URGENCY FOR GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION: Pop Song Lyrics From The 60's

Newspaper Headlines From The Past:

More Floods In  Cities Today, Wildfire Spread Fast In Forest Area,  Illegal Timber Trade, December Monsoon Rain Kills Many, Massive Landslide In Hill Resort, Poisonous Chemical In Rivers Uncontrollable, Acid Rain All Over Countryside, Polluted Beaches...

'Don't Go Near The Water': Beach Boys. 

YouTube Video by: Angela de Lara.

This article has been re-posted from 10th August 2012, twelve years ago. Comments my dear readers? 

One Observation At Shopping Malls:

I have no quarrel with people who are paid by others to distribute flyers to pedestrians and passers-by.  But if we are truly going green this distribution of paper advertisements has to be curbed because the practice is growing worse by the day.

People who accept these flyers, possibly out of curiosity or otherwise, throw them away at the next bin they pass. Some even do so without reading the flyers.  And in our letter-box?  It's filled with the same junk. Tons of paper rammed down the throats of mail-boxes.  Meantime trees are destroyed.

Statistics:

"Paper is the most common type of waste in Singapore and about 1.26 million tonnes of paper waste was generated in 2008. The recycling rate of paper is 48% in 2008, and most of this paper waste is sorted, baled and exported overseas for recycling as there are no paper recycling mills in Singapore (zerowastesg.com)." And paper wastage is only one problem...

Sixties Song Lyrics:

[1] In the final verse of his song, Tapestry (1970), 60s music composer and singer Don McLean (American Pie, Starry, Starry Night) reminds his listeners about the destructive nature of man:

And every fish that swims silent, every bird that fly freely
Every doe that steps softly,
Every crisp leaf that falls, all the flowers that grow,
On this colorful tapestry, somehow they know
That if man is allowed to destroy all we need
He will soon have to pay with his life for his greed.

[2] The Beach Boys have the same message with Don't Go Near The Water (1970) warns the public:

Don't go near the water
Don't you think it's sad
What's happened to the water
Our water's going bad
Oceans, rivers, lakes and streams
Have all been touched by man
The poison floating out to sea
Now threatens life on land

Toothpaste and soap will make our oceans a bubble bath
So let's avoid an ecological aftermath
Beginning with me
Beginning with you...

[3] And one by Cat Stevens (Yusof Islam) asks his audience Where Do The Children Play (1970)?

Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train
Switch on summer from a slot machine
Yes, get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything

I know we've come a long way
We're changing day to day
But tell me, where do the children play?

Well you've cracked the sky, scrapers fill the air
But will you keep on building higher till there's no more room up there
Will you make us laugh, will you make us cry?
Will you tell us when to live, will you tell us when to die?

Wastage:

I have noticed a slight change now. Tissue paper is not offered free in fast food restaurants and coffee houses.  You gotta ask for it! And that's good. But we got a long way to go.

Paper, water, electricity, food. What else are we wasting everyday? There are other songwriters who write about warning green. Remember any?

Just a reminder. Have we improved much since 2012. If we have, it's really great, so do write in... [4/12/2024]

Lyrics: from Lyrics Websites.
Images: from Google.

Quote from: http://www.zerowastesg.com/2008/12/08/paper-recycling/

Andy 60s Music - Long Songs Of Long Ago - Ballads.

When I first heard El Paso by Marty Robbins, and this was in the late 50's, I thought it was one of the longest songs I have listened to, because, comparatively, pop songs of yesteryear were only two to three minutes in duration, and another minute would be mighty trying. But checking the statistics today, I found it was only four and a half minutes, a fraction of the length of some songs today.

El Paso was a ballad [slow song, themes of love, loss, etc.], in this instance, a gunfighter's tale to tell but definitely a bit lengthy for me. Today, it's a different mouse tale. Imagine the longest song in the Guinness Book of Records called Devil Glitch to be 69 minutes in length. But even then, there are many songs that are longer, as current rock and rap lyrics can be.

Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby, a 70's disco number is something else. With up to 10 million views, there's something special to it but then, it's just disco muse with the title repeated... Oh. Nearly 17 minutes.

The very short list below are songs I am familiar with and very much on the top 10 before. They are pretty lengthy for me. 

If you know any 60's or 70's popular songs with more interesting vital statistics, just send in the details.

El Paso - A ballad by Marty Robbins.

YouTube video - V.A. HOSS

Songs From the 60s and 70s With Duration

1   Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan - [6 minutes, 9 seconds]

2  Hey Jude - Beatles - 7.11

3   McArthur Park - Richard Harris - 7.21

4   American Pie Don McClean - 8.37 [featured in 2021 movie, 'Black Widow']

5   El Paso - Marty Robbins - 4.38 [for comparison]

6   November Rain - Guns n Roses - 8.37

7   Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin - 8.03

8   Love To Love You Baby -Donna Summer - 16.53

9   Chariots Of Fire - 20.41 [instrumental]

10  The Boxer - Simon n Garfunkel [5.08]'''

11  Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Madonna [5.30]'''

10 Devil Glitch - Chris Butler - 69.00

Richard Harris - McArthur Park

YouTube by gb

Don McClean's, American Pie was featured in 

Disney's Black Widow starring Scarlet Johannsson.

Image Credit - Marvel Studios.

Connect to American Pie stories

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2017/02/american-pie-day-music-died.html

://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2010/12/killing-me-softly-with-american-pie-don.html

'''Contributed by suituapui.

Images Google.

Andy 60's Music Meets Old Neighbour Cindy, Carnaby Street And "Clair"

Cindy was my neighbour from the 60's who found and contacted me after spotting me on TV.  The show could have been a documentary in which I was featured or a variety show on Channel 5 but we exchanged information as we had not met since our childhood years.  

When she told me she is involved in live theatre, loves pop music, and had lived and studied in the UK for some time, I thought it was best if I asked her to write and tell me more about her adventures there.  She replied:

Our Lady In Spain

"Gorgeous girls strutting along the streets with knee high boots, ultra short hot pants with velvet berets, the radio played Knock Three Times, (I tapped my feet each and every time) Clair, Vincent, Maggie May over and over again.

Cindy Lai

Passing by boutiques along Carnaby Street, the blasting lyrics and story telling of these great music hit you. Everybody was in love and seemed happy. There was never a dull moment. Those were the oldies but goodies! Retro will always be the in thing."  

  

She never told me but the songs she quoted suggested that she could have been there in the early 1970s since Tony Orlando, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Don McLean and Rod Stewart were chart busting songsters those years.

"These iconic names had lured me, The Beatles, Twiggy, BIBA, Kings Road Chelsea, Portobello Market..." 

She has 3 blogs and they reveal more about her as she explains why she was attracted to Big Ben's chimes.  Cindy had gone to London to be trained as a fashion designer and has been in the business since.  She has a boutique called, Cindy Hales in Singapore.

Gilbert O'Sullivan 'Clair' 

YouTube Video by: SO NOME DE MULHER.

She is resident costumier with Players Theatre since 2003.  "Being a qualified school teacher, my passion remains in coaching both children and adults in the aesthetic skills incorporating traditional techniques and advance technology."

Every few years she seems to be re-inventing herself, so from fashion design she's now into traditional Chinese herbs.  She's also a UK certified Aromatherapist, creating music for your nose.

If I remember correctly her father had a prominent tailor shop across the road from my home and was a well-known Qi Kung master. Following dad's footsteps I guess?

NB:

The song 'Clair' by Gilbert O'Sullivan is symbolic of songs those years in the new 70's as mentioned. I guess it's a lovable melody with cute lyrics and think of it as an innocent and adorable one about a cute child.

Images: Google and Cindy Hales.

