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05 Jun 03 - 02:51 PM (#962842) Subject: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: GUEST,Johnny in OKC Where can I find the tune of Lovely Stornoway? The words I have are: Make your way to Storway, on the road to Orinsay, Where my thoughts return each day to Lovely Stornoway ... and so on. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! JOHNNY in OKC |
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05 Jun 03 - 04:57 PM (#962876) Subject: ADD: Lovely Stornoway From: Joe Offer Hi, Johnny - I didn't find the tune, but I found the lyrics here (click). -Joe Offer- LOVELY STORNOWAY (Words and music by Calum Kennedy and Bob Halfin) Make your way to Stornoway, On the road to Orinsay, Where my thoughts return each day, By lovely Stornoway. Where the folks are truly kind, Where you leave the world behind, Where each cloud is silver lined, By lovely Stornoway. Chorus So make your way to Stornoway, On the road to Orinsay, Where my thoughts return each day, By lovely Stornoway. The town Hall clock of Stornoway, Chimes it's message every day, Heaven can't be far away, From lovely Stornoway. Chorus No more worries, no more care, If you choose to settle there, Love will find you ev'rywhere, By lovely Stornoway. Chorus And no matter where you are, Hitch your wagon to a star, Heaven can't be very far, From lovely Stornoway. Chorus (Words and music by Calum Kennedy and Bob Halfin) Published in a "People's Journal" supplement (DC Thompson, Dundee) March 28 1970. Click to play |
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06 Jun 03 - 01:16 AM (#963037) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: GUEST,Johnny Hi Joe, thanks but I was looking for the tune. I have about four versions of the lyrics, all corny. You could substitute "San Jose" or even "South L.A." I am working with a Scots singer who doesn't read music & doesn't have any written music. While I'm at it, how about the chords too? JOHNNY |
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06 Jun 03 - 01:45 AM (#963042) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Joe Offer Hi, Johnny - I know you're looking for the tune. If anybody finds it, please e-mail me a copy and I'll post it as a MIDI. I found lots of recordings of the song, but haven't found a tune to transcribe. Is it a traditional tune? --Joe Offer (click to e-mail)- |
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06 Jun 03 - 02:00 AM (#963047) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Marion in Cornwall The tune can be found in the book: Ceol na Fidhle Vol 2 'HIGHLAND TUNES FOR THE FIDDLE' at http://www.scotlandsmusic.com/fiddle/ceolbks.htm Hope this is of some help Marion |
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06 Jun 03 - 04:25 PM (#963380) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: GUEST,Johnny in OKC Thanks Marion - but of course I'm looking for a FREEBIE ! I can use transcribe & transpose kind of piano, vocal, or orchestral music, so the format is not a problem. I can also work from a simple melody line, like a pipe tune. But I've got to have something! I have also found lots of recordings FOR SALE, so I guess it's fairly traditional, or at least it's well known. Thanks again, Mudcats! == Johnny |
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06 Jun 03 - 10:51 PM (#963553) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: GUEST,Johnny in OKC By the way, he is an excellent singer, with a lovely Scots burr. Mainly, I put this is to bring it to the top of the list so you can see it. I STILL NEED THE TUNE! HELP! -- Johnny |
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09 Jun 03 - 02:02 AM (#964345) Subject: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway From: GUEST,Johnny in OKC Hi Mudcats, I'd like to find the melody for "Lovely Stornoway" --- if it helps, Stornoway is a town on the Isle of Lewis (Scotland). THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! JOHNNY |
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11 Jun 03 - 03:41 PM (#965991) Subject: Tune add: Lovely Stornoway From: OldPossum Here is an ABC of the tune, done by ear from an old cassette tape. I recorded a folk radio programme ages ago, and among other things it had "Neil Linden & His Highlanders" doing "Lovely Stornoway". It's a nice little tune. X:99 T:Lovely Stornoway M:3/4 L:1/4 K:C C2 A | G2 C | c2 B | A3 | c2 A | G2 C | E2 D | D3 | C2 A | G2 C | c2 B | A2 G | G c2 | E2 D | C3-|C z2 |] |
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11 Jun 03 - 08:16 PM (#966152) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: GUEST,Shona Aw, i love this song! My wee cousin Kirsty (only 4!) sings this in perfect tune. She learnt it wen her mum went 2 stornaway to play football but told every one "My mummys going to Stormaway!" |
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12 Jun 03 - 12:32 PM (#966449) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Jim McLean Both words and music are original and written by Bob Halfin although he shared the credits/royalties with Calum Kennedy in order to get Calum to record it. I know this as fact as both Calum and Bob were/are good friends of mine. Cheers, Jim Mclean |
