What's New...

....How is the world treating you? It's a great song, don't you think? And not a bad title for a blog either, especially one created to post my musings on anything that's grabbed my interest lately.

Of course, the song poses it as a question, as in, what's new with you? For my blog, the question mark comes off - I'm not asking what's new with you, I'm telling you what's new with me. Like you'd be interested. That's the biggest problem starting a blog - I'm afraid the lines from the lyrics that will apply most aptly to this blog will be these: "What's new? Probably I'm boring you..."

Well, just in case you're not, welcome, and read on....

What's new?
How is the world treating you?
You haven't changed a bit
Lovely as ever, I must admit

What's new?
How did that romance come through?
We haven't met since then
Gee, but it's nice to see you again

What's new?
Probably I'm boring you
But seeing you is grand
And you were sweet to offer your hand

I understand. Adieu!
Pardon my asking what's new
Of course you couldn't know
I haven't changed, I still love you so

Sinatra did it best, on Only The Lonely, but Helen Merrill ran him a very close second on her 1955 debut album, a perfect record, which I'll blog about some other time. The song is about running into an old lover, one you've never gotten over, and that's the message the singer is trying to convey throughout. It's subtle and nonchalant to begin with:

What's new?
How is the world treating you?
You haven't changed a bit
Lovely as ever, I must admit

The first three lines above are nothing more than the standard greeting we all use when running into someone we haven't seen in awhile. Not until the fourth line do we get a hint of what's really going on here. Then the singer turns it up a notch:

What's new?
How did that romance come through?
We haven't met since then
Gee, but it's nice to see you again

Translation: Are you still seeing that person? The one you left me for? Really? Well, I'd love to pick up where we left off.

What's new?
Probably I'm boring you
But seeing you is grand
And you were sweet to offer your hand

....I'm sorry, I know you're probably over me, never mind, it was good seeing you, thanks for stopping to chat.

I understand. Adieu!
Pardon my asking what's new
Of course you couldn't know
I haven't changed, I still love you so

....so, nice seeing you, goodbye. Wait, wait, don't go - nothing's changed. I love you.

It's a fabulous song. Go listen to it.