Martin Meenagh blog

Obama High Hopes Song

I like the Kennedy Song from 1960--an intentional kick at 1952's 'I Like Ike' cartoon. I even, on the same basis, have time for 'Sweet Adeline', which JFK would belt out on cue. Here's a link to a film of a male impersonator, Ella Shields, doing the same thing in the 1930s, especially since the other version of Ted Kennedy doing it is just awful. Ella Shields, by the way, sang one of my favourite ever songs, 'Burlington Bertie from Bow' beautifully.

Isn't the internet amazing? It always moves me to think, when seeing people laughing and smiling a near century ago on the screen, that almost all these smiles and lives must be played out, all the dramas over by now, god rest them. Those children are old and their adventures run, those adults gone, those bright and weary eyes all lidded by earth or about to be.

Still, the tune on the link is a lovely one. They liked it too, those legions of the vanished, and by some act of confabulation or cognitive delusion, I feel close to them because of it.

The following Sinatra song, sung for a JFK who was soon to disappoint and disown him, is uplifting, and I thought that I would post it just for anyone who ever persevered, or who played a long game.

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