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13 Jun 03 - 03:13 AM (#966731) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: GUEST,Johnny in OKC That got it! Thanks folks, (especially Old Possum) I guess it just takes time for the gears to crank. Johnny in OKC |
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18 Oct 05 - 01:31 PM (#1585444) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: stallion I learnt from a girl called Norma MacMillen who lived in Tong, a village not far from Stornoway, she was with a girl called Dina Mitchell from Shawbost, also on the isle of Lewis. This all took place thirty six years ago, was this really written that long ago? Any way, if anyone knows of their whereabouts now, let me know! Peter |
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18 Oct 05 - 02:11 PM (#1585473) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Jim McLean I have emailed Joe offer with the staff notation. |
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18 Oct 05 - 04:24 PM (#1585584) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: akenaton Ah!! The soundtrack to my misspent youth. Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights, there would be up to ten of us packed into a wee Ford Thames van, going to or coming home from a dance in some god-forsaken corner of Argyll, our heads full of the music, and your heart just burstin'for the girl who gave you the "last dance" and who was squeezed tight beside you as the wee van rocked along the bumpy single track roads. And it was always "Lovely Stornoway" that blew the roof off!!. The Stornoway girls would come down to work the holiday hotels in Dunoon or Inveraray or Arrochar, mostly as maids or waitresses. They would teach us the "Gaelic"and scold us in that bonny Lewis accent if we got too drunk, but they were sweet, free spirits who knew all the secrets of nature and the secrets of family and tribe. So unlike the local girls with their kid -on sophistication, their hard as nails hair do's, and their "sex is dirty" ideas. My wee girl was Christine, she left for Borve in the autumn of 62, but she'll never leave the back corners of my mind. I can still hear her singing with her head on my shoulder. "And no matter where you are, hitch your wagon to a star. Heaven cant be very far , from lovely Stornoway"....Ake |
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18 Oct 05 - 05:07 PM (#1585625) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: akenaton I think the tune for "Stornoway" is based on an old Gaelic melody which I remember fron the village hall concerts. A lot of the Gaelic tunes and pipe music were co -opted for popular songs in the 50's and 60's Jim will know Callum was an expert at this!! I'll try to dig up the name of the Gaelic tune....Ake |
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18 Oct 05 - 05:34 PM (#1585667) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: akenaton Sorry to triple post!! Name of that tune just came back to me . The English title is "Leaving Lismhor" |
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19 Oct 05 - 04:40 AM (#1585995) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Jim McLean Ake, the only version of Leaving Lismor (Fagail Lismore) that I have only resembles Lovely Stornoway, vaguely, in the last line. I know what you mean about Calum but in this case the song was written by Bob Halfin and Calum was given a half share when he agreed to record it. Bob Halfin did this with many of his songs including 'I'm a Pink Toothbrush, You're a Blue Toothbrush' which he split a few ways to include Max Byegraves! |
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20 Oct 05 - 04:25 AM (#1586804) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: akenaton Hi Jim good to hear from you. I know that you're the expert, but I always thought there were similarities between "Lismhor" and "Stornoway". A change of tempo, few different notes, but the body of the tune remains the same. This is quite a big piping area and Leaving Lismhor is played a lot by the young pipers. Hope all is well with you Jim, Wish you would put down some of your reminiscences in book form.....Ake |
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20 Oct 05 - 04:45 AM (#1586817) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Jim McLean Ake, there'd be a few people out there with red faces if I ever decided to put my reminiscences in book form, but I have been toying with the idea for a wee while now! If you cut and paste the address below, there is a midi version of Leaving Lismore (sic) and if you compare it to the abc version of Lovely Stornoway posted by Old Possum I believe the only similarity is in the tempo. Cheers, Jim http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab5/valse.html |
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26 Nov 05 - 02:52 AM (#1613993) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Joe Offer Jim McLean sent me the tune over a month ago, but I didn't have a place to post it. Now I do, thanks to Jon Freeman. Thanks, Jon and Jim. What a lovely song! -Joe Offer- Click to play |
