The Language of Love

Been inundated with Valentines messages, Anniversary greetings (to the many friends who chose to get married on Valentine's Day) and a whole lot of messages about God's love on Facebook and WhatsApp since morning. Among the popular posts is the Facebook Profile Picture Frame Overlay (what a long name for something so simple) from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

  
Who is Valentine?

The other Valentine that we know of is Rudolph Valentino - the 'Latin lover' of the silent movies in the 1920s. The first time I heard this name though was as part of the song Viva Y Espana by Sylvia.

Did I mention that Rudolph Valentino was Italian... and love in Italian is That's Amore (Dean Martin).

Amor Amor Amor is the word for 'love' in Spanish... and that song by Dean Martin was a bigger hit for Julio Iglesias.

In the City of Love, the 'song of love' is Chanson d'Amour (Manhattan Transfer).

Back to the universal language, here's my cover of Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E.

And all this talk about love reminded me of a beautiful song that my dad used to sing - The Glory of Love sung by The Platters.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

La Fête Nationale

Bonjour.

C'est la fête nationale française.  

I'd be careful to write further in French, since my French teacher from school - Mme. Sylvia Coutinho - regularly reads this blog. And this was the first song I learnt to sing in French. 

Alouette

In celebration of the French National Day, here are some of the other French interesting songs you may have heard. 

La Vie En Rose

I saw an English version of this song on the TV show 'How I Met Your Mother'. It's been a hit for Louis Armstrong as well as Donna Summer. But the original in French is by Edith Paif. 

Dur Dur Etre Bebe

Seated at work next to a couple of new parents and overhear quite a lot of sharing about the baby's antics. Came across this song in the early days of MTV India - Dur Dur d'etre Bebe - It's so hard to be a baby.

Chanson d'Amour

Paris is called the 'City of Love', and this French song is indeed the 'Song of Love' - Chanson d'Amour. Let's hear it live from Manhattan Transfer.

If you are in France - Bon Fête. And for the rest of you, Au Revoir...

Name One Thing You Can't Live Without?

Take a minute to think...





I'm quite sure the answer will be unaminous...









Our CELLPHONE or MOBILE PHONE??






Well... today we remember the man who invented the earliest version of the phone. Who else... Alexander Graham Bell, born on this day (3rd March) in 1847.

As we celebrate this great inventor, I thought I'd share some songs about him and his invention...

Talking of Alexander Graham Bell, I recall a lazy Sunday afternoon back in 1987, when we sat watching TV and heard this song;

Graham Bell, Graham Bell,

You’re dead and its just as well;

But if you saw the phones in Goa.

You’d jump into the well.

The singer was a little known artiste from Goa (where else) performing at the Aid Bhopal' - a concert held to raise funds for the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy ('Live Aid' was held in 1985 in London and Philadelphia to support the victims of the Ethiopian famine). 

That song along with 'Pack That Smack' won recognition and accolades for Goan singer Remo Fernandez who made it to Indian and International fame and fortune.

While that's for the inventor, the invention has heard (or had) many many referrals throughout the ages, the most recent being Telephone by Lady Gaga and Payphone by Maroon 5 - both of which I have not posted here for reasons of taste.

The first song that I remember hearing though about the phone was by Swedish Group ABBA.

Much later in the 90s, I fell in love with this song by the jazz group Manhattan Transfer. One of the songs I particularly enjoyed, was titled 'Operator'.... Go ahead, listen, and CALL.