Stax’s house band, Booker T & the MGs, provides the backing. Note Booker T’s subtle but effective organ lending the song a spiritual element, while Donald “Duck” Dunn’s bass and Steve Cropper’s tasteful guitar licks ground the track’s rhythm
Stax was hoping to replicate the success of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Stax paired two of their greatest stars for the 1967 album King & Queen, which produced the hit “Tramp.” The album featured their takes on classics such as “Knock on Wood,” “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby,” “Bring It on Home to Me,” and “It Takes Two”
This song was on the King and Queen album released in 1967. This is the only album they got to make because Otis died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967.
New Year’s Resolution
I hope it’s not too late Just to say that I’m sorry, honey All I want to do Is just finish what we started, baby
Let’s turn over a new leave And baby let’s make promises That we can keep And call it a New Year’s resolution, hmmm
Oh, I’m a woman And woman makes mistakes too But will you, will you forget the changes That I put you through
let’s try it again Just you and me And, baby, let’s see how happy honey, yeah That we can be And call it a New Year’s resolution, yeah, yeah, yeah
Many times we had our ups and downs And times you needed me I couldn’t be found I’m sorry And I’m sorry too I’ll never, never do it again, no, no, no So baby before we fall out Let’s fall on in, yeah, yeah Oh, and we’re gonna try harder Not to hurt each other again, oh Love me baby, huh Week after week And baby let’s make promises That we can keep And call it a New Year’s resolution, yeah, oh I know we can do it Carla I’m gonna keep my promises I’m gonna hold on that we can do it, baby Oh, it’s not too late You’re gonna love me Nobody else Oh Otis let’s finish what we started Talk no mean
Here is to better days to all of you…. in the New Year starting tomorrow.
On March 31, 1992, I purchased two albums by Bruce. Lucky Town and Human Touch…both albums released on the same day. I’ve always liked Lucky Town more than Human Touch. Better Days kicked off the album. It was originally released in the United States in March 1992 as a double A-side with “Human Touch”, and peaked at #16 on Billboard 100.
Bruce Springsteen: “With a young son and about to get married (for the last time) I was feelin’ like a happy guy who has his rough days rather than vice versa.”
From Songfacts
This was the only track from Lucky Town included on Springsteen’s 1995 Greatest Hits album.
This is the first track on Lucky Town, which was released the same day as Human Touch. Springsteen decided to do this after Guns N’ Roses simultaneously released their albums Use Your Illusion I and II.
Better Days
Well my soul checked out missing as I sat listening To the hours and minutes tickin’ away Yeah just sittin’ around waitin’ for my life to begin While it was all just slippin’ away I’m tired of waitin’ for tomorrow to come Or that train to come roarin’ round the bend I got a new suit of clothes a pretty red rose And a woman I can call my friend
These are better days baby Yeah there’s better days shining through These are better days baby Better days with a girl like you
Well I took a piss at fortune’s sweet kiss It’s like eatin’ caviar and dirt It’s a sad funny ending to find yourself pretending A rich man in a poor man’s shirt Now my ass was draggin’ when from a passin’ gypsy wagon Your heart like a diamond shone Tonight I’m layin’ in your arms carvin’ lucky charms Out of these hard luck bones
These are better days baby These are better days it true These are better days There’s better days shining through
Now a life of leisure and pirate’s treasure Don’t make much for tragedy But it’s a sad man my friend who’s livin’ in his own skin And can’t stand the company Every fool’s got a reason for feelin’ sorry for himself And turning his heart to stone Tonight this fool’s halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell And I feel like I’m comin’ home
These are better days baby There’s better days shining through These are better days Better days with a girl like you
These are better days baby These are better days it’s true These are better days Better days are shining through
I thought I would feature one more Monkees song this weekend. This song was a huge hit in the UK where it peaked at #2 but in America, it was not released as a single. As a kid, I really liked this one because it is so catchy. Mickey Dolenz wrote this song while in England. They had just come from a party thrown for them by the Beatles.
