Popular demand demands that I include Muskrat Love as one of the best songs you've never heard. Written in 1972 by Willis Allan Ramsay, Muskrat Love was originally entitled Muskrat Candlelight and is considered to be one of the WORST popular love songs ever. In my many years of listening to the radio, I've only heard it played once! It was covered by America (who rocks!) and Captain and Tenille, which is the version that you've probably heard if any.
So, you ask, how did I find this song? As a child, my father would often sing my brothers and me to sleep and play his guitar. He was around in the seventies and knew this song, and it was one of our favorites because the thought of two muskrats "whirling, twirling, and tangoing" made us giggle. This song is an important part of my childhood, darnit! Anyway, here's the lyrics. Hope you enjoy!
Muskrat, muskrat candlelight
Doin' the town and doin' it right
In the evenin'
It's pretty pleasin'
Muskrat Susie, Muskrat Sam
Do the jitterbug out in muskrat land
And they shimmy
And Sammy's so skinny
And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin' and jingin' the jango
Floatin' like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love
Nibbling on bacon, chewin' on cheese
Sammy says to Susie "Honey, would you please be my missus?"
And she say yes
With her kisses
And now he's ticklin' her fancy
Rubbin' her toes
Muzzle to muzzle, now anything goes
As they wriggle, and Sue starts to giggle
And they whirled and they twirled and they tangoed
Singin' and jingin' the jango
Floatin' like the heavens above
It looks like muskrat love
-Rob
P.S. If you like my blog, you should see my friend Daniels: http://super-sizeme.blogspot.com/ and Roberts: http://www.socialmediacrm.blogspot.com/ !
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Dulaman
Dulaman
You'd never think that a song about seaweed could be so great! It's also surprising how many times it's been recorded. Coming from an Irish fishing song, It was first recorded by Clannad, an Irish folk group, in their native Gaelic (one of the six Celtic languages fyi). If you've heard of Enya, it may interest you to know that Clannad is mainly made up of Enya's brothers and sisters. She left to go solo in 1981 (says wikipedia anyway). According to native speaker gaeilge101 "The song used 2 types of seaweed as metaphors for 2 MEN one the father and the other the man who wants to marry his daughter".
Here's the English Translation from the original Clannad recording:
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Irish seaweed
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Irish Seaweed
Oh gentle daughter
Here come the wooing men
Oh gentle mother
Put the wheels in motion for me
There is a yellow-gold head
On the Irish seaweed
There are two blunt ears
On the Irish seaweed
We'll go to Newry
With the Irish seaweed
I would buy expensive shoes
Said the Irish seaweed
The Irish seaweed has
Beautiful black shoes
The Irish seaweed has
A beret and trousers
I spent time telling her the story
That I would buy a comb for her
The story she told back to me
That she is well-groomed
"What did you bring from the land?"
Says the Irish seaweed
"Courting with your daughter"
Says the stately seaweed
"You're not taking my daughter"
Says the Irish seaweed
"Well, I'd take her with me"
Says the stately seaweed.
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Seaweed of the mountain
Seaweed from the sea
Seaweed.
Weird eh? Wait till you listen to the Anuna version! Anuna is a really amazing men's choir, also Irish. I strongly suggest listening to their version.
Personally, my favorite of all the many recordings of Dulaman is Celtic Woman's which is performed live at Slane Castle. (TOTALLY not fair! I want to sing at a castle....)
Good stuff! We'll see you next time on: The BEST songs you've never heard!
You'd never think that a song about seaweed could be so great! It's also surprising how many times it's been recorded. Coming from an Irish fishing song, It was first recorded by Clannad, an Irish folk group, in their native Gaelic (one of the six Celtic languages fyi). If you've heard of Enya, it may interest you to know that Clannad is mainly made up of Enya's brothers and sisters. She left to go solo in 1981 (says wikipedia anyway). According to native speaker gaeilge101 "The song used 2 types of seaweed as metaphors for 2 MEN one the father and the other the man who wants to marry his daughter".
Here's the English Translation from the original Clannad recording:
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Irish seaweed
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Irish Seaweed
Oh gentle daughter
Here come the wooing men
Oh gentle mother
Put the wheels in motion for me
There is a yellow-gold head
On the Irish seaweed
There are two blunt ears
On the Irish seaweed
We'll go to Newry
With the Irish seaweed
I would buy expensive shoes
Said the Irish seaweed
The Irish seaweed has
Beautiful black shoes
The Irish seaweed has
A beret and trousers
I spent time telling her the story
That I would buy a comb for her
The story she told back to me
That she is well-groomed
"What did you bring from the land?"
Says the Irish seaweed
"Courting with your daughter"
Says the stately seaweed
"You're not taking my daughter"
Says the Irish seaweed
"Well, I'd take her with me"
Says the stately seaweed.
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Seaweed of the mountain
Seaweed from the sea
Seaweed.
Weird eh? Wait till you listen to the Anuna version! Anuna is a really amazing men's choir, also Irish. I strongly suggest listening to their version.
Personally, my favorite of all the many recordings of Dulaman is Celtic Woman's which is performed live at Slane Castle. (TOTALLY not fair! I want to sing at a castle....)
Good stuff! We'll see you next time on: The BEST songs you've never heard!
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