Friday, June 15, 2007

The Sound of Humor - Julie Andrews

Like most people of this planet, The Sound of Music (1965) happens to be one of my favorite things. My last viewing, which was a few months ago, resulted in countless gooseflesh moments and watery eyes. When I appreciate something to the highest degree of appreciation that can happen in my system, my eyes start shedding loads of water (think I shall try to explain this whole thing of ‘degrees of appreciation’ in another post). Why I am mentioning this all time classic of 20th century here is because of a forward I received this morning in my mailbox from a funnyman friend.

One of the big songs of the movie is ‘My Favorite Things’ a song in minor scales and set on waltz beat. The song simply suggests that when you are feeling low, just remember some of your favorite things and you will start feeling better (works for kids and in movies, I guess). Anyway, the thought is beautiful, even is it isn’t practical (speaking strictly for myself).
So, the morning forward carried this content:

To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music." Here are the lyrics she used:

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.

I salute the spirit and humor of Ms Andrews if this is true, else the salute goes to the man/woman with such parodying skills. Enjoy your weekend!

15 comments:

Pooja Nair said...

You are not alone. these lyrics moved me to tears too! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Meraj. That was wonderful. I sang the song with the updated lyrics in my head and it sounded great. :)

Atanu

meraj said...

you are most welcome, Atanu!

Brown Weed said...

it's always a pleasure to read what you've written!
always, always

(chords/plain for those interested)

meraj said...

thanks for the appreciation and chords, mr bojangles!

svety said...

as usual...maza aa gaya

Two With Nature said...

most lovely! like everyone else - i read it whilst singing the tune.

i don't usually plug - but in this case it seems to fit well - see if you like this

http://two-with-nature.blogspot.com/2007/06/eat-menu.html

cheers,

arti

WhiteMoonWatching said...

the movie has always bin one of my favourites, the only thing that changed was my fav song from it...i used to love "the lonely goatherd"(wich btw i tink gwen stefani has slaughtered) but have now grown to appreciate "climb every mountain" just as much...sumthin like this was quite expected of julie andrews...the woman's a masterpiece!!!!!!

:')sigh...i wish it was my first time watchin her movies all over again...:)))))

meraj said...

thats a nice usage....'slaughtering the lonely goatherd' :)

the neon blob said...

i dunno.. i guess i'm probably one of those rare people who despised the song... especially since i was born to a progenitor who made me practice the song for every darn western music competition (with a bow in my hair and all.. pissing off... however i hope kids who are made to go through similar ordeals should get their hands on the new lyrics..:)

Smiling Dolphin said...

awesome!

Anonymous said...

I'm sure you've noticed. But since no one's brought it up, the lyrics are in pentametre triplicates. Once your knowing is guided by that discipline, everything takes on a deeper meaning.
Sonjoy Banerjee

Anonymous said...

I have just seen the most awesome movie of the year ........... hollywood bollywood move over .............. nothing can beat rajnikanth ...........

mind-boggling, mind-blowing, mind-spinning, mind-churning stuff ........... its like a washing-machine ride

phish said...

i guess everyone sang it in their heads. thanks for this.

meraj said...

thanks for that info from the 'language of poetry' Sonjoy!Really makes one appreciate the sensibilities and skill of the one who wrote this.

thanks again Sonjoy!