All The Leave’s Are Brown
Ahhh, California Dreaming. A great folk crossover tune and about as wistful as they come. Four-part harms, no fancy intro, all polyphonics and polyester.
Sing it with me now, I’ll do Part 1, then you come in with the safes and the warms. OK?
You ready?
Part 1: “I’d be safe and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaarm.”
Part 2: ” ”I’D BE SAFE AND WARM.”
That’s it.
Part 1: “If I was in LAAAAAAAAAAAA.”
Part 2: ” ”IF I WAS IN LA.”
Hang on, hang on, no wait. No, you’re fine, it’s just…
…it should be “were”.
“If I were in LA.”
But that’s not so bad I guess. “If I was a carpenter and you were my lady.” That should be “were” too. Everybody’s doing it and it’s no shame.
Especially if you’re Northern and then you say “were” to everything.
As in
Eee by ‘eck, our mam, happen that Yorkshire t’putting were right smashin’
Or something.
But what really pops my moms is when bands misuse apostrophes.

They’ve let themselves down, there. I was hoping their grammar would be better than their personal hygene, but no. Crazy times I guess. Woodstock, man on the moon, no toilet seats, Vietnam.
Aimee Mann. Now there’s a lady who knew her corresponding dative pronouns. In Mister Harris, Saturday’s Weekend Song just gone, you had the line “Am I the only one to whom that’s making sense.” That’s grammar you can set your watch to.
Part 1: “YOU KNOW I GOT DOWN ON MY”
Part 2: “Got down on my knee-eee’s.”
Have a very good weekend.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:16 am
One of my favourite nights of the nineties wsa spent sitting, drunk, on St Andrews beach belting that song out with good friend’s.
Thanks’s for the reminder.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Do you mean St Andrew’s beach?
December 28th, 2007 at 1:24 am
For reason’s that I dont entirely understand, whenever I start out singing “California Dreaming” I alway’s end up segueing into “Hazy Shade of Winter”. I think it must be the “Look around/leaves are brown” bit.
December 28th, 2007 at 3:02 am
They may not know how to USE them, but can they SPELL ‘apostrophe’? the world may never know. WE could ask the one surviving member, Michelle Phillips, but I’m sure she’d just make it up as she went along.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:30 am
I think I might have meant St Andrews’ Beach.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Apostrophe. Grrrrrr. Thanks Ed- I have corrected the spelling.
December 28th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Oooo oooo ooo, one of my favourite songs ever! Happy Hogmanay!
December 28th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
At which point should we begin to pray?
December 28th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Not until wer’e down on our knee’s, I should think.
December 28th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
Well thanks for ruining the context of my comment! Hrmph;)
December 28th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
I have a brilliant version by Bobby Womack from the Jazz Cafe CD, it’s one of my favourite songs and always makes me thing of my dream holiday, driving across America on the cusp of summer and autumn and writing a book about it.
December 28th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Very poetic Sam. You should totally do that one day.