You Belong To Me: Jo Stafford: 'Live' With Pyramids, Sunrise, Old Algiers, Souvenirs, Silver Plane, Jungle

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Jo Stafford: 'You Belong To Me'

YouTube Video from: Larry Hinze

Scroll down slowly and checkout 

the pictures as you listen to the song.

See the pyramids along the Nile

Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle.

Just remember darling, all the while

You belong to me.

See the market place in old Algiers.

Send me photographs and souvenirs.

Just remember when a dream appears

You belong to me.

I'll be so alone without you

Maybe you be lonesome too, and blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane

See the jungle when it's wet with rain.

Just remember till you're home again

You belong to me.

The song was originally written by Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, and Redd Stewart and recorded by American singer Jo Stafford in 1952. It became a number one hit on the US and UK charts and Stafford became a pop star. Famed in the 40s and 50s she was American, involved in pops, jazz and standards. 

It has also been covered by many singers like Bob Dylan, Tori Amos, the Duprees, Bette Midler and even Ringo Star. The song has appeared on nearly two dozen movie sound tracks.

I was only 12 years old when I heard this song and singing it even today, 70 years later. She came about the same time as Patti Page, Doris Day and later Connie Francis, another two of my favourite lady singers from those days of yore.

Doris Day and Connie Francis: pop singers

from the 50s and 60s.

The cover by Patti Page is also just as popular.

'You belong to me,' sung by Tori Amos, is heard 

in the background in this movie, called, 

'Mona Lisa Smile,' [2003] with Julia Roberts.

YouTube Video by: gazaguy.

Images: Google. 

Doris Day Gone @ 97: RIP

Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff
1922-2019 aged 97

Condolences to Ms. Doris Day's family.

I was still very young when I watched Doris Day's On Moonlight Bay and By The Light Of The Silvery Moon, about 11 or 12 years old? But most of us remember the lyrics:

We were sailing along
On moonlight bay
We could hear the voices singing
They seem to say...

Easy, down the lazy river lyrics; it was some years after World War Two and human beings were relaxed. Entertainment was an entity everyone wanted to devour. And she came on the silver screen.

Doris Day was the simple, pretty lady whose long list of songs and movies was very popular even in little Singapore. She went on to become one of Hollywood's great icons from the 1950s. She had short-clipped blonde hair and dressed simply, the typical school marm every student would want to have in the classroom. And yes, she was a Teacher's Pet, when both movie and song became just as popular.

She was no Susan Hayward, Za Za Gabor or Gina Lollobrigida but attracted the world just as much with her Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes charm and a cheerful, sparkling voice. I learned one of my first few songs from her and to this day sing, Sentimental Journey without forgetting the lyrics. And Secret Love (from Calamity Jane), was another big hit.

But then she could act and starred in a thriller, The Man Who Knew Too Much, an Alfred Hitchcock movie, where she sang her most famous Que Sera Sera. Even Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew, the wife of our first Prime Minister knew this song, rare indeed.

Lots to write about her but then, most who followed her career know about her so well. So Ms. Doris Day, rest in peace.

You are truly one of the greatest stars when you were on earth and definitely the brightest in the sky at night now. 

Nancy Renjaan won the Doris Day of Singapore Contest at the Cathay Cinema in November 1958 (Straits Times).

Doris Day Connections on this blog:

Singapore's Doris Day Contest:
https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2014/05/singapores-first-female-pop-singer.html

Teacher's Pet Movie:
https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2012/01/heres-dd-from-ll-doris-day-at-87-sings.html

Doris Day with Lulu:
https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-happy-teachers-day-with-lulu-and.html

Doris Day tells us to Enjoy Yourself before it's too late. We should take her advice seriously. Life is too short to worry, worry... The years go by as quickly as a wink.

Images: Google.

Happy New Year - One Day At A Time

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This prescient lady wrote to me some time ago with this email below.

She was the late CYLin.

Andy,

A New Year Letter

Am trying to put my thoughts together and  write something about which I cannot run away from - 2017.  That is if the Good Lord does not take me home before then.  

