Welcome to October, or, as some say, "Rocktober". It's time for Music Moves Me!
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please!) Our head hostess is Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, and she is joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and (last but not least) me.
Why not join our music loving folks? It's so easy. All you have to do is
join the linky above with a music post that contains at least one music
video (there must be a music video or your post will be subject to removal or labeling "No Music").That's all it takes!
Each month, except December, we have a guest host. For October we are going to have three guest hosts, each contributing one theme. The other two weeks (next week is the first one) will be "You Pick" where anything goes.
Today's guest host is Sandee of Comedy Plus, and she has picked as our theme: "October is the month of bounty. You can use similar words such as harvest, plentiful, blessings. Don't limit yourself...you can use song titles, names of groups...."
This is the song that immediately came to mind. The harvest moon is the full moon in September, which is the harvest season in this part of the Northern Hemisphere. The moon rises right after sunset and is so bright that farmers can work through much of the night doing their harvest.
Shine on Harvest Moon, sung by Ruth Etting in 1931. OK, it is more about wooing (remember that word?) than harvesting, but I'm sticking with this song. I remember it well from my childhood.
We have farmers to thank for our food, and we should be grateful to all those who grow our food. Many years, farmers walk a fine line between a a harvest and bankruptcy. We've lost so many of our family farms since my early childhood. Here's John Mellencamp's "Rain on the Scarecrow" from 1985.
Have you thanked a farmer recently?
"Harvest for the World" was a 1976 song written (in part) and performed by The Isley Brothers. I was originally going to feature the cover by The Power Station but decided to have a mini battle of the bands.
Here's the 1985 cover by supergroup The Power Station, comprising of several lineups including Robert Palmer and some members of Duran Duran. They had various hits/covers including Some Like It Hot, Let's Get it On and Get It On (Bang a Gong).
Many songs about the harvest are hymns or, if not, have definite religious meanings. One such is "Come Harvest Time", sung by Glen Campbell.
And last, but not least....
Sukkot is one of several major Jewish festivals. Part of its purpose is that of an agricultural harvest festival. This year it will run from sundown, October 9 to the evening of October 16.
I should explain that religious Jews who can, build a temporary "booth" where they take meals with family and friends (and some live) during the holiday. The booths are decorated with harvest foods that are considered symbolic, along with lights and more modern decorations such as pumpkins and gourds. I have a fond childhood memory of eating pomegranates at this time, a fruit that wasn't that well known in the greater American community of the 50's and early 60's.
The Shaking the Lulav ceremony, as this song parody explains, is a ceremonial shaking of a bouquet consisting of palm, myrtle and willow branches while also holding a citron fruit. I remember, in certain neighborhoods of my native New York City, these being sold on streetcorners. Each set of three shakes has a special meaning. This shaking act sends out a blessing to our entire world.
And that is a bountiful harvest wrap!
Thanks go to Curious as a Cathy, who has been keeping this running in our founder Xmas Dolly's absence.
Join me again next week, same time, same place, for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Love Isley brothers! Thank you for keeping me informed!
ReplyDeleteAlana,
ReplyDeleteYour reference of your home NYC reminds me of our trip to Maine last month. That Google just about never let us out of that city. We sort of like glance the edge of the Big Apple but it's always a big mistake every single time. Who are we to argue with technology at 2am in the morning and no where to go?! Good grief, it was bumpier to bumpier in places, especially while crossing the George Washington Bridge. Needless to say on the way home we purposely drove out our way to avoid that mess. lol Okay, if I had to vote in your mini BOTB, I'm not sure which artist I would pick. I like the both versions but there's a good chance I would settle on The Isley Brothers since they are the original artists. Great song picks. Have a boogietastic week, my dear!
...once again, I know a few and don't know a few.
ReplyDeleteVery nice playlist, thanks for the dance.
ReplyDeleteChag Sukkot sameach. It’s a great harvest holiday.
ReplyDeleteOne year when my kids were in Hebrew school I bought a Prefabricated Sukkah and we put it in the back yard. We enjoyed the holiday so much that year.
The next year we were too busy to put up the Sukkah. It’s buried in my parents’ garage …
I was trying to listen to Rain on the Scarecrow as I wrote this comment, but blogspot does not play well with me for some reason. But thankfully it let me write. I remember this song so well. I was living in Indiana at the time, and I grew up on a small farm. I also grew to love Mellencamp after he managed to break away from the corporate giant, that had changed his name to Johnny Cougar, and infuse his music with passion, politics, and belief. "Rain on the Scarecrow, blood on the plow." Corporate farming made the small farmer extinct. Thanks for this memory jog.
ReplyDeleteExcellent job with this!
ReplyDeleteI liked Mellencamp and especially liked "Shaking the Lulav." Guess I like the Beach Boys' harmonies enough to like parodies that copy that sound...even Rush Limbaugh's.
ReplyDelete