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" Skylark
Have you anything to say to me?"
All the big-voiced female singers just belt out that song. Many artists, including Betty Buckley, Bette Midler, Teresa Brewer, Aretha Franklin, and Rosemary Clooney have recorded Skylark. Each of those women can shake a theater's foundation with the way they deliver a song. Every time I hear the first few bars of it, I suddenly want to be one of these great singers.
I have a fascination with what I refer to as the "big-voiced broads." Yes, I know "broads" is really a derogatory term, but in this case I am deriving the meaning from length. "Length? Just what are you saying?" These women can hold notes forever. If you close your eyes when they sing, you would think these women had the broadest shoulders; their songs convey so much sorrow and loving that you think they were carrying the burden of all human emotions on their shoulders. Broad shoulders broad notes.
I saw Betty Buckley in concert at Ravinia. She told a story about seeing Mary Martin perform Peter Pan on television. This made Ms Buckley realize that there was a place for someone with her talent. Sometimes in the seventies, I saw a rebroadcast of that performance. I also grew up watching Julie Andrews sing and dance on the Austrian mountains. My reaction ever since I was a kid has been "I wish I could sing like that."
It's not just the singing; it's the raw emotion the performer conveys. It's not just the song, but the gestures and the facial expressions that make the performance come alive. The energy that Bette Midler exudes during a performance could probably light the city of Chicago. The storytelling is magical.
Alas, I will never be able to belt out Skylark. Some people claim that I can't even sing Happy Birthday. My oldest child, Jasmine, will cover my mouth and say "Don't sing." Jane is too young to care; she still loves her mommy's voice (unconditional love is such a great thing).
As we came out of the concert, I asked Jafar "Can I take voice lessons until I can sing Skylark?" He paused, and said that I couldn't take voice lessons forever. Oh well, I guess I will just have to listen and derive enjoyment from that pleasure. I guess I will just never be one of those "big-voiced broads."
Well, I guess I will just have to go around singing quietly "faint as a will o' the wisp, crazy as a loon, sad as a gypsy serenading the moon. Oh Skylark..."
July 25, 2000 |
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