Massa Crítica Música Popular: Title in hand: a brief research

Cerejas

Silêncio

A Câmara Municipal está tratando de abolir os barulhos harmoniosos da cidade: os auto-falantes e as vitrolas. [...]
Gosto daqueles móveis melódicos e daquelas cornetas altíssonas. Fazem bem aos nervos. A gente anda, pelo centro, com os ouvidos cheios de algarismos, de cotações da bolsa de café, de câmbio, de duplicatas, de concordatas, de "cantatas", de negociatas e outras cousas chatas. De repente, passa pela porta aberta de uma dessas lojas sonoras e recebe em cheio, em plena trompa de Eustáquio, uma lufada sinfônica, repousante de sonho [...] E a gente pára um pouco nesse halo de encantado devaneio, nesse nimbo embalador de música, até que a altíssima farda azul marinho venha grasnar aquele horroroso "Faz favorrr, senhorrr!", que vem fazer a gente circular, que vem repor a gente na odiosa, geométrica, invariável realidade do Triângulo - isto é, da vida."
Urbano (Guilherme de Almeida), 1927.

29 de dezembro de 2011

Title in hand: a brief research

Definitely, a historian's instinct never goes on vacation. When I received from my friend and Beatles connoisseur Guilherme Lentz the news that the soon to come standards album by Paul McCartney would be called Kisses on the bottom, I was curious. Even more about the connotations that such a title could have, very unusual when it comes to someone so diligent in being politically correct as Paul. Since I'm not very busy these days, I decided to do a brief research. I solved the riddle: the title is taken from the lyrics (by Joe Young) of the first song on the setlist of the record, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter. In a naive reading it means the back (bottom) of the letter, but the song was banned in some northamerican states in 1936, when it was recorded by the Boswell Sisters (close harmony singing group of sisters raised on Camp Street in uptown New Orleans) [read here]. Westrow Coopertakes note of the use of double sense in songs from Broadway musicals. Just remember Let's do it by Cole Porter. Pedro Munoz had already commented that, when we spoke of the changes in lyrics made by a moralist Sinatra. What was McCartney thinking of? (portuguese version) In time, the version of the Boswell Sisters, probably the recording he heard in childhood: