Musical Interlude...

One of the things I look forward to on my weekend drives to and from New England, is passing through the greater NYC area sometime between the hours of noon and 4pm on both days. Somehow waiting in stupid traffic at the GWB is that much easier if Jonathan Schwartz and the Saturday Show is on the radio. Schwartz is the son of lyricist Arthur Schwartz, who wrote Dancing in the Dark, among other things. He knows all things Broadway and all things standards, and all things Sinatra. He's got a golden voice for radio and always evokes the romance of the golden age/Camelot years of the 50s and early 60s for me.

And the songs that he plays are just my speed. He does mainstream and esoteric. He plays three differerent versions of the same song, and three different songs which happen to have the same title. But best of all, I always learn something - a new tidbit, or piece of history, but more often about a new performer or a new song. It never fails but I'm driving along and suddenly have the urge to take notes on a song title or artist name. I only hope I can decipher the scrawl once I've found a red light. A few months ago it was Irene Kral's Better than Anything. Then it was Betty Hutton. This time, among other things, it was a Christine Lavin song that was so perfect for this time of year:

Air Conditioner
Words and Music by Christine Lavin
Copyright 1987 Blendingwell Music (ASCAP)

Oooh this hot summer's got me down
You can fry an egg on the street
Heat waves are wiggling on the sidewalk
Cops are dropping like flies on the beat
I need a new lover to take me in
Protect me from this humid air
Be him from Brooklyn, Staten Island, or Queens
I don't care

It don't matter what kinda lovin' you're into
Or how big your apartment might be
All you need's an Air Conditioner
And you're the man for me.

You can pour me a glass of Perrier
You can fan my fevered brow
You can rub me down with alcohol
That ain't enough know how
You can lay me in a tub of ice
You can stand me in a cold shower too
But if you don't have an Air Conditioner
I will not go home with you

It don't matter what kinda lovin' you're into
Or how big your ego might be
All you need's an Air Conditioner
And you are the man,You are the man, You are the man, You are the man,
You are the man, You are the man, You are the man for me.

What's that you say you live by the Hudson River
And a breeze blows through your door
Well honey if you don't have a Freidrich's in your window
I don't wanna hear any more
What's that you say you live in a penthouse
Got a terrace with a view of the night
Well that's swell but I really must tell you
An Air Conditioner's a much prettier sight

It don't matter what kinda lovin' you're into
Or how big your wallet might be
All you need's an Air Conditioner
And you're the man oh
You're the man
I don't care what kinda lovin' you're into
Or how big your _________ might be
All you need's an Air Conditioner
And you're the man oh
You're the man oh
You're the man for me.

It goes right on the mix with Too Darn Hot and Havin' a Heat Wave...

Time to learn about i-Tunes and downloading songs...