Stranger on the Shore

Well, I promised I'd do something different in light of the fact last post was #100 and well, who could get more different than this singer?

Oh, look... it's me!

Though I thought a picture of me with a musical instrument would be appropriate, this photo is rather a joke since my guitar skills are abysmal. The picture was taken Summer 2010 when I had resolved to learn to play the guitar since I was becoming frustrated with songwriting on the piano. I soon discovered that the guitar really wasn't a better medium and the piano was truly my forte. (Ha! Ha! Little musical pun for you there.)

First, allow me a little backstory: Years ago, while in my grandparent's basement, I ran across an old piano book of my uncle's. In this book was the sheet music for a song called 'Stranger on the Shore'. I had never heard the song before, but as soon as I played it, I knew it would be a favourite.

'Stranger on the Shore' was written by Mr. Acker Bilk and recorded by him as an instrumental piece in 1961. Actually, before Acker Bilk released it as a single, the song was originally named 'Jenny'. Its title was changed after it was used as the theme song for a series called, what? Yup! Stranger on the Shore. (Also, amazingly enough, as a predecessor to the British Invasion, it was the first British song to top the US charts!)
Here's the thing, though: I've always thought the song's lyrics were more suited to be sung from a girl's perspective; but, I swear, I have not heard a version that was not instrumental or sung by a male. On top of that, the song seems to be little more than completely forgotten.

Today I am here to change that; I am posting a recording of myself singing 'Stranger on the Shore'.

This recording of the song was done this past January, and since there are many things wrong with it, I would love to re-record it except I can't for the recorder on my computer is broken. So I can only apologize for what is wrong with it and move on. Firstly, my piano playing on this song is quite atrocious. The sheet music is simple so I embellish the left hand while playing and apparently, doing that while singing crosses over the line into multi-tasking mayhem.
Secondly, my voice... is not exactly great. The song is not in my best key. Also, we have a love-hate relationship, my voice and I; but this is not the time or place to go into that. The recording quality isn't great either. But still, I hope you can hear at least a little how beautiful this song is. I really love it and, despite my shortcomings, love playing and singing it. My version doesn't do the song proper justice, but at least it's not instrumental and at least I'm a girl!

Listen:
(The lyrics are included underneath, as you can see.)


Here I stand
Watching the tide go out
So all alone and blue
Just dreaming dreams of you

I watched your ship
As it sailed out to sea
Taking all my dreams
And taking all of me

The sighing of waves
The wailing of the wind
The tears in my eyes burn
Pleading, "My love return."

Why, oh why
Must I go on like this?
Shall I just be a lonely
Stranger on the shore?


Well, there you have it: my 101st post. I hope it's not too horrible. I debated with myself a while about whether to post this or not. Guess which I chose...!


(Supplemental link, for anyone interested: if you want to hear me sing a song I composed myself click this link: 'Dangling my Legs Off the Moon'.)

Janis Ian

Well, I'm right on time for the artist of the month post! I seem to consistently do them about a week into the month now. :P Honestly, I'd like to change that. But I when you don't pick an artist til 6 days in, that creates a problem...


And, since you can [presumably] read, you've probably figured out that this month's artist is Janis Ian!

(This is Janis in 2008, I believe. When choosing an artist that's been active so long, it's hard to decide what decade to choose their photograph from. :P)

I cannot say enough what an extremely talented musician Janis Ian is. I've loved her for a couple years now (I posted another song of hers a while ago) but my Janis Ian listening experience was basically scattered songs here and there. Lately, however, I've been enjoying her album Between the Lines which was released in 1975 and became very popular, further kindling her re-emerged musical career which had started in the 60's and quieted somewhat since then.


No one's music pulls at my emotions like Janis Ian's does. Especially on this album. Her melodies, oh! Simply gorgeous, and almost always accompanied by beautiful string arrangements. And her voice! There are times it captures loneliness so well, not to mention her lyrics.
Best of all, she sings in a good key for me. (Always a huge bonus!)

