Monday, November 29, 2010

Post-TDay Travel--Water Water Everywhere

YouTube playlists for this article (1, 2),
playlist compilation article


This article was going to be the second of two parts of the Thanksgiving week travel theme. Previously, I wrote about songs about planes, trains, and automobiles, based on the movie title Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. As I dove into writing about other travel modes, I wandered around from song to song.

I concluded I have enough material for a third part, coming out in about a week. (Visit http://whilldtkwriter.blogspot.com/ about the first week in December for it.) This article focuses on music for a prominent mode of travel NOT in the movie title —boats (and other water travel methods). I've listed songs, artists, lyrics sites, and video sites (if possible). Take another trip down memory lane.

Surfboard Travel (On the Water)
Song Artist(s) Lyrics Video Comment(s)
Surfin' USA Beach Boys Click BB
Surfin' Safari Beach Boys Click BB
Hawaii Five-O Various NA classic, 2010
Wipeout Surfaris, Ventures NA S, V
Pipeline Chantays, Ventures NA C, V 1st video—Chantays' Lawrence Welk appearance: Check out the Beatles' suits, pre-Beatles
New York's a Lonely Town Trade Winds Click TW
Surfer Joe Surfaris Click Surfaris
Surfer Girl Beach Boys Click BB
Catch a Wave Beach Boys Click BB same tune as Sidewalk Surfin'
Sidewalk Surfin' Jan and Dean Click J & D

Boat Travel (Also on the Water)
Song Artist(s) Lyrics Video Comment(s)
Sea Cruise Frankie Ford Click FF
Come on Down to My Boat Every Mother's Son Click EMS
Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) Enya Click Enya
Sailing Christopher Cross Click CC
Come Sail Away Styx Click Styx
Advemtures in Paradise Lionel Newman composer NA LN
Sloop John B Beach Boys Click BB
Sail On, Sailor Beach Boys Click BB
Beyond the Sea Bobby Darin Click BD
Blue Navy Blue Diane Renay Click DR
Kiss Me Sailor Diane Renay Click DR, DR & ER 1st video—live performance
2nd video—duet w/Ed Rambeau, one of the song writers, who also wrote and recorded "Concrete and Clay"
Brandy Looking Glass Click LG
In the Navy Village People Click VP

Underwater Travel (In the water)
Song Artist(s) Lyrics Video Comment(s)
Yellow Submarine Beatles Click Beatles Legos video animation
Pink Shoelaces Dodie Stevens Click DS “He takes me deep sea diving in a submarine!”
Sea Hunt David Rose composer NA DR

The catchy song that takes you from land to water is "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" (Brian Hyland): lyrics, video.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Turkey Week Travel--Planes, Trains N Cars

YouTube playlists for this article (1, 2),
playlist compilation article


The day before Thanksgiving is supposed to be the most heavily traveled day, at least for flying. I'm thinking that lots of people travel during the entire week. As we're rapidly approaching the big day itself, I'm bringing up a Thanksgiving-theme comedy movie and putting a music wrapper around it. Planes, Trains & Automobiles. which came out in 1987, stars Steve Martin and John Candy. From the IMDB site, the short introduction states, "A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion."

The movie title is about the modes of travel that the two main characters use to get from here to there, and there, and there, …. The time setting is long before 9/11, and well before TSA. It's amazing how air travel rituals have changed. Even now, maybe especially now, who knows the next paths that air travelers follow, willingly or not?

This article focuses on music that feature the movie's three modes of travel—planes, trains, and cars. I've listed songs, artists, lyrics sites, and video sites (if possible). During my web research travels, I had encountered songs that featured additional travel modes. Having accumulated lots of references, I'm publishing two parts. For this part, take a trip down memory lane with songs that feature the movie's travel means. The second one—well, wait for it (the next article). Let's say it'll be another trip with more ways of locomotion to sing about.

Planes
Song Artist(s) Lyrics Video Comment(s)
Leaving on a Jet Plane Peter, Paul, Mary; John Denver Click PPM, JD Catch the duet with John and Mama Cass Elliot.
Daniel Elton John Click EJ
Jet Airliner Steve Miller Band Click SMB
Back in the USSR Beatles Click PM; Beatels Paul McCartney in Red Square 2003,
Beatels—decent Aussie tribute band
Eight Miles High Byrds Click Byrds

Trains
Song Artist(s) Lyrics Video Comment(s)
Night Train James Brown Click JB
Midnight Train to Georgia Gladys Knight and the Pips, 2012 Yale Whiffenpoofs Click GK & Pips, YW I encountered links to the Yale Whiffenpoofs during research for this article.
Midnight Special Johnny Rivers Click JR
City of New Orleans Arlo Guthrie Click AG younger, AG older Arlo sounds the same after all these years.
Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash Click JC

Automobiles
Song Artist(s) Lyrics Video Comment(s)
Fun, Fun, Fun Beach Boys Click BB
Little Deuce Coupe Beach Boys Click BB
Little GTO Ronny and the Daytonas Click R & D
Hey, Little Cobra Rip Chords Click RC
409 Beach Boys Click BB
Pink Cadillac Natalie Cole, Bruce Springsteen Click NC, BS
Hot Rod Lincoln Commander Cody, Asleep at the Wheel Click CC, RB
Mustang Sally Wilson Pickett Click WP
Sister Christian Night Ranger Click NR "You're motoring, What's your price for flight …"
Little Old Lady from Pasadena Jan and Dean Click J & D
Nadine Chuck Berry Click CB
Maybelline Chuck Berry, Johnny Rivers Click CB, JR
No Particular Place to Go Chuck Berry Click CB
Drive My Car Beatles Click Beatles
Vehicle Ides of March Click Ides
Taxi Harry Chapin Click HC
Cab Driver Mills Brothers Click MB
Low Rider War Click War
Beep Beep Playmates Click Playmates
Shut Down Beach Boys Click BB
Dead Man's Curve Jan and Dean Click J & D

Visit my other music-topic articles:

Monday, November 8, 2010

A Convenient Bean Soup

Now that the weather's getting cooler, thinking about soup. My basic *convenient* soup recipe calls for a can of refried beans and fluid. The image at the top of this article is an idea guide, usable as an auxiliary shopping list. If you can boil water, you can easily make the soup.

The ratio of fluid to canned refried beans is one to one. YMMV for soup thickness, depending on the brand you buy. You might want to start out with half the amount of fluid in case the brand put in more cooking fluid for their processing. (Yes, have done that before, too.)

These instructions make one quart of soup if using a standard 16-oz can of beans. If you want, you can halve the recipe and save the other half of the beans for another time. Or you can store the other half of the processed soup for another sitting.

Instructions

  1. Open the can of refried beans.
  2. Spoon the beans into a saucepan.
  3. Use the can to measure fluid, then pour the fluid into the saucepan.
  4. Stir and heat the contents.
  5. Add whatever ingredients from the list, or anything else that sounds good. (If you want, add these ingredients AFTER you pour the soup instead of before.)
  6. Pour into bowl(s).

If you buy the packaged refried beans, double the amount of fluid and follow the package instructions.

One additional idea—for a group gathering, heat several cans of refried beans and water in a large pot. Set aside bouillon powder. Acquire all the suggested add-ins. Let the guests ladle their own soup and add in what they want. Remember to have extra bowls and spoons on hand. Expand on a party idea. With a bunch of the ingredients, you could even move sideways with the thought and try queso dip and chip ideas.

Another convenient soup recipe you can try is my veggie lentil soup.