Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma – Duo Session
The first Duo Session of 2023 …
And we are already complaining … Look, what they’ve done to my song, ma! š
We vaguely remember covering this song on a radio station many, many years ago but haven’t played it since. So, we took this chance to record it properly as a Duo Session! We love this song and Melanie’s music in general. “Look, What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma” is one of those quirky gems from the past.
We’ve been in touch with Melanie and were going to catch up with her during her UK tour. Unfortunately, her trip got cancelled for health reasons. But we will definitely send her a link to this cover!
When we were young kids, Melanie’s “Best Of” CD was always sitting out on the family book shelf, and we remember thinking how adorable, friendly and pretty she looked on it! She’s one of those people you instantly want to be friends with!
We’ve done “Michelle” by the Beatles (on our very first live album) and now “Look, What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma” which means this was probably the last time you’ve heard us butcher the French language. Unless you can think of other songs with French lyrics that we really need to cover. And we do apologise to all the Frenchmen, lol.
Thanks for listening, this was a fun one to film!
Mona & Lisa
RIP Melanie. She was a treasure.
GREAT! I love it!
There are some French lyrics in “Where Do You Go To My Lovely” by Peter Sarstedt, I believe. Late 60s. Then there is the naughty one by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg!
“Je T’Aime, Moi Non Plus”. Another more into the 70s,I think; “Chanson D’Amour”.
Another well known instrumental from the Pirate ship days
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sciVHycXOA&ab_channel=ombremor
There is also a French vocal version.
Melanie’s original made me smile back in the day.
This one makes me giggle. š
Love it.
I always thought this was a good song but you made it better with your pure voicesš¤. Love the guitar and bassšø combination and Mona as always is so good on the harmonica!š (couldn’t find the harmonica emoji) What a blessing!š¶
I love this cover. You two really do a fantastic job of covers.
Another great Duo session always my favourite
Your French sounds good to me but I donāt need to understand the language to appreciate the music, Edith Piaf and No Regrets a favourite of mine and I think Lisa on lead vocals would render a fantastic very
I think you could do “La vie en rose”. By Edith Piaf. Also ” Le temps des fleurs” by Vicky Leandros.
Hi, Look what you Did to this song! Brilliant. As for another French-lyric cover, how about ELO’s Hold On Tight? Just made for Mona’s vocals.
Really amazing style and orchestration… And so french sentences are not the easiest, uhmmmmm… Great accent on that. š„°
Very interesting in that in the view of the girls’ feet tapping one is on beat and the other isn’t…very jazz style. My foot was tapping along the same as Mona’s.
Totally outstanding, a really nice version. And I agree with the comment below that you could cover many of The Seekers’ tunes as well.
Yes – The Seekers’ material gets the MLT treatment – that would be very interesting…!
I remember this song from the 70s. Was a teenager back then. My sister listened to a lot of top 40. Heard it from the radio. I love the subtle changes. I don’t think you butchered the French Language. Maybe that’s a quest, to find covers of partial French lyrics in songs. Lol Loved this version more. ā¤ļøš¹š¤
That was awesome. It brought a big smile.
I vaguely remember this song from the 60s(?). I like the simplicity of this cover. I can’t give you any advice on French.
Having been around for the original release of this song by Melanie, and loving the song since then, I heartily approve of your tribute to her! Can hardly wait for the next Duo Sessions album to come out (and new puzzles, too!)! Great work!
Love it. As they say where I come from that was ” ansome” beautiful cover
Great choice for the first Duo Session of the year. The harmonies sound wonderful as always.
Hey Melanie, look what they did to your song! Another awesome cover! Love it!
Well Ladies, i think your French was quite well spoken, well done!! I always love it when a language is spoken with a different tongue, its utterly charming, as You always are. There is lots of songs in French I would like to hear from you, but……. I am really hoping you Ladies will cover Georgy Girl from the Seekers.
There harmonies are , like yours, from a special league. In their days they even kicked off the Beatles and rolling stones from the no 1 place in the charts.I am almost sure you will make a great cover off it.
