Saturday 9

Saturday 9: At Last (1960)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 
1) Etta James sings that "life is like a song." What song reflects how you feel about life these days?

 

 

 To you it's Valentine's Day. To me, February 14 is the day Cubs pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.

 

2) She is delighted to have found the love she has always dreamed of. Have you found true love to be the way you imagined it would be? Or has it surprised you? I never expected this, but find I like myself better when I'm in love. To borrow from the Kenny Loggins/Stevie Nicks song, "Whenever I Call You Friend," maybe it's because I see myself within his eyes.

 

3) Etta's mother encouraged her to not just sing but perform a song, telling her daughter, "Even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it." Is there a singer whose performances often touch your heart? I give you my favorite love song by one of my favorite singers. It's been done a million times, but it's her version that gets me every time.

4) As a teen, she was considered a gospel prodigy and churches all around Los Angeles requested she "guest" at their services. Do you have a favorite religious song? I suppose it isn't technically a religious song, but "America, The Beautiful" is in our hymnal and for special days our congregation sings the whole thing. There's one verse that touches my heart and breaks it all at once: "O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife/who more than self their country love and mercy more than life/America! America! May God thy gold refine/Till all success be nobleness and every gain divine." Amen.

5) "At Last" is one of the most often requested songs for the newlywed's first dance at the reception. What song reminds you of a sweetheart? A guy once blurted that I made him feel like Billy Joel because whenever he "just wants someone that he can talk to," he wanted me. So every time I hear "Just The Way You Are," I think of him and that compliment.

This is the last Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day and so this morning we shall focus on the upcoming holiday.

 

6) It's been reported that millions of roses are grown specifically for Valentine's Day each year. What's your favorite flower? Carnations.

 

7) The earliest recorded celebration of Valentine's Day was in Paris in the year 1400. Obviously you weren't around for that one. What do you remember from one of your earliest, childhood Valentine's Day celebrations? Decorating a shoebox and cutting a slit in the lid to collect Valentines from classmates.

 

8) About 20% of pet owners say they give their dogs, cats, birds or bunnies a Valentine. Is your pet getting something special on February 14? Every day is a special day for Roy Hobbs and Connie. Here they are, enjoying the sunshine on the windowsill after a spate of dark days.

9) Of all the professions, teachers are #1 when it comes to receiving Valentine cards. Did you ever have a crush on a teacher? Of course! Didn't we all?