that resonator! you mean it is a "fake" National? It sounds awesome! I love resonator ukes. Is the fretboard wider than regular soprano and concert ukes? I am gonna save up to buy one soon! A toque sounds so much more classier than a stocking cap. And the poem and song- I read the English translation of the poem and now listening to this, there is a lot going on in these words. There is love and death and much more. The setting in Vienna and the mentioning of Hungary too... 🤔Need to read up! There is that unmistakable Leonard Cohen melancholy/sorrow in the melody. I especially love that "ay ay ay" part. Very beautiful song, and you delivered a lovely job with your singing and playing, Jim. Thank you so much!
Ralf covers Little Fly by Esperanza Spalding, which is a poem by William Blake that Spalding set to music
I listened to her performance you linked, Ralf, and i had goosebumps throughout. Never happened to me before, like, throughout the whole song. I still have them as I type. I love the poem; I tear up whenever I read it (i dunno why). I am so blown away by your very sparse but brilliant arrangement. My goosebumps still here as I listen to your version. This is splendid. I absolutely love this. Thank you so much.
Ralf brings a version of Capital Air, a poem by Allen Ginsberg, which he famously performed with the Clash in 1981
wow. Ralf. I don't think anyone can listen and watch this and not feel something stirred in them. Powerful performance here. Thank you so much!
Your boy's expressive doodles on the wall add something to this performance. Something sad, beautiful and powerful.
Sabine brings a French renaissance song Que faire s'amour me laisse
Your high range is so gorgeous, it shows very much here. I don't think I have heard you sing this high before. Such a beautiful song, sung so well. It will take me a few months to learn to sing a song like this one decently. And I love the sound of your uke, as you know! Thanks for showing it again! (Your mic distorted the audio a little bit, I think you could be a little too close to it...) Thanks so much for this wonderful entry, Sabine!
Sabine brings Can She Excuse My Wrongs? by John Dowland
OMG I love this so much! This song is so cool! What a great composition, I love how it is paced...like a dance.... And it IS a dance tune, after looking at the link you shared! I like the "unhappy" words paired with a happy sounding melody. Although I believe it will sound very sorrowful if it is slowed down. I guess "dance tunes" back then can be rather sad sounding, are they, Sabine? I am going to check out more Renaissance music now. No wonder you love Dowland! Played and sung with the Sabine touch of gusto! I love watching you perform! Thank you so much for this gem!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE, FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SONGS!
I was blown away, amazed, inspired, tickled and amused.
I hope all of you have enjoyed this week as much as me!
I will be back soon with a final wrap-up.
(I might have to pick more than 1 winner...:----))
Let's go check out Season 563! It is getting quite exciting!
