My Funny Valentine (Acoustic Cover)

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Songs Mom Would Sing is an ongoing open invitation for musicians to record and share their version of a song important to someone important to them. Music has the ability to heal and music has the power to connect us - I think this is especially important during this time when we can feel isolated and struggle to stay connected.

I was introduced to the song My Funny Valentine from the musical Babes in Arms because of my Mom’s love of musical theater. I remember learning that the main character was named Val and I quickly became obsessed with how smart and powerful lyrics can be.

When I learned more about the life of the man who wrote these words - they grew more intense for me. Lorenz Hart was filled with a great deal of sadness and he masked that pain with his sense of humor. His lyrics were so powerful because they were always, at some level, autobiographical. In his life, he sadly believed himself to be unlovable. In these verses, he is calling himself laughable and weak. The song becomes more emotionally rich for me when we consider that Lorenz was also deeply in love with Richard Rodgers, his song writing partner. A love that would never be reciprocated. The circumstances surrounding his death are equally heart breaking and tragic. The fact that this song has become such a powerful standard and allows his genius to live on in such a positive light gives me a great deal of happiness.

When I met our dear sweet friend Beth, she pulled the album "Girl at her Volcano" from her collection. It was like a dark room was suddenly illuminated. I knew Rickie Lee Jones, just not like this. @rickieleejones Rickie's incredibly soulful, rich and powerfully simple arrangement of this song suddenly, and so clearly, illustrated for me the intersectionality of jazz and blues and all of the amazing chord structures that were there to be discovered.

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