On this week's edition of Mark Steyn on the Town, we have some music to put your clocks back to, plus, with Halloween looming, the Dracula Cha-Cha and the Spooky Sinatra. Also: music from Italy and Jamaica, and Tim Rice on the song title that never was.
To listen to the programme, simply click here and log-in.
~Last week's 007 special attracted a lot of comment. Susan says simply:
Café Continental was great!!!
No argument there, Susan. I'm thinking we should just play all the Euro-versions of Bond songs. Teresa, a Californian Steyn Clubber, appreciated the programme more generally:
This show brought back memories of sneaking into the Alex Theatre on Brand Boulevard in Glendale, CA with my HS boyfriend to see a movie forbidden by our parents, family, and church -- A 'Bond, James Bond' film. It was fabulous and I was hooked! Sean Connery forever!
Many listeners were struck by a rather poignant bit of trivia re the Kennedy assassination. Robert Bridges:
Remembering how wildly popular Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass were back in those days. I have never endured watching that movie...but the music is a different thing. As for Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald "Bonding"...another queer kinship I never knew. Without the stories, the music misses its beat. Thank you.
Terry, a South Carolina member of The Mark Steyn Club, writes:
Dusty Springfield's bossa nova recording of 'The Look of Love' came through my transistor radio just before I turned 15. Loved her then, love her today. Thanks for including that one in another terrific On the Town program.
Kitty, a First Day Founding Member, agrees re Dusty:
I loved these movies and so much of this music when I was a kid. Dusty Springfield singing the Look of Love song is lovely. This brings back so many childhood memories. These movies were fun with tongue in cheek humor. Thank you, Mark.
P.S. the first silly bond song reminded me of the line from a cartoon we used to watch when I was at my best friend Kimmy Markey's house, "Never fear, Underdog is here," and this funny, pot bellied dog in a cape would show up to stop the bad guys.
James Fulford responds to my dissatisfaction with the second lines of both versions of "You Only Live Twice":
I understand what Mark means by the problem of a second line in You Only Live Twice.
The Fleming book title comes from a haiku written in in the book by James Bond himself, very shortly after he's learned that there is such a thing as a haiku:
You only live twice
Once when you are born
And once when you look death in the face.This is much stronger, but like every other haiku, it can be described as resolutely unsingable.
Gary Alexander, our music maven and West Coast Steyn Clubber, considers the competing merits of gold and diamonds:
I love your Bond music and especially some of your multi-lingual versions. Goldfinger will always be my favorite Bond film and song. In that context, let me note that gold was only $35 per ounce during the Sean Connery Bond films, but is now worth nearly 80 times that fixed figure after Nixon let the dollar 'float' (sink) in 1971, the year when Diamonds (not gold) were allegedly Forever, as Sean gave us his last hurrah in the legit Bond series.
And one more, from Diane Calabrese:
Sixty minutes respite from the disintegrating world...Thanks, MS for making it so.
Admit straight up that the 1967 Casino Royale is my favorite – chaotic, silly, Niven, Sellers, Welles...and William Holden. Not really an Ian Fleming or a Bond film fan, so there's nothing not to like about the '67 CR. In fact, I even enjoy Bacharach's music in that one, probably because of Herb Alpert.
Some surprises:
One, living until now and not having heard the JFK campaign song based on 'High Hopes'.
Two, MS used the descriptor 'dolly birds' in an interview.
Three, women found Hoagy Carmichael attractive (probably the songwriter/singer/pianist thing).
Great beginning with Count Basie's 007 and a strong reminder of the enigma that is Daniel Craig's Bond at the conclusion.
Thanks for all your comments - including the critical ones. On the Town is my weekly music show on Serenade Radio every Saturday at 5pm British Summer Time - that's 6pm in western and central Europe/12 midday North American Eastern. You can listen from anywhere in the world by clicking the button at top right here.
As listeners know, I'm a great believer in old-school appointment listening, and love the way Serenade's Saturday schedule flows through the day. However, we appreciate that many potential listeners are, at the appointed hour, shampooing the cat. So, as a bonus for Steyn Club members, we post On the Town at SteynOnline every weekend. You can find all our previous shows here.
We do enjoy your comments on our weekend programming. Steyn Clubbers are welcome to leave them below. For more on The Mark Steyn Club, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership.
Mark Steyn on the Town can be heard on Serenade Radio at the following hours - but note that for the next week North America remains sprung in summer while Britain and Europe have fallen back to winter, so note the special time:
Saturday 5pm London time/1pm New York
Sunday 5am London time/10pm Los Angeles
Steyn's Song of the Week continues on Sunday, Monday and Thursday, but remember for the coming week that truncated time difference between west and east of the Atlantic.