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26 Nov 05 - 05:02 PM (#1614279) Subject: RE: Lyr/tune req/ADD: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Artful Codger The Canterbury Country Orchestra recorded "Stornaway" on their album "Mistwold" (F&W Records, of Plymouth, VT, USA; mid 1970's?) On the album, Dudley Laufman wrote: I first learned "Stornaway" from the beautiful singing of Mary McLane of Cambridge. Teddy Levin went to Stornaway, a city in the Hebrides of Scotland. He said that Mary's singing far surpassed the city ... rather a scruzzy place he said. So we do it here like a couple of guys in a bar. [...]" |
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09 Feb 06 - 08:02 AM (#1665141) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (C Kennedy, B Halfin) From: GUEST,Neil Johnstone Can anyone give me Bob Halfin's dates? |
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11 May 10 - 05:11 PM (#2904727) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Bettynh Calum Kennedy sings it here |
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25 Dec 10 - 06:26 AM (#3061070) Subject: RE: lyr/tune ADD: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Jim McLean Neil Johnstone, I can't give you exact dates for Bob but he would be about 10-15 years older than me which makes his birth around 1923. I was at his funeral but again I can't remember the exact year but about 20 years ago. Time flies so quickly! |
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25 Dec 10 - 12:30 PM (#3061162) Subject: RE: lyr/tune ADD: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Anglogeezer Here's the ABC that I have for this tune. regards & Merry Christmas All. Jake ********************************* X:1 T:Leaving Stornaway M:3/4 L:1/8 K:A c2|"A"e4A2|"A7"c4A2|"D"F6|"A"(E4A2)|"B7"B4B2|"B7"B4c2|"Bm"(B6|"E7"B2)E2| "A"A4B2|"A"c4f2|"C#m"e6|"E7"c4E2|"A"A4c2|"E7"e4f2|"A"(e6|"A7"e4)c2| "D"d4e2|"D"f4e2|"A"e6|"F#m"c4e2|"B7"f4A2|"B7"(F2A4)|"Bm"B6|"E7"(B2c2d2)| "A"e2f2e2|"C#m"(c4A2)|"D"F6|"A"(E4A2)|"Bm"B4A2|"E7"c4B2|"A"(A6|"A"A4)|] |
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26 Dec 10 - 05:47 AM (#3061397) Subject: RE: lyr/tune ADD: Lovely Stornoway ? From: Jim McLean Anglogeezer, that's a different tune. OldPossum's posting, above, is correct. |
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09 Feb 20 - 02:05 PM (#4033231) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=60217#1585473 Sorry. Joe could you please transfer this to the "Stornoway" request thread. |
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09 Feb 20 - 02:08 PM (#4033235) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton Sorry. Joe could you please transfer this to the "Stornoway" request thread. |
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09 Feb 20 - 02:19 PM (#4033240) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,kenny Here's how it's done in 2020 : https://youtu.be/efx_4YxLFRc |
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09 Feb 20 - 03:03 PM (#4033251) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Tattie Bogle Ha-ha Kenny! You gone over to the dark side? Think I prefer the following, tho' it's a tad fast for dancing (as we play it in our ceilidh band). Lovely Stornoway Ake: I don't see the rationale for combining this with the other Stornoway thread, as they are totally different songs/tunes, and I think that would just cause more confusion! |
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09 Feb 20 - 03:24 PM (#4033253) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Joe Offer Gee, Kenny, that's more-or-less the same tune as the MIDI I posted years ago. Maybe I should go back to my old MIDI and speed it up and add a little syncopation. No, huh? So, I'd never heard of Stornoway before these theads came up, and I didn't know where it was. I've been to Scotland on three Jim and Susie Malcolm tours now, so I'm beginning to think I know my way around. Before and during the tours, I've walked extensively in Edinburgh and Glasgow and Dumfries and St. Andrews and Melrose and Kelso and countless other towns. Oh, and I loved Perth and bought a mouthie in Portree. Whenever I get the chance, I walk the entire central district of any town I encounter. But I didn't think I'd ever heard of Stornoway. Turns out it's the main city on Lewis and Harris, which I believe is a main destination on our next Jim and Susie tour. And coincidentally, this morning a friend texted me a link to this video, where Donald Trump says his mother was born in Stornoway [actually Tong, but Trump didn't say that]. So, now you know more about Stornoway than you ever wanted to know, and I'll post photos on Facebook. And on top of all that, this is still a really corny song, even with a speedup and added syncopation - not a bad melody, though. -Joe- |
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09 Feb 20 - 03:26 PM (#4033256) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton Sorry Tattie I thought they were looking for the "Lovely Stornoway" lyrics.....It was never really a folk song but it was a soundtrack to our young lives....All the best Ake |
