That’s all, folks. Welcome to the last Song of the Day. I knew pretty early what I wanted it to be, because every extended endeavor should endeavor to end on a high note. And What a Wonderful World fits, albeit indirectly, into the exit theme, worship and reverence.
It is of course, a wonderful world, from my point of view. After all, I’m its apex predator, the product of an evolutionary process that’s extended over most of our fair planet’s lifetime. In effect, I’m specifically the organism that is most well-suited to this particular world. Put another way, this world made us, and we should show reverence towards our Creator. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Sol, to its third planet, and to the working of the Universe, the platform the evolutionary engine runs on.
Disclosure: Yes, I’m perfectly aware that I exude privilege; as a white male technologist and businessman I’ve played life at the lowest difficulty level since I was a kid, and have been lucky on top of that. Obviously, the world is less wonderful for many. But; I try really hard not to be predatory, and on average it’s still pretty wonderful.
Back to the song: Written in 1967 by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, both music-biz insiders, it was an international hit for Louis Armstrong, but never really caught on in the States until a decade later. It’s been recorded a few times since, but probably remains Louis’ song in most people’s minds. Which is fair enough, he sang it masterfully.
This is the end of the Song of the Day series (background).
Links · Spotify playlist. This tune on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon. Now, as for live performances, here’s Louis back when the song was new. But I have a problem with that and I blame Miles Davis, who admired Louis but just couldn’t handle his locked-in grin. And now, having read Miles, I can’t ether. So, here’s Esperanza Spalding, of whom I know more or less nothing, but who injects more musical depth into the song than anyone else I know of. Wow!
But having sampled the offerings, I have to admit that, somewhat to my surprise, I find my heart most warmed by mouldy, shaggy old Rod Stewart, who milks the song for every microgram of sentiment while by the way delivering a flawless, perfectly-pitched vocal, obviously having a great time and finding the part of the world he’s occupying just then perfectly wonderful.
Over and out · Thanks to anyone who’s read a few of the blogs and listened to a song or two. Doing this has enriched my life. I regret all the great songs I missed, but not too much. Most people have an internal hit parade, and they should cherish it and share it.
And I think to myself… what a wonderful world.
Comment feed for ongoing:
From: Paul Morriss (Jun 21 2018, at 07:39)
I expect one day to be stuck somewhere with an internet device and cheap connection and to work my way through these.
Thanks for sharing!
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From: Mark D (Jun 21 2018, at 08:06)
Thanks for the series. I really enjoyed it.
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From: JM (Jun 21 2018, at 09:03)
I've been occasionally browsing thru this section, Glad to say I've discovered a few gems here. Thanks.
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From: Richard Smith (Jun 21 2018, at 09:07)
Thank you so much, Tim. This daily addition to my musical knowledge has been a glorious journey and I look forward to revisiting all of these posts again and again in the future. The personal and informational insights really enriched the whole thing.
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From: Dan M (Jun 21 2018, at 16:39)
Thanks Tim. You clearly put a lot of thought into these, and I looked forward to seeing them every day.
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From: Gordon Haff (Jun 21 2018, at 18:04)
Thanks so much Tim, for this. I'm still working through the series.
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From: Andrew W (Jun 22 2018, at 02:47)
Thanks so much for this series - lots of effort, absolutely worth it. Kudos!
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From: David (Jun 22 2018, at 08:29)
I followed this series closely, enjoying the songs and the commentary each day. I'm quite happy to have discovered a few new favorites and rediscovered some forgotten ones along the way.
Thank you Tim!
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From: Chris Lindley (Jun 26 2018, at 06:49)
Thank you!
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From: PeterL (Jul 29 2018, at 09:59)
Thank-you, Tim, for the series. You covered some of my favourites (or, even better, pieces by my favourite composers that I had overlooked), and opened my eyes to areas that I had ignored. And your choice for a finale was spot on. (I might have chosen Bach's Mass in B-minor "Gratias agimus tibi" at the Proms (because the Proms was the first concert I went to on my own; and it's a piece I sometimes play when I get programmer's block.)
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