Musical Inspiration for Forever Music

When my husband and I were dating in Charlotte, NC, we frequented a little pub called the Red Door Tavern for quick suppers. One night as we were eating, an older gentleman, probably my age now, dropped change in the juke box and soon the strains of “What a Wonderful World” permeated the restaurant.

It’s always been one of my favorite songs, and I was happy to hear it.  Written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, the song’s been recorded hundreds of times by artists including Willie Nelson, Lou Rawls, and The Avrett Brothers to name a few, but probably the most popular version is  Louis Armstrong’s original one recorded in 1967.

The Date Continues

The song faded to the last notes while we chatted and ate. The man walked over to the juke box from his place at the bar and dropped more coins. “Wonderful World” started all over again. Interesting. Twice in a row. No problem. We smiled and kept eating.

The man kept it up for several more times. More than thirty years have passed, and I don’t remember exactly what happened—if someone grabbed the rest of his coins, if someone pulled the plug to the juke box, if someone got to the box first and selected another song. I simply remember wondering what would compell a man to play that song over and over.

On one hand, I felt sorry for a lonely, old man sitting at a bar. On the other, I thought it was sweet that a man would choose that song to play repeatedly.

A thirty-year-old memory deserves to pop up in a book, and you’ll find it in Forever Music.

The summer I wrote the rough draft to Forever Music, two brides chose it as their recessional song, and a family chose it to be played at the funeral of the matriarch. Clearly, I’m not the only person who still likes “What a Wonderful World.”

One More Thing

Here’s an encore from Louis Armstrong with his spoken defense of this song when compared to all the troubles we live with today. His words are perfect for these times.

Do you have a song memory? Share in the comments!