Saturday 9: Moody Blue

 

Moody Blue

Saturday 9: Moody Blue (1977)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song was recorded in the special studio Elvis had built in the Jungle Room of Graceland. During the pandemic, have you made like Elvis and worked from home?   No, we were only out when the whole country was shut down here in Missouri, then it was summer and we were off, but we went right back to school in person August 2020 and have been back all this time.

2) Elvis sings that his girl is completely unpredictable. Which quality to you find more attractive: spontaneity or dependability?  dependability

3) He only performed the song once in concert. In February 1977, shortly after the record was released, Elvis sang "Moody Blue" live in Charlotte, NC, but had to rely on lyric sheet. Crazy Sam can sympathize because she seems to forget passwords as soon as she sets them. Do you often struggle with your memory?  no, not really. Not yet.  Hahahaha  Has anyone found anything to work for memory?  Prevagen?  I know I will struggle eventually.

4) "Moody Blue" was the final hit of Elvis' lifetime, only getting to #31 in the US but reaching #3 in the UK. What's your favorite Elvis song?  My mom is a huge Elvis fan and saw him in concert just before he died.  I was raised listening to Elvis, so I really like everything he sings, and his voice was like butter, but the song that brings me to tears every.single.time is "How Great Thou Art".  He sings it so powerfully.  Josh got my mom an Elvis CD to play in her car for Christmas.  She loved it.

5) We're focusing on Elvis this week because January 8 would be his 87th birthday. He enjoyed celebrating his birthday by renting the Memphis movie theater and watching the latest movie with an invited group of friends. What's your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?  We used to go out to eat, but the past year or two we just did take out, so basically a nice meal.

6) For his 11th birthday, young Elvis asked for a rifle or a bicycle. His mother deemed the gun too dangerous and the bike too expensive and instead gave her son his first guitar. Tell us about a memorable birthday from your youth.  I only remember a couple of birthday parties.  When I turned 9, my mom put together a surprise party for me and had several of my school friends over for a sleepover.  It was fun.  That was also the year I got my big bike.

7) Elvis loved horses and kept them in the stable at Graceland. His favorite was a palomino named Rising Sun. To honor both horse and rider, Elvis' daughter has always kept a palomino in the stable whose name includes "sun." The current resident is Tuscan Sun. Known as "Tucky," he's lived at Graceland for more than 20 years now and is a favorite of Alene Alexander, who maintains the stable and reports he has "attitude and knows he's prettier than everybody else." Tell us about an animal who holds a place in your heart.  Mandy holds a very special place in my heart and she too knew she was prettier than everybody else.  She was such a great companion and if I did not feel good, she knew it and would lay beside me.  She always knew just what I needed.  She passed away November 8, 2019.  She was 12 1/2 years old.

8) Throughout his life, Elvis had trouble sleeping. As a preteen, he was a sleepwalker. As an adult, he battled insomnia. Is sleep an issue for you?  Sometimes it is and it has gotten worse these past few years, but typically I sleep well.  I just have some nights where I struggle.

9) Random question: Do you wear your shoes in the house?  Yes, my feet get cold if I do not have shoes and socks on, so I just always have them on.  I am always ready to go that way.  I have not always been that way with my shoes, but I started it somewhere down the road and it is just part of my routine now when I wake up.