It was on their album Headquarters with the Monkees playing and singing most of the music themselves. On this song… Nesmith is playing guitar, Tork is playing piano, Dolenz drums, Jones is singing backup vocals with Chip Douglas playing bass. The album peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100 in 1967.
When they were going to release it in England, the Monkees were told, ‘You have to change the title.’ The record company said ‘It’s dirty. You have to change it to an alternate title. It was released in England as Alternate Title. It was the title that was found offensive…nothing in the song. Mickey said translated it meant basically “horny, Liverpudlian jerk.”
Micky Dolenz:“Many years ago we had the pleasure of going over to the UK and meeting the royal family: The Beatles. And one night they threw us a party. I’m told I had a great time. After the party, I went back to my hotel room and I noodled around and I wrote a song that I called Randy Scouse Git.”
From Songfacts So in England it became a big hit and it’s called, over in England, ‘Alternate Title.’ Here, it’s still called ‘Randy Scouse Git.’ And loosely translated it means a horny Liverpudlian putz.”
The TV show were Micky Dolenz heard the title phrase was Till Death Us Do Part, a sitcom that aired on the BBC. This program was the basis for the American show All in the Family.
The only offensive aspect of this song is the title, which doesn’t appear in the lyrics. The song itself is stream of observations pieced together by Dolenz during the group’s visit to England. Some of the references in the song:
The “Four Kings of EMI” were The Beatles, who recorded for EMI Records.
“She’s a wonderful lady, and she’s mine, all mine” relates to Micky’s girlfriend at the time, Samantha Juste, who he married in 1968. The couple met when The Monkees performed on the British TV show Top Of The Pops, where Juste was on-air talent.
The “a girl in a yellow dress” was Mama Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas – she was also in England enjoying the scene.
The British slang words in the title, roughly translated, are as follows:
“Randy”: Horny, in search of sex. “Scouse”: A person from the north of England. “Git”: Sort of a jerk, or an idiot.
When The Monkees performed the song on their TV show, Micky Dolenz was out front singing lead behind a tympani, while Davy Jones manned the drums. It was used in the episode “The Picture Frame,” which aired on September 18, 1967.
Randy Scouse Git
She’s a wonderful lady and she’s mine, all mine And there doesn’t seem a way that she won’t come and lose my mind It’s too easy humming songs to a girl in a yellow dress It’s been a long time since the party and the room is in a mess
The four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor There are birds out on the sidewalk and a valet at the door He reminds me of a penguin with few and plastered hair There’s talcum powder on the letter and the birthday boy is there
Why don’t you cut your hair? Why don’t you live up there? Why don’t you do what I do, see what I feel when I care?
Now they’ve darkened all the windows and the seats are naugh-a-hyde I’ve been waiting for an hour I can’t find a place to hide The being known as wonder girl Is speaking, I believe It’s not easy trying to tell her That I shortly have to leave
Why don’t you be like me? Why don’t you stop and see? Why don’t you hate who I hate, Kill who I kill to be free?
Why don’t you cut your hair? Why don’t you live up there? Why don’t you do what I do, See what I feel when I care?
Why don’t you be like me? (she’s a wonderful lady) Why don’t you stop and see? (and she’s mine, all mine) Why don’t you hate who I hate, (and there doesn’t seem a way) Kill who I kill to be free? (that she won’t come and lose my mind) Why don’t you cut your hair? (it’s too easy humming songs) Why don’t you live up there? (to a girl in a yellow dress) Why don’t you do what I do, (it’s been a long time since the party) See what I feel when I care? (and the room is in a mess)
Stewart’s original version was released as a single with “Reason To Believe” as the B-side. Disc jockeys liked the flip side better and played “Maggie May” instead, which became the hit.
Rod did the song for MTV unplugged in 1993 and the song peaked at #19 in the Billboard 100 in 1993.
This was written by folk singer Tim Hardin, who originally recorded it in 1965 and performed it at Woodstock four years later. Hardin wrote some popular songs and was a very influential musician, but he had severe drug problems and died in December 1980 at age 39.
