I like reading People Magazine, which I get out from our local library from time. In a recent issue there was an article about the singer Maureen McGovern, famed for her hit song "The Morning After" from the movie The Poseidon Adventure. I have to admit that I was never a fan of the song (maybe one of the few who didn't like it) but I am a fan of Ms. McGovern and her voice.
In 2022, McGovern announced she was suffering from posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) and was showing symptoms of Alzheimer's (she first started showing these symptoms was in 2018, when she started to struggle with familiar song lyrics). She has had to retire from live performing.
The recent article in People concentrated on how the 73 year old singer was coping. It also discussed how McGovern would interact with communities where she was performing, visiting (with no publicity) hospitals, hospices, and prisons.
It brought back memories, and here is a blog post where I wrote about her in 2011, after floods devastated portion of the neighborhood I've lived in for years. The newspaper article my original blog post linked to is gone but the memory remains.
I didn't get to meet her, but I wish her the best.
May the coming years be good to Maureen McGovern.
The Glamour of Ordinary (October 2011)
Last Saturday, singer Maureen McGovern (of "The Morning After" fame) visited my neighborhood. She was in town to give a concert. She was here because, after our floods in September, a fan contacted her and asked her to come.
What a class act. She came because a fan asked her to come. We needed her.
And not only that, but she toured the flood-affected neighborhoods. She just didn't breeze into town, perform, and leave. She came, not looking like a glamour photo, but as herself. Just like someone you might find at your water aerobics class, or at the grocery. She spent time with someone whose life was turned totally upside down on September 8.
Look in a dictionary for the definition of glamour: Maureen McGovern, you don't have to make yourself up. You are special just the way you are.
| Glamour (noun) |
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It’s sad that she’s too sick to perform. But yes, what she did for your neighborhood was wonderful
ReplyDelete...I recognize her name, but that's about it.
ReplyDeleteI love how songs can speak to us individually, take on our own meaning.
ReplyDeleteI'm also one of those who dislikes much beloved songs. I don't know the song you reference off the top of my head, but I probably have heard it. (Did you know that you can subscribe to People online and get links to articles? It's the online edition, and it doesn't cost anything.)
ReplyDeleteHer voice is earthy and beautiful
ReplyDeleteOh, my, no, I never liked that song! I now have to go turn on some music to get it out of my head! It sounds like she's one of the few celebrities who are "real" people and care. Or, maybe more are, we just don't hear about them, because they don't have cameras following them!
ReplyDeleteI forgot about her.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
Am I the only one who has no knowledge of her or the song?
ReplyDeleteThe scourge of Alzheimer's continues to take its toll.
ReplyDelete