I saw Kate supporting Billy Bragg in Brighton. Seemed like a lovely lady with a great sense of humor. I think she'd appreciate a cup of tea and a few rich tea for dunking, a warm fire and chunky knitwear.
This was the theme song to the British dramedy Jam And Jerusalem (retitled Clatterford in America, as they figured if they called it Jam And Jerusalem the Americans would think it was about the Middle East rather than the Women's Institute). It was a great show, which I heartily urge you to try and see, if you have not already done so. In fact, hearing this again, I think I'll dig out my copy of Jam And Jerusalem and watch it again. It was written by Abigail Wilson and Jennifer Saunders (of Ab Fab). Saunders also appeared in it, as did Dawn French, and Sue Johnston (of The Royle Family) and Patrick Barlow (of Is It Legal). It was a gentle, insightful drama / comedy about life, particularly women's life, in a small English village.
This is nice, straightforward cover. It doesn't have the whimsical melancholy and nostalgia of the original, the thing that makes it fun and poignant at the same time. But Ray Davies is pretty much unique in that.
This song remindws me of sitting by the river in the beer garden of the local pub drinking luke warm flat beer and eating fish and chips on a hot summer's day. I love this country. This country would be perfect except for our idiotic politics.
Does nobody else detect the sneering cynicism of Ray Davies in this song? It seems that everyone is taking it at face value, but either way it's a great song, and beautifully done by Kate.
What IS the face value?... I thought it's a humorous and yet sincere poke at 'little englanders'.. Whatever, i feel "sneering cynicism" is far too strong .
All you have to do is a little research, it's not a poke at villagers, it's the opposite, Ray Davies loved the village life and it's more of a poke at metroplitan life
Gentlemen, I may be able to help in the rather obtuse conversation anent Kate being racist with this song. The Village Green is where the crusaders would gather before wandering off, leaving the high-rise buildings behind them as they wandered Eastwards, many of them disguised as Desperate Dan, Fu Manchu, Moriarty et al. Red was the colour of their enemy's blood, which happens to be the same colour as strawberry jam. Donald Duck is, of course, anathema to many religionists, in that he refuses to wear trousers and proudly shows off this D.A. By the same token, Antique shops can be considered racists, as many of the artefacts within were stolen from foreign lands, although equally obviously rather more weren't. Virginity has always a contention, especially in this day and age where many expect to get 72 for various actions. They may well be dressed in the Vaudeville style. The "old ways" may well refer to the aforementioned crusades, and the "new ways" the current laxity in moral standards, such as found in billiard halls, and eventually led to the downfall of Good Old Mother Riley, a lady of a certain virtue, most notably after her fling with Mrs. Mopp Draught beer is totally unacceptable in a multi-cultural society The objection to Custard Pies is surely obvious to even the most meagre of intellect. Sherlock Holmes, being supported by the English-speaking Vernacular cannot possibly be acceptable, if only because it translates so poorly in to Urdu, Tamil or Hindustani. Mr. Holmes also had a certain interest in drugs, which must be against whichever Holy Writings, never mind the fact that the violin which he played is an aggressively European instrument. So was Dracula. Little shops have little role to play in modern Britain, largely because little ones only tend to sell bread, cheese, Smarties, vegetables and fags, with nary a single jar of spice to be seen, and the old geezer behind the counter, who got gassed in the War, wouldn't know what a Naan Bread was if it jumped up and bit him - not entirely impossible. The objection to Tudor Houses must be blindingly obvious, what with the obvious and unsubtle contrast between black and white, with white being the predominant colour. It's enough to offend the sensibilities of a saint. There must be more, but anyway, "what more can we do?"