Hands down, my all time favourite Janis Ian song is 'In the Winter.' It has been on my itunes' "Top 25 Most Played" for a looong time. It's also holds a pretty high status on my "Songs to Sing While Cleaning" list!
I'm not even going to try to describe why I love this song, just give it a listen.



And for your extended listening pleasure, if you so desire, I've included the song 'Jesse' which was not on Between the Lines but it's another Janis Ian original that just makes my heart weep. (Trivia: this song was also recorded by artists such as Joan Baez and Roberta Flack! Janis does it best, though.)

Don't Know Why (You Stay)

I vacillated for a while what my second to last song this week would be. I knew for certain what my last song was going to be and I was pretty sure I knew what today's song was going to be... But then, all these other worthy advocates I've been listening to kept coming to mind. I'm not the best at making last minute decisions, because then I usually end up making the wrong choice. But finally I picked a song, and I certainly hope you won't think it was the wrong choice: 'Don't Know Why (You Stay)' by The Essex Green.

The Essex Green is Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell and Chris Ziter. They have been a band since 1997 but are on an indefinite hiatus at the moment. They haven't released an album since 2006's Cannibal Sea which I have been listening to a lot, as of late. They write catchy, 60's inspired indie pop/rock. 'Don't Know Why (You Stay)' is especially catchy; I can never resist harmonizing along with it. This song has been included on all of the playlists I've made to bake Christmas cookies to. {Christmas music? What's that?} So, I decided this really was the best song to post today. :)

Listen:



On another note, they are calling for more snow here. Confession, though: I don't want it to snow because tomorrow is a Library day. Don't look at me like that! It really is a highlight in my minuscule existence. :P

Society's Child

I remember the first time I heard the song 'Society's Child' by Janis Ian. It was about a year ago; I had been looking for new music to listen to and, for some reason, that day I was not having much luck. I was beginning to despair of ever hearing anything good again (ha!) when I went into itunes (this was before I switched to the superior emusic) and clicked on one of their "Itunes Essential" playlists. I believe it was their essential "Folk-Rock" playlist.
'Society's Child' was on the list and I started listening to it. The thirty-second preview was all I needed to fall in love with this haunting song.


Janis Ian is an incredibly talented singer-songwriter. She is also known for writing songs about taboo subjects. This song had a very controversial subject matter when it was written around 1965. {Janis Ian wrote it when she was about 13 or 14!}
The lyrics tell the sad, but not uncommon, story of a girl with an African American boyfriend. He is shunned by her mother and they are mocked by their classmates and teachers. In the end, she decides to end the relationship, pressured by everyone who says they can't be together. Janis Ian said: "You know, I don't think I made a conscious decision to have the girl cop out in the end, it just seemed like that would be the logical thing at my age, because how can you buck school and society and your parents? You'd make yourself an outcast forever." {Found here.}

To be sure, this song is not as socially relevant or as taboo as it was in the 60's, but, in my opinion, that does not diminish the anguishing beauty of it.

Listen:

I've Been Lost

I'm not exactly sure what the "Soft Sounds for Gentle People" compilations are or where they came from but I stumbled across them one day on a blog. I don't know what I was originally looking for but I decided to download the whole collection because, well, as far as I can hear, these are fairly-recently made compilations of various, little-known, sunshine pop bands from the 60's and... obscure 60's music is something that is very near and dear to my heart. :)
There are 5 Volumes of the"Soft Sounds for Gentle People" albums and then also three other albums called "He and She", "Mystic Males", and "Sounds of She".
Though I've had them for a while, I haven't gotten around to listening to all of them. So far, my favourite has been the "He and She" album. When I first listened to it though, all the songs started running together in my mind and they all sounded like they were sung by The Mamas and The Papas...
My ears were beginning to feel a bit bored when I heard the song 'I've Been Lost' by Sunny & Phyllis {Practically all the artists on the "He and She" album are "boy's name here & girl's name here"}. My ears instantly perked up and it was an instant favourite!
Though now, I have found many more songs to enjoy on the "He and She" album, my favourite discovery is still "I've Been Lost". It has good vocals, a pretty, plaintive melody and a catchy chorus! And also, it is in a fantastic key for my voice! {It all boils down to that, doesn't it?}

