For our first session of the spring, we had a small, dedicated bunch: Anne, Arlene, Ken, Jen, Suzan and Larry. We played songs by women singer/songwriters.

1. I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart, Patsy Montana, 1935 (Arlene)

Though an old song, we watched a video of it by Cyndi Lauper, with Jewel doing a bit of yodeling. I bet you have to be uninhibited to yodel well. Lauper grew up in Ozone Park and is the last person I'd expect to hear sing a country song. Her strong accent is not evident in the singing, however, and only comes out briefly when she shouts "Yippee aye yay."

2. Better Place, Rachel Platten, 2016 (Arlene)

This is a sweet song. Is she famous? It's a nice message to convey to your significant other. It reminds me of Elton John's line, "How wonderful life is while you're in the world."

3. You're So Vain, Carly Simon, 1972 (Dan)

She's my all-time favorite chanteuse.

4. Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Carole King, 1971 (Ken)

I once heard a DJ call her a national treasure. I'd like this song no matter who did it, though I prefer the Shirelles peppier version to King's own, done eleven years later on her monster-hit album, Tapestry. We played both. Arlene said this should go on the list of songs we should do in performance. The next time we're booked on Johnny Carson, let's do it. There is a sensational cover by an all-girl band called The Like.

5. Luka, Suzanne Vega, 1987 (Jen)

Here was Suzanne Vega's breakout hit. It was on the same album as Tom's Diner, a song done originally with no instruments. A few years ago, while visiting Niagara Falls, we took a side excursion to Lockport, New York and ate at a Tom's Diner. I mentioned to the waitress that I liked that Suzanne Vega song, and she looked at me blankly.

6. Baby Can I Hold You, Tracy Chapman, 1988 (Ken)

Man oh man, if this isn't a heartbreaker. It was hard to get through this without getting choked-up. This was my top pick of the evening.

7.One of Us, Joan Osbourne, 1995 (Jen)

The chords were in the wrong spots in some places, marring an otherwise excellent song. This song appeals to my Catholic upbringing, though I'm sure my parents and Father Flynn would have denounced it as disrespectful.

8. The Way I Am, Ingrid Michaelson, 2007 (Ken)

Terrific. I never heard of this Staten Islander before, though WFUV plays this song pretty often. Very sweet. Impossibly catchy chorus.

9. Passionate Kisses, Lucinda Williams, 1988 (Ken)

Ken picked this last June. This was so much fun to play. It has funny lyrics and a great sound.

10. You Were Meant for Me, Jewel, 1995 (Dan)

Here's another heartbreaker, a crushing breakup song.

I saw a movie

It just wasn't the same

'Cause it was happy

Oh, I was sad

And it made me miss you

Oh so bad

Do you know the comedian Garry Shandling? He said, "I was involved in a relationship and the girl left me, and I was very hurt. Very hurt. This girl left me. Well, what happened is she moved in with another guy, so, uh, I dumped her, because that's where I draw the line."

11. I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton, 1973 and Whitney Houston, 1992 (Anne) [paper handout]

The only thing we were together on was the one famous line, "I...........will always love youuuuu." For the rest, each of us were at different speeds. We should have let Anne play it for us to show how it's done. She made the chord sheet and knew the timing the best.

12. Woodstock, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, 1970 (Dan)

Joni Mitchell wrote it about the big concert. Her version is more ponderous and trippy. These guys made it a heavy rocker. It shouldn't have been especially difficult, with mostly a Gm to C verse, but it didn't come off that well. I thank everyone for indulging me. When I saw CSN 4 or 5 years ago at Jones Beach, their voices couldn't do what they did 45 years ago, but their musicianship was undiminished as they delivered a strong version of this number.

13. I'm Into Something Good, Herman's Hermits, 1964 (Bill/absent)

Oh glorious Carole King, this was another good job, dear girl. It pains me to say we might have to fine Bill three farthings, sixpence and a groat for suggesting this but not being able to play it. What a great, fun, upbeat song. If anyone remembers, we should play it at another session when Bill attends.

At this point, we were out of female material. I wonder if it would have been too hard to do an Alanis Morrisette song. Would Heart's Magic Man have been doable? What about something by Sheryl Crow? We filled in the last ten minutes with the always reliable Beatles. We should write a letter to Paul and Ringo, telling them how much we like their records, just to encourage them and build their self-confidence.

14. She Loves You, Beatles, 1964 (Arlene) The Cm sounded fantastic. Our only missed opportunity was near the end, where a tacet and dramatic pause after, "With a love like that, you know you shouuulllddd....." was in order.

15. Fool On the Hill, Beatles, 1967 (Ken)

I don't know what happened here, but the song suffered from lack of togetherness. That's a shame. Beautiful, sad song. It's worth another shot.

16. The Long and Winding Road, Beatles, 1970 (Ken)

We were OK on the verses, but stellar on the bridge. ("Many times I've been alone..........") The buzzer went off and we didn't have time to finish. I was ten when this song came out. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It sounded like something from the Lawrence Welk show, something my parents would listen to, not at all rock and roll. I've since revised my opinion. I did hear, though, that Paul was fuming that Phil Spector put all those violins and strings on the song and released it like that.

For our next session, the theme will be performers who have played the ukulele, such as Tiny Tim, George Harrison and George Formby.

-- Dan.