The first question I ever posted in the “ask MLT” forum when I joined the club almost four years ago was whether they would consider covering a Seekers song. (I suggested A World of Our Own.) They said they weren’t really familiar with that group but would check them out. So they know what they have to work with, at least.
I agree; the Seekers’ harmonies are to die for!
And now you have me fascinated too. The Seekers used a traditional soprano-alto-tenor-baritone four-part approach (Keith Potger’s range enabled him to take an alto part), and they put the leading part very much to the fore. With the MLT, you get two pretty much equal voices, so it’s going to sound quite a bit different – which (I suspect) makes the idea all the more fascinating.
Just to muddy the waters a little, I’d suggest The Seekers’ first hit, “I’ll Never Find Another You”, as a candidate for the MLT treatment.
Just to add fuel to the fire: There is a very nice YouTube video of The Seekers recording I’ll Never find Another You at Abbey Road Studios.
Hey Len, I have seen that video many times, its awesome, thank you for telling me
Still amazes me how you can take a great song and make it ten times better.
Wow..The Duo Sessions are back.. I’ve never heard this song before but I loved it..as always your voices, the sound of your musical instruments, your smiles, your happy and shining eyes, turn these few minutes into magical minutes .. thank you dear girls.
Now here’s an odd bit of trivia. Apparently the official title of the song is actually “What Have They Done to My Song Ma”, per Wikipedia.
Great performance M&L. I hadn’t heard this tune in decades. “Candles in the Rain” was another one of those albums that you’d find in just about every dorm room back in the day. College guys (especially guitar players) were all smitten with Melanie, the same way us oldtimers currently feel about the MLT. “Ruby Tuesday” was prob my fave cut off that record; I’d like to hear the ladies cover one of the Stones ballads/slower tunes as a duo selection.
Driving home tonight I thought of another song with French lyrics, and I don’t mean Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” which has about the minimum amount of French possible in an English song. No, it’s the 1969 hit by the one hit wonder Tee-Set, “Ma Belle Amie” — a song about a guy who’s lost his love to someone else and is promising to hang around to be “the man after him.”
https://youtu.be/Bioah3q7JOk
Hi Dave,
How about Patti LaBelle singing “Lady Marmalade”, with the lyrics “Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir” – which translates to “Do you want to sleep (make love) with me tonight”.
When LaBelle performed the song on television they were made to change the lyric from “coucher” to “danse” – which changes the lyrics to “Would you like to dance with me tonight”.
Take care,
Bobby
What a ray of sunshine! š The harmonies bring in another dimension. Love this song.
I seem to remember an unboxing video of those travel guitars? They sound really nice, though I know that 90% of the sound of a guitar is in the fingers playing it!
I really impressed by the sound of he bass, it’s full and very “acoustic” sounding despite being tiny and it folds!
Love these surprises, and all done in 2 days! Wow.
Thank you!
Wow, Melanie! What a blast from the past. I love what you’ve done to her song, just like you’ve done to every cover you have ever done. It’s so good to see you doing Duo Sessions again. Its almost like a live performance in my living room. It’s so cool that you’re in touch with Melanie. I’m sure this cover will put her over the moon!
Mona & Lisa, Wow! I liked the original version by Melanie, which was also covered by a radio DJ called John Torv here in Sydney AUS and his team dressed as if they came off the set of Les MisĆ©rables! His version was a dog. Even though I liked Melanie’s I love your version very much! Well done on delivering a classic with such warmth. thank you so much. If you get the chance find the clip of Melanie sing Candles. TY again.
Mona and Lisa, I am so happy that you are back doing the “Duo Sessions”. They had to go on the back shelf when “WHY?” was being done, no doubt. Everything that you do is done so well! The Journey guitars sounded great…nice pickups in combination with the Vox amps!
I know that you have so many ideas and songs that would be fine “Duo Session” recordings, but if you need another idea for a song, “Sexy Sadie” would be great. It has that Lennon edge. Food for thought.
Thank you for everything that you do!
