Pennies from Heaven

Pure happiness. That is what I feel every time I listen to this song by Louis Prima. You don't know what I would give to have this song just be on constant repeat. I also really hope I never get sick of it.

If you know me, you know that I have a thing for swing. Louis Armstrong is one of my favorite singers of all time. Eventually, I will work up the courage to illustrate how much this man means to me by writing a blog post dedicated to him (but i don't think I am ready for that yet).

As I listen to this song right now, It is hard to resist the urge to just twirl around this coffee shop on this rainy Monday afternoon. Instead of making a big public scene, I just continue to smile like an idiot because this song reflects my mood: happiness. It is a somewhat of a newfound feeling, or one that I seemed to have not felt so fully this year. For once, in a really long time I am happy. I know there will be some dark days here and there. I know that growth isn't exactly linear, but right now I am soaking it all in.

Although this isn't from a recording of "Pennies from Heaven", the picture still encapsulates the vibrancy of Louis Prima

This two minute song by Louis Prima exudes his confidence, energy and love of life. It's hard not to picture Louis in the studio moving along with the beat, with his band along side him. The song is so incredibly infectious, almost like a smile. The feeling starts in your feet, as you begin to tap along to the beat and then as the song progresses, the feeling rushes to your mouth as you begin to hum along.

One amazing memory I have attached to this song is, I was spending the end of the day with someone who I consider to be a very dear friend. We had a good time walking a dog and just talking. Something so simple, brought me so much joy.

While we were in the McDonald's drive thru, I played the song. I pulled up to the window and reached out to grab by food. As I reached out, the cashier just looked at me so intently like I had done something wrong. My brain went a mile a minute. My good ole anxiety kicked in and for a solid 10 seconds I had come up with these weird worse case scenarios. Then, suddenly she said to me something that brought a smile to my face. "I'm sorry I am just trying to listen to this song who is this?," she said as I grabbed my food. I smiled and told her Louis Prima or most notably King Louis from the Jungle Book.

As I drove off, I kept thinking about that small interaction. In that moment, it was almost like for the first time,I realized the true beauty of the song and music in general. For that small fraction of time, we connected over this song. A song which at that particular moment brought us a collective joy. How cool is that?

The 1936 song has been covered countless times, by some of the greatest artists in music history. These artists include but are not limited to: Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby (who first premiered the piece) and Louis Armstrong, who I have mentioned previously. Each variation of this song is incredibly different with the artists putting their own signature twist on this classic.

With Prima's version, it showcases his swing style with a whole chunk of the song being taken out and replaced with a fantastic scat section. For me, this is what makes the song come alive. I am transported to a jazz club watching the master go to work.

I glad that this penny from heaven, this gem of a song, fell into my lap.