American in Spain » Music

I asked my mother for fifty cents

erik — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:24:59 +0000

When my parents last visited, I got to hear my mother sing songs to my daughter that I haven’t heard since I was a child and she was singing to me. One of them was this rhyme that Nora has come to call “July”, since she loves to emphasize the ultimate word. It goes like this:

I asked my mother for fifty cents
To see the elephant jump the fence.
He jumped so high,
He reached the sky,
And didn’t come down ’til the fourth of July

Searching for the origins of this rhyme has been quite interesting. It seems to primarily be a playground rhyme sung whilst jumping rope. There are some indications that the origin is from the African American traditions in the southern United States. For instance, it is included on the 1956 album Music from the South, Vol 5.

It later appeared as a verse in Rufus Thomas’ 1965 classic, Walking the Dog, which was covered by Jackie Shane, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Sonics, The Count Bishops, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Grateful Dead and Aerosmith, among others. Quite a list, eh? Here’s the original version, which I think might be the best of them all:

I suspect the version my daughter learned from her grandmother is much closer to the original playground chant. Without further ado, I present I Asked My Mother For Fifty Cents:

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Papa Americano

erik — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:15:28 +0000

Over the past two years, a song by an Australian group, Yolanda Be Cool, called We No Speak Americano (known colloquially as Papa Americano), has swept across Europe. Every so often a Spaniard who knows that I am both a United States citizen and a father, will think they are being clever and original by calling me “Papa Americano” and singing a bar or two of the hit song. I think it’s cute, and I enjoy the song, so I decided to make it my ringtone. Over the course of the last few months, my daughter has fallen in love with my ringtone, often reminding me out of the blue, “Poppy, your phone says papa americano!!”, adding, “Sometimes.”

The song is an impressive example of what can be done today with computers by taking old music and resampling it to create an entirely new and exciting sound. The original song used is a 1956 swing/jazz Italian song – sung in Neapolitan – called Tu Vuò Fa’ L’Americano, which was made popular by a 1958 movie called Totò, Peppino e Le Fanatiche. The original song is quite catchy and was a hit in its time.

Here’s the original:

Here’s the remix by Yolanda Be Cool. The actual singing doesn’t start until the 30 second mark. Just try not to tap your foot, I dare you!!

When my parents were here, and Nora began talking about my ringtone as she does sometimes, my father realized that, using his iPhone, he could call my phone using FaceTime for free over my wifi network and make my phone ring. Absolute hilarity ensued. We did this about 75 times that night. No, really, that’s how many missed calls my phone had on it when I recovered it from Nora’s grasp.

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Pickin’ and Trimmin’ – A Barbershop Documentary

erik — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:50:10 +0000

In 2007, Matt Morris, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, directed a short film about a barber shop near where I grew up. One of the owners of the shop, David Shirley, the well spoken gentleman with the full head of white hair in the movie, is the father of one of my best friends and guitar mentor, Phil Shirley. The movie does an excellent job of capturing a dying southern American small town bluegrass culture.

It might have been the influence of my “yankee” born parents, but I never really felt at home in the deep southern culture. Something about it always annoyed me a little bit, although I can’t quite put my finger on what. Perhaps it is my lack of deep roots that allowed me to move so far away. But I definitely do recognize and know the culture depicted in the film, even if I never really felt a part of it.

I admit that sometimes I forget just how people talk back home and it’s a shock when I visit. The manner of speaking in this film is a very authentic example of western North Carolina speech. If you have any interest whatsoever in bluegrass music and how it’s really played in the Deep South, I urge you to spend nineteen minutes watching this film. You won’t regret it.

The music is absolutely fantastic. I particularly liked the pun-laden knickknacks. Here’s a list of all the awards this movie has won.

In case you’re curious of just how small the town is, you can have a look around on Google Street View. That’s the barber shop with the white awning and the pickup truck. Give a 360º spin to really appreciate the locale.

Unfortunately, two years ago, the head barber, Lawrence Anthony, the first person to talk in the film, passed away. His son intends to fulfill his father’s wish to keep the shop open. Since then, the shop has sustained some water damage and is in need of repair. You can find a follow-up video and a link to donate to Lawrence Anthony’s nonprofit Barbershop Preservation Fund here. I’ve just made a donation.

