Watercolour Drawing – Giveaway

Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.

… We love this quote by Leonardo DaVinci. For us, music and art come from one and the same source. It’s the thing that infuses beauty and meaning into the ordinary life.

Every decade, every country, every culture, every life story can be captured and explained through its music and art, sometimes better than through wordy writing.

Which gets us onto today’s Giveaway and its “assignment”.

We love getting out pen and paper to draw and have been doing a bit more of that lately. We’re testing out new album designs but are also just enjoying the calming effect of a pen or brush in hand after a busy day. So, we’d love to give away some original art this time. You can see some of our old drawings and paintings here.

We’ve been thinking and reading a lot about space and space travel lately (made quite obvious by Janitor Joe ;-)) which led us down the rabbit hole of music in space. There have been quite a lot of tunes broadcasted beyond our stratosphere. Bowie … Elvis … Pink Floyd have all been played off planet.

Now the question for this Giveaway is:

If you had to play 3 songs from any artist to an alien race that knows nothing about planet Earth and our culture, to give them an idea of what we’re all about, what would you play for them?

 

Just write your answers in the comments below!

 

We’ll draw 3 random winners amongst all entries and will announce them on July 30th. Each of them will get one of three original “Janitor Joe” themed drawings (A5 148 x 210mm).

Good luck ♥

Mona & Lisa

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  1. All great songs and any really tell the story of what was going on in our world at the time.

    Calling Occupants – Klaatu
    Give Peace a chance- John/Yoko Lennon
    In only seven days- Queen

  2. Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A (classical
    music)
    Buddy Holly & The Crickets’ Peggy Sue (early male rock and roll)
    Nena’s 99 Luftballons (a female vocalist singing in a language other than English)

  3. 1) Working Class Hero – John Lennon
    2) Gethsemane (I only want to say) – Jesus Christ Superstar
    3) The End – The Doors

  4. 1.The Flower That Shattered The Stone / Steve Wariner
    2.Half Moon Bay (instrumental) / Dan Fogelberg
    3.Satisfied Mind / Hal Ketchum

  5. I would go for the following songs

    1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
    2. Happy Xmas (War is Over) – John Lennon & Yoko Ono
    3. American Pie – Don McLean
  6. Oh my gosh one of the great outer space songs is from country superstar Kenny Rogers a song called PLANET TEXAS written by John Andrew Parks III…the music video appeared in the 1989 NBC TV Special “ Something Inside So Strong” starring Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and Willie Nelson…….another would be the theme song from the TV series Star Trek Enterprise FAITH OF THE HEART (Where My Heart Will Take Me) sung by Russell Watson an English tenor singing in the genre of classical crossover and operatic pop…….and another would be IN THE YEAR 2525 by Zager & Evans written by Rick Evans…this was such a great song in 1969 it spent 6 weeks at #1 in America on Billboards Hot 100 and it went to #1 on the UK Singles Chart for 3 weeks…..this was a fabulous and fun “assignment”…Thank You

  7. Hi Ladies!
    My choices would be:
    1- God Only Knows – Beach Boys
    2- All You Need is Love – Beatles
    3- I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing – The New Seekers

    I love this idea and all of your contests. It brings all of your fans and “Club-go’ers” together! So much fun.

  8. Give Peace a Chance, Revolution, and It’s a Small World. And BTW, Friday is my Birthday, I turn the big 7 0…Girls, I am old in age but young in spirit and heart. Thanks for being the way you are. I love all your music, and stay Groovy.

  9. Being an amateur astrophotographer, I love the space theme of your paintings! I think astronomy and music are a perfect match. My song pics are:
    Beatles – Come Together
    Robin Spielberg – Spellbound
    Blue Stone – Open Your Eyes
    Thanks, Rick

    1. Rock and roll music – Chuck Berry (Shows how much we love rockin and rolling!). 2. Good vibrations – Beach Boys (shows how we can love each other). 3. Fortunate son – Creedence Clearwater Revival (shows a brutal reality in this world).
  10. 3 songs about the planet and the culture – – hmmm – – Joe Cocker “With A Little Help From My Friends”, Johnny Maestro “The Angels Listened In” and Dobbie Brothers “Listen To The Music”

  11. Ever thought about creating some NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) in the crypto world? Check them out (cautiously and with appropriate advice). Your creative talents could be a great investment for you!

