Click here to see most of my 2020 Quarantunes!
Because it has so many embedded videos, the page takes a while to load (at least with my slow connection), so I've moved it from being the first page you see. So I've moved it to earlier in the year.
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Rocking in the Free World (Young),
Shot of Love (Dylan),
Cold (Pepper),
Cry of a Tiny Babe (Cockburn),
Gimme Some Money (Spinal Tap), and Three Little Birds/Rivers of Babylon (Marley/Trad.).
This was also a late birthday party for Shroom. So he brought the wings.
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I sang:
Wasn't That a Party! (Paxton),
Shot of Love (Dylan),
Integrity (Pepper),
Anything Can Happen (Cockburn), and
Yellow Submarine (Lennon/McCartney).
And, of course, I joined in the finale: Country Roads (Denver).
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I suppose I wrote these sometime in late highschool. I found them recently while tidying during the Pandemic, but I have no recollection of ever writing them:
To the tune of " " (H.M.S. Pinafore)
When stormy waters rock your boat,
And it’s getting rather hard to stay afloat,
If you’ll just let Jesus take the wheel,
His everlasting compass will steady your keel.
(His everlasting compass will steady your keel.)
He helps you sail life’s stormy sea,
When you are a member of the King’s Navee.
(He helps you sail life’s stormy sea,
When you are a member of the King’s Navee.)
The wind is fast, and you’re sailing high,
But doldrums hit and you don’t know why.
The sea is still and your sails fold.
You’ve gone and locked the Captain in the cargo hold.
(You’ve gone and locked the Captain in the cargo hold.)
That’s not the way it ought to be,
When you are a member of the King’s Navee.
(That’s not the way it ought to be,
When you are a member of the King’s Navee.)
Now Christians all, wherever you may be,
You know our Captain died on Calv’ry’s tree,
But He rose again, and He’s no fool.
There’s more to navigation than the Golden Rule.
(There’s more to navigation than the Golden Rule.)
Stick close to His side, follow prayerfully,
Because you are a member of the King’s Navee.
(Stick close to His side, follow prayerfully,
Because you are a member of the King’s Navee.)
To the tune of "When first my old, old love I knew...." (Trial By Jury)
When first my old, old life I knew, my bosom welled with hate.
My riches filled my selfish [mind] and I thought I was really great.
No term seemed too extravagant upon me to employ.
I used to brag and rave and rant; I was a mixed up boy.
Tink a tank etc.
But joy for me I could not sense, and love was [tot’lly] unknown.
My loneliness grew more intense, when I saw [the] seeds I’d sown.
With tearful eyes I saw my shame, and longed to know His joy.
At last one morning I became my Saviour’s brand new boy.
Tink a tank etc.
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I sang:
Love Minus Zero/No Limit (Dylan),
Little One (Pepper),
Born to Be Wild (Bonfire), and
I'll Remember You (Dylan).
Highlight: Little M toddling around stealing my hat and song sheets.
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I sang:
Masters of War (Dylan), Bird on a Wire (Cohen), Monsters in the Sky (Pepper), Nobody Talks (During Coaches Corner) (Pepper) (by request!), and I Threw It All Away (Dylan).
However, I had to leave before the finale: Country Roads (Denver).
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I sang:
Black Day in July (Lightfoot),
Dance Me to the End of Love (Cohen),
I Will (Lennon/MCCARTNEY),
I'm Too Old For the NHL (Pepper),
Tie Me at the Crossroads When I Die (Cockburn),
If I Had Hammer (Hays/Seeger),
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Linda/Weiss), and
Make You Feel My Love (Dylan).
And of course I joined in the finale: Country Roads (Denver).
Highlight: Big strong wind and flame. No speaking in tongues, however, (though mentioned in one song).
Pix by Sterling Finlayson.
Collage by Kris:
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At Kris's Open Mic Jam last night I sang
Tub-Thumping (Chumbawumba),
Anthem (Cohen),
Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds (LENNON/McCartney),
After Midnight (Cale), and Laughter Heard Through the Wall (Pepper).
And, of course, I joined in the finale: Country Roads (Denver).
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Last night at Cheer's Open Mic Gang Campfire at Kris's I sang:
Junk Food Junkie (Groce),
You May Be Right (Joel),
(with others) Come Together (LENNON/McCartney),
Three Little Birds/Rivers of Babylon (Marley/Dowe/Farian/Reyam/McNaughton),
Knocking on Heaven's Door (Dylan), and Don't Be Afraid (Pepper).
I also joined in at the end with Summer of '69 (Vallance/Adams), and Country Roads (Denver).
Highlight: John's home-made beer explosion.
... and wings and doughnuts!
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Around Kris' campfire. Lots of chatting in between songs, and so I sang only three:
Eleanor Rigby (Lennon/MCCARTNEY). Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (Kennedy/Simon), and my own '69 - '74.
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I wrote this song in June for the Cheer's Open Mic song-writing challenge. Yesterday I made a little video for it.
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Continued from May Songs.
April songs here.
July songs here.
