MENUMENU
  • HOME
  • CAMPING
    • MAP
    • LIST
  • TRAVEL
    • MAP
    • LIST
  • LIFE
    • DEEP SCHMIDT
    • DAD SCHMIDT
    • FUNNY SCHMIDT
  • LEISURE
    • MUSIC SCHMIDT
    • BOOK SCHMIDT
    • YUMMY SCHMIDT
    • SPORTS SCHMIDT
  • MONEY
    • MONEY SCHMIDT
    • HOUSE SCHMIDT
  • WRITING
    • WRITING SCHMIDT
    • BLOG SCHMIDT
  • SARCOIDOSIS
    • SARCOIDOSIS SCHMIDT
    • SARCOIDOSIS LINKS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT ME
    • CONTACT ME
  • FREELANCE WRITING PORTFOLIO

A Crock of Schmidt

Single-handedly solving nothing

My Life Is A Song #88

December 23, 2016 by acrockofschmidt Leave a Comment

Prelude Countdown #88

Memories are one of, if not the most treasured human experiences.  They are also notoriously unreliable.  Thankfully, sometimes that fallibility rewards you with discovery.  That is how this song came to be known by me.

One of my favoured hazy, mushy, beloved childhood memories is of my father playing piano after Christmas dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt’s house.  Every year, those of us still living around the hometown would gather for turkey dinner in the cramped kitchen/dining room of their modest home sitting atop the printing business my Grandpa owned.

In those days, what some might call the good ole days, when everyone had finished eating the men would retire to the living room to relax while the women would proceed to clear the table and clean up the kitchen.  My sister and I, being the only two children present, often drifted back and forth from the two groups of adults playing with a new toy or enjoying the small assortment of “ancient” toys in Grandma’s special drawer.  Whilst doing so we inevitably noted the distinct gender disparity between the two rooms of grownups.  I was happy with my apparent future.  My sister I suspect not so much.  The irony of my current lot in life is not lost on me I can assure you.

This tradition, as it were, didn’t last for too many more years as the roar of feminism was finally heard by my mother and Grandma and aunt thus leading to the men being expected to help in the kitchen with the dishes too.  But before then, when the men were free to relax in the living room, my Dad would fill this peaceful time of digestion by playing the piano.

All these years later I can still hear those beautiful songs playing in my head exactly as they did on my grandparents’ small piano.  I could hum them for you but I couldn’t name a single one of them.  This is the curse of memories.  So a few years ago, as I was creating one of those New Year’s Eve compilations I spoke of, I started searching, mostly blindly, for these piano instrumentals that my Dad used to play.

I never did find the one I was looking for and eventually just asked my Dad what it might be.  After dozens of back and forth texting it was established that the song I remember most was “You Don’t Know Me” by Eddie Arnold, a song that was not only not an instrumental, but one my father had added his own specific flavour to when playing.

Apply the pomade, grab yourself an Old Fashioned, light up a cigarette, and kick off your Christmas weekend with the sweet vocal stylings of Eddie Arnold and his 1956 single “You Don’t Know Me”.  And be glad you don’t have to do the dishes.

Live Version:

Studio Version:

 

 

a SHARE shows you CARE

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Music Schmidt Tagged With: Christmas, family, piano, tradition

Find a campground review!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on Pinterest

Discover Other Campgrounds

Chinook Provincial Recreation Area – review

Today, my blog comes full circle. I’m reviewing a campground I went to … [Read More...]

Chain Lakes Provincial Park – review

Recently, two months of pandemic-induced self-isolation inspired a couple … [Read More...]

Todd’s RV & Camping – Review

Todd’s RV & Camping in Peachland, British Columbia is not an easy … [Read More...]

Livingstone Falls Provincial Recreation Area – review

Timing is everything. In the case of Livingstone Falls Provincial … [Read More...]

George Lane Municipal Campground – review

We popped our cherries at George Lane Municipal Campground in High River, … [Read More...]

Grant Village Campground – Yellowstone National Park – review

It’s oddly comforting to learn that naivety can still strike on the … [Read More...]

Cavendish Campground – Prince Edward Island National Park – review

I enjoy travelling, be it camping, hoteling, or a combination of the two.  … [Read More...]

Posts By Category

Posts By Month

All posts on this blog are Copyright Protected © 2014 – 2022 All Rights Reserved – A Crock of Schmidt

To automatically recieve the newest post, sign up here!

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in