Songful Style: “Flowers Are Red”

The weather has changed quite a bit since last month! We’ve had several heavy frosts and even a few snowflakes. The leaves are all gone from the trees in our yard and from most of the trees around us. It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving has come and gone here in the States. I did quite a bit of shopping on Black Friday and got several things ticked off my list. The night before this post goes live, we will have gone to Winterlights (here). Anyway, welcome to the last Monday in November and another edition of Songful Style! Suzy and Shelbee decided to riff (see what I did there) on Style Imitating Art only with music! Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge, Suzy of The Grey Brunette, and I make up the bloggers in this group. You can find all of us on our blogs and Instagram.  Our ensembles (pun intended) may be inspired by the lyrics of a song, the artwork of the album cover, maybe the MTV video, or even a memory the song evokes. I chose this month’s song. Last month, Shelbee selected “Meet Virginia.” Oh, and there’s a link party, too!

The artist…

I have to credit Nigel with bringing Harry Chapin to my notice back in the 80s. I remembered listening to “Cat’s in the Cradle,” but I really didn’t know any of his other songs. Then, Nigel bought this CD, The Gold Medal Collection, released in 1988, seven years after Harry’s death. If you are only familiar with “Cat’s in the Cradle,” I suggest you google his songs and listen to your heart’s content. I think you will find several songs that speak to you in one way or another.

A little more…

Harold Forster Chapin was born in New York City on December 7, 1942. His dad was a drummer in the Big Band era, and his mom was the daughter of a well known literary theorist, Kenneth Burke. After his parents’ divorce, Chapin and his three brothers remained with their mom. Two of his brothers, Tom and Steve, are also musicians. I was truly surprised to discover Harry attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He also attended Cornell University but didn’t finish his schooling. Harry also received an Oscar nomination for his work directing the documentary, Legendary Champions, another surprise to me. In 1971, he began to focus on music, forming a band with “Big” John Wallace, Tim Scott, and Ron Palmer. They began playing in nightclubs in NYC.

Still more…

By 1972, recording companies were taking a keen interest in Harry. He ended up signing with Elektra for several million dollars as well as free recording time and other perks. His debut album, Heads and Tales, contained the song, “Taxi.” This song helped propel Harry into television history. After appearing on The Tonight Show, he returned the following night…the first act to do so! As I read through the Wikipedia page, each song resonates with me. So many of them are based on events in Harry’s life. In 1974, Harry released Verities & Balderdash which contained many of my favorite songs, including “30,000 Pounds of Bananas.” “Cat’s in the Cradle” was also on this album as well as “I Wanna Learn a Love Song.” That particular song relates the story of how Harry met his second wife, Sandra. “Flowers are Red” appeared on Living Room Suite which came out in 1978.

A skosh more…

Harry Chapin was more than a songwriter, though. He was, at heart, a humanitarian. In the 70s, Harry decided to do something about poverty and hunger in this country. He co-founded World Hunger Year, now known as WhyHunger, with DJ Bill Ayres. Harry more than put his money where his mouth was. More than half of his concerts were benefits where the proceeds went to food banks or other projects. He “donated an estimated third of his paid concerts to charitable causes, often performing alone with his guitar to reduce costs.” His wife reportedly said:

“only with slight exaggeration” – that “Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations, and 82 charities. Harry wasn’t interested in saving money. He always said, ‘Money is for people,’ so he gave it away.” Despite his success as a musician, he left little money and it was difficult to maintain the causes for which he raised more than $3 million in the last six years of his life (source).”

“WhyHunger was founded in 1975 by the late musician Harry Chapin and Radio DJ Bill Ayres on the fundamental belief that access to nutritious food is a human right and hunger is a solvable problem in a world of abundance. What began as a simple commitment between two friends to make a difference has grown into a global non-profit, celebrating over 40 years of supporting social movements and grassroots innovations to change the systems, policies and institutions that perpetuate hunger and poverty in our world. WhyHunger has proven that change is possible and that justice can prevail (source).”

Finally…

On July 16, 1981, Harry was in his VW Rabbit on the way to a benefit concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York. For some reason, he decelerated, changed lanes, and was rear-ended by a semi. The rear of the car was crushed, and the fuel tank ruptured. Harry was taken by helicopter to the Nassau County Medical Center where he died at 1:05pm. He is buried in the Huntington Rural Cemetery in Huntington, NY. His epitaph is from his song, “I Wonder What Would Happen to this World” and reads:

“Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man’s life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world“

