The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

A movie of legend that features no spoken dialog… everything is sung. Much like an opera, although I’m no expert there. It’s not a musical in the classic sense, since there are no production numbers. The soundtrack fills the entire movie, nearly every second, as the actors deliver their dialog by singing.

Tonight I learned the real meaning of the word “leitmotif,” at least in regard to movie soundtracks. The oft-repeating melody heard first in the opening credits, and then throughout the movie, is the basis for the popular song “I Will Wait For You” (with English lyrics added).

The first time I encountered a leitmotif was in Lawrence of Arabia. Anyone who says, “You know that song from that movie,” and then they sing a bit, can only refer to one musical theme because it’s played dozens and dozens of times throughout. Same here.

This is the movie that introduced Catherine Deneuve to the world, and she is perfectly exquisite, even though just 19 years old. A star-crossed romance forms the center of the plot. This is not, however, a comedy.

The movie poster above is a sample of the bright pastel color palette used throughout the movie. The more I watched Umbrellas, the more it reminded me of La La Land. I was not surprised to find out that Damien Chazelle lists this movie as one of his influences.

A romantic tale of love, longing, and loss is the tale at hand here. The trip is not smooth, there are some bumps in the road. You start out having trouble believing that everybody is singing, and then you get used to it, and then the guys in the garage are singing to each other, and it gets weird again. It is a beautiful story, full of emotion. Many kinds of emotion. If you are a fan of love stories and musicals, you should find The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I loved it.

Master of Detuning

If you try to play guitar, you might encounter something called “detuned.” For me, it was Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age that were masters of “Drop D” (tune the low E string on the guitar to D) and “C Standard” (every string is two whole steps down). It’s a style choice. It’s cool. The sustain is amazing. Detuned guitar is also a defining sound for Stoner Rock, also called Desert Rock.

Okay, guitar lesson is over. But who did this first? Looks like the winner is Tony Iommi, guitarist for Black Sabbath, on their third album, Master of Reality.

Iommi lost the tips of the two inside fingers on his left hand in an accident when he was a 17-year-old. Creating homemade thimbles for these two fingers, he continued with his rock career, and the rest is history.

For Master of Reality, on three tracks (Children of the Grave, Lord of This World, and Into the Void), Iommi detuned his guitar 1-1/2 steps to make it easier for him to play, since the string tension was lessened.

This produced a unique sound that had other guitarists wondering, “How did he do that?” And as far as I can tell, that’s where this whole detuned sound came from. From adversity comes innovation. Or something like that.

Happy New Year!

I don’t have any resolutions for 2023, but here’s my forecast for the new year…

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 30 – your favorite song at this time last year

Now we come full circle, arriving once again at “Eurotrash Girl” by Cracker. Been my favorite song for quite some time. Here’s a live version from the Ogden Theater in Denver.

Maybe I’ll do this next year, and have a new favorite song. I doubt it. This has been fun (and occasionally challenging) for me, and I hope you are having fun with it too.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 29 – a song from your childhood

I was ten in 1964 when “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles came out. If you didn’t live through this era, especially as a youngster growing into a teenager, you have no idea what the Beatles meant to us all. I got my transistor radio taken away in school for listening to Beatles songs. I always liked John best.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 28 – a song that makes you feel guilty

Why does “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel make me feel guilty? Because I’m a happily married man with a lovely wife, and this song reminds me of a pretty girl with long black hair from one of my classes in college. She liked to dance to this song. I only think about her when I hear this song. I can’t even remember her name. Honest, honey.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 27 – a song that you wish you could play

“Scatterbrain” by Jeff Beck. The video below is from his appearance at Ronnie Scott’s, and the band plays this song much faster than you ever had to for Guitar Hero. Worship at the feet of Jeff Beck! He is the best there is.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 26 – a song that you can play on an instrument

I can play “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on a plastic guitar controller, does that count? I used to play a real guitar, and I think I could manage this song without too much trouble. I watched a video today of Joan Jett on the Oprah Winfrey show, and she kicked serious ass. She looked terrific.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 25 – a song that makes you laugh

Lots of songs make me laugh. I chose two! BONUS DAY! The first one is “In These Shoes” by Kirsty MacColl. I really like songs about shoes. I don’t know why.

The second one is a John Lennon laugh riot supposedly based on a real guy they met with the Maharishi, “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” by The Beatles. Featuring “Not when he looks so fierce!” by Yoko.

30 Day Song Challenge, Day 24 – a song that you want to play at your funeral

I didn’t want anything that was too much of a downer. I picked “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac. If a college band cheerleader rock song gets everybody marching around the funeral home, I think that would be pretty cool.