Tuesday, March 06, 2007

FASCINATING WOMEN



Above, Edith Piaff. When will we see her like again?




Jeanne Moreau, infinitely charming.




Marlene Deitrich. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't like this song.





Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit." John K turned me onto this.





My namesake, Ella Fitzgerald!

19 comments:

  1. Got the captions in the wrong place again! That's because the songs only appear as abstract html codes when I'm typing. I can't see the pictures till they're published! Anyway, sorry!

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  2. "Anyway, sorry!:"

    Hahahahahah, no worries Ed! Thanks for putting these up, I'll look at these when I get home from work! :)

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  3. Isn't strange fruit a term about lynching?

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  4. I said that without watching all the videos first, haha.

    I just heard that term today, strangely enough.

    Is this stuff you find on YoutTube or do you put it up?

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  5. "Isn't strange fruit a term about lynching?"

    That's right, you young whippersnapper. Why, in my day ... well, now, I've forgotten what I was talking about.

    Seriously, thanks Eddie, that was truly inspiring. Dietrich has always been one of my idols, because she fought against her own (former) country when it was wrong.

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  6. Kali: Got it from YouTube. There's a lot of good stuff that I'd like to post but Youtube doesn't have it and I don't know how to upload.

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  7. Whippersnapper would make a great cookie name!

    Maybe we could set up a private meeting so I could teach you how to be more functional!

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  9. Kali, there were a few stories about the history of Strange Fruit on NPR a few years ago when SF celebrated its somethingth year (I can't remember if it was the date of the original poem, the song, or Billie Holliday's recording).

    If you're interested:
    All Songs Considered
    archived interviews

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  10. Chris: Great video! How did I miss it!?

    Kali: Thanks! I'll take you up on that!

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  11. WOW!! and Chris: what a helluva video!

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  12. Oh I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LUUUUURVVVEEEEEE this kind of music so much.

    There is actually going to be a movie about Edith Piaf soonish here. Great gripping trailer, (makes me tear up every time I see it *snifff*) I'm defenitely going to check it out.

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  13. Ella is the greatest! I've always said that the's the greatest female singer ever. I'm not too huge on Billie Holliday, but Strange Fruit sure is a creepy song.

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  14. YOU DID IT AGAIN EDDIE!!! With the clip from Jules et Jim..... I just love Jeanne Moureau singing "Le Tourbillon de la Vie"......

    Isn't she just perfect?

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  15. Kali, "Maybe we could set up a private meeting so I could teach you how to be more functional!"

    I bet you could!

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  16. Uncle Eddie, I learn something new from you every day. I never heard of Edith Piaf, and I thought that Jeanne Moreau was just an actress. Great posts!

    I agree with the other commenters re: Ella. I think she was one of the best vocalists of the 20th century, too.

    I don't think that Billie Holiday had a great (traditional) singing voice. However, she is one of the few singers that I have heard who can capture the emotion in a song with her voice and draw the audience into it (Sinatra is another singer who can do this).

    Marlene - that woman had presence and that je ne sais quoi. She could make the audience stand at attention just by showing up on the stage. She's an inspiration - she knew how to maintain her glamorous image in her later years without looking like mutton dressed as lamb or without looking like a freak show (because of too much cosmetic surgery).

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  17. Jennifer: Wow! I'm delighted to hear that you liked Piaff! It's a great feeling when you're able to turn someone on to something of value that they haven't heard before.

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  18. Just in case you haven't seen it, I'd like to share a favorite YouTube clip, starring the late, great Nina Simone--as a claymation feline!--that never fails to charm me. I hope it makes you smile. (It's kind of like Strange Fruit's polar opposite...)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYSbUOoq4Vg

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  19. Spizz: Wow! That was great! Thanks for putting it up!

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