Guardian Angels

[Joe Fagan]

Oh, How I love this song by Mario~~one of his true masterpieces IMO.!
I will always remember the circumstances around my first hearing of
it : Most of you may be too young to remember when you could "sample"
a phonograph record before buying it in the record shop by taking it
into a little provided booth for a short hearing. Some times these
booths were private, some times they were piped out to the general
store. Well, after having my socks blown off by Mario's rendition of
the song and exiting the booth, I encountered a waiting "crowd" of
adults all asking " Who * WAS * That Singer ? Imagine that, a little
squirt like me advising grown-ups on music..lol....and of course, the
store was also quite pleased. Now, to my question: I think this was
also the song that Damon Lanza claimed his Dad would sing to the
children at bedtime. For sure, the world's greatest voice would sing
to his children~~~ and I do not mean to sound cynical here~~~ BUT,
even with the wonderful "soft pedal" possesed by Mario, this song just
doesn't lend itself to a lullaby rendition very well. I wonder if it
was some other song(s) that Mario sang to his children?. Did anyone
else have a problem with Damon's memory here?

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: I don't have any difficulty believing that Lanza sang this
song to his kids as a bedtime lullaby.

Like you, I was enchanted with his RCA rendition the first time I
heard it. The words don't make much sense ("they tuck me in/they rouse
me from my sleep" :-)), but Mario phrases so endearingly that he makes
the song somehow work. He's in beautiful voice here and I love the way
he keeps his tone appropriately lyric throughout. Gorgeous!

The Coke version isn't quite as good (the magic is missing) and on the
1959 version his voice is simply too dark and heavy for the delicate
parts of the song. (Having said that, if he'd sung it with the more
lyric voice we hear four months later on Azuri's Dance, he might well
have delivered a nice version -- even in 1959.)

[Heidi]

Hello Joe
Some years ago, during my first steps in the internet I asked Damon
how he could fell asleep while his father is shouting this song. He
told me that his father sang it very softly to him.
I am very sorry but I don`t like this song, for me it is not a lullaby
it is aggressive and overcharging my ears.
I am sorry, but In this case i would prefer even the pineaple
pickers.... I guess I am a musical Ignorant.
Cheers Heidi

[Joe Fagan]

I agree it is NOT a lullaby song for children , but breathtakingly beautiful
nonetheless, IMO. I am surprised you do not like it but,. then again, music
is subjective. There are NO right or wrong answers my dear Heidi !

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Joe, I understand that Hapo Marx wrote this song and perhaps it was
for Mario. I am sure it has some story or legend behind it that Derek
and Armando can clarify.

It is certainly one of my favorites and it is part of the "spiritual"
repetoire that I believe Mario created, even if he did so
unwittingly. A number of his songs can fall into this catagory and I
wonder what your list and the list of our friends would be?

Regards

Emilio

[Vince Di Placido]

I actually grew to love Guardian Angels from Mario's 1959 recording!
My dad had lent his album of Mario's earlier Christmas recordings to
someone long before I was born & it was never returned (actually this
happened several times to my dad) so I knew of no other recording than
the 1959 version, when I did here the 1951 recording in my teens I
couldn't believe the difference in sweetness of tone & phrasing, Mario
sounded SO youthful & lyrical & it is one of my favourite recordings.
I always take the lyrics with a pinch of salt, it is suitably
childlike & really doesn't make a lot of sense, you are right there
Derek, but Mario sells it so well & I especially like the line,
"There's one with shining wings who holds my hand, and shows me
paradise". It has to be said that Harpo Marx wrote a beautiful melody
that has a magical quality about it, Mario creates a wonderful
atmosphere in his 1951 bewitching performance.

Here is a link to Harpo's recording & sheet music for Guardian Angels!

http://www.harpbycathy.com/guardianangels.htm

[Vince Di Placido]

And here is Harpo's recording if you would like to download it.

http://www.4shared.com/file/45580562/59aa7d1b/Guardian_Angels_-_Harpo_Marx.html

On Apr 27, 7:28 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> > else have a problem with Damon's memory here?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Joe Fagan]

Just wonderful Vince, thanks. Did Harpo write both the music as well as the
words?~~~ and I was wondering if he wrote other music that we have heard.
What talent!....just a gorgeous song, immortalized by Mario. A beautiful
prayer, indeed.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Vince Di Placido" <vincent....@gmail.com>
To: "The Mario Lanza Forum" <mario...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: Guardian Angels

[Lover of Grand Voices]

This is wonderful Vince. How could I get more sheet music of Mario's
songs like this? Regards, Emilio

On Apr 27, 1:28 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Jana]

Thank you very much, Vince, for the links. I love sheet music, I can
play the tunes on the piano, but it is not easy to get.

