A Jane Stacy FanMix
Most of you have no idea what I'm talking about, right?
Let me explain.
I am a huge fan of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the comedic duo from the 1950s and 1960s. They're amazing. They split up in 1972, I believe, and I have to admit, I'm Team Dean. Easy. No contest, really. But their first motion picture together was "My Friend Irma" in 1949. The movie was based on a popular radio show of the time by the same name, following the lives of two roommates, Jane and Irma. Irma is totally airheaded - like, ridiculously so - and Jane is very smart and sensible and level headed.
Irma has been dating Al, who's basically a harmless con-man. He collects unemployment while working on his 'next big idea' (at first, cornering the rip cord market and selling it to pajama manufacturers - "think about it, Chicken: you wake up, bail out of your pajamas!" ) and Jane hates him. Jane wants to marry the wealthy Richard Rhinelander III, and has secured a job as his secretary in order to seduce him with her proximity.
Al and Irma meet Steve, the guy at the local orange juice stand with a golden voice, and his oddball sidekick and BFF, Seymour. Al wants to make Steve a star and starts getting him gigs. He and Jane meet and Steve falls for her immediately, but she's still got her heart set on Richard, even when things heat up. When it seems like Jane will be with Richard for good, Steve quits the show business from a broken heart and goes back to his roots. Concerned about Al's big project going up in flames, but mostly concerned about her best friend's happiness, Irma makes a mess of things by telling a little fib to get Richard, Jane and Steve all together. A fight results and Jane and Al both blame Irma for the mess. She leaves a suicide note that they all find, causing them to really regret what they said to her, but ultimately doesn't kill herself because she calls in and wins a contest on the radio that she's been puzzling over forever, and comes home to tell them, and everyone is so happy to see her and she and Al get engaged and Jane and Steve end up together, too, and it's all just kind of silly and fun, all tied together in a neat boy with Dean Martin's fabulous voice.
I am working on a fashion post for one of the blogs I contribute to inspired by this movie (but generally inspired by 1950s fashion), and I thought it would be fun to put together a Jane Stacy / My Friend Irma fanmix.
Since the movie is so old, I wanted the soundtrack to have a similar feel. I picked all female artists (except Dean Martin) and most of them have a kind of old-timey sound. I think it came out really well. Download links are way down below, and all the songs have been tagged with the album name and cover, and are ordered, so you won't need to edit tags after you DL.
Does everyone always edit tags after DLing a mix? Or is that just me with my OCD?
I Enjoy Being A Girl - BJ Barker
I'm a girl, and by me that's only great!
I am proud that my silhouette is curvy,
That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait
With my hips kind of swivelly and swervy.
Because Jane is a beautiful young woman and knows it. Not in a haughty sense - it's just that she's feminine and works it. Plus, Diana Lynn? Gorgeous.
Sisters - Rosemary Clooney
Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters
Because Jane and Irma really do behave as sisters. They don't really have anyone else.
Alfie - Lily Allen
Ooooo Alfie get up it's a brand new day,
I just can't sit back and watch you waste your life away
You need to get a job because the bills need to get paid.
Get off your lazy arse,
Alfie please use your brain
Because Jane just hates that Al is so lazy and useless. Although Lily is much, much nicer to her Al than Jane is to Irma's.
Gold Digger - Dolly Rockers
There's a brand new girl that's going around
Turning the boys upside down, gold digger
She's an only child that's been away,
Now she's back no one's safe, gold digger
Grrr. Tone-wise, this doesn't fit that well because it's rocky, it's punky, it's fast, but whatever. And lyrics-wise, it only barely fits. Jane *is* a gold digger. It's painfully obvious, but of course, it was more culturally acceptable to be a gold digger back in the 1940s and 1950s because women's prospects were far more limited than they are today.
I was really hoping someone like Regina Spektor or Yael Naim had done a cover of Kanye West's Gold Digger, but no such luck, so I had to go with this. Bah. Whatever.
