I was really touched while watching Britains Got Talent when I saw the Missing People Choir. It is a choir made up of families and individuals who have a special someone who has vanished or gone missing for some reason. Hard to believe eh? Some of. their loved ones have been missing for a good many years without any clue or an answer as to why they felt they had to go. How do they live with that and carry on with such uncertainty in their lives?

I suppose one way is the fact that they have come together and used music as a comfort and a way to connect their lives. The song which they sang was called 'I Miss You' and written by Peter Boxell who's son went missing in 1988 after a football match. I was in tears, that was it for me, an emotional wreck but through my tears I had such respect for a group of people who held it together and sang passionately about their feelings. 

It does that doesn't it? Music? They say it heals the soul and I believe it does. There is no medicine that matches it. I sing in a choir every week and I feel so uplifted, it's as if I can sing my problems away. I'm in great company as well, we do just go into that room and forget all our troubles and have fun but there is just something about music that makes everything ok. I am also one for popping my headphones on and listening to my music to escape for a while. Some find a book offers the same sort of comfort, a moment to transform ourselves into a different world for a while. 

It can be a stress reliever or a way to raise awareness about topics. remember when all the bands would get together for a charity single. You would learn about the cause, why all these people were coming together then we would buy the single, help raise money and the reason we did it would hopefully stay with us. One of the many useful ways we can enjoy music and what better way to build a community of happy helpers.

Another useful way music can help is through therapy. Nordoff Robbins is an amazing charity who offer music therapy for people with a wide range of conditions and help in areas such as neurological rehabilitation, dementia, autism and learning difficulties, mental health and palliative care. 
Paul Nordoff (an American composer and pianist) and Clive Robbins (a British teacher of children with special needs) worked together in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, developing their approach to music therapy and all these years later the charity and their talented musicians offer so many possibilities all through the power of music. Take a look at what the charity are all about at www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk

As part of Rock Choir I have had the privilege and the honour of helping to raise money over the past year for this charity and we've had a lot of fun doing it as well.. I remember sitting in a field in 1990 after buying tickets to attend 'Knebworth 90' which was a massive concert for Nordoff Robbins and included some major musicians such as Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Pink Floyd. Never did I think at the age of twenty, that ten years later I would give birth to a little boy (now not so little) who could benefit and have access to the type of therapy offered by Nordoff Robbins. That was my first experience of learning about this organisation and I'm so glad they continue to do great things after all these years.

So there must be something good about music! Yes, there is everything good about music and don't say you're not musical because you are if you've hummed or whistled along to a tune or tapped your feet at some stage. It's there somewhere. bet it made you feel good as well. Even if you're angry, let off steam with a bit of heavy rock, Doctor Sue from the Brew prescribes a tonic from ACDC, it will knock your socks off. 

If you didn't catch the Missing People Choir you can see it on you tube at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4RlOiVJjCo 

Mascara alert and tissues at the ready though........

Thanks for reading and I will catch you tomorrow with another Teapot Tuesday. 

Take care for now......

It was fifty years ago this year, on the 17th February 1967 that Strawberry Fields was released in the UK. As a child I really didn't realise what the song was all about. I did think it was about a big field of strawberries which give me a big bowl of cream I would have had 'nothing to get hung about'  but it wasn't that at all.

John Lennon spent a lot of time during his troubled childhood in the grounds of a home, named Strawberry Field, for vulnerable children between 1936 until it closed in 2005. He would play, climbs trees and dream away  the hours away, for later these experiences would lead to the inspiration for a great Beatles hit..

Now after all these years The Salvation Army have become custodians of the site and have plans to reopen Strawberry Field again. They want to create a place for visitors to come and see the story of John Lennon's life, the song and to create a tranquil place to reflect and relax if needed. I love that idea but what I also love is the fact there are also plans to set up a centre to help people with learning difficulties. The plan is to set up a hub to support people and their families get training, skills and real job opportunities to give them a chance to explore their full potential for their futures. 

This hits a massive personal spot for me. My son has Autism, various learning difficulties and also is a massive Beatles fan so I would love this to be available for people just like my son. It's going to carry on a legacy to John and carry on being a centre for vulnerable people, it will really give people a chance to live independently and give them hope. This is something that I think about a lot for our kids as they now approach adulthood so a project like this brings a welcomed opportunity for understanding and giving our loved ones the best chance they could have. I just wish I was nearer as I couldn't think of a better place for my son to be in. All that support and cushioned in the memory of his idol John Lennon. I even gave him Lennon as his middle name. I do think he would  just sing 'Strawberry Fields Forever' all the time he was there but that would be ok. I do intend to take him for a visit in the future and support this project.

