* It HAD to Be You

Sometimes I figure out/arrange an old jazz or Tin Pan Alley tune, the lyrics of which just happen to be nowhere near reflecting my current emotional state—or even my general psychic orientation. It was no pleasure, indeed, having the lyrics of the following running through my head (or my own parody thereof) as I decided on particular chord voicings:

IT HAD TO BE YOU
================
--Isham Jones, 1924
--4/4 // key of GM // ad-lib/rubato jazz feel (ergo rhythms approx./suggestions)
--"solo" fingerstyle acoustic arrangement: tcg, 7/07
#==== : hold note (incl. thru subsequent note[s])

                                                D+                  GM7
  ------------------pickup notes::::---------------------------------2=====|
  -----------------------------------------------3----5----3----5----3=====|
  -----------------------------------------------3===============----4=====|
  -----------------------------------------------4===============----------|
  -----------------------------------------------5===============----------|
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                                  1    &    2    &    3    &    4    &    
::A1::
     GM7              D+                 GM7                          E7
||====2---------------2------(2)------|--2--------2-(2h)3----2----3--/4====|
||====3---------------3------(3)------|--3---------------------------------|
||====4---------------3------(3)------|--4---------------------------------|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
      1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &      1  &  2  &     3    &    4   &    

    E7                      Eo7  E7                                   A9
 |===4-------4-------4-------3---4====|========---4------/5---4---5--/7====|
 |-----------3-------3-------2---3====|========--(3)-----------------------|
 |-----------4-------4-------3---4====|========--(4)-----------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |--(0)--0-------0--------------------|---0---0-------0--------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    A9
 |===7-------7\------5---4---5--/7====|===7-------7\------5---4---5--/7====|
 |-----------5\------x----------------|-----------5\------x----------------|
 |-----------6\-----------------------|-----------6\-----------------------|
 |----------(5)\----------------------|----------(5)\----------------------|
 |---0---0-------0--------------------|---0---0-------0--------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

                   A7b9                  A7                          D13
 |===7-------7------6--------6--------|---5-------5-------7---5---7--/10===|
 |-----------5------5--------5--------|---5-------5-------x----------------|
 |-----------6------6--------6--------|---6-------6------------------------|
 |----------(5)----(5)------(5)-------|--(5)-----(5)-----------------------|
 |---0---0-------0-------0-------0----|-------0-------0--------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    D13                                                  D#o7         Em
 |===10------10------10------9---10===|===10-----10-------5-------5--------|
 |-----------12------12------11--12===|===12-----12-------7---7-------8====|
 |-----------11------11------10--11===|===11-----11-------5-=======---9====|
 |--(0)--0-------0-------0------------|---0---0-------0---------------9====|
 |------------------------------------|-------------------6========--------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    Em              Em(M7)               Em7                          A7
 |------------------------------------|-------------------------------5====|
 |====---------------8-------8--------|---8-------8-------8---7---8--------|
 |====---9=====------8-------8--------|---7-------7-------7========--------|
 |====---------------9-------9--------|---9-------9-------9========--------|
 |---7-------7---7---7-------7--------|---7-------7-------7========--------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    A7                                                                D9
 |===5-------5-------------------5====|===5-------5-------7---10--7---5====|
 |-----------5-------8-\-7---8--------|-----------5-------8========--------|
 |-----------6-------6========--------|-----------6-------9========--------|
 |-----------5-------5========--------|-----------5------------------------|
 |---0---0-------0--(0)=======--------|---0---0-------0---0========--------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    D9              D#9                  D9           D+             GM7
 |===5-------5-------6-------6--------|---5---------------------------2===||
 |-----------5-------6-------6--------|---5-----------3---5---3---5---3===||
 |-----------5-------6-------6--------|---5-----------3============---4===||
 |-----------4-------5-------5--------|---4-----------4============-------||
 |---5---5-------5---6-------6--------|---5-----------5============-------||
 |------------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

::A2::
     GM7              D+                 GM7                          E7
||====2------(2)------2-------2-------|--2--------2-(2h)3----2----3--/4====|
||====3------(3)------3-------3-------|--3---------------------------------|
||====4------(4)------3-------3-------|--4---------------------------------|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
      1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &      1  &  2  &     3    &    4   &    