Do I look forward to a new year?  A fresh start?   Why does it have to be in January and on the first day of that month to make new year resolutions? Do I have to trudge through 365 days before I can make a turn?  How did all these practices come about?   Some will say that they are just a done thing.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot 

And never brought to mind 

Should auld acquaintance be forgot 

And days of auld lang syne

The bible says God gives man three score and ten years.  Every year after that is a bonus but it comes with sorrow and trouble.  If we look around there is much uncertainty in the world, much suffering through natural and man-made disasters.  

One day at a time sweet Jesus, 

That's all I'm asking from You

Just give me the strength 

To do every day what I have to do

Cristy Lane

The youths today appear very self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-important.However, there is hope for mankind when we hear of them dirtying their hands to save the environment; spending days clearing and cleaning homes of elderly hoarders; and performing many other good turns.

Our generation unlike our parents' may seem to be the lucky ones - not having been through world wars and now enjoying our retirement years.  We have much to be thankful for.  Now there's talk of us living to nine decades or even a century and many more will suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's.   But there are ways to keep the disease at bay with the help of medicine and science. 

Do I look forward to 2017 as I look back at 2016 with nostalgia?  Yes, and I will never forget to sing:

Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think

Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink

The years go by as quickly as a wink
Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself,

It's later than you think 

Doris Day

Wishing all a Healthy, Happy New 2017.🎉🎈

Cheers,
CYLin.

Gif images: Google.
You Tube Video.

Singapore's First Female Pop Singer Impersonator?

On the Singapore Music Memory Trail

The Cathay at its oldest?

It was near the end of November 1958.  I was about to celebrate my birthday and enjoy the last few years of my teens. I couldn't forget that period because what was more interesting in the music scene was a newspaper report about young girls performing live at a major cinema.  Some of them were still at school.  

Live bands in cinemas before a movie was common in the 50s and 60s.

Singaporean movie and music fans were in an uproar because nearly everyone interested in English language movies and songs were concentrating on the finals of a singing contest held at the Cathay Cinema in conjunction with a film that had the country talking.

There was hardly any entertainment those years so you can imagine the ruckus that was going on about school girls singing on stage. And it happened before any Singapore's Millie Small, Connie Francis or Cliff Richard impersonators were around.

Mamie Van Doren (not Doris Day) with Clark Gable.

The film was a romantic comedy about teachers and featured pop singer and down to earth  clean cut actress Doris Day*.  Her male lead was Karlok Kaypor (in Hokkien parlance) or Clark Gable in simple English.  He was a 1950s Johnny Depp or George Clooney?

The movie, Teacher's Pet, won two academy awards and was a local hit those years because of our dynamic duo (Day and Gable) and more so because of blonde bombshell and Playboy Bunny's favorite cover girl Mamie van Doren (right) in a co-starring role.  Like a Marilyn Monroe copy and paste, she was sexy and voluptuous.

With all this publicity in mind, the show at 9.30 that evening was a sell-out. On stage were four girls, chosen to appear for the finals of Singapore's Doris Day Singing Competition and they included, Nancy Renjaan, Ellen Ong, Pearl Silus and Nelly Martinus. 

 

Image of an applause meter. Clap hard and hand will move!

Since an applause meter was used to pick the winner, supporters and fans of the contestants cheered and screamed their hearts out at the end of each song after the applause sign lit up because the more noise there was the further the hand of the meter moved.  

The sign lit up when it's time to applause.

When the winner was announced, Nancy Renjaan (image right: Straits Times Press) from the Singapore Telephone Board clinched the title and became the Doris Day of Singapore, one of the first few pop impersonators on our island.  School girl Ellen Ong was second and the others were runners-up. 

Were you at the Cathay that night?  Were you one of those who participated in the contest? Love to hear your story.  Let's hit the Nostalgia Meter button and create some noise too.

*Doris Day appeared in 39 movies and ranked the biggest box-office actress/singer.  She was the only woman on that special list, for four years, from 1960 to 1964 and ranking in the top 10 for ten years, from 1951 to 1952 and from 1959 to 1966. 