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09 Feb 20 - 03:29 PM (#4033257) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton "Really corny" Hmmm, perhaps we need a bit more corn in our diet, I still love the song for the happy memories it brings. |
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09 Feb 20 - 04:25 PM (#4033265) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Joe Offer As the thread originator, Johnny, says in the third message:
Farewell to Stromness has the line, "The mountains and valleys of Orkney farewell." I can't remember mountains in Orkney, although the Highland Park Distillery outside Kirkwall is on a bit of a hill. There are lots of these "lovely town" songs that might be quite sentimental and well-loved, without saying anything accurate about the town itself. Now, MY town song is very accurate:
With your torn-up streets and your filthy-smelling river O I love you with my heart and I love you with my liver O Racine, what a hole. Which is why I no longer live in Racine, Wisconsin - even though I have many good memories of growing up in a dying industrial town. -Joe- |
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09 Feb 20 - 04:33 PM (#4033267) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton Of course the lyrics are corny.... to those with no appreciation of the Western Isles or Highland culture, but Callum Kennedy was a Gael(if a mercenary one) and his words struck a chord with Leosachs on the mainland and displaced Scots everywhere. |
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09 Feb 20 - 07:10 PM (#4033285) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Joe Offer Can someone tell me what's Stornoway like? Is it as enchanting as Stromness? |
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10 Feb 20 - 01:21 AM (#4033302) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross It is not "fairly traditional" although both parties are now deceased it is a copyright work. Ok I know from experience both Calum Kennedy and Bob Halfin were rogues in their way, but singers and instrumentalists should try and respect their copyright, plus the cultural context in modern works. Bob Halfin died in 1986. Calum Kennedy 2006. The song is therefore in copyright until 2076 and is published by Campbell Connelly & Co. It was issued on a Beltona single in 1959, LP's and also sheet music. |
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10 Feb 20 - 05:52 AM (#4033331) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST I remember hearing a BBC radio programme about a man from London who'd written 'Hebridean' songs for Calum Kennedy- 'Skyline of Skye' and 'Lovely Stornoway'- must have been this man, Bob Halpin- it was news to me, anyway! |
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10 Feb 20 - 07:19 AM (#4033343) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton Joe, I suppose my last post was rather mean-spirited, I was talking of another time when home and family still had a deep significance, The last thirty years have decimated many wonderful things. |
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10 Feb 20 - 07:59 AM (#4033347) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Jim McLean I think I posted this somewhere else but the line "Mr Ben Nevis, you're as old as the hills" by Bob cannot be beaten!! |
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10 Feb 20 - 11:41 AM (#4033386) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross Indeed Jim McLean! As I said elsewhere, Bob Halfin managed to write a novelty 'Scottish' song about Tomnahurich cemetery Inverness - which according to the Highland News was going to be a hit. It died a death. The song is now lost, and seemingly buried. I have found that the credit on some LPs by tenor Dennis Clancy of my father's cheesy song 'the Highland Road' (not the McCalmans' song of the same title), went on the label to Bob Halfin - who was not in any way a writer of the work. This was later sorted - but some old LP's and CD printings still bear his name due to a mysterious 'error'. My father knew nothing of this.. he only signed the song to Minch Music through Halfin's agency (I still have the contract here). Some LP printings were correct, and CD's are now pretty much correct. It is also now corrected with all agencies worldwide, and published by Sony/EMI, but wrong credits to Halfin still exist on a few old issues - and we don't know how or why it happened in the first place? It may have been because my father wasn't a member of the PRS/MCPS until the mid-1970's and had little writer protection, trusting the honesty of the publisher Minch Music (which Halfin was connected to). 'You'll never get used to Uist' was another of Halfin's great titles.. My father wrote the whole song based on his suggested title - and Halfin claimed joint authorship, for making the suggestion! As for Calum Kennedy, he was notoriously frequently suing someone, or they were suing him. The youtube video of the BBC's 'fly on the wall' documentary 'Calum Kennedy's Commando Course' based on his doomed variety tour is always great viewing. Anyway this is classic thread creep! |
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10 Feb 20 - 07:29 PM (#4033492) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Tattie Bogle Well over twenty years since I was on Harris/Lewis. Harris was stunning, rugged, mountainous with fabulous beaches. Lewis flat and boggy! Lasting impression of Stornoway was the posters for "Alcoholics Anonymous" meetings in most of the shop windows! The view over Lews Castle as you come in by ferry is not bad. |
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11 Feb 20 - 02:45 AM (#4033520) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton It's not about scenery … really. |
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11 Feb 20 - 05:37 AM (#4033539) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross All places have to be 'lovely' in Scottish 'heather and haggis/tartan' folk/variety songs of the general ilk. It goes with the territory. No social realism allowed! |
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11 Feb 20 - 05:58 AM (#4033543) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,jim bainbridge That's quite right Alan- John Watt, that proud son of Dunfermline proved that many years ago.. 'Fife's got everything, jist the place for tourists See the bonnie pit bings standin' in a row' |
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11 Feb 20 - 06:16 AM (#4033549) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST Akenaton, Tattie Bogle.. Bob Halfin - who wrote Lovely Stornoway, suggested my father should write a song based on the title he came uo with 'You'll Never Ge Used to Uist. The song doesn't seem to exist anymore, as I only have a contract for it. But you can bet that knowing my father's style, and what the brief would have been, there would have been a lot of 'bonnie this and that in it. The finest place you'll ever see, no matter wherever you roam.. that type of thing. Place name songs written to order, as it was the fashion in that type of music. A Brigadoon vision, but heck when these things work, we can throw reality away and they do touch the sentimental part of an audience. My father had never been further than England when he wrote the Kennedy sung version of 'Dark Island', It's typical of the kind of 'lovely' rose tinted vision us Scots perpetuates in the period when it was written. Same with his song 'Home to Inverness'; which contains numerous sprinkled uses of the word "bonnie"..and a lot of artistic license. No mention of the town dump, run down areas, industrial features, uglier buildings or deprivation. The Proclaimers and other non heather and haggis acts kind of broke some of the conventions in the songs they wrote, which swept my father's type of music into the 'dated' bracket. |
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11 Feb 20 - 06:33 AM (#4033552) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,kenny https://youtu.be/Gu5rJe8dghA |
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11 Feb 20 - 06:55 AM (#4033561) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Tattie Bogle My last post was mainly in response to Joe's question re "What's Stornoway like? Is it as enchanting as Stromness?" Ok, I shied away from answering the second half, and from making comparisons: "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and a very personal opinion. (I like Stromness the better of the two places, if you must know.) Fully understand what Alan says about all the songs dedicated to "lovely places" - may be dated, but still very popular in certain circles. Just the type of songs sung by one of our session regulars. I wouldn't knock them, still enjoy them. |
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11 Feb 20 - 08:38 AM (#4033593) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton Quite True, As a Young folkie Me and my friends used to despise the heather and haggis singers like Kenneth McKellar.....now most of us realise that Mr Mckellar was about the finest singer Scotland ever produced and most of the folk performers we worshiped were second rate at best, |
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11 Feb 20 - 10:53 AM (#4033625) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,kenny "second rate at best," - you mean like Jeannie Robertson, Lizzie Higgins, Jimmy Hutchison, Belle Stewart, Heather Heywood, Archie Fisher, Barbara Dickson, Jim Reid, Andy M. Stewart ...... ? I doubt very much that "most of us" believe that at all. Who appointed you as the spokesperson for "us" ? |
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11 Feb 20 - 12:35 PM (#4033646) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross Hey people.. we are going into thread creep and sadly a bit of controversy. It wasn't the singing artists, it was to do with songs we were discussing, and the Rose tinted glasses that people wore when listening to or composing lyrics for songs like 'Lovely Stornoway', or some of the many similar town or place songs. Bob Halfin's song is a classic of its type, but probably bears little relevance to the reality of a place like Stornoway - though it was written in the late 1950's. My late father was also guilty as charged of writing sentimental songs taking place names, or a theme, where everything was 'lovely' or 'bonnie'. Often written to order.. and not necessarily very true of a place. They still touch people, and sometimes have great tunes - but the home market for them is now limited, compared to the peak of Calum Kennedy's popularity. |
