Over the last four weeks we have been featuring the hits in the charts of 1960-1962. We have also included some of the notable events in those years for the up and coming stars who were centre stage at the time. You can find these posts:The Breakfast Show with hosts William Price King and Sally Cronin
We will be sharing the music of the 1960s until the end of May before moving on to the 1970s. Participate in the spin-off shows and share your memories of the music of the 60s. An opportunity to share your work and here are the details:The Breakfast Show 2021
The special guest today is Jane Risdon who shares her music memories of the 1960s
I look back on the 1960s and the music of that era with great affection. Music has been my life and being married to a musician has been wonderful because we have shared our love for music throughout the decades. The 1960s when we met was and is a special time for us.
I’ve been trying to recall the first single I brought, but I cannot. There were so many favourite bands back then. I used to save my paper-round money to spend on a couple of singles each month. Albums (long playing records) didn’t join my collection until I lived in Germany in 1968 when I had the pleasure of shopping at the Canadian NAAFI where all the latest American and British music was on sale.
I owned several inherited 78s which my youngest sister smashed one Saturday when I was at school. Alma Cogan’s albums were among them “Never Tango with an Eskimo,” was one!
Rather than concentrate on the obvious choice I could make, such as The Beatles, I thought I’d share a song I loved in 1961. It evokes such emotion whenever I hear it performed by the singer.
“Sukiyaki,” was sung by 20-year-old Japanese, Kyu Sakamoto, who died in 1985 in a horrific Japanese plane crash, but whose song sold 13 million copies in 1961 the world over. It has since been covered by dozens of artists in English, and has been used in movies. I love it. He sings with such ‘feel,’ in his voice.
It was originally entitled, “Ue o Muite Arukō.“ Translation: “I Look Up as I Walk”, but record executives decided to call it “Sukiyaki,” after the Japanese dish.
I hope you listen to this wonderful singer and his performance. It is magic.
My thanks to Jane for reminding of this very successful track from the early 60s which certainly deserves to be showcased.
Books by Jane Risdon
One of the recent reviews for Only One Woman
Written from the the diaries of two young women who are in love with the same man, this is an interesting collaboration between these two authors. Seamlessly moving from one perspective to the other, this book kept me interested and intrigued by the possible outcomes.
I loved the 60s setting with music, fashion and culture references that rang true to that era and the age of the two girls.
A blast back to the swinging 60s and a fun read which I thoroughly enjoyed and I will be searching out other titles from both of these authors.
Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US– Blog:Jane Risdon WordPress – Goodreads:Jane Risdon Goodread – Twitter: @Jane_Risdon
About Jane Risdon
Jane Risdon began writing following her successful career in the International Music Industry which has taken her all over the world working, including North America, Europe, Singapore, and Taiwan. She and her musician husband have worked with everything from Rock, Thrash Metal, and R&B/Pop to Chinese Opera.
She’s been involved in Artiste Management, Music Production, Music Publishing, and the facilitation of music for TV and Movie Soundtracks.
In December 2020 Jane signed with Linda Langton of Langtons International Literary Agency, based in New York, NY.
In 2014 Jane signed a publishing contract with Headline Accent part of the Hachette group.
Her co-written novel with best-selling, award-winning author Christina Jones is entitled ‘Only One Woman,’ and is published by Headline Accent. Christina and Jane enjoy a life-long friendship, and their shared experiences and love of the 1960s and the music scene, are the inspiration for their fictional novel about two girls and a lead guitarist whose band is touring and recording in England and Europe when they all meet. It is garnering rave 5* reviews from men and women. It is more than a love story, it is a social comment about the lives of those living through an era of social upheaval and huge world events.