She was the top female box-office star of all time and is today ranked (believe me!) sixth among the top 10 box office performers, both male and female, as of 2012. That is a champion indeed. If you've heard, Que, Sera, Sera, that's her song.

Images: Google and The Straits Times Press, Singapore.
Original article with information from newspaper advertisements.

"Tunes That Crept Into My Consciousness" Singapore 50s With John Harper: Part One

John Harper

John Harper resides in York, England, plays bass guitar and lived in Singapore in the late 50s.   I met him recently with wife Ann where he recalled the times he spent on our sunny island.  When I asked him if he could share his music memories specially for this blog he agreed. Thank you John.

Part One:

The people we are today is the sum of all the influences on our life before today. Tomorrow we will be slightly different people because we have to add in today's influence. But, the difference will not be very much, because those influences of the past have already moulded and shaped us significantly along the way. Some of the influences that play a big part in moulding you include: your mother and father, where you have lived, the people you have met and the food, music and art you have experienced during that time.


"Killed him a b'ar when he was only three"

Probably the most crucial years are the years from the age of about 10 to 20 years of age. For me, two of those crucial years were spent in Singapore between the ages of 10 and 12 years old, arriving in Singapore in April 1957 and returning to the UK in July 1959. In this short series I'll be looking at the years just prior to our move to Singapore as Part 1, our time in Singapore as Part 2 and for the third part what was happening in the UK in the first few months of our return.


"Will we have rainbows day after day"

I had probably started to notice popular music in films and on the radio only a couple of years before we went to Singapore. This was possibly initiated by my mother taking my brothers and I to see films like “Davy Crockett”, “The Dambusters”, “The man Who Knew Too Much”, and probably that most influential of films for popular music that forever changed the mould; “Rock Around The Clock”.

By this time we were also listening to Radio Luxembourg which started the evening with a fifteen minute slot of "Dan Dare - Pilot Of The Future" fighting the evil green alien “The Mekon” before starting the evenings output of popular music. We were allowed to listen to Dan Dare and then to the music until it was time for bed.

The films introduced me to a variety of interesting music from the brand new thumping beat of “Rock Around The Clock”, to the gentler Doris Day number from “The Man Who Knew Too Much” “Que Sera, Sera” or whatever will be, will be.

"Put your glad rags on and join me hon"

When the Davy Crockett film came out everybody at school was singing the “Ballad of Davy Crockett” and some even wore Davy Crockett hats with the raccoon tail hanging down. Our aunt in Canada even sent us some printed Davy Crockett T shirts. I did not want to be different to all my class mates in those days and as they did not have T shirts like them I did not want to wear them publicly and actually kicked up such a fuss that they were put away. Somehow when they resurfaced when we got to Singapore and shirts with colourful patterns were the norm after school they were unpacked and worn with minimal fuss.

"Saying who can that fool be"

To this eclectic mix was added the theme from the "Dambusters" which had not really made much of an impact on me until my friend started playing it on a recorder and taught me how to play the first few bars. Further spicing the mix were a few tunes from the radio that had crept into my consciousness, "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" played by the man with the golden trumpet a title Eddie Calvert justly deserved by following it up with another all time favourites of mine “Zambesi”. A few years later Zambesi reappeared in the superb format of a Hank Marvin arrangement for guitar by the Shadows, I think it was on about their third LP (On You Tube video below). 


"Branches of the two trees were intertwined"

Three songs popular in the UK before we left became popular in Singapore just about at the time that we arrived. They were Ann Shelton's “Lay Down Your Arms”, Eddie Fisher's “Cindy, Oh Cindy” and Johnnie Ray's “Walking In The Rain”. Because of the delay between songs being released in the UK and being released in Singapore and Australia releases wereabout six to twelve weeks behind what was popular in the UK. So, with these three songs we got to enjoy them all over again.
One song that I think was an exception to this sequence was “A Pub With no Beer” by Slim Dusty, recorded in Australia and distributed from Australia first. The flip side of it was an even folkier number called “Once When I Was Mustering”. More on this later.

