I would have loved to hear your departed friend sing the song without any musical accompaniment.
As I mentioned earlier: My favourite version of it is one in which the focus is on the intonation and nuances of the singer's voice and not on any musical accompaniment.
I can picture the tearful response your friend evoked in those listening to him sing at funerals.
A common impression of the Irish is that they tend to give free rein to their emotions, I suppose, even at funerals. Perhaps, the haunting effect of the melody that may tend to reinforce this. Just speculating!
Listening to the harp music, no lyrics, makes me inclined to think that this “air” had a a very special source. According to O'Calhan, it came from fairies. Elvis Presley believed it came from angels.
It is 103 years since the release of Danny Boy. The haunting ballad has been recorded by a who's who of iconic musicians including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Bing Crosby.
It was played at services for victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York and at Elvis Presley's memorial. Elvis believed the song was "written by the angels".
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen, and down the mountain side. The summer's gone, and all the roses falling, It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow, Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow, It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,— Danny boy, I love you so!
But if you come, when all the flowers are dying, And I am dead, as dead I well may be, Ye'll come and find the place where I am lying, And kneel and say an "Avé" there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me, And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be, For you will bend and tell me that you love me, and I will sleep in peace until you come to me
Brilliant piece of writing. The vividness of your imagery is outstanding. You are a true artist with words.
There is a primordial relationship that links each of us with Nature and with each other for we are all part of Nature and she is part of us. To me, this is the driving force underlying that journey into a deeper insight or awareness of oneself and our shared humanity.
As the Forbes business information service article states: "...[Osama bin Laden] received military and financial assistance from the intelligence services of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United States."
Do not confuse this with what happened subsequently. That is a different matter.
The internet is loaded with favourable reviews of Karen Carpenter's singing voice:
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN Singer/Close Friend “She was a good friend, a lovely person and very funny. She had the most incredible voice and her death was a big shock to me. I miss her.”
Some other comments: "The greatest voices are not just heard they are felt deep inside and that's what Karen's voice does. She reaches into your soul and brings forth the most exquisite feelings of innocence, longing, regret, hope, vulnerability and does it in a quiet soothing way."
"Karen Carpenter had a quality to her voice that no one can lay claim to. So expressive and lush with a deep and soulfull sophistication- while at the same time sounding casual and effortless. When she hits those deep notes such as can be heard in the word "down" on Rainy Days and Mondays always get me DOWN that you become forever floored."
"Listening to the yearning in her voice, the perfect intonation and the "presence" of her voice, sends chills down your spine just about each and every time."
Yes, municipal drinking water treatment has helped in the purification of water for use by the public.
However, in some cases, certain companies have dumped their industrial waste in natural water supplies like rivers and lakes, thereby putting at risk, the health of those who rely on such sources of water for drinking.
The film, "Erin Brokovich", which I mentioned, deals with this issue.
I also fear for those whose water sources have been contaminated, subjecting them to various illnesses like cancer, etc., mainly due to the action of those industries whose chief concern is maximization of their profits.
I saw the film, Erin Brockovich, With Julia Roberts, recently.
The film is a dramatization of the true story of Erin Brockovich, portrayed by Julia Roberts, who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
Several residents of Hinckley, a town in California, suffered serious health problems, including cancer, due to hexavalent chromium poisoning of their ground water supply by the company.
Just as oil played a significant role in global geopolitics in the last century, water is more than likely to play a similar role in the current century.
online today!socrates44 Blog Comments (1,088)
Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)
EarthheartThanks for your comment.
(I think you made a slight typo: should have been 1960s)
I concur with your assessment of Johnny Mathis singing.
He is my favourite singer.
My favourite song by him is "The Twelfth Of Never".