Music (1): Davy Jones, R.I.P.

This blog is primarily about language, but words take on a special power when they’re combined with music. So I’d like to dedicate this and the next post to two singers who died this week and who both meant a lot to me at different stages of my life.

The first is Davy Jones, an actor/musician who gained international fame through The Monkees.

I was about 12-13 when The Monkees were “manufactured” as an American response to The Beatles. I was B-E-S-O-T-T-E-D with them, the burning question being whether Micky Dolenz or Davy Jones was the hottest (we didn’t use “hottest”, of course, but I can’t for the life of me remember what we did say).

To this day, their songs resonate with me in a way that the Beatles’ never did and never could. They still make me pause and smile, every time I hear them. Here they are, singing “Pleasant Valley Sunday”. Enjoy the song and check out the outfits. Groovy.

The next song I’m featuring isn’t by The Monkees but by one of their members, Mike Nesmith, much later on. So a slight tangent. Here he is, singing the lovely “Joanne”. I hope you enjoy it.

By Marian Dougan

Published by Marian Dougan

Marian is a translator and editor (specialising in web content) currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. Marian previously lived in Italy for over 20 years, working as a language teacher, translator and policy analyst with the British Embassy in Rome. A qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and its Italian-language and ITI Scotnet networks, she is currently Scotnet's Convenor and Deputy Webmaster. From 2003 to 2006 Marian taught translation skills at the Italian Department of Glasgow University and now gives Master Classes as part of the new Masters in Translation Studies course. She also conducts web-writing and usability workshops to help people improve their websites and communicate more effectively with their readers, users and customers. In September 2014 Marian obtained User Experience Certification, with specialisation in Web Design, from the Nielsen Norman Group. She loves language, especially English, and is convinced that learning languages opens up people’s minds and horizons (and increases their brainpower!). To share her enthusiasm, she advises schools and educational authorities on language skills and enterprise. She gives talks to pupils on how to combine language studies with other subjects and so enhance their potential and increase their career options. Marian is an active member of organisations such as: Scottish Council Development and Industry (SCDI); Association of Scottish Businesswomen; Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Scotland. She also loves architecture, design, fashion (British Vogue!), cities and chocolate. She’s a great fan of Twitter and you can also find her on Linkedin.

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