Sunday, 29 June 2025

Uke-Song: "UKULELÍ, UKULELÁ", an anachronistic anecdote (+ volcanic palindromes).


PARODY-LYRICS
ORIGINAL SONG: "Funiculi, Funicula" , Luigi Denza, 1880.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, February 2013. 

PARODY-LYRICS LINK: To return to the corresponding post on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" (and to see the lyrics without the chord-chart indications) click HERE



This mostly-true story has 3 characters - the volcano itself, Vesuvius, which dominates the Bay of Naples, and 2 music composers. Luigi Denza wrote hundreds of songs, mostly in Neapolitan, including this smash hit composed for the opening of the funicular in 1880.  Richard Strauss lived in Munich; after visiting Naples in 1887 as a young man, he incorporated the tune into a symphonic work aus Italien, which was poorly received by critics. Later he became famous for symphonic tone-poems including Thus Spake Zarathustra,  the theme for 2001: A Space Odyssey, and modern operas - der Rosenkavalier, Elektra
The fanciful existence of ukuleles in Europe in the 19th century is an anachronism; hence, the song was initially titled Anacroni, Anacrona. 














UKULELÍ, UKULELÁ

(to the tune of "Funiculi, Funicula")
     
 INTRO: ’Ncoppa jammo ja’, ukulelí, ukulelá.






















Volcanodromes (Palindromes dealing with volcanoes): 


Point of information: Etna, Stomboli and Vesuvio are the 3 major active volcanoes in Italy)

No lava ! Not on Avalon !

Foo! hot Ava, lava to hoof.


A red lac, red nice cinder, caldera.   (lac is a red dye obtained as a byproduct of processing shellac)

Ante-time; I am game. Magma I emit. Etna.


I lob morts. Stromboli   (mort is French for dead-man, cadaver)

O! I'v U severe. Pere Vesuvio.


Tessa's in Italy - Latin is asset. 

Mt (A)etna June, 2014 










Performing notes


Intro: ’N[Bb]coppa jammo [F] ja’, ukule[C7]lí, ukule[F].


One [F] day, while Strauss was tramming up Vesuvius,He [C] heard a [F] song, a [C] catchy [F] song.
And [F] as he’d brought along his uke and notebook,
He [C] wrote it [F] down, then [C] strummed a[F]long.
He [Am] gave the [E7] borrowed [Am] pencil [E7] back to [Am] Denza,
With [E7] whom he [Am] jammed, as [E7] up they [Am] swayed.
And [C] as the [G] active [C] crater [G] hissed and [C] rumbled,
 Strauss [G] missed him [C] mumble, a[G7]bove Pom[C]pei.
   
(Denza sang)……
[C7]“ Copy-, copy-, copyright is mine,
Specific terms the sanctioned use de[F]fine.
While jamming [A] here is gen’rally [Dm] fine,
While jamming [A7] here is gen’rally [Dm] fine,
[Bb] Legal friends o[F]pine, Vesuvius - [C7] , but Munich - [F] Nein  ”.
.....
.....


  
Outro: ’N[Bb]coppa jammo [F] ja’, ukule[C7]lí, ukule[F].


ORIGINAL SONG-LYRICS

Click directly on any slide to view the thumbnails at the bottom of the page.  You can then use them to easily go back and forth between the parody-version and the original lyrics.

Thursday, 19 June 2025

Uke-Song: " X66X" -- a bidirectional re-exploration of 'Route 66'


PARODY-LYRICS consisting of PALINDROMES
ORIGINAL SONG: "Route 66", written by Bobby Troup, 1946, performed by Nat King Cole, covered by Perry Como, Chuck Berry, Bing Crosby, Rolling Stones, The Manhattan Transfer, John Mayer etc.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, March 2014.