Aha! Those appear to be Journey carbon fiber travel guitars. Look great! Sound great! Maybe the ladies are going somewhere exciting!
Yes! Mona and Lisa did a video last year when they received these Journey guitars. It is so cool that they received both a six-string and a bass. They remind me of mini Ovations! Sounded great: The combination of the good pickups and those awesome Vox amps did the trick!
Great work as alwaysā¦story, one of my high school Art students went to see Melanie and because her father was a DJ, was going to meet her also. I had a vintage copy of a Melanie LP and gave it to the student as a gift to get Melanieās autograph. Well the student met her and instead of having Melanie sign it for her, she had it dedicated to ME!!! One of the most thoughtful things a student ever did for me !!!
Ohhh thatās a great story and very sweet of your student! š
Very nicely done, a great cover, and a great start to the 2023 Duo Sessions. You even wore the style of dresses that Melanie wore and Mona had braids in her hair as Melanie had sometimes. This was more than a cover; it was a tribute to Melanie Safka.
I had forgotten that part of the song was in French, so it was a surprise and was beautiful – Spanish next???
I loved the sound from the two new guitars. What make are they? I tried to find the logo and the guitars on the net, but no luck.
My favorite Melanie songs are “Taking a Bath” and “Brand New Key”. I was wondering how you got the original “lost album” version of Melanie’s “Taking a Bath” for your “Making of I’ve Got Myself a Politician” video. It’s on YouTube, but does not seem to be available anywhere for sale.
Ever heard Melanie’s LIVE! album? She was really great, wasn’t she? Such a unique style, and bluesy voice. I was thinking about Alan Wilson the other day, the harmonica, rhythm and slide player of Canned Heat who is sadly a member of Club 27. He was a passionate environmentalist, and suffered from depression, weak eyesight, and inability to develop relationships with women. Had a very memorable singing style, like Melanie but without her technical range, obviously. Had he lived, the California wildfires and oceanic pollution would in all likelihood have driven him to suicide. Anyway, I love Mona and Lisa’s “Club 27” song! And Melanie herself I’m sure would LOVE “I’m in it for Love”.
Hi. Love that song! Seems to resonate or reverberate more than ever now considering the controversial theft of childhood these days via the internet.
Well done ladies! This song was very popular in Germany by the late singer and actress Daliah Lavi.
I was not familiar with this song at all, but I love it, especially the way it builds momentum as it nears the end. Are these new guitars, as I don’t think I’ve seen them either? Great singing as we come to expect so another duo winner!
Both the bass and the guitar are by a company called āJourneyā and they are foldable, so super easy to travel and even fly with!
Weāre glad you like the tune ā„
Keeping the song alive, well done ladies and in a short time too. Another MLT success.
Love it !
OMG I had almost forgotten that song (look what I done to that song!) I think you girls did a great job bring this on back from the library. Sometimes i think MonaLisa can work a little magic with some these covers. I really enjoyed this one!!
Regardez ce que vous avez fait a nos filles de la chanson. Parfait.
Whoo-oo-oo! That was tremendous! Look what you’ve done to (with/for) her song!
Give a listen: Ā«Ā PartirĀ Ā» very upbeat, great lyrics, even electric piano opportunities. Ā«Ā le film Ć lāenversĀ Ā» beautiful lyrics and refrain for your harmonies. Ā«Ā le tam tam du ventĀ Ā» interesting and several versions
SHEILA Ā«Ā seulement pour toiĀ Ā» album
Your franƧais is certainly ready for more efforts.
Sheila didnāt know a word of English and recorded an album lyrics and music by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in 1979 and did another entire album in LA called Ā«Ā Little DarlinĀ Ā» So, with your musical sense and incredible vocals and harmonies I can envision and hear an album franƧaise upcoming
can’t get this song out a my head ,so I continue to listen. You Two Always Amazing , Love it !!!!!!!!
