Music of My Life: Year 2
The year is 1975. The selection of songs seems kinda thin to me. Obviously, I was only 1 year old, so I don't remember the music from the time. Looking back there are some songs that I like. 'Kung Fu Fighting', 'Some Kind of Wonderful', and 'Shining Star' are all songs that I enjoy, but none of them have a special place in my memory.
The only one that speaks to me on any level is Harry Chapin's 'Cat's in the Cradle'. I really enjoy ballads, as I imagine the rest of this list will bear out. And this one has always hit me hard. It doesn't speak to me as a one-year-old baby, but throughtout my life. Listening to that song as a young man, I promised myself that I wouldn't treat my future children that way. I'd like to think that I haven't, but it's still something I keep in mind.
4 comments:
Cat's in the Cradle... I didn't realize the song was that old. I thought is came out late 80s... Sad song. What is it about ballads that you like?
I really like songs that have a story. That's why I tend to like songs from musicals; they can convet just part of a story, so they don't need to include evryyhting within a single lyrical structure, which gives them more freedom to work with the emotions, while still futhering the storyline.
I especially like the lyric technique where the chorus means one thing at one point of the storyline and something else later on. The example that I'm thinking of is the old camp song 'Dunderback's Machine'. Let's see if I remember it...
There was a fat old Dutchman, he's name was Dunderback
He was very fond of suasgae meat and ate it by the pack
He got himself a patent on a sausage making machine
And he made himself a sausageworks, the finest ever seen.
Chorus:
O, Dunderback, O, Dunderback, how could you be so mean
I'm sorry you invented that wonderful machine
For pussy cats and alley rats will nevermore be seen
For they've all been ground to sausage meat in Dunderback's machine
One day a very little boy came walking in a store
To buy a pound of sausage meat and eaggs, O, half a score
And while he was a-waiting, he wistled up a tune
And the sausage meat began to bounce and dance around the room
Chorus
One day he got excited, the machine it wouldn't go
So Dunderback, he crawled inside, the reason for to know
His wife was having nightmares and walking in her sleep
And she gave that crank and awful YANK!... and Dunderback was meat
Chorus (Sung slowly and sadly)
Here's another one
A little man walked up and down
To see what he could find in t-HA-own
A little man walked up and down
To see what he could find in town
He walked into a swell affari
And sat himself upon a ch-HA-air
He walked into a swell affair
And sat himslef upon a chair
He seached the pockets of his pants
But all he found was two half p-HA-ence
He seached the pockets of his pants
But all he found was two half pence
He scanned the menu through a through
To see what two half pence would d-WHO-oo
He scanned the menu through a through
To see what two half pence would do
The only thing t'would do at all
Would be to order one meatb-HA-all
The only thing t'would do at all
Would be to order one meatball
(Softly)
The little man then gave a call
And softly murmurred "One meatb-HA-all"
The little man then gave a call
And softly murmurred "One meatball"
(Loudly)
The waiter bellowed down the hall
"This gentleman here wants one meatb-HA-all"
The waiter bellowed down the hall
"This gentleman here wants one meatball"
(Softly)
The little man then gave a wheeze
And softly whispered "Bread, sir, IF you please"
The little man then gave a wheeze
And softly whispered "Bread, sir, please"
(Loudly)
The waiter bellowed down the hall
"You get no bread with one meatb-HA-all"
The waiter bellowed down the hall
"You get no bread with one meatball"
(Softly)
The little man then went outside
And shot himself until he d-HA-ied
The little man then went outside, and shot himself until he died.
There is a moral to it all
You get no bread with one meatb-HA-all
There is a moral to it all
You get no bread with one meatball
Wow... Over a piece of bread? And the moral of the story is no bread with one meatball? Well, there is no accounting for camp songs.
One of my favorite camp songs was "The cat came back" Probably couldn't remember all of the lyrics now though. One of the verses has the cat going into McDonalds and being put through the meat grinder (brought to mind by your first camp song),
"And all McDonald's burgers tasted hairy for a week...
BUT, the cat came back, The very next day.
The cat came back, just couldn't stay away, no, no no.
No, no, no, no."
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