Let’s Get Small: On The Subject of Tiny Heroes

With apologies to Steve Martin, I’ve always thought that among the super-powers our comic heroes had, getting small or being tiny had to be among most useless out there. Powers were supposed to make you strong and give you a fighting advantage against your foes- not turn ordinary household appliances and things into deadly weapons!

I laughed when went to my friends’ house and he had these copies of The Atom and Micronauts (both strangely issue 2 of its run) where, due to their powers, are threatened by such mundane things as a lawnmower and…a kitchen sink filled with water?! 

Holy Rick Moranis were these powers useless!
Even Ant-Man himself was defenseless against a tub filled with water in an early issue of Tales To Astonish- imagine having a power that makes taking a bath a deadly proposition!

LOL, it’s probably not a coincidence that by the next issue, Ant Man had given up his shrinking powers and had transitioned into GIANT-MAN!

PS: I remember when I was in college, meeting this girl who had grown up reading her brother's LEGION of SUPER-HEROES collection. I mentioned in passing how boring SHRINKING VIOLET's shrinking powers were, however she made me laugh when she said, "Remember TRIPLICATE GIRL? Now THAT was a ridiculous power!" LOLOL

More Misheard Lyrics: “And I’m Dewey”

In late 1979, a song started airing on the radio that made me immediately think of Donald Duck and his rambunctious nephews, Huey Dewey and Louie, because whenever I heard it, it sounded like the girl was saying:

He was singing

“And I’m Dewey…

And I’m Dewey…

…Delacie!

I’m Dewey DeLacie!”

 I laughingly told my friends “Dunno who this Dewey DeLacie guy is, but in MY mind I'm imagining that she’s singing about Dewey Duck!” We all laughed and from that point on, we’d all sing those words over the song whenever it came on! LOL

The SONG, as it turns out, was the Fleetwood Mac song “Sara”, written and sung by Stevie Nicks from their  1979 album "Tusk" ...

.... and unlike the very silly Disney lyrics I THOUGHT Stevie was singing, I was to later find out that the words were ACTUALLY:

He was singing

 and undoing

and undoing 

the laces

undoing the laces

 These lyrics were referring to her infamous fling with the Eagles Don Henley, her pregnancy and their would be daughter Sara (if Stevie had decided to keep the child).  BOY, to go from Dewey Duck acknowledging himelf to a song about a man serenading a girl while undressing her was quite a 180 degree twist!…and quite a bit darker than I thought!

"Sara" excerpt:

Fleetwood Mac would become one of my favorite groups of all time and the `978 album “Tusk” a classic, but even though I now know the lyrics and song well, there are times when it STILL sounds like she’s singing about Donald Duck’s nephew!

Favorite Artists: Joni James

 

And continuing the lines of the "Things I first Heard About in Charles M Schulz Peanuts" is the name of legendary songstress Joni James, whom it seems was always mentioned in the strips, not only as s favorite singer of Snoopy's:

...but also as a prize for a phone-in contest Linus wanted to win tickets for! (sadly Lucy thwarts his efforts, so no Joni James for him!)

So I've always knew her name, but that was about it. It wasn't until many years later when Kate Bush (another HUGE fave artist of mine) covered the Gershwin classic "The Man I Love" and, falling in love with the mesmerizing vintage vocal stylings of the tune, piqued my interest in delving more into singers and songs of that era. 

But where to start? I had no real idea. Looking up artists of that time who covered George Gershwin (and there were many, many, many!!) for suggestions , I saw the familiar name Joni James and thought- "Ah! THAT'S a name I know- let's go exploring into HER catalog!"

Looking over Joni's HUGE catalog of music, I COULD have started on her Gershwin LP, however, I decided to start in a more chronological order, beginning with her earliest albums "In The Still Of The Night" and "When I Fall In Love".

WELL, to say I liked it is an understatement- I fell head over HEELS with these two albums; as a primer for the singers of the 40's and 50's, I felt it a WONDERFUL introduction- wistful, dreamy vocals and soothing orchestral backdrops- I was in LOVE!  Over and over I played those two albums and  I soon had to invest in MORE of her music, bit by bit, album by album (well, CD)  til I think I own (almost) all of them in some form or another!

My Joni James CD Collection:

Platinum & Gold: The MGM Years

Legendary: Platinum & Gold Hits

Let There Be Love 

Little Girl Blue

When I Fall in Love

In the Still of the Night

Sings Songs by Victor Young and Frank Loesser/

Sings Songs by Jerome Kern and Harry Warren

Merry Christmas from Joni/ Give Us This Day

Among My Souvenirs/ Joni Sings Irish Favorites 

Je T'aime... I Love You/Ti Voglio Bene... I Love You(1961)

Songs of Hank Williams / Country Style 

Joni Swings Sweet/Bossa Nova Style 

100 Strings and Joni

100 Strings & Joni In Hollywood /100 Strings & Joni On Broadway

Joni After Hours/ Like 3 O'Clock in the Morning

I Feel a Song Coming On/Put On A Happy Face (2x)

Something for the Boys/ I'm Your Girl

My Favorite Things/ Joni Sings the Gershwins

Italianissima!/Folk Songs by Joni

 The MOOD Recordings:

The Mood is Blue/The Mood is Romance/ The Mood is Swinging

 Joni James LPs

In the Still of the Night

Little Girl Blue

100 Strings & Joni

100 Strings & Joni in Hollywood

Give Us This Day

According to online stats, Charles M Schulz and Joni James were friends in real life, no wonder her name came up so often in his strips- Snoopy himself even appeared on the COVER of one of Joni's later collections "Jukebox Joni"!

How sweet is that!