From Songfacts
At first listen, this song can seem rather sweet, but it’s anything but. The girl “lied straight-faced” while he cried, but still he can’t get over her. He knows if he gives her the chance, she’ll make him forget about it because he keeps looking for a reason to believe she’s not that kind of person.
Stewart released this again in 1993 as a live, acoustic version for MTV Unplugged. Appearing on the album Unplugged… and Seated, this is the version that charted.
Bobby Darin recorded a version of this in 1967.
The 1993 Unplugged version was recorded at an MTV special with Ron Wood, who played with Stewart in The Faces. It was the first time they performed it together in 22 years. Stewart commented that his wife at the time, Rachel Hunter, was one year old when it was first released.
Reason To Believe
If I listened long enough to you I’d find a way to believe that it’s all true Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried Still I look to find a reason to believe
Someone like you makes it hard to live without Somebody else Someone like you makes it easy to give Never think about myself
If I gave you time to change my mind I’d find a way just to leave the past behind Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried Still I look to find a reason to believe
If I listened long enough to you I’d find a way to believe that it’s all true Knowing that you lied straight-faced while I cried Still I look to find a reason to believe
Someone like you makes it hard to live without Somebody else Someone like you makes it easy to give Never think about myself
Someone like you makes it hard to live without Somebody else Someone like you makes it easy to give Never think about myself
Someone like you makes it hard to live without Somebody else Someone like you makes it easy to give Never think about myself
Someone like you makes it hard to live without Somebody else
The chorus alone is enough to interest me. Stax had dubbed Taylor The Philosopher Of Soul. He could be smooth like Sam Cooke or raw in your face like this record. His real name was Johnnie Harrison Taylor and he was born in Crawfordsville, AK. In 1957, Taylor would replace Sam Cooke in the hugely influential Soul Stirrers, after Cooke departed for a solo career in music.
In 1961 Taylor joined Cooke’s Sar label for a few singles. Cooke was killed in 1964 so Taylor switched to Stax the following year.
Motown was more successful than Stax by a large margin but there was a rawness and in your face quality, Stax had that Motown couldn’t find. This song was written by Stax staffers Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Don Davis, and Raymond Jackson. It peaked at #5 in the Billboard 100 and #1 in the R&B Charts.
Who’s Making Love
All you fellows, gather ’round me And let me give you some good advice What I’m gonna, I’m gonna ask you now You better think about it twice While you’re liking cheating on your woman There is something you never even thought of
Now tell me who’s making love to your old lady While you were out making love? (Hear me now) Now who’s making love to your old lady While you were out making love?
I’ve seen so, so many fellows Fall in that same old bag
Thinking that a woman is made to To be beat on and treated so bad Oh, fellows, let me ask you something I’m sure that you never even dreamed of
Now tell me who’s making love to your old lady While you were out making love? (Oh) Now who’s making love to your old lady While you were out making love?
I know there are some women gives the other excuse I’m not tryin’ to run your life, boy it’s up to you Oh you, oh you, you and you, and you
The reason why I ask this question I used to be the same old way When I decided to straighten up I found it was a bit too late Oh yeah, that’s when it all happened Something I never, never dreamed of
Somebody was-a lovin’ my old lady While I was out making love Somebody was-a lovin’ my old lady While I was out making love (listen now) Now who’s making love to your old lady While you were out making love? (Who? Who? Your old lady) (While you were out making love)
Unlike the Partridge Family Bus, I had better luck on this one. The story on the mechanical sharks they used…approximately 25 feet long is clear.
Everyone knows the great 1975 movie Jaws that made people think twice about going into the water. The movie stands up today. They had no CGI back then and had to use a mechanical shark for the scenes. All together they used 3 of them. All of them malfunctioned but they called all three of them “Bruce” after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer, Bruce Ramer.
When the movie was over they dumped all three fake sharks on the backlot and let them rot away…however they kept the mold and made a fourth Bruce out of fiberglass and hung him up at Universal Studios in 1976. It stayed there until 1990, that is when Universal cut him down and sent him away to the junkyard.
