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Ode To Billy Joe, The Twin Peaks Of Songs
February is Storytelling Month, so we are taking a look at the art of storytelling in song this month. Ode to Billy Joe was released by Bobbie Gentry in 1967 and is a spine-tingling example of mystery storytelling at it’s very best. Bobbie Gentry matched her story writing with her vocal storytelling abilities. It is her performance of the song that really brings the story to life.
Sometimes singers are guilty of forgetting that songs are about communicating with an audience. They go through the motions of singing a song without really thinking about the words or the manner in which they are delivering them. An unthinking performance can make the best written song in the world sound banal.
(photograph courtesy of Gary Bridgman)
Have your New Year resolutions lost their sparkle already?
If you find you are already struggling with your New Year’s resolutions, you will not be alone! After the over-indulgences of the festive season (no matter our good intentions, we all tend to find ourselves eating more and exercising less!) the New Year has come to be viewed as a time for starting better habits and taking up new activities. While we may start these ventures with positive intentions, these intentions may be overturned quite quickly when we realize that some things prove to be less appealing in the cold light of day. Getting up early to go out for a jog may have the shine taken off it, after the umpteenth time you have returned soaked and wind-blown on cold January mornings.
Lucky Day by Liz
A little story by one of our members, inspired by a discussion at one of our Singing Sessions.
"Paul!" She isn't sure it's him. But it looks like him. "Paul! Sir Paul!" At the station, Wemyss Bay. Of all places. She's only come for the day, to see the glass roof. Well, why not? It is a smashing glass roof. Ha ha. The sky outside is a pale January blue. She can see the seagulls' feet overhead, yellow and flat on the glass, semi-see-through, lit up by the sun. There is a book shop she'll look at later, and the air is cold. It's nice here.
He turns, wearily. OMG! It's him! She gulps the diaphragm-deep breath she practised for Ding Dong Merrily On High a couple of weeks back.
"I'm really sorry Sir Paul, can I ask you a question? It's a music thing, not a", she flaps her hand, "mad fan thing".
He looks pissed off but manages to straighten up a little. She plunges in.
Not so Sound of Silence!
At our Singing Session on Wednesday
evening, we were in the middle of singing The
Sound of Silence when one of our ladies suddenly let out a yell and
retreated to a corner of the room. Somewhat startled, and with the rendition of
the song grinding to a halt, we looked down and discovered the cause of
her alarm - a large spider had taken up its place within our circle! The
spider appeared quite unfazed by us (unlike our member who, unfortunately,
is less comfortable around spiders!) and seemed either to want to join in
with the singing or to enjoy the performance. Perhaps spiders can sing? Who
knows.
We carefully removed the spider from the room and placed it safely,
nearby, where it could continue to enjoy listening to us singing and could join
still join in, if it wished!
We have a suggestion box where our ladies can add details of songs that they
think might be fun for the group to sing. Perhaps we will find a note in it,
written in tiny writing, suggesting something from David Bowie's album Ziggy
Stardust and The Spiders From Mars!
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No Hairbrushes Required! Singing with Dynamic Meladies by Liz
Why come to the Dynamic Meladies singing group?
I've
never been one to parade in front of a mirror with a hairbrush microphone,
doing a Kate Bush. But I always did like singing, after a fashion. Sadly,
my own fashion, which was just a few notes in the middle and a squeak for
anything high, and pot luck for the words. But that was ok, I only sang
in the car.
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