GEO ON MY MIND
How times flies — basketball season is back. The National Basketball Association began play yesterday, with college basketball to follow shortly. But, for the season opener (Oct. 19) which leads to this post, we have the Harlem Globetrotters, whose famous theme song is the Sweet G song which gets our ‘girl’s-names-starting-with-G-songs’ ball bouncing:
Next, let’s go with this contemporary take-off on a 1937 Count Basie/Jimmy Rushing hit:
Sensing a Geo-centric pattern here? This (from ALFIE, 1966) is the new girl of the bunch:
Last, but no less ‘Geo,’ we have this all-time standard sung by the composer as it should be sung (not that others haven’t done it equal justice in their own way):
NOTE: Sorry about eclipsing my usual limit of three clips per post, but all four songs rose to the level I was seeking in this ‘Geo-desy,’ and I couldn’t bring myself to drop one.
The Observation Post 
Garfield Hug 8:27 am on October 18, 2017 Permalink |
Thanks for sharing the tunes😃
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mistermuse 8:33 am on October 18, 2017 Permalink |
Geo-literally my pleasure!
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arekhill1 3:43 pm on October 18, 2017 Permalink |
The Ray Charles version of “Georgia on My Mind” is the only one that counts, Sr.Muse.
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mistermuse 6:07 pm on October 18, 2017 Permalink |
Can’t argue with that, Ricardo (but then I wouldn’t argue with several other versions, including Hoagy’s).
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linnetmoss 6:04 am on October 19, 2017 Permalink |
I went to school in Georgia, so I appreciated these 🙂
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mistermuse 8:26 am on October 19, 2017 Permalink |
Linnet, in your honor, I offer another GEORGIA song (you probably went to another Georgia school, but I don’t know any other Georgia school songs). 🙂
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linnetmoss 6:14 am on October 20, 2017 Permalink
Darn, could not get the link to work, was it the fight song for University of Georgia? I went to two smaller schools in Macon, Wesleyan and Mercer U.
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mistermuse 7:49 am on October 20, 2017 Permalink
Linnet, sorry about the ‘missing’ link — it was the famous RAMBLIN’ WRECK FROM GEORGIA TECH. 🙂
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Don Frankel 8:04 am on October 19, 2017 Permalink |
Great picks with Ella and Hoagy Carmichael. Sweet Georgia Brown is usually played as an instrumental and I imagine it’s very hard to sing well. Most people would think of Ray Charles but I like going back in time there.
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mistermuse 8:45 am on October 19, 2017 Permalink |
Don, I think Ella sings Sweet Georgia Brown as well as it can be sung (if you’re into jazz/scat singing). Even as great a vocalist as Billie Holiday couldn’t have sung this one as well because it wasn’t her style. As for Ray Charles, I love his take on Georgia On My Mind, but I chose Hoagy’s version because I too like going back in time to the year it was composed and the way the composer sang it.
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Don Frankel 3:10 pm on October 19, 2017 Permalink |
Muse you’re right about Ella being the best on this. I got interested and looked up various people singing Sweet Georgia Brown, Some of it was interesting, like Bing Crosby sang it many years ago in what sounded like a rag town band if I that’s what it was. I wasn’t sure.. Then there were other people singing it as some bit from a TV Variety Show like Nancy Sinatra. Nothing wrong there it’s a great song but there was nothing memorable either. The most interesting was a TV version by Jerry Lee Lewis. He let his piano carry most of the tune as he didn’t sing over it. No flies on himn. But who’ da thunk that one. Actually the next best to Ella that I found was by Pearl Bailey. Not sure where or when as it was a recording with a collage of pictures. But Ella was the best.
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inesephoto 1:17 pm on October 20, 2017 Permalink |
Ah some of my favorite songs here 🙂 Have always loved Georgia On My Mind.
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moorezart 1:35 pm on November 30, 2017 Permalink |
Reblogged this on From 1 Blogger 2 Another.
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mistermuse 10:50 pm on November 30, 2017 Permalink |
Thank you! The moore(zart), the merrier!
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