Last night might be the last of 2008's fine fall evenings, lending its beauty and calm stillness to the perfect outdoor guitar noodling session. After a day of moving all the furniture from three rooms and pulling up carpet, it was a delight to sit on the front stoop and watch the sun set, playing the guitar. I was in heaven.
I must be going through a real nostalgic period with my music. I've already written about Roy Orbison's "Crying." Now, I've had another song from further back in my childhood, namely Joe Rasposo's "Sing" as made famous by The Carpenters, find its way into my head. Of course, my first introduction to the song, being a child of the 70s, was on Sesame Street. Such a seemingly simple song, it has always been a favorite. No matter where I am, if this song comes up on the radio or Muzak loudspeakers, vocal or just instrumental, I always pause to listen to it. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only 30 something to have a fondness for this tune.
Actually, I've been looking for a chord sheet for this song ever since I started playing guitar. Most arrangements have jazzy chords and in keys designed for playing on piano. My problem is that I was searching for The Carpenters as part of my keywords. Once I figured out the author was Mr. Raposo, it was easier to find a more beginner friendly version.
As familiar as the song is, I learned I didn't know it perfectly. It wasn't easy to figure out a strum pattern and it wasn't easy to really know where the chord changes are. I think I got pretty close last night. That said, it was still a wonderful evening for a childhood song.
And, as wonderful as Karen Carpenter's version is, this will always be the definitive performance for me:
Labels: guitar, lyrics, music, recollections
