Saturday, July 18, 2009

Imelda May: Don't You Do Me No Wrong

Updated

Haven't had nearly enough Imelda. I like the way she throws herself into her music - both physically and emotionally. She physically throws her body into a song. I like her James Brown-like tendency to communicate lyrics without using words which currently exist in the English language, as in: Hmmm, what would go good here? How about Whoooah!? The guitarist is her husband, Darrel Higham.



I didn't know, until recently, the passion of Rockabilly fans in Great Britain. They want the songs played exactly as they were played 40 and 50 years ago in America. Imelda, being faithful to Rockabilly and to her fans, sings these songs with an American accent.

Here, she changes "I've Got a Woman" into "I've Got a Lover", to alluring effect:



Interview below:

Imelda talks about growing up in a working class town in Ireland, and about being supported and encouraged by her extended family (some of whom smile and nod from the audience).

When Imelda laughs: she laughs suddenly, from deep inside. She likes to laugh.

Question: What about school? Didja have music [untranslatable] in school?

Imelda: We had Sister Hilda on the accordian. She was great. ... You hear of other people, and they had pianos and orchestras and all. We had the wonderful Sister Hilda on the accordian.




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Too good to pass up:
~~ October 2006 ~~ Imelda was trying to make it in show business ~~ This is burlesque star Missy Malone "fan-dancing to 'I PUT A SPELL ON YOU' sung by Imelda May and played by the Palookaville Orchestra at Candy Box".



Camera phone and YouTube greatness. Nice performances by Ms. Malone and Ms. May. Bravo.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

If you’re a fan of Imelda May, check out this video about her, including clips from Johnny Got A Boom Boom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRUdo05048

Thanks

gcotharn said...

Thanks for the tip. I am a BIG Imelda fan, and enjoyed the video.