I've written about my dad and the way his tastes in music kind of imprinted and alternately disgusted me when I was a kid. I remember he had a vinyl copy of Ray Stevens' Everything Is Beautiful album. In 1970, the song "Everything Is Beautiful", was a big hit. Ray Stevens is best known for comedy songs like "Gitarzan" and "I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow". But he also put out a few serious numbers and "Everything Is Beautiful" was one of them.
I must confess that I think this song is also beautiful, even though it's also pretty corny. Ray Stevens is an actual musician who has a beautiful singing voice and there's something about this song that raises the hair on my arms. I could do without about 90% of his other stuff, but I do like this song, complete with its chorus of elementary school students circa 1969-70 who contributed "Jesus Loves The Little Children" at the beginning.
Every time I hear this song, though, I am taken back to the early 1980s when I heard it as we drove around the parking lots at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. I was excited about visiting the European themed park, not knowing that years later I'd work there for four summers and become thoroughly burned out.
In all seriousness, though, it's a lovely song with a positive message that maybe more of us should heed, even as events like explosions at marathons occur and knock us off kilter.
The Osmonds also covered "Everything Is Beautiful". I like Ray Stevens' version better, though The Osmonds look like they had fun with it. I hate those goddamn Elvis outfits they wore, though and their very complicated intro.
I must confess that I think this song is also beautiful, even though it's also pretty corny. Ray Stevens is an actual musician who has a beautiful singing voice and there's something about this song that raises the hair on my arms. I could do without about 90% of his other stuff, but I do like this song, complete with its chorus of elementary school students circa 1969-70 who contributed "Jesus Loves The Little Children" at the beginning.
Every time I hear this song, though, I am taken back to the early 1980s when I heard it as we drove around the parking lots at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. I was excited about visiting the European themed park, not knowing that years later I'd work there for four summers and become thoroughly burned out.
In all seriousness, though, it's a lovely song with a positive message that maybe more of us should heed, even as events like explosions at marathons occur and knock us off kilter.
The Osmonds also covered "Everything Is Beautiful". I like Ray Stevens' version better, though The Osmonds look like they had fun with it. I hate those goddamn Elvis outfits they wore, though and their very complicated intro.
Another song that sort of brings joy to my heart is Jackie DeShannon's "What The World Needs Now"
Yeah, it's a 60s era feel-good song written by Burt Bacharach, but the lyrics are pretty true. The world does need more love. And we probably need more of it now than we did when this song was recorded. When this song plays, I often get a lump in my throat. I think it's beautiful.
Yesterday, I read about how the New York Yankees played "Sweet Caroline" to honor the Boston Red Sox. I never really cared one way or another about "Sweet Caroline"... I mean, it's a nice song, easy to sing along to and will put a smile on your face. But I have to admit, when I heard that the Yankees played this for the Red Sox and their fans in the wake of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon, I was moved. Yeah, it's just a song, but that was a very classy thing to do...
It's spring, and we should be enjoying the season... as long as we aren't suffering from allergies. It's a shame that April is historically a month where certain people go crazy and do terrible things to others. I'm glad I have these songs to help me pass the time until May, when things will hopefully be less tragic.
I don't know if I've mentioned this, but my mom even as a toddler was practically a Kennedy family stalker except that she never got physically anywhere near them until we looked at Hickory Hill in McLean, virginia when I was little and we were on vacation when she was past the stalking stage. Cyber stalking wasn't an option when she was a kid.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, she was maybe three years old when "Sweet Caroline" was released, and told everyone each time it came on the radio that it was about Caroline Kennedy. It ended up that she was correct.
I never knew that about "Sweet Caroline".
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