Listen:



I hope everyone is having a great week! Ta-ta for now! :)

Holiday in Rhode Island

Next for my favourite albums, is Holiday in Rhode Island by The Softies.

A family member or two laughed at their band name, "The Softies". That was only because they had not heard their music. Once you hear their music you never question why they would call themselves the "Softies". ;)

I got this album for Christmas last year. I was given it by my paternal grandparents when we were visiting their house. I didn't have my computer with me so I borrowed my littler brother's CD player. I went downstairs and lay across my sister and I's temporary bed and I listened to the album for the first time while reading the lyrics in the album insert. {By the way, I LOVE it when artists put their lyrics in their liner notes.}
And so that is always the memory I associate with this album, lying across the bed in my grandparent's basement, reading the lyrics, listening to the whole thing for the first time.

The Softies are two girls {Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia} accompanied mostly by just their guitars. They write sad, sweet songs about love & heartache... mainly heartache.
One thing I love most about them is their harmonies. One of my favourite things to do is to play Holiday in Rhode Island out loud (whether on CD or my ipod) and sing along. I have trouble making up my mind whether I want to sing the melody or the harmony so I sing an odd mixture of both. :)

I also had trouble just picking one song. I went back in forth between so many combinations... oi! Finally I decided on these two...

'Sleep Away Your Troubles':

'Just a Day':



And I had a lovely birthday! I feel so much different now that I am 17!
*cough*
;)

Sunshine

We just got back from visiting some old family friends. Actually, the main purpose of the trip was so my siblings could go to a concert. Since I didn't want to go to the concert, I spent most of my time playing our friends' piano and ravaging their record collection!
I brought home a stack of records to convert onto CD, some for myself and some for our friends.
I had a lot of fun! Nothing excites me more than new music. I found quite a few Billy Joel albums, some hard{ish} to find Beatles' albums, a Carpenters album I didn't have, and a Spike Jones album! {my grandfather's influence! :P} Also some others, but those I just mentioned were the highlights. {AKA the ones I can remember at the moment. ;)}

Anyhow, for the artist of the month I have chosen Smoke Fairies.



They have been my favourite musical discovery as of late. These girls create beautiful, smoky blues-folk music, with an icy center. {That's a good thing!}
I found Smoke Fairies by chance. I was scrolling through a list of various bands and I saw them and I thought "Smoke Fairies... that sounds like something I would like!"
Needless to say, I did! And I probably wouldn't have clicked on them if they had called themselves something else. Which makes me wonder how many great artists I'm missing just because I don't like their name or album covers... :P

Listen to one of their songs 'Sunshine':




Well, that's all for now! If you'll excuse me, I have some records to transfer! ;)

Rockwell's Blues

The first and foremost artist gracing my musical listenings, as of late, has been Sylvie Lewis. {Hm, sorry. I've been in the Jane Austen era all afternoon. Apparently the way I speak has been greatly affected. And I suspect it is for the worst...}
*ahem* Yes, well... back to Sylvie Lewis!



When I first heard Sylvie's music I fell in love with everything about it: her vocals, her frequently clever/humorous lyrics, and her cabaret-jazzy feel.

