Favorite Music

by Tom Kando

Today, I’ll try something different: I’m sending you a bunch of beautiful music. It’s very haphazard, just a smattering of popular music that I recently enjoyed hearing (again):

1. I just discovered (through a friend) this Franco-Italian-International group called The Gypsy Queens. I LOVE their rendition of L’Italiano. This was originally a hit song in Europe by the Italian singer Toto Cutugno. The present version, by the Gypsy Queens, came out in 2012.

Here are some of the lyrics:


Buongiorno Italia gli spaghetti al dente     Good morning Italy spaghetti al dente
e un partigiano come Presidente                 and a partisan as president
con l'autoradio sempre nella mano destra   with the car stereo always in the right hand
e un canarino sopra la finestra                     and a canary on the window

Buongiorno Italia con i tuoi artisti              Good morning Italy with your artists
con troppa America sui manifesti               with too much America on poster ads
con le canzoni con amore                            with the songs with love
con il cuore                                                  with the heart
con piu' donne sempre meno suore              with more women always less (religious) sisters 

Buongiorno Italia                                         Good morning Italy
buongiorno Maria                                         good morning Mary
con gli occhi pieni di malinconia                 with eyes filled with melancholy
buongiorno Dio                                            good morning God
lo sai che ci sono anch'io                             you know that I'm here as well

Refrain:
Lasciatemi cantare                                       Allow me all to sing
con la chitarra in mano                                with the guitar in hand
lasciatemi cantare                                        Allow me all to sing
una canzone piano piano                             one song slowly slowly
Lasciatemi cantare                                      Allow me all to sing
perche' ne sono fiero                                   because I am proud of it
sono un italiano                                           I am an Italian
un italiano vero                                           a true Italian

* * * * *
Buongiorno Italia col caffe' ristretto           Good morning Italy with short espresso
le calze nuove nel primo cassetto               the new socks in the top drawer
con la bandiera in tintoria                           with the flag at the dry cleaner's
e una 600 giu' di carrozzeria                       and a 600(##) with a down-looking body 

* * * * *
Refrain

My wife Anita and are total Italianophiles (she is of Italian extraction). We go to Italy ever year. When it comes to food, culture, beauty and sex appeal, it doesn’t get any better. France may be a close second, but in our book, Italy will always be tops. So you can see why we promptly related to this song.

2. and 3.: The Gypsy Queens operate out of Nice, France. Their lead singer is Italian, and the other members are from Norway, England, the US and Mexico. After I heard L’italiano, I got their CD. On it, they also give a new rendition of Ventura Highway, a beautiful song originally by America in 1972. Here are both versions:



The lyrics are about the beauty of California, as seen from the vantage point of snowy Nebraska (This happens to be a Harley-Davidson ad, which is neither here nor there). Coincidentally, Anita spent years of her childhood “in exile” in Omaha, longing to return to the Golden State. So this song evoked quite a bit of nostalgia.

4. I, too, feel nostalgic and melancholic when I hear this song. In 1972, Anita and I had just met. I was an assistant professor at UC Riverside. We lived at the edge of the desert. On weekends, we roamed around California, cris-crossed the Mojave and the rest of the West in my convertible Fiat Spider. I wore the obligatory beard and moustache and participated in every march and demonstration I could find. We were in our twenties, we were happy and adventurous. The group America had another song, A Horse With No Name, it was about the desert, and it became sort of our song. I still find it hauntingly beautiful. Here it is:



5. 1972 was a really good year for music. It was also when Neil Young first sang Heart of Gold. Here, I present a much later (1992) song of his: Harvest Moon:




Call me sentimental, but this one gets me every time.

6. Finally, I attach one more randomly chosen “oldie but goodie:” Crosby, Stills and Nash’s Judy Blue Eyes. Rolling Stone says that it’s the 418th best song of all time. I don’t know about that, but I do remember playing it endlessly when it first came out in 1969:



So, all you old hippies out there, feel free to click on these links. It’s perfectly safe, and it’s beautiful. I’m sure that you all have your own favorites. And by the way, don’t think that I am not musically diverse: Next time, I’ll send you half a dozen of my favorite jazz, and after that my favorite classical.

© Tom Kando 2015
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