* From 'Piano' poem by D.H. Lawrence.
Yesterday I heard the song 'Sailor' sung by Petula Clark.
This immediately took me back to my childhood. Clark's version of this song was released in 1961 and was a massive hit. I was born in August 1952 so was about 8 or 9 when I first heard it. I guess my mother must have turned the radio up every time that it was played. She listened to 2ZB and dad listened to 2YA (the forerunner of the National Programme which I tune in to nowadays).
We never had any Elvis Presley or Rock and Roll music playing back then. When the 'radiogram' was used to play records (78 rpms) it was likely to be Louis Armstrong, The Mills Brothers, The Ink Spots, American Country and Western or light classical.
The radio songs that I remember and that still have resonance for me were ones like Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' (1942), Harry Simeone Chorale's version of The Little Drummer Boy' (1959), Pete Seeger's version of 'Goodnight Irene' (1959) and Patti Page's version of 'The Tennessee Waltz' (1951).
It's pretty lame stuff compared to the music I later listened to but I still get a thrill hearing The Little Drummer Boy' (frowned on nowadays by the PC Brigade) and hearing 'Sailor' was a real treat.
I was going to be sarcastic about this post but the song 'Sailor'
ReplyDeletereally got to me. My mum used to always sing along when it came on. I guess she had special reason to identify with that song as dad was often away (on a ship) and it was her and us three older boys at home back then. This was long before I joined 3G and Brother Benedict was still a year in the future.
Sarcastic? Surely not.
ReplyDeletere that Brother Benedict pervert your choice of songs could come from this list:
"Ask Me", by Amy Grant
"Candyman", by Siouxsie and the Banshees
"Cherokee Louise", by Joni Mitchell
"Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School", by Cheap Trick
"Damaged", by Plumb
"Fee Fi Fo", by The Cranberries
Or, most appropriately "Fiddle About", by The Who
All of those songs are disturbing but the scariest is The Cranberries one.
ReplyDelete(Robert's) God there are some bastards out there!
I heard today on RNZ of the survey of female students (girls) at a Christchurch High School and the reporting of horrendous sexual abuse including rape. Most of this is coming from fellow male students and peers but I just wonder what the fuck is wrong with society?