Celebration of Life
Luciano Pavarotti
Under the leaves of the old tower,
as the almond tree blossoms,
a friendly swallow has returned.
Every year she returns,
always in the same day.
She crosses mountains and sea
to get back here
Only love flees
and does not return.
It makes you hope in vain,
but it does not return.
It makes you hope in vain,
but it does not return
In the soft twilight of evening
springtime is passing.
The swallows chatter in their flight —
they are drunk with light and air.
But I am sad and lonely.
You do not cross mountains and sea
to come back to me
My little one,
You were my whole life,
but you ran away,
never to return.
You ran away,
never to return
The Marmalades
1969... #2 Ireland #3 UK Singles Chart #6 Canada Top Singles #7 US Cash Box Top 100 #10 US Billboard Hot 100.. The Marmalade were a Scottish pop group who enjoyed several hits in the UK between 1968 and 1976. Originally a band called Dean Ford & The Gaylords, they changed their name to Marmalade in 1967. They are best remembered in Britain for their cover of the Beatles song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" which topped the UK charts around Christmas 1968. In 1969, they signed to Decca Records, and their contract gave them complete freedom to write and produce their own records. The fruits of this arrangement was the recording of this song with its distinctive backwards guitar break, which was their only American hit.
This song was written by vocalist Dean Ford and the band's main songwriter, keyboardist Junior Campbell. Campbell went on to pen the theme from the British TV series Thomas The Tank Engine, which was narrated in its first two seasons by Ringo Starr. This dramatic ballad from the Age of Aquarius finds the singer describing a very bleak outlook on life and the times. The song was sort of a hippie version of the blues. The recording took place over three days in October 1969 at Decca Studios 2 and 1 in West Hampstead London with band members Graham Knight on bass, Alan Whitehead on Drums, Pat Fairley on acoustic guitar, and Junior Campbell on keyboards and electric guitars. Dean Ford sang lead vocal and Junior Campbell and Graham Knight provided harmony vocals..
When I'm Gone
And I travel my last weary mile,
Just forget if you can, that I ever frowned
And remember only the smile. Forget unkind words I have spoken;
Remember some good I have done.
Forget that I ever had heartache
And remember I've had loads of fun. Forget that I've stumbled and blundered
And sometimes fell by the way.
Remember I have fought some hard battles
And won, ere the close of the day.
and now...