According to Wikipedia: L’amour est bleu (English title: “Love Is Blue”) is a song whose music was composed by André Popp, and whose lyrics were written by Pierre Cour, in 1967, the year I was born.

Brian Blackburn later wrote English-language lyrics for it.

First performed in French by Greek singer Vicky Leandros (appearing as Vicky) as the Luxembourgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1967, it has since been recorded by many other musicians, most notably French orchestra leader Paul Mauriat.

His familiar instrumental version became the only number-one hit by a French artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in America.

This song was number one on the UK charts on the day I was born: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScXXaBu1Ing

It’s better that he be known as a great comedian, rather than someone who fought a tax battle. This clip shows his amusing parody of the hit Pushbike Song by The Mixtures.

According to Wikipedia, written by brothers Idris and Evan Jones, “The Pushbike Song” was released in 1970 and reached the top-spot for two weeks in the Australian charts in March 1971.

It also proved popular in the UK, reaching the number two spot on 16 January (beaten by George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord), and number 31 in Canada.

A music video was created for the song in 1970 (below), which depicted the band and friends riding bicycles through the streets of Melbourne.

Filmed in black and white, it was notable for scenes involving a procession of bicycles (including a penny farthing and rollerskaters) on a busy six-lane Melbourne arterial road, and a scene of four members of the band ‘riding’ a tandem bicycle atop a car transporter travelling at speed across a bridge.

Note there are no helmets, and nobody was hurt.

According to Wikipedia “beginning their career in Sydney in late 1964, the band was inspired by the ‘British Invasion’ spearheaded by The Beatles”.

Their big hit was Friday on My Mind:

Similar influences to the Beatles and the Hollies.

It’s in Danish, from the 1984 movie Midt Om Natten. You must read the subtitles and watch the video to appreciate it:

According to Wikipedia, Kim Larsen has had a number of successful album releases throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s and is possibly the most successful artist in Danish popular music history.

The New York Times review of the movie says: “Bohemians Arnold (Erik Clausen) and Benny (Kim Larsen), unemployed plumbers who earn their livelihood moonlighting, create their own little anarchic world in an abandoned factory. This gentle satire owed its fleeting popularity to its stars, cavern-mouthed pop star Larsen and comedian Clausen, the latter especially known for his satirical comments on the Danish establishment in particular and bureaucracy in general. A throwback to the wild and woolly 1968 Summer of Love, Midt om Natten was slightly anachronistic already when it premiered.”

Here is a catchy 1986 song by Larsen called Jutlandia. The Jutlandia served as a hospital ship in the Korean War.

I nearly included Judith Durham in my list of top 10 Australian change makers. If the list was simply top 10 Australians she would have been there for sure.

I was first introduced to The Seekers through my parents, but unlike most handed down music, I never lost my love of the voices or melodies.

In fact, I’ve grown to appreciate the music more.

Other great songs from The Seekers include Morningtown Ride, Colours of My Life, I’ll Never Find Another You and Georgy Girl:

The song was recorded in 1979, intended as a promotion for Channel Seven’s VFL coverage, and the following year, it was used in the film version of David Williamson’s The Club.

According to Wikipedia, The single, released on the independent Fable Records label, sold more than 250,000 copies and became the largest-selling Australian single ever released up to that time.

Since then it has entered Australian folklore as a song synonymous with the sport of Australian Rules Football, and has been a feature as part of the pre/post-match entertainment of many VFL/AFL grand finals.

Roy Cazaly was a champion footballer for St Kilda and South Melbourne in the 1910s and 1920s, noted for his high-flying marks. Here is the song:

I always love hearing a band and the kids liked it too. They also got to climb over a navy raft.

Album link

Not because I dislike the song; more often than not it’s a silly tune like The Day We Went To Bangor.

It’s the repetition that gets to me. It’s irritating and distracting.

The latest song to mess with my head is Sue Thompson’s James (Hold The Ladder Steady).

I first heard it on a kids’ CD and because my youngest son is James it caught my attention.

Semi-obsessed, I looked it up on YouTube and found it was a hit in the early 60s. At least the process has been informative.

According to Wikipedia, Sue Thompson was born Eva Sue McKee in 1925 in Nevada, Missouri. At the age of seven, she was already singing and playing the guitar on stage.

After her first marriage failed she married Hank Penny, a comedian and singer. Penny and Thompson hosted a TV show in Los Angeles together before eventually moving to Las Vegas. Thompson recorded separately and also with her husband for Decca Records. However, none of their songs ever gained any real success.

In 1960, Thompson signed on with Hickory Records. In 1961, “Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)” became a #5 hit on the pop charts, and she followed this up successfully with “Norman”, which reached #3. Both of these hit singles were written by songwriter John D. Loudermilk.

In 1962, “Have a Good Time” was a Top 40 hit and in 1963, “Willie Can” was a minor hit. With her lighthearted and breathy voice, Thompson became a favorite among the teenage crowd of the time, even though she was in her late thirties. Two further hits, also written by Loudermilk, were “James (Hold the Ladder Steady)” and “Paper Tiger”.

“Paper Tiger” in 1965 was her last Top 30 hit. In the late 60s, she went back to country music and released the album This Is Sue Thompson Country in 1969.

Here is James (Hold The Ladder Steady):

A memory flooded back to me of watching Laurel and Hardy movies on black and white television in the 1970s.

I then thought about other “classic” shows I used to watch and how they are no longer on TV, except perhaps an obscure pay channel.

The Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, I Love Lucy, F Troop, Skippy, Mr Ed and Francis the Mule all came to mind.

I loved watching Francis the Talking Mule. According to Wikipedia there were only seven movies.

I can’t remember any of them, just that I liked watching.

I liked Mr Ed too. Considering I’m allergic to horses it seems strange I enjoyed shows about them.