Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Bouncy Early Earworm


George Baker: Paloma Blanca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R36CixkIaIc&list=RDR36CixkIaIc&start_radio=1

"Paloma Blanca" (Spanish for "white dove"), often called "Una Paloma Blanca", is a song written by Dutch musician George Baker (under his real name, Johannes Bouwens) and first recorded and released by his band, George Baker Selection. In the United States, the song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Easy Listening Singles chart on 14 February 1976 (becoming that chart's overall No. 1 song for 1976). The song sold over two million copies worldwide. Baker has been quoted as saying the song is about "a poor South American farmer who works hard all day and then sits by a tree and dreams of being a white bird with its freedom.” – Wikipedia

The song was everywhere when I was in middle school. It was never a favorite of mine; though I found it upbeat. It is redolent of a certain period; you don’t hear a lot of flute (or recorder) in music these days.

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Haven't Heard This in a While


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwYQsZuh2CM

Something I always think of as 'downky-downky' music because of the sound the guitar makes.

Update: As it turned out, we went to Movie Night over at John's today, rather unexpectedly for a Saturday. John had not seen this post and we had not decided what movie we'd watch. Eventually we landed on The Shining. Imagine my surprise when I heard Danny watching some cartoons in the film, and this theme came on! I didn't know it was there, and John hadn't seen the post. Just another of those Minor Mysteries that mean nothing but keep popping up.

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Wideo Wednesday: Jolly Noyse


Nottingham Ale

When Venus, the goddess of beauty and love
Arose from the froth that swam on the sea
Minerva sprang out of the cranium of Jove
A coy, sullen dame as most mortals agree
But Bacchus, they tell us, that prince of good fellows
Was Jupiter's son, pray attend my tale
They who thus chatter mistake quite the matter
He sprang from a barrel of Nottingham Ale

Nottingham Ale, me boys, Nottingham Ale
No liquor on earth is like Nottingham Ale
Nottingham Ale, me boys, Nottingham Ale
No liquor on earth is like Nottingham Ale

You bishops and curates, priests, deacons and vicars
When once you have tasted, you all must agree
That Nottingham Ale is the best of all liquors
And none understands a good creature like thee.
It dispels every vapor, saves pen, ink and paper
For when you've a mind in your pulpit to rail
It'll open your throats, you may preach without notes
When inspired with a bumper of Nottingham Ale.

And you doctors, who more executions have done
With powder and potion and bolus and pill
Than hangman with halter, or soldier with gun
Miser with famine or lawyer with quill
To dispatch us the quicker, you forbid us malt liquor
Till our bodies consume, and our faces grow pale
Let him mind you, who pleases, what cures all diseases
A plentiful glass of good Nottingham Ale.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if20zidMjvM&list=RDif20zidMjvM&start_radio=1

Saturday, December 14, 2024

Christmas Music in the Archive



The two LP record albums that were around when we were kids, by the Caroleer Singers. We had the Frosty one and Yvie had the Rudolph one, which they kept over at Omi's. We got the Rudolph album years later. The playlists from each can be found on YouTube. We also had one little record that had We Three Kings on one side, also by the Caroleers. I liked playing it at a lower speed, which made it slow and solemn. I forget what was on the other side.




When I joined a CD club in (I guess) the late Eighties or early Nineties, this was a set I had to have, perhaps even as part of my 10-for-a-penny introductory order. They have what you may call a smorgasbord platter of classic favorites.







Classic Children's Christmas, as you might say. Includes a lot of songs I always wanted on their own, separate from their specials.








Lots of goodities, Christmas songs and albums by individual artists and groups. Songs of cheer and traditional tunes.





And these albums cover two of my special interests, Christmas and Medieval Music. I think the interest might have been sparked when Dr. Laird loaned me a LP album back in college. I made a tape out of it, but like a fool did not make a note of its name. I listened to it for years. The songs were only played on traditional instruments.





