Take Off Your Belts!

**Willowdared** · 02-12-07, 08:43 PM

And join me in a rousing tribute to Frankie Lane!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Keep movin', movin', movin',
Though they're disapprovin',
Keep them doggies movin' Rawhide!
Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope and throw and grab 'em,
Soon we'll be living high and wide.
Boy my heart's calculatin'
My true love will be waitin', be waiting at the end of my ride.

Move 'em on, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em out,
Move 'em on, head 'em out Rawhide!
Set 'em out, ride 'em in
Ride 'em in, let 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in Rawhide.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Rawhide!

Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin'
Rawhide!
Rain and wind and weather
Hell-bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love, and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride

Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Rawhide

Count 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, count 'em out,
Count 'em out, ride 'em in
Rawhide!

Keep movin', movin', movin'
Though they're disapprovin'
Keep them dogies movin'
Rawhide!

Don't try to understand 'em
Just rope, throw, and brand 'em
Soon we'll be living high and wide.
My hearts calculatin'
My true love will be waitin',
Be waitin' at the end of my ride.

Rawhide!
Rawhide!

**Willowdared** · 02-12-07, 08:44 PM

Frankie Laine; for singer, music was the essence of his life Frankie Laine

By Don Freeman
UNION-TRIBUNE
February 11, 2007

Frankie Laine, the son of a barber (a distinction shared with Charles Schulz), was born and grew up in Chicago's Little Italy section. His name at birth was Francisco Paolo LoVecchio. As Frankie liked to say in his later years, “LoVecchio means 'old man' in Italian.” He would still sign all of his contracts with “LoVecchio” and for a logical reason: “It's my way of separating my personal and professional lives.”

The LoVecchio family lived across the street from the Church of the Immaculate Conception and its parochial school. In time, young Frankie was singing in the choir. His dream was to sing a solo, but there was a redheaded kid named Eddie Ryan who was always tapped to do the solos. More than 70 years later, Frankie still remembered how it was, for his memories never faded. “He had the voice of an angel,” Frankie recalled, “but I was still disappointed.”

When Frankie elected to make singing his career, the Great Depression held the country in its grip. Money was scarce. So Laine left home to join the touring dance-a-thons where the contestants danced, more or less, for 12 hours at a stretch. One year Frankie and his partner won the championship. For 17 years Frankie scuffled. In New York he slept on a park bench and in hotel lobbies. Occasionally he sang at a Manhattan radio station, where the manager dubbed him Frankie Laine.

In Hollywood, Frankie, who had been working in a wartime defense plant, dropped into Billy Berg's popular nightclub. He sang without pay. But he did get noticed. There was the night that he sang Hoagy Carmichael's “Ol' Rockin' Chair.” Carmichael, who was in the club that night, said to the nightclub owner: “Why don't you hire this kid?”

Berg shrugged. “Why should I hire him? He comes in and sings every night for nothing.”

One night Frankie sang “That's My Desire” and the place fell apart. The customers hollered for more. He sang the song four times that night. Soon he was singing “That's My Desire” four times every night.

And overnight, as the saying goes, Frankie Laine was a star. “Pretty soon I recorded 'Desire' in two takes, and my life was changed forever.” With the years, he would have a continuous string of hit recordings.

Once I asked Frankie how he felt about singing. He smiled and said, “To me, singing is a tonic. Singing is not just how I've made my living – singing has always been my way of enjoying life. Singing makes me feel good.”

He would become the Squire of Point Loma, the lion in winter. He would never stop the singing that he loved. His voice remained as vibrant as the wild goose, as robust as a mule train, and always Frankie Laine would have the assurance of the moonlight gambler.

**Ducky** · 02-12-07, 08:49 PM

One more!

'Blazing Saddles Theme' lyrics by FRANKIE LAINE

He rode a blazing saddle
He wore a shining star
His job to offer battle to bad men near and far

He conquered fear and he conquered hate
He turned dark night into day
He made his blazing saddle a torch to light the way

When outlaws ruled the west
And fear filled the land
A cry went out for a man with guts to take the west in hand
They needed a man who was brave and true with justice for all as his aim

Then out of the sun rode a man with a gun
And Bart was his name
Yes Bart was his name

He rode a blazing saddle
He wore a shining star
His job to offer battle to bad men near and far

He conquered fear and he conquered hate
He turned dark night into day
He made his blazing saddle a torch to light the way

**Willowdared** · 02-12-07, 08:53 PM

One of the best cinema songs ever...

High Noon

Do not forsake me O my darlin'
On this our wedding day.
Do not forsake me O my darlin'
Wait, wait along.
The noonday train will bring Frank Miller.
If I'm a man I must be brave
And I must face that deadly killer
Or lie a coward, a craven coward,
Or lie a coward in my grave.

O to be torn 'twixt love and duty!
S'posin' I lose my fair-haired beauty!
Look at that big hand move along
Nearin' high noon.

He made a vow while in State's Prison,
Vow'd it would be my life or his and
I'm not afraid of death, but O,
What will I do if you leave me?

Do not forsake me O my darlin'
You made that promise when we wed.
Do not forsake me O my darlin'
Although you're grievin', I can't be leavin'
Until I shoot Frank Miller dead.

Wait along, wait along
Wait along
Wait along