Thanks for joining us today and as always we would love your feedback..you can all the Tuesday Breakfast Shows so far in the directory Here
We would love you to participate with your own memories of the decades we share and if you have a favourite track from the 1960s then please check out this post. The Breakfast Show 2021
Thanks so much for allowing me to share this fabulous song with you. I’ve just listened again and ti always brings a lump to my throat for some reason. I am enjoying reading about the choices your readers are making for their songs of choice for the 1960s. So many delights to rediscover. Thanks for being such fab support to me and everyone, Sally, and for allowing Sukiyaki to flow across our temporal lobes again. xx
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It is a lovely song Jane and you are right so emotionally tied to those years.. I am enjoying our trip through the 60s and looking forward to the decades to come.. Thank you for participating…hugs ♥
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Sally, it is a wonderful song and he sings with such emotion. It is sad but when you consider how closed Japan was at the time, to have a global hit was a massive achievement. Thanks for allowing his song to reach more people.
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It’s a joy having you on “The Breakfast Show,” Jane, and many thanks for introducing this beautiful song, “Sukiyaki.” It’s always good to discover something new . All the best. Hugs
Reblogged on Improvisation – “The Art of Living”
https://williampriceking.tumblr.com/
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Thanks, William, I appreciate your welcome. It was a difficult choice, coming from a music background I have hundreds of albums and singles, and when I began to think about songs I was bamboozled, to be honest. I didn’t want to add my husband’s music which was tempting, and for the life of me, I can’t think which single I purchased first. I have a feeling it was Pretty Flamingo by Paul Jones and Manfred Mann, or Massacheutes by The Bee Gees, but I am rocky about them. So, Sukiyaki it is. I am happy your enjoyed it. I gather you have never heard it before. It is an ear-worm lol.
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I always appreciate hearing new songs, Jane. I don’t know how, but this one escaped me so I am glad you presented it. It’s good to know you have quite a musical background, thanks for sharing that. Hugs
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Thank you for this wonderful piece of music, Jane and Sally! Even if it sounds very sad, the singing is wonderful and goes right to the heart. Happy Saturday! Enjoy your weekend! ;Michael
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Thanks Michael.. it brought back memories for me as I remembered the lilting ballad…even though in Japanese it still carried a great deal of meaning..hugsx
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Thats true, and its real music.
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Thank you, Michael, for tuning in. Glad you enjoyed. All the best.
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Thank you, William! You as well. Enjoy the weekend! Michael
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I am so glad you enjoyed Sukiyaki Michael, it is a wonderful composition. It was a great feat to have a global success when Japan was still quite a place of wonder to most of us – nothing like the Japan of today! It is haunting. Thanks so much. x
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Thank you very much, Jane! Its wonderful, very different to most of the music and song of today. Now, thats true, Japan is captured by the new modernity. Have a beautiful weekend! Michael
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You too, and yes, I thought it would make a change. xx
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Great choice of song, Jane! I’ve always loved it, but I never knew anything about it.
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Thanks Liz.. xx
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You’re welcome, Sally.
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Thank you, Liz. Hugs
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You’re welcome, William.
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I know, it sticks in your head. It was a huge deal back when for a Japanese artist to make it outside Japan. Sad because he died young and left a widow and two small children, horrid plane crash, all killed bar one I think
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That is sad. We have lost so many musicians to plane crashes.
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Odd isn’t it, But not when you think of touring. I have got on and off of planes like some folk use buses. It ups your chances of crashing.
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Yes, it does, particularly those tiny prop planes.
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Oh cripes yes. Went from Denver to Salt Lake City in one during a thunder and lightning storm to do a show and it was hairy. As we came in to land in Salt Lake City another plane was taking off right in our landing path. We had to swerve and climb fast and almost vertically to get out of the way.
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Those near misses take your breath away.. one of the reasons happy not to fly long haul again. xx
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I know, had a few in my time and you have got to wonder…
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no kidding..xx
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LOl I wish I were.
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Reblogged this on Pattys World.
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Thanks Patty.. hugsx
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Thank you, Patty. Hugs
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Patty, thanks so much for reblogging and for your support. I hope you enjoyed the song.
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Hi Jane. No problem. Glad to do it. Thanks for your appreciation. That’s worth a lot to me.
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Your support is invaluable x
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I remember that song but never knew what it was called or who sang it. Thanks for the memory!
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Glad Jane filled in the background for you Sharon..hugsx
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Thank you, Sharon. Hugs
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It was quite offensive to the Japanese for it to be called Sukiyaki after the dish, they wanted the title translated into English but the US record company thought it wasn’t sexy enough and as they knew little about Japan apart from the dish called Sukiyaki, they called it that. Today that would be deemed racist.
