Suzanne...

though my favorite song is Macarthur Park, Suzanne is absolutely close behind it - within millimeters. i find it to be a song about hope. written by Leonard Cohen, my favorite version is by Judy Collins, although she changed the first two lines of the last stanza. here is a version with both of them using original lyric for the last stanza.



Suzanne
written by Leonard Cohen
sung by Judy Collins & Leonard Cohen


Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.


i've seen Judy Collins almost every time she's performed in Chicago all the way back to the days of the Gate of Horn - that was quite a while ago.

Leonard Cohen did a tour of Europe and Australia last year and has announced a U.S. tour this summer. he's 74 years young. i do believe i will be buying tickets if Chicago is included...

The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat...

Happy Birthday, Carmen Miranda.

she would have been 100 today. she's a hoot and always will be. this is my favorite of all the extant footage of her. yes... it's so gay!



The Lady In The Tutti Frutti Hat


Sung by Carmen Miranda
Written for: The Gang's All Here (1943)

Lyric: Leo Robin

Music: Harry Warren






I wonder why does ev'rybody look at me

And then begin to talk about a Christmas tree?

I hope that means that ev'ryone is glad to see

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

The gentlemen, they want to make me say, "Si, si,
"
But I don't tell them that, I tell them,
"Yes, sir-ee!"
And maybe that is why they come for dates to me,

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

Some people say I dress too gay,

But ev'ry day, I feel so gay;

And when I'm gay, I dress that way,

Is something wrong with that?

Americanos tell me that my hat is high,

Because I will not take it off to kiss a guy;

But if I ever start to take it off, ay, ay!

I do that once for Johnny Smith

And he is very happy with

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.





You hear a lot of people shouting, "There she goes!
"
You see a señorita dressed in flashy clothes,

In Rio de Janeiro, ev'rybody knows

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

When she begins to sing a song in Portuguese,

The temp'rature goes up a hundred more degrees;

Although they're freezing prices, they would never freeze

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.

It isn't any wonder that
She likes her native habitat,

'Cause when she has to pick a hat,

She picks it off the trees.

She always has a half a dozen Romeos,

And when they come to sing a serenade, she throws

A lemon or banana like you throw a rose,

But Casanovas still prefer
That hep and happy character,

The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.


they were really dirty lyrics back then...
not to mention the bananas...
i wonder what they were really thinking???

silly me...


Some people say I dress too gay,

But ev'ry day, I feel so gay;

And when I'm gay, I dress that way,

Is something wrong with that?