Klarinet Archive - Posting 000055.txt from 2005/05

From: "Zornow, Claudia" <claudia.zornow@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] blue birds
Date: Tue, 03 May 2005 13:14:57 -0400

Rien Stein wrote:

> One of the songs made very popular by Vera Lynn was called "The white cliffs
> of Dover". It was so popular that many singers had it recorded, also after
> the war, I remember a very beautiful recording by Jim Reeves. The refrain of
> this songs begins with the words "There'll be bluebirds over / the white
> cliffs of Dover". These white cliffs of Dover are all right. But as to my
> knowledge a blue bird is a songbird that only occur in the USA and Canada!
> Most song writers simply are not ornithologists.

An anecdote about a similar instance of lyrical imprecision (not verified,
but I've heard it several times):

One April, a friend of Vernon Duke's, inspired by his famous song "April
in Paris," decided to spend the month there. The weather was terrible.
Upon his return, the traveler complained at great length about his
disappointing trip. "Whatever made you go to Paris in April?" Duke
asked. "The weather is always terrible then." "I went because of your
song!" the friend cried. "Ah," the composer replied apologetically,
"Well, we really meant May, but the rhythm required two syllables."

Claudia

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