Saturday 9: Mama Said (1961)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This week's song is about a girl who remembers wise advice she received from her mother. Tell us about someone who advised you years ago and to this day you think, "They were right!" This is recent, but I'm going with it: My shrink keeps reiterating that everything bad that happens to those I love is not my fault. I try to protect people from harm and unhappiness and, for the most part, it's out of my control. I can give advice. I can worry and pray. But the doc is right: ultimately I can't keep them out of harm's way if they're determined to go there.
1) This week's song is about a girl who remembers wise advice she received from her mother. Tell us about someone who advised you years ago and to this day you think, "They were right!" This is recent, but I'm going with it: My shrink keeps reiterating that everything bad that happens to those I love is not my fault. I try to protect people from harm and unhappiness and, for the most part, it's out of my control. I can give advice. I can worry and pray. But the doc is right: ultimately I can't keep them out of harm's way if they're determined to go there.
2) She sings about hearing chapel bells. Can you hear church bells ringing from your home? When the windows are open, yes. I live three blocks away from a corner that has three churches (including my own).
3) This week's featured artists are the Shirelles, a group formed in New Jersey in 1957. They are credited for beginning the girl group genre. Name another popular girl group. The Supremes! In the orgy of grief after Michael Jackson's death, it made me crazy to hear people refer to him as "the first crossover superstar." Nope. Not by the longest shot. The Supremes sold more records in the 1960s and got more airplay than the Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. The only group that consistently outsold the girls from Detroit was the lads from Liverpool, aka The Beatles.
4) In 1961, when this song was popular, Jacqueline Kennedy appeared on the cover of Ladies Home Journal three times. Is there a printed magazine in your home right now? If so, who is on the cover? Diane Keaton is on the cover of the AARP magazine. Caricatures of Rupert Murdoch and his family adorn Vanity Fair.
5) This song was chosen in celebration of Mother's Day. More phone calls are made on Mother's Day than any other day of the year. Who was your last phone call from? The local animal shelter. They returned my call about donating bath towels. (Yes, they need them. The bigger, the better.)
6) Salons see a bump in appointments around Mother's Day every year. Partly because moms want to look good for their day, but also because hair, spa and nail services are a popular Mother's Day gift. When did you most recently go to a salon, and was it for your hair, complexion, or nails? Hair. Though my pedi is looking really rough these days and deserves professional attention.
7) Similarly, restaurants experience a spike in reservations on Mother's Day. Where did you last dine out? Was a reservation required? This past week my friend Elaine and I went to Italian Village. Open since 1927, it's one of Chicago's most venerable restaurants. My parents had their first official date here 69 years ago. Since May is Mother's Day and my dad would turn 90 this month, it seemed like a nice way to remember them. And yes, Elaine made a reservation.
7) Similarly, restaurants experience a spike in reservations on Mother's Day. Where did you last dine out? Was a reservation required? This past week my friend Elaine and I went to Italian Village. Open since 1927, it's one of Chicago's most venerable restaurants. My parents had their first official date here 69 years ago. Since May is Mother's Day and my dad would turn 90 this month, it seemed like a nice way to remember them. And yes, Elaine made a reservation.
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| Sinatra ate here. If it's good enough for Francis, it's good enough for me. |
8) The most popular Mother's Day gift is still the greeting card. Where do you card shop: drugstore, bookstore, card shop, etc.? My first stop is the bookstore, because I like to support them. Next I try the card shop, because their cards crack me up.
9) Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or chocolate with almonds? Milk chocolate with almonds.
9) Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or chocolate with almonds? Milk chocolate with almonds.