A few generic albums, bought at Walmart on a venture. Celtic? Could be good. I don't listen to these very often. The one by Chanticleer should probably be in the batch from arists and groups. I can't think of any individual stand-out track from any of them.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Wideo Wednesday

 


I was born in 1963, so one might well assume that I grew up and was influenced by ‘the Groovy Age,’ listening to the Beatles or Bob Dylan, to music as anodyne as Simon and Garfunkel or as subtly dangerous as the Rolling Stones. True, it was always there, lurking in the background, knocking to get in, but at the time and place I was in, it was rather firmly denied entrance. It would nearly be the Eighties (when such music became retro, almost classic) that even the Beatles (the despised ‘bug-music’ of my childhood) began to be appreciated. Before that, there was an odd cluster of popular music from the Fifties and before, by actors and recording stars, that populated the variety shows on TV, music whose quirkiness appealed to my strange sensibilities, more or less approved by the older generation. The Danny Kaye is more of a routine than a song, but it was a record. I remember hearing ‘Sukiyaki’ (which has nothing to do with the food but was named that as being a word Americans might be familiar with) at the SMI Christmas party. Anyway, here is a small sampling of such songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh9V2H2B73k Danny Kaye; Mommy, Gimme A Drinka Water

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBD68bFyhQY Doris Day, Glass Bottom Boat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyye06skfbE Bing Crosby, Cranky Old Yank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1pD1WihY3g Try to Remember, Andy Williams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C35DrtPlUbc ‘Sukiyaki’, Kyu Sakamoto


Tuesday, January 16, 2024

To While the Time Away


Sorry, no LOTR Summation just yet. My brain is still a little too frozen (19 degrees F) this morning for any creative work, and believe me Summation takes a bit of creative work. But here are a dozen of my favorite songs to while away the time. Quite a few of them have a sort of fantastic theme and a driving rhythmic beat that appeals to my OCD. I may yet do LOTR, but not until much later in the day.

1.    One More Time – Daft Punk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGBhQbmPwH8

2.    Orinoco Flow - Enya

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrk4X9ACtw

3.    Anvil of Crom - Basil Poledouris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHfE682mm3c

 4. Forever Young – Alphaville

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1TcDHrkQYg

5.    Born To Be Alive – Patrick Hernandez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UaJAnnipkY

6.    Reel Ten – The Plugz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H7KcasScIU

7.    Return to Innocence – Enigma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk_sAHh9s08

8.    Run Runaway – Slade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23FjDtbVIkY

9.    The Hamsterdance Song – Hampton the Hamster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3G5IXn0K7A

10.                 Cuts You Up – Peter Murphy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9R_KzTgRXY

11.                 Discworld Main Title Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot2Nso_gqCA

12.                 Diggy Diggy Hole – The Yogscast ♪ Diggy Diggy Hole - YouTube


 

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Selections from the Playlist

 

While no means a complete list of all my music, this is a collection of standards and oddities of my own choice, which gives a sort of mosaic of my tastes. There are plenty more hits from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, songs from TV specials and children's shows and movies, Christmas, Country, and Pop music. Some songs are here because they remind me of my childhood, some because they remind me of people who are now gone. And many have 'videos' unreeling in my mind that their creators could have never imagined. I tend not to have one favorite genre, but will collect whatever appeals to my fancy. 

A Horse with No Name – America

He is Jehovah – Bill and Gloria Gainer

Do You Hear What I Hear – Bing Crosby

Don’t Fear the Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult

Take Off – Bob and Doug McKenzie

Marie Lavaux – Bobby Jr Bare

Turn! Turn! Turn! – The Byrds

I Still Believe – The Call

Magic – The Cars

Rock the Casbah – The Clash

Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

One More Time – Daft Punk

Red Sky at Night – David Gilmour

Money for Nothing – Dire Straights

Riders on the Storm – The Doors

Witchy Woman/Hotel California – The Eagles

I Love a Rainy Night – Eddie Rabbit

Mea Culpa – Enigma

Cursum Perficio – Enya

One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx

Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac

The Puppet Song – Frankie Avalon

Home by the Sea/ Illegal Alien – Genesis

My Sweet Lord – George Harrison

Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald/If You Could Read My Mind Love – Gordon Lightfoot