Iāve never heard this song beforeā¦but now I have ā¦so itās an MLT song nowā¦really enjoyed itā¦ā¦the song I remember from Melanie is BRAND NEW KEYā¦.Iāve got a pair of brand new roller skates Iāve got a brand new keyā¦..yeahā¦when I was a kid everybody had roller skates and this was before there was skate boardsā¦..Loved itā¦good job girlsš§”ā¤ļø
Hi Rick,
I loved those old-style roller skates and used them many times during my youth. Good memories.
Take care,
Bobby
Breathtakingly beautiful . No other artists make covers like Mona and Lisa , so clear and crisp , always reflecting the heart and soul of song.
Thatās very kind, thanks Len!
Love seeing and hearing the Duo Session again , thank you for sharing.
Excellent cover of the song, well done…Love the Harmonica..
French was better than you said it was. Your two voices are beautiful together. Greetings from Canada.
Duo sessions are my favorites, and this one just shot to the top of the list in it’s first few seconds of quirky bliss! I can’t wait ’til Duo Sessions album #2 becomes a reality! I don’t remember hearing you’ve been in touch with Melanie before. AWESOME! As for Melanie memories, I remember locking my old-timey roller skates onto my shoes, using an actual skate key, no less, and skating (sort of) up and down the length of my block while singing “Brand New Key” as a wee lad! Ah, for those simpler times……..
I also remember the metal skates with the key, and the sore calluses where they rubbed on the side of the skates. We also made crude skateboards out of the old skates and a piece of 2×4. I tried to use them down a steep hill once … no brakes … ouch!
Oh…my 2 nd oldest brother had a pair of those adjustable strap on shoe roller skates… I tried it out…Failed…wishing they had kid sized ones like they have now for back then ….I rolled up carpet in our hallway and tried out rollerskating ….never did dare to do so outside… my 2nd oldest brother
, he would roll around in outside or in basement …he played league hockey growing up so he could manage the roller skates … I never was a good skater either.. even on the homemade rink Dad made beside our house for to practice hocjey/fun skate on, but my cousins , who lived next door to us at the time Dad made rink, enjoyed skating on rink too ….
There used to be in Ottawa, back in the day, 2-3 Roller Skate places one could go to
That really brings back memories, Jacki. Had a hockey net in our basement as a kid and I would spend hours skating and shooting pucks into the net. Once or twice I would miss and knock some of my Mom’s canned goods off the shelf! Loved skating with my stick and puck out on our side street as well.
Thatās adorable! I never knew what the song meant until I found out about roller skate keys a few years ago. That song is a little time capsule in that sense, Iām sure many more people would have forgotten about that little detail of the past if it wasnāt for those lyrics.
And weāre working on a new Duo Session album, we just need to film a few more! š
GREAT news! I figured you had to be getting closer to the next ‘Duo’ CD! The diversity and quality of the Sessions you’ve shared so far are amazing! š¤š©āš¤šøā¤ļøšøš©āš¤šļø
Oh bravo! Bravo! Every time I think you two have hit a new height, you go and hit another new height! And now you’re singing in French??!!! Incroyable!
I’m going to have to get a spare copy of the next Duo Sessions CD, because I can already tell I’ll be wearing out the first one, for sure.
Wow loved it. Two days ago, for some unknown reason, Alexander Beetle by Melanie popped into my head. After listening to that song, I spent a couple of hours of listening to more Melanie. One of my girlfriends back in the early Seventies was a mad Melanie fan, and she looked like Melanie.
She wrote some beautifully bizarre songs and Alexander Beetle is perfect in every way haha! I love the mix of silly and meaningful in her music!
Yeah! Love what you did to this song, ma. I saw Melanie way back in 1971 when I was in College in Utica, NY. I think Brand New Key was big at the time. Love her music, especially Beautiful People. I hardly hear her music played anymore, and your rendition is so great! Thanks for another awesome Duo Session, and for keeping this music relevant and fresh! Just gotta Love the MonaLisa Twins!!
Thatās great that you got to see her live. We hope weāll still get that pleasure one day. āBrand New Keyā and āBeautiful People” are both great tunes!
