It was the time of 1956 when we were in our junior high. It was the time of growing up, we looked at everything fresh & new. Suddenly, one song popped up & we heard “Seven Lonely Days” everyday & almost everywhere. Of course, we didn’t know much about the lyrics & meaning of the song. But it was there everyday that we couldn’t ignore. Here came the English teacher, fresh out of the college, looked clean, nice & lively. She treated us like a group of uncivilized kids. She was about 8 years older than us. But she looked so cute & young that we treated her just like our sisters. One day, I asked her about “Seven Lonely Days” & what the lyrics really mean. She spent about 15 minutes explaining the whole thing, very impressive. Strange enough, I became very interested in English after this. Since then, every time I hear this song, it reminds me of my English teacher. The singer is Georgia Gibbs, a Russian Jewish descent. She had a nice, strong & lyric style voice. You can hear her voice far away. She passed away two years ago at the age of 87. Strictly speaking, “Seven Lonely Days “ is not a love song, but it is love related. You can listen to the song with the following youTube site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcNU2Dr5c5M
The lyrics:
Seven lonely days make one lonely week
Seven lonely nights make one lonely me
Ever since the time you told me we were through
Seven lonely days I cried and cried for you
(Oh, my darlin' you're cryin', boo-hoo-hoo-hoo)
(There's no use in denyin' I cried for you)
(It was your favorite pastime making me blue
(Last week was the last time I cried for you)
(Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo)
Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears
Seven letters too I filled with my fears
Guess it never pays to make your lover blue
Seven lonely days I cried and cried for you
(And cried for you)
(Oh, my darling you're crying) Seven lonely days
(Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo) Make one lonely week
(There's no use in denying) Seven lonely nights
(I cried for you) Make one lonely me
(It was your favorite pastime) Ever since the time
(Making me blue) You told me we were through
(Last week was the last time) Seven lonely days
(I cried for you) I cried and cried for you
(Oh, my darling I) Cried and cried for you
(Oh, my darling I) Cried and cried for you
Time went by, we entered senior high & the pop music was dominated by Elvis, the King. Time went by again, we entered college & the pop music was dominated by Beetles. Since they are all male singers, we boy though like the music but not the type that you will jump, scream & faint in their concert. That sort of thing belongs to girls. Not until 1965, while we just finished military service & ready to study abroad, one song hit me with a bang. The first time I heard the song, I felt this woman was sincere & serious. The title of the song is “The Wedding”. After hearing the song, I decided to look for someone that I can marry someday later. If someone put the emotion on line & sings the song from the bottom of the heart, she can’t be ignored. Nowadays, every time I think about the college graduation & military service, it reminds me of this song. Recently I found the original performance of Julie Rogers on youTube. It really enhances my original feeling about this song: sincere, earnest & emotional. Julie Rogers is an English pop star, born in 1943 & still around these days. The following is the youTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvo8vlSi8zE
Time went by again, it was the time of 1970. In the distance, I heard something “All Kinds of Everything”, a distinctive voice of a loving girl. This was the time we just finishes our Ph.D. dissertation & ready for the world. Now this song sounded so pure, sincere & real that I forgot the Ph.D. & decided to get married right away. How can you refuse a love call like this. Dana Rosemary Scallon is an Irish singer who won the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest with this title song “All Kinds of Everything”. You can see her original performance in the following youTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awhQjT14cdA
After I watched this video clip, it sure enhances my original feeling. My heart is almost melted when she utters the last word of the song. Nowadays, every time I think about Ph.D. degree, it reminds me of this “All Kinds of Everything”.
The lyrics:
Snowdrops and daffodils
butterflies and bees
sailboats and fishermen
things of the sea
wishing-wells
wedding bells
early morning dew
all kinds of everything remind me of you
Seagulls and aeroplanes
things of the sky
winds that go howlin'
breezes that sigh
city sights
neon lights
grey skies or blue
all kinds of everything remind me of you
Summertime
wintertime
spring and autumn too
Monday
Tuesday every day
I think of you.
Dances
romances
things of the night
sunshine and holidays
postcards to write
Budding trees
autumn leaves
a snowflake or two
all kinds of everything remind me of you.
Summertime
wintertime
spring and autumn too
seasons will never change
the way that I love you.
Dances
romances
things of the night
sunshine and holidays
postcards to write
Budding trees
autumn leaves
a snowflake or two
all kinds of everything remind me of you.
All kinds of everything remind me of you.
4 comments:
Mark, you are a consummate romantic.
