SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
'By the Light of the Silvery Moon': Doris Day, To my honey, I'll croon love's tune, Honey moon, keeps a-shinin' in June...
Now it's Beautiful Sunday with October Cherries.
Well, just playing with days, weeks, months and years! Remember them so you won't get dementia...
The days of the weeks feature in many song titles too. Limiting them from the 50s to 70s compositions, there are already a few hundred songs.
Beginning from *The World Hits 'Beautiful Sunday' Album (1972 - image) by the October Cherries, a Singapore group, there are titles like, Blue Monday by Bob Seger, Sunday, Monday Or Always by Frank Sinatra.
Ruby Tuesday is by The Rolling Stones, Melanie, Twiggy, Bobby Goldsboro. Wednesday Evening Blues by John Lee Hooker, Thursday by Jim Croce, Black Friday by Steely Dan, AnotherSaturday Night by Cat Stevens, Sam Cooke, The Bay City Rollers, The Eagles and Earth Wind and Fire.
Sunday Best is by Bobbie Gentry, Sunday Morning Coming Down by Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, That Sunday, That Summer by Nat King Cole, A Monday Date by Louis Armstrong, Rainy Days and Mondays by The Carpenters. The list goes on...
*Beautiful Sunday, available by October Cherries on World Hits 1973 Single ES6-A, A Baal Production on Elastic Record. Composer/original recording is by Daniel Boone.
Here comes Ruby Tuesday...
"Ruby Tuesday": Melanie; YouTube Video by: Melanie Safka [official page]
Any other song you know that relates to calendar connections?
Just keep on commenting...
'Wednesday Evening Blues': John Lee Hooker. The guitar man on a lonely evening.
'Thursday' by Jim Croce: 'Cause I was looking for a lifetime lover, And you were looking for a friend. [reversed?]
'Black Friday': Steely Dan: When Black Friday comes, I'll collect everything I'm owed, And before my friends find out, I'll be on the road...
'Another Saturday Night,' Cat Stevens: I got in town a month ago, I seen a lot of girls since then, If I could meet 'em I could get 'em...
'Scarborough Fair' with Lyrics: YouTube Video by S.Vansay.
Here's a letter from a friend who lives in faraway Canada. She chats so cheerfully about her lovely garden and describes it 'live' here. Thanks so much JD.
💐🌹🥀🌺🌻🪻🌷💐💐🌹🥀🌺🌻🪻🌷💐💐🌹🥀🌺🌻🪻🌷💐💐🌹🥀🌺🌻
I must admit I chuckled when I read your suggestion below that I am "adept with nature". Oh my, no, though I wish I were. I do have a large garden, because it pleases me to have bright flowers and greenery in the yard and visible from my windows, but apart from planting, watering and weeding as needed, I am a very lazy gardener, and not particularly knowledgeable either. I like plants that mostly take care of themselves.
This is a photograph of the market gardener the writer was describing. It has been generated by AI and is not of any random picture from internet images.
My nephew is an avid gardener, and very knowledgeable; his mother was a market gardener and seems to know everything about plants. (Until she retired, she sold her vegetables & flowers at local seasonal markets.) I think that if she doesn't know something about a plant, then it must not be worth knowing. 😉 My nephew grows everything from seed, and this year is providing me with a number of herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage, etc.) and several geraniums, for which I am delighted.
The writer cleaning up her garden which usually takes some months.
Unfortunately, apart from a few deliciously warm days this spring, it has mostly been very chilly and windy here, so I have not yet done any work in the garden, nor have I purchased any flowers for the pots on the front porch and patio. There is a lot of clean-ups to do of winter-dead matter, as well as early weeds, and fallen branches. Once I get started, the garden will keep me busy until late autumn.
Rosemary and Thyme. These are herbs best grown where there's sunshine. They are drought tolerant and do not require much watering.
Geraniums below. Spectacularly bright red and attention seeking. The quieter greens are parsley.
Sage
Screenshot of 'Scarborough Fair' YouTube Video by S.Vansay.
I have always loved the above song from the Walt Disney movie and until recently, captured the above version again on YouTube video. This time around the words jumped out from the page and I realized that the lyrics sounded more meaningful.
"You think you own whatever land you land on/ The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim/ But I know every rock, and tree, and creature/ Has a life, has a spirit, has a name."