In the Sun - She And Him
Well alright (well alright)
It's okay (It's okay)
We all get the slip sometimes every day
I'll just keep it to myself in the sun
In the sun
This is kind of about Jane and Richard - she's into him but he's kind of slow to come around and be into her as well. It also describes Steve's feelings for Jane - he's really into her but she's a little frosty at first, and then warms up but still keeps him at a distance because Richard is the endgame.
Fever - Eva Cassidy
Chicks were born to give you fever
Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade
Because Jane drives these two men CRAZY. They both want her and it's gut-wrenching. Particularly Steve's plight, although Richard's is quite pitiful, too.
My FAVORITE version of this song is performed by Doris Day but I had to use another song sung by her in this mix, and I HATE repeating artists. Eva Cassidy is fine, not as good, but whatever. However, Eva's version of "Time After Time" is fabulous - I love it even more than Cyndi Lauper's version. And that's, like, Cyndi's SONG. I'm probably just weird for liking Eva's better.
Goodnight and Go - Imogen Heap
You sleep here,
I'll sleep there
Because this reminds me of the night that Jane and Steve meet, and he and Seymour spend the night in Jane and Irma's apartment, sleeping on the pull out couch. Jane and Steve have this great scene on the roof where they talk and share their ambitions in the moonlight, and Jane quietly rebuffs his advances, and later, as he undresses, Steve starts singing, knowing it'll get to her as she tries to fall asleep in her bedroom. And it does.
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Doris Day
You won't admit you love me
And so how am I ever to know?
You always tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
Because Jane really strings these two fellas along. God. It's painful. If you watch the movie, your Jane Stacy love will take a real beating. I think I mostly love her because Diana Lynn is so gorgeous and delicate and feminine and graceful and adorable.
How Much More - Stars
My hands are tied
because I won't say goodbye
I tried
I told you I was brave but I lied
Because even though she strings them both along, it's pretty clear Jane genuinely likes both men. And her heart is torn. Rather, I think her brain and heart are in conflict. She likes Richard a lot and knows he will be a good husband, and her brain says that her future will be secure with him, but her heart is really pulling for Steve, and she's always been the sort of girl to follow her head and this is really, really difficult for her.
Ooh, Love - Charlotte Sometimes
When my hair brushes my shoulders
When I cry, be that tissue
Ooh, love
I feel it now more than ever
Because deep down, I think Jane always knew which man would win out. It was just a matter of admitting it to herself.
It Only Happens When I Dance With You - Judy Garland
Two cheeks together can be so divine
But only when those cheeks are yours and mine
I've danced with dozens of others the whole night through
But the thrill that comes with spring when anything can happen
That only happens with you
Because Jane and Steve have a gorgeous dancing scene in the movie. It's fabulous, and Jane looks divine. And Steve is an ass. A hilarious ass. :D
Baby, Don't Be Mad At Me - Peggy Lee
If I made you cry, I'm sorry.
Baby, don't be mad at me.
If I told a lie forgive me.
Baby, don't be mad at me.
From: http://www.musicbabylon.com
Because Jane knows she made a mistake, and she knows who she belongs to. And yeah, Steve makes it way too easy for her, but whatever. It's the 1950s. :-P
Incredible Love - Ingrid Michaelson
I never thought I'd fall so far down
This incredibly long dark hole
Something so sweet as the sound of your feet
On the floor would give me more room to breath
Because Jane and Steve had a long ways to go before they finally got together. And after all the anticipation and the pillow-throwing and the yelling-obscenities-at-the-screen, the pay off is soooo worth it. Or maybe that's just me, because I think Dean Martin is perfect, and I just want to protect all of his characters from the world.
BONUS:
Oh, My Only, My Own, My All - Dean Martin
I see it in your smile,
I hear it in your sigh
That we have found the feeling
Higher than high
Here's to Love - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
Dean:
Here's to love,
Here's to love
Here's to all that love can stand for
it's a wishful wonderland for
Just you
Jerry:
Here's to love,
Here's to love?!
That's a thing for jerks and rabbits
Gets you in the darnedest habits,
It's bad.