It would be a true shame to lose this culture. Thank you so much to Matt Morris for documenting it.

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Cloud Music and iTunes Match

erik — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:46:09 +0000

Apple finally launched their iTunes Match service this week. If you don’t know what that is, I’ll explain briefly. In the eight years since Apple opened their iTunes Music Store, they have been amassing an enormous collection of digitized music that they have the legal right to sell. If you buy a song from them, and your computer crashes, you can redownload that song again whenever you like, since, rather than a physical medium like a CD, what you’ve bought is the right to have that digital file.

What Apple has done with iTunes Match is allow you (for $24.95/year) to redownload any song you have in your iTunes library, whether you bought it from Apple or not! This is huge, particularly since you can download songs – and they will start playing before the download finishes – to your mobile iOS devices, and because the files Apple provides are of very high quality (256-Kbps AAC), possibly better quality than the files you have in you library.

Today on my walk around town, when I hit “shuffle” on my iPhone, it chose a random song to play from my entire music collection, which, currently at 53 gigabytes, doesn’t even come close to fitting on my iPhone.

Of course this is a natural consequence of both higher wireless bandwidths and higher storage and retrieval capacities of enormous server farms (a.k.a. The Cloud). If your iDevice is always online with cloud computing, then the need for syncing data from your computer to your iDevice has pretty much vanished, if all the data is available on high bandwidth servers.

It’s pretty clear to me that the future revenue model of the music industry will be one of subscriptions to stream any music the subscriber desires (or to download with a small fee per track). The artists would receive a certain amount every time their song was streamed or downloaded. This is called the Open Music Model and is just what Spotify does.

For now, at least, to my mind conditioned to the current model of music ownership, iTunes Match is one of the coolest services I’ve used in a while. It’s definitely worth $24.95 of my money every November 15th.

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Rosana in Santander

erik — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:37:07 +0000

Tonight we went to see one of our favorite musicians, Rosana, in Santander. We saw her once before in 2007 and were absolutely floored by her genuine kindness and generosity as a performer. This time, rather than being in a venue where we could go right up to the stage if we so wished, we were in a theater, with assigned seats. Also, for some reason she was touring just before her new album comes out (later this month), so there were many songs that no one in the audience had heard before. I understand the business need to debut some new material, but the audience at a concert comes almost exclusively to hear songs they already know. She commented several times about how strange it was to sing to a crowd sitting down quietly listening.

Towards the end, however, she got us riled up and had us all dancing in front of our assigned seats like a rock concert should be. Just like last time, she made the effort to leave the stage and walk out among us while still singing into a cordless mic. Last time I just got close enough to take some photos, but this time I actually got a sincere handshake (there was an empty seat between us, or I would’ve gotten a hug). Marga was still to shy to show her real admiration for Rosana. What could be better, as a fan, than to receive a hug from your favorite artist while she’s singing your favorite song?

They were very stern at first with an announcement over the intercom telling us that video and still image recording devices were expressly prohibited, but when the artist comes out to pose for photos with her fans, screw the rules! So I took some photos…

There was a light right behind Rosana that made for some really awesome fog shadows, but also was completely blinding when she moved out of the way of the beam.

She plays chords and even some complex fingerpicking on most of her songs, but her lead guitarist was absolutely phenomenal. Why is the lead guitarist always on the singer’s right and the bassist on the left? Is there a reason?

With social networking what it is these days, I thought that leaving a message on her Facebook page might actually reach her. I don’t know if it will, but this is what I wrote.

Querida Rosana,

Soy estadounidense, y me enamoró con una española en 1999, y me dijo mi novia que su cantante favorita eras tú. Inmediatamente compré los dos discos, y pasé el año que estuvimos separados por el atlantico (por razones de inmigración) escuchando tus discos. ¡Sin saber ni siete palabras en castellano! Pero con tus letras me iba aprendiendo. Entonces, entenderás que ocupas un sitio muy especial en mi corazón.

Ahora estoy casado con esa misma española y vivimos en Cantabria. Te vimos en 2007 y otra vez esta noche, y nos encantaste las dos veces. ¡Eres una gran artista! Y sobre todo una gran persona.