Hi guys, you know you always make every cover your own, which in part is why I love MonaLisa. Melanie has such a unique voice!! Well done ladies!!! Encore!!! New guitars, very cool!!!! Stay Groovy and keep it coming!!!!
Wow…I’ve forgotten about this song… I do like/have heard Melanie’s sofs on radio as a kid in the 70s ….thought she was a cool Groovy gal ….still think the same….I’m happy you’ve been in touch with her ….
Definitely Love your spin on it….the Quirky songs, you excel at , you make them your own Uniquely whether it’s an original or cover… Kudos on this first Duo Session of 2023 , much enjoyed š¤š»šŖ»š
Sublime performance as always, done in MLT’s inimitable style.
What a beautiful surprise that you sing this song of Melanie, I know this song, many artists have covered it , as I speak French I love that you sing a little bit in French, no you do not have to apologise, your French is very good, I hope you will do others songs in French, I love it, I will think about it, others songs you could do, do you know Francoise Hardy, the French Singer? She has beautiful songs that you could do, I think. Merci beaucoup pour cette belle version de la chanson de Melanie.
The Beatles’ “Michelle” would be an obvious cover now that M&L have picked up another language to play with. Or they could dip into the Singing Nun’s songbook with “Dominique” if they’re feeling adventurous.
They covered “Michelle” as wee girls of 15 in their first concert. You can catch it in the club or on YouTube. That whole album is awesome!
Indeed they did! Yes, that one slipped my mind. Maybe it’s time for fresh recording?
That would be really fantastic, Mona and Lisa as the singing nuns!!
Youāre too kind! š Iāve heard of Francoise Hardy but donāt know much by her. Guess whatās going on my playlist next!
I donāt have much French music in my library but love the language.The only consistent French album I put on is Zazās āParisā. I listen to that whenever I want to feel like Iām on holiday, haha!
That was great. I really enjoyed that song. In Australia we have a music quiz show called “Spicks and Specks” (named after the BeeGees song) and one of the games is called “Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma.” A musician will play songs in some unique and crazy manner and the contestants have to guess what the songs are. It’s more difficult than it sounds.
Interesting, from all the comments it looks like the song (or at least the title) was used in so many countries for different shows/adverts ā¦ that’s quite ironic given the subject matter š ! Itās one of those melodies that are instantly catchy.
I remember liking this one as a kid. It has a catchy tune and neat lyrics. The French part particularly as I took French all through high school. This cover’s a wonderful one!!
Love this song ladies. Don’t recall Melanie version, but somewhere in my collection I have the New Seekers singing it on one of their albums. Lynn Paul led on it from memory. Anyone remember them?. Always liked this song and this is a great version of it. Thank you.
The new seekers sang 3 Melanie songs in total one cover was beautifull people I think they were on there 3 album and there greatest hits
Thanks Colin. I didn’t realise Beautiful People was hers as well. It was a great song to.
Great group the new Seekers, although I like the Seekers more, the voice of Judith Durham is a voice like no other
Totally agree Eric. I was fortunate enough to catch her the very last time the Seekers came to Belfast. It was a rearranged date as the original date had to be postponed due to Judith being on well. The voice was very much still there. It was with great sadness I learnt of her passing. They sang some wonderful songs.
I hadnāt heard the Seekers version until right now but I just watched the Ed Sullivan performance! I like the āoohās they added before the boys join in properly š
For me nothing can top Melanieās singing though!
Great! Love it! š
I bet it was fun!! It looks like a fun song to sing and play. I liked Melanie’s songs from the late ’60s/early’70s….Her songs were usually upbeat. You two did performed this one very well.
To be honest, I never cared for this song. But thru the magic that is MLT, they have made this song to be something I enjoyed very much.
There is no end to the wonders that these ladies can do.
Good job!
Greetings,
I think it’s fun and a good change of pace to sing some lyrics in a different language. Normally the singer who doesn’t speak the language would just read/sing it phonetically.
When you mention Michelle by the Beatles, I can’t help but to think of Billy Joel. Billy said that he figured that if Paul (his idol) could sing in French, that he would give it a shot. Billy wrote and sang “C’est Toi (You Were The One).