The junkyard (U Pick Parts) owner Sam Adlen didn’t consider Bruce junk and mounted him on poles until 2016 at his junkyard. Sam had died but his son Nathan Adlen sold the business and donated Bruce to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Bruce mounted at the junkyard
Greg Nicotero had been a Jaws fan since the day he watched the movie with his mom in 1975. He had his picture taken with “Bruce” at Universal Studios in 1976 before Bruce’s journey to the Junkyard. He had been inspired to be a special effects person because of it. He took the job of restoring Bruce to his former glory.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures plans to unveil Bruce to the public soon. Although this Bruce wasn’t in the movie he was the last made of the original mold.
No one has a voice like Little Richard. His voice would have worked in any generation. He has one of the most primal aggressive voices I’ve ever heard. He sings these rockers great but he also can sing ballads.
Little Richard recorded this song in 1956 and it was released in 1958. The song peaked at #10 in the charts and #4 in the R&B Charts in 1958… as well as #8 in the UK.
The song is ranked #94 on the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Good Golly, Miss Molly was written by John Marascalco and Robert “Bumps” Blackwell.
From Songfacts
The title was taken from the pet phrase of one of Little Richard’s favorite DJ’s, Jimmy Pennick. Musically, the song was inspired by the sax player Jackie Brenston, famous for singing lead and playing with Ike Turner on the song “Rocket 88.”
Like most of Little Richard’s songs, this contains a lot of innuendo (“sure like to ball”) but most people were too busy listening to the music to notice, or didn’t get the reference. At the time, the most common meaning for “balling” was dancing; only later did it became a popular euphemism for oral sex. The term later took on a new meaning when it came describe a lavish and extravagant lifestyle, with these guys flashing their cash known as “ballers.”
This song was a huge influence on many musicians in the early years of rock and roll. Speaking with Songfacts, Roger Reale, who was in the group Rue Morgue with Mick Ronson, said: “It’s revolutionary, rebellious and celebratory all in one, starting with that rolling piano intro, before moving into a totally unique vocal performance. I had never heard such a direct, crazed, almost otherworldly vocal before in my life.”
Little Richard’s publisher sued Creedence Clearwater Revival over their song “Travelin’ Band,” which they claimed lifted from “Molly.” A settlement was reached with Creedence giving up some of their royalties.
Good Golly, Miss Molly
Good golly Miss Molly, sure like to ball. Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’, can’t hear your momma call.
From the early, early mornin’ till the early, early night When I caught Miss Molly rockin’ at the house of blue light. Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call.
Momma, poppa told me: “Son, you better watch your step.” If I knew poppa’s momma’s, have to watch my poppa myself. Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’, can’t hear your momma call.
Good golly Miss Molly, sure like to ball. Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’, can’t hear your momma call.
I am going to the corner, gonna buy a diamond ring. Would you pardon me kiss me ting-a-ling-a-ling. Good golly, Miss Molly, sure like to ball. When you’re rockin’ and a rollin’ can’t hear your momma call.
1 2 3, 4 5 6, 7 8 9, 10 11 12, Ladybugs came to the Ladybug’s Picnic…wah wah wah
I first saw this on Sesame Street in the 70s. I would find it coming back to me years later.
Sometimes when I play music with the guys…I’ll suddenly break out in this song in the middle of learning something else…just have some fun. It’s one that is hard to get out of your head. I get things thrown at me but I love it.
Jim Kweskin sang the original 1971 version and it was written by Bud Luckey and Donald Hadley
I remember in Jr High school in 1981 I bought Long Distant Voyager by the Moody Blues. The album received a lot of airplay and peaked at #1 in the Billboard album charts. It had two top twenty hits with The Voice and Gemini Dream. Gemini Dream peaked at #12 in the Billboard 100.
The Moody Blues knew how to adapt. They started off as an R&B band, moved into experimental orchestral rock, dipped into rock, and in the 80s produced some high charting pop songs. I always liked their early seventies output the best but this was a great comeback for them entering the 80s. This album introduced them to another generation of fans.
