Song
|
About The Song
|
Dedication Suggestions
|
Breaths
|
Lilting, naturalistic, spiritual. This song set by
Isaye Barnwell of Sweet Honey in the Rock
reminds us that meaning can be found everywhere
if you just tune in. “Listen more often to things
than to beings. ‘Tis the ancestors’ breath in the
voice of the waters.”
|
For the nature child. Or for a
wise soul who seems tuned in
to the universe. Or for that
intuitive someone who can read
between the lines.
|
You Get Proud
by Practicing
|
Upbeat, insistent, powerful. You don’t need fancy
things or educational degrees or have the perfect
TV life. Be who you are proudly. “It is music when
you practice opening your mouth and liking what
you hear because it is the sound of your own true
voice.”
|
For someone who is
comfortable and confident
with who they are and shows
others the power in that. Or
for someone who is trying to
learn the lesson of
self-confidence.
|
Mountain
Song/Kentucky
Woman
|
Lyrical yet determined. This Holly Near classic
medley is ostensibly about the human and
environmental degradation of strip-mining, but
broadly about the struggle for workers’ rights and
the quality of life everywhere. “I have dreamed on
this mountain and you can’t just take my dreams
away.”
|
For an activist who cares
deeply for human rights and is
fearless about doing the right
thing.
|
Cielito Lindo
|
Fun, energetic, Mariachi-like. This is the tune
known universally as the Frito Bandito song. But
really it’s a Mexican folk song about Cielito, a
working woman who learns to lighten her load by
singing. “Ay, ay, ay, ay, canta y no llores, porque
cantando se alegran, Cielito lindo, los corazones.
Sing and do not weep, because singing makes the
heart happy.”
|
For anyone young or old --
possibly an innocent -- who
makes you happy just thinking
about them.
|
Watah Come a
Me Eye
|
Calypso-like. The words about a lost love may be
sad, but they’re only an excuse for a very upbeat
tune from the Caribbean. “Come back, Liza…You
make-a me cry.”
|
For an ex that you’re still
friends with. Or for anyone
you like to tease in a fun way.
|
Last Night on
the Back Porch
|
Classic, up-tempo barbershop harmony. We dusted
off this steamy love song from the 1920’s. It
sounds quaint now, but the risqué sentiment still
works. “There’s a girl I’m wild about, every time I
take her out, I hug her, I squeeze her, I tease
her so.”
|
For someone you’re wild about.
Or for an older couple who may
remember what it was like to
woo and be wooed in a Packard.
|
A Small but
Fateful Victory
|
Zesty, lolloping, full of surprises. A girl in a family
of boys shakes up her family by refusing to do the
dishes. “That summer night my sister said, no,
never again.”
|
For someone who defies
convention, and gets away with
it.
|
Tum Balalayka
|
A happy, klezmer-style dance-tune. The guitar-like
Russian folk instrument, the Balalayka, features
prominently in this well-loved Yiddish folk song. A
boy poses three riddles to test and find his true
love (like in the song Scarborough Fayre.)
|
For someone you’re beginning a
relationship with.
|
No Call for
Mercy
|
Bluesy, gutsy, courageous. The listener is
privileged to hear a breakthrough in the middle of
this song about someone who decides to survive a
heartbreak. The narrator goes from broken to
triumphant in deciding to be OK no matter how
much it hurts. “I will get over this fence…havin’ a
heart makes sense.”
|
For someone who may need to
be reminded that there’s life
after a break-up.
|
Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy
|
Swinging, fun. The Andrews Sisters made this
song about a soldier-trumpeter famous. “He
makes the Comp’ny jump when he plays reveille, he’
s the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B.”
|
For anyone who turns a tough
situation into a fun one. Or for
someone who remembers
World War II.
|
Big Noise from
Winnetka
|
Swinging, tongue-in-cheek. The rhythm of a
locomotive runs through this big band-style song
about a hot-to-trot guy (the “Big Noise”) who
blows into town, breaks hearts, and leaves. “Stop,
look, listen to the Big Noise.”
|
For the one everyone has a
crush on. Or for a good
jitter-bugger.
|
Big Boned Gal
|
Country, infectious dance tune. This song
features a woman who loves to dance so much she’
ll go out on the dance floor alone. And she’s good
at it. “When the big-boned gal came shufflin’ in she’
d hold them in a trance.”
|
For the dancer in your life. Or
for someone who shines in her
element.
|
My Love Walks
in Velvet
|
Sweet and flowing. The song describes the
beloved as superhuman while conveying all the
tender qualities of loving in a deeply human way.
“And I shall love but her alone until my life is
done.”
|
For your true love.
|
Fair Warning:
A Testament
to
Independence
in Old Age
|
Playful, quirky, determined. This setting of Jenny
Joseph’s poem highlights the mischievous glee in
anticipating improper behavior in old age to make
up for the “sobriety of youth.” “When I am an old
woman I shall wear purple.”
|
For someone thinking about or
approaching her cronehood.
|
Comin' Into My
Years
|
A capella, rousing, call and response. We bet you
won’t be able to help but sing along about the
power and confidence that comes over time of
holding your own. “No more holdin’ back, no more
tryin’ to please, I got the will and the power to
get off of my knees.”
|
For a strong, wise, older
woman.
|
Seasons of
Love
|
Rock ballad. From the show, Rent, this song
reminds us that every minute can be a measure of
how well we live our lives. “Five hundred twenty
five thousand six hundred minutes – how do you
measure a year?”
|
For someone whose life you
wish to celebrate. Or for one
or more friends to whom you
want to say, “Great job!”
|
It Don't Mean
a Thing (if it
Ain't Got that
Swing)
|
Fast swing. Taking a cue from the song lyrics, in
1932 singer Ivie Anderson blew everyone away on
this Duke Ellington and Irving Mills classic. “Just
give that rhythm everything you’ve got!”
|
For the person who gives
everything they’ve got!
|
