Shall We Dance?

   

 Once Mom got the stereo, the music collection began. Mom's very favorite singer was someone named John Gary – I don't remember him on the radio, I think Mom saw and heard him on shows like Johnny Carson. She thought he had the most perfect voice. And slowly, the John Gary album collection began – John Gary does Irish, John Gary does Spanish, Country, Christmas, show tunes. The album whose cover I most remember is the Nearness of You – popular songs of the times. I did not mind the John Gary albums so much since the songs were easy enough to sing along to (when, by request, no one else was home) but he was not quirky at all – just a good singer.

     Dad thought the most wonderful voice in all the land came from Andy Williams – and we had Andy Williams albums – country, show tunes, love songs, Christmas. We teased Dad often about Andy Williams, I guess because even though he had a great voice, there are few others who would rate him as one of the best singers of his times.

     I vaguely remember years and years after this, Mom asking her three kids if any of us wanted any of the old Andy Williams or John Gary albums – and I think Eric took a couple of the former. I said no thank you – but I will confess to playing some John Gary songs on you tube while writing this piece today – he could hit several octaves, you know.

     After a while, other artists mingled in with the favorites – I think we had three of Englebert Humperdink's albums, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Petula Clark, and finally, Marlene Dietrich's greatest hits. And then expanding the collection along with Christmas albums by various artists, and some classical stuff, were the show tunes.

     Mom couldn't wait to hear West Side Story when she bought it, and then she absolutely hated it – I don't think she ever listened to that album a second time. Most of the others she loved – we all did – Fiddler on the Roof, Camelot, My Fair Lady, and most especially, The King and I. When the song, Shall We Dance, came on, Mom and Dad would dance!

     Do other parents do that?

     It got so that they did not even have to have the music – they would spontaneously waltz through the house – they were Yul and Deborah – and they danced!

     The songs and then the dance – they weren't much, really, and yet they were everything – what more could a kid need?

     Now when I remember spring/all the joy that love can bring/I will be remembering/The shadow of your smile.

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