  12. What a wonderful world – Satchmo
    Calling occupants of Interplanetary craft – The Carpenters
    Yellow Submarine – The Beatles (just to confuse them!)

  13. they’d have to be…
    1) John Lennon – Imagine
    2)Buddy Holly – True love ways
    3)David Bowie – The man who sold the world

    From absolute legends

  14. We need to show the aliens that we are (in the majority) loving and peaceful human beings and cherish the Earth we all live on. The creative energy of music can project this message so powerfully. Thank you always for your contributions to Mona and Lisa. So, my three songs would be:
    1. Circle Of Life by Elton John (from Lion King)
    2. Earth Song by Michael Jackson
    3. Starman by David Bowie and the MLT’s

  15. What a great challenge!

    1. I Bought Myself a Politician (that would set them straight from the get go)
    2. Janitor Joe (That’s why they came here after all, right?)
    3. Nothing Is In Vain (In case they’re thinking it’s all a coincidence)
    4. The Wide Wide Land
    5. Club 27

    Wait, it was only 3? OK, let’s do different artists for variety

    1. I Bought Myself a Politician – MLT (they need to know what they are getting into)
    2. Let It Be – The Beatles (In case they’re thinking of pointing a big laser at us)
    3. Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor – Beethoven (All 3 movements interpreted by Daniel Barenboim)

    ????

    1. Tomas, very few musicians can play with the kind of passion Daniel Barenboim can to send shivers down the spine of the listener and keep the audience captivated like that. Mona and Lisa belong in that prestigious company of musicians who have that kind of magic!.

      1. Thanks Jung, I agree! Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich are 2 of my Argentine compatriots that have been making magic on the piano since the 60’s and still going strong. I’ve got great admiration for them, almost as much as for the twins!

  16. The Beatles “Hey Jude”, The Beach Boys “God Only Knows” and the Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”. As humans,(I think I still qualify as one!????) life isn’t always what you planned or hoped for, but the glue that holds it all together is love, especially set to some good melodies.A timeless truth as much as those songs are.

  17. Hi Mona & Lisa, I’d pick That’s Life, by your good selves, to show that Humans have a sense of humour, David Bowie’s Space Oddity, to show that we have at least had a go at manned space travel, even if it was only to our own Moon & back, and anything by the Beatles, as they were simply The Best!. Well, that’s my offering, for better or worse. Ciao, Andy Xx

  18. Hundreds of different combinations, but here is one:

    Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
    Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” – Dvorak
    Take Five – Dave Brubeck Quartet

  19. 1) Supper’s Ready by Genesis, as this is quite simply the greatest song ever written, and also to test the Alien’s taste and their attention span.
    2) Elgar’s Cello Concerto, as an example of how music can convey emotion, and to test if Alien’s show emotion.
    3) You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling by the Righteous Brothers, as an example of popular music, and to try to convey how much we love writing, and listening to, songs about unrequited love, and to test if Alien’s have a heart.

  20. since you have a interest in space i have included a few space pictures. one is the saturn 5 rocket that took men to the moon another is the space shuttle atlantis.ad the others are rocket launches viewed from my back yard. if you ever get to florida you have to visit kennedy space center. it is special.
    my three songs would be it’s a wonderful world by louis armstrong, dialogue 1 and 2 from chicago and here comes the sun by the beatles.

  21. That’s Life (MonaLisa Twins), I’ll Follow the Sun (The Beatles and MonaLisa Twins); Calling Occupants of Interplantary Craft (The Caprenters). Please pick me and sign the picture. Please. Stay groovy!

