Integrating 4 and 5

Hello Everybully! Welcome! To Songs On Saturday!

Last week was so nice we’re doin’ it twice, including another song from my heretofore unreleased compilation called Stupid Pet Sounds.

This week, Songs On Saturday integrates four of my favorite things:

• People
• Randy Newman
• music and

The Five Aspects of Literacy: Reading, Writing, Listening, Thinking and Speaking (in That order)!

Huh? What’s literacy got to do with Songs On Saturday or music at all? In general even?

I’m glad you asked That. BOL! Music involves listening, yes, but it also involves reading. I enjoy reading music lyrics. Reading about the musicians. Reading about the music, reading the notes. Reading about the instruments. There’s a lot of reading involved with listening to music! Lyrics, the words to music, are written by songwriters.

Songwriters are not always musicians or recording artists. They don’t all sing, play an instrument or even read music! Some songwriters “hear” the music in their heads or the lyrics may come to them at 2 o’clock in the morning forcing them from sleep, compelling them to write them down. Lionel Ritchie and Smokey Robinson have produced Grammy Award winning tunes that began with little more than the hook or a simple phrase. Then they labored to construct the song, often collaborating with others on the project.

Some songwriters are accomplished musicians but not performers. People like David Foster, Paul Williams, Burt Bacharach or Bernie Taupin. They write the songs that make the whole world sing. Their talents are sought and highly prized by big name entertainers such as Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand and Elton John.

A handful of songwriters are not only celebrated musicians and composers who accompany themselves with instruments, they also write their own songs. These musicians belong in an exalted class of musicians, Singer/Songwriters that include Paul Simon, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Carole King, Adele— and

Randy Newman?

O-Tay sure, many of you were first introduced to Randy Newman because of unarguably one of the funniest TV theme songs in sitcom history. The show wasn’t too bad, either. Very funny.

Listen to Randy Newman's Short People | 1977

But Randy Newman is more than just a writer of hilarious sitcom theme songs. He’s a Singer/Songwriter whose satirical lyrics make you think and at least in one famous instance, made a lot of People speak as well.

In 1977, Randy Newman released a tune called Short People. “Short People” was widely misinterpreted by a public just beginning to experiment with the latest phenomenon in social sensitivity– political correctness. This new attitude had the unintended consequence of generating a great deal of publicity for the song and unwelcomed controversy for Randy Newman.

At first blush, the song appears to be ridiculing of Little People, with phrases such as “nasty little feet,” “stubby little fingers” and “dirty little minds.”

Mr. Newman was compelled to publicly defend his use of a literary device, the figurative intent of the word “short” and to appear on many late night talk shows to explain the song’s intent which was to call attention to how silly and small bigotry looks, sounds and actually, in fact, is.

When asked whether he anticipated the irony of the lyrics would spark such a firestorm of criticism, Mr. Newman responded: “I didn’t. I thought, all you gotta do is listen. It’s not like it’s James Joyce. [Then] I realized the medium wasn’t great for that. People don’t listen to music like that…”

Newman went on to record other songs that examine and mock bigotry: “Rednecks” and “Half A Man.”

In a 2003 interview fur The Sunday Times Mr. Newman went on to respond further about people missing the point of his songs: “To write indirect songs with characters that aren’t yourself as the narrator is not the best way to achieve commercial success. I mean, irony, who’s got the time? But it’s what I do, and it’s what I can’t help but do. I couldn’t write like Elton John if I tried.”

People under the age of 30 will, doubtless, recognize the distinctive voice and banging, saloon-like piano playing of Randy Newman from all the Disney Pixar films he’s done the music fur, namely the Toy Story films.

