"The Man That Got Away"

This morning as I was eating my breakfast I heard music coming from my daughter’s bedroom, and it sounded vaguely familiar. After a few moments, I realized that it was a sound from my past. I sipped my coffee, and the sound of Judy Garland’s voice belting out “The Man That Got Away” threw a vision in front of me that nearly knocked me off my bar stool. There I was as a 16 year old girl, standing on the family living room ottoman with an antique wooden pill crusher in my right hand, held in front of my mouth, as I belted out show tunes with all the passion of a star on Broadway. I shook my head back to reality, and tried to figure out why Judy Garland was on my daughter’s ipod.

Is it possible that this little piece of me has rubbed off on my 17 year old after all these years of me playing show tunes of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s? It appears so as half way through the song she came waltzing into the kitchen, her fist up to her mouth, singing the chorus like she was Judy herself.

When I was young, we would come home from church and stack the stereo, 6 albums at a time, from the classics; Judy along with Barbra Streisand, Billie Holiday, Bobby Darin, Dinah Washington, Doris Day, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Paul Anka, Dusty Springfield and all the members of the “rat pack” were included in this Sunday morning line up. I saw myself as one of them. I envisioned myself on stage singing each of their songs. I felt every emotion they felt as they sang the stories of love and heartbreak. I still believe that there is nothing better than listening to these songs as they sounded back then with all the crackling of the old LPs and the audience applauding in the background. It all comes down to the “feel”; the stirring of your heart; the depth of the music, and the amount of soul that the singer offers to the performance.

I played a rendition of “The Man That Got Away” by Barbra Streisand for my daughter. I indicated that I preferred it to Judy Garland’s and she scoffed at my choice. She felt that the original by Garland was far superior, but couldn’t tell me why; she just “felt” that way. Fair enough; it is all about the “feel”.

Take a moment and listen to these two super stars sing one of my favourite songs of all time. They will both stir your emotions, but one will capture your heart more than the other. Enjoy!!!!

"The Man That Got Away"
Judy Garland  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tLG1GwKqIg&feature=related
Barbra Streisand  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ma-GOjXzu4