If we are aware of the tumultuous goings~on in the world around us today, the lines above are definitely familiar. News from today's headlines? Surely.
"You think the only people who are people/ Are the people who look and think like you/ But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger/ You'll learn things, you never knew, you never knew."
Christine Allado, a Filipino-British and current singing star and actress. Check her out on the many websites available that discuss her achievements and awards she holds.
I'm not much into politics and don't want to step on anyone's toes, especially the animals' mentioned in the lyrics, so I turned to AI and the answer came easily:
Yes, the lyrics of 'Colors of the Wind' from Disney's 'Pocahontas' can be, and have been, associated with modern conflicts, bombings, and environmental destruction by acting as a counter-narrative to violence, exploitation, and dehumanization.
While originally written in 1992 to reflect the perspectives of Native Americans against colonization, the song's themes are frequently re-interpreted today as a protest against the "conqueror" mindset.
"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers."
Here is how the lyrics associate with modern bombing and conflict:
* Critique of Disregard for Life ("You think you own whatever land you land on / The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim"): This lyric is interpreted as a critique of colonial or modern military efforts that treat landscapes and inhabited areas as mere territory to be claimed, bombed, or destroyed, disregarding the life, spirit, and communities that exist there.
* Dehumanization of Others ("You think the only people who are people / Are the people who look and think like you"): This line is used to comment on conflict, racism, and the tendency of groups to dehumanize their opponents in war, reducing them to "savages" rather than recognizing them as fellow humans.
* Interconnectedness ("We are all connected to each other / In a circle, in a hoop that never ends"): This directly contrasts with the destructive impact of bombing, emphasizing that the destruction of people or the environment in one place affects everyone.
"How high does the sycamore grow? / If you cut it down, then you'll never know."
"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest/ Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the earth/ Come roll in all the riches all around you/And for once never wonder what they're worth..."
* A Call for Empathy ("But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger / You'll learn things you never knew"): This calls for understanding and dialogue, opposing the violence that creates refugees and destruction.
*According to reports in 2025, people have used the song on social media to comment on conflicts in the Middle East and other environmental issues, finding the lyrics to be a "generational rallying cry" against violence and destruction.
(This article is an AI generated reply.)
"Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?"
"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers/ The heron and the otter are my friends/ And we are all connected to each other/ In a circle, in a hoop that never ends..."
"Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains/ Can you paint with all the colors of the wind..."
Judy Kuhn [left], the original singer and Vanessa Williams both sang, "Colors of the Wind."
As April leaves us and May approaches, we observe that June is waiting to mark the middle of twenty twenty-six. That's half-way through the year and 3 flowers are blooming...
The following comments are extracts taken from previous blog sites:
From the late Dave Loggins, composer: Uploaded on Jan 2, 2009.
"I would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts on "Pieces." I wrote it at a very special time of my life. Special, because I met the "love of my life" and had recently lost her. By chance, we were together for three consecutive Aprils and then she left me for good. Today, I don't know where she is or how her life turned out.
May is symbolic of the present, April was and still remains a sweet yesterday. I have never really gotten over "April" and the "pieces" still remain. Those sweet Aprils... It's my favorite song, too."
Tomas Rodriguez, blog reader, says:
It is a really beautiful song, but it is very sad. I also think that the memory that he has of the woman is really an illusion. What he is really attached to is the feeling of sadness and longing that is evoked by his memory of the relationship. At the end of the day she did abandon him [and ladies he did abandon you] so why honor her/him for that? Love God, love life and love yourself first...
Suituapui, blogger was in Singapore, 1973, says:
Ooooo...one of my all-time favourite songs. 3 Dog Night's ‘Pieces of April’ - 1973. I was in Singapore that year, Stamford College, Waterloo Street. Those were the days. I saw Heather and the Thunderbirds - Lost Horizon, Shangri La...and also another place, Malaysia Hotel...can't remember the name now. I saw a very young Anita Sarawak too - Top of the Hilton. Oooo...what memories. [Suituapui means 'Beautiful Fat Guy'].
Maggie May: Rod Stewart. With Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. YouTube Video by: Rod Stewart.