Now that you’ve clicked on all the links to learn more about Randy Newman and all his impressive achievements in a long and remarkable career, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. And so now… without any further ado, Songs On Saturday proudly presents ThatOne performing his soon-to-be hit (in his own mind) “Small Bulldogs!“

♫Small bulldogs got no reason
Small bulldogs got no reason
Small bulldogs got no reason
To live

They got little legs
Corpulent behinds
They march around
With determined strides
They got little noses
Protruding bottom teeth
They got big fat cushions
On their plodding little feet Well we Don’t want no small Bulldogs
Don’t want no small Bulldogs
Don’t want no small bulldogs
‘Round here..!
Bulldogs are not the same
As you and I
(They’re cool and don’t lie)
Bulldogs are brothers
Hear this long, heavy sigh
It’s a wonderbull world! Small bulldogs got no buddies
Small bulldogs got no buddies
Small bulldogs got no buddies
To love
They got little stubby legs
Make ’em walk so slow
You got to pick ‘em up
And motivate their “Go!”
They got wagons & strollers
That go squeak, squeak, squeak
Make those purring noises
When they sleep, sleep, sleep
They got grubby little toe nails
Funny little minds
They grab you by the heart every time

Well we… don’t want no small Bulldogs
Don’t want no small Bulldogs
Don’t want no small bulldogs
‘Round here..!

Goodwill Energies I direct

Toward each and every one of you

Each and every day

“And there came to be evening and there came to be morning…”

That’s life today!

Related Articles

• Stupid Pet Sounds (that1ebd.wordpress.com)
• Randy Newman: Satirical songwriter (canada.com)
• Oscars 2011: Randy Newman Wins Oscar For Best Original Song (beatcrave.com)

WORD Ta’Ya Trader Joe’s

Hellooooo… Everybully! And WELCOME! to Songs on Saturday!

This week Umma actually attempt to regale you with a song. My song!

Bet you didn’t know I, too, am a talented songwriter and performer? BOL!

Vanilla Ice

This is a little ditty I call “Ice Cream Baby”inspired by my love of vanilla ice cream and specifically Trader Joe’s French Vanilla Ice Cream (shameless product plug endorsed with the #bullDogENdorphiNATION four ‘s seal of approval)!

The tune is inspired by Grammy Award nominated one hit wonder and used to wannabee bad boy Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), more popularly known by his stage name Vanilla Ice.

I am not ashamed to admit She lubbed the tune back in the day, and we still lub it now! It’s still pullin’ us up on the dance floor after all these years! So go ahead and laugh. Got that outta’ya system? Let’s continue…

Vanilla Ice, a rapper from middle class suburbs in Texas and South Florida, released his debut album, “To the Extreme” featuring the smash hit single “Ice Ice Baby.” The tune was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts catapulting Mr. Van Winkle into instant stardom and hip hop history in 1990.

But there was a pricetag. Van Winkle had manufactured a hard knock  life bio designed to give him “street cred” with hip hop audiences. Both his credibility and reputation were irrevocably destroyed, however, when, like Milli Vanilli, the truth, specifically about Van Winkle’s middle class background and upbringing surfaced.

Mr. Van Winkle suffered other assaults to his credibility as well, including the appearance of plagiarizing intellectual property without assigning the requisite credit(s).

On the liner notes of the album “To The Extreme,” composer credit is given to Vanilla Ice, Earthquake, and Mr. Smooth. The record producers also thanked MC Hammer, Ice T, Public Enemy, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Cash Money, EPMD, and 2 Live Crew.

However no mention at all is given Queen or David Bowie whose 1980 hit “Under Pressure” were taken. Vanilla Ice never sought permission to use it.

According to industry insider Hans Ebert, Brian May of Queen heard the tune at a disco in Germany. He asked the DJ what it was subsequently discovering it was #1 in the US.

Although no lawsuit was ever filed, rumor has it Vanilla Ice agreed to pay Queen and Bowie a settlement.

So much fur the abbreviated version of the Vanilla Ice story.

And so now, without further ado, Songs On Saturday proudly presents ThatOne’s ode to Trader Joe’s. Anipals and furriends– Give it up fur Ice Cream Baby!

♫Yo! EBD‘s! Let’s lick dis!

Ice cream baby
Vanilla Ice cream baby

Alright stop! All That poopin’ and pissin’
ThatOne here! Cop a squat Take a listen

SomeOne’s tuggin’ on my leash tightly
Discipline! I take it daily and nightly
Will it ever stop? No! I don’t think so
What will satisfy here? I know!

