Tag Archives: Covid-19

♫ You’ll Never Walk Alone ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

There are only three songs by Gerry and the Pacemakers that I have played before:  Ferry Cross the Mersey (2); Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying; and I’m Telling You Now.  Last time I played Ferry Cross the Mersey in 2021, several readers mentioned this one, You’ll Never Walk Alone.  I’m sure that at the time I intended to play it shortly thereafter, but as happens to many of my plans, that thought went astray and I never played it.  So tonight, I was thinking to redux Ferry Cross the Mersey, but when I looked back at the comments, saw the suggestions for this one, I decided to change course and play this instead.

I was surprised to learn that this was originally written for the 1945 musical Carousel. It was sung in the original show by Christine Johnson.

According to SongFacts …

Frank Sinatra was the first artist to take this song into the charts (#9 on the Billboard charts in 1945). It soon became very popular as many who had lost loved ones during the war took solace in the lyrics. Judy Garland recorded a well-known version, and in the 1950s several American rock n rollers sang it, including Conway Twitty, Gene Vincent and Johnny Preston.

Gerry & the Pacemakers had included the song in their stage act for a long time. When they decided to record it as their third single, producer George Martin enhanced the song by adding strings. When it topped the UK chart, they became the first act to reach #1 in the UK with their first three singles. Soon afterwards, it was adopted by the fans of Liverpool Football Club as the club’s anthem.

Elvis Presley covered this song, releasing it as a single in 1968. His was one of four versions of the song to chart in the US in the ’60s:

  • 1964 Patti LaBelle & Her Blue Belles (#34)
  • 1965 Gerry & The Pacemakers (#48)
  • 1968 Elvis Presley (#90)
  • 1969 The Brooklyn Bridge (#51)

Following a damning report into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 96 football fans died, Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram started a campaign to get this song back into the UK charts. As a result it returned to the UK top 20 in September 2012 with the proceeds being donated to Hillsborough-related charities.

Radio stations across Europe, including the BBC, joined forces to simultaneously play “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in a show of solidarity against coronavirus. The song ran out at 7:45 a.m. GMT on March 20, 2020, on hundreds of European radio stations. Dutch radio presenter Sander Hoogendoorn of 3FM, who came up with the idea, explained: “We all have to do what we can to beat this crisis. Things like this just go beyond the boundaries of radio channels. [The song] could speak to those doing an incredible job working in healthcare right now, those who are ill or those who can’t leave their house for a while.”

This topped a “lockdown listening list” collated by The Official Charts Company of the UK’s most popular coronavirus quarantine tracks. They compiled the survey by analyzing the songs that had the biggest percentage increase in listens and purchases, March 23-29, 2020, the week after Britain went into lockdown. They found a mixture of “uplifting classics” and “apocalyptic isolation” tunes being blasted from the nation’s speakers as folks adjusted to life in the COVID-19 era.

99-year-old Captain Tom Moore joined forces with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices Of Care Choir to record a charity cover in April 2020. The war veteran captured the UK nation’s hearts by raising over £26 million ($32 million) for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic by walking lengths of his garden.

All proceeds are being donated to Captain Tom Moore’s 100th Birthday Walk in aid of NHS Charities Together, which supports the NHS staff and volunteers caring for coronavirus patients.

Captain Tom Moore’s version entered the UK chart at #1, making Moore – six days short of his 100th birthday – the oldest person to achieve a chart-topping single.

In March 2021, a few months after Gerry Marsden died, Brittany Howard and Chris Martin performed “You’ll Never Walk Alone” as part of the “In Memoriam” segment on the Grammy Awards.

The Pacemakers’ version reached #1 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, #31 in Canada, and #48 in the U.S.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Gerry and the Pacemakers

When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm
There’s a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
For your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers

You’ll Never Walk Alone lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Election 2022, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, guns, Political commentary

Today’s snarky snippets are a bit different than usual, focusing on some who have earned kudos or a thumb-up for their actions, for their courage and integrity.