Playlist of all my Quarantunes. For June, start with #61 - "Anything Can Happen".
I've replaced the thumbnails with links, as there might be too many to load depending on your device or connection.
June 1: Canadian Day: Anything Can Happen (Cockburn)
June 2: Sad Song: Van Diemen's Land (U2)
June 3: One Hit Wonder: Eve of Destruction (Barry McGuire)
June 4: Fifties Day: Rock Around the Clock
June 5: Richard Pepper: Monsters in the Sky
June 6: Country Song: God Hates.... (Original)
June 7: Singalong Sunday: Puff the Magic Dragon (Stookey)
June 8: Canadian Day: Bird on a Wire (Cohen)
June 9: Funny Song: Good Enough For Now (Weird Al Yankovic)
June 10: One Hit Wonder: Sugar, Sugar (The Archies)
June 11: Sixties Day: Little Boxes (Malvina Reynolds)
June 12: Richard Pepper: I'm Too Old For the NHL
June 12: Rock Music Day: We Will Rock You (Queen)
June 12: Singalong Sunday: Brown-Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
June 15: Canadian Day: Born To Be Wild (John Kay)
June 16: Angry Song: Masters of War (Dylan)
June 17: One Hit Wonder: Spirit in the Sky (Greenbaum)
June 18: Seventies Day: Tie a Yellow Ribbon (as performed by Tony Orlando & Dawn)
June 19: Richard Pepper: Hurting Song
June 20: Pop Music Day: Ben, sung by the King of Pop, for a rat -- a killer rat.
June 21: "Sing"along Song: Little Cabin in the Woods
June 22: Canadian Day: The Big Bang Theory (BNL)
June 23: Happy Song Day: A Happy Song (Flanders and Swann)
June 24: One Hit Wonder Wednesday: The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats)
June 25: Eighties Day: Mothers of the Disappeared (U2)
June 26: Newly Written Song for Day 100: The Consonant Blend Song
With the pictures that inspired the song:
June 27: Jazz/Blues Day: St. James Infirmary
June 28: Singalong Sunday: Wonderwall (Oasis, no kidding)
June 29: Canadian Day: The Hockey Song (Stompin' Tom Connors)
June 30: Sappy Song: 'Til There Was You (Mereditch Willson)
Continued from May Songs.
April songs here.
July songs here.
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Continued from this post of Quarantunes done in April 2020.
Continues on in June here.
July songs here.
Playlist of all my Quarantunes. For May, start with #31 - "My Commercial Song".
I've replaced the thumbnails with links, as there might be too many to load depending on your device or connection.
May 1: Richard Pepper: My Commercial Song
May 2: Seventies Day: Take a Chance on the Super Dancing Money Queen
May 3: Childhood Song: The Pirates Chorus from The Pirates of Penzance (G & S)*
* This was supposed to be a song from the first album I owned, but I got my Sundays mixed up.
May the 4th: Movie Monday. Guess which one.
May 5: Song With a Number: Three Little Birds By the Rivers of Babylon
May 6: One Hit Wonder Wednesday: Tubthumping (Chumbawumba)
May 7: Song You Hate (That Everyone Loves): Lollipop (Beverly Ross/Julius Dixon)
May 8: Original Song: My Sound Check Song
May 9: Eighties Day: All I Want Is 40 Things I Still Haven't Found (U2)
May 10: Song From the 1st Album I Owned: Common Ground (as sung by B.J. Thomas)
May 11: Movie Monday: A Berlin Song
May 12: A City Song: Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
May 13: One Hit Wonder: One Tin Soldier
May 14: Song by a Dead Dude: When First My Old, Old Love I Knew (G. & S.)
May 15: Richard Pepper: Cowboy Lament
May 16: Nineties: Tie Me at the Crossroads (Bruce Cockburn)
May 17: Song For One's Own Funeral: There Is a Redeemer (Melody Green)
May 18: Movie Monday: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
May 19: Song With Love in the Title: Love Life (The Rutles)
May 20: One Hit Wonder: FWIW (Buffalo Springfield)
May 21: Grammy Winning Song: Michelle
May 22: Richard Pepper: The Pillow-Fighting Champ
May 23: 2000s: Complicated (Avril Lavigne)
May 24: From Fave Album: I'm So Tired (LENNON/McCartney)
May 25: Movie Monday: All-Star (Smashmouth)
May 26: Day or Night Day: Good Golden Night My Someone
May 27: One Hit Wonder: Tell Laura I Love Her (as sung by Ricky Valance)
May 28: Top of Your Lungs Song: Rocking in the Free World (Neil Young)
May 29: Musician's Choice: Hippopotamus (Flanders & Swann)
May 30: 2010s: Count on Me (Bruno Mars)
May 31: Request By Mum: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
April Quarantunes here.
June Quarantunes here.
July songs here.