To the extreme I rock the bowl It’s a scandal
Drop in a dollop That’s ’bout all I can handle

I don’t have a problem so I’ll eat this
Check out this scoop here! She just released it!

Ice cream baby
Vanilla Ice cream baby
Let’s bounce!

Ice cream baby
too cold too cold
Vanilla Ice cream baby
Too cold Too cold

WORD ta’ya Trader Joe’s!
♫ ♫ ♫

ThatOne here fur Songs On Saturday. See you next week. Until then…

Goodwill Energies I project
Upon each and every one of you
Each and every day!

“And there came to be evening and there came to be morning…”

That’s life today!

Related Articles

• Vanilla Ice Home Improvement Show “The Vanilla Ice Project” (popcrunch.com)
• Newest Trader Joe’s could open in time for holidays (latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Mother’s Day Is Sunday May 8th

Doubtless, most of you are gonna wait until the eleventh hour to run around tryin’ to find a gift fur that significant woman in your life on Mother’s Day. Me? I don’t do that. I know what She likes, see, so I start collectin’ weeks in advance. I got Her:

1. A Bugs Bunny cartoon
2. Music
3. Stephen Colbert
4. Alec Baldwin
5. Al Roker
6. Martin Landau
7. Vanilla ice cream (Trader Joe’s ’cause that’s Her favorite) and
8. Chocolate and Merlot (’cause She enjoys these both together)

She is soooo not the bouquet-of-flower’s-from-Whole Foods sort.

It’s fun to stumble upon stuff you just know someone you lub is gonna lub. Way better than planning to shop and then going out and looking fur something. That’s when you’re certain to find nothing you like or things in the stores just don’t hit you right. That’s what makes shopping frustrating fur a lot of People.

She hates it, actually.

So when She’s out and about and She sees something and She’s feelin’ it, when She can, She’ll just get it. Often there’s not an occasion immediately on the horizon but She doesn’t let that stifle the spirit of giving. In fact, it enhances the experience. Makes anticipating the elevated feeling of joy all the more intense.

I got my spirit of giving from Her, I suspect.

Mother’s Day falls on the 8th this year. That’s how I decided on eight gifts. Things I just know She is really gonna like.

“Listen… and do not despise your mother when she is old. Let your mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.”–King Solomon

You’re welcomed to imitate my example. BOL!

Goodwill Energies I project

upon each and every one of you

Each and every day!

“And there came to be evening and there came to be morning…”

That’s life today!

Related Articles

• If
• Elizabeth Taylor: ‘Cleopatra’ co-star Martin Landau calls her ‘a singularly spectacular individual’ (insidemovies.ew.com)

Inappropriate Wedding Songs? Probably

Hellooooo… Everybully!

And WELCOME! to Songs on Saturday!

This week’s Songs On Saturday was inspired by yesterday’s Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The theme is love in song, specifically two songs. One about hoping and waiting to find it, the other about snatching a bit of it fur just one night, Someone To Watch Over Me (1929) and Help Me Make It Through The Night (1971).

A popular tune that might immediately come to the minds of People at their prime during the seventies is Al Green‘s Let’s Stay Together (1972):

Let’s… let’s stay together
Loving you whether… whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad

Writing yesterday’s post brought a few feel good nostalgia tunes to mind fur Her and reinforced Her love fur songwriting and songwriters. She just enjoys a great lyric. Great story telling that invokes images and stirs the imagination and the emotions are what keep me listening. To paraphrase Michael Corleone in the The Godfather III “they pull me back in” every time, even after several decades!

Love is a theme that never fails as fodder fur the songwriter. So many People are unlucky at it, or can’t find it, or can’t hold on to it or otherwise preoccupied with it. Loving and being loved are universal human experiences.

There’s a saying old, says that love is blind
Still we’re often told, “seek and ye shall find”
So I’m going to seek a certain lad I’ve had in mind

Looking everywhere, haven’t found him yet
He’s the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret

I’d like to add his initial to my monogram
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?

