The Alabaster Coast on the Normandy Coast in France; A variegated ocean of blues and greens laps onto a narrow beach, behind which stand white, horizontally striated cliffs. One of the cliffs has eroded in a way that’s created a natural tunnel. A lone tower of white emerges from the sea in front of that tunnel.
The Alabaster Coast, or Côte d’Albatre; photo by Susannah

You’d think that people would’ve had enough of silly love songs

It is February, after all, and NO, strangely, I DON’T have this adorable Paul McCartney song in my music trove. What I’m looking at this month are songs in French. Why, might you ask? On February 22nd, I have the great pleasure to sing at The Saints Gala; French Paris Nights, which raises funds to provide essential support services for patients and families of the St. Charles Health System, and anytime I’m asked to brush off my français, Je suis très heureux!

What’s wrong with that?

My idea, adding songs to my iPad and blogging about them, was to REDUCE the number of songs I have in tangible sheet music. This month it’s going to be the opposite. More songs! I’ve just added the delightful Joli Garçon, which has a fantastic recording by China Forbes and Pink Martini. I love singing in French and returning to the language in music fills me up.

The lyrics of Joli Garçon in French

Combien de nuits sans sommeil? Combien de jours sans soleil? Le jours sans amour, c’est fini. Tu souris et tu dis: Viens tu au pays des merveilles? Veux tu baylayer le passé? Joli garçon je dis oui bras de béton je dis oui coeur de bon bon je dis oui seul vit l’amour où vit l’envie. Oui mon amour, cueillons les fruits, sans perdre un jour. ni même une nuit mon chéri je vois tout autour tu chases mes ennuis. Tu peins de ta main les couleurs de ma vie Joli garçon je dis ou bras de béton je dis oui coeur de bon bon je dis oui seul vit l’amour où vit l’envie.

En anglais

How many days without sleep? How many days without sun? The days without love are over; you smile, and you say: Are you coming to wonderland? Do you want to kiss the past? Pretty boy I say yes; I say yes, heart of a good, I say yes. Only love lives where desire lives. Yes, my love, let’s pick the fruits, without losing a day, nor even a night, my darling. I see all around and you chase away my troubles. You paint the colors of my life with your hand, pretty boy. I say yes, heart of good, I say yes. Only love lives where desire lives.

And so, the discovery of French music goes on this Valentine’s Day month. C’est parfait!

It isn’t silly

I continue to practice Jon Kabat-Zinn’s words every day: Practice sharing the fullness of your being, your best self, your enthusiasm, your vitality, your spirit, your trust, your openness, above all, your presence. Share it with yourself, with your family, with the world.

Love isn’t silly at all

Do you know about Darrell Grant’s gorgeous project? Here’s how to be a part:

As part of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon’s announcement of the state’s 2025 legislative and funding priorities for the arts, Darrell is working with Portland filmmaker Adolfo Cantú-Villarreal to put together a series of short video montages that illuminate the breadth, vibrancy and beauty that Oregon’s artists and culture bearers contribute, and speak to the significance of our artistic voices to sustaining our state. As a soundtrack to one of those video clips, he had the idea to create what he’s calling a “Let Freedom Ring” audio postcard. The idea was inspired by the portion of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, which begins with “…let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Darrell wants to gather the voices of Oregon artists and culture workers who agree with his words from the places we share our work and the places we live.

Darrell is asking artists to send him a voice memo of you saying the following, by Tuesday, February 12th.

“Let freedom ring from the <INSERT THE SPACE –STAGE, GALLERY, DANCE STUDIO, CONCERT HALL, ETC– FROM WHICH YOU SHARE YOUR ART> “of” <INSERT THE CITY, TOWN OR REGION OF OREGON IN WHICH YOU LIVE.

So, for example, given my role as an arts educator, I might say, “Let freedom ring from the teaching studios of Portland.” You might say,”Let freedom ring from the footlights of downtown Portland,” or something similar. Feel free to be creative.

He hopes to collect as many of these voices as he can from artists and creatives representing the stages, galleries, studios, concert halls, classrooms, clubs, cultural spaces, ancestral lands and community gathering spaces across our state where art shines its light.

All you need to do is:

  1. Record a voice memo on your phone of you or your group reading your version of the statement:
  2. Title the Voice memo with your name and your location. For example: JillSmith_Cottage Grove.
  3. Share the voice memo file by:

I love you; I love you

Drop me a line if you’re so inclined, here, or check out my monthly newsletter here. If I do say so myself, there’s some cool info there! The new blast will come out in two weeks.