I Can't Play the Ukulele

Joanna

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Description

This is a pre-emptive post. You see, at some point, I'd run into Caroline in the chat room. We'd get to talking and she'd ask if I'd done anything musical lately, and I would tease her by telling her of this terrible song. She would immediately cajole me into posting it. I would protest. She would cajole harder and for some unknown reason, I'd give in.

Therefore, rather than waiting for all that to happen, I'm just going to post it.

Caroline -- this one's for you (even though you never asked for it)!

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Lyrics

I have no idea. Just listen. They're mighty silly.

Song Stats

Hits: 3099
Comments: 36
Fans: 8
Plays: 509
Downloads: 82
Votes:
Uploaded: May 03, 2006 - 06:54:14 AM
Last Updated: May 03, 2006 - 01:39:05 AM Last Played: Oct 26, 2009 - 09:30:13 PM

Song License

Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Song Actions

Keywords:

ukulele (18), Joanna (39), vocals (124), improvisation (80)

Hardware:

My $20 Ukulele.

Software:

Comments

Slotogenic	Slotogenic said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Love me a $20 ukulele This is very amusing. The rhytyhm may not be on, but other than that, your playing sounds fine, though that is not the point of this song. The fact that your voice sounds fantastic really makes this work. Plus I love the fact that you just keep singing how you can't play a ukulele. Fun stuff!

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Love me a $20 ukulele Thank you, ewe! (sounds like I have a stutter) The rhythm is nonexistant. I guess I shoulda learned how to play it first, but where's the fun in that? I'm glad you enjoyed it! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Slotogenic	Slotogenic said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Love me a $20 ukulele This is very amusing. The rhytyhm may not be on, but other than that, your playing sounds fine, though that is not the point of this song. The fact that your voice sounds fantastic really makes this work. Plus I love the fact that you just keep singing how you can't play a ukulele. Fun stuff!

ClifarQ	ClifarQ said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	I Can't Play This Ukulele Joanna, you have a very pleasant and versatile voice...I hear jazz in there. Check out my latest song called GirlieMovies

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	I Can't Play This Ukulele Thank you, Clif! Apparently, no matter what I sing, it turns out sounding like jazz. I can't help it. I love to sing jazz! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

drakonis

drakonis said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)

ROFLelele
I believe it was the old Mac text editor "BBEdit" that for a while had the
advertising slogan "BBedit sucks less". I think this sucks less than my
Dulcimer attempt does. Your earthy singing voice, your fun playing (a
cool song, to boot!) and your always-enjoyable lyrics, and the fact that
you always have fun with your art... these show through in your music
and make it intoxicatingly heartwarming. Love it... and I bet Caroline
now will have to come up with a return volley. Uke starts again:
I'll just sit in the crossfire...
smirking at you two...
Wondering from time to time...
Who is who...
ttfn,
Drakonis

Check out my latest song called Lullaby for the Inner Child

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	ROFLelele Thanks, Drak! "It sucks less" -- what a great way to put it, though I'd argue aobut the 'less'! I hear you're responsible for sending Caroline in. Good job! I was so certain how that conversation was going to go that I cut to the chase, as you can tell. I adore ya, Dragon Man! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

thetiler	thetiler said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	love the impromptu . . . . like that ending as well. I didn't count to see if you did the 3 minuets but like the humor of it. The spontaneity (personality) of it is a gem. Joanna, this is one of the precious things I love about MJ is the honesty, the warmth, caring etc. You are a great addition to MJ Joanna ! Check out my latest song called The Bluebird Cafe (with two other guest)

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	love the impromptu . . . . As are you, Tiler! Thank you so much -- I did indeed make it to 3 minutes, although I have no idea why that was a goal. As for the ending, purely by accident I found a nice ending note. Suprised me, too! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Cori Ander	Cori Ander said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Ahh Ahh great! So sad i couldn't 10-bomb this one! Check out my latest song called Guitar test — Martin CSN (Gerry Tolman Tribute)