Un abrazo americano,
Erik

In English:

Dear Rosana,

I’m an American, and I fell in love with a Spaniard in 1999, and my girlfriend told me that her favorite singer was you. Immediately I purchased both CDs and spent the year that we were separated by the Atlantic (for immigration reasons) listening to your CDs. Without knowing even seven Spanish words! But with your lyrics, I was learning. So, you’ll understand that you occupy a special place in my heart.

Now I’m married to that same Spaniard and we live in Cantabria. We saw you in 2007 and again tonight, and we loved you both times. You are a wonderful artist! And an even more wonderful person.

An American hug,
Erik

She might not see it, but if she does, I’m certain she’ll take the time to respond.

See you next tour, Rosana! ¡Hasta la próxima gira!

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Singing and Drinking

erik — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:33:17 +0000

No, this isn’t a post about a night at a karaoke bar. After noticing some singing ability in Spanish, I’ve been teaching Nora some English songs. Actually, for some reason, the first song I taught her was Frère Jacques in French. Lately when we sing that one, on the last line, she lifts up her shirt and touches her navel, which she calls her “ding dong” after so many doorbell jokes. The first English song was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, which she picked up pretty quickly, enjoying gesturing to the sky on the “like a diamond in the sky” line.

It soon occurred to me that she didn’t really understand many of the words; her toddler ability to mimic sounds was enabling her to sing each lyric. I figured that I could teach her songs without words, or with any sounds. The obvious choice was the Alphabet Song (she likes to shout “Elemenopy!“), which uses the same melody from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. As a result, although she has had no instruction on identifying letters, she can more or less sing the entire alphabet.

We were singing the other night and she was doing such a good job that I pulled out the video camera and captured this adorable video, in which she drinks a lot of water and sings the Alphabet Song and sings backup on Old MacDonald Had A Farm. It’s worth sticking around to the last number since she has this wonderful mime act she invented for the “here, there, everywhere” lyric where she points wildly in all directions.

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Cielito Lindo

erik — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:51:11 +0000

From what I can tell, the song chorus best known across all of Hispanic culture, both in Iberia and the Americas, is probably that of Cielito Lindo. Since I learned it some years ago, I can’t help thinking it to myself anytime anyone says more than one “Ay!”, which is fairly often. The chorus goes like this, which I won’t bother to translate, since the Wikipedia page does such a good job:

Ay, ay, ay, ay,
Canta y no llores,
Porque cantando se alegran,
Cielito lindo, los corazones.

Properly performed, it should sound something like this:

or this:

Nora understands the meaning of more than half of this chorus. She knows “canta” (sing) and she definitely understands “no llores” (don’t cry). I’m not sure if she comprehends that “porque” means “because”, but I think she really might have an understanding that “cantando” is another form of the verb “to sing”, even if she doesn’t know what a gerund is. The last line is the hardest, and she rarely actually makes it that far.

Thus, without further ado, I present to you Nora’s debut music video performance, the mariachi classic, Cielito Lindo…

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Identifying Dave Matthews

erik — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:52:00 +0000

At some point in every parenting journey, there comes a time when you have to teach your child about your favorite recording artist. Recently when I was preparing Nora’s lunch, I put my iPhone into iPod mode to play a random shuffling of my top rated music. I let it play throughout her lunch and when she was done eating, I decided to teach her to say “Dave Matthews”. She picked it up pretty quickly, so I pulled out the video camera.

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The Hymn of Colindres

erik — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:59:58 +0000

Today I became aware that the little fishing village where I live has a town hymn, an anthem to celebrate what it means to be from Colindres. Both to ensure that I understand it fully, and to share it with my non-hispanophone audience, I have translated it into English. It really is quite beautiful. I hope to one day hear or see or record a performance of it, as it would be nice to hear the music and voices booming with pride.

Lyrics

Es Colindres tierra hidalga,
La cuna de mis mayores
Y el orgullo de Cantabria
Y el orgullo de Cantabria
Que pregonan sus blasones.

Desde lo alto a la ribera
Comerciante o labrador
Tienes alma marinera
Tienes alma marinera
Con la azada o el timón.