Poppa Madison, blog reader, says:
Pity so many young women of today don't merit this kind of romantic approach. I feel sorry for the young guys of recent generations who want to give their hearts to a lovely fair maiden, but more often than not come face to face with a gaggle of boozed up, foul mouthed, violent, out of their mind female juvenile delinquents when they go out try and find one they can give their all to.
50 years ago, I can vouch that we actually had real ladies and gentlemen with good manners and a sense of socially interactive behaviour that many of today's young lot could not even begin to be able to get close to understanding let alone emulate.
Wot a shame! 😱
[But don't forget guys, if April has left you, there's always May and June waiting...]
Rainy Day In June: Kinks. YouTube Video by: 1966 Stereo In.
Good morning. Below is my reflection for this year’s Good Friday 2026. Wishing you and your family a Good Friday.
Best Regards. God Bless You.
Phil.
"Man’s Search for Meaning" and "Silence":
As the traditional Good Friday and Easter approach, we are reminded of the horrific sufferings and death of Jesus. This Lent season reminds us of two bestsellers and powerful classics: Viktor Frankl’s (reprinted 2014) bestseller, "Man’s Search for Meaning" (1959) and "Silence" (1969) by Shusaku Endo (translated to English by William Johnston, 1925-2010). Viktor Frankl was a well-known lecturer at Harvard and Stanford while Shusaku was a graduate from University of Keio, Tokyo (n1949) and University of Lyon, France (1953). Shusaku won many outstanding Japanese literary awards.
The two books in mention.
Both books paint a vivid picture about human suffering. Viktor shows us the meaning of life in suffering in a Nazi death camp while Shusaku shows us a different type of suffering which will be discussed below.
“Silence" is a Japanese novel about a Jesuit priest named Sebastiao Rodriguez who made a missionary trip to Japan to find his mentor in order to rescue him from persecution by the Japanese ruling class. When he got there, he discovered that peasants were “tortured” so as to break their Christian faith. Eventually Sebastiao was dragged by the ruling class to the crossroads for his soul. They put the artist image of Jesus Christ, the Messiah before him and told him to step on it and denounce his faith.
Sebastiao was told that the torturing of the peasants would stop if he stepped on the image. However, the torturing would persist should he fail to follow their instruction. For Sebastiao, it was a dilemma. To step on the “picture” of God felt like he was betraying the Messiah. But to refuse, he also felt like he was betraying love and compassion for the Japanese peasants. At that moment, the Silence of God book reached its climax. Sebastiao finally heard Christ, the Messiah speak. “It was to be trampled on by men that I was born into this world. Step on me. I carry the cross for this very reason. To bear the weight of your shame.”
‘O Sacred Head Now Wounded’ - Fernando Ortega. YouTube Video by Scott Bacher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgkVTtT-0xg
The above episode is similar to Viktor’s 2017 classic, “Man’s Search for Meaning” where prisoners in holocaust camps were mistreated by the Nazis. God seemed to be silent and hidden as the inmates underwent torture and sufferings. It is so aptly described by Isaiah, Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. Isaiah 45:15.
Indeed, the Messiah did not come to condemn us; He came to be condemned for us. In the Gospels, He did not once ask to be worshipped. He did not come for accolades, crowns or recognition. He came to be crushed so that we could live. He came to show us the path of suffering which leads to freedom.
The book convicts me because of this truth: Too many of us Christians, worship dogma, preachers, spiritual methods or even the religious book itself. But Christ never once commanded the worship. People worshipped Him but what He asked was far harder.
Follow me. Walk my path. Carry my cross. Enter the darkness. And in so doing, you will find life. Because salvation is not found in avoiding pain. It is found in pressing through it i.e. taking up our own crosses. In enduring shame, the loss and the breaking, one will discover that one has been transformed. We will also discover that the kingdom of God is always within us. In Luke 17:21, Jesus said “… nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is, ‘because of the kingdom of God is within you.’”
Jesus Paid it All - Fernando Ortega - Lyrics. YouTube Video by: Strange Lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5DyeCx8H4U
Sebastiao thought that stepping on the image was betrayal but in reality, it was the profoundest act of following Jesus. Christ is not fragile and the Messiah does not need us to protect Him. Christ came to be crushed under the weight of the world's sin yet pronouncing, “I will set you free”.
