Saturday 7 August 2010

Good Romance

I feel like listening to Nat King Cole tonight. I doubt anyone below 50 years would know of this man, a black American who made it big as a singer/musician in the 40's through 60's. It was said he had "a distinctive voice, which has been compared to the quality of velvet, a pussy willow, a calm evening breeze, a still summer morning and a soft snow fall".

Nat wasn't terribly handsome but in those days of radio, voice mattered much more than looks - unlike today of course, you've got to be packaged right. Just lend him your ears and tell me if his voice doesn't make you gooey inside.

(Sometimes Mixpod refuses to load - so just right-click/open new tab on the "music" button to listen)




Music


 
If I Give My Heart To You
 
If I give my heart to you
Will you handle it with care?
Will you always treat me tenderly?
And in every way be fair?
 
If I give my heart to you
Will you give me all your love?
Will you swear that you'll be true to me?
By the light that shines above?
 
And will you sigh with me when I'm sad?
Smile with me when I'm glad?
And always be as you are with me tonight?
 
Think it over and be sure
Please don't answer till you do
When you promise all these things to me
Then I'll give my heart to you

Think it over and be sure
Please don't answer till you do
When you promise all these things to me
Then I'll give my heart to you
 
These were the songs of a bygone era - the age of innocence - so they say. The lyrics so sugary sweet and "romantic"? Can we describe any of todays song lyrics by such a word?

Take this snippet from Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"

I want your psycho 
Your vertical stick(???)
Want you in my room
When your baby is sick
I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love
Love-love-love
I want your love
 
What a cheek to put the word "Romance" in the song-title!

 Anyway, I'm in the mood for mush tonight....

Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Blue Moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will (ever) hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold

Blue Moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked the Moon had turned to gold

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
 
 
 
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18 comments:

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Awww Zendra Mariah, u showing your age again? I think Pakmat used to sing those mushy songs to charm the girls of his era.

Hey all of a sudden this Carpenter song’s lyrics seems so appropriate to ahem all us baby boomers now, so surreal;

When I was young
I'd listen to the radio
Waiting for my favourite songs
When they played I'd sing along
It made me smile

Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well

(*) Every Sha-la-la-la
Every Wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they started to sing
So fine

When they get to the part
Where he's breakin' her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more

Looking back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed

It was songs of love that
I would sing to then
And I'd memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away

All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more


Yesterday Once More

Hmmm showing my soft side again :)

Tommy

NanaDJ said...

Zen,
I prefer to listen to the oldies rather than today's songs. Call it old age but yesterday's songs has beautiful melodies and meaningful but innocent lyrics.
Having said that, I do enjoy some of the current songs and can still relate to some of them.

Nin said...

Kak Zen, 'When I Fall In Love' was our (us laki-bini) theme song back in our makan tak kenyang, mandi tak basah days =)

And then, after kawin The Vampire switched it to Elvis's You Walk Like An Angel song...

These days, no more lyrics in his song... just humming hahahah! Oh well... at least, there's still some melody left!

Unknown said...

..I remember Nat..and the song..worse, I even remembered singing it..(yeah, Tommy)and even called myself Mat King Kol..:)
..but Blue Moon is Cliff Richard,along with 'A Voice in Wilderness' and 'Fall in Love Again'..you got me there, lady..cheers

Siti Roffini said...

I'm an oldies fan, too. But you know what, at the moment I'm crazy over Mizz Nina's song. Still young at heart.

Wan Sharif said...

Ayoh Wang would like to join in the camaraderie but felt ill-equipped as few Pulau Duyong folk are musically inclined.. I only got to listen to the radio during the musabakah times otherwise silence ruled my nights under the pelita ayan fuelled by minyakgaz..
Got a little bit musical only in my teen listening to bathroom crooners in Tanjung Malim Hostels..

Zendra-Maria said...

Tommy, I have to show my age - am really getting tired being chased by young hunks like you KAKAKAKAH!!!!

Zendra-Maria said...

NanaDJ, I know what you mean. Take Lady Gaga's Bad Romance for example, I love the energy in that song but the lyrics just blew up in my face hehe

Zendra-Maria said...

Aznin, the Vampire sudah kenyang after all these years - hence just the satisfied humming hehehe

Zendra-Maria said...

Dear Pak Mat King Kol hahaha!!! that's really cute. We must get Puteri Kamaliah to arrange a Crooner's Nite at her club's karaoke theatre whenever you're in KL :)

Zendra-Maria said...

Siti, you are young at heart - you must be after all those years working with the young :)

Zendra-Maria said...

Ayoh Wang,

I bet you can recite the Quran just like the best of them. And there are no oldie or latest surahs - they're all timeless - subhanallah :)

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Hahaha u called me a young hunk…semyung kambing I :)) see nic photo swollen head.

Hey, What about this lyric;

You don't remember me
but I remember you
twas' not so long ago
you broke my heart in two

Tears on my Pillow

Pain in my heart
caused by you (oooh, oooh)
(you, oooh oooh)

Ouch, G’nite,

Tommy

Lee said...

Hi Zendra, you talking my language....I am strictly an oldies and Country & Western fan.....
Was just mentioning to a lovely ahemmm, lady about her eyes, and to listen to Frankie Laine's, 'A woman in love'....playing at no. 10 in my player.

We have several radio stations out of more than a 100 channels that plays strictly old time music.
One plays from the '40s to 80s.

Other one plays from the '70s to '90s.
And yes, love Nat King Cole....one of my favourites is his 'Stardust, Smile, Pretend'......songs that will go into Eternity.
Not for me all these gila2 screaming songs with some vulgar words....yeeeechh!
Have a nice day, Lee.

Zendra-Maria said...

Tommy, glad i made your day kekeke :)

Zendra-Maria said...

Dear Lee, now we know where you might have learnt some pick-up lines ;)

Anonymous said...

i can only appreciate and sing "MY WAY"...hahhhha...or no way !

Zendra-Maria said...

Tok Uban - my last line was

"KAPAS my GETTTT AWAAAYYYY"