I was without access to the Internet for a week, and now, what do I
see? 81 new messages and a new member? :-) Olá, Luisa, e bem-vinda. I
do hope you like it here and please, don't be shy to post.

As for Guardian Angels, I may be influenced by that I'm not familiar
with the 1959 rendition, but I've always thought of Mario's RCA one
that it was one of his most poignant early recordings. It is actually
one of those "difficult to listen to" for me, together with L'Alba
Separa, for example. I can't help but imagine the unfortunate hospital
room and Mario on his death bed, surrounded by his guardian angels,
and "and shows me paradise" for me is Mario's passing. He certainly
does sing it in a naive style, and that pretty much adds to the effect
of this song. I know he did not die exactly this way, but certainly
this song can be interpreted thus, don't you think? Does anybody
understand this song this way?

> > > else have a problem with Damon's memory here?- Skrýt citovaný text -
>
> - Zobrazit citovaný text -

[Lou]

Hi Jana: I thought Guardian Angels was another Marx Brothers joke
until I learned that someone else had written the lyrics (supposedly
an evening prayer), which Harpo set to music. What with lines like
"they shoo away the bears," I think the song is best sung by a child
rather than a grown man. How typical of Lanza to give it the same
respect he does his more "serious" materials! At any rate, before I
read your post, I never associated the song with Mario's passing. But
now, I do share your beautiful vision of his being surrounded by his
guardian angels at his last moments, his eyes on "one with shining
wings who holds my hand and shows me paradise." Remembering Mario's
playfulness, I like to think he was a child at heart.

Best,
Lou

> > - Zobrazit citovaný text -- Hide quoted text -

[gary from N.S.]

Gaurdian Angels is one of my favourites,and has been since I was about
10 years old.
I remember playing this song over and over again..I never had a
problem at the age of ten and to this day still accept this as a
lullaby.
No ,not a quiet lullaby, but nonetheless to my ears a lullaby.
The words always made sense to me.."They tuck me in" when I first go
to bed,and sleep draws near,they stay with me and guard me all night,
and in the morning "They rouse me from my sleep."
As Vince noted "There's one with shining wings who holds my hand, and
shows me
paradise". This is a beautiful line,and so easy to picture in my
mind.
Mario's phrasing is perfect, and his voice wonderful.

I did know that Harpo Marx had written the melody, and belated kudos
to him for such a lovely piece.
Harpo died in 1964 at age 75. Here is a youtube clip where you hear
him (albeit very briefly).. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi4A4qH07ys

I had never heard his voice till tonight,and loved his "non-speaking"
comedy roles.

"Gaurdian Angels" has always been a special song, since I first
began to listen to Mario. It "captured" me as a kid, and still does
today.It has an ethereal
quality.I wish I was a painter, because, I can picture in my mind the
"Gaurdian Angels" surrounding the sleeping child, and watching over
all night.
Cheers
Gary

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Gary: I must say that it'd never occurred to me that there was
meant to be a time lapse (:-)) between "they tuck me in" and "they
rouse me from my sleep" (I'd always associated these "angels" purely
with the night), but your explanation certainly makes sense!

I honestly feel that in any other singer's hands, Guardian Angels
would be a hopelessly saccharine, sickly mess of a song. But by
imbuing it with such magical childlike wonder, Lanza not only pulls it
off, he turns it into something rather special. Vince is right to
single out Mario's treatment of the line, "There's one with shining
wings who holds my hand", for it's a wonderful example of great
phrasing and picture painting. Then there's the endearing way he
pronounces "Guardian" each time: irresistible stuff!

[gary from N.S.]

Hi Derek..
Its a fascinating song..and yes his special delivery makes it so..
His pronunciation of "Guardian Angels" lives within my memory
always,and on occasion when I feel the presence of an "angel" Mario's
voice comes alive with the feeling. I am 64 and no one's fool, but I
can attest to the feeling of a "Guardian Angel" being present more
than once in my life.
His singing for this piece "irrestisible" absolutely..

On Apr 29, 6:49 pm, "Derek McGovern" <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Gary: I must say that it'd never occurred to me that there was
> meant to be a time lapse (:-)) between "they tuck me in" and "they
> rouse me from my sleep" (I'd always associated these "angels" purely
> with the night), but your explanation certainly makes sense!
>
> I honestly feel that in any other singer's hands, Guardian Angels
> would be a hopelessly saccharine, sickly mess of a song. But by
> imbuing it with such magical childlike wonder, Lanza not only pulls it
> off, he turns it into something rather special. Vince is right to
> single out Mario's treatment of the line, "There's one with shining
> wings who holds my hand", for it's a wonderful example of great
> phrasing and picture painting. Then there's the endearing way he
> pronounces "Guardian" each time: irresistible stuff!
>