"Nothing so lonesome, morbid or drear"

As you can see, my tastes are becoming wide and varied from the smooth hot brassy tones of Eddie Calvert, through the dulcet tones of Doris Day to the folksy nasal tones of Slim Dusty and I have barely started on the influences of the music I heard in Singapore.

The next article will cover 1957 and 1958.

CONNECT HERE for both:
http://singapore60smusic.blogspot.sg/2013/01/john-harpers-singapore-50s-music-trail.html

Original article: John Harper Copyrights Reserved.
Images: Google.
Captions: from song lyrics.

John contributes to Buzz:
https://profiles.google.com/117596378549583765811/buzz#117596378549583765811/buzz

A Happy Teachers Day With Lulu and Doris Day

I know Singapore teachers celebrate this special day that falls on the first of September every year but didn't realise that it has been changed to the first Friday in September from 2012.

The  Songs:

1. To Sir with Love a song by Don Black and Mark London was taken from a movie with the same title starring Sidney Poitier and a living legend, Scottish singer Lulu. It reached number one on the U.S. pop charts in 1967 but was never released in the UK as a single, although the film was a box-office hit.

Poignant with meaningful, expressive lyrics, the song tells of  British teenagers' anti-establishment attitude in the 60s and an African-American teacher's effort to help them understand the ways of the world.

Thanks and praise for his love and respect:

Those schoolgirl days of telling tales
And biting nails are gone,
How do you thank someone
Who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
If you wanted the sky
I would write across the sky in letters
That would soar a thousand feet high.
              
The farewell and the tears:

The time has come for closing books
And long last looks must end,
I am leaving my best friend.
A friend who taught me right from wrong
And weak from strong,
That's a lot to learn, what
What can I give you in return?

 Their appreciation:

If you wanted the moon
I would try to make a start
But I, would rather you let me give my heart
To Sir, with love...

(My opinion: Best pop song tribute ever to a teacher.)



Wow I'd like to be this teacher's pet!

2. Teacher's Pet:
Singer: Doris Day
Written by Joe Lubin.

It's also the title track from her 1958 film, co-starring Clark Gable and Gig Young.  Frivolous, tongue-in-cheek and full of mirth this is definitely someone who wants to be the apple of the teacher's eye. And different in mood and tempo from the Lulu song:

Flirting:

Teacher's pet,
I wanna be teacher's pet...
Mm, teacher's pride
I wanna be teacher's pride
I wanna be dated, paraded, the one most likely at your side


Obviously giving the come-hither signs:

I wanna learn all your lips can teach me
One kiss will do at the start
I'm sure with a little homework
I'll graduate to your heart

The conquest (or so she thinks):

Teacher's pet, I wanna be teacher's pet
I wanna take home a diploma and show Ma that you love me, too
So I can be teacher's pet long after school is through

(My own line: Teacher, teacher be careful!!!)

So a Happy Teachers Day to all educators out there in Singapore. I hope you like the two lovely songs on this posting.

Image: Google.
You Tube videos.

Singapore in 1964, Dragon Season Of Superlatives

Dragon Year 1964 was not a year to forget. During the Chinese New Year season from around 13th February, the cinemas in Singapore were showing two Elvis Presley movies simultaneously, Love In Las Vegas, with Ann Margret at the Lido at Orchard Road and Fun In Acapulco (image 3) with Ursula Andress (undress too, they say) at the Cathay. Elvis hits were heard everywhere.

Just wondering how Singapore pop fans felt because this was the same year and month when the The Beatles invasion of the US (image 5) started as they left London on February 8th for North America with their amore-y (armoury) of mop-top music. It looked like a new dragon month of superlatives.

