Saturday 9: Farewell Amanda

Saturday 9: Farewell, Amanda (1949)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

 

1) The record begins with a long instrumental interlude, and when the lyrics kick in at about the 1:00 mark, they bid Amanda "farewell, adios, addio, adieu." Of course, you recognize "farewell" as English. Without looking it up, can you identify the other languages? 

A. Spanish, Italian, and French.

 

2) Can you say "goodbye" in a language not represented in question #1?

A. Nyet.

3) The lyrics reference a night full of stars. When did you last take a moment to check out the night sky?

A. It hasn't been that long ago. I like looking at the night sky. 

 

4) This song was written for Adam's Rib, a comedy starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The movie is about husband-and-wife lawyers who square off against one another in court. Have you ever served on a jury?

A. I have been called to serve, but once the lawyers found out I was a journalist, I was immediately sent on my way. Apparently, they don't want writers on juries.

 

5) "Farewell, Amanda" was composed by Noel Coward. Though best known as a playwright, he also wrote more than a thousand songs and was a director and an actor. His epitaph reads, "A talent to amuse." How would you like to be remembered?

A. I don't think I will be remembered at all, but perhaps something along the line of "She did her best."

 

6) There's even a book of Noel Coward paintings. It was published after his death, in part because Coward considered himself only an amateur painter. When did you last pick up a paintbrush?

A. I can't remember when I picked up a paintbrush to paint a picture, but we last painted the interior of the house about 10 years ago.

 

7) In 1949, when audiences first heard "Farewell, Amanda," Americans began playing Clue. What's the last board game you played?

A. Scrabble.

 

8) The best-selling novel of 1949 was Point of No Return by John P. Marquand. Tell us about the last book you finished.

A. The last book I finished was The Medici Manuscript, by C. J. Arthur. I think it is characterized as a romantasy. It is set in post-WWI England and is about an assistant librarian who may or may not be a "magician," as this book calls people with specific special powers. It's very literary, focusing on mysteries that involve books, so far. This is the second in a series. 

 

9) Random question: Growing up, did you share a bedroom?

A. Not that I recall, no.

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