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I listened to this song but it doesn’t ring any bells for me so I don’t think I’ve heard this version or an English version. Lovely to see Jane featured here. What wonderful hair she had as a youngster.
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Thank you, Robbie. We’re very happy to have Jane with us today. Hugs
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Thanks Robbie.. I am not sure it would have had much airtime in SA.. but Jane had amazing hair.. still gorgeous today of course..hugsx
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I am blushing. My mother hated my hair and would really enjoy grabbing a hairbrush and really going for it – brushing until my head ached. Sometimes the hairbrush was a weapon too. I look at the 16-year-old photo and recall a stinging scalp most often. But for this piece, it was the only half-decent photo I could find. Thanks for being so kind. x
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A lovely photo..♥
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LOL, the hair – the bain of my Mum’s life. She hated it. I still have all my own lol. You were possibly too young to recall the song from 1961. Thanks for dropping in Robbie. xx
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Pingback: Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Weekly Round Up – 21st – 27th February 2021 – 1960s Pop Music, Short Stories, Poetry, Blog Stars, Books, Reviews and Funnies | Smorgasbord Blog Magazine
I enjoyed Jane’s discussion of the 60s as well as her choice of song. I remember when the song was released, it raised a lot of questions on the translation. The emotion of the song caused people to wonder. “I look up as I walk. So the tears won’t fall. Remembering those spring days. And tonight, I am all alone.”
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Very poignant song at a time when rock bands were often singing lyrics that were intelligible. xxx
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Thanks, John, glad you enjoyed. All the best.
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John, you are so right. It was very controversial at the time because of the change of title. I am glad it was released and was such a hit, but it is sad and evocative and I cannot listen to it without a lump in my throat.
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I’m glad you highlighted it. Thanks, Jane.
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Pleasure.
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A wonderful song to share, one I hadn’t thought of in a while. I was a teenager in the ’70s, but because my brother is twelve years older, I love sixties music as much or more.
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thanks Joan and I had two older sisters so like you I got to enjoy this decade too.. x
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Thanks, Joan, glad you enjoyed. Hugs
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I was into music quite young and happy to listen to anything from musicals and Doris Day, to my Dad’s passion for military music. Mum used to have Nat King Cole and Guy Mitchell on all the time when I was small and so I got to enjoy so many types of music. When I was a young teen I loved Radio Luxemburg and the pirate stations, Caroline and London and there was so much variety in the charts and on the airwaves. Radio One was a Godsend. But my first love is rock and Soul, R&B etc., and always will be. Perry Como and Dean Martin are up there too alongside Alice Cooper, The |Who, and Led Zepp. Go figure!
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It’s been a while since I heard this song. Lovely and poignant. Thank you, Jane, for your post and this song. As always, thank you, Sally. 💗
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Thanks Gwen..hugsxx♥
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Thank you, Gwen. Hugs
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Gwen, I am so glad you enjoyed hearing it again. It is instantly memorable, I think, and so many know of it but have not heard it in years. Happy you dropped in, thanks.
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Don’t want to steal anyone’s thunder, but you can learn all about the ’60s music scene (and more!) right here (place parental guidance warning here): http://smarturl.it/MAKtg
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Thanks for the link Ted.. enjoy the rest of the weekend.
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Thanks, Ted. All the best.
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Thanks, Ted, your are not stealing anyone’s thunder that I know. The 1960s music scene is close to my heart and in the late 1960s, I was part of it. I shall take a peep at the link, thanks so much. x
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Hi Jane, it’s a memoir that I wrote a few years back. My first full-length book, published in 2017. I think you’ll agree I had a colorful life in the ’60s, ’70s & ’80s.
