October 1: Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone? “Big Yellow Taxi” written by Joni Mitchell and covered here by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton. Here’s a lyric video so you can sing along with Joni Mitchell, plus a bonus cartoon version of the song. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY Happy Monday & Happy October…
October 2: My paternal grandmother was born on this day in 1910 and I imagine this song being played on the radio when she was a little girl: “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” with music by Leo Friedman and lyrics by Beth Slater Whitson and sung here by Patti Page. (Though my great-grandparents probably heard it sung by Henry Burr and the Peerless Quartet.) LYRICS & SONG HISTORY SPOTIFY
October 3: Waiting for the hint of a spark… “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 4: I’m free and I love to be free.. “You Don’t Own Me” by Lesley Gore. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 5: I want to be there in my city.. “Lights” by Journey. For Betsy Tucker, colleague & friend extraordinaire. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 6: No ray of sunlight’s ever lost…”Saturday Sun” by Vance Joy. Happy Birthday to my friend Storey Jones who is bringing sunlight to dark lives through her amazing company, dtour.life. Check it out and pass it on to a friend-in-need. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 7: “Baby, Now That I Found You” written by John MacLeod and Tony Macaulay and sung here by Alison Krauss (originally performed by The Foundations). LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 8: It was a courageous thing to do, but someone was already here… “1492” Words and Music by Nancy Schimmel from “I Will Be Your Friend: Songs and Activities for Young Peacemakers” Teaching Tolerance – Southern Poverty Law Center. Happy Birthday, Rhonda Payne!
October 9: You don’t have to worry if you’ve got no money, people on the river are happy to give… “Proud Mary” written by John Fogerty and covered here by Ike & Tina Turner. Thanks for the suggestion, Eric! LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 10: Your beauty is beyond compare… “Jolene” by Dolly Parton LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 11: To try, when your arms are too weary, to reach the unreachable star… “The Impossible Dream (The Quest)” from “The Man of LaMancha” with lyrics by Joe Darion, and music by Mitch Leigh. The song is sung here by Andy Williams. Looking forward to seeing the show at the Westport Country Playhouse; I hear they’ve done an incredible job with it! LYRICS SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 12: I thought I’d seen it all ’cause it’s been a long, long time… “All For You” written by Ken Block and performed by Sister Hazel. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 13: See each other as a gift….”Up & Up” written by Coldplay and performed here by Lennon and Maisy…. two versions of the same song for two of my very favorite people: Happy Birthday to Maya Sherman & Michael Winston. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 14: Always have a happy ending… “Storybook Love” by Willy DeVille and performed by Mark Knopfler and written for our favorite movie, “The Princess Bride”. Happy Anniversary to Kerstin & Vijay (“mawwiage!”) & Happy Birthday to Bob Hull, one of the most talented musicians I know. LYRICS SPOTIFY
October 15: I’m gonna make a joyful sound… “Red Dirt Girl” by Emmy Lou Harris. And here’s my friend Donald’s favorite live version inspired by yesterday’s Song of the Day; thanks for the suggestion. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 16: Wait. Is that a recorder??? 3rd graders everywhere, take note: “Ruby Tuesday” by the Rolling Stones. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 17: Happiness is when you really feel good with somebody… “Love & Happiness” by Al Green & Mabon “Teenie” Hodges (My apologies for the abrupt ending to the lyric video; check the whole song out on my SPOTIFY playlist.) LYRICS & SONGFACTS
October 18: Your love protects my fears… “I Need You To Turn To” by Elton John. Happy Birthday to Maggi Zeldes, the mother of one of the people my daughter can always turn to; thx for raising such a great girl. And lots of love to the King children; your mother was an amazing woman. LYRICS SPOTIFY
October 19: If the band slows down, we’ll yell for more…. “Rock Around The Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY Happy Birthday to Lesley Anglada!
October 20: There’s a stain in my notebook where your coffee cup was… “Black Coffee In Bed” written by Christopher Difford & Glenn Tilbrook and performed by Squeeze. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 21: I just want to be the one you love… “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire” written by Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler and recorded by The Ink Spots. Happy Birthday to Camille Addario and thanks to Miguel Valentin for the suggestion! LYRICS SPOTIFY
October 22: Slow down, you move too fast… “Feelin’ Groovy (The 59th Street Bridge Song)” written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon & Garfunkel. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 23: First night of Major League Baseball 2018 World Series – may the best team* win! “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” written by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer and sung by Edward Meeker in 1908. (*ok, ok, I’ll admit it: I come from a long line of Red Sox fans. Check out my Instagram page and you’ll know why…) LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 24: Don’t you know that only fools are satisfied?… “Vienna” by Billy Joel. A belated happy birthday to Eileen Barreca; I’m glad our crazy children brought us together! LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 25: Take good care of yourself; you belong to me… “Button Up Your Overcoat” with music by Ray Henderson and lyrics by B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown; it is sung here by Ruth Etting. (Here’s a karaoke version so that you can sing along.) Happy Birthday to Ann Wriedt Forbes who introduced me to this song! LYRICS SPOTIFY
October 26: “They Don’t Know” written by Kirsty MacColl and sung here by Tracey Ullman. Happy Birthday to Elizabeth Propp; we love you! LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 27: I’m gonna dream about the time when I’m with you… “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 28: You can hear the whistle blow… “500 Miles” written by Hedy West and performed by Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan & Stark Sands from the movie “Inside Llewyn Davis”. Rosanne Cash said that this song is on a list of “100 Essential Country Songs” given to her by her father Johnny. It is also on the NAfME list of songs that all Americans should know. Happy Birthday to three fabulous people: Meg Pomeroy Hurdman, John Temple Swing & Tony Eccher and a big “I miss you” to Mariann VanZanten. SONG HISTORY LYRICS CHORDS SPOTIFY
October 29: Grant us peace. After a very sad weekend, it’s all I really want: Dona Nobis Pacem sung by Julie Gaulke. Happy Birthday to Anne Parise. And don’t forget: you have 8 days to get ready to VOTE. SONG HISTORY SPOTIFY
October 30: It’s just a jump to the left, and then a step to the right, with your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight… Time Warp from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
October 31: BOO! A double-header for Halloween (and I’m not talking baseball): “Ghost of John” and “Old Abram Brown” (by Benjamin Britten); these two songs can be sung together at the same time and it sounds especially eerie. As a bonus (as if gratuitous candy-eating isn’t enough), here’s “Old Abram Brown” with clips from the Moonrise Kingdom movie. SPOTIFY P.S. In 6 days, you must go out and VOTE, so don’t eat so much candy that you make yourself sick!