This is the mission of Christ, the Messiah - to set us free. Free from dogma. Free from tyranny. Free from the victim mindset. Free from our own chains. Through the Bible, He shows us The Way i.e. not by escaping suffering, but by being transformed. This is not just theology. It is the most powerful truth one can live by. St. Paul said in Romans 12:2 … “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will.
Book Summary:
Both "Man's Search for Meaning" and "Silence" reflect on human suffering. It shows suffering as a place of testing, hidden grace, and deeper spiritual insight. In "Silence", Sebastian's renunciation highlights the tension between faith, compassion, and sacrifice. The book argues that Christ is present in suffering, and that true discipleship means following Him through pain, shame, and transformation. Christian faith is not about avoiding suffering but enduring it with Jesus the Messiah. Salvation is found not in pride or outward religion but in self-denial, compassion, and trust in God's hidden presence.
Three Days | Easter Hymn | Easter Song of Resurrection | Choir w/Lyrics | Sunday 7pm Choir. YouTube Video by: 7pm Choir. Catholic n Christian Choral
Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQVog92kLH8
Finally, there is Hope in suffering. Jesus said Let not your heart be troubled: Ye believe in God, believe also in me.” (John 14:1)
Good News at Jesus’ Tomb:
1) The Mysterious Napkin for Jesus’ face.
John 20:6-7
Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Do we fold our napkins in a restaurant to signal to the waiter that we are returning to the table after we excuse ourselves for a while? Perhaps through the folded napkin, Jesus’s return was made known.
2) Mary called Jesus the Gardener, at the tomb.
John 20:14-16
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking He was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward Him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Interestingly, in the Garden of Eden, God’s first instruction to Adam is to be a gardener., to work and take care of the garden (Genesis 2:15). However, Adam failed. In contrast, Jesus, the second Adam, came to restore man’s fallen state.
3) Jesus has resurrected and we too will have eternal life.
This is not surprising. As the Messiah is sinless, his body did not decay. In fact, Jesus has resurrected. Contrarily, we humans are sinners and subject to bodily decay after death.
Romans 3:23 … “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We thank God we have the hope of resurrection … to be reunited with our loved ones who have gone before us.
Comments are always welcome.
Author: Dr. Phil Chan.
'Oh Sacred Head, Now Wounded' (Hymn 271) - Hymnology (Official Video) YouTube Video by: Hymns of Grace.
Dr. Phil Chan
Given the short time Phil wrote this article, it is a miracle! Just shows his dedication and spirit. Again, thanks so much my dear friend.
Images:
From YouTube: 'Good Friday Hymns' - Rosemary Siemens for picture of the Cross.
I Ask if She Knows 'Tennessee Whiskey' and This Singer Steals The Show. YouTube Video by: DØVYDAS.
Must thank the creator of the above video DOVYDAS for the elegant and stylish way it turned out. Shelby with her natural beauty and charisma coupled with Dovydas’ control of the steel guitar and his own professionalism, blew my mind away! Respect! 👏
There are 2 parts to this posting. You can just watch the video above or read about whiskey and me below. Or do both…
WHISKEY AND ME:
I've never featured liquor songs on this blog before, maybe one or two about soft drinks and about drinking during the 60s at T-Dances and nightclubs. Nothing much and none about liquor, only soft drinks since I am a teetotaler.
Imagine the shock I received when a friend took me to a wine shop at Orchard Road and I saw this bottle of Japanese whiskey costing S$21,000. Gosh! And they could go up to a million dollars or more? Per bottle! The only liquor price I know are the canned beers that cost like, what, $2.50 each?
But with AI and its vast store of information I found out more about whiskey. Interesting indeed.
(Image) They drink it in the West. Even the empty bottles can be sold at a price.
I also remember a song that was so popular those years during the mid-80s when living in a western country, I heard it daily from the Caucasian boys next to my apartment. It was George Jones, TENNESSEE WHISKEY, a pop 1981 hit. It was revived by Chris Stapleton a few years ago.
There's no list on this posting on whiskey prices or songs but the video above features the song itself. And Tennessee whiskey, I understand, costs a fraction at about $500 a bottle? Now that's a price difference.
Hope to feature soon about whiskey songs? Anyone familiar with them?
[Thanks EDDY ENG for introducing me to the whiskey world. But I won’t try it for sure. Can’t afford.]
They drink it in the East. Japanese whiskey, as mentioned, can cost a lot.