Reel 10 - Iggy Pop

Sukiyaki – Kyu Sakamoto

Jokerman – Bob Dylan

The Old Home Guard – Sherman Brothers

Don’t Pay the Ferryman – Chris de Burgh

Take Me Home Country Roads – John Denver

Stand by Me – Ben B. King OR John Lennon

I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty OR Johnny Cash

Where Have All the Flowers Gone – Kingston Trio

The Highwayman/The Lady of Shalott – Loreena McKennitt

Coalminer’s Daughter – Loretta Lynn

Safety Dance – Men Without Hats

The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde – Merle Haggard

Pure Imagination – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Soundtrack

Born to be Alive – Patrick Hernandez

Walkin’ After Midnight – Patsy Cline

Mull of Kintyre – Paul McCartney

The Boy in the Bubble – Paul Simon

Red Rain – Peter Gabriel

In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins

Learning to Fly – Pink Floyd

Wrapped Around Your Finger/Secret Journey – The Police

It Don’t Come Easy – Ringo Star

The Powers That Be – Roger Waters

Avalon – Roxy Music

Gunning for the Buddha/Coelacanth – Shriekback

Scarborough Fair – Simon and Garfunkel

I Am Stretched on Your Grave – Sinead O’Connor

Run Runaway – Slade

Mithrandir/Following the Orcs/Helm’s Deep – Leonard Rosenman

The Donkey Serenade – Allan Jones

Fly Like an Eagle – Steve Miller Band

Love is the Seventh Wave/Moon over Bourbon Street/ Englishman in New York – Sting

Roll Muddy River – Stonewall Jackson

It’s My Life – Talk Talk

It’s Raining Again – Supertramp

Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads

Delta Dawn – Tanya Tucker

Tribute – Tenacious D

Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford

We Don’t Need Another Hero – Tina Turner

Free Fallin’/Rebels/Don’t Come Around Here No More – Tom Petty

Handle With Care – The Traveling Wilburys

With or Without You/Where the Streets Have No Name – U2

Marie’s Wedding – The Chieftains, Van Morrison

The Killing Moon – Echo and the Bunnymen

Orange Blossom Special – Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys

The Big Rock Candy Mountain – Burl Ives

Popcorn – Hot Butter

Big Bad John – Jimmy Dean

Can the Circle Be Unbroken – The Carter Family

You Are My Sunshine – Gene Autry

Ballad of Davy Crockett – Fess Parker OR The Mosquitos

El Paso – Marty Robbins

May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose – Little Jimmy Dickens

The Devil Went Down to Georgia – The Charlie Daniels Band

Highwayman – Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc.

Man of La Mancha/The Impossible Dream – Richard Kiley

Back on the Chain Gang – The Pretenders

Life in a Northern Town – Dream Academy

Oh Death – Ralph Stanley

Orinoco Flow – Enya

El Shaddai – Amy Grant

Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes

Tainted Love – Soft Cell

I Ran (So Far Away) – The Seagulls

She Blinded Me with Science – Thomas Dolby

Your Wildest Dream – The Moody Blues

Love Stinks – J. Geils Band

Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes

Shock the Monkey – Peter Gabriel

Aquarius/Let the Sunshine – The Fifth Dimension

Ding Dong Merrily on High/The Holly and the Ivy – Roger Whittaker

Safety Dance – Men Without Hats

Leave My Monkey Alone/Keep Me in Your Heart – Warren Zevon

The Whole of the Moon/ The Stolen Child – The Waterboys

On the Road Again – Willie Nelson

Elektra – The Reivers

Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.

