I dedicate my song today to three Facebook friends who celebrate their birthday today. They are Ann Higgins from County Kildare in Ireland, John Casey from Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, Ireland, and Jo Beckett from Warwick, Warwickshire. Enjoy your special day and thank you for being my Facebook friend. I got the idea recently that I would ask all people who share the same birthday on my Facebook song dedication if they will befriend each other. You three are the first group who I am asking.
My song today is ‘Longfellow Serenade’. This is a song that singer-songwriter Neil Diamond wrote and recorded in 1974. The song was produced by Tom Catalano, and included on Diamond's album, ‘Serenade’. ‘Longfellow Serenade’ spent two weeks at Number 5 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart in November, 1974. It was Diamond's second Number 1 on the Billboard ‘Easy Listening’ chart following his 1972 single, ‘Song Sung Blue’. The song reached Number 1 in Switzerland and Number 2 in Germany.
Diamond described ‘Longfellow Serenade’ in the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album, ‘In My Lifetime’: "Occasionally I like using a particular lyrical style which, in this case, lent itself naturally to telling the story of a guy who woos his woman with poetry."
The title of the song is a reference to the 19th-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Diamond chose to reference Longfellow specifically after recalling an instance in which, while in his teens, Diamond had used one of the poet's works to successfully seduce a significantly older woman.
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The very first time I heard this song was in May 2020. It was its title which initially caught my attention, as it seemed such an unusual and intriguing song title to include the name of a 19th-century American poet and educator. Longfellow was the first American to translate a couple of Dante’s works and I first became acquainted with his poetry when I read ‘The Song of Hiawatha’ and ‘Evangeline’. Paradoxically, I read these two poetic works when I was in my early thirties; around the time when Neil Diamond recorded and released this song.
Longfellow wrote many lyric poems known for their musicality and often presenting stories of overseas. mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet of his day.
Wife one and wife two died tragically. His second wife Fanny’s death was horrific. Her nightdress caught fire and despite her husband’s attempts to save her and she burned to death
There are several works by Longfellow that lend themselves to memorable quotes. The ones that most sticks in my mind are from ‘Evangeline’.‘Evangeline’, is an epic poem by Longfellow that was published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named ‘Evangeline’ and her search for her lost love ‘Gabriel’
“Fair was she and young, when in hope began the long journey: Faded was she and old, when in disappointment it ended.”
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When I was laid up in the hospital for nine months at the age of 11 years, I got into the habit of writing poetry. I always loved the English language, reading, music, and song, and expressing myself and feelings in poetry seemed to form the perfect bridge between these loves of my life.
Having had a life-threatening accident that prevented me from walking for three years, while persevering under the medical prognostication that my damaged spine would prevent me ever walking again, involved a 12-year-old boy reading adult medical literature about mind, body psych interconnections. When western medicine offered me no hope of walking again, I started to immerse myself in eastern medical ideas and practices. That is how I developed a lifelong interest in the power of imagery, the power of the mind, and the power of relaxation and deep meditation, and the power of breathing patterns, and the power of muscle control, and the power of body stance! All such reading was to help me understand the power of my own mind and body.
Between the ages of 16 and 30, I would read three or four books weekly. I would read ‘heavy books’ that few young men would even consider opening. By the age of twenty-three, I was reading Plato’s works and was developing an increasing interest in Greek Mythology that naturally led me on to reading epic poems. This interest in the epic poems of the past eventually brought me to read some of Longfellow’s epic poems such as ‘The Song of Hiawatha’ and ‘Evangeline’.
By the age of thirty, I would spend all my spare money on buying books and had a library of 7,000 by the age of forty. Between the ages of 25-40, I would read five books every week of every year and I refused to have a television in the house when I married at the age of twenty-six and bought my first one for the home ten years later when our two children were born.
