“There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower
and I see every one!”
Ok, class, can any one tell me what song this comes from?
………
………..
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Give up?
The song is one of my favorite songs from Harry Chapin. Its called Flowers are Red and if you watch the clip you will hear what prompted Harry to write this song. Here is a link to the lyrics. The video, unfortunately, cannot be embedded, so please click the link below to watch.
Enjoy!
It’s no secret that I am a fan of musicals, both on the stage and the screen. Musicals that were made for the stage and then adapted for the screen can sometimes be great (The Sound of Music or Chicago) or really bad (Man of LaMancha comes to mind). But every once in a while you get a musical that was made specifically for the screen. Todays song(s) comes from the excellent mockumentary “A Mighty Wind“.
I have always been a lover of folk music and when I heard that the guys who made “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best In Show” (and acting in “This is Spinal Tap“) were doing a folk music movice, I could not wait to see it. I was not disappointed. The movie was well written and very funny. Most importantly, the music was amazing. They really captured the folk music scene, and brought it into the 21st century. What was most surprising to me is that the actors themselves wrote the words and the music. It just goes to show how talented they are.
My favorite song from the movie is “When You’re Next to Me”, but I am also including “Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” which was nominated for an Academy Award and the title song.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8NGYoyRR6U&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffP1OZvRDV4&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOM7mUaOgtI&hl=en]
Primary season is almost over and all focus will now be put on the Presidential election in November. Of course the title of this post is not something I can just easily sit down and write. There are many reasons why I am a democrat and the video and link below may be caricatures, but they are somewhat accurate.
I remember in the 80s talk of the “Moral Majority“. This was actually a political group which was the beginnings of the organized Christian right. But the name was meant to evoke the sense that the majority of Americans were on their side and that morals were their driving force. But it seems to me that was really an illusion that was used to try and get votes for the Republican Party.
I like to use a phrase that has usually been used by the Republicans. I believe that the “Silent Majority” in America are really moral people and see the war in Iraq for what it really is. These are people who believe in a woman’s right to choose and that guns should not be so easy to just go and purchase. The right would like you to think that this majority of people are really following their agenda, but I really believe that most people in America are much more middle of the road than they would have you think. It is just marketing that gets the right to where it is (and perhaps it is time for the left to realize that).
Anyway, no more sermonizing. I have two thinks that I hope you will look at. First is an advertisement that was put in many Jewish newspapers a month ago. It is part of a campaign by the Republican Jewish Coalition (if ever there was an oxymoronic statement!) They got a few prominent American Jews to say that they were Democrats and why they are now Republicans. This one is by Dennis Prager (whom I could write a book about). Take a look at the last statement. “The Republican Party fights evil. The Democratic Party fights carbon dioxide emissions.” Well Dennis, in trying to spell out why people should be Republicans, you actually make the point why we are Democrats! There will always be evil to fight. We need to still be here to continue that fight.
The 2nd thing is a clip from the movie 1776. I have talked about this musical before and it is one of my favorites. I need to say a bit about the song though. When the show was made into a movie, the producer, Jack Warner, showed it to his friend, President Richard Nixon in the White House. Nixon saw this scene and felt it was an insult to him personally and to the Republican Party. So Warner had it removed from the film and ordered that the scene be destroyed without any copies. Luckily there was a copy left and a few years ago a director’s cut was release with the scene intact. The song makes even more sense today and it probably was meant as an insult to the Republican party when the Musical was written.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bWK3c9CiaY&hl=en]
Politics have always been very partisan, even at the founding of our country. It is up to us to figure out what is best for America.
Sorry there was no song of the day yesterday!
Lately, I have been in a more mellow mood and so my music tastes have certainly followed. I am picking a song today that is not only mellow, but the words really speak to me on many levels. The song is “Show me the Way” by Styx.
On the one hand it is a song about dreaming for a bright future and on the other it is a somewhat religious song, and that prayer is something that will help bring this future to us. I believe in the power of prayer and I hope that prayer helps us get to tomorrow. Here is a link to the lyrics.
The wonderful lyrics and Dennis De Young’s powerful voice make this one of my favorite songs of all time.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_jAsR-TqeM&hl=en]
P.S. I also want to direct you to my friend Wrekehavoc’s blog today. She is celebrating her son’s birthday. She embeded a youtube video of the song “Beautiful Boy” by John Lennon. I love the song and the lyrics. And it reminded me of some of my wonderful times with Avi, which is something I need a lot. Thanks Wreke!
Welcome again to another installation of One Hit Wonder Wednesday. Where we strive to bring you the best one hit wonder I can come up with in a few minutes thought. Well, actually, I came up with this one last week and luckily wrote it down so I would remember.
