In this clip from the 1946 film The Jolson Story, actor Larry Parks lip-synchs “April Showers” to the voice of Al Jolson (1886-1950). With music by Louis Silvers and lyrics by B. G. De Sylva, the song was introduced by Jolson in the 1921 Broadway musical Bombo, and became known as the showman’s trademark. (Source: wikipedia.org)
BEIN’ GREEN
by Joe Raposo
It’s not easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow, or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
It’s not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
‘Cause you’re not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green’s the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like a mountain
Or important like a river
Or tall like a tree
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why
But why wonder why wonder
I am green, and it’ll do fine
It’s beautiful, and I think it’s what I want to be
***
Listen to Kermit the Frog sing the beautiful, bittersweet “Bein’ Green” here. Written by Joe Raposo in 1970, “Bein’ Green” has been covered by music royalty, including Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Van Morrison, Tony Bennett, and Ray Charles.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joe Raposo (1937–1989) was a composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children’s television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as “Bein’ Green” and “C is for Cookie.” He also wrote music for television shows such as The Electric Company, Shining Time Station and the sitcoms Three’s Company and The Ropers, including their theme songs. (Read more at wikipedia.org.)
When Christmas in the Heart — an album of Christmas tunes sung by Bob Dylan — was released in 2009, I played samples of the songs from Amazon.com over the phone to my mother. She summed up Dylan’s effort, saying, “All the songs sound alike.” (I have to agree.)
As a mega Dylan fan, I enjoy Christmas in the Heart — mainly because I think it’s so funny. With a traditional choir backing him, Dylan sounds…well, the sound is indescribable.
In honor of Silver Birch Press, I’ve chosen “Silver Bells” as the musical selection — listen to a sample here.
The 15-song album also includes:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Little Drummer Boy
O Come All Ye Faithful
The First Noel
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Christmas in the Heart is available at Amazon.com, where you can listen to samples of all the songs.
Note: Bob Dylan donates his royalties from Christmas in the Heart to several charities, including Feeding America.
On April 17, 2013, John Densmore — best known as drummer for The Doors — released The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial, a memoir about his extended legal battle with bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger over the right to use the name “The Doors.”
OFFICIAL OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK: The subject of The Doors Unhinged is the “greed gene”, and how that part of the human psyche propels us toward the accumulation of more and more wealth, even at the expense of our principles and friendships and the well being of society. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, The Doors fractured because of this. In his book, drummer John Densmore looks at the conflict between him and his band mates as they fought over the right to use The Doors’ name. At the same time, Densmore examines how this conflict mirrors and reflects a much larger societal issue — that no amount of money seems to be enough for even the wealthiest people.
OUR THOUGHTS: When The Doors started out in 1965, the bandmates decided to share everything equally — and give everyone equal credit. That meant that no matter who had written a song, the credit line would read: The Doors. This has always struck me as smart — and a way of making sure that everybody stayed involved and felt appreciated, because everybody was making the same amount of money.
But after frontman/rock god Jim Morrison died in 1971, the three remaining bandmates couldn’t agree about how and when to use The Doors’ music and name, with Densmore as the holdout when it came to selling out (especially when it came to using their songs for advertising). All hail, John Densmore!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: An original and founding member of the musical group The Doors, John Densmore co-wrote and produced numerous gold and platinum albums and toured the United States, Europe, and Japan. His autobiography, Riders on the Storm, was on the New York Times bestseller list, and in 1993 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has written numerous articles for Rolling Stone, London Guardian, The Nation, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, and Utne Reader. He co-produced Road To Return, narrated by Tim Robbins — a film that won several prestigious national awards and was screened for Congress, resulting in the writing of a bill. He also executive produced Juvies, a film narrated by Mark Wahlberg that aired on HBO and won numerous awards, including 2004 IDA for excellence and U.S. International Film Fest for creative excellence.
Joan Jobe Smith (pictured in June 2013 with John Densmore) — author of the Silver Birch Press Release CHARLES BUKOWSKI EPIC GLOTTIS: His Art, His Women (& me) — was a go-go dancer for seven years and in 1966 danced live with The Doors at Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
Smith and her husband, poet Fred Voss (pictured at left with John Densmore) — a longtime avid fan of The Doors — attended a book signing on June 1, 2013 at Fingerprints, a record store in Long Beach, California, where they waited in line with hundred of other fans for a chance to meet Densmore and hear about his book. The reading was originally planned for late May, but Densmore rescheduled out of respect for his bandmate Ray Manzarek, who passed away on May 20, 2013 at age 74.
Like Fred Voss, I am a longtime, avid fan of The Doors — and I can’t wait to read The Doors Unhinged (great title!), available at Amazon.com.
Photos by Fred Voss and Joan Jobe Smith
BEIN’ GREEN
by Joe Raposo
It’s not easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow, or gold
Or something much more colorful like that
It’s not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over
‘Cause you’re not standing out
Like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky
But green’s the color of spring
And green can be cool and friendly-like
And green can be big like a mountain
Or important like a river
Or tall like a tree
When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why
But why wonder why wonder
I am green, and it’ll do fine
It’s beautiful, and I think it’s what I want to be
###
Listen to Kermit the Frog sing the beautiful, bittersweet “Bein’ Green” here. Written by Joe Raposo in 1970, “Bein’ Green” has been covered by music royalty, including Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Van Morrison, Tony Bennett, and Ray Charles.
Silver Birch Press 