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Paradoxically, having had my growth stunted following my accident and over fifty operations on my legs, I was to live out the rest of my life with the top body half of a six-footer and beneath the waist to the ground of a five-footer. So, as Longfellow may have put it, I finished up a five-foot-five 'shortfellow!'
The conclusion of this literary interest in my life eventually led me to write 65 of my own books. I allowed all profit from their sales to go to charitable causes, and between 1990 and 2002, 840 Famous people and celebrities read from my books in Yorkshire school assemblies. Some very famous world celebrities supported and praised my work and personally phoned me; the most notable being the late Princess Diana and the late South African President, Nelson Mandela. Through all this free publicity and daily press and media coverage of my writings and the hundreds of celebrity readers accepting my invitation to read from my books in Yorkshire schools, over £200,000 was given to charity from all sales profit(this to continue in perpetuity,by donating all the profit from every book of mine sold).
While I will always have a book on the go, two experiences in my life were to alter my perception of owning books after the age of forty. When I first got divorced, I left all assets and marital property to my wife. I was left penniless and needed to take some drastic action. I sold all except one hundred of my seven thousand books. I actually wept as books I had paid fifteen and twenty pounds a copy was sold for three or four pounds each. I thought that I was losing my best friend.
That act did me more good than most other acts in my life to quench all thirst for future acquisition and ownership title. I essentially started giving away anything that I had that anyone else needed more than I did. I eventually discovered how good it makes one feel to give instead of taking. A book on Socrates writing about his idol Plato tells the story of Plato walking through the market place one weekend and seeing all the wares for sale said, “I never knew that there was so much that I did not need!”
When I came to live in Haworth, I made friends with my allotment buddy, Brian Moorehouse; a most gentle natured, good-humored, and generous man. Brian loves to give, give, and give. He rarely visits any house without bringing them something he owns and which he gives away. His most frequent habit, which I have since adopted, is when a book of his has been read by him, he gives it away and advises the person receiving it to continue the process when they have read it.
So, when I heard this song for the first time within the past month, I thought, “Now, that’s a good song to give to somebody as a birthday present”. So, Ann, John, and Jo, please accept this vocal gift from me, and in return (should you want to give me a gift also), please befriend each other on Facebook.
Love and peace Bill xxx
My song today is ‘Longfellow Serenade’. This is a song that singer-songwriter Neil Diamond wrote and recorded in 1974. The song was produced by Tom Catalano, and included on Diamond's album, ‘Serenade’. ‘Longfellow Serenade’ spent two weeks at Number 5 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart in November, 1974. It was Diamond's second Number 1 on the Billboard ‘Easy Listening’ chart following his 1972 single, ‘Song Sung Blue’. The song reached Number 1 in Switzerland and Number 2 in Germany.
Diamond described ‘Longfellow Serenade’ in the liner notes to his 1996 compilation album, ‘In My Lifetime’: "Occasionally I like using a particular lyrical style which, in this case, lent itself naturally to telling the story of a guy who woos his woman with poetry."
The title of the song is a reference to the 19th-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Diamond chose to reference Longfellow specifically after recalling an instance in which, while in his teens, Diamond had used one of the poet's works to successfully seduce a significantly older woman.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The very first time I heard this song was in May 2020. It was its title which initially caught my attention, as it seemed such an unusual and intriguing song title to include the name of a 19th-century American poet and educator. Longfellow was the first American to translate a couple of Dante’s works and I first became acquainted with his poetry when I read ‘The Song of Hiawatha’ and ‘Evangeline’. Paradoxically, I read these two poetic works when I was in my early thirties; around the time when Neil Diamond recorded and released this song.
Longfellow wrote many lyric poems known for their musicality and often presenting stories of overseas. mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet of his day.
