Saturday 9: No. 9 Dream

Linking up with Sam and the gang at the Saturday 9.

Saturday 9: No. 9 Dream (1974)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) John Lennon liked the number 9. It shows up in three of his songs (in addition to this song, he performed "Revolution #9" and "The One after 909" with the Beatles). He was born on the 9th of October, as was his son Sean. Coincidentally, "No. 9 Dream" hit #9 on the Billboard chart. Do you have a favorite number?  Believe it or not, 9 has always been my favorite number. When I played sports in high school I always wore #9.

2) The phrase repeated in the chorus, "Ah bowakawa pousse pousse" means nothing. It's gibberish that John sang until he could come up with "real" lyrics for this melody. Then he decided he liked the sound of it, so he kept it. Can you think of a word that's fun to say just because you like how it sounds?  Shenanigans, cattywampus, lollygag, malarkey, nincompoop....

3) John referred to "No. 9 Dream" as an example of "craftsmanship writing." A snatch of the melody just came to him and he got it down on a tape recorder, wrote lyrics, arranged it and recorded it in short order because he needed another song to finish the LP, Walls and Bridges. What's the last thing that you did because you were supposed to or you had to, and not because you wanted to?  Yesterday. The group activities I have to do with the dementia residents often seem very pointless to me these days because many of them are beyond the abilities of the residents these days, but the Dementia Care Coordinator is very resistant to change since the program is her baby. She insists that routine is the only way to operate. I agree that routine is important, but when something isn't working at all...when everyone is either sleeping or staring blankly at you...it would be nice to have the flexibility to change things a little to something they do respond to.

4) Yet once "No. 9 Dream" was recorded, it became one of John's favorite of his solo songs. He loved its ethereal feel. Tell us about something that turned out better than you thought it would.  Painting my living room walls orange. It was a whim. I went to the store to buy a nice mossy green color and came home with orange. When we put the first spot on the wall, our daughter, who was still in high school took one look and said it was "Nikelodeon Orange" (after the kids' TV channel). That sure gave me some second thoughts and my husband sure gave me some questioning looks, but we went ahead and painted and it mellowed to a very nice pumpkin spice color when dry.

5) When he was working, John drank a lot of tea, as many as 30 cups in a day. Do you take your tea with cream, sugar, honey, or lemon?  I take it with Truvia and nothing else.

6) During his reclusive years (1975 to 1980), John didn't have household help, preferring to take care of his young son and housework himself. He did, however, have a chauffeur on call around the clock. If you could afford to a staff of one, what single thing would you have him/her do?  I would so have a maid.

7) When John was a boy, he requested water colors and colored pencils for his birthday and at Christmastime. Do you recall a special birthday or Christmas gift you received as a child?  As a little kid, there was a Christmas I wanted a ventriloquist dummy and stilts (thanks to the Sears Wish Book). My parents didn't get me either one, but my grandparents got me both. The Christmas of my senior year of high school stands out, too. I already knew I where I was going to college and what my major would be (journalism) so I asked for an electric typewriter, a good leather purse, and an expensive white faux fur coat. I got all three. The purse is long gone, but the typewriter is still under my bed and the coat hangs in a closet at my mom's.

8) Beatles producer George Martin said John was "a completely impractical man." Would you describe yourself as impulsive, with flashes of practicality? Or are you practical, with flashes of impulsivity?  I know I can be impulsive, but I think (or maybe hope) that over the years I've become more practical with flashes of impulsivity.

9) Random question -- Congratulations! You just won the Saturday 9 Sweepstakes, and the prize is your choice of a boat or a motorcycle. Which one do you take?  My husband would probably not agree with my choice, but I'd take the boat. I love being out on the water and find it very relaxing and lots of people could enjoy it. If I got a motorcycle, the only one who'd enjoy it is my husband.

It's my weekend off and I am spending the day with a friend and I am really looking forward to it since we haven't really been able to get together since before Christmas. She and her husband are the couple we are going on the cruise with this summer. In fact, one of the things we are going to do today is look at the excursions and pick a couple to do. We'll also have lunch and maybe do some shopping. Just getting together and talking and laughing is what matters. Tonight my parents have invited us to go out for Lobsterfest at Red Lobster.

Enjoy your day and I'll see you tomorrow for Sunday Stealing!