Thanks to Crazy Sam for today's fun questions! You can join in HERE!
Blame It on the Bossa Nova
Saturday 9: Blame It on the Bossa Nova (1963)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This week's song tells the story of a girl who found love at a dance. Share a happy memory from a party, prom, or dance you attended. Joe and I had a blast taking dancing lessons while we were dating. The class was "Night Club Dancing" and we learned a lot of dances, from a fox trot to a Texas two-step to the polka. Our last class was a field trip to Blob's Park in Jessup, Maryland. We did the polka to a live polka band until we couldn't polka any more. Then we ate German food, drank some beer, and got up to do the chicken dance before leaving for home (Virginia). It was so much fun!! I looked it up to see if it is still there and am sad that it closed 10 years ago after an almost 81-year run. LINK
2) This record was a big hit for Eydie Gorme, which surprised her. When she first heard the song, she disliked it and had to be convinced to record it. Tell us about a pleasant surprise you had recently. I don't get many surprises but all of my days are pleasant and blessed. A gift of shoes from my sister was a great surprise. She thought I needed another pair of Sketchers and they showed up at my door, courtesy of Amazon!! They were on sale and she pushed the button.
3) "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" is about love at first sight on the dance floor. Eydie's husband Steve Lawrence maintained he fell in love with her the first time he heard her sing. Have you ever felt a sudden, powerful attraction to someone? If yes, did you act on it? Yes, when I saw Joe across a room and asked him to dance!! That's how it all began!
4) While this was a solo success for Eydie, she was also known for recording and performing with Steve Lawrence. He was just 22 and she was 29 when they married. Eydie admitted she was self-conscious about the difference in their ages. Do you think age matters in a romantic relationship? Well, that fateful night mentioned above (August 1, 1983) found us at ages 32 (me) and 46 (Joe). It didn't matter at all then and we joked that I kept him young as the years progressed.
5) Eydie was fluent in Spanish, which enabled her to pay for her classes at City College by working as an interpreter. Tell us about one of your early jobs. I've written about them before. Baby-sitting, ice cream dipping, and cleaning rooms at a motel (all part-time while in high school).
6) In 1963, when this song was popular, The Rambler was Motor Trend's car of the year. It was a 9-passenger station wagon, perfect for families. What do you remember about your childhood family car? Funny you should ask! It was a Rambler station wagon with a stick shift on the column and is the car I learned to drive in. It was an ugly green but was great for our family of six.
7) Also in 1963, President Kennedy made a state trip to Ireland. Have you visited the land of your ancestors? Nope. That would be Scotland. We did go to Italy, which was where Joe's roots were. I'm so glad we did that!
8) The pilot for Gilligan's Island was filmed in 1963. Were you a fan of the show? We always watched Gilligan's Island. That was back when our whole family watched TV together. Black and white and no remote and no DVR...
9) Random question: Crunchy, smooth, or organic peanut butter? I'm not a huge peanut butter fan but can eat it crunchy or smooth. If by organic you mean oily on top that has to be mixed in every time you open the jar... no thanks. Joe only liked smooth peanut butter and that is what I still buy to use in recipes more than for sandwiches.
Happy Weekend!
Interesting all these comments by people about Ramblers. My husband had a '63 Rambler when he was in college and drove out to California from Maryland. We got a better car when we married, but he kept the Rambler, even after it stopped working (the only thing that worked was the clock) and we towed it whenever we moved. He finally gave it to a junk yard but I know he misses it.
ReplyDeleteMy brother got a "used" Rambler for his 16th birthday. A car at 16 in very rural PA was a ticket to adulthood and a real treasure and freedom.
ReplyDeletePolka is fun music. My step-mom Myra loved it. She played the tunes often on that big console record player of hers. Those are sweet memories.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge creamy peanut butter fan, especially Simply Jiff. I'm surprised I haven't turned into a peanut I eat so much of it.
Cute post.
Blessings. 💙
I think my mother drove a Rambler at one time. I learned to drive on her 1972 Buick Electra
ReplyDeleteThat's so neat about y'all taking Night Club Dancing lessons! I'm envisioning John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever! You're going to laugh, but a Rambler station wagon was my first car. Cherry red with child-proof locks, and I hated it with a purple passion from the day my father drove it home. Funny, I can't recall for the life of me whatever happened to it.
ReplyDelete