Saturday 20 December 2014

Uke-Song, An Airline Saga: MACADAMIAS

POST #61
PARODY-LYRICS
ORIGINAL SONG: "Desperado", The Eagles, 1973.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, December 2014.

EXPLANATORY NOTE: 
On December 5, 2014 at JFK Airport,  Korean Air Flight 86 to Seoul returned to the gate before take-off. An executive vice president, also the daughter of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho, had demanded the removal of a crew member from a flight for failing to serve macadamia nuts in a ramikin, rather than in a bag.
This episode provoked outrage concerning the ongoing role of the chaebol or family conglomerate in South Korean society. The CEO later appeared on television to apologize, announcing the dismissal of his daughter from further roles within the company.
















MACADAMIAS

         D       D7                      G                    Gm 
Macadamias, when they get served before take-off,
          D                         Bm                        E7              A7
It’s a breach you can’t  shake off -  in the bag’s a disgrace.
                D          D7
Flight procedure - 
                    G                            Gm 
I know that you’ve checked the entry,
      D           Bm
So do it correctly or
      Em            D 
I’ll surely lose face.

             Bm                     F#m
Don’t offend the Inflight Service Veep
       G                  D  
(Perhaps a tad unstable),
       Bm       G                 D       A
The CEO of airline is my Dad.
                 Bm                      F#m
Now your manual lists how first-class snacks
                 G                       D
Should be laid out on tray-tables -
               Bm                E7                     Em7  A7
But your short-cut variations make me mad.

                D             D7      G                       Gm 
Desp’rate outburst? No, it ain’t ‘cause I’m thirsty,
       D                       Bm
I’m pained that this purser
             E7            A7 
Won’t obey protocol.
        D        D7                 G                Gm  
And cockpit,  the cockpit follows my orders,
              D            Bm
We’re delaying departure
                 Em           D 
Have them radio Control.


             Bm                  F#m
Though Daddy might apologize
         G                          D 
If he feels this action’s not too wise,
           Bm                 G                         D    A
We all must keep respect for Cho chaebol   
          Bm                 F#m 
You’ll lose access to KA flights,
            G                           D                    Em7    A7
It ain’t funny, you’ll need days to get to Seoul.

         D       D7                      G                     Gm  
Macadamias, when they get snarfed on the runway,
            D            Bm                 E7                 A7        
There’s only the one way, the bag just ain’t right. 
                D            D7               G                    Gm  
It may be ‘nutrage’, but as the Airline’s chief nutcase, 
            D                      Bm 
And as Korean Airlines heiress,
        G                   Bm
The airline-chief’s heiress,
            D                      Bm
And as Korean Airlines heiress,
       Em         A7   D  
I’m aborting this flight.


ORIGINAL SONG-LYRICS






























Sunday 14 December 2014

Uke-Song, Carolina - A Redawning (parody medley)

POST #60
PASTICHE with PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG#1: Buona Sera, Louis Prima
ORIGINAL SONG#2: Carolina in the Morning, Al Jolson
ORIGINAL SONG#3: Mona Lisa, Nat King Cole
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, December 2014.



Notes: 
1) This trio of substituted parody lyrics can be thought of as a parody-medley or parodley 
2) The pacing for the first song works much better when "Capri" is pronounced Italian style with the accent on the first syllable. 



BUONA SERA  

(to the tune of "CAROLINA IN THE MORNING")

What could make me keener than to kiss you, signorina, ‘Buona sera’ ?
Say goodbyes to Napoli and magic Isle of Capri, ‘Buona sera’
Where the mist-clad mountains wrap around the shore,
Sheltering village fountains we snap as we explore.

Strolling with my ‘bella’, I’m a hell’va lucky fella, signorina
But jewellery shops are tourist traps, and credit card got stuck in bank 
machin’a
If I had a stash of cash – a lot more euros,
We’d linger over dinner, and here’s what I’d propose:
Let's spring'a for that wedding ring'a, after doing traveling, signori-i-na. 


MONA LISA

 (to the tune of "BUONA SERA")

   
Are you snickering? Mona Lisa, men are asking -
La Gioconda – playful name for family;
But it’s hard for us to question L. da Vinci,
When that old guy died so long ago in Italy.

Are you smiling, Mona Lisa, to tempt lovers?
Or are you puffed with child and have your little laugh?
But from art critics we get speculating theory;
Leonardo’s face and yours – please, I get weary!

In the meantime, we’ll just view you in the Louvre,
Hang on in there, Mona Lisa, keep up the smile.
Hang on in there, Mona Lisa, keep up the smile!


CAROLINA IN THE MORNING 

(to the tune of "MONA LISA")

Carolina - it's much finer, in the morning,
Like my sweetie when I greet her before noon;
Where the vines so fine entwine around her doorstep,
I'd prefer to slide inside into her room.

I feel butterflies all flutter up, can’t ask her,
 Shall we stay and kiss your buttercup at dawn?
If I just had the lamp of Aladdin,
I would stay there, and just play there.
Are you wanting to stroll, whirly girlie,
Out where there’s pearly early dew upon the lawn?

Are you wanting to stroll, whirly girlie,
Out where there’s pearly early dew upon the lawn?
Squirrelly girlie, squirrelly gir-lie.


Performing Notes

GM7 = 0222; G6 = 0202; G#dim7; E5+7 = 1203; Am7 = 0000; Am6 = 2423;
C#dim7 = 0101/3434; D7+5 = 3223; Dm7 = 2213 


BUONA SERA  

[G] What could make me [GM7] keener than to [G6] kiss you, signo[G#dim7] rina, ‘Buona [Am7] se[D7]ra’ ?
[Am] Say goodbyes to [E7+5] Napoli and [Am7] magic Isle of [Am6] Capri, ‘Buona [C#dim7] se[G]ra’
[C] Where the mist-clad [G] mountains [C] wrap around the [G] shore, [E7]
[A7] Sheltering village [D] fountains [B7] we [Em] snap as [Am7] we ex[D7]plore. [D7+5]


[G] Strolling with my [Gm7] ‘bella’, I’m a [G6] hell’va lucky [G#dim7] 
fella, signo[Am7]ri[D7]na
But [Am] jewellery shops are [E7+5] tourist traps, and [Am7] credit card got stuck [Am6] in bank ma[C#dim7]chi[G]n'a 
[G] If I had a stash of cash – a [Dm7] lot more eu[G7]ros,
We’d [C] linger over dinner, and here’s [A7] what I’d pro[D7]pose:
Let's [G] spring'a for that [Em] wedding ring'a, [G] after doing [Em] travelling, signo[A7]ri-[D7]i-i[G]na. 





MONA LISA

 (to the tune of "BUONA SERA")

              G                         G6                  G        G6           
Are you snickering? Mona Lisa, men are asking -
          G                       G6                D    D7
La Gioconda – playful name for family;
            D                     D7                  D      D7
But it’s hard for us to question L. da Vinci,
                 D                       D7               G  G6      
When that old guy died so long ago in Italy.

             G                    G6                  G          G6
Are you smiling, Mona Lisa, to tempt lovers?
                  G                               G7                    C
Or are you puffed with child and have your little laugh?
                    Cm                                   G          G6
But from art critics we get speculating theory;
      D                        D7                         G           G6  
Leonardo’s face and yours – please, I get weary!

           G                              G7                    C         A7
In the meantime, we’ll just view you in the Louvre,
              G                      D7                       G    G6
Hang on in there, Mona Lisa, keep up the smile.
              D                     D7                       G    
Hang on in there, Mona Lisa, keep up the smile!


CAROLINA IN THE MORNING 

(to the tune of "MONA LISA")

        G                     GM7             G6         GM7
Carolina - it's much finer, in the morning,
             G                                                 D7 
Like my sweetie when I greet her before noon;
                 Am                     E7+5                   Am7       D7
Where the vines so fine entwine around her doorstep,
        Am                D7               G      G6   
I'd prefer to slide inside into her room.

