Thursday, March 23, 2017

LALENA




We're going back in time, to the quasi-halcyonic regions of my youth.

It's after midnight on a warm, balmy summer night in Southern California - where a gentle breath of moisture has drifted in from the ocean and apathetic palm trees glisten in moon-glided droplets of dew.

The little piano bar on Fairfax in West Hollywood is a yawning haven for restless night owls, who languish over drinks in a smokey room drenched in soft amber light and the anonymous shadows of dreams and possibilities...

....and I - accompanied by occasional cigarettes and a generous glass of Sangria - sit at the piano and let my fingers wander through melancholy melodies and unintended improvisations.


One of my favorite songs of my youthful piano bar repertoire was Lalena (pronounced la-lane-ya).

It was written and originally performed by Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch) in 1968. There were numerous subsequent versions, including popular ones by Deep Purple and Jane Olivor. In my opinion, Olivor's version is superb - by far the best - no one can surpass it.

I had always wondered about the origin of Lalena and what Donovan's intention was in writing it. I only recently found out.

 Lotte Lenya

The song was initially inspired by the German actress/singer Lotte Lenya  (1898-1981). Donovan was especially intrigued when he saw the 1931 film The Threepenny Opera - in which Lotte Lenya plays the role of a prostitute named Jenny Diver.

The name Lalena is derived from Lotte Lenya's name , and is (in Donovan's words) "a composite character of women who are outcasts on the edge of society: Bohemia".

I'm including a recording of my piano arrangement of Lalena, just as I used to play it long ago.


Also, here's a "video" of Jane Olivor singing Lalena (this isn't my video - I got it from YouTube).


 

19 comments:

  1. Would you believe I have never heard of this song?!?! But I love it. And your spoiling us with your tickling of the ivories. We may need a weekly installment! Bravo!

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    1. I greatly appreciate your vote of confidence (it isn't often that I get one...).
      I will definitely be giving encores.

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  2. Your second (and third!) paragraphs have me drifting back in time ... with a smile.
    How I wish intimate, smoky piano bars were still a 'thing'!

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    1. I always savor my poetic journeys back in time - - and I was smiling (inwardly) as I wrote those paragraphs.

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    2. Me too! There few and far between Mevely, just need to know where to look. I would swear I was left behind from another time. A fact I mourn daily.

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  3. Haunting lyrics. Thanks for the introduction.

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    1. The lyrics are indeed haunting. This has long been one of my (many) favorite songs.

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  4. I used to listen to Jane Oliver a lot when I was in my 20's and navigating being a young gay adult. Great music for crying oneself to sleep!

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    1. This song nourishes my melancholic soul. It's the first thing I ever heard Jane Olivor sing.

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  5. Oh, I had to go find Donovan singing this on youtube after listening to these. I loved Donovan's sweet, gentle, soulful singing. Sorry, but Donovan beats Jane Olivor's for me--hands down. It is even more poignant knowing the origins of why he wrote it. I could imagine you performing this is a paino bar--you set the stage so well before I even heard one note. Thanks, Sweetie!

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    1. I think I'm partial to Jane Olivor because she's the first person I ever heard sing this. I heard Donovan sing it at a live concert and wasn't impressed. Later, I heard him sing it on a recording and liked it much better.

      I had always wondered what the origin (inspiration) of this song was, and I'm glad I finally found out.
      I'm delighted that you enjoyed it.

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  6. Jane's amazing voice along with the lyrics just keep you kind of spellbound. I really enjoyed the introduction to something totally new to me. Jon, your arrangement is another shining example of how really good you are. I hope you play again some day.

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    1. Jane Olivor's interpretation of this song is truly haunting, and "spellbound" is a good way of describing the effect it has on me. After all these years it hasn't lost it's potency.
      Many thanks for your kind words about my arrangement.

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  7. What a lovely arrangement, Jon. I hope you go back to playing the piano, you really should!

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    1. Thanks, Jenny. I've been in a rather deep depression for a long time (due to a combination of personal things) but I'm sure I'll eventually start playing the piano again. Music has always been my passion and very often my salvation.

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  8. Jon, thank you --both for the excellent piano interpretation of this dramatic song and for research on its origins. "Threepenny Opera" made a permanent impression on me about the same year Norma and I saw Donovan (introduced onstage by his father, who traveled with him back then) at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. Now "...lot in life, Lalena." and "Lotte Lenya" combine in a more meaningful consonance for me.

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    1. I've loved this haunting song from the very first time I heard it. I initially didn't know that Donovan wrote it - I first heard it sung by Jane Olivor. I always wondered what had inspired the creation of the song - - and I'm glad that I finally took the time to research it.

      You were fortunate to have seen Donovan in a live concert - that was a golden time for musical creativity and talent (which, sadly, seems to have greatly diminished in recent years...)

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  9. I'm not sure which I like best: your piano-playing or the poetic prose you used to start this post. It's a toss up.

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    1. I agree - it's a toss-up, but somehow I've intrigued myself with the poetic prose...

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