Lemonrock Editor

Blog (152)

Songs for Nothing

5 Aug 2020Songs for Nothing

Dear Donald,

Quite understandably, nobody wants their famous songs associated with you, or your campaign.

But I've done some research, and most works published before 1922 can be used, because their copyright has expired, or never existed. You're very welcome.

Here's a selection. Feel free to mix the words up.

* Alphabet Song (see if you can spot "B", "L" and "M"? Hint: they are in order.)

* Are You Sleeping? (Frère Jacques) (I'd use this in rhetorical mode.)

* Baa Baa Black Sheep (To include vegetarians, how about "Baa Baa Black-Eyed Pea?")

* Bobby Shaftoe (Very poignant. A British politician from Whitworth, near Barnard Castle. I kid you not.)

* Wheels on the Bus (Careful here. Nobody is sure if this is actually in the Public Domain. Ask your driver?)

* Diddle Diddle Dumpling (Maybe use this as an overall Campaign theme?)

* Goosey Goosey Gander (Could be good for marches, perhaps?)

* Hush-A-By Baby (On second thoughts, maybe you should let Joe sing this.)

* Hot Cross Buns (Gee, maybe spice this up for the NRA?)

* Let Your Feet Tramp! Tramp! (This one could be subtly modified, leave the details to you.)

* Old MacDonald Had a Farm (It was not in E-I-E-I-O, but O-hi-o. Who knew? This is getting educational.)

* Ten Little Indians (I'd recommend some legal help with this one.)

* To Market To Market (For dinners with Jeffrey Sprecher)

* Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Get people to sing the "How I wonder" bit with you.)

* Yankee Doodle (v.s. Ten Little Indians.)

There you go. Don't say that nobody cares. Now you don't have to steal songs any more.

Your kind-hearted editor,

Mac

See a more extensive list at:

https://www.pdinfo.com/pd-music-genres/pd-children-songs.php

P.S. "Little Miss Muffet" drawing used (Arlington Gregg, 1909 - 1964) did not require permission (unlike others, I checked first).

https://www.loc.gov/item/98510110/

RIP Big Norm

31 Jul 2020RIP Big Norm

Big Norm, Kiss This! guitarist and founder of a breakthrough Devon gig guide, sadly passed away last week.

I offer my heartfelt sympathy to his wife and to his friends and family.

Big Norm was the man I had to ring, back in 2005, to try and fix his web site. He and some friends were running an online gig guide for Devon and Cornwall. It was called the South West Gig Guide, or SWGG.

A few days earlier, I had visited the SWGG site, only to find no gigs, just a message. "Please help us if you can. We have lost our web site". I emailed them and explained that I ran a similar site in Hertfordshire, and could I help them? Maybe I could re-instate their site and get them up and running again. I wanted to help. Their site was better than Lemonrock, had more gigs on it, and had a fabulous search page. Big Norm was the person I spoke to, and he was grateful for the offer of help.

Over the next week, it became clear that Big Norm, and his business partners, didn't want the site back, but they desperately wanted the gig guide to survive. So, in a characteristically kind gesture, Big Norm said to me: "OK Mac, you can have our database if the gigs can get published. We don't want to lose the gigs," And I humbly accepted the offer, and after a couple of weeks, Lemonrock was showing an extra 3,000 gigs in Devon and Cornwall, in addition to gigs in Herts and the south east.

I visited Big Norm a few times after that, in Devon, to see his excellent party covers band, "Kiss This!", play. I also made it to a Goliath gig, and the quality was stunning. We all went out to Sidmouth one day, and the following day Big Norm took us to one of his favourite pubs and we had a lovely meal, and a really good chat.

Big Norm wasn't just big in person, he was big of heart, and one of the kindest, gentlest people I have ever met. The south west has lost a guiding light, a musical legend, and a gentleman.

Cheers, Big Norm, I will miss you. Thank you for everything you have done for Lemonrock. Rest in peace, but don't ever stop playing.

Mac

Hold Tight

22 Jul 2020Hold Tight

I had to laugh (again). Steady now, that's twice in a year...

I mean, who sends you an email to congratulate you on achieving 10 views?

AddThis do. They're the sharing tool used by Lemonrock.

So, we have nothing to fear, and everything to gain, now that 10 people have shared our site with others. And, as AddThis confidently proclaim, our content is travelling (so sorry, traveling) across the web.

Oh, and guys... don't know if you'd heard... but maybe using the term "going viral" isn't the best choice right now... you *do* know what year it is, right?...

I'm Not Convinced about many things. Looks like AddThis have joined that list. Lemonrock - quiet though it has been recently - is still managing a healthy 604,000 visitors a month, all of them undoubtedly desperate to get back to enjoy live music gigs.

I would be interested to know if anyone out there has views on AddThis. They're a funny old fish. Maybe it's time to take a swim in another direction... Hey, look! Ten new fish over there...

See you in a sea near you...

Mac, Editor

Slowly, Del Boy...

16 Jul 2020Slowly, Del Boy...

I always liked Del Amitri.

Not just because, like me, they're half Scottish.

They wrote some world-class songs, and I can listen to them hundreds of times, over and over, without any sense of boredom.

So, I thought it was poignant to remember that one of their B-sides (on "Kiss This Thing Goodbye") was called "Slowly, It's Coming Back".

It's not a catchy title, and to be honest, it's not one of their catchiest songs... so its role in life as a B-side is apt.

But... what a great title for our current situation!

Over the last week, we've seen a cautious return to live music, with a handful of outside gigs announced. And while our cold, damp summer weather may try to take the edge off our enthusiastic response to these newly posted gigs, I just can't help singing along with Del and his mates.

Mac, Lemonrock Editor

---

* His name isn't Del, apparently. Or Derek.

It is Justin.

Thank you, Justin.

Slowly, Indeed... It's Coming Back.

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