    E7                      Eo7  E7                                   A9
 |===4-------4-------4-------3---4====|========---4------/5---4---5--/7====|
 |-----------3-------3-------2---3====|========--(3)-----------------------|
 |-----------4-------4-------3---4====|========--(4)-----------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |---0---0-------0--------------------|---0---0-------0--------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    A9
 |===7-------7\------5---4---5--/7====|===7-------7\------5---4---5--/7====|
 |-----------5\------x----------------|-----------5\------x----------------|
 |-----------6\-----------------------|-----------6\-----------------------|
 |----------(5)\----------------------|----------(5)\----------------------|
 |---0---0-------0--------------------|---0---0-------0--------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

                   A7b9                  A7                           CM7
 |===7-------7------6--------6--------|---5-------5---5---7---8---10--12===|
 |-----------5------5--------5--------|---5-------5--(5)--x-----------12===|
 |-----------6------6--------6--------|---6-------6--(6)--------------12===|
 |----------(5)----(5)------(5)-------|--(5)-----(5)-(5)--------------10===|
 |---0---0-------0-------0-------0----|-------0----------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    CM7                          Cm6                                  GM7
 |===12\-------------0---2---3--/5====|===5-------5-------5---7---8---10===|
 |===12\\-----------------------------|-----------4-------x----------------|
 |===12\\-----------------------------|-----------5------------------------|
 |===10\\-----------------------------|-----------5------------------------|
 |------\-----------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

    GM7              B7  B+  B7  Em7                                  D7
 |===10------10\----------------------|------------------------------------|
 |-----------12\-----10--8---10--8====|===8----------------------------7===|
 |-----------11\-----8========---7====|===7-------7-----(7h)9---7---9------|
 |-------------------9========---9====|===9-----------------9========------|
 |-----------10\----------------------|---7---7-------7-----7========------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &     3   &   4  &

    D7                                 ritard.           D13
 |------------------------------------|-------------------7-----10----7----|
 |===7-------7-------5-------5----7===|===7-------7-------7============----|
 |-----------5-------5----7-----------|-----------5-------7============----|
 |-----------7-------7----------------|-----------7-------10===========----|
 |---5---5-------5--(5)---------------|---5---5-------5--------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------[---triplets----]-|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3       4

    GM6              D7          G5
 |---3--------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
 |---5---------------3----------------|-----------------------------------||
 |---4---------------5----------------|-----------------------------------||
 |---5---------------4-----------5====|===5-------------------------------||
 |-------------------5----------------|-----------------------------------||
 |-------------------------------3====|===3-------------------------------||
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &    

* RADIO RANT: "All Praise, American Woman"!

With Mother's Day coming up, some local morning talk show fellow mentioned "American Woman" as a song glorifying good ol' U.S. womanhood—that's why it's also such a popular song on the 4th of July, he added. (I didn't know this, if true.) To his credit, the fellow noted the irony of the fact that it was written and popularized by a Canadian band, the Guess Who (in 1970; their guitarist went on to form another popular band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive). To his discredit, he (and apparently many Americans) have never listened to, or understood, the song lyrics, which pretty much slam that "American Woman," and tell her emphatically to "stay away from me." One might cleverly argue that this is ironic, too, that the fellow really loves her desperately and is "protesting too much." However, the following lyrics belie such a possibility [Quot. of the Day]:

I don’t need your war machines—
I don’t need your ghetto scenes—
Coloured lights can hypnotize—
Sparkle [in] someone else’s eyes—
Now woman, get away from me—
American Woman—mama, let me be—

Now there's a song fit for a 4th of July parade. . . . So: play along! (preferably, w/ a little "tube-screamer" fuzzbox effect)::::

 B5 D5     E5         D5 E5
------||------------------------------------|------------------------------------||
------||------------------------------------|------------------------------------||
------||o-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------o||
----7-||o--9-9-9-9-9---7-9---9-9-------7----|---9-9-9-9-9---7-9\------------7---o||
-9--5-||---7-7-7-7-7---5-7---7-7---9---5----|---7-7-7-7-7---5-7\--------9---5----||
-7----||---------------------------7--------|---------------------------7--------||
 4  &      1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &

* RADIO RANT: Conservative Bumper Tunes

[2nd subtitle: Conservative Contradictions III]

It first struck me years ago, when I heard Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" as a lead-in or lead-out bumper to the The Rush Limbaugh Show. How incongruous, I thought, to play such "hip" hard-rock tunes—and to give the show a greater "hip" feel for a wider, younger audience?—VERSUS Rush's own moral-majority message, against we Lefties' supposed drug abuse, profligacy, etc. (common subjects in the very bumper tunes the conservative talk show hosts often play, BTW). Glenn Beck's custom theme song sounds like some knock-off of the Friends TV song: so 90's pop-rock (and now so dated) in its sound. Michael Savage goes them all one better with some thrash-speed-metal theme à la Metallica; this can't be what he listens to in his spare time?! Of course, cultural critics have long pointed out the rather fascist elements of heavy metal; and I can imagine the Savage Nation (as he dubs his acolytes) stomping their jackboots—er, banging their heads—to the ideological beat right now. . . .

