WHAT IS 'OLD'?

 

“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative”- Maurice Chevalier.

On the golf course the other day, my partner and I were taking a coffee break when someone came to me and asked how old I was. When I gave him the number, he said I was an inspiration to him. Mindful of the ‘nazar na lug jaye’ syndrome, I quickly pointed at my partner and said, “He is 91”. The inquirer duly bowed and touched my partner’s feet.

We got talking some more and my partner said, “Marshal Of The Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was playing golf twice a week at 98. I told them of my father-in-law’s good friend, Shri Dharma Vira, who played till his end at 94.

Back at home, I happened to remember the ballad ‘What is Youth’ sung by a troubadour in Franco Zeferelli’s 1968 brilliant movie “Romeo and Juliet”. That led me to wonder ‘What is Old’ and I decided to look for the answer in what some famous persons have opined.

Jules Renard said, “It’s not how old you are; it’s how you are old.” Or “Age  is a question of mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” from Satchel Paige. The legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali formerly Cassius Clay, declared, “Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.”

Ingrid Bergman said something sweet, “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath but the view is much better.” A contribution from Eleanor Roosevelt, “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” On a truly positive note, a quote from ‘Unknown’ goes, “Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you.” 

Getting back to golf, I like playing fast and often get frustrated by a slow, doddering foursome in front. I used to curse calling them ‘old fogeys’ till it occurred to me, hey, I am not so young myself. So I was encouraged by Francis Bacon’s lines, “I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.”

Also relevant is an excellent one by the great George Bernard Shaw- “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Michael Pritchard put a spirited spin on this by substituting ‘laughing’ for ‘playing’.

I don’t know what alternative Chevalier was referring to but Daniel Francois Espirit Auber said, “Ageing seems to be the only available way to live a long life!” Of course, in the delightful musical “Gigi”, Chevalier is content singing, “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore”.

There are many songs about old age but for me the perennial favourite will remain Nat King Cole’s “You Will Never Grow Old.” His counsel as in the opening and closing lines-

‘You will never grow old, while there is love in your heart,

Time may silver your golden hair, as you dream in an old rocking chair.

So keep my love in your heart, remember the love tales we told,

For with my love in your heart, my darling,

You will never grow old, you will never grow old.”

To all my dear old ones, ‘Stay young’! 

NANCY-THE LESSER KNOWN SINATRA

 

Frank Sinatra was a legend even in his lifetime. It would be well nigh impossible for his daughter to reach those heights. To her credit, Nancy, his eldest child, did achieve a fair amount of fame with some unforgettable songs.

She came into the limelight in 1966 with the number, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” the disc of which sold more than a million copies, earned her two Grammy nominations and became popular for what enthusiasts called its iconic ‘Swinging ‘60s Look’.

Nancy’s best years were from 1966-68 when 10 of her songs were in the top 40 of US Billboard’s Hot 100. She acted in films such as “Speedway” with Elvis Presley and “Marriage On The Rocks” with Frank Sinatra in the roles of father and daughter. She was also sought after on TV.

In mid-‘70s, she slowed down on music and gave up acting to concentrate on looking after her family. There were some releases though including “Kinky Love” in 1976 which had controversial lines and was banned on radio till she revived it in 1998. A big recognition came in 2006 when she was honoured with a star on Hollywood’s Hall Of Fame.

Before I come to her outstanding numbers, those familiar with her would have heard other popular ones such as “How Does That Grab You Darlin’”, “Bang Bang” and “Sugar Town”. She also did many duets with her songwriter Lee Hazlewood including “Jackson”, “Did You Ever” and “Some Velvet Morning”. 

Now, to my ‘four fab’ which I consider as good as any by more famous and prolific singers. We start with her first hit I mentioned earlier, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”, which topped both the US and British charts and in many other countries. Songwriter Hazlewood was inspired by a line that Frank Sinatra used in a movie and Frank suggested to Hazlewood to give the vocals to Nancy. The lyrics are about a girl who feels that her lover is taking her for granted and is fooling around with others. She warns him that ‘these boots are made for walkin’, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you’. Towards the end of the song, that day has arrived and the girl asks the boots to start walkin’ accompanied by simulated sounds of boots stomping presumably all over her cheating lover! 

After considering many established artistes like Frank Sinatra and Shirley Bassey, the famed composer John Barry, on Frank’s suggestion, decided to give the theme song of the Bond film “You Only Live Twice” to Nancy. She sang it brilliantly guided by Barry and accompanied by his superb orchestra. Many critics rate it in the top three of Bond themes and that’s an achievement Nancy can justly be proud of. I personally consider it as perhaps second only to Louis Armstrong’s “We Have All The Time In The World” from “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” revived recently in “No Time To Die’. 

Nancy did a lot of duets with Hazlewood the most popular of which is “Summer Wine”. The two singers combine beautifully in the role of the girl eyeing the silver spurs of the man and tempting him to drink more and more of her ‘Summer Wine’ while he gets drunk and awakens hungover to find his spurs and money gone but still craving for more wine! A delightful song.

And finally, a Frank and Nancy duet , “Somethin’ Stupid” which was a major international hit including the top in US, UK, Australia, South Africa and many European countries. It invited some silly criticism of incest as a father and his daughter were singing a love song but the beautiful rendition made listeners dismiss any foul thought and just enjoy the music. The lyrics are touching with the singer trying to think of something clever to say but ends up ‘’And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like ‘I Love You’” and repeating ‘I love you’ over and over again.

Not as high as her father, but Nancy was tall enough.

