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So far Paul has created 353 blog entries.

Too Close for Comfort

“Too Close for Comfort” is a popular song by Jerry BockGeorge David Weiss, and Larry Holofcener.

It was written in 1956 as part of the score for the Broadway musical Mr. Wonderful starring Sammy Davis Jr., who released the song as a single on March 3, 1956 on Decca Records prior to the musical’s premiere. Several other pop vocalists, such as Eileen Barton, also recorded their own competing versions around this time, as well as other songs from the musical.

2026-04-08T18:38:57-04:00

Let It Snow

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!“, also known as simply “Let It Snow“, is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heatwave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions. The song was first recorded that fall by Vaughn Monroe, was released just after Thanksgiving, and became a hit by Christmas.

Other U.S. recordings during the 1945–46 winter season included those by Danny O’Neil (Majestic), Connee Boswell (Decca), Woody Herman (Columbia), and Bob Crosby

The song makes no mention of any holiday. The lyrics include spending time with a loved one during a snowstorm, enjoying a fireplace and popcorn. When the singer has to leave, feelings of love will keep him warm once he is outside in the cold. The song has come to be regarded as a Christmas song worldwide due to its winter theme, and is often played on radio stations during the Christmas and holiday season. It has been covered by multiple artists on Christmas-themed albums.

2026-04-21T08:21:16-04:00

Molly Malone

Molly_Malone

Molly Malone” (Roud 16932; also known as “Cockles and Mussels” or “In Dublin’s Fair City“) is a song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the city’s unofficial anthem.

A statue representing Molly Malone, designed by Dublin artist Jeanne Rynhart, was unveiled on Grafton Street during the 1988 Dublin Millennium celebrations by then Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ben Briscoe. In July 2014, the statue was relocated to Suffolk Street, in front of the Tourist Information Office, to make way for Luas track-laying work at the old location.

The song tells the fictional tale of a fishwife who plied her trade on the streets of Dublin and died young, of a fever. In the late 20th century, a legend grew up that a historical Molly lived in the 17th century. She is typically represented as a hawker by day and a part-time prostitute by night. In contrast, she has also been portrayed as one of the few chaste female street hawkers of her day.

There is no evidence that the song is based on a real woman in the 17th century or any other time. The name “Molly” originated as a familiar version of the names Mary and Margaret. Many such “Molly” Malones were born in Dublin over the centuries, but no evidence connects any of them to the events in the song. Nevertheless, the Dublin Millennium Commission […]

2026-04-19T16:14:53-04:00

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Take_Me_Out_To_The_Ball_Game music sheet

Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is a 1908 waltz song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game before writing the song. The song’s chorus is traditionally sung as part of the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game. Fans are generally encouraged to sing along, and at many ballparks, the words “home team” are replaced with the team name.

“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is one of the three-most recognizable songs in the US, along with “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Happy Birthday.” However, most people are only familiar with the chorus. The verses of the song likely failed to gain popularity due to being in third person.

2026-04-22T19:49:03-04:00

House of the Rising Sun

House_of_the_Rising_Sun

The House of the Rising Sun” is an American traditional folk song, sometimes called “Rising Sun Blues“. It tells of a person’s life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid the same fate. The most successful commercial version, recorded in 1964 by the English rock band The Animals, was a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart and in the U.S. and Canada. As a traditional folk song recorded by an electric rock band, it has been described as the “first folk rock hit”.

The song was first collected in Appalachia in the 1930s, but probably has its roots in traditional English folk song. It is listed as number 6393 in the Roud Folk Song Index.

“A good player can make any guitar sound good.” – Michael Bloomfield

2026-04-20T16:02:24-04:00

Donkey Riding

“Donkey Riding” (Roud 4540) is a traditional 19th-century Canadian/Scottish folk song and sea shanty, often used as a capstan shanty to work cargo. The lyrics, often adapted regionally, typically feature the chorus “Hey, ho, away we go, / Donkey riding, donkey riding” and describe experiences in ports like Quebec. The “donkey” refers to a steam-powered tractor/winch used for loading timber.

2026-04-20T15:43:19-04:00

Chim Chim Cheree

Chim Chim Cher-ee” is a song from Mary Poppins, the 1964 musical film, and is also featured in the 2004 Mary Poppins musical.

It won Best Original Song at the 37th Academy Awards. In 2005, Julie Andrews included this song as part of Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs.

The song was written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman (the “Sherman Brothers“), who also won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for the Mary Poppins score.

The song was inspired by one of the drawings of a chimney sweep created by Mary Poppins screenwriter Don DaGradi. When the Sherman Brothers asked about the drawing, DaGradi explained the ancient British folklore attributed to “sweeps” and how shaking hands with one or touching their sleeve could bring a person good luck. In their 1961 treatment, the Sherman Brothers had already amalgamated many of the P. L. Travers characters in the creation of “Bert”. His theme music became “Chim Chim Cher-ee”.

“It is more important to keep the horse going hard than to always play the exact notes.” -Charles Ives (handwritten comments on a score of the Concord Sonata):

2026-04-16T14:11:23-04:00

Last Dance with Mary Jane

Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded while Petty was recording his Wildflowers album and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campbell, and Petty. The sessions would prove to be the last to include drummer Stan Lynch before his eventual departure in 1994. This song was first released as part of the Greatest Hits album in 1993. It rose to No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Petty’s first Billboard top-20 hit of the 1990s, and also topped the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart for two weeks. Internationally, the song reached No. 2 in Portugal, No. 5 in Canada and No. 7 in Iceland.

Asked if the song was about drugs, Heartbreaker guitarist Mike Campbell said, “In the verse there is still the thing about an Indiana girl on an Indiana night, just when it gets to the chorus he had the presence of mind to give it a deeper meaning. My take on it is it can be whatever you want it to be. A lot of people think it’s a drug reference, and if that’s what you want to think, it very well could be, but it could also just be a goodbye love song.” In the rest of the interview, Campbell said that the song was originally titled “Indiana Girl” and the first chorus began, “Hey, Indiana Girl, go out and […]

2026-04-20T16:04:40-04:00

wildflowers

Wildflowers” is a song written by Tom Petty and the opening track from the album of the same name. The song became quite popular in concerts, and though it was not initially released as a commercial single until 2020, it charted at #16 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, at #11 on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales and at #3 on the Billboard Lyric Find. AllMusic describes it as having a simple but effective folk-based chord progression, with a sprightly, almost country-oriented rhythm.

The song has gone on to become one of the most beloved in Petty’s catalog. Petty also stated “Wildflowers” was easy to write and compose. It was one of the non-singles which were included on the compilation The Best of Everything (others were “Southern Accents“, “Square One“, “Angel Dream” and “Dreamville”).

On August 20, 2020, a posthumous release of the home recorded demo version of the song was released as a digital single alongside a music video. The video contains never-before-seen footage shot by Martyn Atkins during the recording of “Wildflowers”. On the same day, it was officially announced that on October 16, a posthumous album titled Wildflowers & All the Rest would be released. It is a comprehensive […]

2026-04-20T16:21:34-04:00
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