Enjoy!
download .zip here
(mediafire)
Let me explain.
I am a huge fan of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, the comedic duo from the 1950s and 1960s. They're amazing. They split up in 1972, I believe, and I have to admit, I'm Team Dean. Easy. No contest, really. But their first motion picture together was "My Friend Irma" in 1949. The movie was based on a popular radio show of the time by the same name, following the lives of two roommates, Jane and Irma. Irma is totally airheaded - like, ridiculously so - and Jane is very smart and sensible and level headed.
Irma has been dating Al, who's basically a harmless con-man. He collects unemployment while working on his 'next big idea' (at first, cornering the rip cord market and selling it to pajama manufacturers - "think about it, Chicken: you wake up, bail out of your pajamas!" ) and Jane hates him. Jane wants to marry the wealthy Richard Rhinelander III, and has secured a job as his secretary in order to seduce him with her proximity.
Al and Irma meet Steve, the guy at the local orange juice stand with a golden voice, and his oddball sidekick and BFF, Seymour. Al wants to make Steve a star and starts getting him gigs. He and Jane meet and Steve falls for her immediately, but she's still got her heart set on Richard, even when things heat up. When it seems like Jane will be with Richard for good, Steve quits the show business from a broken heart and goes back to his roots. Concerned about Al's big project going up in flames, but mostly concerned about her best friend's happiness, Irma makes a mess of things by telling a little fib to get Richard, Jane and Steve all together. A fight results and Jane and Al both blame Irma for the mess. She leaves a suicide note that they all find, causing them to really regret what they said to her, but ultimately doesn't kill herself because she calls in and wins a contest on the radio that she's been puzzling over forever, and comes home to tell them, and everyone is so happy to see her and she and Al get engaged and Jane and Steve end up together, too, and it's all just kind of silly and fun, all tied together in a neat boy with Dean Martin's fabulous voice.
I am working on a fashion post for one of the blogs I contribute to inspired by this movie (but generally inspired by 1950s fashion), and I thought it would be fun to put together a Jane Stacy / My Friend Irma fanmix.
Since the movie is so old, I wanted the soundtrack to have a similar feel. I picked all female artists (except Dean Martin) and most of them have a kind of old-timey sound. I think it came out really well. Download links are way down below, and all the songs have been tagged with the album name and cover, and are ordered, so you won't need to edit tags after you DL.
Does everyone always edit tags after DLing a mix? Or is that just me with my OCD?
I Enjoy Being A Girl - BJ Barker
I'm a girl, and by me that's only great!
I am proud that my silhouette is curvy,
That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait
With my hips kind of swivelly and swervy.
Because Jane is a beautiful young woman and knows it. Not in a haughty sense - it's just that she's feminine and works it. Plus, Diana Lynn? Gorgeous.
Sisters - Rosemary Clooney
Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters
Because Jane and Irma really do behave as sisters. They don't really have anyone else.
Alfie - Lily Allen
Ooooo Alfie get up it's a brand new day,
I just can't sit back and watch you waste your life away
You need to get a job because the bills need to get paid.
Get off your lazy arse,
Alfie please use your brain
Because Jane just hates that Al is so lazy and useless. Although Lily is much, much nicer to her Al than Jane is to Irma's.
Gold Digger - Dolly Rockers
There's a brand new girl that's going around
Turning the boys upside down, gold digger
She's an only child that's been away,
Now she's back no one's safe, gold digger
Grrr. Tone-wise, this doesn't fit that well because it's rocky, it's punky, it's fast, but whatever. And lyrics-wise, it only barely fits. Jane *is* a gold digger. It's painfully obvious, but of course, it was more culturally acceptable to be a gold digger back in the 1940s and 1950s because women's prospects were far more limited than they are today.
I was really hoping someone like Regina Spektor or Yael Naim had done a cover of Kanye West's Gold Digger, but no such luck, so I had to go with this. Bah. Whatever.