On a more pleasant note, I actually enjoy many of the Coast to Coast AM bumpers. There are the expected "ooh-OOh" standbyes, like BÖC's "The Reaper," Fleetwood Mac's "Hypnotized," and Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone." But besides the fact that I love the techno theme song (Moroder's "The Chase"), I occasional get turned onto "new" songs (e.g., Alannah Miles' "Black Velvet" and Métisse's "Boom Boom Ba"); and I often rediscover some tune I haven't heard in years. Thus I was recently inspired to figure out the guitar to old 1970 Santana song "Samba Pa Ti"—rather a jazz-solo, bossa-fingerstyle version. Here's the tab to the first section (I'll send anyone the entire tablature upon request, plus the full key to my more esoteric symbols below):

 |------------------pickup notes::::------------------------------------3--|
 |------------------------------------------------------------3------/5----|
 |--------------------------------------------------2-4-/5-----------------|
 |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 |-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
                                           1  &  2  &    3    &   4   &  
::A1::
   GM7                                  Bm7
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
||(1h)3=======---3====-----------3----|--/7========---7====-----7h8p7------|
||---------------4====-------0h4==----|---------------7==========-----7----|
||---------------4====----------------|---------------7================----|
||------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
||-------------------3----------------|-------------------7============----|
      1   &  2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3  &  4     &

   Em7                                  Am7
 |------------------------------------|---------------------------------3--|
 |----------/8-----8==---8-------5====|====-------------------3------/5----|
 |----------/7-----7==---7-------5====|====----------2-4-/5----------------|
 |----------/9-----9==---9-------5====|====--------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |---0========-------0====------------|---5=======-------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &  2   &    3   &   4   &

   GM7                                  Bm7
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |(1h)3=======---3====-----------3----|--/7---7====---7====-----7h8p7------|
 |---------------4====-------0h4==----|---------------7====----------------|
 |---------------4====----------------|---------------7====-----------9----|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |-------------------3====------------|-------------------7----------------|
      1   &  2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3  &  4     &

    Em7                                  Am7     v
 |------------------------------------|---------------5h7p5-5---3h5p3------|
 |----------/8-----8==---8-------5====|====----*5---------------------5----|
 |----------/7-----7==---7-------5====|====----*5--------------------------|
 |----------/9-----9==---9-------5====|====----*5--------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |---0========-------0====------------|---5--------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1  &  2  &  3     &   4     &
     
   D9                  [harm.]          Am7
 |--*5-------7------------------------|---------------5h7p5-5---3h5p3------|
 |--*5----------/12===--!12!==--------|--------*5---------------------5----|
 |--*5--------------------------------|--------*5--------------------------|
 |--*4--------------------------------|--------*5--------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|---5--------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1  &  2  &  3     &   4     &

  D9 v                                 D7 v          [single attack:]
 |--*5--------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |--*5-----5---5---5h7p5\3====--------|---3--------------------------------|
 |--*5--------------------------------|---5-------------------5p3/1p0h1/3--|
 |--*4--------------------------------|---4--------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|---5--------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1  &  2   &   3     &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &

   Am7                                  Bm7                       v
 |------------------------------------|--------------------------*2--------|
 |---------------5========---5--------|-------3-------5b(7)---3--*3--------|
 |---2-----------5========---5--------|--/4----------------------*2--------|
 |---------------5========---5--------|------------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |-----------------------5====--------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &

   Am7(9)                               D9
     v   v   v   v   v   v   v
 |--*7---5---5---3---3-------3--*5====|============================--------|
 |--*5-------------------5------*5====|============================--------|
 |--*5--------------------------*5====|============================--------|
 |------------------------------*4====|============================--------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
 |------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &        1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &

  D7 v
 |---------------------------------3--|| [to the top . . .]
 |---3-------------------3------/5----||
 |---5----------2-4-/5----------------||
 |---4--------------------------------||
 |---5--------------------------------||
 |------------------------------------||
     1   &  2   &    3   &   4   &