I don’t know when the first time was that I heard “The Shoop Shoop Song” but I do remember really liking it. It is a very simple and silly song, but it is very catchy and for Betty Everett in 1964 it became a number 6 hit in the US and her only solo top ten single (she hit #5 in a Duet with Jerry Butler with “Let it be Me“).
The full title of the song is actually “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” and has been covered by a number of artists most notably Linda Ronstadt (in concert, on Saturday Night Live and also on the Muppet Show) and Cher (the movie Mermaids).
Here are versions by Cher and Linda Ronstadt.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KmL8hjpf1k&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3RpiTUN_H8&hl=en]
It has been a while since I have posted other than my song of the day. Things have become very difficult in our house and time has been at a minimum. Avi has been going downhill for weeks now. Last I wrote about this, we were waiting for a Psychiatric evaluation. Avi saw the psychiatrist and the first thing that has changed is his diagnosis. Although we have not been given a definite on this, everyone now believes that Avi is bipolar.
It is a good thing we took him off the ADHD drugs because bipolar kids on stimulants will often get very depressed and that is what was happening to Avi. He began to say things like “I wish I were never born” and “I don’t want to live with anyone and just be by myself all the time.” Well we took him off the Adderall and that all ended. In fact his therapist said that his sessions after we took him off the drugs were much better and she was able to get much more from him.
Avi’s therapist consulted with our family doctor to get Avi on to a bipolar medication called Zyprexa which is an antipsychotic used today in the treatment of Bipolar disorder. We are a few days in and waiting to see if it has any effect.
The psychiatrist recommended to us that we look at a partial hospitalization program. This is basically an inpatient program where Avi comes home every night and is home on the weekends. We have an intake appointment at a good facility on Monday and if we are lucky, he will begin there the next day. This is a 6 to 8 week program and seems to be exactly what we need.
Today, mkm will be at our local school for and IEP meeting. We already know that Avi is going to be placed out of district next year, which means that he will be going to a school for children with sepcial needs. Luckily for us, there happens to be at least two very good schools in our area who specialize in helping children like Avi. Hopefully he will be at one of them.
Its been a long road and every time we seem to move back one space, we do seem to move forward two, so I think that the end of the road is getting closer. Sometimes it is hard to see that, but we just keep reminding ourselves that this is a very long process and that everyone who is involved is in this to get Avi well.
I think its well known that I love TV and watch way too much. This past season there were some great new shows, but I think my favorite of the new shows (and thank God it was renewed!) is “Pushing Daisies“. This quirky show has just the right blend of drama, comedy and fantasy. It is wonderfully written and they use the actor’s talents to the fullest.
One of the shows starts is Kristin Chenoweth, who is one of the best Broadway stars in the business today. She has a wonderful voice and the writers have taken advantage of this. There have been many TV shows to use music and song in their story, but Pushing Daisies take a slightly different approach where the songs tend to be coming from the thoughts of the characters.
Today you get two wonderful songs from this amazing show. The first is “Hopelessly Devoted to You” sung by Kristin Chenoweth and the second is sung by Ellen Green, herself a major Broadway talent. In the first, see if you can find the “ooops” that they made with the set!
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbe1m30RS8c&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0klnEAZmM&hl=en]
Once again, it is time for Favorite Lyric Friday. Yesterday’s song was from Broadway, and today’s is as well. In 1996 “Rent” opened on Broadway (having moved from off-Broadway) and the theater world was stunned. This Rock Musical was unlike any other before in that it talked about topics that were never found in major musicals (like AIDS and homosexuality). It was “Hair” for the 90s.
The opening song from the 2nd act is probably the most well known from the shot and I just love the lyrics, so today’s song is “Seasons of Love” from Rent.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug&hl=en]
It is no secret that I love Broadway musicals, and there is no shortage of good music there. This morning while on my way to work, I was dialing around on my ipod and my finger stopped on the soundtrack of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” This show is in my top 5 all time favorite shows for certain.
The concept of a “Rock Opera” goes back to 1969 and the Who’s “Tommy“. Initially these Rock Operas were made as concept albums. In 1970 when the concept album for Jesus Christ was made into a full fledged Broadway Musical the term “Rock Musical” also came into being.
Lloyd Weber and Rice had already collaborated on “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” which itself became a popular Rock Musical. With Jesus Christ they showed the world what a Rock Musical really is, and finally with “Evita“, the melded the concept with more traditional Broadway style music.
Here are two of my favorite songs from the motion picture Jesus Christ Superstar.
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LQioQ75408&hl=en]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb_9uH-ELJE&hl=en]
OK, I love this show so much here is a third.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytNoiQ8LkS8&hl=en]