There’s a somebody I’m longin’ to see
I hope that he, turns out to be
Someone who’ll watch over me

Someone to Watch Over Me is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by his brother, Ira Gershwin for the musical Oh, Kay! in 1926. So many modern artists have performed and recorded this tune from Frank Sinatra to Amy Winehouse. Her personal favorite cover is by the great swing and jazz artist, “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald.

Ella Fitzgerald

Some of you are looking at this image now and remembering Ms Fitzgerald from those famous Memorex commercials where a tape recording of her voice is so sharp, so crystal clear, it shatters glass.

There will never be another Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice, her range, her jazz scat, the pure, natural, sweetness of her lilting soprano coupled with impeccable breath control, the clarity of her enunciation and pitch pawfect phrasing make listening to her now seem like the difference between calf’s liver and foie gras. Both are liver. Both taste great. (or so I’m told). But calf’s liver is not foie gras.

Over three decades of Her growing up, She caught many of Ms Fitzgerald’s performances due to her frequent television appearances on shows like The Merv Griffin Show, The Dick Cavett Show, The Smothers Brothers and The Dinah Shore Show. Ella Fitzgerald was “must see TV” back in the day.

Ella Fitzgerald was only 22 years old when George Gershwin died, but his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin, lived long enough to not only hear Ella record this song, but also to assist with the production of the album from which it came. With arrangements and orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle, the album Ella Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook was honored by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the body that runs the Grammy Awards in 1959.

Ella Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook is widely considered to be one of the greatest musical compilations in recorded history! After the album’s completion, Ira Gershwin remarked, “I had never known how good our songs were until I heard Ella sing them.”

Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson were the country songwriting hit makers in the seventies. He penned such classic American songs as For “The Good Times,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” and is currently a member of the Songwriter Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

He never got much attention fur his own recordings, but he was honored by the Grammy’s fur his songwriting and his songs became enormous hits fur others, namely Sammie Smith, whose recording of Help Me Make It Through the Night shot to #1 on the pop country charts in 1971.

I don’t care what’s right or wrong, I won’t try to understand.
Let the devil take tomorrow Lord tonight I need a friend.

Yesterday is dead and gone and tomorrow’s out of sight
And it’s sad to be alone. Help me make it through the night.

Sammie Smith won the Grammy fur Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Help Me Make It Through the Night” in 1972.

Probably good we weren’t the official Royal wedding song choosers. Right? BOL!

ThatOne here fur Songs On Saturday. See you next week. Until then…

Goodwill Energies I project
Upon each and every one of you
Each and every day!

“And there came to be evening and there came to be morning…”

That’s life today!

Related Articles

• Happy Birthday, Ella Fitzgerald (brainpickings.org)

A B C

Pets and their food choice are as individual as People and their diets. There is no such thing as ‘one size fits all.’ You need to ‘know’ your pet, observe them daily, then make decisions about their health care and feeding based on your experiences with your individual pet’s individual needs and your individual life circumstances.

The operative word here is INDIVIDUAL!

Just because one pet owner experiences success or not success with a particular brand or feeding regimen such as a raw food diet or some other alternative feeding scheme, doesn’t mean your results will be similar or even appropriate fur you or your dog.

Pouring over brand descriptions and labels or giving inordinate attention to the popular fad de jour will only frustrate you, your dog, or worse, actually cause a food allergy!

Observe your dog. Then ask yourself what is it you are needing to accomplish nutritionally, dietetically and physiologically fur your dog?

Is your dog overweight? Underweight? Does your dog smell? Did you know the wrong dog food can cause your dog to exude an unpleasant od0r (like rotting corpse or mediciny, wet dog), cause halitosis (foul mouth odor) and yeasty smelling ears?

Has your vet determined your dog may have a food allergy? The wrong dog food can cause itchy skin, adversely affect the  sheen, texture and density of your dog’s coat and cause profuse shedding even doggie alopecia or to a lesser degree, benign hair loss. If the food is irritating your dog’s intestines or he has developed a skin allergy because of it, your dog will smell bad!

“Your son, Rip is on line ‘Toot.'”

