Programming note: Mark will be back in audio on Friday with the latest entry to our series of audio adventures, Tales for Our Time.
~If you missed today's Serenade Radio broadcast, here's a chance to catch up via this SteynOnline premiere of one of our audio Songs of the Week. In this show Mark tells the story of two Sunday songs by the composer Jule Styne, written six decades apart and both recorded by Sinatra. Jule himself and his lyricist Susan Birkenhead join Steyn to tell the story of their creation.
Click above to listen.
After more than eighteen years, our Sunday Song of the Week is one of the longest-running features at SteynOnline, and remains one of our most popular. Of our recent Ann Ronell double-play, Mr Bradley, an Oregon member of The Mark Steyn Club, writes:
What a lovely tribute to a lovely lady. My wife and I had the pleasure of sitting next to Ms. Ronell at the 1991 Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner in NYC. She was tiny and frail but her eyes sparkled. Her career featured many groundbreaking moments, as Mark pointed out, yet she was so modest about her work. Perhaps that's why she's largely forgotten these days but at least these two songs will live on forever.
From upstate New York, Chris reckons paying attention to our weekend music shows will improve your chances with the ladies:
Thanks, as always. I notice from paying attention to these shorter (song of the week) and longer (MS on the town -part of Serenade Radio) that I drop little bon mots now in mixed company about what were (formerly) to me talented but ephemeral songwriters and singers. I have really upped my game and if I was looking to impress the fairer sex I'd pull out the vinyl and recite some minute but fabulous crack about the opening work of the Disney catalogue and then throw in another fact or two about the El riding Ann Ronell 'Willow Weeping'. What a hit I'd be. Thank you Mark et al for these little courses and snippets from the soundtrack of our lives. It helps trigger so many memories and experiences of my parents, grandparents and family near and far.
One more from Fran, a New Mexico Steyn Clubber:
I guess I'll show how illiterate musically I am with this question but here goes: what constitutes an art song and can you explain more about them in upcoming presentations? I really loved this song. It was dreamy and made more intriguing by the way Ann Ronell couldn't pin down where it came from. I sure rode enough Els back in my teens and they were quite dreary and cold and never heard anything other than click clacks, and noisy traffic below.
This airing of our Serenade Radio Song of the Week is a special presentation of The Mark Steyn Club. We do enjoy your comments on the show. Steyn Club members are welcome to respond to this week's show below. Alternatively, anybody can leave comments over at Serenade Radio, where they love hearing from listeners.
Steyn's Song of the Week airs thrice weekly on Serenade Radio in the UK, one or other of which broadcasts is certain to be convenient for whichever part of the world you're in:
5.30pm Sunday London (12.30pm New York)
5.30am Monday London (2.30pm Sydney)
9pm Thursday London (1pm Vancouver)
Whichever you prefer, you can listen from anywhere on the planet right here.
