Because of the intensity and feel of the articles these friends have written about the subject, I have decided to post them verbatim.
Song books with pop lyrics, written personally in one's own handwriting, was a big deal during the 50's, 60's and 70's, so I have highlighted three of such song books, written by three ladies, Daisy, Irene and Freda. But they did it for different reasons.
Thank you all so much.
When I was young I'd listen to the radio, Waiting for my favourite song...
Songbooks were treasured items. Those were the days when we had Rediffusion on all day. I would be listening to the request programme and practising 10-year series Mathematics - today it’s called multitasking. I also had my jotter book ready... I would scribble down the lyrics once a new song was aired. We would compare notes in school and confirm the lyrics the next time the song was aired.
I had a thick hard cover notebook of all the popular songs. The cover was wrapped in white mahjong paper and decorated with beautiful postcards of Elvis in front and Cliff on the back. We made our own plastic covers. The lyrics were written in our best handwriting. We were very proud of our song books then. 😁Writing down the lyrics also increased your speed in writing and comprehension skills... We would also try to figure out the missing blanks.
This book was handwritten way back in my secondary school years and on to my singing days! Back than we sang songs by heart but sometimes we had to oblige special requests on the spot so I always had this with me!
One night after work I left my bag on the floor and went to bed to find next morning the air-conditioner directly above leaking into my open bag. They were written with ink dipped pen so the smudges on most pages. Till today it remains my most treasured book!
Writing song books days really bring back great memories, I am very organised with my song books (really have so many). I have every category of song, evergreen standards in one, pop hits and rock in another, some in other languages like Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Malay in another. My reason; whenever I get a request it's easy for me to look it up even if I had not played the song for some time, and most of them have chords written at top of the wordings. I have no problem playing them. I make it very convenient; it's really my hobby, never tired of writing down lyrics in my collection, and I keep and treasure all my old books, bought and self written. Just sharing a few of my books here, Andy.
It was songs of love, that I would sing to then, And I'd memorise each word... Some can even make me cry...
This article is a combination of 3 comments by
Daisy Koh; Irene Yap and Freda Hanum.
Images 1 and 2 from Freda and Irene.
Comments were inspired by the post below. Click to connect.
https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2011/11/copying-pop-lyrics-with-pen-and-paper.html
34 comments:
It was tedious, copying line by line songs we love into script so we could sing them with the recording. Were you one of those guys like me...
JULIANAN LIM
Sure did. In blue fountain pen ink on a red record book which I’ve sadly lost. Your blog makes us baby- boomers so happy. Nostalgia of our teenage years. Thanks 🙏
ANDY
hey, thanks for the memory. it keeps us going through the wrinkled years. haha.
DICK YIP
My first songbook is the old days account book-journal which I bought and started writing down song lyrics. Began in 1961.Still with me today with guitar and uke chords I added later. Tattered and torn but is a treasured item. It has been filmed many times.🤟✌️😍
ANDY
thanks for your songbook anecdote. yes, true. the more tattered it is, the more we love it. cheers. take a picture for me.
MICHAEL LEE
Yes I did, writing songs with chords into what we called "record books" that had hard covers that look something like picture attached. I also bought song books with one similar to your poster picture and many others which I think I still stored in boxes under my bed.
During my schooldays I used to listen to the Reddifusion and the Radio.Whenever a song became popular ,I would copy it on my school exercise book and sang it.Some song books could be bought from the stores around the Shaw Theatres.I still have the minature Elvis’s song book which was purchased from a book store near the Paramount Theatre in Serangoon Garden.
THANKS Stephen for your thoughts. I missed answering it earlier. I used to do the same but it was not easy. I gave up easily and decided to copy from records after that.
andy
oh my. thanks so much. what a detailed explanation and so well described. that's from the heart. thanks again daisy.
andy
irene thanks for the picture too. i love the stained pages and overall condition of the book. i shall repost them with michael lee's book on the blog. i'm trying hard to get all these memories into a book if i can.
irene
Your blog brings back memories I wouldn't have remembered till u triggered them! Thanks to you my dear friend!!
irene
oh, BTW, the pic was glued to the book, haha!! I didn't had my name on the book!!!
andy
hi, you are very organised too. no wonder you are an exceptional musician, a true professional indeed. and you have so many books. thanks for sharing.