Years later, I asked Billy which are the favorite of his songs and are there any he is displeased with. He said that all his songs are his children, but he wishes that he didn’t record that song in French. I dunno, I like the song lol.
Does anyone remember the Beatles recording “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in German? They sounded pretty good to me. It might be cool to hear Mona & Lisa sing them. What do you think?
Thanks for the video today. The French lyrics sounded fine.
Hope everyone has a superb weekend.
Peace & Love,
Bobby S.
I remember the Beatles in German. As a little kid I had no idea what they were doing or why. But I have thought it would be a couple of fun covers for the Twins.
Juergen posted “Gib mir deiner hand” on a Gen’l Discussion thread.
Late 2021 i think. Good luck finding it.
Excellent!
Bravo! Mona, master of the blues harp. These Duo Sessions are amazing.
āYou feed the flowers in our heartsā š¶
Marlo & JP
Thank you!š»šŗšøš¹š·š¼
I love it, Mona and Lisa! So much fun and, of course, your playing and singing couldnāt be better!
Bravo!!! Wonderful!!! Another Friday and another big smile on my face. Really love these Duo Sessions. Loved both of the guitars and the harp.
Alright, I liked that, an unexpected change. Just like you two, Melanie had the cute thing covered which made her live performances fun to watch. Miley Cyrus version.. not so much. I’m sure she’d be proud of what you’ve done with her song!
Well why don’t i wait until i’ve read everything.
English/Francaise song suggestion: French Waltz by Nicollete Larson.
“Quand je vois ton visage, de n’ import quel longue age –
je dit je t’aime – je dit je t’aime mari.
https://youtu.be/xGOUwahCRJ8
Oh hell ladies, i can’t get to work until i let this go.
How about a song Allemagne-francaise / Deutsche-franche?
A young lady who has had a very memorable romantic encounter “a Paris”.
https://youtu.be/HlvviCH5lYY
I spoke too soon. J,aime le francais mes cheres. Tres doux.
Very simple & sweet ladies. The harmonica makes it very special.
Wowā¼ļøThat was beyond Awesome!! I loved the music…absolutely amazing. I loved the harmonies… loved the language change (French?). Loved so many different intricacies that you each brought to the session. Melanie needs to see this. I loved her music growing up and it makes me really angry at how she was treated by her promoters back then. She was robbed! They took advantage of a naive young girl. I love your version of her song!
Excellent cover (as always) I was lucky enough to see/ hear Melanie perform this song along with others in concert way back when, brought back memories
Well done girls!
Wow! I had not heard this tune in years. MLT did a smash up job on it though. I always love to hear Mona’s harp. She does such a good job. I noticed you were sporting 2 new instruments that I had not seen before, very nice. Melanie should/would be glad to hear her 53 year old song performed like it was just written today. Quality throughout!
Thanks for bringing back a great old song and giving it a new life. Seems you are very good at doing this. Beautiful vocals and I always love hearing Mona play the harp. Nice boots too.
A lovely performance. You both melted my heart with the verse in French.
Beautiful! Melanie will be proud of what you’ve done with her song. Thanks again for sharing your musical talents with us, stay groovy!
Love it!
Just lovely! I always liked Melanie and you did her justice! I found no fault in your French! You gals are so talented! Playing guitars and tapping your feet and blowing on the harp at the same time blows my mind! I can’t even chew gum and walk at the same time!
It blows my mind also.
Melanie in 1970 when this song came out I was 19yrs old just before my 20th birthday. It was perfect pop culture song then. The recording studios in those days was changing from where a music composer/recording artist had very little control on the production. Many time surprising the artist to something they never though possible, as well not getting the true emotion of the artist)# creationā¦..I said this to say that Mona & Lisa have displayed the true artistic presentation of the song. The beauty of the song by Mona & Lisa compared to multi instrument layering of 1970.