JERRY LEE LEWIS - LAST SURVIVING PIONEER OF ROCK 'N ROLL PASSES ON

Jerry Lee Lewis, last surviving pioneer of Rock ‘n Roll music, breathed his last a few days ago.

Rock ‘n Roll music had its origin in the early 1950s. It was derived from jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie woogie, honky tonk, etc. Most people credit Chuck Berry as its inventor. But it was Bill Haley who brought it global recognition and popularity. His group, Bill Haley and his Comets, produced the first big R ‘n R hit with the release of ‘Rock Around The Clock’ in early ’55.

The timing coincided with my joining the NDA and I was captivated by the rhythm, beat and tempo of R ‘n R which helped relieve the tough grind of NDA life.

Right on top among the pioneers and my favourites was Elvis Presley. Who hasn’t heard of him! His singing style, thumping guitar, gyrating and hip-swinging performances made him a cult figure and he soon earned the title of ‘King of Rock ‘n Roll’. ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ was his first hit in January 1956 rapidly followed by ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, ‘Hound Dog’ , ‘Don’t Be Cruel’, ‘All Shook Up’, and the lovable, cuddly ‘(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear’.

He also had three hit movies in that time filled with his numbers including the title songs, ‘Love Me Tender’ (which though was not rock but a straight love song), ‘Jailhouse Rock’, and ‘King Creole’. In ’58, he was drafted for military service and I to the Navy.

Meanwhile, Bill Haley and his Comets continued providing hits notably ’Shake, Rattle and Roll’ and ‘See You Later Alligator’ which became a popular parting greeting and perhaps still is. Memories of a movie, ‘Rock Around The Clock’, featuring Bill Haley and his Comets, reminds me of the frenzy of the music of those days.

Next pioneer on my list is Little Richard. His unusual style of singing with raspy, shouting vocals, screaming and frenetic piano playing earned him the sobriquet of ‘Architect of Rock ‘n Roll’. His ‘Tutti Frutti’ was more flavoured than the ice cream itself! Sample the lyrics:-

‘Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom,  

Tutti frutti, oh rootie (5 times)….

Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom’, and then on to ‘I got a gal named Sue, who knows just what to do’, and Daisy, ‘she almost drives me crazy’. His other hits were ‘Long Tall Sally’, ‘Lucille’ and ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’. Too soon, he went into religion, Christianity, and gave up singing which saved us from being driven completely crazy.

Gene Vincent with his group The Bluecaps produced a smashing hit, ‘Be-bop-a-lula’. The breathless vocals backed by fluterring echoes made for a catchy song that became immensely popular. Vincent came up with other hits including ‘Bluejean Bop’ and surprisingly, a plain, emotional ‘Unchained Melody’. Drugs and alcohol got the better of Vincent and he died young unable to ever match the success of ‘Be-bop-a-lula’.

The genial Fats Domino, second only to Elvis in Rock ‘n Roll, captivated rock fans with his smooth, slightly nasal, rounded and rolling delivery, accompanied by gentle piano playing.  Singing in a honky-tonk mode, his most popular number was ‘Blueberry Hill’ and, of course, he had a large number of other hits. After ‘Blueberry Hill’, my favourites were ‘Ain’t That a Shame’, ‘I’m Walking’ and the pleasant and lilting ‘I Want To Walk You Home’. As against most R ‘n  R singers, Fats kept free of controversy and had a full life of 89 years. He passed away just 5 years ago on 24 October 2017.

A singer whose life was cruelly cut short was Richie Valens whose R ‘n R adaptation of a traditional Mexican wedding song, ‘La Bamba’, was loved by all and remains popular todate. Alas, he died in an air crash at the age of 17!

An R ‘n R movie I recall from those days was the musical comedy, ‘The Girl Can’t Help It’ starring the buxom blonde Jayne Mansfield. The film featured a number of pioneers of R ‘n R including Little Richard with the title song and ‘Ready Teddy’, Gene Vincent with ‘Be-bop-a-lula’, Fats Domino singing ‘Blue Monday’ and a comic ‘Giddy Up A Ding Dong Giddy Up’ by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. The movie was a treat for R ‘n R fans. My best song of the movie though was one of my all-time favourites, Julie London’s ‘Cry Me A River’, a non-rock emotional number.

And so, back to where we started, Jerry Lee Lewis. He firmly got on the road to fame with ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’ closely followed by ‘Great Balls Of Fire’. His style was in the boogie-woogie rapid fire genre and his piano playing was outrageous which would have had Chopin and Liszt turn in their graves. He would pump the piano keys hard with his left hand providing a fast tempo and the frenzied right hand going all over the keyboard rapidly. He would sometimes pound the keys with his feet, sit on the keyboard and stand on the piano. All this with his good looks and enticing voice earned him the nickname ‘Killer’ and he was often referred to as ‘R ‘n R’s first great wild man’.

At the height of his popularity, he fell in love with his 13-year old cousin and married her. He himself was just 22 and already twice married. This caused a huge public uproar and Lewis fell from grace. Some years later, he made a comeback but in Country music where he again made a name for himself. In fact, he kept singing well into the 21st century and in May this year, was inducted into the Country Hall Of Fame.

Once he had reestablished himself, he did make a partial comeback into R ‘n R and I loved his ‘Chantilly Lace’. He continued to perform in public and what caught my attention the other day was a video on YouTube of an old performance in company with Tom Jones in which the latter seems awestruck by Lewis. In fact, Tom Jones has spoken about his admiration for Lewis and his desire for 'Great Balls Of Fire' to be played at his own funeral! 

In my NDA years 1955-58, these pioneers of R ‘n R provided me with much needed comfort on many hard days’ nights.