Above: Luna Id's production of The Physicists which played at The Durrenmatt Festival  and won Production of The Year at the 2005 LIFE! Theatre Awards.  Cindy designed the costumes.

Cindy Lai's father who was a Qi Kung exponent

[This posting is not an advertisement and does not promote any product.]

In Singapore: Clapton, Santana, Eagles, McLean, Pointer Sisters, Buble, Jackson And Counting...

It's a bumper harvest in February and March 2011. There will be eight, yes eight, live performances by 60s and 70s music top guns in Singapore. Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Santana and Don McLean will appear these few months to take audiences back with music of yesteryears. Some of them will also be playing their new releases.
Eric Clapton:

Fans can scream his hits, Layla, I Shot The Sheriff, Wonderful Tonight, Tears In Heaven with ease. Basically a blues guitarist, he ranks 4th in the Gibsons' Top 50s Guitarist Of All Times. At 65, he's still king of the pack and started off with The Yardbirds and Cream in 1965. Grief stricken, he recorded Tears In Heaven around 1991 when his son passed away in an accident.

The Eagles:

This group's all time hit, Hotel California is so popular that the introductory guitar riffs are immediately recognisable by Eagles fans. From Desperado, Tequila Sunrise, Easy Feeling, Witchy Woman, Lyin' Eyes to Life In The Fast Lane, this group is one of the most successful in the 70s. Forty years on, they are still touring the world with a brand new song book.

Santana:

Carlos Santana and his namesake band made themselves so pop that they won 13 Grammys to date. From salsa, jazz fusion and latin rock, this man mesmerised the world with his finger-boggling guitar skill when they witness him on stage. Abraxas, Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Evil Ways, Soul Sacrifice, You Just Don't Care are just some of the songs in their albums.

Don McLean, Michael Buble, Janet Jackson...
There's a write-up of McLean, the American Pie and Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) man, in an earlier posting. Click Don McLean under 'Labels' below. Michael Buble (90s man but sings pop evergreens), Janet Jackson, Elvis Costello, Iron Maiden and a host of other 60s and 70s pop stars will be coming to Singapore too. While some will be appearing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, others will perform at the Esplanade Concert Hall or at the new Marina Bay Sands Ballroom.

Comment:

The seat prices are mighty high. Imagine paying about $400 a ticket to watch from the best seat. Even the $100 ones are too much for the general public, especially for some Seniors. When I attended the Engelbert Humperdinck show, there were vacant seats all around.

Follow London:

Perhaps, for those who just cannot manage a hundred dollars for the inexpensive seats, the organisers could follow the guidelines used by London (England) theatres for many years - half price for all unsold tickets a few hours before the show. Worth the long queue?

'Rich' Singapore:

If Singapore is to be South East Asia's entertainment hub then ticket prices should be more reasonable. Perhaps the ticket tax is too high? Seeing that Singapore is displaying its wealth in the newspapers, are the artistes themselves charging high prices? Meanwhile organisers will not bring in shows that will not make a profit. What do you all think?

Images: from Google.

Article: Information from Wikipedia and local newspaper advertisements.

(This posting is not an advertisement.)

Don McLean's Killing Me Softly With American Pie

SONGS I LOVE?

Playing Only Half The Song:

It is so long that DJs play only one side of the eight and a half minute song. It needs no introduction because it tells the rock and roll story, so anyone familiar with early 70s music would know it. Singer songwriter Don McLean was not tongue-in-cheek when he said that he never had to work again after his hit single. His composition American Pie (1971) made money for him and it became the new anthem in the USA.

Buddy Holly n Friends:

A 'sprawling impressionistic ballad', it touched on the death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper (P. Richardson) in a plane crash way back in 1959. McLean wrote the song in the 60s and, together with another composition, Vincent, the songs became hits.

Best Song of Century:

American Pie is in 5th position under the 365 Best Songs of the Century category. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Judy Garland), White Christmas (Bing Crosby), This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) and Respect (Aretha Franklin) are the first four.

