A meme

I saw this particular meme over on Blue Country Magic and decided it looked like fun.  I didn't do it on Saturday, but who cares?

Saturday 9: Mairzy Doats (1944)

Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it here.

I've been familiar with this song for a long time; I either heard it from Molly Bee or Shari Lewis, back in the 50's or 60's.  And maybe on Captain Kangaroo.

1) While today this is considered a children's song, "Mairzy Doats" was a #1 hit and a staple on radio stations in 1944. Do you know any of today's most popular songs? (Here's this week's Hot 100.)

Nope, not even the country hits, even though I'm a classic country fan.

2) One of the song's writers recalled that the song was inspired by an old English nursery rhyme. Tell us a rhyme you remember from childhood.

The Old Woman in the Shoe, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill... I had a book of nursery rhymes, and my mother told me I memorized them all by the time I was three.  I still remember most of them.

3) This week's group, The Merry Macs, was formed by three brothers -- Judd, Joe and Ted McMichael -- who learned to harmonize at home. Did you grow up in a musical household?

My parents didn't play instruments, but we sang all the time, Daddy especially.  He'd be sitting outside, or maybe be doing some chore, and just cut loose singing at the top of his lungs (some of his songs were slightly naughty, ones he'd learned as a kid or young man).  I learned to sing alto as we were traveling in the car, with my mom helping me.  We weren't great singers, but we could all carry a tune and loved to sing.

4) When the McMichaels decided their new group needed a woman's voice, they asked Cheri McKay to join them. Realizing all their names began with Mc, they began calling themselves The Merry Macs. Have you ever performed with a singing group? (Yes, that garage band you played in after school counts.) If yes, what was your band called?

Nope, never sang with a group unless you count singing with the congregation at the Church of Christ.  Singing was my favorite part of going to Church.

5) The Merry Macs' first gigs were playing high school dances. Do you have any memories of school dances you'd like to share this morning?

I never learned to dance and never went to a dance.  Just call me Wallflower.

6) Once their recording career took off, The Merry Macs went to Hollywood. They appeared in a film with the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. Who last made you laugh?

Probably my husband.  When nobody is around, we think we're a comedy team.

7) In 1944, when "Mairzy Doats" topped the charts, sunscreen was invented. It was first developed to protect soldiers during WWII, and that original formula was sold to Coppertone. Do you regularly use sunscreen?

Very seldom.  I'm a brunette and tan easily, although at the beginning of spring I'm liable to burn a little.

8) Also in 1944, a board game called Murder! was introduced in England. In 1949 it made its way to the United States and was renamed Clue. It's still popular today. Can you name any of the original 6 "characters" in the Clue game? (Extra credit: One was replaced in 2016; who was it?)

I never played Clue.  I played Monopoly with my nephew a lot.

9) Random question: The new house you just bought comes with a big mirror on the ceiling of the master bedroom. Would you take it down or leave it there?

If the house had a mirror on the ceiling, we probably couldn't afford that house.

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By the way, I went down a rabbit hole on the Internet this morning.  For some reason, I wanted to know when my Gibson Dove guitar was made.  I knew I bought it new between 2000 and 2004, because I was working at Kohl's Distribution Center at the time; but I didn't know when it was built.  I must have spent about an hour searching here and there, trying to figure out the serial number, and so forth.  Finally I  found this site where all I had to do was type in the serial number and an answer came immediately.  It was built in Bozeman, Montana, on April 10, 2001.  

It was ridiculous for me to pay so much for a guitar when I could barely play one, but I had seen Dove guitars and just thought they were the prettiest thing ever.  I don't wear jewelry, and never understood why women would pay so much for a ring, necklace, or bracelet... so I guess my Gibson Dove is my jewelry.  I treasure it more than you can imagine.

PS:  For some reason, I first called my guitar a Hummingbird, in the above gibberish!  That's a lovely guitar too, and one I would buy just because it's pretty, if I were wealthy.  But I've never owned a Hummingbird.  It would probably be a better size for me, though.