Tomorrow, Friday March 20, is the first day of Spring.
About damn time!
So in celebration of the changing of the season, here are three of my favorite songs about spring.
First, Gene Autry, performing the title song -- or close to it-- of one of his classic singing cowboy movies, Springtime in the Rockies, which was released in 1937.
Five years later, Betty Grable made a movie with the same title.
But Autry didn't write this song. A Mormon history blog called Keepapitchinin tells the tale:
The ballad became a hit single for Gene Autry, and later for country singer Hank Snow. The nostalgic words set to their simple melody suggest that this is an old folk song, its words polished by countless anonymous singers. But it is a 20th century creation, its lyrics written by a Mormon girl, Mary Hale Woolsey, born in Springville, Utah, in 1899. Mary attended Provo High School, then Brigham Young University where she served as a class officer and wrote for student publications. With a keen ear for the spoken word, Mary wrote several operettas performed by local theater and church groups and found a ready market for her radio plays. She successfully collaborated with professional musicians. “Springtime in the Rockies” was published in 1929 with music written by Robert Sauer and was followed by other songs in the sentimental western genre – “When the Wild, Wild Roses Bloom,” “Colorado Skies,” and “On the Trails of Timpanogas” were all popular for a time.
So there is our history lesson for the day. Here are two other spring favorites:
Here is Bobby Troup, the guy who wrote "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66."
But I first heard "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" by The Beach Boys, who based their version on that of The Four Freshmen. Here is a downright haunting live rendition from sometime in the '80s:
Finally, here's Elvis and some pals with "Spring Fever" from his motion picture classic from 50 years ago, Girl Happy.
No, it's not Saturday morning, it's Wacky Wednesday. But this week I'm going to share some of my favorite cartoon theme songs.
Sometimes at night when I go to bed and close my eyes, these songs play in my head. Taunting me.
Some of the lyrics were inspirational to me. For instance I always aspired to live up to the Yogi Bear credo: "He will sleep to noon but before it's dark, he'll have every picnic basket that's in Jellystone Park."
Somehow I fell short of that. Oh well, on with the show, cartoon pals.
There were a couple of Rocky & Bullwinkle themes, (This one had the best sound quality of what was available on YouTube
Listen to the next one and try NOT to think of Andy Kaufman
Thank you for your service, Beetle Bailey!
This next one actually was aired at night. Big time!
And here's my spiritual guide, El Oso Yogi.
And don't forget my Popeye Serenade in a Wacky Wednesday earlier this year. CLICK HERE
Take a little time to enjoy some good Celt rock via the YouTube.
Let's start with a Marvel team-up of the band that basically started Celt rock and a venerated traditional Irish folk group: The Pogues and The Dubliners
Here's some Dropkick Murphys
I say this next one is Black 47's greatest song,
Flogging Molly
Below is my favorite Hungarian Celt-rock band.
The Mahones
And if you've made it this far, slow down a minute and take in this beautiful weeper:
