Saturday 9: Moody Blue

Saturday 9: Moody Blue (1977)

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

1) This song was recorded in the special studio Elvis had built in the Jungle Room of Graceland. During the pandemic, have you made like Elvis and worked from home?

A. I have worked from home for decades.

2) Elvis sings that his girl is completely unpredictable. Which quality to you find more attractive: spontaneity or dependability?

A. Dependability.

3) He only performed the song once in concert. In February 1977, shortly after the record was released, Elvis sang "Moody Blue" live in Charlotte, NC, but had to rely on lyric sheet. Crazy Sam can sympathize because she seems to forget passwords as soon as she sets them. Do you often struggle with your memory?

A. It depends. I forgot what I've gone into a room for quite frequently, but remember words to songs and phrases from books, etc., without effort. 

4) "Moody Blue" was the final hit of Elvis' lifetime, only getting to #31 in the US but reaching #3 in the UK. What's your favorite Elvis song?

A. My Way. Although Sinatra did it first, I grew up hearing Elvis's version.

5) We're focusing on Elvis this week because January 8 would be his 87th birthday. He enjoyed celebrating his birthday by renting the Memphis movie theater and watching the latest movie with an invited group of friends. What's your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?

A. Have lunch with a friend and a little present from my husband.

6) For his 11th birthday, young Elvis asked for a rifle or a bicycle. His mother deemed the gun too dangerous and the bike too expensive and instead gave her son his first guitar. Tell us about a memorable birthday from your youth.

A. This is hard because my birthday and my brother's birthday were close together (just 3 days apart), so our celebrations were not especially singular. Also, I have an uncle who is 1 year younger than I am who was born on my first birthday, and we used to celebrate together too. I recall one year my mother made me a cake shaped like a butterfly. I thought that was pretty cool.

7) Elvis loved horses and kept them in the stable at Graceland. His favorite was a palomino named Rising Sun. To honor both horse and rider, Elvis' daughter has always kept a palomino in the stable whose name includes "sun." The current resident is Tuscan Sun. Known as "Tucky," he's lived at Graceland for more than 20 years now and is a favorite of Alene Alexander, who maintains the stable and reports he has "attitude and knows he's prettier than everybody else." Tell us about an animal who holds a place in your heart.

A. I had a dog for 17 years as an adult, a small mutt that I picked up as a pup at the flea market. Her name was Ginger. She was not very affectionate, but she would be angry with me for days when we went on vacation and left my in-laws to feed her. After I started working from home, I would go to the back door often and beat on it to get her attention, and she'd always come wagging her tail. It was a long time before I stopped looking for her when I came home from shopping. She kept away the groundhogs, the skunks (phew!), and other critters for the time she was alive. We had to keep her outside because of my allergies, though of course I brought her in the garage when the temperatures were very cold. She was part Alaskan Huskie so she rather liked the cold weather and enjoyed playing in the snow. After she passed away, I could not bring myself to have another pet.

8) Throughout his life, Elvis had trouble sleeping. As a preteen, he was a sleepwalker. As an adult, he battled insomnia. Is sleep an issue for you?

A. Not at the moment. I've had my times when it was, but right now is not one of them.

9) Random question: Do you wear your shoes in the house?

A. Yes. We have inside shoes and outside shoes. I have a pair of sneakers that I wear inside the house and another pair in the garage that I wear when I leave the house. My husband wears sandals in the house and work boots outside the house.

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