MLT Club Member Jürgen
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
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Shangri-La
Shangri-La is a fictional place in Tibet. It is described in the utopian novel „Lost Horizon“ by the British writer James Hilton and was published in the 1930s. The book is about a paradisiacal Garden of Eden called „Shangri La”. This place is hidden in the vastness of the Himmalaya Mountains, unrecognized by the Western world. Its inhabitants keep the spiritual treasures of mankind, protected from wars and catastrophes. Since then, the name „Shangri La” has been synonymous with security, happiness and peace.
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The Irish legend of Tír na nÓg
In Irish mythology, Tir na nOg is a place outside the human world, far to the west where there was neither disease nor death, but only happiness and beauty. According to the legend, the mysterious Fae should live there. Fae literally means “the beautiful ones”. They are powerful beings gifted with magic, often ancient or immortal.
The most famous saga of Tir na nOg is the story of the young Irish warrior Oisin, who fell in love with the flame-haired maiden Niamh, whose father was the king of Tir na nOg. Together they crossed the sea on Niamh’s white mare to reach the magical land where they lived happily for three hundred years.
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Scarborough Fair
It was 1966 when Simon & Garfunkel released their version of the song Scarborough Fair. It is a traditional English folk song that refers to the English coastal town of Scarborough, which was an important meeting place for merchants from all over England in the Middle Ages. A trade fair was held there, called the Scarborough Fair. However, the roots of the song are said to be even older and have their origins in the folk ballad “The Elfin Knight”. This ballad is about a young woman who is desired by an Elf. He wants to make her his mistress. She can only escape this fate by completing a series of difficult or impossible tasks and riddles.
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Xanadu, Shangdu, Kubla Khan? Never heard of it. Do you mean the movie with Olivia Newton John? 🙂
To put it positively: I like the song very much, the rest could have been left out.
PS: “The Legend of Xanadu” is a funny song. Especially the part with the whip is hot (it reminds me of Indiana Jones). I didn’t know it was by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (is there actually a short form of the band name?!).
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It’s nice of you to try to build me up David, but you watched Sesame Street until you were seven. I watched it from the age of seven. I knew that something was going wrong in my personal development… . But it was entertaining, you’re right. And what should I watch as a child? We had only three television programs at that time.
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Hi Jacki. Thanks for your reply. Yes, „The Never Ending Story“ is a beautiful book and also a beautiful movie. The author “Michael Ende” has written many great books, actually mainly youth books. “Momo” and “Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver” („Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer“) are among his greatest successes, along with „The Neverending Story“.
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Thanks 🙂
(I did not know this version yet, or have simply forgotten. And then also in german… . When I was in my first year of school, I was completely embarrassed that I watched sesame street because the credits always said: for children of preschool age) Here is another one:
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Wow David, I would certainly have forgotten Lady Godiva, I didn’t remember her at all, but another lady comes to mind instead:
PS: (for those of you who haven’t been paying close attention in English history, like me for example, here’s a little reminder I found on the internet:
„Godiva is the subject of a legend documented since the 13th century: the people suffered from the tax burden for which her husband was responsible. Lady Godiva could not bear to see the people suffer. She tried hard to persuade her husband to lower the tax burden. He replied that he would not lower the taxes until she rode naked through the city. For Leofric did not expect his wife to dare to do so. But she thereupon rode through the town, covered only by her openly worn, uncut fullness of hair. Leofric, impressed by his wife’s courage, thereupon waived all taxes except those on horses“.) -
Paul Byan, another unknown variable in my life (here with us unfortunately completely unknown). Again, I first had to research who the young man with the really big axe actually is, and I found the following:
“Paul Bunyan is a figure of American legend; many stories surround the massive lumberjack and his blue ox, Babe, originally from Bangor, Maine. The legends revolve mainly around their huge proportions: for example, it is said that Paul’s babe bed was used to build seven ships, and that Babe needed an iron mine each time he needed new horseshoes.”
Well, a really big boy.
Thanks David. -
The video of the Monkees is really very nicely done. This oversized room, the huge furniture and in comparison the tiny people. No, the ladies of the round really do not need to be introduced. The Brothers Grimm would have had their real fun with this and this is a good transition to one of their most famous fairy tales: “Cinderella” or also “Aschenputtel” or “Aschenbrödel” called. The fairy tale is partly based on Charles Perrault’s “Cendrillon ou la Petite Pantoufle de verre” (Cinderella or the Little Glass Slipper) from 1697.
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The selection of your music titles I find very exceptional and really well done David. I first had to look up who Crispian St Peters is at all and then I found out that I already know his song “You were on my mind” and I like it very much. Then I researched what “The Pied Piper” means: Ah! “Der Rattenfänger von Hameln” (“The Pied Piper of Hamelin”), if I understood the lyrics correctly. I always thought that in the US-American area Irish or English sagas are more popular. How do you estimate that: are also the sagas and fairy tale worlds of other (European) countries represented with you?
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I was wondering if there was a song by Mona & Lisa that would fit here. And you found the song. Thanks Jung. A very nice song with a catchy, sensitive melody. And a thoughtful lyric. If things in the dump had a soul and could talk, it could tell us many stories. Stories of joy, passion, love, devotion but also of separation, loss and abundance.
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Hi Jung, thank you very much for sharing the video. Originally I had intended to introduce this topic with the song Yellow Submarine, but then I decided for Paul & Rupert. So I can cross the song now off my to do list. I saw Yellow Submarine for the first time on TV when I was maybe 13 years old. So at that time I was already quiet a Beatles fan. However the movie irritated me. I liked and still do like animated films, but Yellow Submarine was somehow different. The drawing style was unusual, the film characters seemed very peculiar and even the long instrumental music passages were unusual. Pepperland, the Blue Meanies, the Dreadful Flying Glove. From today’s point of view still a work of art and certainly not a children’s film, as was usual for animated films at that time. A brilliant masterpiece and ahead of its time.
And when I hear the song now, I spontaneously have to think about the Beatles song Octopuss Garden. One more time with the light sailor Ringo at the microphone and again it goes off into the depths of the seas. This time into the mysterious kingdom of Neptune. I think it is one of the few songs that have been covered by both Sesame Street, The Muppet Show at the same time. But in my opinion it is not a children’s song. With Yellow Submarine and Octopuss Garden, the Beatles managed to write songs that include all genarations.
PS: Tom in case you might be reading along: I chose Spanish subtitles this time. You as a Spanish and French expert, don’t you know maybe sagas or fairy tale songs from these countries?
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Hi David, thanks for the video. I’m not sure when I first heard or read about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I remember as a child I had a big illustrated storybook that told the story of Arthur, the wizard Merlin and the sword Caliburn. The second time I encountered King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table was in a Hollywood movie adaptation, and the third time it was the Walt Disney movie “The Sword in the Stone“. I liked the animated film best. I didn’t know that there was a musical on the subject. You’re right, the song sounds like typical movie music from the 60’s and sounds a little cheesy, but I’m glad that you have remembered Camelot and share the video here. It’s nice to remember things you haven’t thought about in a long time.