This is a combination of two songs, the first being bass player John Lodge’s song about going on the road again and the second being guitarist Justin Hayward’s song about love being shared or twin “Gemini” dreams.
Gemini Dream
Long time no see Short time for you and me So fine, so good We’re on the road Like you knew we would
First night, so long A state of mind What can go wrong We’re here, the time is right To rock ‘n’ roll Right through the night
Make it work out Make it work Make it work out Make it work out For each other tonight
Stage fright, candle light You can’t let go Tonight’s the night Came back for you Glad to see That you came too
There’s a place a Gemini dream There’s no escaping from the love we have seen So come with me, turn night today You gonna wake up You know you gonna wake up in a Gemini dream
Turned round to see Where we’ve been And what we believe In life, love Take a chance See it through You’ll be glad That you came too
There’s a place a Gemini dream There’s no escaping from the love we have seen So come with me, turn night to day You gonna wake up You know you gonna wake up in a Gemini dream
Long time no see The lights go up For you and me We’re here The time is right To rock ‘n’ roll Right through the night
Living it Believing it Wanting it Make it work out Make it work Make it work out Make it work out For each other tonight
Long time no see Short time for you and me So fine so far so good We’re on the road Like you knew we would
This song has the sixties stamped all over it. The video that I found is a good example of that. The song peaked at #32 in the Billboard 100 and #4 in the UK in 1966. This song was The Hollies’ first American Billboard Top 40 hit.
It has a distinctive 12 string that started to appear on Byrds and Beatle songs at the time.
Graham Gouldman wrote this song:
“Yes, I was on a train coming back from London up from Manchester where I used to live, with a friend of mine, and he was looking out the window. He said, ‘Look through any window,’ because we were looking as the train crept out of the station and started going through the suburbs quite slowly. We were trying to look into the houses to see what was going on.”
From Songfacts
Proving that not every song has to involve love, heartbreak or espionage, The Hollies released this song about the quotidian delights that happen every day. Just look through any window and you’ll see them.
Graham Gouldman, who wrote the Hollies hit “Bus Stop,” wrote “Look Through Any Window” with Charles Silverman, about whom little is known.
As he did with “Bus Stop,” Graham Gouldman, who was still a teenager, got help with the lyrics from his father, Hymie, a writer known affectionately as “Hyme the Rhyme.”
Look Through Any Window
Look through any window yeah What do you see Smiling faces all around rushing through the busy town
Where do they go Moving on their way walking down highways and the by-ways Where do they go Moving on their way people with their shy ways and their sly ways
Oh you can see the little children all around Oh you can see the little ladies in their gowns when you
Look through any window yeah any time of day See the drivers on the roads pulling down their heavy loads
Where do they go Moving on their way driving down highways and the byways Where do they go Moving on their way drivers with their shy ways and their sly ways
Oh you can see the little children all around Oh you can see the little ladies in their gowns when you
Look through any window yeah what do you see Smiling faces all around rushing through the busy town
Where do they go Moving on their way Moving on their way Moving on their way
Let’s move from Christmas to Blondie…not a bad thing. I hope everyone had a great Christmas/Holiday.
Yet another great pop/rock single by Blondie. Blondie had a short window but they made the best of it. They had 4 number 1 hits, 4 top 10 hits, and 10 songs in the Billboard 100 total.
Lead singer Debbie Harry wrote this song with the group’s bass player, Nigel Harrison. Harry wrote the lyrics to Blondie’s songs, but composer credit for the music was generally given solely to whoever made the biggest contribution. This was often guitarist Chris Stein, who co-wrote “Rapture” and “Heart Of Glass.”
The song was on the Parallel Lines album and peaked at #24 in the Billboard 100 in 1979.
