2/6/2006 - As Time Goes By
Song: As Time Goes By
Artist: Dooley Wilson
Why this song is the current jam: Ok, if we are talking love songs, this one is a classic. Perhaps the classic. From my favorite movie of all time Casablanca, (why does that surprise you?) this olde-tyme ditty has some unique timeless quality to it, and Dooley Wilson's rendering is simple and elegant. He had to play up the "blackness" in the movie, (its one flaw in my estimation, a virtually unavoidable element in showbiz from those days, the overt and idiotic depiction of black people as simple and either cruel and evil or, as in this case, dog-like in their loyalty) so it is easy to overlook the skill of his performance, but his voice really lends itself wonderfully to the song. Despite appearances in the movie, that is not him playing the piano either. In fact, if you look at what he is doing, he is just sorta plunking his hands onto the piano, and the appearance is actually that he doesnt know how to play the thing at all. (Elliott Carpenter actually played the piano - the only two black people on the set, creating something amazing and lasting) Perhaps it is just my association of it with the movie, one I recommend to all to check out, but this song, with its lyrics, its melody, and its elegant and whimsical beginning, encapsulates a world of love in a few short verses.
As a special treat to those of you still checkin the blog even as I am so grievously behind, I am posting a little tidbit of Billie here for you, her own take on the song. It is bad ass, you'll like it.
Artist: Dooley Wilson
Why this song is the current jam: Ok, if we are talking love songs, this one is a classic. Perhaps the classic. From my favorite movie of all time Casablanca, (why does that surprise you?) this olde-tyme ditty has some unique timeless quality to it, and Dooley Wilson's rendering is simple and elegant. He had to play up the "blackness" in the movie, (its one flaw in my estimation, a virtually unavoidable element in showbiz from those days, the overt and idiotic depiction of black people as simple and either cruel and evil or, as in this case, dog-like in their loyalty) so it is easy to overlook the skill of his performance, but his voice really lends itself wonderfully to the song. Despite appearances in the movie, that is not him playing the piano either. In fact, if you look at what he is doing, he is just sorta plunking his hands onto the piano, and the appearance is actually that he doesnt know how to play the thing at all. (Elliott Carpenter actually played the piano - the only two black people on the set, creating something amazing and lasting) Perhaps it is just my association of it with the movie, one I recommend to all to check out, but this song, with its lyrics, its melody, and its elegant and whimsical beginning, encapsulates a world of love in a few short verses.
As a special treat to those of you still checkin the blog even as I am so grievously behind, I am posting a little tidbit of Billie here for you, her own take on the song. It is bad ass, you'll like it.
posted by Peetski at 2:31 AM
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