PARODY-LYRICS LINK: To return to the corresponding post on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" (and to see the lyrics without the chord-chart indications) click HERE



Palindromes are highlighted here in green font and italicized (Warning! Some of these contain adult material). A tip of the hat to Weird Al Yankovic who invented the concept of singable palindromes with his spoof "Bob". See also my previously posted palindrome-song "Gnats Stang; Gnus Sung" , and various other posts highlighting palindromes.
 

John Mayer's rollicking version of the original song is found on YouTube HERE.



X66X  

(to the tune of "Route 66")


If you're the type not vexed by 'Joy of Lex',

Get your fix by fax or telex or Express.

The best letter is rated 'XX'.

It's boxed in the slot before 'Y',

Sly x-axis, it seldom rides high,

Best letter is rated 'XX'.   


Now there's, No 'x' in Nixon

No 'xx' - Exxon

No 'x' Al, knit on; toot no tin klaxon

"Laid Fixes" - sex, if dial

Max. esteem meets exam

Sex-aware era waxes

Six axons, no x-axis.

Mix a maxim. No 'x' - a Saxon.
The Bible of word-play


Just flex to the nexus of this text,

Your next exit past Texas and New Mex,

Best letter is rated 'XX'.

The best jest is  "Xerox, O Rex."

Best letter is rated 'XX'.


        
Not 'UF', not on futon!

No 'yarn' in rayon

Un nu?  No! it's a bare-era bastion

Lapse - porno on ropes, pal

Llama - nix in a mall

Sex at my gym taxes

Six at my gym? Taxis!

Sod-lid dildos. Sex-elf flexes.
   

Get relaxed with the moxie of this text,

More exotic than Texas or New Mex,

The letter that ends "Joy of Lex".

That letter is rated 'XX'.

The best letter is rated 'XX'.





Puzzling palindrome,used in Weird Al's song "Bob"


Link between 'x' and NO




















The original XX rating
Self-promoted X+ rating











Performing Notes

C9 = 0201; G6 = 0202

Intro: D7, C9, G6, D7 

If [G6] you're the type not [C9] vexed by "Joy of [G6]  Lex", [G7]
Get your [C9] fix by fax or telex or Ex[G6]press
The best [D7] letter is [C9] rated 'X[G6]X'. [G7]
It's [G6] boxed in the [C9] slot before [G6] 'Y', [G7]
Sly x-[C9]axis, it seldom rides [G6] high,
Best [D7]  letter is [C9] rated 'X[G6] X'. [D7!]   

               
Now there's, [G6!]No 'x' in Nixon
[G6!] No 'xx' - Exxon
[G6!]No 'x' Al, knit on; toot [G7] no tin klaxon
[C9]"Laid Fixes" - sex, if dial
[C6] Max. esteem meets exam
Sex-a[D7]ware era waxes
Six [C9] axons, no x-axis.
[G6] Mix a maxim. [D7] No 'x' - a Saxon.



ORIGINAL SONG-LYRICS

Click directly on any slide to view the thumbnails at the bottom of the page.  You can then use them to easily go back and forth between the parody-version and the original lyrics.






Adage of the week:  (Egad! an adage!) 


English is simple:  flax, flex, flicks, phlox, flux.   GioLio




W-I-P points :
v2 L3; No k in Nikon??






Monday, 9 June 2025

Uke-Song: "R-I-C-E" (rest, ice, compression,elevation) -- a seniors' sports injury ballad





PARODY-LYRICS
ORIGINAL SONG: "YMCA" Village People, 1978.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, April 2014.

PARODY-LYRICS LINK: To return to the corresponding post on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" (and to see the lyrics without the chord-chart indications) click HERE
(You can also view the lyrics and commentary (without images or chords, at the  parody-lyrics site where they were originally posted online)  at AmIRight.com Post"R-I-C-E"









RICE is a mnemonic for 4 elements used to treat soft-tissue and other injuries.



R-I-C-E            
          
(to the tune of "Y-M-C-A")



UKULELE-FRIENDLY FORMAT
(Click on any chord-chart slide to move to 'song-presentation mode'; then navigate through thumbnails at bottom of page.)