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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Music, romance, a wonderland by night

It has taken me a long time to get around to writing this little poem...more than 50 years, in fact. In 1960 or 1961, I heard a piece of music on the radio. I don't remember whose radio I heard it on, or how I got home with it in my head, but I heard it and I just had to tell my brother.
Clint and Dad both played trumpet, but Dad didn't have the patience for my humming, and I think he might have given up his horn by then, due to denture-wearing, but my goodnatured brother listened to my humming and tried reproducing the sound on his horn. I knew when he had it right. I couldn't do it right, but I could recognize it when he did it.
Eventually, between the two of us, we achieved what I think of as "the chorus part" of Wonderland by Night by Bert Kaempfert and his orchestra, and of course Clint went on to find the sheet music.
And, also eventually, some smarmy singers (notably Englebert Humperdinck  and Anita Bryant) sang it with lyrics, to which I paid absolutely no attention whatsoever. Except, possibly, subliminally—because the poem I wrote today does have a few of the same words in it, like star and kiss, but those are inevitable, like this and that, and the and and.
Sigh.
However, when Kerry's challenge for today at the Imaginary Garden with Real Toads was for a poem inspired by Romantic music, I thought of Wonderland by Night, and of Mr. Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore, which, I knew, already had lyrics.
Sorry I was unable to embed the tune...I kept trying, but my computer is so far out of date it just didn't work. However, this link will take you to YouTube and to the wonderful Wonderland by Night.
 http://youtu.be/WzUUFJW5jpg




once there were stars
that fell to meet us in the evening
they were our stars:
they kissed the edges of our night

you held me close
under the starlight and the dawning
then kissed me so
I knew that everything was right
 (insert trumpet solo with wah-wah mute)

once there was evening
that came to meet us with the stars
once there was dawning
that came to meet us with the light

you held me so
I felt the stars as they were falling
you kissed me close
and told me everything was right

14 comments:

Susan said...

Musical, romantic, once! Breathtaking.

Susan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

Love the trumpet insert - fit perfectly. I think you really nailed the prompt here Kay - Romantic and musical

Unknown said...

Thought I posted here KAy - you really nailed it today.

Unknown said...

And a wonderland by poetry. Beautiful love poem!

Susie Clevenger said...

Oh Kay, this is so beautiful!! I can hear the trumpet solo in my head.

jabblog said...

This is beautiful, Kay . . . so romantic. Isn't it lovely having such memories (and still such moments!)

Phil Slade said...

In teenage years I was a great fan of Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Chris Barber etc. But Acker looked the most unromatic person ever and Stranger On The Shore a major departure from his usual performances. Thanks for the memory Kay.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Yup - that hits the top note... &*> xx

Kerry O'Connor said...

This is wonderfully romantic, Kay. I am so happy to know that you have put words to a song which has been with you for so many years. I love the way your appealing descriptions create the perfect mood, so relateable to musical lyrics.

Gattina said...

When we were teenagers writing poems seemed so easy ! What you wrote there is very romantic I must admit !

Ella said...

Oh, so romantic Kay! I'm swooning over the magic of your words and the jazzy notes I hear in my head ;D
Love yours!

Kay said...

Oh yes, Kay. I love this. It's so beautiful and so romantic.

Jenn Jilks said...

You are fabulous.