Wife one and wife two died tragically. His second wife Fanny’s death was horrific. Her nightdress caught fire and despite her husband’s attempts to save her and she burned to death
There are several works by Longfellow that lend themselves to memorable quotes. The ones that most sticks in my mind are from ‘Evangeline’.‘Evangeline’, is an epic poem by Longfellow that was published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named ‘Evangeline’ and her search for her lost love ‘Gabriel’
“Fair was she and young, when in hope began the long journey: Faded was she and old, when in disappointment it ended.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When I was laid up in the hospital for nine months at the age of 11 years, I got into the habit of writing poetry. I always loved the English language, reading, music, and song, and expressing myself and feelings in poetry seemed to form the perfect bridge between these loves of my life.
Having had a life-threatening accident that prevented me from walking for three years, while persevering under the medical prognostication that my damaged spine would prevent me ever walking again, involved a 12-year-old boy reading adult medical literature about mind, body psych interconnections. When western medicine offered me no hope of walking again, I started to immerse myself in eastern medical ideas and practices. That is how I developed a lifelong interest in the power of imagery, the power of the mind, and the power of relaxation and deep meditation, and the power of breathing patterns, and the power of muscle control, and the power of body stance! All such reading was to help me understand the power of my own mind and body.
Between the ages of 16 and 30, I would read three or four books weekly. I would read ‘heavy books’ that few young men would even consider opening. By the age of twenty-three, I was reading Plato’s works and was developing an increasing interest in Greek Mythology that naturally led me on to reading epic poems. This interest in the epic poems of the past eventually brought me to read some of Longfellow’s epic poems such as ‘The Song of Hiawatha’ and ‘Evangeline’.
By the age of thirty, I would spend all my spare money on buying books and had a library of 7,000 by the age of forty. Between the ages of 25-40, I would read five books every week of every year and I refused to have a television in the house when I married at the age of twenty-six and bought my first one for the home ten years later when our two children were born.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Paradoxically, having had my growth stunted following my accident and over fifty operations on my legs, I was to live out the rest of my life with the top body half of a six-footer and beneath the waist to the ground of a five-footer. So, as Longfellow may have put it, I finished up a five-foot-five 'shortfellow!'
The conclusion of this literary interest in my life eventually led me to write 65 of my own books. I allowed all profit from their sales to go to charitable causes, and between 1990 and 2002, 840 Famous people and celebrities read from my books in Yorkshire school assemblies. Some very famous world celebrities supported and praised my work and personally phoned me; the most notable being the late Princess Diana and the late South African President, Nelson Mandela. Through all this free publicity and daily press and media coverage of my writings and the hundreds of celebrity readers accepting my invitation to read from my books in Yorkshire schools, over £200,000 was given to charity from all sales profit(this to continue in perpetuity,by donating all the profit from every book of mine sold).
While I will always have a book on the go, two experiences in my life were to alter my perception of owning books after the age of forty. When I first got divorced, I left all assets and marital property to my wife. I was left penniless and needed to take some drastic action. I sold all except one hundred of my seven thousand books. I actually wept as books I had paid fifteen and twenty pounds a copy was sold for three or four pounds each. I thought that I was losing my best friend.
That act did me more good than most other acts in my life to quench all thirst for future acquisition and ownership title. I essentially started giving away anything that I had that anyone else needed more than I did. I eventually discovered how good it makes one feel to give instead of taking. A book on Socrates writing about his idol Plato tells the story of Plato walking through the market place one weekend and seeing all the wares for sale said, “I never knew that there was so much that I did not need!”
When I came to live in Haworth, I made friends with my allotment buddy, Brian Moorehouse; a most gentle natured, good-humored, and generous man. Brian loves to give, give, and give. He rarely visits any house without bringing them something he owns and which he gives away. His most frequent habit, which I have since adopted, is when a book of his has been read by him, he gives it away and advises the person receiving it to continue the process when they have read it.
So, when I heard this song for the first time within the past month, I thought, “Now, that’s a good song to give to somebody as a birthday present”. So, Ann, John, and Jo, please accept this vocal gift from me, and in return (should you want to give me a gift also), please befriend each other on Facebook.
Love and peace Bill xxx
