Seasons of the Ukulele

A weekly song challenge for ukulele players - all welcome. Find out more here

Season 714: Just the facts, ma'am

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

For my first time hosting I requested this season because of the number... 714, which is, of course, the badge number of the world's greatest TV cop, Sgt Joe Friday of Dragnet fame.

Songs by or about people named Joe (or Joey, Joseph, etc.)
Songs that mention “Friday”
Any song by “The Police” (hear that, Paul?)
Songs that mention police officers, detectives or private eyes
Songs about Sgt Friday's home state of California (or places there in)
Songs that mention the word “fact” or derivatives of it... HOWEVER, if you choose this option, the song cannot fit into any other category... it has to be “JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM”

Originals are, of course, welcome (and if your name is Joe, I guess any song would be appropriate).

I'm new to this hosting stuff, so let's restrict it to a max of five songs each this season.

While I have no prizes, I will be announcing several “winners” in categories yet to be determined.

No videos should be posted before 12:00 AM Sunday Hawaii time.

Season ends at 11:59:59 PM Hawaii time the next Sunday.

All the regular rules apply

PLAYLIST is here (yea for the old guy figuring that out)

If I'm doing something incorrectly, please yell at me.

johnpoole

A very inventive wide ranging theme. Nice one!

uke4ia

Dang, I've already done Joe Jackson's song "Friday".

LimousinLil

Love this … hope you'll enjoy your first week hosting! (P.S. I have a son called Joe … does that count?)

Joko

Did I ever mentions I've got three infamous uncles?
Gary E. Gygax, inventor of the game "Dungeons and Dragons", had a bit of a God complex.
Paul Wolfowitz, Republican big wig, did lots of bad stuff. My aunt left him.
David Allan Coe, country music outlaw, brother to Joseph Coe, whom I was named after.

-Joe Coe

potmo

I think it might be an interesting challenge to see just how many of categories 1-5 one can get into one song! Is there a 5fer out there?

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

LimousinLil sure… have him write a song 🙂

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

Joko being as I'm a nerd, Gary is the one that impresses me.

potmo

potmo Hmm now that I think about this a bit, this is harder than I thought!

AlanDP

Joe Young, born Joseph Judewitz, lived from 1889 to 1939. He started his music career as a singer and song plugger and became a prolific lyricist in the early 20th century. He frequently collaborated with Sam Lewis. Perhaps his most well-known song is "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," which has become a standard. This song was performed by Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike) in the Ziegfeld Follies.

CanadaJim

JOE HILL - Earl Robinson

Thanks Lemon, for a great topic.
There were only 4 people at our Saturday open mic and our topic was about protests in which we had been involved. Jane mentioned a protest at the Washington Monument where Joe Hill was sung and when I saw your topic, I knew I'd better give it a shot. Thanks Jane!

potmo

OK I really am eating crow regarding my comment about it being easy to find tworfers. Here's what I got and it ain't pretty especially for playing on the uke .

"Joseph's Coat" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat "

queen of california - john mayer

life's been good - Joe Walsh

Green River - CCR is a reference to a place in California according to Fogerty, but I don't know if that counts.

Friday 13th the damned

Songs with Josephine in the titles (jolene?)

DesertPavement

potmo Potmo, be careful about covering songs by the Eagles or anything by the various members of said band from their solo careers. It’s one of those groups that will get you a quick YT copyright strike.

UkeCan1

DesertPavement potmo Potmo, be careful about covering songs by the Eagles or anything by the various members of said band from their solo careers. It’s one of those groups that will get you a quick YT copyright strike.

I think Joe Walsh is okay - it's Henley and Frey who are the problems, I think? I've done "Life's Been Good" and nothing bad happened.

Re twofers, I found a bunch, but they were mostly ones I'd done recently - "At Seventeen" and "Dancing Queen" both mention Friday, for example, and there were others I thought of with California references, etc.

So because I was getting a bit frustrated and was in a silly mood, I put "bean" into search on Ultimate Guitar, and came across this fascinating little number by Johnny Cash. With a title like "Joe Bean", I just had to check it out!

This song goes all sorts of places you will not expect.

"Joe Bean" by Johnny Cash

PS - I just read your option 6, which I hadn't noticed before. This song does in fact use the phrase "in fact" … so maybe it doesn't qualify after all? 😱

potmo

UkeCan1

I think the rule is that you can use a song with fact in it but no other categories but of course if there is another category you would just use that one so hmm…
I actually looked through three different versions of "Dancing Queen" and somehow missed the fact that the first worde is Friday! I guess that shouldnt surprise you since I can't even match a zoom number with a week.

I still don't see a Friday in "At Seventeen", which I did here two weeks ago! I did it for 1975 and not the royalty one though. Not sure if I was twofer aware yet.

Glad you chose this one. I'm a big fan of the man in black and never heard this one before. In fact, I almost want to switch to a uke with a low G just so I can cover "Big River".

DesertPavement

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

UkeCan1 Yes, "in fact" this would be counter to the season's rules… but it is such a lovely rendition, let's leave it up as an example of what not to do for rule 6. So… People… don't do this! 🙂

CanadaJim

A few of us get together each Sunday from 7 till 10 to play music. Three of us take turns hosting and we have discovered that our local radio station plays re-runs of old radio shows each Sunday and the show that comes on at 10 o'clock is Dragnet, complete with commercials for Fatima, the best long cigarette. I'll admit that the Sunday night jam is one of the highlights of my week, but the drive home, listening to Dragnet is something that I also look forward to. Maggie knows that I'll be sitting in the car till 10:30 so I can catch the end of Dragnet.

CanadaJim

**JOE TURNER BLUES - Mississippi John Hurt

There are a bunch of blues songs called "Joe Turner Blues" and Mississippi John's is one of 'em.**

YorkSteve

Here's one from Joe Jackson, c.1978

UkeCan1

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay let's leave it up as an example of what not to do for rule 6. So… People… don't do this! 🙂

"There is noooooooo … Rule 6!"

potmo I still don't see a Friday in "At Seventeen"

It's in the first verse: "Friday night charades of youth".

Well, having once again forgotten to comb the lyrics to ensure they are fact-free, but having gotten luckier this time … here's the one hit from the oddly named one-hit wonder band Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds - "Don't Pull Your Love":

I neglected to mention that my first song, "Joe Bean", is also all about law enforcement.