Monday 14 May 2012

First Loves Blogfest

Welcome to the first day of my new schedule! As you might notice, I'm already breaking it... sort of. Although - as Alex pointed out - I'm mentioning a film, a book and a song (and a man), so you can take these as today's recommendations, a three-for-one bonus offer on my first day!
 
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So, here it is, a blogfest I've been really looking forward to, straight out of the head of Ninja Captain Alex - the First Loves Blogfest, where he invites us to post our first loves – first movie, first song/band, first book, and first person. Four loves, one blogfest! How great!


First Movie: An easy one to start - Fiddler on the Roof. My mum loved this film, not least because her parents were Ukrainian - they moved to England before she was born, and as a result she had no connection with her heritage. She loved watching this film and pointing out to us kids how similiar things would have been for them. It feels like we watched it every couple of months. I'm sure it wasn't that often - but it was a regular occurrence. (This video is 7:30 minutes long - so I don't expect you to watch it all - especially as the song will get stuck in your head!)



First Song/Band: There are two. From a very young age I used to rifle through my parents music collection. They had eclectic tastes, to say the least. Please let me add, both of these songs are much older than me :-)  The first band are The Beatles, which for a first love is quite cool, isn't it? This song was my school leaving song when I finished GCSEs (Year 11... or 5th Year as it was for me then) which is why I've chosen it above all their other amazing Beatles songs.



The second band were Boney M - not quite so cool, and I warned you my parents were eclectic!





First Book: The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart. And I'm afraid that's where I have to leave it, because although this was my favourite book, and I read it a lot, I cannot remember a single thing about it. If anyone loves this book as much as I did, please remind me why!

First Person: I don't know whether the intention of this blogfest is to embarrass myself by telling you about my first crush on a classmate/neighbour... but no! The first person I remember loving (well, in a very innocent way, because I was about 6) is David Essex. Perhaps that's more embarrassing, I don't know! I first saw him on The Cannon and Ball Show which probably won't mean much if you're outside the UK. It was a comedy sketch show, that's all you need to know. I couldn't find the right clip on YouTube, but the gist of the sketch was David Essex has a lisp, and they were taking the mickey out of him for not being able to say certain words properly. I felt sorry for him, because I couldn't understand why they were being so mean - I didn't get that it was supposed to be funny!

So, just for me, here's a great song! I still love that smile...




Anyone want to share their first loves with me? Are you taking part in the blogfest yourself?

92 comments:

  1. The Beatles are a quite cool first love!

    And I love the title, 'The Little Broomstick.'

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    1. I'm hoping to search my parents loft over the summer and find that book - otherwise I think I'll be buying it again.

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  2. Fiddler On The Roof is great! And I agree, The Beatles are definitely a cool first love!

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    1. Wow - I can't believe you've heard of Fiddler on the Roof... in my circle of friends at school, no one had a clue what I was talking about!

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  3. That was very honest! Nice to meet you, all good choices!

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  4. Some classics in there! I loved Boney M as well. That's the song I'll have stuck in my head now:)

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    1. I debated putting that song up - but the video was too good to leave out :-)

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  5. yes, i played along. first love - Adam West from Batman.

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    1. Ah, that was a classic programme! I'll pop over to see the rest soon!

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  6. Beatles were mine too! great post.

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  7. major classics! great choices!

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  8. I've never heard of the little broomstick. Crazy. Everyone loves Fiddler, how can you not?

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    1. Like I said in a reply further up, none of my friends had ever heard of the film - they thought I was mad. My best friend - to give her credit - did watch it with me once, but she thought it was too long and boring!

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  9. I love Fiddler on the roof. Great pick.

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    1. I'm going to have to watch it again soon. After years of watching my mum's copy, I got my own!

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  10. Wonderful choices!

    We all love something...right!
    Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
    Howlin' Wolf Records: On-Line Magazine

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  11. These are great! thanks for sharing your first loves. I have never seen Fiddler on the Roof.. now I just might have to. BTW, I think your story Cat & The Dreamer looks really good.

    Andrea

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    1. Apparently there are several people who've commented here - apart from me - who would highly recommend Fiddler on the Roof. Thanks for your comments on my book, and thanks for the follow :-)

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  12. The Beatles are a pretty cool first music love!

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    1. I'm a pretty cool person, Rachel... in my dreams lol

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  13. Oh,I remember going to see Fiddler on the Roof with my Mom! What a movie...she bought the album and my Dad would act like the Fiddler, so fun~
    Great list...