  22. During the Seventies, NASA sent two spacecrafts, called Voyager 1 and 2, to deep space. They are still operating today, already more than 20 billion KM far from Earth. On-board the spacecrafts, they installed a golden record with information about planet Earth, in case aliens will find them. They included some tracks of music from around the world that were carefully selected for the mission. So, I picked two tracks from their selection, and added the third one from you – Mona & Lisa (because I think you represent a lot of good aspects of the human race 🙂

    1. Beethoven 5th symphony, 1st movement.
    2. Johnny B. Goode, by Chuck Berry.
    3. Till there was you – recorded by Mona & Lisa.
  23. Welcome to the Jungle – Guns ‘n’ Roses
    How Great Thou Art – sung by Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill
    Erikonig (Schubert)

    I cannot get my umlauts to work on this iPad….aaaargggh

  24. You never ask easy questions.
    1) “Rhapsody In Blue” – G. Gershwin
    2) “Somewhere Out There” – L. Ronstadt/J. Ingram
    3) “Janitor Joe” – MonaLisa Twins

    Three runners up would be:
    1) “Blue Danube Waltz” – J. Strauss
    2) “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry -H. Williams
    3) “Count On Me” – MonaLisa Twins

    I will be keeping my fingers crossed from now until the drawing takes place. I simply can’t describe how awesome it would be to win one of these original pictures -other than to say, it would be “out of this world”!!!

  25. Another great thing like all of you. I am firmly convinced that there are living beings in space, were and will be. But I heard that they only come by to refuel. Here are my three songs for aliens in the following versions and order. Then maybe they stay for a little hour:

    Air – Johann Sebastian Bach
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7RYSQvrUrc
     
    David Bowie – Space Oddity live
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXSGocWifAg
     
    David Bowie – Starman – live
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJO97AKDgH0

    best regards

  26. Hi Mona & Lisa, here are the 3 songs I would send in space:

    1. Hyme from Nazareth
    2. Nothing is in vain from MLT
    3. Hey Jude from The Beatles

    Best wishes Frank

  27. I don’t know if I could limit it to 300! I’d change this list every 10 seconds if I kept thinking…I’m excluding classical and opera and other things not really considered “songs” as that helps exceedingly to shorten the possibilities. And does this alien race somehow understand English or any other earthly language?

    1. MLT version of Starman
    2. Yes – And You and I
    3. Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb
  28. Good night, I would choose …..
     
    1.- the hymn to the joy of Beethoven
     
    2.-we all need love from the Beatles
     
    3.-there comes the sun of the Beatles
     
    best regards

  29. Eve of destruction Barry McGuire. The road to hell Chris Rea and universal soldier Buffy Sainte-Marie and the aliens would be able to move on

  30. Wow……hard to narrow it down to just 3, but here goes
    #1=Crying by Roy Orbison
    #2=Hey Jude by The Beatles
    #3=Because by The Beatles

  31. What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
    Imagine – John Lennon
    Pipes of Peace, Paul McCartney

    It is so hard to choose just 3 songs. Anyway, these feature the beauty of nature, human conflict, and hope that we can make things better. We need new hope right now!
    Thank you ladies for your refreshing songs and music, it helps a lot!

  32. Hi Mona & Lisa

    Hope you are both well. The three songs I would suggest to aliens would be
    1) The Answer by Ritchie Sambora
    2) A World Without Love by Peter & Gordon (or your cover)
    3) The Circle of life by Elton John.

    Take care. Sending you both much love from Malta ????????????????.

    Jason

  33. Hello Ladies!

    I would say
    1) Starry Starry Night – Don McClean.
    Picasso’s use of expressionism is perfect to describe the use of color and art.
    2) What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
    Beautifully describes our would, and the feelings we have about it.
    3) If – Bread
    So beautifully describes the love we have for someone, and how, when we are with them, we tend to get carried away.
    I know two extraordinary Twins have covered 2 of these songs in a Most Beautiful Way.
    What a great give a way!
    These original works will be treasured for years to come!!!
    What a fun contest!
    Thanks Ladies
    Rick

  34. Great idea. If I were going to use three songs to try to help an alien race understand earthlings I would choose 1) Canon in D – Pachelbel (to provide them with an example of beautiful musical aspirations), 2) Put a Little Love in Your Heart – Jackie DeShannon (to see what truly lies at the core of being human), and (bending the rules a little bit) 3) We are the World – Various Artists (to provide them with an understanding of the hope we have to some day be united throughout the globe in respect, help, and love). Thanks for this exercise. I spent a couple of hours pondering it!