Estribillo:

Colindres empuña el remo
Colindres iza la vela
Que no hay en el mundo entero
Quien contigo en la mar pueda.

De tus astilleros reales
Navíos y galeones
Botaste para mil mares
Que engrandecieron tus hombres.

Cada día con la aurora
A pescar la mar nos llama
A la mar que ya es la hora
A la mar que llega el alba.

(Estribillo)

Ha vuelto a venir el día
Pescadores hay mar plena
Para abandonar la ría
Que la pesca nos espera.

Ay mi bella colindresa
Yo le pido a San Ginés
Que con bien de la mar vuelva
Que con bien de la mar vuelva
Y al venir te vuelva a ver.

Colindres is noble land,
The cradle of my elders
And the pride of Cantabria
And the pride of Cantabria
Proclaiming their glory.

From the top of the shore
Merchant or farmer
You have a seafaring soul
You have a seafaring soul
With the hoe or rudder.

Chorus:

Colindres wields the oar
Colindres hoists the sail
There is no one in the entire world
That can overcome you at sea.

From your royal shipyards
You launched ships and galleons
To a thousand seas
That exalted your men.

Every day at the crack of dawn
The sea calls us to fish
To sea because it is time
To sea because dawn is here.

(Chorus)

The day has come again
Fishermen, the sea is full
Time to leave the estuary
Because the fish await us.

Oh, my beautiful Colindres gal
I ask San Ginés
That I may return with goods from the sea
That I may return with goods from the sea
And come to see you again.

Is anyone else getting choked up? Beautiful!

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Devils and Angels

erik — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:38:13 +0000

One thing having my daughter off on vacation has allowed me to do is pick up the ol’ six string again. Since she was born, I haven’t had much time alone to strum. This morning I finally got around to recording one of my favorite songs I know how to play and sing decently. It’s a song by Toby Lightman called Devils and Angels. I first became aware of the song and of Toby Lightman because Apple and iTunes were giving it some play when it first came out because the video for it (watch my performance first!!) is more or less an advertisement for the first generation iPod.

I’ve changed a pronoun in the song to make more sense coming from a male singer, not that that is always important. I mean, if my lover was cheating on me with a woman, then either I’m in a homosexual relationship and my lover is cheating heterosexually, or I’m in a heterosexual relationship and my lover is cheating homosexually. Either way it’s bizarre, so I’ve changed the pronoun. Coincidentally, this topic came up over drinks the other day, about whether you’d rather find your lover cheating on you with someone the same sex as you or the opposite sex. We concluded that the opposite sex was better because then it would feel less like your fault and more like your lover needed something impossible for you to provide. But I digress…

The main reason I love this song is for the initial chord sequence. I hope you like it too.

Lyrics

I found out today that you went on a little trip
Somewhere you don’t belong
One of your friends made just a little slip
So I’m taking a little trip of my own

And I’m going to meet you
I’m going to greet you
At her back door as you’re coming out
Why this now?

‘Cause I used to have angels
They used to watch over me
When love was not a stranger
But love ain’t what it used to be
And I don’t want these devils
They’re knocking at my door
So, I can’t love you no more
No more

You might have thought that I would be a little bit lazy
I might not notice, I might not care
But now you’re finding out that I’m a little bit crazy,
And you were the one so unaware

So I’m gonna meet you
I’m gonna greet you
At her back door as you’re coming out
Oh, why this now?

‘Cause I used to have angels
They used to watch over me
When love was not a stranger
But love ain’t what it used to be
And I don’t want these devils
They’re knocking at my door
So, I can’t love you no more
No more

So I’m gonna walk on, walk on
Keep my feet moving on
Walk on, walk on
Keep my feet moving on
Walk on, walk on

‘Cause I used to have angels
They used to watch over me
When love was not a stranger
But love ain’t what it used to be
And I don’t want these devils
They’re knocking at my door
So, I can’t love you no more
No more

Here’s Toby doing her acoustic version. Even though she does miss the opportunity to roll her eyes like a crazy person on that one line, it’s pretty clear which one of us deserves the recording contract.

Thanks for a great song, Toby.

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