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Oh cripes yes indeed. We had the best times I think. I shall check it all out properly. My co-written novel with Christina Jones – Only One Woman – is a fact/fictional story set in the late 1960s music scene. I am married to a musician and worked in the business with him later based in LA and SE Asia in management, production and so on. Now the 70s and 80s in Hollywood were something else, and we were still working up until we retired in mid 2012. Oh boy! You will know all about the period I am sure. So many ‘characters.’ I write basically crime with a touch of espionage but Women’s Fiction was a platform to the ‘our’ 1960s story. Sequel being worked on. Have you read The Hitmen and Stiffed? I am sure, like me, you will have met or know of the personalities in these books. Great nattering.
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You picked the perfect song, Jane. I too always loved it and it brings back such warm and wonderful memories. Thanks so much.
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Fantastic Darlene..hugsx
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Glad you enjoyed, Darlene. Hugs
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Darlene, you know how hard it is to pick a song from so many, and I was tempted to go with all the usual fabulous songs we were lucky enough to experience. But, then I thought about songs that meant a lot but hardly ever get a mention on ‘favourite lists,’ and this popped into my head. So happy you remember it, and that is made you feel warm. Mission accomplished. xx
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What a fab time that must have been for Jane. So exciting to be part of the music world. Hugs xox
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Indeed, Debby. I agree, good for her. Hugs
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The good old days! ❤
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I know.. very envious and she has some amazing stories about that time..hugsx♥
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Imagine if we all knew each other back in the day LOL ❤
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Trouble with a capital T…♥♥
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Lol, perhaps a movie. ❤
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Definitely ♥♥
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Debby, great days and fab times. Some things great and some not so, but that is life. Music is the backdrop to so many of our experiences and it is amazing how a short piece of a much-loved song can transport us back to a time and place so swiftly. Glad you liked it. xx
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You said it beautifully Jane. Music and scent can take us back to many places. 🙂 ❤
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Oh gosh yes, a scent, a whiff of wet cut grass, the smell of the Honeysuckle, and of the earth in a wood, dank, and peaty – wonderful transportation devices.
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Absolutely! 🙂 xx
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Beautiful, Jane – and so exciting to read about your career. Toni x
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Fantastic, Toni. Hugs
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Thanks Toni..x
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Toni, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the song, not my usual rock which may be a surprise for some, but I loved it and still do. Yes, a long career with lots of experiences and memories. I have to pinch myself sometimes – was I really there??? Thanks for being here. xx
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A song that rang bells but I never recalled the title…It was lovely to read about Jane’s life in the 6o’s…:) xx
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Glad you enjoyed, Carol. Hugs
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She certainly had some amazing experiences being part of the music over the years.. xx
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Carol, thanks for being here, and glad you recalled the song. It sticks in your head and as Paul from the Beatles said, ‘if the milkman can whistle it, you have a hit,; and I think it was just that: memorable. Ah, life in the fast lane – and there are some tales believe me! Now I am humming the Eagles! xx
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I remember that song!! I haven’t heard it for ages, so thank you Jane for the wonderful memories.
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Jenny, I am so pleased you recall it and enjoyed hearing it again. I am amazed how many recall it, but it is instant isn’t it? Thanks so much for listening. x
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I didn’t recognize the title, but as soon as I listened to the video, it all came flooding back. And of course the song was stuck in my head all day. Thank you, Jane. 🙂
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LOL I guessed it would end up filling your brain all day. But what a lovely song. Glad you enjoyed it. x
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Oh, I did! This was a perfect song to be stuck in my head. 🙂
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I am happy you are not cursing me!
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😀
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Thanks Jennie..xx
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You’re welcome, Sally! 🙂
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Reblogged this on Jane Risdon and commented:
I loved writing this for The Breakfast Show. I had such a hard time thinking of a suitable song because I cannot recall which record was my first ever purchase. I hope you enjoy my choice of a record which stuck with me ever since I first heard it in 1961. Thanks, Sally Cronin for having me on your fab show.
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Thanks for sharing Jane and lovely to have you as a guest.. lovely choice of music and it certainly brought back happy memories for many of us…hugs xx♥
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Thanks Sally, if not ear-worms lol. Enjoyed it so much, so hard to find a song. xx
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A great song choice.
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Thank you Pamela..have a good weekend.
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Pamela, glad you liked it. Do you know it or is it new to you?
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