March 26, 2003
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La Primera Vez, Que Bese Su Boca ...*
Did you guys watch Celine Dion's Las Vegas opening night concert on CBS? I missed the first part and was so sad when I realized. I tuned in just before she sang "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" - those of you who speak Spanish will know that the title of my blog is a line from that song. It's the line I remember best from when I performed it in Spanish when I was in High School. Each year our Spanish teacher took us to a competition where students performed drama, music, recited poetry. etc. Our class was allowed to decide democratically who would represent us in each event. I always wanted to be in the drama but for three years, I was selected to sing.
I don't remember what I sang the first or third year. My sophomore year I was to scared to know what I was singing, and my senior year I had so much other stuff in my head that I'm just pleased that I remembered when to show up. But my junior year, my teacher asked me to sing this particular song. It had special meaning to her, and because she requested it, it came to have special meaning to me. I don't know whether or not I won anything that first or third year. The year I sang for Mrs. Rowan, I know I brought home a trophy. Isn't it odd the things that we remember and the things we forget as time passes?
I remember the phrase "moon and stars," "heart beat like a bird" and a few others that still pop into my head from time to time when I hear one of the words from those phrases. (As I'm typing I'm remembering a few more phrases that I hadn't thought of in years.) At 16 I didn't have any more than imagined understanding of the meaning behind that song. I barely overcame my consternation at singing "The first time ever I lay with you" and I don't think I could have done it if my parents had been in the audience even if they couldn't understand the words.
Usually when I think of this song, it evokes a bittersweet longing for romance in the old sense of the word. The music is a veil between myself and high adventure, noble purposes, far-away places, purity of heart, mystery, and chivalrous love. I smell it and taste it, I can almost touch it. Somehow the so called "real" world pales and recedes beside the shadowy glimpse of transcendence.
*The first time, that I kissed your mouth . . .
Comments (12)
i can order a beer in spanish. that's about all i know.....
i missed celine dion. my dog won't let us watch tv unless it's Columbo or Unsolved Mysteries....
No (why would I?).
I took French but was never very good at it as I didn't approach it very seriously and besides, it's a dirt word now! 
o/ 
God Bless - Dale
Winner Dread's Quote of the Day Award!
"The music is a veil between myself and high adventure, noble purposes, far-away places, purity of heart, mystery, and chivalrous love."
I have this song running though my head... some of the lyrics are, "Let the bodies hit the floor..." Now, I ponder if that is the adventure or chivalrous love part?
HA!
Sail on... sail on!!!!
when I've been reading your blogs I had no idea I was reading the blog of an award winning singer
I missed that whole show and I wanted to see it!
I thought it was on tonight! Dang. Oh, so you're a singer, eh? Is there no end to your talents?
Beautiful Entry
Blessings!
~H
I have a special dislike for this song. First, as a teen, it was a yawner. But more important than that, it was #1 on the charts, and thereby prevented my favorite song, Up Around the Bend, from taking the prized spot. Creedence Clearwater Revival had many hits, huge sales, but never a #1 song. Amazing. And this crap song prevented it. I hate it still.
I envy your singing voice. It can't scare of wild ravenous jackals like mine can but it's nice anyway.
I remember that song from the movie Play Misty For Me. At least I think that's right. I know Roberta Flack sang it...
Songs...ballad-y type songs...sung in spanish, french, whatever...always sound so much more romantic to me... You sang a solo? Whoa...I'm impressed. I couldn't even get into the choral group I wanted (acapella) in highschool b/c I was too scared to sing alone...in a small room...with the music teacher I'd known since my brother had gone to school there 9 years before me...with a girl I grew up with accompanying on the piano. Ah, gotta love stage fright. He knew I could sing. He knew I was a good choice for acapella...he just had to follow the rules and since I couldn't try out......psh........
I knew Celine was on but since I don't much care for her, I didn't watch it.
I envy talented people - I wish I could sing
for some reason I read that as La Primavera ves... The Spring time, see? and then it was the kissing? and I thought it was going to be a blog about kissing in the springtime. lol
the first time.... ever I kissed your face. Mmm.
I missed Celine, too., but we TiVoed it. Nya, nya.
I wasn't in high school when Roberta made that song popular, but all the women around me still went gaga over it.
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