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18 Feb 20 - 10:33 AM (#4034793) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Tattie Bogle Quote from the December 2019 edition of "Box and Fiddle" magazine, club news section, from Banff Accordion and Fiddle Club, "......all musicians took to the stage for a rousing stramash and sing-along to Lovely Stornoway". Thought you'd like to know! |
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18 Feb 20 - 08:12 PM (#4034888) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross Tattie Bogle, I've just found out that thrash Celtic merchants 'Peat and Diesel', (currently creating Peatlemania) have brought Lovely Stornoway to another generation. It's now seriously re-entered public consciousness though their performances. Not my kind of rendition (don't let actual tuneful singing get in the way), but hey..to each their own. It's funny how a song can be re-discovered, but I bet not many people realise it's not traditional, and was mainly written to order by an Englishman! |
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19 Feb 20 - 02:30 AM (#4034914) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton I quite like P&D....they are certainly entertainers in the old sense and witty in a way, but I don't think the fact that Lovely Stornoway was written by an Englishman diminishes the enjoyment many of us had from the song. Nationalism can be taken TOO far. |
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19 Feb 20 - 04:42 AM (#4034923) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross Akenaton, I meant it tongue in cheek.. as many people think that Scottish songs will have been written by natives of their own culture.. getting all misty eyed about a place they lived in. In fact many songs were just written to order by writers with no connection to the area where the song was about. Its like Dark Island (Kennedy version), the original tune may have been written by a guy from South Uist, but when my father wrote the words - he only did it after seeing a TV show - and was Invernessian. Oh and the 'authentic' Scottish tune Highland Cathedral is German, but makes people all dewy eyed about Scottish culture. Bob Halfin was a London based hack 'Tin-Pan Alley' writer, who often had a case full of lyrics and songs - but in writing 'Lovely Stornoway' he came up with a classic of its genre. |
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19 Feb 20 - 12:07 PM (#4035020) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,akenaton Nae problem Alan, I remember the TV show to which "The Dark Island" was the theme. Black and white telly tae. |
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20 Feb 20 - 06:25 PM (#4035279) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: Tattie Bogle Ha-ha re Peat and Diesel: have seen them on TV and various YouTube clips: not exactly my cup of decaff either, but keeping the auld sangs going in their own style. As for Londoners writing "Scottish" songs, what about Sir Harold Boulton? Spiffing job, what? (Skye Boat Song, Loch Tay Boat song - he had a thing about boats?) And The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen was written by an English lady. Who could blame them for liking Scotland? |
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20 Feb 20 - 10:56 PM (#4035301) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST Well observed Tattie Bogle. By the way Bob Halfin obviously had a thing for alliteration in some of his titles.. he co-wrote one called 'Chip Chopper Charlie' for Max Bygraves, and he had my father write 'You'll never get used to Uist'. His name is associated with 400 odd songs, though many he never actually wrote, but had shares in. Other works you will know are Silver Darlings (he had nothing to do with the actual writing of it), 'They found Donald's Troosers on the Top of Ben Nevis', 'The Scottish Working Man' etc. He wrote about any novelty subject and numerous countries. As I said, he once wrote a song about Tomnahurich cemetery! Pete and Diesel confusingly call 'Lovely Stornoway' just 'Stornoway, Go |
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20 Feb 20 - 11:08 PM (#4035303) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,Alan Ross Sorry my fingers slipped and I sent that before I was finished! I meant to say I meant to say "God forbid" that P and D ever cover any of my father's songs, as they have the subtlety of a sledgehammer in their approach to music, and the vocalist has the singing ability of a drunk coming home from a night out. 'Lovely Stornoway' is murdered. But it does bring the song to the next generation, when that period Tartan music had been lost from TV and radio. |
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21 Feb 20 - 04:09 AM (#4035321) Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Req: Lovely Stornoway (Kennedy/Halfin) From: GUEST,kenny "they have the subtlety of a sledgehammer in their approach to music, and the vocalist has the singing ability of a drunk coming home from a night out". Exactly, and therein lies the secret of their popularity. |