Celebrating Valentine’s Day 2008
Reflecting on the (SOUND OF MUSIC)

As I sat in the confines of my place of abode contemplating as to which issue I should bring into perspective for this VALENTINE’S DAY 14th February 2008, within a jiffy I reflected on music and a movie which many of us years ago had made a special part of our lives, because of the immeasurable appreciation we in the Helen of the West, had meted out to the movie when it hit the local cinema. But before I can highlight that movie, I would first of all like to focus on some of the VINTAGE love classics of the 1950’s - 60’s, which were and still are regarded as TEAR JERKERS, all because of the very emotional manner those songs are rendered by male or female vocalists or singing groups.
Some music enthusiasts have made it obvious, that there are tunes which played an instrumental role in his or her LOVE life e.g.
TEENAGER IN LOVE - Belmonts
SAD MOVIES - Sue Thompson
ROSES ARE RED - Bobby Vinton
TELL LAURA I LOVE HER - Ray Peterson
KISS ME GOODBYE - Petula Clarke
SEND ME THE PILLOW - The Browns
PLEASE HELP ME I’M FALLING - Hank Locklin
DEAR JOHN - Skeeter Davis & Bobby Bare
(It was like falling in love) (Break up to make up) we go our separate ways) (It was love at first sight) (when we kissed that night). Songs of that nature are very much entrenched in that music of the late Country and Western Queen SKEETER DAVIS, who acquired a vast amount of prominence in St. Lucia from 1963, with tunes that by all account were touching (THE END OF THE WORLD); (SET HIM FREE); (AM I THAT EASY TO FORGET); (MY LAST DATE WITH YOU); (I WILL); (IT WAS ONLY A HEART); (SOMEBODY LOVES YOU) and many more. I remember hearing Miss DAVIS render some (LOVE) based tunes on a 33 1/3 Record Album entitled (HERE’S THE ANSWER) in which she responds to tunes by:
JIM REEVES - He’ll Have To Go
HANK LOCKLIN - Please Help Me I’m Falling
EDDY ARNORLD - I Really Don’t Want To Know
DON GIBSON - Just One Time
RAY PETERSON - Tell Laura I Love Her
FLOYDD KRAMER - My Last Date
As a matter of fact when I first heard that album in full, in 1973, the LOVE syndrome was comfortably nestled within the bodies of young LOVERS.
ENTER THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Not only in music is the effects of LOVE felt, one can look back to the 1960’s when the two now defunct cinemas CLARKE and GAIETY, were unleashing to patrons movies like ROMEO AND JULIET as well as the much appreciated brilliant, British made film (SOUND OF MUSIC) starring songbird JULIE ANDREWS AND CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Movie enthusiasts from all corners of the island were lured to come out in large numbers and patronize the CLARKE cinema to view that much talked about musical SOUND OF MUSIC. It was a hit here big time for good reason, not only because of the astounding acting ambition of the stars but above all the music which St. Lucians have for many years made part of their daily lives.

There are many memories over the years that keep coming back to us, ever since the era when THE SOUND OF MUSIC was first screened here. Not to mention the emotional moments in the film which did or was on the verge of bringing tears to the eyes of some patrons in the cinema. As a matter of fact even in this millennium, some people have made it obvious that THE SOUND OF MUSIC probably still has the capacity to impact on their bodies as it did many years ago. The tunes in the film touched the lives of many a music fan in St. Lucia, who sang in the cinema whilst the movie was in progress on the screen e.g.
Maria
or I am 16 going on 17
or Doe-a-deer-a female deer
or The hills are alive with the sound of mucic
or Climb every mountain
or These are a few of my favourite things
or Edelweiss
Tranquility prevailed when JULIE ANDREWS was exercising her magnificent vocal ability as she rendered some of those wonderful classics or when she did the duet with PLUMMER singing Edelweiss or in teacher like fashion when Miss Andrews sang with the children. She became an instant hit in St. Lucia resulting in many looking up to her as Britain’s Queen of song.
The songs in THE SOUND OF MUSIC impacted so heavily in various quarters of the Caribbean basin that musical bands from Trinidad and Tobago like JOHNNIE LEE AND THE HURRICANES recorded cover versions of LONELY GOAT HERD (SOUND OF MUSIC), DO-RE-ME. Also RONALD BERRIDGE his trumpet and ORCHESTRA played (LONELY GOAT HERD); (MY FAVOURITE THINGS). The FIVE FINGERS COMBO - EDELWEISS.
Even students at educational institutions like the ANGLICAN SCHOOL were taken to the CLARKE cinema to see THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Like adults the children were very much attracted to the movie, due to among other things, the acting ability of the KIDS in particular the youngest of the girls, who held patrons in the Clarke cinema captive as she exercised her impressive acting strategy in the various segments in the film. When those persons who have seen the (SOUND OF MUSIC) got together to discuss the scenes, usually the little girl featured prominently on their lips.
The day after the students of the Anglican school had seen the SOUND OF MUSIC, we gathered in small numbers and began to discuss what we saw in various sections of the film. One of my childhood friends Aubrey now based in the USA, in a rather emotional manner said (Garcon, I nearly cry wee, when I saw SOUND OF MUSIC, in fact tears did come to my eyes garcon). That was so true.
I took a keen interest in listening to the vocal ability of Julie Andrews when she rendered tunes like THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, and I am deeply impressed with her efforts and true as it is, I am indeed startled to realise her singing potential in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, but to further convince me that Miss Andrews is a genuine vocalist par-excellence, many years ago, I was privileged to listen to the tracks on her Christmas 33 1/3 Record Album which she recorded with French Conductor, ANDRE PREVIN providing the background music. A music fan who was a close neighbour of mine then, would usually play the album at random in the wee hours of the morning during the Christmas season, and whilst the little village of George Ville where I was born lay in serenity the immaculate voice of Julie Andrews would come blaring from my neighbour’s small PHILLIPS portable record player as she sang some of the world’s well known traditional Christmas carols. I was so taken up by the charming voice of Miss Andrews that I was of the realization that she had nestled herself amongst some of the greatest female vocalists to have emerged on the British music scene and by extension the world.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY