Posted on 10/04/2020 4:34:30 PM PDT by Twotone
Watching American cities burn across the map all summer long is a little dispiriting for those of us foreigners whose first acquaintance with these burgs was through American songs. I have been to St Louis a handful of times, but, if you sneak up on me unawares and yell the name at me, I'm more likely to eschew my limited personal experience and burst into a few bars of "Meet Me in St Louis" or "The Saint Louis Blues" - notwithstanding that the former renders the town exclusively as "St Louiee" and the latter does likewise in all but a few recordings.
"The Saint Louis Blues" was written in 1914, but its first smash hit recording is currently celebrating its hundredth birthday. Insofar as these things can be reliably measured, in October 1920 this was America's bestselling record:
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
Geez, I thought it was about the Blues hockey team. Steyn you loser, quit the bait and switch crap. The Blues is da Blues. :)
Mark Steyn, the only person I know that takes 20 minutes to make a point that any normal person can do in 20 seconds.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=%22Fido+is+a+hot+dog+now%22&docid=608021555251579293&mid=8FA113654B6AD371606B8FA113654B6AD371606B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
Thanks for always posting these! I love that song, had some real stomping version on a tape a friend made me back in the day. Don’t know who it was, but it really rocked.
Mark Steyn, the only person I know that takes 20 minutes to make a point that any normal person can do in 20 seconds.
......... and get paid well for doing it.
I am married to a St Louis girl. My father in law grew up on Kingshighway on the south side and would sit outside the Catholic church to greet Stan Musial as he came out.
There is a lot of crime and suffering in parts of the city, but it is a lovely place with a lot of history and culture.
Cool. Stan was joined in baseball heaven by another old Cardinal this week, Bob Gibson.
But he always makes me laugh while doing it.
The St. Louis Blues--Charlie & His Orchestra (1941)
A Negro from the London docks sings the blackout blues:
I hate to see the evening sun go down.
I hate to see the evening sun go down.
'Cause the Germans, they done bombed this town.
Feeling tomorrow like I feel today.
Feeling tomorrow like I feel today.
I'll pack my trunk, make my getaway.
That Churchill, that man, with his wars and things
Was brought around by his apron strings.
Weren't for Churchill and his bloody war,
I wouldn't feel so doggone sore.
Got the blackout blues, blue as I can be.
That man's got a heart like a rock cast in the sea.
He wont' let folks live as they want to be,
Doggone it!
Same here. I love Steyn.
Nice. Thanks.
When I was 12 years old or so, living in west Michigan, I used to tune my radio to AM 1120 KMOX in St. Louis on winter nights to listen to the late great Dan Kelly broadcast St. Louis Blues ice hockey (this was right after they were formed as an expansion team). Their broadcasts used to start out with a stirring rendition of the St. Louis Blues; it caught my imagination and I still think of those broadcasts fondly today.
My husband was raised near Chouteau and Kingshighway, about a mile from where the McCloskeys had their standoff with the BLM mob. I was raised close to Anheuser Busch brewery. They still kept the Clydesdales in the city then and they would regularly exercise them on our street. On my first job out of high school, on special occasions we would go to Stan Musial and Biggies restaurant for lunch. St Louis was a fine place back then. I still have relatives that live in the city near the Hill, but for the last ten years we don’t go there unless we are armed.
Such an apt description. Thanks for putting it into words.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.