The Grail

Well, the Rhapsody gods are smiling upon me. Less than a day after naming this blog I stumbled upon what has to be the ultimate expression of ribaldry and schmaltz. I listened to this song three times in a row when I found it, and still couldn't believe it even existed.

I'm speaking of course of Guava Jelly by Barbra Streisand.

Guava Jelly is a vintage Bob Marley song of romantic innuendo. Streisand gives it a slow, sultry island treatment complete with echoing steel drums, a feisty chorus, and an extended climactic outro that is just mind-blowing.

This track is from the 1974 album Butterfly. The album cover features a stick of butter on a white background with a housefly on it. Wow. Barbra behaving badly. I had no idea. I mean, I knew she had "nothing to be guilty of" but this is out there.

For the adventurous, Butterfly also offers an unconvincing cover of Life On Mars by David Bowie and leads off with a song titled Love in the Afternoon:

"And deep in my soul
I could feel a quiver
Then he went down
And found that sweet old river
And he showed me the way
To find love in the afternoon"

I still suspect this whole thing is a hoax, but I love it.