  35. The beautiful & optimistic aspects of being an earthling is well expressed by many of our members. But we wouldn’t want to mislead our alien visitors. They may feel deceived and incinerate us.

    Blowin’ in the Wind – Peter, Paul & Mary
    Revolution – The Beatles
    What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye

  36. This fascinating topic has generated lots of happy discussion in our family. My wife picks:
    What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong, Morning Has Broken by Mona and Lisa, and the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel. My eldest son chose Hey Jude by the Beatles, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, snd O Come All Ye Faithful. So many songs and so many viewpoints – such an interesting question. Thanks Mona and Lisa!

  37. I have an emotional roller coaster for them:

    Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra)
    Fragile (Alan Parsons)
    Amused to Death (Roger Waters)

  38. It´s difficult to pick three from all the songs in the world but let´s go with an intuition:

    • A Day In the Life (The Beatles)
    • Ripple (Grateful Dead)
    • Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pink Floyd)

    Last one is very long so if the alien don´t have a patience to listen to it then “Born To Run” by Bruce Springsteen,
    What, no Dylan !! I give up !

  39. Man of the World – Fleetwood Mac
    What Is Life – George Harrison
    Maybe I’m Amazed – Paul McCartney

    three of the best love songs ever written

  40. I’m in a melancholy mood at the moment, so the songs reflect that.
    Eve of destruction – Barry McGuire (although one of my fave Aussie bands, the Screaming Jets, do a great cover)
    Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell
    Taxman – The Beatles

    1. Sorry to hear you’re feeling blue, Darryl. I prescribe watching as many MLT videos as necessary to cheer you up. No worries about over-dosing, either!

  41. Hi guys, well I am going to re-interpret the question since a couple of my favourite “songs” are somewhat lacking in lyrics, but would aliens understand them anyway? Some of my turn – to tracks when I am feeling down, and being a musician and been fortunate to have played 2 of them with various bands over the years, one’s I always want on my set list.
    Layla – Eric Clapton – and the extra long version with the piano Bridge!
    Last Horizon – Brian May
    Local Hero – Dire Straits.
    I really want to put Bohemian Rhapsody in there too but I don’t know which of the first 3 I would leave out. I have too many favourite MLT original songs that I can’t pick any particular one!
    Cheers
    Chris

  42. “We didn’t start the fire” by Billy Joel. A little history lesson.
    “You’ve got a friend” by James Taylor.(I know it was written by Carole King but I like his version) About friendship.
    “Wide wide land” by MLT. The perils and pleasures of growing old.

    My list is not so much about the big picture but more about the small individual things.

  43. What a cool idea. I am looking forward to your next album not only for the music, but also your cover art. To me, the album cover art completes the album experience.

    It’s was fun reading through the comments, reading everyone’s lists. So here is mine in no particular order:

    Beethoven – Symphony No. 3

    Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin (Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson Performance at Kennedy Center Honors is also amazing)

    What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

  44. Hi Mona, Hi Lisa…Wow…what a special prize., it’s a very difficult challenge to choose just three songs. but I will try. some of my choices and reasons have already been mentioned here..
    “What a wonderful world” about the beauty of life and planet Earth. “Imagine” about the dream of one day humanity being a brotherhood of peace, love and equality.
    “Count on Me” ..because, I love this song and it makes my soul vibrate every time I hear it.. Thank you dear ladies for your great dedication to us.
    Stay groovy.