Is your dog excessively flatulent? Think about it. Do you fart every day, five, ten and twenty times a day? Foul smelling, lingering, oily flatulence is a symptom, not comic relief!  Bloat is a serious medical issue fur dogs as well as a very painful way to die!

"It's clobberin' time!"

Okay, now let’s talk sh*** Hey! Shut your mouth! BOL! Is your dog’s poop rocky looking, hard, and comes out in clearly delineated sections like The Fantastic Four‘s The Thing?

Your dog’s poop should be brown and formed with some evidence of lubricating mucous so it’s a skosh moist, even glistening, but not loose like diarrhea.

You should be able to pick it up and feel warmth and weight. It should not dribble out the anus in small, intermittent little loose droplets. Gastrointestinal changes or anomalies are often extinguished or at least mitigated successfully by diet.

Are you needing to manage your dogs weight? Is there a medical or physiological imperative for your dog’s food choice, such as disease, muscle and bone  health and maintenance, heart health, etc? In that case, you should be working closely with a qualified vet you are comfortable with, confident in and that you trust.

Now that you have at least determined a real, pragmatic reason fur switching your dog’s food, you need next to decide what’s best fur you and your pet and then decide on a feeding plan based on what you have determined is in the best health interests of your pet, not because that’s what the Jones’ feed their pet.

You have to be able to afford it. You have to be able to find it in convenient locations. And most importantly, your dog has to eat it! What’s the use expending energy and hours and days and weeks, even years researching the Pawfect food with the Pawfect ingredients if your dog doesn’t like it and won’t eat it? Or none of your neighborhood stores carry it?

I eat Royal Canin. She doesn’t like me to be flatulent. I don’t have any food allergies, (I do not have a cast iron stomach so I can’t eat a steady, constantly varying diet of People food) or dietary anomalies so both our imperatives are being met with Royal Canin. Plus I like it and I will happily eat it. Alpo or Costco’s Kirkland brand may work just fine fur your dogs health, taste buds and your pocketbook, physiological or medical problems notwithstanding.

What you feed your pet is not rocket science. It doesn’t show the world how smart you are. Conversely, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad, neglectful, unloving, indifferent pet owner if your dog dines on Purina and mine eats Royal Canin, nor does what your dog eats qualify as a status symbol or a means to make a showy display of your material good fortune.

What you feed your pet should be based solely on whether your pet likes it and whether it works to ensure and maintain his or her individual health and physiological well being. That’s your responsibility and it’s a responsibility you need to take seriously!
The first resource She always goes to when She has any questions about anything is The Internet. These days with so much information so readily and easily available just by typing the word or phrase in the Goggle window, there is absolutely no reason People should find it difficult to get answers to their own questions and/or concerns.

Often She is able to find information that is invaluable to my care and keeping. She is not wealthy or rich or even comfortably well off materially, so running to the vet every time I have a problem is not always the most expedient option fur us.

So She does Her homework first. Yes, it’s an investment of time, but it pays dividends when we do have to visit our vet. She arrives prepared with questions to ask and observations She can provide which helps our vet make the right diagnosis the first time.

The more information you can provide your pet health care provider, the less frustrating the vet visit will be. Being prepared also cuts down on redundant office visits and the length of time your dog may suffer or be uncomfortable in between these visits.

If you are concerned right now about Bella’s nutrition or Ethel Mae and Doc and Viv are farting a skosh too much or Guinness is suddenly not so eagerly scarfing down his kibble the way he used to, then here are four (4) sites She’s found that may be helpful to you. A couple are a bit dense, but they deliver the goods. Like to see them? Here they go:

• http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/
• http://www.petfoodratings.net/glossary.html
• http://www.dogfoodproject.com/
• http://www.dogaware.com/

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to decide on a  meal product that a. insures your dog’s best chance fur quality of life and length of days, b. you can afford it and c. your dog will eat it. It’s your responsibility as a responsible pet owner. That’s all! And Bon a petite!

Good luck Jim.

Goodwill Energies I direct

Toward each and every one of you

Each and every day!

❝And there came to be evening and there came to be morning…❞

That’s life, today!

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