Disclaimer:
The above video belongs to DOVYDAS. If on any account it should not be featured, do inform me and I shall delete it immediately. Thank you.
TO ALL MY READERS, FRIENDS AND CONTRIBUTING WRITERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT ALL THESE YEARS. ANDY.
Ahmad Jais - 'Selamat Hari Raya' [Official Music Video] YouTube Video from: Hari Raya.
Cartoon is a brilliant greeting from former journalist IRENE HOE. Thanks Irene. [Above pix is by famous Malay cartoonist, Datuk Mohammed Nor Khalid or LAT, from Malaysia.]
CLICK BELOW TO CHECK OTHER 'RAYA' STORIES, MUSIC n LAT:
I have the above Long Play [LP] 1957 recording and was surprised that when I presented a song from the selection to friends, not many were aware or even knew the song.
My accompanying comment was, "One of my fave songs was when Elvis did his 50s song, Any Place Is Paradise; still one of his most memorable hits, personally. Not many folks know this one. With the guitar solo in between and that 'cling, cling cling jazz.' "
Quite a number were nice and honest enough to mention, "You're right, I'm one of those who don't know [haven't heard] this song. Now I know. thanks!" Another commented that he was in the group as he had just heard it because I mentioned it. It was a typical Elvis, R&B blues song. A third friend loved the solo in between. And a fourth good friend said, "Andy, I was still a baby!"
Thanks to all my friends above. Yes, I am old.
The image shows the back cover of the Elvis Presley No. 2 record in the last posting. Elvis the Pelvis, as he is usually known, gyrates and hip-swivels his way through this LP with: Rip It Up, When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, **Long Tall Sally, Paralysed, Ready Teddy and How Do You Think I Feel.
'Any Place Is Paradise', Elvis Presley. YouTube Video by: Rychie Tube.
His other songs though, reveal his more subdued and pensive mood when he delivers, Love Me, First In Line, So Glad You're Mine, Any Place Is Paradise, How's The World Treating You and Old Shep.
Another favourite of mine is the hot, sweaty, Paralyzed. Check it out below.
While checking this first impression record, *HMV/CLP 1105 which is made in Great Britain, I find that it is a collector's item. The price will not be mentioned. Produced in 1957 it is in mint condition. Because Presley pressings run into millions, only certain records are collectibles.
*Elvis Presley No 2 Also known as Rock n Roll No 2 HMV CLP 1105 1957. Matrix G2 WP 7207 2N/7208 1N, Label Side 1.
**Long Tally Sally, Recorded by Crescendos/Philips/Universal Music, Singapore.
Image/Original article: Andy Lim Collection.
This posting is an extension from one dated: 8.9.2009.
'Paralysed' Elvis Presley. YouTube Video by: Simone Presley Brasil.
Disclaimer:
This blog does not advertise nor try to sell vinyl records.
Enjoy this original song as we learn how to call our relatives the proper Baba Malay way! 'Sedara Baba Nyonya' is written, composed and arranged by Alvin Oon.
Lead vocalist - Tony Quek; Children vocalists - Denzil Kwah, Darius Oon, Doran Oon; Additional vocals - Alvin Oon.
THE ARTICLE BELOW IS WRITTEN TONGUE IN CHEEK:
Wow! Here is ALVIN OON again with another creative, informative but humorous song to help you remember how to call members of your family, with courtesy and respect, using PERANAKAN or BABA language. Not easy to remember them though! No kidding!
😄 Good Luck!!!
Below and detailed, my own creation and explanation:
In Peranakan or Baba Language, if she's your Elder Sister, call her TACHI.
If she’s your Brother's Wife, call her ENSO.
If she’s your Father's Elder Sister, call her MAK KO.
If she’s your Mother's Elder Sister, call her TUA EE.
If she’s not married and she's free, what do you call her? WOW WEE!
😍
Maybe it's best that you listen many, many times how the video explains the name change.
After listening to the video, are you able to name your relatives in Baba Language, depending on your own status in the family? If you manage, that's truly wonderful because it's important to do so, otherwise, you may have a problem relating to them.
Nah! Just kidding. But then, some of your relatives may be KAY-POH, which means BUSY BODY? Oh!
😎 Hmm!
Thanks, ALVIN OON and his singing group for the YouTube Video, without which this blog post could never have been produced.