Apparently, Sylvie, at one point, quit music and became a teacher. But a couple years later she was reading a newspaper survey of the worst paid jobs in the U.S. It said the first was "Singer/Songwriter" and the second was "Teacher". She then decided not to settle for second best, and became a musician again. And I am so glad she did!!! ;)


Listen to her song 'Rockwell's Blues' off her first album Tangos and Tantrums:



{And yes, the "Rockwell" mentioned in the title and the lyrics is, indeed, the fabulous Norman Rockwell. How cool is that?}

The Hill

I am back! My computer is all fixed!!
Though I did rather enjoy not having a computer... I wrote more, I played the piano more, and I read more. It was very lovely. :)

Oh! Speaking of playing the piano, I learned how to play "The Hill" by Markéta Irglová on the piano! It's also in the movie Once (see this post).



It's so beautiful, I love to play it... and sing along when no one else is home. =D
Listen: {to her playing it, not me. :P}

God Help the Girl

My second favourite song of 2009 is 'God Help the Girl' by God Help the Girl.

{From Left to Right, Stuart Murdoch, Catherine Ireton, Celia Garcia, and Alex Klobouk: the main core of God Help the Girl}

God Help the Girl is Stuart Murdoch's {Belle & Sebastian's frontman} brainchild. How everything came together to make this group and album is rather confusing to try to explain. {2 hours it took me to realize this... *sigh*} So, read about it here.

The lovely Catherine Ireton is the main singer in God Help the Girl. Her voice is as beautiful as she is!

Listen to 'God Help the Girl':




{And if anyone has been wondering why Belle & Sebastian haven't released a studio album since 2006's The Life Pursuit, I believe God Help the Girl is the answer to your question. ;)}

Calico Skies

Well, I wanted to post another Christmas song. But the song's file won't cooperate (It's a long story). I shall try to coax it into submission later but until then I shall post something else.

Tonight I was washing dishes. I love washing dishes. There is something so therapeutic about the warm water and suds and... making dirty things clean. Tonight my mum called me her 'dish fairy'. :)
I also love to sing while washing the dishes. And one of my favourite songs to sing while doing the dishes is a song called 'Calico Skies' by Paul McCartney. So, as I was washing the dishes tonight, I was inspired to do this post about 'Calico Skies'.

'Calico Skies' is a love song/60's protest song against war. But I think Paul mainly wrote this song for his wife, Linda. {Pictured above} For those who don't know Paul and Linda were married for 29 years until Linda died. They are my favourite famous couple ever, their story is really sweet in a world full of divorce.
This song was on his album "Flaming Pie" which was released in 1997. One year before Linda died of breast cancer. For me that makes the last sentence in this song more poignant: "I'll love you... for the rest of my life."

Listen:



{Paul and Linda in '97}







Now here is my advice to all stressed people, go wash dishes -- it soothes the soul. :)

Christmas TV

"It's okay that I pray that you will miss your flight and have to stay with me another night..."

December is my favourite month of the year! I love Christmas!! Even though Christmas never quite lives up to my childhood memories of it there is still something so wonderful about the whole month.
Oddly enough, I don't really listen to much Christmas music voluntarily. Everyone seems to cover the same songs over and over again... which is a drag. So I have been listening to some non-traditional Christmas music. More specifically the song 'Christmas TV' by Slow Club!
I love Slow Club's energy and harmonious camaraderie. They always make me want to sing along loudly. =D

{And I love Rebecca's hair which seems to frequently be in a coronet braid!!!}

Listen to Christmas TV:






Is anyone else enjoying this wonderful season as much as I am? :)

Hands in the Snow

"And I watch you drink invisible ink... so I won't know when you swallow your words."


I listen a little bit to a band called "Saturday Looks Good to Me" which is a group that technically wasn't supposed to exist.
(Read more here if you care too: http://www.slgtm.com/biography.html)
I have recently realized that I mainly listen to them for one of their vocalists: Betty Marie Barnes. I love her voice for reasons I cannot explain.
Listen to her shine on the SLGtM* track "Hands in the Snow". I've been listening to and marveling at this song constantly for the past week!






*I'm sure you can figure this out. It gets tiresome to write long band names! :P