Creative Inerpretations - Wil-O'-the-Wisp

[Sweetlight]

This was one of Time Magazine's "Photos of the Year" a few years back. She was molting but I always thought it looked like a pixie.

[Steve Conway]

And in your lonely flight
Haven't you heard the music in the night
Wonderful music
Faint as a will o' the wisp
Crazy as a loon
Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon

"Skylark" Johnny Mercer

Steve C.

[Sweetlight]

Steve, As much as I am into my reading and music I have never heard that but I believe Johnny Mercer is an old country or folk song guy? Is that song? Beautiful.

[CJ Swartz]

Johnny Mercer -- a partial list of his songs for shows, movies, and recording

• "Blues In The Night" (1941) (music by Harold Arlen)
• "I Remember You" (1941) (music by Victor Schertzinger)
• "Tangerine" (1941) (music by Victor Schertzinger)
• "That Old Black Magic" (1942) (music by Harold Arlen)
• "Skylark" (1942) (music by Hoagy Carmichael)
• "I'm Old Fashioned" (1943) (music by Jerome Kern)
• "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" (1943) (music by Harold Arlen)
• "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (1944) (music by Harold Arlen)
• "Laura" (1945) (music by David Raksin)
• "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (1946) (music by Harold Arlen)
• "Autumn Leaves" (1947) (music by Joseph Kosma)
• "Glow Worm" (1952) (music Paul Lincke)
• "Satin Doll" (1953) (music by Duke Ellington)
• "Something's Gotta Give" (1954) (words and music by Johnny Mercer)
• "Moon River" (1961) (music by Henry Mancini)
• "Days of Wine and Roses" (1962) (music by Henry Mancini)
• "Charade" (1963) (music by Henry Mancini)

AND "I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande" (1936) -- NOT a country song

[Steve Conway]

Originally Posted by Sweetlight

Steve, As much as I am into my reading and music I have never heard that but I believe Johnny Mercer is an old country or folk song guy? Is that song? Beautiful.

Johnny Mercer, who was from Savannah by-the-way, wrote mostly songs during the "big band" era. May have written a couple of western type songs, but mostly beautiful melodic type things. I'm sure you have heard "Moon River." He wrote the lyrics to Mancini's music. I'll fill you in on some of his other things if you are interested. I never get tired of talking about my favorite lyricist.

Here are the rest of the "Skylark" lyrics.

Steve C.

"Skylark"

Words by Johnny Mercer, music by Hoagy Carmichael

Skylark, have you anything to say to me,
Won't you tell me where my love can be?
Is there a meadow in the mist
Where someone's waiting to be kissed?

Skylark, have you seen a valley green with spring
Where my heart can go a-journeying
Over the shadows and the rain to a blossom-covered lane?

And in your lonely flight haven't you heard the music of the night?
Wonderful music, faint as a will-o-the-wisp, crazy as a loon,
Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon, oh...

Skylark, I don't know if you can find these things,
But my heart is riding on your wings
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there...

[Steve Conway]

Originally Posted by CJ Swartz

[color=Black]Johnny Mercer -- a partial list of his songs for shows, movies, and recording

Thanks CJ. Glad to see someone else that appreciates Mercer.

Did you know that each year it was his custom to send his family Xmas letter done as a poem? I have copies of some and they are very lengthy, telling all the family happenings in poetry.

Steve C.

[Sweetlight]

Wow,

There are a handful of things that I live for, family, friends, creating my art, writing, reading, travel, FISHING, and music. I am sure I missed one or two, one of which was not appropriate to list here. I am one of those people that when listening to music with someone I always say, "Did you hear that, those lyrics, man that's something." It has been my experience that MOST people are listening to mostly the music and not the words and that absolutely drives me insane. I can hear almost any song and relate it to a time in my life sometimes right down to the exact moment. That being said it blows me away that although the name Johnny Mercer rang a bell with me, he was not as familiar as he should be. Then seeing that list of songs credited to him and wow, the man wrote some of the most incredible songs of all times. Thanks to you two for the enlightenment.

c

[GerryB]

CJ, That list took me back a few years. I've never been much of a lyrics person but the music... ah, the music!

[GerryB]

Beautiful Picture, SL.

[palms1]

I thought i would make her into a Pixie
Super shot though stunning

Palms