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    1. Was that the film or the play, Ella? I'd love to see the play - my mum saw it years ago, but didn't invite me!

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  14. Loved Fiddler on the Roof, have seen it several times on stage as well as the movie.
    Will make you jealous now and tell you I once met David Essex at Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. He was in reception waiting for someone, and I was also there waiting for a friend who was an 'extra' on some TV show. We actually chatted for a few minutes although now I can't remember what we talked about!

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    1. No way!!!! So jealous lol. That's awesome. So, so jealous :-)

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  15. Is that the same David Essex that sang Rock On?
    Thanks for participating in my blogfest!

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    1. Oh yes Alex, the one and only David Essex. That was almost the song I used for this post, but I couldn't find a good enough quality clip.

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  16. I love the Beatles! Okay, their early stuff when they weren't experimenting with...sound, right? Sound.

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    1. They had their stranger moments, that's for sure!

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  17. Yay, another Beatles fan! And I love that viewing Fiddler was a tradition in your home.

    xoRobyn

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    1. D'oh - I could have used that tradition line... what an oversight :-)

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  18. I love that song! Great choice!

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  19. Oh I was in Fiddler on the Roof! Not the movie, but the play. My daddy played Lazer Wolfe (Ya, I forget how to spell the dude's name) and I played 'Girl who runs across the stage' It was awesome!

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  20. I've still not seen Fiddler on the Roof, though I've seen rehearsals of the stage play, so that counts, right?

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    1. That totally counts, unless it was the first rehersals, then it probably wouldn't bear much resemblance.

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  21. Great First loves posting. I remember my parents listening to the music of Fiddler on the Roof. Enjoyed reading your posting.

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    1. Thanks for visiting, and for the follow, Gossip Girl.

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  22. The Beatles were a big thing for me too--my Dad played them all the time when we were growing up! They do have some catchy tunes.

    Allison (Geek Banter)

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    1. They definitely have their place in music history!

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  23. Our music choices match, that good to know. I think I may have seen Fiddler on the Roof. I am bad at movie names but remember the stories for some strange reason.
    The family traditions, can we ever escape them, creating our own as time passes by? :)

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    1. I've tried to avoid singing Tradition for the most part of today, and your post has started me off :-)

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  24. Tradition! That was on one of the classic movie channels a few months back. It was fun to watch again. The Beatles were everywhere back then. I remember hearing Uncle Albert on the radio a lot when my mother was driving (Dad only listened to classical), and one day she screamed. "If I hear that song one more time ..." Now I get what she means when they overplay a song. It can make you hate it.

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    1. I got that overplayed feeling with Love is All Around Us by Wet Wet Wet! All songs lose their charm when you hear it all the time.

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  25. I love Boney M but I have never heard of them before. Are they Russian? I noticed Moscow in the background.
    I saw Fiddler on a Roof play but never the movie...and who doesn't love The Beatles!

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    1. I think Boney M all came from the Caribbean - the Russian influence in the video is because the song was Rasputin, which was based on a real Russian monk who was indeed the lover of the Russian queen!

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  26. The Beatles are awesome!

    Great post :)

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    1. Thanks! There aren't many bands today that will still be loved so much in 40 years time, I don't think.

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  27. Your choices were different from all the rest I've read except for the Beatles. They were the leaders of the revolution.

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    1. I do like to be different! But those were honestly my eariest loves. So many bands today site the Beatles as influences, so yes, they were leaders!

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  28. When I was young my older sister used to always listen to Boney M hence I grew up loving it... and Rasputin is my favourite.. how cool.

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    1. I hope this brought back lots of great memories for you! The memory I have of this song is playing it while my parents were out and dancing around the room, star-jumping off the sofa!

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  29. Fiddler on the Roof!!!! How cool are YOU???

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    1. Too cool... I'm trying to spread the word! (My kids would disagree though.)

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  30. The Beatles will remain one of the best bands of all time. At least that was one thing in music my parents and I could agree on. Great firsts!

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    1. Thanks Michael. I think it's quite cool when music can transcend the generations! (I also think it's quite cool when I can insert the word 'transcend' into a sentence! lol)

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  31. Hi! I share most of your loves. I adore Boney M too. Love their Rivers of Babylon. And of course the Beatles are great! I bopped to them a lot growing up. I loved Fiddler on the Roof too. Think I saw it as a stage play at some time too. Great 'fest.

