Seasons of the Ukulele

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

Season 714: Just the facts, ma'am

potmo

Well I was just listing ideas for twofers, but I assume that if I were to cover a song by a finicky artist that it would pop up on the first scan, so I would be warned before any kind of penalty were applied to me before publishing? Otherwise it is just a matter of time, since most of my covers are pretty well known. Luckily my yt channel does not have much value so I could probably survive without it

OnlyUkeThatMatters

potmo

UkeCan1 Yep, I prove once again that I have zero comprehension skills. I am specifically scanning for the word, and whoosh I go right by it. This is what happens when you are senile and stoned! I remember this song! My teenie-bopper older sister used to listen to this all the time.

Barbablanca

Here is my first for this week.

Many years ago, while visiting my cousin Josephine, I learned she was suffering from a skin cancer. Understandably, she was quite depressed about it. Then she went into remission and she bounced back to her usual positive self. It was after a visit during this period that I wrote her this optimistic song.

Then, sadly, some time later, the cancer came back more virulently and she was soon lost to us.

Around the same time, I lost the lyrics and chords to this song and by today I had long forgotten that I had written it. Then, this week, the main theme for the Seasons of the Ukulele was "Joe" (and variants). Unbelievably, while looking for something completely unrelated with songs in my archives, I found the lyrics and chords for this song. I had no memory of how the song went, so I rehashed the chords and came up with this version.

Hope you like:

Joko

First, I want to thank "N-L-M" for stepping up being a first-time host. Well done, sir! (applause)

My contribution is a re-record of an original I wrote during the 2nd Obama-McCain debate in 2008. Here I do it in the blues natural domain of "E" as opposed to the more uke-friendly key of "A" of the original. I also remember it came soon after watching a tutorial from the late Ukulele Mike, which is where I learned the technique used here.

johnpoole

Thanks Lemon. A cautionary tale from Tony Joe White. " The High Sheriff of Calhoun Parish"

joo

Thanks for hosting, Lemon!

I thought of a few police songs, but I am not feeling them. So, I did a NEW recording of an old "song" which I had submitted for a Season around 2017 or 2018. This is a story I wrote about how the narrator became a dishwashing policewoman, as in she arrests anyone who doesn't rinse off all the detergent from their dishes. I made the cartoons and played the baritone uke here.

UkeCan1

Making my way through the lesser known Joes of the 1970s, here's "Games People Play" by Joe South.

joo

a song from the Sesame Street to teach kids how to avoid lead poisoning.

It's a parody of The Police, in a Police-style song called The Lead Police.

Barbablanca

My second and possibly last entry this week was inspired by the current political situation, which to my mind has a lot in common with the 1930s and '40s.

My narrator is an ex-combatant in the US Army that, in Spring 1945, forged towards Berlin to ensure an allied presence there. He thinks back to the days when Stalin was not portrayed in official US propaganda as the tyrant he was, but rather as a friendly Uncle. It was only after the war that our narrator realises the reality as the post war detente gave way to the Cold War.

Hope you like

DelGriff

Thanks for hosting, Lemon! I hope you’re enjoying your hosting debut! 🙂

Here’s a Police song from 1983 that needs no introduction - in May 2019 it was recognised by the BMI as being the most played song in radio history!

Baritone uke with some synth additions and vocal harmonies.

Every Breath You Take - Police cover (SOTU 714)

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

Well, it's humpday here in Season 714, and I am very impressed with the wide range of eras and styles represented so far, plus a bunch of great originals

The playlist should be up to date.

Four and a half days left… impress me some more, you great folks.

UkeCan1

Just a typical night at the weekly Greens dinner in the park, meeting brand new people, picking a song we barely know on the spot and making video together!

Featuring Emily in the hat, who's a professional performer, her husband and daughter next to her and her young son (Leo?) our expert videographer, Kait on the right who used to be a pro, and I think that's her little daughter dancing in front, plus fellow Brisbane City Sounds baritone Bonnie in the green shirt next to me, who was dancing so enthusiastically I couldn't read the chart on the phone she was holding.

My friend Zhou (pronounced Joe) was as usual too busy shepherding his entourage of young Chinese people to join us, though he was honored I offered to feature him given the theme.

"Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure

Leo asked if he could pick the song next week … so I guess that means we're doing this again!

uke4ia

They did the Mash! They did the Instant Mash! This is a Joe Jacksons song.

This one seemed like it was going to be relatively easy, until I tried to get through a take while playing the riff right EVERY time while still being able to whistle audibly in place of the original's harmonica break. Meanwhile, the closer I listen to the original, the more some of the chords that just sounded like simple major chords sound like they might be minor 7ths.

UkeCan1

It's Friday, y'all, and I am looking forward to the weekend … as was 13-year-old Rebecca Black in her viral hit of 2011.

What was yesterday? And tomorrow? And what comes after……ward? There is important information in this song. Pay close attention.

From the "someone had to do it" list, here's Rebecca Black's "Friday":

OneManAndHisPGUke

Hot on the heels of Wendy et als fab cover of this, another Friday I’m in Love, cos you can never have too many of these can you?

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

Why does everyone seem to do this,,, host during their busiest week? I'm no exception, I had to be out of town for a couple day, but Playlist should now be up to date and I'm catching up on watching the videos. Here is my contribution to the season… a Coasters song that, had I had more time, I would have done in several parts. This one mentions Sgt. Friday by name. Searchin'

AlanDP

I've been thinking that it was well past time for me to try and write another original, so here's what I came up with for this week. Lyrics at youtube.

LimousinLil

Hello, Lemon … and thanks for hosting! My apologies for arriving so late this week … it was a combination of younger son's arrival for a week of building work on the barn and a day without power after storms. Anyway, I am finally here with a "Joe song", being Joe Dassin, son of Jules Dassin, who became a big star in France, where he spent most of his childhood and youth, following the exile of his father from the U.S. during the McCarthy era. If anyone is interested in what Tom (younger son) is doing over here in France, he can be found here …

Meanwhile, here is moi …

Nearsighted-Lemon-McKay

UkeCan1

I picked this for a twofer, because until tonight, for nearly half a century, I would have bet you money that line was "Friday night I got m-tears in my eyes". It's not. It's "Ridin' high". But it sure oughta be "Friday night", and I sang it that way and plan to continue for the rest of the century.

Also, I can't believe I've never done this one.

This is #6 for me anyway, which I think means I'm over my limit, so feel free to ignore it since I only hallucinated that it contains Friday. But I did sing it that way, and so should you, if you weren't already.

(I could have done this for mondegreen Season years ago … but it was such a mondegreen for me that I still didn't know until now I was singing it wrong.)

Steve Miller Band - "Jet Airliner"

« Previous Page Next Page »