  45. Edelweiss is a flower that grows in the high mountains of Germany and Austria and starts growing in July. It was also a song in Rogers and Hammerstein The Sound of Music, a folk song telling of devotion and love. How do you feel about your country, family and music. At a time where there was Good vs Evil and is a true story.
    Imagine by John Lennon that reflects the dreams of a man for all humanity to live in Peace and Love. A dreamer he was.
    Peace Train by Cat Stevens telling of hatred, love and and the way the world is.
    I believe the Universe has been hearing the Music of earth for a long time. If they are there there listening to not only to the music of earth but also Club 27 Stars!!!!
    If those lil green men saw the violence in wars and sometimes on the streets, they probably have been watching us for along time now. I believe that most people want Peace and Love!!!!

  46. Mmm…. This is a tough one. How about –
    Take It Easy by the Eagles
    Dedicated to the One I Love by the Mamas and Papas
    Ooh La La by Rod Stewart.

    Our planet could only be saved by Mona and Lisa playing these songs. We would be saved and universal peace and love would reign.

    Stay Groovy! Love Ya!

  47. This challenge sounded easy at first, but few Twins’ challenges ever end up being easy for me. I of course want more than three songs, but here are three that I think might help an alien understand us:

    1: “What a Wonderful World”. A song to show a positive side of humans and the beauty of our planet.

    2: “When I’m 64”. This song might help the aliens understand the human family, with a hint on our lifespan.

    3: “Gone The Rainbow” by Peter, Paul, and Mary, a version of Siúil a Rún, a traditional Irish folk song. To be fair to the aliens, we are really only partially a peace loving people, and our lives are not always easy. This song touches on the loss and sadness from our wars, but also the strong ties in the human family.

    I think a better way for the aliens to understand humans would be to spend a while in the MLT Club. If they started with “Two of Us”, and viewed all your postings, ending with “Black Mountains Marathon”, they could learn a lot about you, your family, and humans in general.

  48. I’d want to demonstrate different genres of music, so would go for my favourites, ie pop/rock, jazz and musical theatre!

    1. She Loves You – The Beatles – ’nuff said!
    2. Take the ‘A’ Train – Duke Ellington
    3. If I Loved You – from the show/film Carousel. The melody gets me every time!
  49. First off, gotta say as prizes go, this is a new level of groovy! Deeply coveted the drumhead skin, shaker egg, etc., but original MLT artwork? WOW!
    OK. Sooo much music to choose from, so I’m going to limit my choices thusly: three MLT originals, then three from other artists that MLT has covered.
    1. ‘Count on Me’ demonstrating dedication and devotion
    2. ‘Still a Friend of Mine’ majestically beautiful lyrics and music showing reverence and respect
    3. ‘Janitor Joe’ just to let otherworlders know there are those amongst us desiring to join them outside Earth’s atmosphere

    1. ‘Both Sides Now’ demonstrating perception’s fine line between optimism and cynicism (human complexity)
    2. ‘Imagine’ accenting a desire to promote what unites and unifies rather than what causes division
    3. ‘What a Wonderful World’ showing our ability to recognize and appreciate the beauty around us and our will to show love to our fellow human beings

  50. Mona and Lisa, wow such a great assignment but here goes

    1. Wide Wide Land Mona and Lisa to show how we love family
    2. American Pie Don Mc clean to travel thru music history
    3. American Triligy Elvis Presley about American History
  51. Awesome Tuesday topic! Music and art, “It’s the thing that infuses beauty and meaning into the ordinary life.” I like that! I will add that to my list of fave quotes on music and art. My other favourite quote is: “Without art (music), the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable” – George Bernard Shaw.

    I love this “assignment”, feel free to give us more in the future. These are fun. It reminds me of the great time we had at the last Advent Calendar month of assignments every day! I mulled over this question all day, and it’s a tough one. After many iterations, I will go with:
    1..Bach – Goldberg Variations – performed by none other than Glenn Gould.
    2..Beethoven – Piano Concerto No 5
    3..Beatles – All You Need is Love
    The 3Bs.

    These 3 should reflect the best of humanity in music for me.