From Songfacts
This song is about a stalker. The lyrics are very dark and go into detail about a guy with evil intentions, but the music is very light and catchy, which masked the meaning of the song. According to Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry, it was inspired by real events. She told Entertainment Weekly: “I was actually stalked by a nutjob, so it came out of a not-so-friendly personal event. I tried to inject a little levity into it to make it more lighthearted. It was a survival mechanism.”
Harry says that the title and the idea for the song popped into her head during a rehearsal, and most of the song was hashed out on the spot.
This was featured on a 2011 episode of the TV show Glee in a mashup with “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” The medley by the Glee Cast was released as a single and went to #86 in the US.
With radio-friendly songs like this one, Blondie was one of the first Punk bands to have Pop success. They played clubs like CBGB’s (stands for Country, BlueGrass, Blues) with bands like The Ramones and Television, but their songs were much lighter and led to mainstream acceptance. The Police and Talking Heads are other groups that came out of that scene.
In 2013 the UK boyband One Direction recorded a new version of this song, mashing it up with The Undertones’ “Teenage Kicks.” It was recorded to mark the 25th anniversary of the fundraising event Red Nose Day and was a hit in both the UK where it topped the chart and the US where it peaked at #13.
Kristen Bell sings this (quite well) at karaoke in the 2005 Veronica Mars episode “Clash Of The Tritons,” where she uses the song to alert a gang of her intentions.
One Way Or Another
One way or another, I’m gonna find ya I’m gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna win ya I’m gonna get ya, get ya ,get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna see ya I’m gonna meet ya, meet ya, meet ya, meet ya One day, maybe next week, I’m gonna meet ya I’m gonna meet ya, I’ll meet ya
I will drive past your house And if the lights are all down I’ll see who’s around
One way or another, I’m gonna find ya I’m gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna win ya I’ll get ya, I’ll get ya One way or another, I’m gonna see ya I’m gonna meet ya, meet ya, meet ya, meet ya One day, maybe next week, I’m gonna meet ya I’ll meet ya, ah
And if the lights are all out I’ll follow your bus downtown See who’s hangin’ out
One way or another, I’m gonna lose ya I’m gonna give you the slip A slip of the hip or another, I’m gonna lose ya I’m gonna trick ya, I’ll trick ya One way or another, I’m gonna lose ya I’m gonna trick ya, trick ya, trick ya, trick ya One way or another, I’m gonna lose ya I’m gonna give you the slip
I’ll walk down the mall Stand over by the wall Where I can see it all Find out who ya call Lead you to the supermarket checkout Some specials and rat food Get lost in the crowd
One way or another, I’m gonna get ya (where I can see it all, find out who ya call) I’ll get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna get ya (where I can see it all, find out who ya call) I’ll get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna get ya (where I can see it all, find out who ya call) I’ll get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna get ya (where I can see it all, find out who ya call) I’ll get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna get ya (where I can see it all, find out who ya call) I’ll get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya One way or another, I’m gonna get ya (where I can see it all, find out who ya call) I’ll get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya
I didn’t watch this great movie until the late 80s. All it took was one time and I haven’t missed a year of watching it. I don’t tear up very easy..but it never fails at the end of the movie when Zuzu says… Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings…it gets me every time. This movie was released in 1946.
Poor George Bailey. All he wanted to do was travel and get out of Bedford Falls to see the world. Every single time he gets close…so close that it hurts…something happens and George ends up doing the right thing.
Bedford Falls needs George Bailey…every town needs a George Bailey but many end up with only a Mr. Potter. There is one thing about this movie which was unusual. Mr. Potter was never punished for what he did…which drew criticism at the time but it was more in line with reality to me.
This is a Christmas movie but really only the last part of the movie is about Christmas. It is a movie for any time not just for December. We were thinking of names for our unborn child and couldn’t think of one…I was watching this movie in November of 1999 and it hit me…Bailey…so the movie means more than some movies do.
Here is a small summary from IMDB…don’t read it…watch the movie instead. If you haven’t seen it…give it a shot…whether it is Christmas or July.
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint, Mr. Potter, from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George’s modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George’s Uncle Billy loses the business’s $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George, with the promise of earning his wings. He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born.