"Seven lonely days" was adapted in Chinese as "Give me a kiss". Though the adaptation was tasteless, it was popular in Taiwan for awhile. Sometimes I wonder who were these people turning wonderful foreign lyrics into such unbearable Chinese garabge.
I didn't get in contact with western pop music until I entered college in Taipei. Before that, all I heard was Chinese pop music from Hong Kong mostly, and some Japanese and Taiwanese pop songs when they were allowed by the authority again. For me, it was strictly classical ever since I discovered Carmen on our 78 rev hand-cranked phonograph when in grade school. The first American pop album that impressed was the Platters. Their singing, the melodies and lyrics were all superb. It was much later that I got to appreciate Presley and Beatles. I didn't care for Beatles until I heard a recording of "Yesterday" performed by the string ensemble of the Philadelphia Orchestra with its Bach-like melody. As for Presley, it was late in his career that I noticed his one of a kind voice and technique. Another interesting thing was the way I discovered the song "I really don't want to know". I heard a Japanese female singer sang this song in Japanese at a friend's home, and eventually I had got to get the original Patti Page version. It can become addictive if you start collecting various versions of a piece of good music.
Wei,
You mentioned 78 rev hand-cranked phonograph. My good old brother happened to own one when I was a grade school kid. It used spring as the source of power, so I have to crank with muscle. Unfortunately, after a year of use, the spring broke. We fixed it later but it never restored the original luster. Anyway, what I want to say is that this gadget led me to a larger world of music. We had some Chinese & Japanese records, 78 rev of course. However, my brother also got these three albums, one contains Haydn's sym #100 & #101 (Military & Clock), the second one contains Dvorak's New World symphony and the third is Carmen Suite. After I listened to these three albums (with a lot of cranking), I paid very much attention to the classical music. Nowadays, everytime I heard the theme of Military & Clock sym, it reminds me of that good old hand-cranked phonograph.
I am delighted to read your comment about "The Last Rose of Summer". You seem to have a fond memory about the music as it interacts with your life. It is always nice to get music involved with our life, not just listen to it. You are right that most people know more about "The Last Rose of Summer" than the opera Martha. The other examples are "The Wedding March", "Ride of the Valkyries" & "Uber Alle", the national anthem of Germany. The Wedding March is played everyday when someone gets married. But not many people know that it is from Wagner's Lohengrin. In fact, it is most of the time named "Here Comes the Bride". The tune in Apocalypse Now is a helicopter attacking theme. Not many people know it is from the "Die Walkure" by Wagner. Germany's national anthem is played everyday, but not many people know that the composer is Joseph Haydn, an Austrian.
Mark,
When I read your article, I expected that you would put some of your personal romance into this article. I always think that it would be wonderful if our classmates can share their love stories.
You said, after you heard the song "The Wedding," you decided to look for someone that you could marry someday later. Then what?
Then you said after you heard the song, "All Kind of Everything," you decided to get married right away." Did you do that? Now go further back to "Seven Lone Days". Did you fall in love with your English teacher secretly? No wonder that your English is so good.
Like Wei, a person for southern Taiwan, I had little contact with the American hit songs. Actually at that time, I knew very little about music except some songs from my music class and a few songs, like Wei, heard from the loudspeakers on the street. Sharon's major was music. Many boys, also from Taidai, tried to get her attention by showing her their knowledge of music. When I met her, I told her that I knew nothing about music. She was very surprised.
Mark Yang
Mark Yang,
When I wrote this article, I focused on All Kind of Everything Remind me of … It turned out that … all related to love & romance. You are a good reader, you seem to be able to read between lines & ask the right questions. Back in 1955, we just started to grow up. Hormone changed our behavior & we started to show interests in girls around us. But it is far from the truth that we understand what love is. All I knew was that I was fond of my English teacher & tried harder on English lessons to please her or at least not to disappoint her. I don’t think this is love, it is just some kind of feeling or emotion that is not yet defined for me. After I heard the song “Wedding” in 1965, I went to the US and did start looking for girls to date. But time was tough, I had to wait until 1968 to find some good prospects. Not until 1969, I finally got someone steady with me. You are right, after the song “All Kind of Everything” in 1970, I rushed to get married in the autumn of that year. I didn’t intend to write my love story, I just pointed out that something reminds me of some other thing. This happens very often in our life. If you have ever read the book “談美” by 朱光潛, you will understand my feeling. In that book, there is a chapter 美感与联想, with title “記得綠羅裙, 處處憐芳草.”
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