The inglorious death of romance

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | 6-11-06 | Tom Purcell

[Cavalcabo]

Hey, pallie, what the heck happened to romance? I use the word "pallie" in deference to the great Dean Martin, whose birthday was celebrated last Wednesday, and whose music will be celebrated at the Dean Martin Festival in Steubenville, Ohio, next weekend -- in the town of his birth.

I ask because I just looked at Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 list. Sitting at No. 1 on the charts is "Hips Don't Lie," by Shakira. It's on her album "Oral Fixation." Her song is a hit, no doubt, because of its eloquent lyrics:

"Nobody can ignore the way you move your body, girl And everything so unexpected -- the way you right and left it So you can keep on shaking it."

No. 2 on the charts is "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire, a rap performer. Here's a little taste of the song's poetry:

"Tippin' down, sittin' crooked on my chrome Bookin' my phone, tryin' to find a chick I wanna (slang expletive)"

No. 3 on the charts is "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado:

"You expect me to let you just hit it But will you still respect me if you get it."

Ah, modern romance. Things sure have changed since Dino dropped off the charts. I think I know why: Romance is dead.

Whereas the top three hits above celebrate human nature at its most base -- wiggling one's hips to stoke male arousal, looking for "chicks" to satisfy your urge, or wondering if a fellow will stick around after he samples the goods -- Dino's simple music spoke to the heart. Consider the lyrics to "Amore":

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie That's amore When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's amore."

[Victoria Delsoul]

You know what you gotta do... click on the pic.

[HitmanLV]

I don't know those modern songs much, sorry. I like Dino, though. In fact, I always preferred him to Sinatra. Just the way it is!

[Victoria Delsoul]

Well, you're an old man, hahaha. Kidding.

I can upload those other songs if you want to heard them, but I got the feeling that you don't.

[HitmanLV]

I'm not too old, but not too young! Haha!

I like the oldies, and I am 'oldschool,' though. So maybe that counts! ;-)

[HitmanLV]

That's a great selection of songs. I can listen to Dino all day! I like his old variety show, too. A shame that with 400+ cable channels, nobody runs it. Maybe someday! :-)

[Victoria Delsoul]

So, do you want to hear the new songs?

[T'wit]

Ahhh, A bard of romantic songs! Here's another Parish lyric:

Another perfect day has come to a close,
Twelve o'clock, all is well
And while a sleepy world is lost in repose,
Let my heart softly tell you
Dream beside me in the midnight glow,
The lamp is low.
Dream and watch the shadows come and go,
The lamp is low.
While you linger in my arms,
My lips will sigh I love you so
Dream the sweetest dream we'll ever know,
Tonight the moon is high,
The lamp is low.

[HitmanLV]

Sure, I'll give them a shot.

[Victoria Delsoul]

I like him, too. He's got a nice voice.

[MrCruncher]

I didn't know that.

Thanks for mentioning it.

[T'wit]

Did you ever hear the "Walter Brennan Blues"? Probably the only place to hear it was Dr. Demento. The gist of it was, the singer has the blues because he sounds just like Walter Brennan. (He does the Brennan voice perfectly.) It's a hoot.

[MrCruncher]

Italian mob people always preferred Dean Martin over Sinatra.

They said Dean Martin had just as much as ability and a better voice.

They were irritated that Sinatra never sang an Italian song. Dean Martin did lots of them.

The photo of Sinatra backstage with Sam Giancona and others is actually atypical.

No mob person had a good word to say about Sinatra.

They said he hung around with Hollywood business people who were not Italian.

[HitmanLV]

I'm FBI, but not a mob person, and I preferred Dino to Sinatra (though to be fair, I liked them both).

I find some of Sinatra's songs to cross well over into self parody (My Way being most notable), and some so dull and filled with shallow sentimentality that they are just awful (NY NY being most notable).

I'm a minority in Sinatra fan ranks in that I don't think everything he recorded was pure spun gold. Much of it is good, some of it stinks, and a few tunes are just bizarre (Old MacDonald and his disco single).

Dino never lets me down, though. I even dig his last album, especially his 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon.' Just a matter of personal taste. :-)

[Victoria Delsoul]

Hehe, enjoy.

[HitmanLV]

Dino never lets me down. A great voice and a fantastic presence, and also a good sense of humor.

Like I said earlier, I prefer Dino to Sinatra in many ways. I think he had a nicer voice and a better collection of songs, and was more consistent than Sinatra.

Thing is, when his son passed away in his early 30s he never really emotionally recovered. In fact, Dino's withdrawal caused a falling out between him and Sinatra that lasted until Dino's last day. A shame.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Yes, that's too bad, because they were good friends.

Hope you like the songs I posted.

[MrCruncher]

A guy I knew who was a bodyguard to people who owned hotels in Las Vegas saw a lot of these people when they were doing their shows there.

He said Sinatra was 5'6", very skinny and wirey, and hung around with businessmen types.

He said Dean Martin was the only one of the big performers who would go into a bar that the regular Las Vegas customers used like he was just another guy.

[HitmanLV]

The story as i know it, and it could be wrong, is that Dino was devastated by the untimely death of his son, and pulled out of a concert run with Frank. Sinatra wasn't too happy and grudged Dino ever since. A shame.

Thanks for posting those songs - they aren't my kind of songs, but I gave em a try!

[HitmanLV]

I've heard the same of Dino. One of the last true greats!

[Old_Mil]

"Some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend, legend became myth, and for two and a half thousand years the ring fell out of all knowledge."] To people in the third age, the story of Sauron was just a story."