A man with integrity in Colorado

The Republican Party of today is not known for its truth-telling, not known for its integrity, and not known for its democratic principles.  It is, rather, known for its bigotry, its devotion to wealth and the wealthy, and its obstruction of anything that would benefit the people of this nation.  There are, however, a few exceptions.  Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are two of those notable exceptions, however both have paid a high price for ‘doing the right thing’.  Out in Colorado, though, there is another:  State Senator Kevin Priola.

Priola is resigning from the Republican Party and becoming a Democrat, citing the party’s complicity in the Jan. 6 insurrection and 2020 election denial as the reason …

“I cannot continue to be a part of a political party that is okay with a violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election and continues to peddle claims that the 2020 election was stolen.”

He also cited his party’s lack of action on climate change, saying his GOP colleagues “consistently and proudly seek to impede progress … and I can’t, in good conscience, be silent about that.”

Often when I speak of the Republican Party, I wonder whether there is any limit to how low they are willing to stoop, any line in the sand they won’t cross.  For most, I believe there is no valley so low they wouldn’t slide into it, no line in the sand, but it gives me hope seeing that there are still a few out there who put country before party, who have integrity and aren’t afraid to stand by their convictions.  I don’t often agree with them on policy issues, but I give them a big thumb up for their values, for what they are trying to accomplish, for not falling prey to the evil that has become the Republican Party today.

Dr. Fauci … we will miss you!

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, announced that he will leave his position at the end of this year.  I don’t blame him one bit … he has been vilified, he and his family have received death threats, and for what?  Because he is a man of integrity, because he told the truth when others attempted to sweep it under the carpet.

In early 2020 when the pandemic first hit, half of this nation might have been wiped out were it not for the voice of Dr. Fauci.  He cautioned, he warned, he urged protocols, he informed, while the person sitting in the Oval Office pooh-poohed his cautionary speech and told the people of this country not to worry, that COVID-19 would only affect a handful of people and it would be gone in a matter of a few days.  He eschewed precautions such as mask-wearing, business & school closings, and social distancing – the very things Dr. Fauci was urging.

I think Dr. Fauci deserves the Medal of Honour for not only his hard work to try to keep us safe and alive, but for putting up with the bullshit he has had to put up with from the under-educated masses who preferred to believe a proven liar to a scientist.  Says Dr. Fauci …

“While I am moving on from my current position, I am not retiring. After more than 50 years of government service, I plan to pursue the next phase of my career while I still have so much energy and passion for my field. I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats.”

COVID cases and deaths are on the rise again, and next year we won’t have the cool-headed wisdom of Dr. Anthony Fauci.  He leaves some mighty big shoes to fill.

Public safety = political suicide

U.S. Representative Chris Jacobs took a brave stance last May when he made the public statement that he would support a ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as raising the age to buy certain weapons to 21.  What simply sounds like common sense to many of us, was like a tidal wave to his New York constituency as well as the Republican Party in general.  Shortly after making the announcement, Jacobs said in a conversation with a Republican leader …

“I think I just committed political suicide.”

Officials who had endorsed Jacobs swiftly withdrew their support. Gun rights groups accused him of betrayal. Don Junior said Jacobs had “caved to the gun-grabbers.” A week after his news conference, Jacobs announced that he would not seek reelection.

Jacobs said the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo in May were the driving factors in his decision.  He and his family were about one mile from the Tops supermarket in Buffalo when that shooting took place.  Jacobs, 55, represents an increasingly rare brand of politician — moderate in ideology and willing to change his mind. He criticized both parties for enforcing conformity in their ranks.

