Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on July 22, 2010 at 12:09am

Why, you might ask do I have this unusual piece of music running through my brain? I was telling a friend about working as a waitress in a Turkish nightclub many, many years ago. It was an after-hours club, where I worked from 7pm until 7am the next morning. The club was only open on the weekends and I could earn enough money on Friday and Saturday nights to keep me 'comfortably' going all week long and pay my monthly bills as well... Those were the days, when I rented a huge attic space for a mere $150. in Staten Island, NY.

Thinking about those long gone days, reminded me of an album my mother had that I used to love to listen to when I was around 10 years old. I was entranced by the exotic dancer shown on the album cover. My little girlfriend and I would dangle scarfs in our underwear and dance away to this song and others. Searching Amazon I was amazed to find the album was still available on CD. I've been listening to it for the past week.... Funny how certain memories remain so strong over time, and for whatever reason other events in our lives just fade away never to be retrieved.

Permalink Reply by Rod on July 23, 2010 at 9:59pm

A funny story Sydni, and you get the prize for the most eccentric contribution so far. My irrepressible tune comes from watching a movie last weekend called 'Me Without You' - about two girls who were friends as kids, but as they grew up one tried to ruin the other's life in a weird sort of competitive way.

The movie wasn't good (though I'm advised it makes more sense to women), and I admit I only agreed to try it because it had Michelle Williams in it. But it had a couple of good aspects - the first of which was the song playing over the opening credits, showing the girls aged about 11 or 12 in 1973, skipping and dancing around and laughing. I thought the song must've been written especially for the movie as a joke, because the lyrics are so funny, but later found that the song came out in 1968 and the lyrics are NOT meant to be a joke! - though light-hearted of course.

Apparently the song was big in the UK for several years as a theme for a TV show, and it's been voted there as the most popular TV theme of all time - though I'd never heard of it. Anyway, I was NOT able to get this song out of my head for several days - the vocal melody, the lyrics, the trumpet, the funny little guitar solo, and the vibrato guitar accompaniment. I played it for a friend in NSW, and her view was "It's like eating a cup of sugar" "Yeah, and what's wrong with THAT!?" was my sugar-junkie response. Maybe it's also the nostalgia-value - there actually WAS a time when a song like this could be taken semi-seriously!

Anyway, the little clip has been uploaded by the original singer, and isn't worth watching, but you might find it funny to listen to.

Permalink Reply by Sydni Moser on July 23, 2010 at 10:40pm

Yes, yes, this type of music does bring back memories of my early childhood and all the Family Entertainment shows where everyone would gather around the big console TV and be thoroughly engrossed by this type of sappy music... LOL (truthfully, I hated it even back then)

Permalink Reply by Rod on July 24, 2010 at 6:01am

It's painful the privations suffered growing up on a far-flung island - I've never seen 'The Lawrence Welk Show' but it looks unbelievably good - straight out of 'Pleasantville'. However, you're playing dirty thinking you can out-saccharine me, because I doubt very much that 'Harbor Lights' has been playing on your mind. And in any case, even when I thought I was a tough 12 yr-old getting into Alice Cooper and Roger Daltrey, my brothers and I always got a huge laugh out of "sappy" music (I like that word - we'd say "daggy"), so my extensive knowledge of the subject gives me the clear advantage.

Consider for your viewing pleasure 'The Nolan Sisters' who had a number 3 hit in Oz with this in 1981- damn I've GOT to find whoever choreographed this clip and get me some dance lessons!

Permalink Reply by Rod on July 28, 2010 at 6:23am

Hi Jean Marie, it's good to see SOMEONE here appreciates true artistry. (I'm presuming "mindboggling" means "wow, this is the height of human artistic endeavour".) Oh, and I'll be workin' on my moves alright, but I'm unsure how the Nolans' gesture to represent the line "thought I was cool" will go when I perform at the local plaza here. The following clip utilizes the unique magic of combining ultra-twee with raunchiness (a top-ten hit of 1981). So, which school of dancing style to pursue? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgWBvdoTbS0&feature=avmsc2

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on July 30, 2010 at 10:38pm

I don't know, Rod. The Nolans' choreography is inspired...but can it match the magic of Bobby and Cissy? The moves really go cutting-edge at around the 1:45 mark. I wish I could find costumes like those! And what do you think my chances are of tracking down Bobby for some dance lessons?

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on July 31, 2010 at 9:38am

Yeah, the Nolans are really hard to beat for the sheer eccentricity of their moves. Hey, I DID find Bobby Burgess! He's apparently still alive and kicking...and teaching dance at the Burgess Cotillion dance school!
http://www.burgesscotillion.com/
Sadly, he's left the disco world behind and now is more focussed on teaching youngsters proper ballroom dances and etiquette.
http://www.pvassembly.com/pv_dance-master.html

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on August 6, 2010 at 12:31pm

Wow, a typewriter?!? Awesome!

Cissy King is still at it, too. She has her own web page, but it looks like it's still under construction. I would LOVE to see Bobby and Cissy dancing together again! (Might be a slower dance, though...without the back flips...)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cissy_King

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on August 7, 2010 at 5:47pm

We'll start a FB campaign, make a petition, sell t-shirts and bumper stickers and coffee mugs with "Bobby and Cissy Reunite!" or "Bring Back Bobby and Cissy" emlazoned on them! And if that doesn't work maybe we can sleuth out their addresses and go en masse (well, would the two of us - plus Rod, maybe - constitute "en masse"?) to their houses to praise and cajole and picket in support of our cause! I think it might work!

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on August 7, 2010 at 6:23pm

Can you imagine how EXCITING it would be to find out that your older neighbor (who favors leisure suits and the odd pair of multi-color bell-bottoms) was actually BOBBY BURGESS?!? Yeah, I think luring Cissy to Bobby's place with various sought-after awards and prizes (e.g., a typewriter...or, better yet, a BEDAZZLED typewriter!) is a great idea. And I don't think we should hide our love of B+C and their dancing from anyone in TA! Maybe we'd find a huge number of closeted fans if we were brave enough to show our enthusiasm in a public way!!

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on August 7, 2010 at 6:24pm

Where the hell is Rod? I'll bet he has a pair of Bobby-like bell-bottoms in the back of his closet that he's just dying to wear again!

Permalink Reply by Gwen F. Blunt on August 7, 2010 at 6:37pm

Keep that glue gun at the ready! I can't believe I have to leave this ground-breaking planning session to go to work! Ugh! Don't they REALIZE how important The Nolans and B+C are?!?

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