"Sweet Dreams" (An Exercise in Free Association, from Jackie Evancho to Patsy Cline, to Willie Nelson, to Hayden Panettiere, and to Mike Myers)

Last month, as I was preparing for my trip to Nashville, Tennessee, the country and western music capitol of the world, to attend a concert by the destined-to-be-legendary 15-year old classical crossover vocalist Jackie Evancho, I couldn’t help but think about another great female “crossover” vocalist, the late country and western singer Patsy Cline. 

Patsy Cline, performing "I Fall to Pieces" during her last TV appearance, one week before her death (February, 1963)

Ms. Cline (or as she liked to refer to herself, “The Cline”) recorded and performed several great songs in her way-too-short career (ending abruptly in 1963 in a plane crash). Since Jackie Evancho often sings about dreams, I was curious to see if Ms. Cline ever sang about dreams. A quick search on YouTube turned up “Sweet Dreams.” This heart-breaker was recorded early in 1963, just before the plane crash that ended her life. It was released later that year.

"Sweet Dreams"

“Sweet dreams of you
Every night I go through
Why can't I forget you and start my life anew
Instead of having sweet dreams about you

You don't love me, it's plain
I should know, I'll never wear your ring
I should hate you the whole night through
Instead of having sweet dreams about you

Sweet dreams of you
Things I know can't come true
Why can't I forget the past, start loving someone new
Instead of having sweet dreams about you.”

Here is a YouTube link to the song: Have a hanky handy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b35SkJdDGV4

 Of course, as I perused Ms. Cline's videos on YouTube, I kept coming across the song“Crazy,” written in 1961 by Willie Nelson. I think most of Ms. Cline's fans would would agree that this is one of her “signature” songs.

 

I decided to include a YouTube link in this post of Ms. Cline singing “Crazy,” but I couldn’t overlook the fact that songwriter Willie Nelson also recorded the song, and has performed it countless of times in his seemingly-never-ending career. Ms. Cline, only a few months older than Willie, was only 30 years old when she was killed in that tragic plane crash. Willie is now 82 and still going strong. One can only wonder what legacy Patsy Cline could have left the music world if she had been blessed with another 50+ years of life to perform and record her music. 

So, after some consideration, I offer for your enjoyment links to Patsy Cline’s original recording of “Crazy,” and a video of a live performance of the song by Willie Nelson in 1992. 

Patsy Cline:      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QEDb3xzdec

Willie Nelson:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0jOR5DC0rM

Willie Nelson, performing "Crazy" (Scotland, 1992)

 

For those of you who like to sing along, here are the lyrics:

“Crazy, I'm crazy for feeling so lonely.
I'm crazy, crazy for feeling so blue.
I knew, you'd love me as long as you wanted.
And then some day, you'd leave me for somebody new.

Worry, why do I let myself worry?
Wondering, what in the world did I do?

Crazy, for thinking that my love could hold you.
I'm crazy for trying,
And crazy for crying,
And I'm crazy for loving you.”

If you are not crying yet, go immediately to this video of Hayden Panettiere (yes, that Hayden Panettiere), delivering up an intensely emotional performance of the song “live,” as the character Juliette Barnes, during the opening show of the third season of the television series “Nashville.” Ms. Panettiere is so “caught up” in the song that she breaks down in tears and can’t sing the last line. It's a remarkable performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7YhikGEDVM

Yes, that’s really her singing… I myself am now temporarily verklempt, so, with apologies to Canadian comic genius Mike Myers, portraying the character Linda Richman on “Saturday Night Live,” please “talk amongst yourselves…” 

https://screen.yahoo.com/coffee-talk-yom-kippur-000000254.html

Mike Myers, "Saturday Night Live" (1991-1994)

By the way, in case you didn’t know, “Verklempt” is a Yiddish word meaning “too emotional to speak.” Don’t worry about the rest of the “Yiddish-y” sounding dialogue in this comic sketch. I believe most of it is fake.

-SKF (July, 2015)