freda
Thanks for your post that jot us back our old memories, glad to be able share it, most welcome Andy
Hiroshi Deguchi
Jennie Law
Koh Sui Pang
Freda Hanum
Francis Anthony Rozells
Irene Yap
Kali Dass S
Angela Leow
Ser Kiong Tan
Charlie Yap Locomotion
Yip Dick
Ho Victor
Juliana Lim
Davy Chan
Gracie Teo
THANKS TO THE LIST OF FOLKS WHO LIKE THIS POST
Hi Andy yes I remember the song books of yesteryears and also those we hand wrote. I however did not write my songs but instead had them on tape. I then used to memorise them. I have a good ear for music so didn't need the music on paper. I now use the computer and save the songs. Ah memories!!!
Nice article Andy because many of us can identify with it.
btw, the pix was glued to the book, haha cost I didn't have my name written on it.
can't use in nightclub performances because for singers we were supposed to sing by heart back then without any stand in front of us but used in hotel lobby lounges where the atmosphere is more informal.
For lobby performances i usually carry a few books, but in this particular instance, it is special because I started it during my school days.
Yes, that was how we did it before the digital era, before instant replays, before online music. but i think more importantly as these ladies have pointed out - we can't really learn anything meaningful from songs anymore. Lyrics these days are so impersonal, so detached from the humanness of life that even if someone were to take the time to hand-write them down, i doubt one can derive much educational value from them.
how true Wen Hing.
was listening to my grand daughter's favourite k pop group black pink.
the lyrics didn't mean much .
repeated lines of words that i couldn't understand.
i guess i am out of their time.
could be meaningful for them.
again it's more stage performance too with dance and sexy costumes.
a different focus.
I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OCCASION TO THANK ALL ABOVE WHO WROTE IN TO MAKE COMMENTS.
POSTINGS ON BLOGS CAN BE BORING IF NOBODY ANSWERS THEM.
IT BECOMES A ONE SIDED LOVE AFFAIR.
re - your blog on writing songs on exercise books, i bought a few thick songbooks of oldies with music note in hatyai and bangkok.
i still have some books dated in the sixties.
KENNETH VAITHILINGAM
My repertoire is more than 200 songs because of this book. Broken and torn but I still have it. At my age ,I now have to use a magnifying glass to see the lyrics.
That's how they got so many songs in one book
Andy Young
Author
Kenneth Vaithilingam , hi kenneth. thanks for your constant replies and pieces of information. magnifying glass. wow. that's something. would be great if you could show the book. haha.
Old style.
Those days song books are a must and a big thing containing all the lyrics.
But you're good; you could remember some of the lyrics by heart.
Irene Yap
Andy Young sure Andy! Of course! Thanks for bringing back sweet memories for so many of us here!🥰.
Freda Hanum
Irene Yap So agreed with you Irene dear.
Thank you all for participating in this very popular posting.
So we can see now that keeping song books can be a hobby but part of the job for a professional too.
Today, everything's done on a Pad or Phone where the lyrics and chords are downloaded from the internet since the gadget can be carried around so conveniently.
CHEERS.
Hi, Andy, in fact, I do have a a few copies of my own-handwritten song books in my secondary school days (1960s), and I even added contents and pictures cuttings (mainly from Radio Weekly tabloids) of the singers and bands. The song lyrics were shared amongst my classmates. During the 1960s till I think 1970s, bookshops or even stationery shops here used to sell 'OK HITS SONG BOOK' from HK. There is another song book version I couldn't recall its name now. I used to purchase the 2 versions at about 60 or 70 cents a copy then. Hence, I have quite large collections with me ! No wonder I didn't do well in school ! Hahaha !
Every music lover I know in the 70s, including me, would own a Thai published 'Let It Be Me' songbook but the lyrics & chords were full of errors. I too preferred the smaller sized Hongkong song books like OK Hits. The other is Hit Parade & I bought both. They came with very accurate guitar chords, lyrics & music notes. I hand copied the lyrics with their chords onto 2 note books which I glued photos of artistes cut out from pop papers like Radio Weekly , Fanfare magazines etc. I had them until recently when silverfish, time & elements took a toll on its condition. However I managed to scan it before it totally disintegrated.