    Original Janitor Joe themed drawings! Wow, we are going to have 3 extremely lucky winners!!! Good luck to all. July 30th is going to be a day to look forward to. Will have to get my lucky pen out! 🙂

  52. Assuming that these aliens respond to music as we do, and that the language barrier isn’t an issue, I’d choose songs that tap into emotions that music can capture really well: joy, sorrow, and silliness. So my list would be the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, The Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home”, and Weird Al Yankovic’s “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota”.

  53. Pink Floyd has some great songs reflecting the human condition.
    “Us and Them”by Pink Floyd
    “And after all we’re only ordinary men”

    “Echoes” by Pink Floyd
    “Strangers passing in the street, by chance two separate glances meet and I am you and what I see is me.”

    “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles

    • kinda sums it all up 

    JP

    Did you ever wonder what those background voices are saying on Dark Side of the Moon?  This one is difficult to hear at low volume, but here it is:

    “I mean, they’re not gunna kill ya, so if you give ’em a quick short,
    Sharp, shock, they won’t do it again. Dig it? I mean he get off
    Lightly, ‘cos I would’ve given him a thrashing – I only hit him once!
    It was only a difference of opinion, but really… I mean good manners
    Don’t cost nothing do they, eh?”

    Down and out
    It can’t be helped but there’s a lot of it about.
    With, without.
    And who’ll deny it’s what the fighting’s all about?
    Out of the way, it’s a busy day
    I’ve got things on my mind.
    For the want of the price of tea and a slice
    The old man died.

  54. Achieving interplanetary travel is a group effort; we Terrans have yet to figure out a reliable way to connect with one another, but it’s not due to a lack of desire to do so:

    “Alone Again (Naturally)” – Gilbert O’Sullivan

    “My Cherie Amour” – Stevie Wonder

    “I Will” – The Beatles

  55. The 3 songs that I would pick, in no particular order, are In my life by The Beatles, Imagine, by John Lennon, & All you need is love by The Beatles.

  56. A difficult question, but I will try-
    What a wonderful world (Louis Armstrong)
    Out in the country (Three dog night / Paul Williams – Roger Nichols)
    All things must pass (George Harrison)

  57. 5th Symphony (1808) / Ludwig Van Beethoven
    played by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
     
    Cake Walking Babies From Home (1925) / Clarence Williams‘s Blue Five
    with Eva Taylor and Louis Armstrong

    and last but not least

    The Wide Wide Land (2012) / MonaLisa Twins

  58. Whoa, that’s a Question for my ol thinking cap to process…. I would said Calling Occupants but that’s already been taken….

    Hmmmm… tough one but today’s brainwaves come up with these 3:

    #1 ~ ” Diamond Sun”- Glass Tiger

    #2 (A)~ ” 3 way tie for #2 as I cannot pick just one -“Don’t You Know Tears Are Not Enough”/”We Are The World”/”Do They Know It’s Christmas” so it’s a merging of all 3 as one, hope it counts…lol..

    #3 ~ “Imagine” – John Lennon

  59. Wow, interesting question. How about Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft by The Carpenters, Who Are You by The Who, and What is Life by George Harrison.

  60. Fascinating question – you ladies are amazingly creative! Great picks by Dan – hard not to be biased after reading those.
    My choices would be Wide, Wide Land by Mona and Lisa, Live Like You’re Dying by Tim McGraw, and the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. I’ll have to enter again and not leave the Beatles out..

  61. I think “Here Comes the Sun,” “A Day in the Life,” and “Here, There and Everywhere,” just about cover nature, dreams, existential pain, warmth, discord, melody, infatuation, harmony, and love.

  62. Oh, my! You’re really taxing our thinkers with this one! I’m tempted to spontaneously rattle off three MLT songs, but out of respect for the deep insight this question inspires, I’m gonna give it some serious thought first. The sheer multitude of song choices will make for intriguing answers from our diverse and GROOVY clubsters! The depth of your psyches, dear ladies, amazes me again.