Lady Judy Martin OBE is quoted on the website saying....
“The plans to open Strawberry Field to the public for the first time - so people can see a unique exhibition about the home, how and why the song was written by John, and allow visitors to explore the grounds as John did as a child - is very exciting.”

I think it is very exciting too, you can see the full story and support this project at www.strawberryfieldliverpool.com

There is obviously some financial backing for the project but donations will also be a great help.....you can donate on the website. 

Thanks for reading and I will catch you for tomorrow's Teapot Tuesday but for the time being.....

'let me take you down, cus I'm going to'.............. 

Yes for years I thought Barbara Streisand was singing 'ride on a fair' instead of 'a right I defend' in the classic song 'Woman in Love'. Bless these people who work hard to write great lyrics for us to hear them wrong and sing them in error for years and years.

Karaoke was a massive whistleblower for all of us who lose the lyric. It's quite a shock when you see the wrong words on the screen. You almost want to stop the whole thing and announce to Mr Karaoke King down at The Dog and Duck that he must have a faulty machine. It's either that or your best friend forever just laughs uncontrollably at your faux pas and has great delight in correcting your momental mistake, never letting you forget it for the rest of your life. I did do a similar thing to my friend who thought 'I'm Every Woman' was in fact 'Climb Every Woman' why? an where did that come from? Still makes me giggle today and if I see her and that song comes on, well you can guess what happens.

So what other misheard lyrics do we know of?

Bon Jovi's 'Livin on a Prayer' is a classic with; 
'it doesn't make a difference if we're naked or not' instead of 'it doesn't make a difference if we make it or not' 

Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' and;
'scuse me while I kiss this guy' instead of the correct line which is;
'scuse me while I kiss the sky'

Abba's 'Super Trouper' - 'when I saw you last night in Tesco' instead of 'when I called you last night from Glasgow' and I always used to pretend they were singing 'cause somewhere in the crowd there's Sue' instead of 'cause somewhere in the crowd there's you', that's just a better lyric, not misheard.

Macy Grays 'I Try' with;
'I walk on cobbles when you are not here' rather than
'my walk crumbles when you are not here' 

.....and we all thought The Police were singing about Sue Lawley instead of 'So Lonely'.

There is a massive difference between misheard lyrics and those that people just change for an alternative. It's funnier when it is a genuine mis guidance of what you hear. When I was a teenager I remember buying Smash Hits magazine and they printed the lyrics to all the hits at the time in the 80's so it was difficult to make a mistake. I can sleep better at night now though knowing the correct words to 'Woman in Love' and if I ever do find myself at a Streisand concert then I won't feel embarrassed about singing the wrong words. Though I do feel 'ride on a fair' does fit quite well and I do let myself slip back into 'wrong lyric land' now and again, it just makes me smile.

Let me know your own experiences of mis heard lyrics, leave a comment below and don't be embarrassed, the sillier the better.

Thanks for reading and catch you tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday......

Woah, have you ever started up an Apple product, of the laptop variety and heard the 'boot up' sound? It's the beginning of 'Living Years' by Mike and The Mechanics isn't it? Every time I hear it I start my rendition with the opening lines.....'Every generation, blames the one before'.............

I know I can mute the sound on start up but, I don't want to. I like that it reminds me of such a brilliant song and I have to say, and I believe me and the great composer Bert Bacharach both agree that the lyrics to this song are the finest ones written for years.

It was released in December 1988 and can you believe it only reached number 2 in the UK charts?? What?? I mean that's good but it is a number 1 smasher. It did reach number 1 in Canada and Australia and topped the US Billboard Chart. The song won an Ivor Novello Award in 1989 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and so it should.  If you've not listened or sang along, really thinking about those lyrics and not had a bit of a leaky eye or your heart hasn't just given an extra beat then you need to go back to 'how to appreciate musical lyrics' school. It's just amazing.

The song was written by Mike Rutherford and BA Robertson and tells the tale of a man whose father passes away before resolving a dispute, the regret of not telling him the things he wanted to while he was alive and now it is all too late. It happens doesn't it? We just tend to take people for granted sometimes, not always in a mean way but because life just gets busy and we forget to say the important things to our loved ones. The things that matter. It's true, we can't say it when people die or we just don't get the chance so 'say it loud and say it clear', say it NOW, go and tell that special someone how you feel. Don't live with a regret otherwise you will sing this song for the rest of your life and get annoyed when you start your laptop up because it will be a constant reminder. I'm sure Mike and all his Mechanics would love you to keep listening but not regretting. 

If you have been living on a different planet or maybe too you to have heard this song you can view it here www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k

and thank you to the following link for some info regarding the song and it's history:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Years


Enjoy and thanks for reading the first of my Music Monday, a great addition to the week if I do say so myself. Catch you tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday.......