Not to discount Melanie in anyway, I like this version by Mona & Lisa over the 1970 version. Mona & Lisa have made their version as their own. āļøāļøāļøāļøāļø
OMG First thing is Just love your voices! The blend is heaven to my ears! What a delight and second what a great cover of this beautiful song by such a lovely lady Melanie. Always loved her music and could not get enough of her songs. Lay Down song is so uplifting and this version is uplifting as well. Mona on the bass and harp is a work of art and Lisa, your guitar work is excellant! Just watching you both share your talent to us is so comforting and beautiful. Thank you and like everyone else here, just love the Duo Sessions, it brings out the simple love you both have for music and you always cover the songs like it was inteneded to be and not take any elelment away and put your heart and soul into these songs, wow ! Thankyou both so much for starting our weekend off to a great start and love and hugs from me and Maddie here in Pittsburgh. Oh yea Maddie will turn 10 on the 26th of this month!!! So hard to believe…my little Maddie is growing up, Wish I could stop time but as the song by The Rolling Stones goes…Time waits for no one …god bless and can’t wait till next Friday
Bill and Maddie Isenberg Huge Fans from Pittsburgh PA USA
Exquisitely performed ladies! Two woman band plus fantastic harmonies as always.
Would have loved to have had you add a German verse – āWas haven sie mit meinem Lied gemachtā – or something like that!
So nice to see your talent and beauty on display again – love the outfits and especially Monaās braid!
Makes the whole day happier and brighter!
Your voices and guitars are a string of pearls and diamonds. A delight.
Thanks for bringing me back to some of my awkward days of high school, there were very good days also.
A joy to watch the video !
Loved it. Takes me back to “simpler times” in 9th grade. BTW are those new guitars (base)? And I know I am losing my mind, but is this the second time Mona has played base in these sessions? Whatever, it still a great cover. LuvYa Bya. Peace be.
You’re right about the bass. She plays a ukulele bass on Sounds of Silence. (I’m deliberately not looking it up, so I sure hope I’m right!)
i saw melanie in august of 1971 at the asbury park convention center. she was from that area. if i remember she did so many encores she ran out of songs. it was just her and another guitar player. to say she was great is a understatement. all these years later i still remember it as one of my favorite concerts. great job m.l.t.
I’ve no doubt Ms. Safka will love this. You’ll have to let us know what she says.
This type of complaining I love. Thank you for this and welcome back Duo Sessions! Love them!!! š
This song was perfect for you two to cover. You did an A+ job! Lots of Love to you both!
Great version of this song! Love the duo sessions! It sounds simple, but know it is not. Kudos to Mona for playing the bass and harmonica at the same time! Not easy.
Yep, another Pearl. When you keep it simple it’s incredible.
Merci
Love it and great to see the first duo of 23. Iād forgotten all about this song and āBrand new keyā both of which I used to play and sing on my guitar when I started learning- Your version is fantastic and Iām sure Melanie will love it š„°
Hello Ladies
So nice to hear the Duo Sessions again. Such an Iconic song to kick things off with.
Whatever they did to her song, that special magic you have, has restored it to its original Lustre.
Great choice Ladies. Thanks so much for bringing this one back.
Best always
Rick Ross
Wow, talk about memories! Melanie was all the rage in my early teens, especially among the girls in my class. I sort of tolerated it (her music) for the most part, Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) was the first release I had any real appreciation for as her being an artist, Brand New Key drove me nuts, but all the girls loved it. Look What They’ve Done To My Song, Ma tipped me over into full acceptance mode. I had a supreme dislike for some of the more abstract (folk-ish to me) hit songs of the era, I wanted good solid hard rock and not much else. Amazing what time does to one’s attitude and appreciation for music.
I did a bit of a double take at the mention of “butchering the French language” but as soon as you broke into that verse it all came back to me. You’d think living in a country that has French as one of our National languages I’d have a better recollection of such songs including it. And when it was released there was more than a little animosity between the two tongues. l like to think we have evolved past that foolishness.