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Ahh A 10 bomb for this song? ROFLOL! So sorry I took that away from you. Thank you so much, Cory! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

apb	apb said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	I wish you could play the Ukulele ;oD ... but seriously, brilliant! I am envious ... My first ever instrument was a Ukulele .. fortunately, I outgrew it before I learnt to play it and had to steal my families guitars instead. I'm sure sales of ukulele's around the world are soaring as we speak .. Check out my latest song called Misplaced

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	I wish you could play the Ukulele ;oD Thank you, apb! It's a real shame you outgrew yours (how big does one have to be to outgrow one? I shudder to think what I looked like as I played). We could've done duets! Well, you could've played and I could've pretended to play. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

apb

apb said 1298 days ago (May 4th, 2006)

I wish you could play the Ukulele ;oD
oh about ... 'I' ... high. Now I am shrinking backwards from guitars through
mandolin, won't be long before I will have to take up the ukulele once more ..
ahh, the circle of life ... down Simba!

---
"horrifically prolific or prolifically horrific - either way, it's hard to say"
"I went from A to B once, didn't like it much, so I went back to A"
"my first

Check out my latest song called Misplaced

caroline

caroline said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)

LMAO joanna!!!
i got home (i had left the computer!!) - i popped into chat (didn't even
check my notification emails) - drak rushed over and posted a link (i
clicked it) and now i am here on my second listen and howling with
laughter. hey lady - you are well ahead of the game - i sent my uke to
screamingalex!!! and (of course) you were right - that's exactly what
would have happened!! big loves joanna - thank you xox

Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf

Joanna

Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)

LMAO joanna!!!
Good ole Drak -- he knows a Caroline-must-hear song when he hears one.
Yes, this one was for you and darn right that's how it would've happened. The
whole conversation played out in my head and I thought, "Eh, what the heck,
I'll just give in and save her the trouble." Thanks for being you, even if you're
not around to be you at that moment!

Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

caroline

caroline said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)

Check out my latest song called clink that link mjrf

snowdragon	snowdragon said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	lol OK, you got your laugh. Now that you've got this out of your system, sing me a nice torch song Billie. And if you need an old hack six-stringer to do anything for you, just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you? :) Check out my latest song called The Wolf 7

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	lol Ah, Snowy, any time you want to six string for me, I'll be there. It is about time I got torchy again, isn't it? Well, I was thinking about it, but the uke just fell into my hands somehow and after doing all the work to tune it, I figured I'd better strum it a few times, too. This was the result. Torch song soon, I promise! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	lol Ah, Snowy, any time you want to six string for me, I'll be there. It is about time I got torchy again, isn't it? Well, I was thinking about it, but the uke just fell into my hands somehow and after doing all the work to tune it, I figured I'd better strum it a few times, too. This was the result. Torch song soon, I promise! Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

perceptualvortex	perceptualvortex said 1299 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Hahaha I love it, this is great fun... one of the biggest smile inducers I've heard in a while. Check out my latest song called Machine Man (w Beastie Boys)

Joanna	Joanna said 1298 days ago (May 3rd, 2006)
	Hahaha Thank you, PV! You couldn't have said a nicer thing. Check out my latest song called Nellie G.

Stun Nutz

Stun Nutz said 1298 days ago (May 4th, 2006)

This is great!
I do this kinda stuff with my kids all the time (without the ukelele,
though)... singing books, instead of reading them... singing about what
we are doing right now...etc.

Thanks for the great time, Joanna!

By the way, check out my tune "pocket lizard" if you haven't already... the
lyrics are simple and repeated, but it is a goofy one...

