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Do you have a " party piece"?

(77 Posts)
Daddima Tue 04-Oct-16 15:57:10

I've just heard a song on the radio which reminded me of a friend of my parents, as he sang it ( beautifully) at family gatherings ( Macushla).
My father's song was " When I Leave the World Behind", and my mother's was " O Mio Babbino Caro".
I have been known to murder " Summertime" and " I Want to be a Prima Donna".

rosesarered Wed 05-Oct-16 14:20:23

Oh, I remember My Brother Sylvest, as my Grandfather used to sing that....
My brother Sylvest, has a row of shiny medals on his chest , big chest, it takes all the army and the navy ......something or another, can't think of the end of the line.My Grandfather's brother was called Sylvester, and I thought the song was about him!

Grannyknot Wed 05-Oct-16 14:02:32

Talking about singing in the car (and Janis Joplin), who can ever forget the lyrics to Me and Bobby McGee:

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a train, feeling near as faded as my jeans, Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained, Took us all the way to New Orleans

I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna, I was playing soft while Bobby sang the blues. Windshield wipers slapping time, I was holding Bobby's hand in mine, We sang every song that driver knew...

Inspired.

FlorenceN Wed 05-Oct-16 13:57:10

No party piece for me I'm afraid . My mother was a beautiful singer, but I got fathers singing genes...if a strangulated hernia could sing, it would've sounded just like him sadly (and me!)

Grannyknot Wed 05-Oct-16 13:55:13

Goose64 shock - did a cat walk across your keyboard?

missdeke - for your text to be reproduced in bold, you must only have an asterisk followed immediately by what you want in bold (no space) and then another asterisk.

Your mistake ^^ is because there you have typed something else immediately before you typed the first asterisk.

Put another way, don't confuse it by having anything else near the word you want in bold (apart from an asterisk at either end of it).

gulligranny Wed 05-Oct-16 13:50:26

I do a very good (in my opinion!) version of "The Galaxy Song", which generally manages to render my nearest and dearest speechless.

I sing loudly in my car where I keep a 5-disc set of songs from the musicals; my current favourite is "As Long As He Needs Me" from Oliver, which gets an enormous amount of wellie.

Carolpaint Wed 05-Oct-16 13:22:45

Froggie would a courting, Father had two rabbits, My brother Silvest, You're so vain, and Burlington Bertie, my Dad would not tolerate shrinking violets you have to have a party piece how else do you do a forfeit? At a drug treatment unit, my forfeit was Eartha Kitts, An Old Fashioned Millionnaire, can even do the growl.

hildajenniJ Wed 05-Oct-16 11:35:28

I can recite "Thee 'hapence a foot". I'll tell you an old fashioned story, one that Grandfather use to relate, of a joiner and building contractor, his name it was Sam Ogglethwaite."
I also can sing Doggie in the Window backwards!
My song of choice at present is Do you hear the People sing, from Les Miserables.
I love "O mio babbino Caro".

grumppa Wed 05-Oct-16 11:17:52

When I was playing rugby in France it was Cwm Rhondda; when I came back It was French rugby songs. More recently it has been The Foggy, Foggy Dew.

Trouble is, I can't sing.

mazza245 Wed 05-Oct-16 11:15:08

I know the joke you mean, Wobblybits, I remember being 'shown' that joke in a staid lunch with university professors etc a long time ago! I've never forgotten it - or the wag that told it!

missdeke Wed 05-Oct-16 11:09:28

Why can I not master this 'bold' thingy?.....

missdeke Wed 05-Oct-16 11:08:45

Bold:*Teetime*, Mercedes Benz was mine too, I even got roped in to doing in rep's cabaret when I worked abroad. Still love that song to pieces.

granma47 Wed 05-Oct-16 11:03:54

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly. I think I have Uncle Mac to thank for that.

Anniebach Wed 05-Oct-16 11:03:11

Yes, Myfanwy , guaranteed to plunge the room into tears,not sure if it's the words or my singing

Wobblybits Wed 05-Oct-16 10:38:44

I've not been able to do my party piece for years as I don't have any trousers where the pockets can be pulled out grin

weepam Wed 05-Oct-16 10:12:02

My party piece is singing an old but very wise song called 'granny has left you her old arm chair' while playing my mandolin.a family member filmed it and put it on you tube under John dale' granny,s old arm chair'.

Jaycee5 Wed 05-Oct-16 10:01:57

I couldn't do them at party pieces though. My singing would empty the room so might be useful if they wanted to bring the party to an end.

Grannygrumps60 Wed 05-Oct-16 10:00:23

Albert and the Lion. But I can only remember the words after my tonsils have been oiled with a couple of G&Ts.

Jaycee5 Wed 05-Oct-16 09:59:15

Grannylyn65 I used to love Albert and the Lion as a child. My mother had a old 78 record of Holloway monologues and that was suitably gory for a young child. As an adult I prefer 'Brown Boots' which still seems relevant today.
She also had a record of Danny Kaye tongue twisters which I still remember although some of them (like 'Moses supposes that noses are roses ...') I haven't heard anywhere else.
She liked Bing Crosby and my father liked Vic Reeves and Bach played at full volume which put me off classical music for a long time.

goose1964 Wed 05-Oct-16 09:58:02

I can say Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch

wot Wed 05-Oct-16 09:22:06

Nankate, ?

wot Wed 05-Oct-16 09:21:21

I know a joke about the Pasa Doble......

LullyDully Wed 05-Oct-16 08:43:52

We.sing all the time at home and in the car. Never in public, ever.

NanKate Wed 05-Oct-16 07:16:05

I suggest Wot that you have a few glasses of your favourite tipple and as if by magic you will be able to do the tango - it worked for me. grin

wot Tue 04-Oct-16 23:43:58

I'd love to learn the Tango!

NanKate Tue 04-Oct-16 22:09:51

When I was about 19 I went on holiday with a friend to the Canaries. After a few glasses of sangria I danced the Pasa Doble with a complete stranger in front of an audience of about 30. I had never danced that dance before or since. grin

I spent the next day hiding from my dance partner in case he wanted a repeat performance.

My friend and I still laugh about that episode 51 years later.