Hi FL,
Thanks for being part of this incredible 60's music with me all these years with other contributing commentators and writers like you.
I think it's your second comment on this topic, having written another on the same topic but a few years ago.
Very glad you still have such a large collection. I hope you will keep them with you as they are such treasures really.
I remember the OK HITS and their covers. Could they be the ones with music notes and a different colour each year from around the 60s onwards? At 70 cents then, they would probably cost more than $7.00 today.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES FL.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING.
Hi John,
thanks for another memory piece.
yes i remember the 'let it be me' songbook
but didn't know it carries mistakes.
interesting that you scanned whatever
was left of the photos and news pieces.
appreciate your interest in this song-book
collection post.
wow, if i had lovely writing like you ladies i 'd probably do the same. but my handwriting was as mom used to say, .."like a doctor's squggly chicken scratches! ..
thus, i relied on those hongkong songbooks which had the music staffs and the words in between them. and i was quite happy for that as the chords provided me with my first and only training to knowing what made a chord.
later on, with the advent of jimi hendrix , moby grape, buffalo springfield,..and all those hippies from greenwich village, i stopped buying those song books as they do not have those songs. by that time, i had already figured out what made a chord , major, minor, m7 M7, dim, half dim, dom 7.. and realise it was all quite simple and even simpler if you played triads in every inversion possible across the 22 frets until my fretboard became an extension of my arm..
i learnt that pretty quick as i had already a couple of lessons from my first and only teacher vivian nonis. and then the rest as they say was up to the student..
as the chinese saying goes.. master leads you to the door, the rest of the way is up to student.
and fast fwd to 2020.. all that became second nature. as they say, the rest is history..
or should it be ..my-story.
beautiful souvenirs, btw, .. it does make some pretty gifts to people who cherish
beautiful pop tunes and even more so, beautiful handwriting.
i think in this age of computers the art of writing is even more precious..
as most ppl do not even know how to write a paragraph of exciting tale..
all you get is a poke, an emo and that's it.
anything more than 5 sentences like the way i usually write ..
i get a virtual slap in the face.. GOSH, SO LONG ???
imagine most of you hand writers must also are accustomed to being told off
if you too are like myself still a big fan in writing letters.
it is indeed a treasure, as the best thing i ever got from my mother
was her hand written letters she used to write me from wherever she was..
as my whole family scattered around the world after we left singapore..
is that what they call a diaspora.. ??? hmm, andy?
ya, the chen disapora LOL..
interest article. cheers for sharing it with us DAISY IRENE FREDA !
best regards from montreal. stay safe !
mattjsltan
mattjsltan The 4 H's original tribute to Holst,Holdsworth, Hendrix n Halen
Hey!!! I had a handwritten song book too!!! Late 60's, early 70's. We would buy a thick note book and pass it to our friends - instead of signing autographs (which we also did), we would get everyone to copy the lyrics of a song in their best handwriting and stick a photograph (or more). Gosh!!! Those were the best days of our lives!!!
Other than the "Let it be me songbook", I also had this red songbook - a lot of people had it at the time:
https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/a-song-id-like-to-sing/?fbclid=IwAR0q15W6uTnv5mNPoFXV4ITDfWYC6w88u92kLfgOp4xQ3f3dw_tkOwERpzA
Gee!!! This is a great post! Brings back all those wonderful memories!!! Thanks, Andy!
Hi STP,
It's been a long while since you wrote in.
THANKS so much for visiting again.
I had a look at your blog too.
It's fantastic - yes and so much food to eat.
Thanks also for putting up my blog address to connect.
Appreciate.
Song books, sigh.
Most welcome. Thanks for hopping over and commenting!
Great to be back, always love reading your posts. Those were the days, the good ol' days.
Wonderful topic, Andy. I have a handwritten song file from my poly days in 90s, consisted all my favourite song lyrics. My classmates also wrote the song lyrics for me with their beautiful handwriting. A wonderful gift to sing a long with. <3
Thanks for the interesting comment Yen and for visiting the blog.
Yes it's true.
Such treasures we keep are locked in our hearts.
Do visit again Yen.
Andy Young
Wow, if i had lovely writing like you ladies I'd probably do the same. but my handwriting was as mom used to say, ..'like a doctor's squiggly chicken scratches...' MATT TAN from FRIED ICE - 60's who lives in CANADA.
