Monday, January 2, 2012

The song in my head takes an educational turn...

I don't know why this happens. It's irritating.

I wake up with a song in my head, with no plausible clue how it got there. Often it's something I couldn't possibly have heard for years. Often - indeed, usually - I don't even know the lyrics. This one, for example: The best I could come up with was "Lead us not into temptation/Don't destroy our reputation/When we yield to carnal love." Pretty sure that wasn't right. On these occasions, YouTube is my friend.



Here, though, I learned that "The Browns," whom I don't recall ever having heard of, didn't write the song and it was by far not the only version recorded. In fact their version was a bit truncated. Here's the Andrews Sisters, who are just a bit before my time...



And the whole thing is based on some French song. Here's Edith Piaf, of whom I'd never have heard if it weren't for Saving Private Ryan, (hey, I'm an uneducated American mutt) with what may be the original, and most beautiful version. Damn, that woman had a voice. Can't understand a word she says, though...



I did not know that. Or care all that much, to be honest...

7 comments:

Jim said...

Thanks, Joel. Thanks a lot.

All the CHAPel BELLS are RINGing...

The sappiest song of my extreme childhood, and you rip it from its grave and stick it in my ear where it demands an all-day lease, at least.

In this LITtle SPANish Toooowwn.

I'll get you for this.

monkeyboyf said...

Thanks for reminding me of Edith Piaf. Made my day.

Claire said...

When I was 10, I used to think that song (in The Browns version) was the deepest, most profound thing I'd ever heard.

Of course, that was also the age at which "It's a Grand Old Flag" could throw me into frenzies of patriotic fervor.

Now, as Jim says, I curse you, Joel, for sticking that sappy thing back into my skull.

Edith Piaf was almost sufficient antidote to The Browns. But not quite.

P.S. I hope you wake up with "It's a Grand Old Flag" turning your brain into jelly tomorrow.

Mayberry said...

I HATE it when that happens! Especially when I have no idea who's the artist, the title, they lyrics... But the intertubes usually brings me the answer. I found a song recently just by "Heya ma ma ma". Now I can't get the damn thing out of my head : )

Anonymous said...

"...the Andrews Sisters who are just a bit before my time..."

uhhh ok Joel...and by the way Lawrence Welk just called looking for you. He wants his bubble machine back.

Bennie

Joel said...

It is indeed a very sappy song. I don't mind it when I get an earworm I ENJOY humming along to. This wasn't one of them, but I only post about the songs I find silly.

But I found the Edith Piaf thing interesting - don't hardly know anything about her. And while Lawrence Welk is not, alas, entirely before my time I was never a fan. He can keep his damn bubble machine. Polkas - BAH.

wrm said...

Which in turn reminded me of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smcxweximB8 so I dug out my CD (Naxos 8.550781) and ripped it. Havn't listened to it in a decade.