A to Z Theme 2016

For my 2016 A to Z theme I used a meme that I ran across on the blog of Bridget Straub who first saw it on the blog of Paula Acton. This meme is a natural for me to use on my memoir blog. It's an A to Z concept and it's about me. No research and nothing complicated. I'm given twenty six questions or topics to discuss that are about me.

In April I kept my posts short and uncomplicated. In the midst of it all you might learn a few things about me that you didn't previously know.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Norwegian Wood #atozchallenge




The Beatles "Norwegian Wood"  (1965)




Norwegian  Wood

           During the time when I was in 8th and 9th grade I became passionate about building model kits.  I started out with the Aurora monster series--the classic monsters such as Godzilla, the Mummy, Dracula, and a number of others.  Later I built some of the Big Daddy Roth "Rat Fink" series, eventually continuing on to airplanes, ships, and car models.  I began buying magazines about monsters and model building.  I was consumed by this hobby.

          My best friend Dan also joined me in this interest.  Previously we had both been avid stamp collectors, but the model building seemed like the more teen-like past time to which to graduate.  Dan was a grade ahead of me, but since he lived nearby and we shared similar interests he took up whatever interests I had.  He liked hanging around my house like my friends always seemed to do when I was growing up. I guess my house was always cooler than anybody elses and my mother always welcomed any of my friends.

         Another interest Dan and I shared was a love of the pop music of the day.   We'd sit on the floor of my bedroom working with our model kits listening to the likes of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles.   While we worked on our model-building we'd listen to my albums on a portable record player I had in my room and we talk about whatever came to mind--mostly girls.

          Neither of us had ever had an actual girlfriend relationship yet, but we were curious and had great longing.   Dan would tell me about things that he'd heard some of the older boys talking about or things that he had read.   This was the mid-60's and the topic of sex was still mostly a mystery to us.  We wanted to know more, there was so much that we didn't understand.

          After I acquired the Beatles Rubber Soul album we played that record over and over.  My favorite songs were "Michelle" and "I've Just Seen a Face".   Dan's favorite song was "Norwegian Wood".  In a classic example of misheard lyrics, Dan insisted that one of lines said "She showed me her womb".   He was taken by that line.  We both were aware that this had a sexual connotation, but we were misunderstanding what exactly womb meant.   What Dan was convinced of was that the lady of the song showed the singer her womb.

           I didn't hear that lyric in that way myself--I was hearing "room" not "womb".   But Dan stayed with his hearing of the line.  In later years I read or heard something about the phrase "Norwegian Wood" was really code for "knowing she would".   That sounds logical if you think back on the line "she showed me her room isn't it good knowing she would".  But then again "womb" was a code for young teenagers such as we were.

           That was a word made fodder for imagination.  The best visual for two young guys dreaming about the mysteries of women was the cover of Whipped Cream and other Delights by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.   This was the album worth staring at and letting fantasies run amok.   The words of "Norwegian Wood" had nothing on that album cover.  And from all appearances the woman on that album cover had nothing on except a lot of whipped cream.

           Ah, the fantasies of youth!

           At what age did you begin thinking of the mysteries of the opposite sex?   Is there a favorite lyric that you've misheard?    Did you have a hobby that kept you busy when you were a child or teenager?

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10 comments:

  1. Lee, Half the time, I STILL sing the wrong words to songs thinking they're something else.

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  2. I've misheard lyrics many times....for example in Elton John's Bennie and the Jets I would sing, 'she's got electric boobs' instead of boots. My fave though is from when I and my cousin were about 9. 'Taking care of business' by BTO was super popular. So were Bugs Bunny cartoons. I caught Diane singing, 'Taking care of Finster' and I busted up laughing. She truly thought it was named after the Bugs cartoon w/ the tiny bank robber Baby Faced Finster, b/c Bugs pretends to be babysitting him.

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  3. My ex once tried to (accidently ) combine Popsicles, Icicles and My Favorite Things and got (To the tune of the first) "These are a few of my favorite slugs..."

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  4. Oh, yeah, that Herb Alpert album cover!...

    My Grandpa owned it, and as a young boy, I'd stare and stare at it until I could almost melt that whipped cream away.

    Today, I own that same album on CD. But... learning that the model on the cover was actually pregnant at the time the photo was taken kind of ruined my lust for her.

    However, I still love whipped cream, and a girlfriend and I experimented with it in later years.

    But this being a G-rated family blog, that's all I'm going to say about that.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  5. My hobby was reading books. I love this song, brings back so many memories growing up listening to my Mum's record player. Yes, I always get the words wrong :)

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  6. Ah yes and of course, Ohio Express. Wonder what, "yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got love in my tummy.." might mean.

    Penny's fictional human,

    Gary :)

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  7. Teresa -- I have a tendency to make up my own lyrics.

    JoJo -- I remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon.

    CW -- If she was your ex she might have had thoughts of slugging you on her mind.

    StMc -- At the place where I used to work we sold a number of adult products among them flavored whipped creams...I don't guess I'll get into that either.

    Tanya -- I used to read a lot. More than I do now.

    Gary -- Don't get me started on "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy". I still sing that one and not with the right lyrics.

    Lee

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  8. Misheard lyrics are the best. Or just make some up. Weird Al can be very funny. To this day when my son and I hear Neil Young's Are You Ready for the Country we sing "slippin and a slidin, and playing donkey kong". One day I looked up the lyrics and he is really saying "playing dominoes". Boring! I like our version better. JoJo and the electric boobs is pretty funny (comment above).

    There is at least one other A-Z blog doing music that I've run across
    http://olivegroveview.blogspot.com/

    Music is such a powerful memory enhancer, and so very fun.

    Thank you for coming by my blog. I'm going to pop back and see what other songs you come up with :-)

    Liz at Bead Contagion

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  9. Liz -- I guess Neil Young was trying to create a laid back country image of a pastime and a video game didn't quite get it. I love Weird Al's parodies.

    Lee

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  10. Hi Lee - loved Norwegian Wood and Michelle .. and many others - as for remembering lyrics .. that sort of passed me by .. but I'm sure many were wrong - but the implications didn't impinge then ..

    Interesting to read your take on boys 'growing up' .. cheers Hilary

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