RV Travels With Huggy

I have returned to a class I started last year that is offered through the local YMCA, called "Memories to Memoirs." Tomorrow is the second class this session and our assignment is to write something the teacher has called, "What's My Voice," where we write something about a favorite song, with it's lyrics. I have the assignment ready to turn in but decided I'd try to put it here as a blog post. I don't know how this is going to work as the original is on an 8 1/2 X 11 page, too. There is a B&W photo embeded in the original that I am sure I can not put in the same position here that it is on the assignment page, but I'll see what I can do with it. No, the photo is not in the same position but here we go:

Memories to Memoirs – 25 Sep 2006
What’s My Voice…
Dick Phillips


“Jeremiah was a bull frog.” It’s hard to come up with a single favorite song as there are so many that have special meanings to me over the years, but I think that one of the top ones would be “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night. It was a number one song for six weeks in 1971 and it brings back some wonderful memories.

This was in our BK era, Before Kids. We were young, had comfortable incomes, and occasionally liked to party. I was the President of the Vashon Island Jaycees, Annie was an active member of the Jaycee Wives Club. Every summer the Vashon Jaycees raised money and put on the Island Festival. One of the fixtures of the Festival was the Beach Party that we threw for ourselves and Jaycees from around the area. It was a true beach party in the early years but by 1971 we had to leave the County Park where we had been holding it, due to the many beer kegs we went through during the night. In 1971 we moved it to a private park in the interior of the Island, so there were no legal problems with our favorite beverage.

The dinner menu was clams, salmon, corn on the cob, coleslaw, garlic bread, ice cream and some times other things, along of course with the beer. We also had live music to dance to. The party started about 5 in the afternoon for dinner and talking and tended to go almost until sunrise. Sometimes we did make it to sunrise. Our favorite band was led by Skip who was a Jaycee in our chapter and they would continue to play as long as anyone wanted them to continue. Their music was pretty good for a local band.

I still remember dancing with my Annie to Joy to the World. Skip & the band could make that song last ten minutes or longer. It was fantastic in the warm night of summer, dancing on the lawn in the light from a bonfire with the one I loved. I suppose the beer didn’t hurt the mood, either. There were other songs that were great from that era but this one I especially remember and love, probably partially because Annie also loved it so. Good vibes, even thirty-five years later.


Ann and I at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Washington State, photo in 1969.

Here are the lyrics:

JOY TO THE WORLD
- written by Hoyt Axton
- lyrics as recorded by Three Dog Night (#1 for 6 weeks in 1971)

Jeremiah was a bullfrog
Was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him a-drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
Singin'...

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

If I were the king of the world
Tell you what I'd do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
Make sweet love to you
Sing it now...

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

------ electric piano ------

You know I love the ladies
Love to have my fun
I'm a high life flyer and a rainbow rider
A straight shootin' son-of-a-gun
I said a straight shootin' son-of-a-gun

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the world
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

I wanna tell you
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

(fading)
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls

Labels: Annie, Photos, Reminiscing