Ukulele Lady charms audiences with its charming melody and emotive lyrics. The song celebrates music’s ability to bring people from diverse backgrounds together and enrich their lives, serving as a testament to Arlo Guthrie’s unique musical style blending folk, country and storytelling elements.
The Ukulele is an exquisite instrument, beloved by both children and adults alike. Featured in many iconic songs such as those listed below.
May Singhi Breen
May Singhi Breen was known as “The Ukulele Lady.” She was instrumental in getting the ukulele recognized by the American Federation of Musicians and became widely popular through her music publishing work over decades. Breen’s innovative ukulele skills inspired other musicians playing the instrument to develop their own distinctive versions of songs on this instrument.
Breen showed early promise as a musician. At an early age she started playing piano and banjo and quickly picked up other instruments, including the ukulele which initially she wasn’t fond of but eventually became her go-to instrument despite its no return policy at department stores.
Shortly thereafter, Breen and her male partner began appearing on radio as the Syncopators as ukulele-banjo duet. Once she met Peter De Rose in 1923 and formed their own show called Sweethearts of the Air that ran on radio networks for 16 years until 1929 when they finally married each other.
Breen was an ardent proponent of the ukulele and advocate, convincing music publishers to include ukulele chords in sheet music for songs she composed from 1920-1950. Her arrangement appeared on hundreds of pieces from this period as well as hundreds of individual sheet pieces she taught at home; her instructional books focused on solo performance while her slogan read, ‘Uke can play the melody!
Breen is best-known for her songbook Ukulele Songs for Beginners, which contains 100 classic melodies with easy-to-read chord diagrams for beginner ukulele players. This classic book in ukulele instruction remains an all-time classic today. Breen performed both radio and film performances during her career and wrote several method books and published a chord dictionary; she was even regularly featured as a guest artist on The Ed Sullivan Show before being honored with induction into the Ukulele Hall of Fame in 2000.
Arlo Guthrie
Ukulele Lady is an exquisite folk song composed and performed by Arlo Guthrie that captures the mesmerizing beauty of music while conveying a powerful message about love. With its catchy melody and simple lyrics, its catchiness captures hearts worldwide resonating across cultures and generations alike. Guthrie uses his beloved ukulele as an ideal instrument to deliver this message which speaks of simple joys found wherever one might look – something his live performances always do with delight and nostalgia in each performance of this timeless tune! This whimsical song has quickly become an audience favorite at Arlo Guthrie live performances which always brings joy reminisce back into our memories of our childhoods pasts!
Arlo Guthrie performed at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel for an attentive crowd with his band. Starting off with two minutes of the Motorcycle song, followed by All Over the World on keyboards before concluding his set with The City of New Orleans to thunderous applause from its audience. As an encore song he finished with In Times Like These with its haunting harmonies for one more listen.
Guthrie’s second set included both traditional folk songs and his original material. His voice reminded one of Peter Seeger and Woody Guthrie, as well as that of Bob Dylan; his rendition of Leadbelly’s St. James Infirmary Blues was impeccable, followed by Hoyt Axton’s Lightning Bar Blues before ending with an ode to his childhood in the American Southwest.
Arlo Guthrie stands out with his distinctive blend of traditional and contemporary folk music with his powerful storytelling ability, making his songs impactful and life-changing. One of the most influential American folk musicians, his songs have touched many lives and will continue to do so for years. His performances are moving and inspirational – his legacy lives on in music lovers everywhere!
Lyrics
May Singhi Breen, known on radio as the “Ukulele Lady,” passed away today at age 98 in Neptune, New Jersey. She earned recognition for convincing publishers to incorporate ukulele chords into sheet music publications and for her prolific involvement as an arranger since 1920 in hundreds of pieces from this period alone. Alongside Peter De Rose (deceased), May and her daughter both performed as “Sweethearts of the Air” from 1923-1939 on national radio networks under various musical acts dubbed as “Sweethearts of the Air”.
The whimsical Ukulele Lady tells a captivating tale of music’s transformative power to unite people from diverse backgrounds. Featured prominently, an ukulele represents love’s simplicity and beauty while its lyrics provide listeners with its captivating message and melodic beauty.
Bette Midler, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy have recorded this song over its years as well as having included in various films and television shows such as Season Two of The Muppet Show. Additionally, this classic American folk song won several awards such as Grammy’s Comedy Recording award in 1975; considered a classic American folk tune these resources may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes; they should be used within context and be treated as historical documents from their time period.
Performances
Ukulele Lady has long been a classic tune and has been performed by various artists since it first debuted. Be it as an album track or live performance, its lyrics evoke feelings of love and community through music’s ability to unify people across cultures and generations.
This song tells the tale of an ukulele player who falls in love with a woman through her reaction to his playing; love and music have an incredible power to transform lives, as this version shows. Many versions have added their own personal interpretation to its lyrics.
Though its melody may be simple, the song remains evergreen with audiences around the globe. Arlo Guthrie’s live performances of it are particularly captivating; his energetic performances breathe new life into an iconic tale.
May Singhi Breen was an accomplished ukulele artist who appeared with her husband, Peter De Rose, on radio networks as part of their music show. She helped popularize the instrument through writing arrangements for sheet music and performing concerts featuring it; additionally she was instrumental in convincing the American Federation of Musicians to classify ukuleles as serious musical instruments.