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Because of the need for social isolation, and physical distancing, the Tuesday Night Cheer's Open Mic Crew chose to post songs on-line. An artist was chosen for each day, with Fridays being a day for originals or your own choice. I wasn't able to post every day, but I so far I have posted the following:
Mar. 23: The Beatles: Tomorrow Never Knows
(Recorded in 2012)
Mar. 24: The Kinks: Low Budget
Mar. 25: Tom Petty: Refugee
Mar. 26: Alanis Morissette: Feel Your Love
Mar. 27: Richard Pepper: The Blowtorch Cat Blues
(Recorded 2018)
Mar. 28: Bowie (sorta): Dancing in the Street
Mar. 30: Billy Joel: You May Be Right
April 2: BNL: Pinch Me
April 3: The Guess Who: Shaking All Over
April 4: Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2
April 5: Richard Pepper: Bob From Nunavut
(Recorded Jan. 2018)
April 6: The Rolling Stones: Ruby Tuesday
April 8: Lady Gaga/Kenny Rogers Mashup: The Poker Face Gambler
April 9: Modest Mouse: Mighty Mouse Theme Song
(Video blocked by YouTube due to copyright issues)
April 10: Musician's Choice: It's a Wonderful World
April 11: The Beagles: Hotel Liverpool
April 13: Dylan: Every Grain of Sand
April 14: Madonna: Papa Don't Preach
April 17: Musician's Choice: Softly Every Day (my own)
April 18: The Fifties: Don't Be Cruel
April 20: Movie Soundtrack Monday: Gimme Some Money (Spinal Tap)
April 21: Colour Day: It's Not Easy Being the Green Green Onions, Apples, or Sleeves of Heaven Acres Home
April 22: One Hit Wonder: That Thing You Do (Adam Schlesinger)
April 23: Song You Love But Wish You Didn't: At This Moment (Billy Vera & the Beaters)
April 24: Richard Pepper: Little One
Original Song Day: I've been posting a lot of silliness, feeling relatively untouched by the crises of these days. And yet Portapique has been on my mind.
In this song of mine from c. 1991 written for a friend's 2 year old, I move back & forth between pessimism & hope ("not a safe place" to "run jump & play"). Perhaps those of you with kids of your own have a similar mix of feelings.
A bit of context for why this song came to mind: the little girl & her mother had recently managed to escape from a potential active shooter in A & P right here in Thunder Bay.
The little girl now has 2 kids of her own.
April 25: Sixties Day: Happy Together/Apart (The Turtles)
April 26: Song From the Year I Was Born (1959): Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
April 27: Movie Soundtrack Monday - Feed the Birds (from Mary Poppins)
April 28: Song With a Name: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
April 29: One Hit Wonder: Junk Food Junkie (Larry Groce)
April 30: Song I Love by a Band I Hate: I'm Not Your Stepping Stone (The Monkees)
Continues here in May.
June songs here.
July songs here.
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I performed three songs on piano: "The Marines Hymn", "A Little Waltz I Wrote in High School" and my contest-losing song "Cold".
See how fast my hands are moving in this Instagram collage by @ladyjonkens.
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This past Tuesday (Feb. 18) at Cheer's Open Mic I sang Laughter Heard Through the Wall (Pepper), I'm Too Old (For the NHL) (Pepper), Life Is Good (Pepper), and What a Wonderful World (Weiss/Thiele).
Later I sang The Hockey Song (Connors), Gimme Some Money (Spinal Tap), I've Just Seen a Face (Lennon/MCCARTNEY), Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (Lennon/MCCARTNEY). and Yesterday (Lennon/MCCARTNEY)
Later I sang I'll Remember You (Dylan), I Shall Be Released (Dylan), Dance Me to the End of Love (Cohen), Bird on a Wire (Cohen), and Mothers of the Disappeared/40/Still Haven't Found... (U2).
Then Kris and I closed the evening with Let It Be (Lennon/MCCARTNEY), and Country Roads (Denver).
Since it was pretty much just the two of us, Kris didn't bother making a collage this week.
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I sang "Caffeine", "A (Relatively) True Story", and "Old Man" (Young). Later I sang 3 Dylan songs: "Every Grain of Sand", "Forever Young", and "Make You Feel My Love".
Review: "'Old Man' needs work." - me.
Collage by Kris Tonkens
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This week I sang Acadia Dry, Anglo Saxon, and Right Side of the Grass. Later I sang St. James Infirmary (Trad.), I Threw It All Away (Dylan), For No One (Lennon/MCCARTNEY), and Monsters in the Sky. Finally I sang With a Little Help From My Friends (Lennon/McCartney), All I Want Is You (U2), and Across the Universe (LENNON/McCartney).
Review: "Whoo!" - someone in the crowd.
Collage by Kris Tonkens
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I sang "Cowboy Lament", "The Urban Spaceman" (by the "recently late" Neil Innes), and "The Biggest Toy". Later I sang "Integrity", "Before Dawn", "Mothers of the Disappeared" (U2), and "Let It Be" (Lennon/MCCARTNEY).
Collage by Kris Tonkens
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I sang "You're In Love (With Your Smart Phone)", "I'm Too Old For the NHL", and "Tower of Song" (Cohen). I didn't stay long because I was getting sick, and I ached in the places where I used to play.
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