Songs inherited, and ones to pass on

Keith challenged me to find two pieces of music: the first is a recording which has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and the second, a track which I would like to pass on to future generations.

I cry when they sing in church, I cry when Bryan writes a good song, or when I hear a new hit song!  There are there are three things I am passionate about, childrens rights, animals rights and music! I often let the stereo blare in my car when I'm alone, so I can feel it in my bones.




The song I inherited from my father rings clear in my memory. Each intonation, each vibrato, each note,  held for more counts that I can hold my breath , still plays in my head as though it were yesterday! Dads own arrangement, sung often throughout my childhood sits on a reel to reel somewhere waiting to one day be extracted. A melodic voice I could listen to for hours. My father was a man who should have sung for his supper, instead he died with only close friends and relatives knowing of his gift! His version of Donkey Serenade was much better than this old you tube capture!

 
I don't follow rules well, and It was difficult to choose between that one, and Mona Lisa which I know will continue on down the line. My father sang it every morning of my mothers pregnancy, it was only when she threatened to name me Mona Lisa, that he stopped singing it. Thankfully he continued to sing that one after she named me! Although she dropped the Mona, she changed the spelling, and gave me Leesa as a middle name! My daughter will have this song to pass on, with a more modern Version sung by “Me First and the Gimme Gimmes” Which I also enjoy!





Unfortunately there are a few bad tapes hanging around the house of me singing, Always on my mind, and " The Rose". Dear daughter will one day listen to them with a chuckle, with  a feeling of comfort just to hear my voice.

But my favourite song, the tune I played quite a few times the moment I heard of my fathers passing, was John Lennon’s “ Imagine” which I still play today with some regularity! I would also like Pepper to cherish the words of Canadian artist Ron Sexsmiths song “ God loves everyone.!” and the other Canadian Artist who I have adored since I was fifteen, Neil Youngs who in his later years wrote“ When god made me.” I love such an eclectic array of music, asking me to pick one is almost sacrilege, because there are so many I love and know will be passed on with fondness, my daughter, and son in law, who love music even more than I do! If that’s even possible!