This was a roundabout way to say that Friday was Arbor Day. We had unwittingly but appropriately chosen the theme of FLOWERS and PLANTS, and to play these songs there was a slew of us: Liz, Joe, Jack, Larry, Arlene, Scott, Sam, Ken, Jen, Deb (her third time here), Vin, John, Nathan, Chris, Sally (her second time here), WendySue and two friendly new folks, Betty and Lenny.

1. Purple Rain, Prince, 1984 (Ken)

This had nothing to do with trees or photosynthesis, but was only to mourn the loss of the talented Prince. We played along to his video. His phrasing was very tough to mimic.

2. Scarborough Fair, Simon and Garfunkel, 1968 (Christine)

I've heard this song loads of times and never knew more than the first verse of the main melody, nor any of the words of the subtle, partly-hidden counter-melody.

3. Build Me Up, Buttercup, The Foundations, 1969 (Christine)

This English group had two monster hits in '68 and '69 (the other being Baby, Now That I've Found You), then proceeded to disappear from the charts. I hope they still had jobs in the music biz and weren't reduced to selling insurance or shucking corn. We played only one of the two verses.

4. Rose Garden, Lynn Anderson, 1970 (Christine)

This was a big Top Ten, written by Joe South. He also wrote Down in the Boondocks for Billy Joe Royal and the first Deep Purple hit, Hush.

5. The Rose, Bette Midler, 1980 (Arlene)

I never dug this slow, dirge-like ballad, but we've played it before and it always comes out well. As an antidote, Ken led us through a happy-ukey version, something that never fails to cheer me.

6. Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree, Dawn (with Tony Orlando), 1973 (Frank/absent. We must remember to fine Frank.)

I couldn't keep up with the changes when played fast (that is to say, the proper speed). We tried it again, more slowly, and I did better, but it actually sounds much better the other way.

7. Garden Party, Ricky Nelson, 1972 (Christine)

After having great success as a youngster in the late '50s and early '60s, Rick was in the wilderness for nearly a decade until he came up with this excellent song. We didn't attempt it, maybe because no one could find a good chord sheet.

8. Cotton-Eyed Joe (Christine)

This song is from before the Civil War. I never heard of it, but it was pretty easy.

9. English Tea, Paul McCartney, 2005 (Arlene)

This one reminds me of his deliberately old-fashioned-sounding songs such as Honey Pie, from the white album, or When I'm 64. No one but Arlene really knew it, but we played it passably.

10. Tiptoe Through the Tulips, Tiny Tim, 1968 (Ken)

This was originally a hit in 1929 but revived in falsetto by Herbert Khaury (Tiny Tim). This might be the song most often mentioned by people when you tell them you play the ukulele. It's not the easiest, but it is well worth taking a little time to practice it and get used to it, as it can sound fantastic. Use the chords from Dr. Uke. Don't let that Eb diminished scare you.

11. You Don't Bring Me Flowers, Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, 1978

We attempted to do a version that the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain did. In groups of 2 or 3, Ken assigned us a chord to pluck each time it came around. Christine and I were stuck with Em, which came up infrequently, and so were gypped out of playing time. The C, G and F people were the lucky ducks. This was an interesting undertaking.

12. Tutti Frutti, Little Richard, 1956 (Nathan)

Chris sang this with his usual gusto.

13. When I Was Your Man, Bruno Mars, 2012 (Nathan)

Sam took the vocals, backed by Chris, Nathan and Scott.

14. Flowers on the Wall, Statler Brothers, 1965 (Sally)

This was a big memory from childhood, maybe because they mention Captain Kangaroo. How come you never hear it played on oldies stations anymore? The chords were easy. It was played pretty fast, but it was straightforward and everyone kept up. It was my favorite song of the evening.

15. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, The Beatles, 1967 (Nathan)

We did this before on another themed night. Maybe it was for girls names or for things in the heavens. Sounded pretty good.

16. Cracklin' Rosie, Neil diamond, 1970 (Vin)

Here's another easy song that we played fast and clear. I always wondered if this song was not about a girl at all but rather a bottle of booze. She's a "store-bought woman." He wants her to make him smile, and if it (his buzz) lasts for an hour, well, that's all right. Am I reading something into this that isn't there? Scott, you teach English. What do you make of it?

17. San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair), Scott McKenzie, 1967 (Dan)

We were OK on this hippie anthem but flubbed the tough key change in the last line. Speaking of hippie songs mentioning flowers, there were two I was going to suggest: Dandelion (Rolling Stones, 1967) and That's the Way (Led Zeppelin, 1970). I tried playing Dandelion and couldn't get it to sound like anything. The Zeppelin song, which sounds so gentle and melodic, was utterly impossible to even attempt, with weird chords changing fast. Also, I don't know how many of us would be familiar with this. It was reasonably popular on FM rock stations, but was never a hit single. I thought of it because it has one of my all-time favorite lines: Yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers.

18. Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show, 2003 (Nathan)

We've done this many many times, as it is a favorite of Nathan and Chris. This is how we ended the night.

When the gong sounded at 9:45, we had yet to pick a topic for the next session. (I'd like to propose a new rule. At 9:30, just as we're winding down, before the last couple of songs, let's pause and call out suggested themes for our next encounter.) Sam wanted songs mentioning America and Nathan wanted songs about desserts. (Don McLean's American Pie would satisfy both categories.) Jen wanted DUETS. I wasn't crazy about any of the suggestions. But the ever-combative Jen got her way, and I wondered if we'd have enough material for an evening of duets. Besides Sonny and Cher, then what? After they kicked us out into the cold, we chatted on the library steps and came up with more possibilities: Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, Elton John and Kiki Dee, Petty and Nicks, Streisand and Gibb and the unlikely pairing of Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Okay Jen, maybe this wasn't a bad idea. Are we going to try and take male and female signing parts? That could be interesting.

-- Dan.