A drowsy afternoon for me, with a nap, and me doing practically nothing all day. I'm tired and just feeling lazy. I watched some of Ken Burns latest PBS video, which left me feeling down. It's not an uplifting program. So as it ended I switched channels, hoping something diverting would turn up.
Yeah, that's how bad it is today. Bored, tired, and getting a trifle cranky. So that's how I ended up at the Pinellas County School System television channel. I managed to miss the latest rerun of a school board meeting, and landed as they were airing what is called "Arts", which sometimes is video of performances or music with video or photos. Kind of like a blog video, I guess. I watched a stop-action version of Peter and the Wolf (cute, though Peter looked like one of the characters in a tissue ad), and a clip from the Peer Gynt Suite with lovely footage of the Norwegian countryside. It faded out and faded in to show six fellows on a stage - The King's Singers - dressed in suits, and I was about to switch the channel. Who needs to watch this, right?
But the title came on and I was intrigued. It's an acappella group, and they're about to perform one of the prettiest songs from the mind and pen of Billy Joel. The song is called "Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)" and Joel wrote it for his daughter. This is one of those songs I tried to learn to play on my guitar, but haven't the skill for. I love this song. It's a tear-jerker kind of tune. And when Billy Joel sings it you can feel his emotions and love for his daughter coming through. Not a Rock 'N Roll tune by any stretch of the imagination.
So I watched and listened to "The King's Singers" perform this, and then leaped up - ooOOoooh! Energy! - and headed to the computer to track it down. Find the group, find the audio track, find it!
Whew! Took awhile, and I can't afford to buy a CD (which I could not find anyway), and my computer won't play DVDs (so I could rip the video to post), and I finally found one site that will play the audio. Nice but I wanted to keep looking. Then I found it! At Dailymotion.com!
The audio is a bit soft, so you may want to jack up your volume. But please listen and watch. If you have enjoyed some of the music and videos I've posted before, trust me on this: this is wonderful.
So as I find Joel performing it I'll post that, too.
So here goes. The King's Singers. And Billy Joel's "Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)"
Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)
~ Billy Joel
Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay
And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me
Goodnight, my angel
Now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry
And if you sing this lullabye
Then in your heart
There will always be a part of me
Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabyes go on and on...
They never die
That's how you
And I
Will be
---
The King's Singers
Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)
Billy Joel (arr. Lawson)
(c) 2005 lambic Productions Limited
Signum Records
The King's Singers
Here's Billy Joel's studio video of the song. It's on YouTube, and I suspect that Joel posted it himself. It is not allowed to be embedded. So please click the link and watch and listen to this. Then tell me what you think. I love it!
9 comments:
Sounds like a lovely lazy afternoon. I also took a nap after lunch at work today and that lullaby is just what I needed since I'm off to bed now.
BTW you said on my blog that you want to have two teeth pulled. Save them if you can. Partials are a lot easier than full dentures so I save whatever I can except if there is bone loss which happens to old coots like me.
Wow! How beautiful!
Thanks for sharing this, Benning.
Patrick: One tooth is barely a nub and the other lost half of itself a few days ago. Now it's a question of waiting for them to abcess or getting in before. This dental coward doesn't know yet.
Hope the vids wafted you to Dreamland!
AOW: I prefer the Joel video, but that King's Singers performance just blew me away! What a surprise!
It is a great song...I think the ones that come from personal experiences are always the best.
But I prefer the original.
(As I usually do...)
Aw! Thanks for a lovely song!
Nice... As a musician I am very leery of clicking to anything musically oriented in the blogosphere,.. but my faith was rewarded with this. Tastefully done, great intonation, traditional, and a reminder that music is a magical thing that can cut even the toughest of souls.
There's a feeling of a hymn to this, at least in the version by The King's Singers. But I prefer Billy Joel's version. Both are lovely, but the original is more immediate and emotional.
Glad you enjoyed.
There is a thing about Billy Joel that I consider quite sad.
In his teens (long before he was a star) he was baptized as a Christian in NYC by a minister named Charles Faust whom I have had the privilege of meeting and talking to. His mother discouraged him from continuing in the Christian walk and he quickly fell away.
Sad to think about.
aw...thanks Benning!..for me eh..grins.:)
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