But that month, floods were in their superlatives too. So if Singaporeans had dared to brave the rain, attractions at the cinemas in town illuminated big names like Yul Brynner and George Chakiris acting as Kings Of The Sun at the Capitol. Doris Day and James Garner were in Move Over Darling at the Odeon (read previous posting). And comedians Bob Hope and Jack Lemmon appeared in the midnight hour with A Globall Affair and Under The Yum Yum Tree.

In the smaller theatres, a Chinese movie called, The Story of Three Loves (image 4) starring Grace Chang, Lin Tsui and Chao Lei were showing at the Alhambra, Majestic and Odeon-Katong cinemas respectively. The three actors were top-notch then and the movie was a special CNY attraction.

With a similar theme, P. Ramlee as actor, director and producer was making it big in another of his movies. Madu Tiga or Mistresses Three (image 1) was showing to full houses at the Rex Cinema. It was a once-in-a-lifetime double festival as Singaporeans and Malaysians were also enjoying Hari Raya Puasa which started the next day for Muslims. So the term Kungsi Raya (coined from Kungsi Fa Cai and Hari Raya) came to be and according to the calendars, happened only once in 30 years.

For those who had preferred to stay at home and watched TV with the family during cosy rainy nights, The Kung Hee, Kung Hee Show was on and top artistes that year featured, Sugiman Jahuri, T.F. Tan, Malay comedienne Momo Latiff (of Malay film fame) and a skiffle group called Spitfire.

There was another variety show the next morning on 14th February called, Let's Get Together with The Suara Singapura Singers, The Singing Khoos, Alban deSouza, Malay comedian Alias Congo aka Abang Apek, female impersonator Percy Leicester (like Kumar without the jokes) and Terrence de Souza with his Band. The highlight of the show were The Gaylads (image 2) from the Flamingos Combo, the top most wanted band at Singapore's night-spots those years.

These were early years for Singapore pop when The Crescendos hit the headlines with Mr. Twister, The Sundowners with Malaysia Wonderful and The Quests (image 6) with their big hit Shanty. Andy and The Silver Strings got together and were playing the circuit with band engagements at nitespots, while in Hong Kong, The Fabulous Echoes became the pop Pinoy group with A Little Bit Of Soap and Dancing On The Moon.

Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Elvis, Beatles, Bob Hope, Quests, Crescendos and Flamingos. It was truly a year of superlatives.

End of Dragon tale. Back to reality. And a happy 2012 everyone!

Images: Google.

13th February 1964 Chinese New Year Attraction

Another Chinese New Year Posting:

On 13th February in Dragon Year 1964, the Odeon Cinema at North Bridge Road was showing a Doris Day movie Move Over Darling co-starring James Garner (image 1). And there was No Free List, which meant that all complimentary passes had been suspended. It was CNY season and cinemas were packed (read Part II soon).

By sheer co-incidence Larry Lai sent me a note yesterday about DD's latest recording done last year. So after all this time, here she is again. One of US' pops top artistes, Doris Mary Anne Kappelholff is back. But she never left the scene did she?

I remember those years when I would take a bus to the Capitol Cinema at North Bridge Road just to catch one of her many movies, from romantic comedies and screen musicals like, Tea For Two, Calamity Jane, Love Me Or Leave Me, Pajama Game, Tunnel Of Love or Pillow Talk to thrillers, The Man Who Knew Too Much and Julie. She actually made 40 movies!

And her songs... She is still singing today and for 55 years. All the way since 1947. From her signature song Que Sera Sera, her academy award winner Secret Love and my favourite Teacher's Pet (image 2) and #hundreds of others that it's too long to list. So we remember her today for a new song just released.

Here's what good friend LL said about DD:
"Doris Day, easily one of my favourite singers from the 60's, is 87. Last September she recorded an album titled My Heart (image 3) and it hit the U.K. charts at No. 9. The world's oldest pop star to hit the U.K. Top Ten!"

Yes, trust him. He presented most of the world hits during his Rediffusion days. Thank you Larry. BTW, he's a dragon too. Ah, no wonder. Song on right bar>
Images from Google: 1 Yesteryear. 2 Today.

#Doris Day Songs: http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_12344/doris-day/songs