Fame – Irene Cara

Werewolves of London/Johnny Strikes Up the Band – Warren Zevon

(Nothing But) Flowers – David Byrne

Salisbury Hill – Peter Gabriel

Castle in Spain – Buster Poindexter

The Man in the Long Black Coat – Bob Dylan

Nemesis – Shriekback

The Boar’s Head Carol – The Chieftains

My Thing is My Own – Anne Wilson

Hurt – Johnny Cash

The Hampster Dance – Hampton and the Hamsters

Fortuosity – Tommy Steele

Adiemus - Leroy Jenkins

Delia – Johnny Cash

Main Street Electrical Parade Disneyland

With a Flair/ Colonel Hathi’s March/Trust in Me – Sherman Brothers

Fidelity Fiduciary Bank – Dick Van Dyke

Be Our Guest/Le Poisson – Howard Ashman, Alan Mencken

Love Goes On and On – George Bruns, Floyd Huddleston

Lavender Blue – Burl Ives

Trust in Me – Sherman Brothers

The Minstrel Boy – James Galway

Dust in the Wind - Kansas

Year of the Cat – Al Stewart

Thing Called Love – Johnny Cash

Return to Innocence/Sadeness - Enigma

Stonehenge – Spinal Tap

Sneaky Snake – Tom T. Hall

Momma Tried/Silver Wings – Merle Haggard

This Ole House – Rosemary Clooney

Raggle Taggle Gypsy – The Waterboys

Waterloo – Stonewall Jackson

Mrs. McGrath – Bruce Springsteen

Nottingham Ale – The King’s Noyse

McCallister’s March – The Chieftains

East Texas Red - Arlo Guthrie

American Pie/Starry Starry Night

Different - Ma Cass

The Last Unicorn – America

Putting Out Fire – David Bowie

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner/Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon

Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin

Stand/End of the World as We Know It – R.E.M.

Caravan (?) - Kitaro

For My Lady – Moody Blues

Dream Weaver – Gary Wright

Ghost Riders in the Sky – Johnny Cash

Mercy Street - Peter Gabriel

Bubeck et Hungaricus – Yaroslav Krcek

Heart of Gold - Neil Young

Galveston – Glen Campbell

Time Passages – Al Stewart

Ore I In Eye Aye – George Harrison

White Wedding – Billy Idol

Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen

Long May You Run – Neil Young

When the Tigers Broke Free – Pink Floyd

It Don’t Matter (Where You Bury Me) – Emmylou Harris

Knights in White Satin – Moody Blues

Into the West – Annie Lennox

The Logical Song – Super Tramp

Follow (Into the Trees) – Tom Petty

Rock Me, Amadeus - Falco

Unchained – Johnny Cash

DeLessup’s Dance – from ‘Shakespeare in Love’

Orientus Partibus -

Our Hero – Sting

Riu Riu Chiu – Warren Zevon

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Eric Idle

Salterello – Dead Can Dance

Justified and Ancient – KLM (The Jams)

Blue Bayou – Linda Ronstadt

It’s a Heartache – Bonny Tyler

Against the Wind – Bob Seger

Wildfire – Michael Martin Murphey

The Mummer’s Dance – Loreena McKennitt

Caribbean Blue – Enya

Anvil of Crom – Basil Pouldoris

Send Lawyers Guns and Money Warren Zevon

Wrapped Around Your Finger – The Police

Bring Me My Bride – Stephen Sondheim (Movie Version)

Discworld Main Theme – Keith Hopwood & Phil Bush

Homeward Bound – Jack Trombey

Snow Miser/Heat Miser – Maury Laws and Jules Bass

The Northwest Passage – Stan Rogers

Wendy – The Association

Puff the Magic Dragon – Peter, Paul, and Mary

Up, Up and Away (In My Beautiful Balloon) – The Fifth Dimension

Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks

Jeremiah (Joy to the World) - Three Dog Night

Where Have All the Flowers Gone – The Kingston Trio

Blowing in the Wind – Bob Dylan

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head – B. J. Thomas

Fate Master of the World – Carl Orff

Man of the Hour – Pearl Jam

Further Up, Further In – The Waterboys

Grimstock – from “Restoration”

The Lees of Old Virginia – from “1776”

Jubilation T. Cornpone – from “Li’l Abner”

Tarzan Boy - Baltimora

Cut You Up – Peter Murphy

Forever Young - Alphaville

The Stolen Child – The Waterboys

Whenever God Shines His Light on Me/When Will I Ever Learn? – Van Morrison

Jerusalem – Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

The Rain It Raineth Every Day -Tommy Steele

Let Me Be Your Song/Shine on Us Now (Moon Come Soon) – Fraggle Rock

The Fearless Vampire Killers – Krzystof Komeda

BBC Count Dracula End Theme