Check out my latest song called Gossamer dissected

jackstone	jackstone said 1297 days ago (May 5th, 2006)
	Fun! Your vocal is really amazing. Always fun for me to listen your song. Thanks for Nice Swinging mood! Check out my latest song called July Sky

Epileptic Gibbon	Epileptic Gibbon said 1296 days ago (May 6th, 2006)
	Luck be ukulele tonight I wish I was on-line at the moment then maybe I could comment on this. Ah, well... Check out my latest song called Fiddler Off the Roof w/Komrade K & Caroline

Epileptic Gibbon	Epileptic Gibbon said 1296 days ago (May 6th, 2006)
	Luck be ukulele tonight I wish I was on-line at the moment then maybe I could comment on this. Ah, well... Check out my latest song called Fiddler Off the Roof w/Komrade K & Caroline

Boris the Bull

Boris the Bull said 1294 days ago (May 8th, 2006)

thoughts from the bull...
obviously there's been a lot said about this one. but i believe this is a
rare piece that actually captures a wonderfully common element found
in most of our works here.

i don't know about everybody, but when i record, if i screw up a vocal
track, or even a guitar track, you can usually hear me say something
ridiculous or break out into Smoke on the Water or something.

but because these tracks are deleted or recorded over, those honest,
simple, and fun moments (even if it's a cuss word of frustration) are
lost.

this piece is like one of those moments. a peek inside the artist's
process, in both learning to play an unfamiliar instrument and
recording. it's funny because it's real. it's humorous because most
folks can relate. it's music because joanna is an artist, in all measures,
and this is her in "the studio."

i really enjoyed this. it brought me home.

Check out my latest song called What You'd Be Like

DeputyDoofy	DeputyDoofy said 1294 days ago (May 8th, 2006)
	Well, This was fun, too. lol I enjoyed it. As someone else pointed out, you do have that jazz thang going with your voice. Is a good thing. Check out my latest song called Sweet Smell Of Success

urbnite	urbnite said 1294 days ago (May 8th, 2006)
	haha! did you make it to 3 minutes? ha - this made me laugh. looks like none of your lines found any rhymes, though... oh, oops. that's not true, is it? i want a uke! this is a trend now, it seems? i want on that bandwagon. thanks for the fun! Check out my latest song called Everything's Perfect

screamalexz	screamalexz said 1294 days ago (May 8th, 2006)
	silly indeed. hehe, i'm amused, caroline is what brings me back to posting when i haven't been recording hehe with her as a friend i'm bound to finish my album eventually. uke's are fun caroline sent me one :) Check out my latest song called Die (Album Version)

The Orbiting	The Orbiting said 1292 days ago (May 9th, 2006)
	Whee! What a cool testament to musical freedom, Joanna. It just underlines so well that this music stuff is meant to be fun as much as anything. Your voice is wonderful as always and is definitely part of the magic of this song. --ledeb. Check out my latest song called Mayday

macgalver	macgalver said 1292 days ago (May 10th, 2006)
	I'm in Joanna--I adore the quality of your voice. I love the spontenaity (sp?) of this tune! You're cracking me up here--xxoo, kelli YOU are a perky little instrument! Check out my latest song called First Sight

MissChaos

MissChaos said 1290 days ago (May 11th, 2006)

why, oh why...
does this remind me of Joe Vs. The Volcano? You are such a gem of a
person, Joanna. Brave, confident and so humble. The vocals on this are
just a pleasure. Full of character. So cute (i don't think I've ever used that
word at MacJams to date!) Thank you for such a genuine smile. I'm going
to download this and play it over the PA at work when everyone is
stressed out. :-)

Check out my latest song called Mama Cries - Album Version (MJRF)

	said 1288 days ago (May 14th, 2006)
	You have a great voice! Really pro quality smoke in there (great range to). Reminds me of the lead vox for 4 Non Blondes actually!! I loved the lyrics as well... not gonna comment on the perky little lnstrument though.

Arin	Arin said 1287 days ago (May 15th, 2006)
	oh tee hee This is just grand. It reminds me of myself as I try and learn to play the guitar. I can even spell the word guitar-- but gosh-- that alone just isn't helping me learn how to play it--or how to mic it. Great, pleasant, fun, and entertaining listen. I was smiling the whole time. : ) Check out my latest song called Forgotten (collab w/domdino and Saint)

scotsmanlerxt	scotsmanlerxt said 1159 days ago (September 20th, 2006)
	Tears in my eyes I'm laughing so hard right now. It's a good thing I went to the bathroom before playing this tune! OMG ROTF!!! Check out my latest song called Colton's Music Box