In the Sun - She And Him
Well alright (well alright)
It's okay (It's okay)
We all get the slip sometimes every day
I'll just keep it to myself in the sun
In the sun
This is kind of about Jane and Richard - she's into him but he's kind of slow to come around and be into her as well. It also describes Steve's feelings for Jane - he's really into her but she's a little frosty at first, and then warms up but still keeps him at a distance because Richard is the endgame.
Fever - Eva Cassidy
Chicks were born to give you fever
Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade
Because Jane drives these two men CRAZY. They both want her and it's gut-wrenching. Particularly Steve's plight, although Richard's is quite pitiful, too.
My FAVORITE version of this song is performed by Doris Day but I had to use another song sung by her in this mix, and I HATE repeating artists. Eva Cassidy is fine, not as good, but whatever. However, Eva's version of "Time After Time" is fabulous - I love it even more than Cyndi Lauper's version. And that's, like, Cyndi's SONG. I'm probably just weird for liking Eva's better.
Goodnight and Go - Imogen Heap
You sleep here,
I'll sleep there
Because this reminds me of the night that Jane and Steve meet, and he and Seymour spend the night in Jane and Irma's apartment, sleeping on the pull out couch. Jane and Steve have this great scene on the roof where they talk and share their ambitions in the moonlight, and Jane quietly rebuffs his advances, and later, as he undresses, Steve starts singing, knowing it'll get to her as she tries to fall asleep in her bedroom. And it does.
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Doris Day
You won't admit you love me
And so how am I ever to know?
You always tell me
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
Because Jane really strings these two fellas along. God. It's painful. If you watch the movie, your Jane Stacy love will take a real beating. I think I mostly love her because Diana Lynn is so gorgeous and delicate and feminine and graceful and adorable.
How Much More - Stars
My hands are tied
because I won't say goodbye
I tried
I told you I was brave but I lied
Because even though she strings them both along, it's pretty clear Jane genuinely likes both men. And her heart is torn. Rather, I think her brain and heart are in conflict. She likes Richard a lot and knows he will be a good husband, and her brain says that her future will be secure with him, but her heart is really pulling for Steve, and she's always been the sort of girl to follow her head and this is really, really difficult for her.
Ooh, Love - Charlotte Sometimes
When my hair brushes my shoulders
When I cry, be that tissue
Ooh, love
I feel it now more than ever
Because deep down, I think Jane always knew which man would win out. It was just a matter of admitting it to herself.
It Only Happens When I Dance With You - Judy Garland
Two cheeks together can be so divine
But only when those cheeks are yours and mine
I've danced with dozens of others the whole night through
But the thrill that comes with spring when anything can happen
That only happens with you
Because Jane and Steve have a gorgeous dancing scene in the movie. It's fabulous, and Jane looks divine. And Steve is an ass. A hilarious ass. :D
Baby, Don't Be Mad At Me - Peggy Lee
If I made you cry, I'm sorry.
Baby, don't be mad at me.
If I told a lie forgive me.
Baby, don't be mad at me.
From: http://www.musicbabylon.com
Because Jane knows she made a mistake, and she knows who she belongs to. And yeah, Steve makes it way too easy for her, but whatever. It's the 1950s. :-P
Incredible Love - Ingrid Michaelson
I never thought I'd fall so far down
This incredibly long dark hole
Something so sweet as the sound of your feet
On the floor would give me more room to breath
Because Jane and Steve had a long ways to go before they finally got together. And after all the anticipation and the pillow-throwing and the yelling-obscenities-at-the-screen, the pay off is soooo worth it. Or maybe that's just me, because I think Dean Martin is perfect, and I just want to protect all of his characters from the world.
BONUS:
Oh, My Only, My Own, My All - Dean Martin
I see it in your smile,
I hear it in your sigh
That we have found the feeling
Higher than high
Here's to Love - Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
Dean:
Here's to love,
Here's to love
Here's to all that love can stand for
it's a wishful wonderland for
Just you
Jerry:
Here's to love,
Here's to love?!
That's a thing for jerks and rabbits
Gets you in the darnedest habits,
It's bad.
Enjoy!
download .zip here
(mediafire)