With Julie In Mind On Our Wedding Anniversary
Married July 20, 1980
Another Of Julie’s1 Ideas
It seems as though it should have been more complicated.
After we had lived together for a couple of years, Julie thought we should be married. I was not convinced that being legally wed was a necessary step for us, and Julie made it clear that she was not issuing an ultimatum.
But, I never told Julie “No.”
And once again, it turned out that Julie was right.
They’re Playing From Our Jukebox
Shortly after Julie and I were together, I complained to her that, unlike most couples we knew, we did not have an “Our Song,” and, further, that she was the cause of the problem because no one song could sufficiently represent a relationship with her.
From then on, Julie would periodically inform me that “They’re playing one of Our Top Ten Songs.” Other variations on this theme included “Oh, that’s a newcomer rising fast on Our Playlist,” “From the Country & Western Our Songs charts, we’re listening to …,” and, perhaps her favorite, “Dance with me - that’s a song from Our Jukebox.”
They Can’t Take That Away From Me was a frequently played selection in Our Jukebox. While Julie usually preferred the rendition by Sinatra or, most frequently, Billie Holiday, I’ve lately found myself drawn to Stacey Kent’s more measured and elegant version of the ballad.
They Can’t Take That Away From Me Sung by Stacey Kent
They Can’t Take That Away From Me
By George and Ira GershwinThere are many many crazy things
That will keep me loving you
And with your permission
May I list a fewThe way you wear your hat
The way you sip your tea
The memory of all that
No they can’t take that away from meThe way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No they can’t take that away from meWe may never never meet again, on that bumpy road to love
But Ill always, always keep the memory ofThe way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No they can’t take that away from me
The Photo: The photo at the top left of the montage atop this post was taken at our wedding; in it, from left to right, are Julie’s mother, Julie’s father, Julie, me, my mother, and my father. In the photo at the bottom left, the cats, from left to right, are Guido and Diego.
Footnotes
- Julie Showalter was my much-beloved, fiercely smart, extraordinarily sexy wife and prize-winning writer, who died in 1999 from cancer diagnosed the week of our wedding nearly 20 years earlier. There are many other posts about her and her writing in this blog. For information, see Julie Showalter FAQ ~back~
Great song. I see deeply happy people in those pictures - Julie radiates joy like sunflowers, and you look quite happy yourself. I wish you all the treasures that memories can be on your anniversary.
Comment by MindSpin — July 20, 2007 @ 8:17 am
Julie looks ecstatic. You look like you just unlocked the secret of the universe. Thanks for a glimpse at true happiness.
Comment by Mrs. Linklater — July 21, 2007 @ 8:29 am
Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos.
Comment by dick — July 22, 2007 @ 8:11 am