I don’t know what I expected for the latest Duo Session release, but it wasn’t this. You two never cease to amaze me. And it was a totally brilliant cover! Love the harp and the choice of instruments, that also blew me away. Very nifty the way you fit in the foot percussion bits (as you are often prone to doing) too; just a little goes such a long way. The blend of your harmonies is always one of your many strong suits, and the way it all came together so tight and clean is just soooo cool…yeah, “Groovy”!
Thanks for this big time!
Oh wow, this just overjoys me with a big smile I’m not use to making first thing in the morning. What a sweet lovely gem, your singing on this is so breathtaking and beautiful. I often find one of the great things with your covers is, I’m not familiar with the song at all, and so you make it all your own for me. Love discovering so much new beautiful classic music from your amazing covers. That beautiful harmonica just soared there Mona, awesome. I notice new guitars, are those the portable ones you did a video on once? Another awesome Duo Session added to your Duo Session library, just love this one. It will be great when Melanie discovers what an incredibly beautiful version of her song you honored her with! Thank you so much for this!
…and forgot to add, your French sounds as good as any French from a French person I ever heard! šš
WOW!!!! What a great start to the weekend! I remember this song,always brings a smile.And the travel guitar & bass sound amazing(but then again,everything you two touch seems to be pure magic).Thanks for always brightening our days,the MLT Club is truly the Grooviest place on the planet!!
As Always,sending Lots of LOVE & HUGS your way.
Tom
Ironically, Melanieās song was taken by General Mills in this 1987 advert:
https://youtu.be/CPIn1-nO6UU
I believe there was a Ford Mustang TV Advertisement during the 1970s that used the song. I think it was Canadian because I remember the commercial being on “Hockey Night in Canada”.
Go Leafs Go!
Not taken; it was sold as a commercial jingle as early as the 1970s. Melanie was not quite as she seemed. This song was not written about “Brand New Key” as that song hadn’t been written or recorded yet. Since Melanie’s husband was her producer she couldn’t exactly complain about “they” doing anything to any of her songs.
According to Wikipedia, this song was also used in TV commercials for Lifebuoy soap and Ramada Inn.
Superb performance. I do remember this song. I could be wrong but Melanie is possibly more well known for ‘Brand New Key’ which turned into The Wurzels ‘Combine Harvester’ in the UK in the 1970’s! Now that’s one worth listening to all Scrumpy fans š Again, absolutely nailed it Mona and Lisa. Thank you
I’m looking at what you’ve done to her song, and I heartily approve!
I discovered Melanie just a couple of years ago on YouTube, and vented here in the discussion forum about how it could be that I had never heard of such a great talent from that era. But yes, she’s one of those artists who just naturally brings a smile to your face, with or without the music. My favorite of hers is probably The Nickel Song.
J’aime la musique!!! So excited to have duo sessions back!!
WOW! You two never cease to amaze and impress with your talent! Your performance of this song brought a smile to my face and I smiled all the way through it. And now Iām smiling again because I get to watch it again!
Wow wow wow what a great song I’ve never heard of this one but I love your take on it
Your harmonies as usual is spot on
Well.done
Good to.have the duo seasions back
The very first song I ever played with a band was Melanie’s Candles in the Rain. Very cool memories of that! As far as your session video, you’ve done Ms. Safka proud! Well done!
Melanie was one of my favorites ‘way back in the day and I like very much your rendition of this classic. As far as your French is concerned, ne vous inquietez pas. š Another wonderful “cover” of a great song!
RETURN TO THE DUO SESSIONS! With the portable, foldable guitar and bass, no less! The instruments sound great and the musicianship, as always, is outstanding. What a fun guitar and bass duet!
You are in top form!
The MonaLisa Twins are back with a Duo Session (my favorite type of performance). The video has made my Friday!
Such a fun, refreshing start to the day! Love the harmonica! And your French sounds good to me.
Oui Oui!
Wow, I saw Melanie do this live at a little cafe/club many years ago. She will be proud of the M-L version. Great stuff!!
Wow- what a throw back! Love it! I was just on my way out the door, but glad I stuck around to get my Friday off to a great start. BTW – your French is much better than mine, so I give you a pass. š Have a great weekend and thank you!