Like Liz Cheney and others, I cannot agree with many of Mr. Jacobs’ policy votes, but I honour him for having the courage of his convictions, the courage to put our lives ahead of the profits of the gun industry, which is what it all boils down to.  But think about this for a minute … if the people in the Republican Party who actually own a conscience are leaving, either by their own will or by being forced from office, what kind of GOP does that leave us with next year?  After the past two years since Greene, Boebert and others wormed their way into the U.S. Congress, I thought it had hit rock bottom … couldn’t get any worse.  But now, with the more level-headed, conscionable members leaving … oh yeah, my friends, it can get one hell of a lot worse!

Open Letter To The Three Stooges

Posted on by under Free Press Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Dear Messrs. Donald Trump, John Michael (Mick) Mulvaney, and Michael Huckabee,

There is a time for having fun, a time for jokes and humour.  However, there is also a time to be serious.  I read with horror this morning Mr. Mulvaney’s comments, obviously intended to be funny, claiming that the reason the media was reporting extensively on the spread of the coronavirus was to try to “take down” Donald Trump.

If I took your comments seriously, Mr. Mulvaney, I would have asked you if, then, the entire world was attempting to “take down” Trump, since media outlets worldwide are providing continual coverage and updates on the spread of this illness.  But I realized that nobody with any sense would make such a statement except in jest, so while it annoyed me, I let it ride.

Then later in the day you, Mr. Trump, came along and made the same claim, only embellishing on the story with more jokes … jokes that were, under the circumstances, in very poor taste.  You took it even further and joked that you thought the democrats were behind the media coverage.  Again, if I took you seriously I would ask if you think the democrats control the media (hint:  they don’t), and if their reach extends to such media outlets as der Spiegel in Germany and the BBC in the UK, for those outlets are also providing widespread coverage.  But again, surely you are jesting.

And then, you, Mr. Mike Huckabee, had to try to top the Mulvaney/Trump acts with your own attempt at humour, saying that Trump …

“Could personally suck the virus out of every one of the 60,000 people in the world, suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean and spit it out, and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean.”

Do you guys all share the same comedy writer?  If so, he really needs to retire.  First of all, there are far more than 60,000 people in the world … at last count, it was up to about 7.8 billion, I believe.  Secondly, there are very few people who would allow Mr. Trump to touch us, let alone “suck the virus … out of our lungs”.  And thirdly, of course, this is a ridiculous, ignorant thing to even say, and far beneath the dignity of a former governor and presidential candidate.

Now that you’ve had your little jokes, let me tell you gentlemen a few things here.

Part of the job of the media, whether in this country, Spain, Germany, or Brazil, is to inform the public of things they need to know.  The coronavirus, or Covid-19 as I believe it has been named, is a very serious threat to people all around the globe.  It is not unique to the United States but has become a serious threat to a number of countries, including Italy, China, Iran, Japan, and others.  It is NOT, gentlemen, something to joke about.  It is NOT something to use as a political tool, nor to use as an excuse to taunt the media.

Your attempts to downplay this widespread threat to human health and safety is a disservice to the people of this nation.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it is spreading rapidly and is particularly likely to be lethal to people like myself who have chronic health problems and compromised immune systems.  There are already 60 confirmed cases in the U.S. and while there hasn’t been a fatality here yet, it is only a matter of time.

Your mockery and accusations are most inappropriate at this time and in these circumstances.  Your words would be unthinkable in any other administration, but the entire theme of this administration seems to be spouting ignorance, nonsense, vitriol, and blaming someone else for everything that goes wrong.  Yes, the stock market is plunging, not only in the U.S. but also the European markets, and it is NOT the fault of the media, NOT the fault of the Democrats.  And no, gentlemen, contrary to what you’ve tried to tell us, the United States is NOT well prepared to combat this pandemic.  Since January 2017, funding has been cut to health organizations such as CDC, and millions have lost their health insurance due to the hatchet job that has been done to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  We are every bit as vulnerable as any nation on earth.

In short, those who are not part of the solution, are part of the problem.  You, gentlemen, are definitely NOT doing anything to be a part of the solution, so please step aside and let the adults attempt to safeguard the people of this nation.

Sincerely,

We the People