The song…

The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.
What you doin’ young man
I’m paintin’ flowers he said
She said…
It’s not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There’s a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You’ve got to show concern for everyone else
For you’re not the only one
And she said…
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
But the little boy said…
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and i see every one
Well the teacher said.
You’re sassy
There’s ways that things should be
And you’ll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me…
And she said…
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
But the little boy said…
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and i see every one
The teacher put him in a corner
She said.
It’s for your own good.
And you won’t come out ’til you get it right
And all responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.
And he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen
Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin’
She said…
Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let’s use every one
But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.
And he said
Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There’s no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

What does it mean…

I usually do a lot of research on the meanings of songs, but each one I found said basically the same thing. They were all condemnations of public education and the ways creativity is stifled. I do believe that is true of this song. Harry even says it in the first video posted below. Am I a little sensitive about this song because I was a teacher? Not in the slightest. This has always been one of my favorite Harry songs for just that reason. I believe education is, by its nature, a bit heavy on conformity. There are always times, however, when a good teacher can and will see flowers as other than red and green! And, she/he/they will teach that way. But, I also think we can look at it as a statement on life. There are certain things we are supposed to do, say, achieve, and even wear at specific times of life, right? But, that doesn’t mean we have to!

The video…

Interesting covers…

The video on this one is a bit wonky, but I like the downhome atmosphere of it.

I am going to make an assumption that this is Harry’s daughter, Jennifer. She has a lovely voice and sang this at an event honoring Harry’s 70th birthday in December 2012.

Ironically, this was done for Teacher Appreciation! It’s still nice. I think she’s playing a ukelele.

This is a really nice version with a mom and son (I think). I love to watch the expressions on his face!

My interpretation…

My first inclination was to use a dress with flowers that weren’t red and green. It’s an April Cornell dress with blue flowers and brown leaves. But, it really didn’t accomplish the effect I wanted. I decided to go in a completely different direction and wear something I wouldn’t have worn when I was teaching. This is the Dahlia Duster dress from Kantha Bae. Unfortunately, there aren’t any currently in stock. It’s made from recycled silk saris and has this really wonderful crinkly texture. I added leggings because it’s cold here! I also added the leather obi belt to give the duster some shape! If I were still teaching, I would wear this with leggings as the front doesn’t button down as far as it looks. I also would never have worn combat style boots when I was teaching. So, my look is something I think Harry would agree is not your typical teacher garb…perhaps a bit of a rebel. Was I a rebel when I taught? I think the only rebelling I did was in not keeping my students quiet as they learned. My classroom, luckily located clear at the end of the hallway and away from the office, was not a quiet space! My kids laughed, sang and talked…just like their teacher! We even danced in order to get the blood flowing! I am almost 100% positive I played some Harry Chapin for my kids, too.

The Lewk!

The Suzette boots from L’Artiste are one of my favorite pairs of boots! I wear them with just about everything. You might be able to find them on a resale site. This is the Kimberley necklace and earrings from Stella & Dot. I don’t wear gold as much as I once did.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

As you can probably tell, I think the world of Harry Chapin and truly wish he were still with us. If you’ve never heard of Harry, or only know him through “Cat’s in the Cradle” or “Taxi,” I encourage you to give a listen to his other songs. I think you’ll be a convert! And, if you’re looking for a special gift for a special someone, I highly recommend The Gold Medal Album. It has so many of his best songs. Nigel and our daughter danced to one of Harry’s songs at her wedding. My oldest and I danced to a different one at his. For Christmas one year, I found an autographed copy of Harry’s book, Looking…Seeing, on eBay. It’s to Charlotte, but Nigel didn’t care when he opened it up. It’s one of the few books to make the cut when we moved. So, can we talk? Are you a Harry Chapin fan? Is “Cat’s in the Cradle” the only song you know from Harry? Did you have experiences at school like the little boy in the song? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Thank you so very much for reading today’s post. I hope you enjoyed it. I also very much appreciate those of you who comment, email and/or subscribe. It’s what keeps me going! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.

Affiliate links and such:

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I am an April Cornell Brand Ambassador for another season. You can use my code, MARSHA15, for $15 off any order over $100. Use Marsha12 for 12% off any order of $65 or more at Buykud. I also have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! I have also become a Halftee Partner. Use the code, MARSHA2098, for 20% off any purchase. I am also an affiliate with Clara Sunwoo. You can use my code, MARSHA10, for 10% off your entire order. For the Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer, use Marsha12 to get 12% off your order at this link: https://www.zuvilife.com/products/buy-zuvi-halo-hair-dryer?sca_ref=4039595.v4RNNsWxxF. If items are on sale, you can use Marsha5 for an extra 5% off sale prices. In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style,  Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, and Style Splash. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda and Lisa. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!

And, now, it’s your turn!

Please link up your favorite posts, DIY, baking, gardening, fashion…you name it…as long as it’s family friendly! Link up with me, visit a couple of others, and leave a comment or two! No worries if you don’t have a blog, just look around! You may find a new blog just waiting for you!

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