Killing Me ... With His Song:

He became an overnight success and American singer Lori Leiberman commented that Killing Me Softly With His Song (1971) was written due to a reaction from a Don McLean concert. She had recorded it but the Roberta Flack's (recently in Singapore) version won the Grammy.

Comment:

1. When I first heard the song I thought it would never end. El Paso (1959) by Marty Robbins was the longest song I've heard before American Pie. I don't really like AP but love the different interpretations that come with it.

2. Say whatever, the song made an impact on rock n rollers even up till today. It was even revived by Madonna. Do you think anyone would write about our singer songwriters who had passed on?

3. There is a posting on this blog about singer songwriter Sonny Bala who died in the 90s. Nobody wrote a song about him. Why aren't we honouring our own Singapore artistes?

4. Comment anyone?

Image: Google.
Information; Wikipedia
You Tube: French Spyder

Medical Doctor Lee YS, Pop Singer From Penang

UP TO 1,000 VIEWS

DR LEE Y. S. HAILS FROM PENANG, MALAYSIA:

Dr Lee Yan San commented about his friend Russ Hamilton - 60s UK pop singer who made it big with, We Will Make Love - when he visited this blog and saw the postings. I replied to thank him and we kept in touch via email. When I requested for Yan San's home recordings, he was kind enough to send me two CDs: (1) Russ Hamilton songs and (2), his own (above image) entitled, For Baby. Below are extracts of his note, sent on March 22nd, 2010. Dr. Lee explains why and how he made the compilation:

A Serious President?

"I also include the 'commercially' made CD for you since your interest in songs seems to be rather similar to mine. I made the CD (after my term as President of our Malaysian Medical Association) to give to friends since those who do not know me well thought me to be a very serious person (which I need to be when carrying out my duties), so I thought I would give them a taste of my lighter and fun side.

Roland Workstation Mixer:

My daughter is very musical and helps me with the backing vocals and the strings which I have to record over 3-4 tracks with my Roland workstation mixer to make it sound like an orchestral backing. My lead guitarist and good friend, Frank Rozells, who is presently working in New Delhi came to visit me recently and we had a jam session in my house. I enclose our latest effort for you.

Violin and Guitar Sounds:

As usual my daughter puts in her violin music to enrich the sound. I also enclose a duet I did with my friend, so that you can hear him perform too. He is very good and also an excellent guitarist. He is doing very well in India but used to play in hotels in Penang, Malaysia."

The Vocalists and Instrumentalists:

The instrumental group that helped Dr. Lee (vocals/harmonica) with his home jam sessions are: Francis Anthony Rozells (lead guitar/harmony), Dr. Lee Hai Leong (bass guitar), Suedy Suwendy (harmony), Lee Hai Lin (violin/vocals), Clifford Cheam (rhythm guitar), John Lim (steel guitar), Michael Kay (keyboard), Lee Hai Choo (keyboard), Wayne, Noel and Rachel (music mixers).

CD Statistics and Songs Recorded:

The CD was recorded between 1985 - 1997 and re-compiled in May 1999. Songs are: Lonely Christmas, Leavin's Not The Only Way To Go, Sadie, The Cleaning Lady, I'll Never Find Another You, Nowhere Man, It's Alright, Filks On The Road, I Did What I Did For Maria, Rhythm Of The Rain, Exclusively Yours, Paloma Blanca, Mr Tambourine Man, Lodi, No Secrets, Standing At The End Of The Line, Mission Bell, Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone, For Baby And I'm Sorry.

Trivia:

Any Singapore medical doctors who are 60's pop singers too?

I know one Member of Parliament who has an active guitar group. Do you know who this person is?

You can read more about Lee Yan San if you click the connections below:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2013/11/penang-doc-lee-congratulates-country.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2011/10/dr-lees-version-of-silversteins-giving.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2010/03/from-dr-lee-malaysia-about-russ.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2010/03/note-about-russ-hamilton-in-passing.html

Interesting reading above. Check them out.