I watched Beetlejuice and many other Tim Burton movies last month, so naturally the songs featured in the movies are stuck in my head. Today my head sings for the “Tally Man” to “tally me banana”. What I didn’t know is Belafonte didn’t write this song. It is a cover of a Jamaican folk song. It is actually, “a song from the point of view of dock workers working the night shift loading bananas onto ships. Daylight has come, the shift is over and they want their work to be counted up so that they can go home.”
I’ve been watching way too much of The Family Guy, if that’s possible. I’ve watched it so much this past year you could say I have been studying it. All the little musical references get stuck in my head too. This morning I cannot get “Shipoopi” from The Music Man out! (For the record I WANT IT OUT!) So here it is… Shipoopi! The 1962 movie version is above, the 1957 Broadway version is here, and The Family Guy version is below! It is so absurd a show tune, it is perfect for The Family Guy.
I’ve been flying solo without G for almost a week now. Life is definitely better with G than without. Today I am whistling this tune because I get to see her tonight! Be-Bop-A-Lula …or should I say Be-Bop-A-G!
This has got to be one of G’s favorite songs. She lights up every time it comes on.
While trying to search for this song I discovered The Chords and “Sh-Boom” really kicked off Doo Wop’s popularity in the 1950s. The song is definitely one of the earliest Rock and Roll hits.
I found this video on the “origins of Sh-Boom”. I love how the origins are inspired by little sounds in the their lives.
What compelled this song to be stuck in my head this morning, I have no idea, but I feel compelled to make it the song of the day.
Watching the video, I am happy to see his theatrics are as silly as they sound in the song. I was afraid he might be actually be serious, though he comes across as more of a comedian. It is unfortunate he didn’t have more time to produce more songs because he died really early in his musical career. (He was one of the three in the plane “the day the music died”, along with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens). In memory of him, I think maybe I should start answering my phone with “yeah, this is The Big Bopper speaking”. That would be awesome.
Interesting trivia… in May 1957, when he was still a radio DJ “he broke the record for continuous on-the-air broadcasting by eight minutes. From a remote set-up in the lobby of the Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont, Richardson performed for total of five days, two hours and eight minutes, playing 1,821 records and taking showers during five-minute newscasts. He lost 35 pounds (16 kilos) during his marathon. KTRM paid Richardson $746.50 for his overtime and he slept for the next 20 hours.” Now that’s cool.
I just went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio this past week. Love it because it is a monument to the art of music (of which there are few relative to paintings, sculptures, etc.) or hate it because it is too “industry” and “corporate” influenced (like the art of music itself), I think it was well worth my time and money. I understand and respect the Sex Pistols decision to refuse being accepted (click to see the letter). I question how such a place could exist without industry, corporate, and government interests getting involved. I like that it exists now that I have seen it, so I’ll just have to disagree with the Sex Pistols on whether it is a “piss stain” or not.
As G said, the feeling after being there is you want to run home and listen to every album you ever bought all at the same time. It is a place that at its core celebrates music and in particular popular music since the 1950s, the beginning of Rock and Roll. I think including musicians like Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, and Madonna really means the museum covers all genres of popular music, not just Rock and Roll. It will be very interesting as they approach the Rap, Hip Hop, Techno, and Electronica of the 1990s whether those genres are truly included or not.
Unknown to me until I visited was the fact they only induct musicians whose first album came out 25 or more years previously. This means for anyone who only listens to new music, or born after 1980, there may not be much of interest. For a music junkie like me though, it was like a candy store. There was so much of interest I felt completely overwhelmed at times and had to just force myself to keep moving on to the next exhibit. In particular I liked the hall of fame inductee video covering all the inductees since 1996. I also could have just stayed at the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll” all day and been a happy camper.
If the hall of fame doesn’t already, I would implore upon them they include any inductees (who are still alive of course) to have a say in who should be inducted in subsequent years. The more open and democratic the nomination and selection process is, the more legitimate the museum and the hall of fame list will be. It seems a touch suspicious some icons like Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, and John Denver have not made the cut yet. (There are several “lists” of artists who people think are deserving, e.g. this one.) It would be good to know why exactly some have not made it. I don’t know if the museum would ever be deemed acceptable to anyone Sex Pistol like-minded, but it would hopefully make it more acceptable to those of us who have a touch of doubt.
All in all, I highly suggest visiting it. Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website for more info. Anyone who misses “the oldies” stations that use to be prevalent in the 80s and even the 90s will appreciate it for sure, and of course there are substantial exhibits dedicated to many of the icons like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Elvis Presley, among others. Currently it features a huge Bruce Springsteen exhibit too, which G and I agree we want him to be our adopted uncle. He just seems like a good guy.
I also had not realized how controversial Rock and Roll really was back in the 50s. The police broke up the first “official” concert. In comparison I think Rap has received a warm welcome. I agree with the teenagers the Reverend Jimmy Snow refers to in the following video. Rock and Roll is all about “the beat, the beat, the beat!” Well Reverend, I’m feeling “the evil” of Rock and Roll and it is good. I want more!
PS: If Reverend Jimmy Snow didn’t like that badass Chuck Berry, he must be rolling around and around and around in his grave now that we have Eminem, Korn, and Marilyn Manson.
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Although I am partial to the Doo Wop songs, I have to wonder why this is the song stuck in my head this morning. Perhaps I am feeling like a teenager in love. Perhaps it was the spinach I ate last night. Who knows?!
The great Johnny Cash. Frequently it is the early stuff that is the best with influential musical artists. Or perhaps just the most memorable. Perhaps because that is where the influence starts and the affects are then magnified as time goes by. I’d guess that “Alternative Country” would not be what it is today without him. Regardless, it is hard to deny Johnny Cash’s influence, from him helping to give artists like Bob Dylan a boost, to his work on “The Johnny Cash Show”, and even his participation in the “The Highwaymen”.
PS: I liked the fan made video. It has a simple way about it I think Johnny Cash would’ve appreciated.
This song is classic Sinatra, pre-Rat Pack days. So smooth and young. Crisp and clean. Puts a smile on your face in no time. I don’t like flying, but this bonus song of the day makes me want to like it. A perfect song for a blue skied spring afternoon.
Just for the record, the video link is a “fan made” video. I am surprised this song was not a “single” from “Room On Fire”. Enjoy!
Listen on Blip.fm!