Andy Young
thanks Tin Leong, always supportive.
Peter Lim
Irene Yap sang at a Pub at plaza Sing... Some 40 odd years ago... She had a huge dog named Kelly...
Peter Lim
To date Irene those days... U had to date the dog too... So the dog was drooling in my brand new car then.. Hahaha so funny...
Stephen Han
I still have song books dating in the 50s
Freda Hanum
Wow Andy what a pleasant surprise, really admire your so active and creative mind, It is indeed so nice to see Daisy and Irene picture together, didn't know Daisy look such a pleasant lady, together with beautiful Irene Yap too, thank you for your song writing post, God bless always 🙏😊
Koh Daisy
Thanks Freda you look stunning yourself. I believe we have common friends ...Joyce Lim and Sandra Vernie... they are my good friends too. In addition to the Evergreen Andy of course.
Andy Young
Koh Daisy THANKS, i wish... but it's positivity in life that we need.
Andy Young
Thanks Freda, for the kind words. You and the others help to make the posting a successful. God Bless.
THANKS ALL FOR THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS REGARDING THIS POST ABOUT SONG BOOKS,
SOMETHING SO INSIGNIFICANT TODAY, YET SO HIGHLY TREASURED BY MOST.
Andy Young
Foo Jong Fook
Ann Rowena Lim
Stephen Han
Freda Hanum
Patrick Teng
Jeff Lawrence
Marilyn Leverink
Susan Sit
Phoenix Crystal
Sam Sammino
Pierre Arnold
Sandra Vernie
Joyce Lim
Moody Cash
Linda Tan
THANKS TO ALL WHO LIKE THIS POST
SONG BOOKS - SPECIAL THANKS TO DAISY, IRENE AND FREDA FOR A COMMENT EACH WHICH DREW MANY RESPONSES, LIKES AND VIEWS. ONE IS FROM MONTREAL, ONE FROM JAPAN, ANOTHER SARAWAK, KL, THEN AUSTRALIA. TO ALL, THANK YOU.
Thanks Dick.
Andy Young
Author
Hi, anyone had a personal song book to copy your favourite lyrics into? Then paste your singer's picture on a page? Pray tell...
Kuan Suan Wong
I remember I used to have that book too...
Andy Young
Author
Kuan Suan Wong hi, thanks for the visit. Yes, it was common then, without a smart phone or computer, we wrote everything. 🙂
Andy Young
Author
Thanks to SilverHairsClub for posting this article and the 9 fantastic members who are the first to LIKE it.
Yeo Khirn Hup
How times have changed!
Now lyrics of any song are readily available via a Google search, and many songs in YouTube have onscreen lyrics.
Andy Young
Author
Yeo Khirn Hup yes, it certainly has.
No more dictation.
Now we dictate print and pictures.
Thanks for the comment Mr Yeo.
Susannah Low
Oh, i have this song book too!
Andy Young
Author
Susannah Low, hello!
Thanks for sharing.
Stephen Han
Kali Dass S
Jennie Law
Jimmy Appudurai-chua
Ivor Lesslar
Maggie Loh
Rosalind Ng
ভোরের আলো
Patricia Lim
Agnes Tan
Allan Lim
Seah Yong Kok
Grace Tan
Roland Kam
Jacquelina Ho
David Funk
AngelaMing Tran
Susannah Low
Chen Mincong Lester
Andrew Lee
Choon Kiat Tan
Yeo Khirn Hup
Johnny Yeow
David Mak
Thomas Choi
Phyllis Thoe
Kho Chuan Bee
Lee FK
Jasmine CJ
Muna Lim
Kuan Suan Wong
Steven Lum
Vivien Chan
姚麗君
THANKS TO THIS NEW LIST OF VIEWERS WHO LOVE THIS POST
Norman Chew
I remember my uncle used to have records of his favourite singers for the turntable. I was really young and never truly appreciated the songs then.
Norman Chew hi!!! I hope you do now. Thanks for writing in. Those were the day.
Norman Chew
Andy Young Yes, I know find the lyrics of most yesteryear’s songs has appropriate meanings. Btw, I will always choose the evergreen songs to sing at Karol’s.
Thanks again for feedback.
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