    Denise

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    1. We had the 'Nightflight to Venus' album, and Rivers of Babylon was on that. Great song. I'm really blown away that so many people know Fiddler on the Roof - I really was unique among my friends!

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  32. I love the Beatles, even though I discovered the greatness of their music fairly recently. Boney M, on the other hand, I grew up listening to, especially their Christmas Album, which my family (and Nigerians at large) still listen to every Christmas. :D

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    1. I've never listened to their Christmas Album, but so many people have mentioned it I think I'll have to look out for it - I love Mary's Boy Child though.

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  33. Oh golly! That's set my mind wandering backwards!

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    1. I know! It was quite scary remembering all this, and then realising how long ago it all was :-)

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  34. The beatles! Great first music love! :) Amelia

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    1. Which means my mum must have been way more cool than I thought... that's a weird idea lol

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  35. I love all your musical choices...
    I love the song If I Were A Rich Man, and taught it to my school choir.

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    1. Ah, that is a great song. I think Anatevka is my favourite, but it didn't sum up the film as much as Tradition did, so I chose that clip instead.

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  36. I loved The Little Broomstick too!! I don't remember much about it either, but it must have been great! haha.

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    1. Anything that captures a child's attention HAS to be good!

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  37. Ah! I so love that you picked Fiddler :) One of the best movies ever!

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

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    1. I really need to watch it again, after talking about it so much!

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  38. Ooh I used to love David Essex too (but bloody hated the Cannon and Ball show!). Great idea for a blog fest - I was all blogged out after the A-Z though.

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    1. Yeah, Cannon and Ball weren't great - I saw them in Torquay on the summer circuit when I was about 9 - nuff said.

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  39. I loved Fiddler on the Roof for similar reasons. My Grandma and Great Aunts lived in a similar village and left under similar circumstances. The only difference was, according to my Grandma, the film made them out to be rich and comfortable in comparison to the reality.

    I totally approve of you band choice. There'll never be another Beatles phenomenon!

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    1. Yes, my mum always made sure I was aware of the poverty my grandparents suffered - it was very humbling to realise what they went through. My grandmother left her village and family during the war when she was just 20 - hiding out in Germany for a time! - and never saw either again.

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  40. Great choices for your first love fest! Loved reading and viewing them!

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  41. My son was in a high school production of Fiddler and we got to know it very well. I'd already seen the movie, but with him in the production we practically memorized it, like you! I'm so glad you mentioned Mary Stewart. I'm not familiar with the Little Broomstick, but I am familiar with her Merlin series and LOVED reading them. She's a great writer. I love your firsts! Glad you posted too.

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    1. The Little Broomstick is the only Mary Stewart book I've read, but I remember her prose being beautiful - it's one of the books that made me want to write myself.

      I wished we'd done something like Fiddler at school. I got involved with Wizard of Oz - but I'd love to have made people cry!

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  42. I've never read Little Broomstick, though I have read other works by Mary Stewart and can see why something of hers might be a first love. I grew up watching Fiddler on the Roof, and will always love it.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse, road tripping through the #atozchallenge participants!

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    1. With everyone saying how much they love Fiddler, I no longer feel like the odd one out! Good luck with the road trip - I thought about it, but I just couldn't spare any more time!

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  43. Sorry I'm late.
    Fiddler! Wonderful.
    I remember my Aunt, who was in love w/ the Beatles, giving us her 45's and I would listen to them all the time. Especially the B-sides.
    Great picks.
    Thanks for sharing with us.
    Heather

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  44. Aw wow, your choices are things my parents introduced me to, but not really my first loves.

    Sharing the Love!
    English Speaking Zone

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  45. Let it Be is such a great song. And wow Fiddler on the Roof, huh? My mom used to watch it and we hated it as kids, but we always sang the songs around the house. I found a much greater appreciation for it as an adult. :)

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    1. Those songs get stuck in your head, don't they? I don't know all the words - even now - which means I end up singing the same verse over and over.

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  46. Well, I am good with 2 out of 4 of these! lol

    Albeit long, "Fiddler" is a classic. In fact, I have it to this day. As for The Beatles, one can hardly go wrong with them. Be it soft or hard rock, they truly have a song or three for everyone that would give them a listen. My favorite album was "The White Album."

    Thanks for the memories.

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    1. Not a David Essex fan then?

      As for the Beatles... I think the album my parents had was Hard Days Night, but I could be wrong. I might have to check out their album covers and see which one I recognise!

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  47. What great choices. Yours is the first celeb crush I've read so far.

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