         G                   GM7                   G6      GM7
I feel butterflies all flutter up, can’t ask her,
              G                          G7                 C      
Shall we stay and kiss your buttercup at dawn?
       Cm                              G
If I just had the lamp of Aladdin,
 G#dim      D7                          G           G7 
   I would stay there, and just play there.
              C               C#dim            G       G#dim
Are you wanting to stroll, whirly girlie,
                             Am7             D7                  G     G7 
Out where there’s pearly early dew upon the lawn?

              C               C#dim        G       G#dim
Are you wanting to stroll, whirly girlie,
                             Am7             D7                 G    G7 
Out where there’s pearly early dew upon the lawn?
               Cm D7  Am        D7 G
Squirrelly girlie, squirrelly gir-lie.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Uke-Song, Gordon Lightfoot sings the Shakesearean solioloquy "WRECK of the DANISH ROYALTY"



POST #55
PASTICHE with PARODY-LYRICS
ORIGINAL POEM:  Hamlet's Soliloquy, Act iii, Shakespeare's "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", 1600.
ORIGINAL SONG: "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", 1976 by Gordon Lightfoot, used primarily for music and meter.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, 2014.

KEYWORDS: classics, poetry, pastiche, goldenoldy

See an earlier collaboration of G. Lightfoot and W. Shakespeare in a post of Nov 22 on this blog. 

Now suppose Lightfoot sang Hamlet's most famous soliloquy........... 

Ken Branagh as Hamlet ponders man's fate

RE-WRITE OF THE HAMLET SOLILOQUY

(to the tune of "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald")

The question is …… Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer,
 Fate’s arrows and stings so outrageous
 Or to be, and take arms against troubling seas,
 And oppose them with action courageous?


To die, not to be; it's just sleep, possibly
- An escape from heart-aches flesh is heir to -
All quiet past that portal, where no longer mortal
- consummation we offer a prayer to.


To die, to sleep, perchance to dream; there’s the rub;
For death’s dreams may provoke dissolution;
And the puzzling dread of that something when you’re dead
Discolours our strong resolution.  


With dagger that’s naked we’d easily make it
To that land whence no traveller’s recovered.
But that puzzles our wills, rather bear our known ills
Than fly off to others undiscovered. 


Explaining persistence of troubled existence,
For Time’s whips and scorns, who would bear’em? 
The haughty, oppressors, and rejecting lovers -
The wrongs and the spurns they don’t spare’em.

And who would bear "fardels" - whatever those are -  
With a life grimy, sweaty and weary, 
Hauling tons of iron ore to the desolate shore
Of that low-lying lake some deem eerie? 

Yet there’s puzzling dread of that thing when you’re dead 
And the pale cast of thought which can sicken,
Enterprise of great moment and pith turns awry          
And thus conscience makes all of us chicken. 

The question lives on …… When the chips are all down,
To bear outrageous fate so much drearier?
Or to be, and take arms against troubling seas,
|And oppose them with action superior?|X2



The Fitzgerald in Nov '75, just prior to the shipwreck

Performing Notes: 

The chord pattern is the same for all verses.
Gsus2=0230;  Asus(4)=2200

INTRO: |Gsus2/D/ Asus| x2

The [Asus]question is …… [Em]Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer,
Fate’s [G]arrows and [D]stings so out[A]rageous
Or to [A]be, and take arms against [Em]troubling seas,
And op[G]pose them with [D]action cou[A]rageous?
    
To [Asus]die, not to be; it's just [Em]sleep, possibly
An es[G]cape from heart-[D]-aches flesh is [A] heir to -
All [A]quiet past that portal, where [Em] no longer mortal
- consum[G]mation we [D]offer a [A]prayer to.

et cetera..


Compare with Lightfoot's original.......

The [Asus] legend lives on from the [Em] Chippewa on down
Of the [G] big lake they [D] call Gitche [A] Gumee [Asus]
The [A] lake, it is said, never [Em] gives up her dead
When the [G] skies of No[D]vember turn [A] gloomy. [Asus]