There have been many versions of this great story. This is the version that I like the most. The great Alastair Sim plays Ebenezer Scrooge and he is the reason I like this so much. When I think of the Scrooge… I think of him.
The movie is in black and white which turns some people off but it makes it that much better to me. The effects they use are obviously not CGI but they get the point across well and serve the story. I like the scene where the ghost of Jacob Marley is warning Ebenezer of being greedy…the two were not on the set at the same time…it looked really good for being 1951…or anytime for that matter.
So get some eggnog or hot butter rum and sit back and watch this great movie.
From IMDB…spoilers
Ebenezer Scrooge (Alastair Sim) is a greedy businessman who thinks only of making money. For him, Christmas is, in his own words, a humbug. It has been seven years since his friend and partner, Jacob Marley (Sir Michael Hordern), died and on Christmas Eve. Marley’s ghost tells him he is to be visited during the night by three spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past (Michael Dolan) revisits some of the main events in Scrooge’s life to date, including his unhappy childhood, his happy apprenticeship to Mr. Fezziwig (Roddy Hughes), who cared for his employees, and the end of his engagement to a pretty young woman due to a growing love of money. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Francis De Wolff) shows him how joyously is nephew Fred (Brian Worth) and his clerk, Bob Cratchit (Mervyn Johns), celebrate Christmas with those they love. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Czeslaw Konarski) shows him what he will leave behind after he is gone. Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, a new man intent on doing good and celebrating the season with all of those around him.
This song is not only my favorite Christmas Carol… I think it’s up there with the best songs ever written. I hope everyone has a great Christmas/Holiday.
There are over 26,000 different versions of “Silent Night” on Spotify, meaning you could listen to a different rendition of the carol every night for 72 years.
Halfway through December 1818, the church organ in St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, 11 miles north of Salzburg in what is now Austria, broke (a popular version of the story claims that mice had eaten out the bellows). The curate, 26-year-old Josef Mohr, realized it couldn’t be repaired in time to provide music on Christmas Eve. He told his troubles to his friend, a headmaster and amateur composer named Franz Gruber, while giving him as a present a poem he had written two years earlier. Gruber was so taken by the rhythm of the poem that he set it to music, and on Christmas Eve there was music after all. Mohr played his guitar while the pair sang the song. It was the first public performance of “Stille Nacht” or as we know it “Silent Night.”
It is believed that Silent Night has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time.
From Songfacts
Bing Crosby’s version became his best-seller of the 1930s.
Music licensing company PPL announced in December 2010 that this carol tops the list of Britain’s “most recorded Christmas song of all time.” Said Mike Dalby, Lead Reporting Analyst at PPL: “Silent Night is a beautiful carol which encapsulates the feeling of Christmas entirely. Everyone from punk band The Dickies right through to Sinead O’Connor has recorded it, which exemplifies just how much it resonates with all different types of artists.”
According to PPL, Sinead O’Connor’s 1991 recording was the most popular version of the carol in Britain.
When the organ builder finally did show up to repair the St. Nicholas organ, he was given a copy of the “Silent Night” composition and brought it home. From there, traveling folk singers got a hold of it and began incorporating the carol into their repertoire. It didn’t make its way to America until 1839.
As the song gained traction throughout Europe, Franz Gruber composed several different orchestral arrangements. He donated all profits from the carol to local charities for children and the elderly, and eventually died penniless.
According to Steve Sullivan’s Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Crosby, a devout Catholic, refused to record the religious song, arguing it would be “like cashing in on the church or the Bible.” Crosby met with Father Richard Ranaghan, a priest trying to raise money for overseas missions, and decided to donate the royalties to the cause. But Ranaghan died in a car accident later that year, so the money went to several charities throughout the US and abroad.
This song lends itself to interpretation because the first four bars are all on the same chord. Jim Brickman explains: “There’s room to treat it dynamically in a different way: in the tempo, in the sounds and silences, in the time signature.”
Silent Night
Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
‘Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night.
All is calm, all is bright.
‘Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 