I once played a kind of a trick at an open mic. Up in front of a room and I said:
‘In the 1960s Bob Dylan – called the writer of the next song I’m going to play – the USA’s greatest living poet.’
It was a modern music educated audience. There were calls:
‘Leonard Cohen?’
‘Joni Mitchell?’
I beg their forgiveness across the years as I remember how I started playing the simple and cute ‘You Really Got a Hold On Me’ a Smokey Robinson song.
It amused me – when I read, that – how during the 1960s Dylan claimed Smokey Robinson as the greatest living poet.
Did Mr Bob Dylan really believe it? I figured he probably did. I figured it would generally be thought of as unthinkable by a Bob Dylan audience – would confound their ideas – which is what makes me dub my question ‘a kind of a trick’.
Mr Dylan Did Write Love Songs
Bob Dylan always knew what really makes the sane world go round. From the beginning he spoke about his emotional life with regard to a significant other.
Perhaps he heard the spirit in Smokey R’s recordings and recognised someone who just got things so right.
For myself- for this is about me – a love song – Fly Me To The Moon – is a song I one day realised I really liked – after realising – I sang it to myself whenever I was especially in a holiday humour. ‘Yup’ I thought ‘I must like it on a deep – almost subconscious level’.
Covid lockdown found me spending time with the guitar – and in the above realisation – I looked at the song and wondered could I do it on a guitar. Could it be made to work?
The best known version – Sinatra pattern – is big band. That big sound does a lot of work. There’re two verses – then big musical break – works-as-bridge – then closing verse.
With just a guitar, my level of guitar, I couldn’t go anywhere near the standard version, which meant, repeating verses – which I didn’t want to do.
So I got the Bic out and scribbled to try and find a way to add a verse to make a through-line.
Finished version I’ve added a verse – and altered the existing verses to make it a more inclusive love song. Rather than it just being a – satisfy me – thing.
e,g: ‘Fill my heart with love …’ has become ‘Let both our hearts be full …’
I’ve given it a ‘songy’ ending. Sinatra version works with the big band to end.
Sometimes when I play it, I get the feeling it’s a got a touch of the chansons (French, life real) about it.
Think that feeling, makes me think – it works. Am planning to play it pretty soon, so will find out.
1 Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
In other words take my hand
In other words lady kiss me
2 So let’s try out for joy in our hearts a song store
You are all I live for all I worship and adore
In other words let’s both be true
In other words – if we do we could find love – us two
3 Yes let’s strike out let’s leave all the greyness behind
Looking for a place, with just love in mind
In other words let’s make this time
In other words faith in each other we’ll find
4 Yeah let both our hearts be full and let us sing for ever more
World is calling out for us to get wise and explore
In other words let’s keep the true
In other words – let us both grow
In other words – let us both know
In other words – let us both feel
I,
love,
you
P. S: song was originally named, – by its composer, Bart Howard Gayle: ‘In Other Words’
jmark1234 