Monday, January 14, 2013

What child is this?


He grew up to be very famous.

Here’s a hint. He appears somewhere in the following photograph (click to enlarge) and he is neither wearing a dress nor playing a violin:


That's right! It is none other than William Jefferson Clinton, who grew up to become the 42nd president of the United States, as a little boy in 1950. It is a little-known fact that his surname in childhood was Blythe.

It is also a little-known fact that at the other end of the red carpet in the second photograph, behind the photographer, were these people:


And some people say blogging isn’t educational.

13 comments:

  1. your blog misght also reffer to harry belefonte's song "what child is this??" but of course it doesn't, and being a christmas song sung with the score of "greenfields" has nothing at all to do with clinton or the "royals"><><>so did i add to the education or just confuse things as usual?????<><><><><>><>><, katherine likes my<><><><<><><><><>>>>>

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  2. Putz/David, you are a little confused, and yes, I have to add "as usual"....

    "What Child Is This" is indeed a Christmas song, but it is not Harry Belafonte's even though a youtube video does exist of him singing it.

    "What Child Is This" was written in England in 1865 by a man named William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898). It is sung to the tune of "Greensleeves" (not "greenfields"), a traditional English folk song and tune dating from the late 16th century.

    Close counts only in horseshoes and hand grenades, I'm told.

    Here is Wikipedia's list of recordings of "What Child Is This?" Please note that Harry Belafonte's name does not even appear in the list, which does not mean that he did not record it, only that Wikipedia's list is not exhaustive):

    1. Johnny Mathis (Merry Christmas, 1958)
    2. The Brothers Four (1961)
    3. Al Martino (1964)
    4. Ray Conniff (Here We Come
    A-Caroling
    , 1965)
    5. Vince Guaraldi (A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965)
    6. Joan Baez (Noël, 1966)
    7. The Lettermen (1966)
    8. Tony Bennett (1968)
    9. Ed Ames (1970)
    10. Andy Williams (Christmas Present, 1974)
    11. Oscar Peterson (An Oscar Peterson Christmas, 1995)
    12. Dave Brubeck (A Dave Brubeck Christmas, 1996)
    13. Charlotte Church, (Dream a Dream, 2000)
    14. Terry McDade and The McDades (Midwinter, 2001)
    15. Plus One (Christmas, 2002)
    16. MercyMe (WOW Christmas: Red, 2002)
    17. Kevin Max (Holy Night, 2005)
    18. Third Day (Christmas Offerings, 2006)
    19. Josh Groban (Noël, 2007)
    20. Tori Amos (Midwinter Graces, 2009)
    21. Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige (My Christmas, 2009)
    22. Jackie Evancho (Heavenly Christmas, 2011)
    23. Michael Aranda (Featuring Emma Rowley and Eddplant) (2011)
    24. Rod Stewart (Merry Christmas, Baby [deluxe edition], 2012)
    25. Lindsey Stirling (2012)

    You are absolutely correct that "greenfields" (and, for that matter, "Greensleeves) has nothing at all to do with President Clinton or the "royals."

    I'm hoping that this comment will help to make things less confused.

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  3. wow, did i get educated<><><>i love those ,,.,.<><><> i do<>><<>i do remember"s johnny mathis alblum and that number as well but belefonte did a christmas alblum with mary's boy child and what child is this and the gifts brought by all the animals, and i just now listened to boceli's and mary blige and it was wonderfull and that new sensation jonnathan and charlotee new british sensations<><>mopre education my style

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  4. p.s. how in the world after reading my comment, were you able to ascertain my mind to the extent you did??score is not the same as tune and yet you seemed to figure out "what i was all about""<><>you really amaze me<><>also my miss spellings, you must really be used to me by now<<>my wife can't even do it<><>figure me out

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  5. Hahaha! The second photo made me giggle like a child. What child is this? A fictitious metaphorical one one of course!

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  6. <><><><><><><>>>>><<<<<<><><><><

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  7. Putz, glad to be of service.

    Katherine, oh dear, now he has you doing it!

    Thank you for the unexpected envelope from New Zealand. It just arrived today. How very thoughtful of you.

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  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKKZlUzULP0

    Click on the above link to listen to Harry's version. I have to say, it is lovely. As is his 'other' child song 'Mary's Boy Child'.

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  9. Poor little Clinton! His clothes were much too big for him in that childhood picture but no doubt he grew into them. People could save a lot of money if they just bought extra large clothes for their kids. I wish I had thought of this when our kids were little.

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  10. Katherine, of course Harry Belafonte's version of "What Child Is This?" is lovely. I never said it wasn't. I just said it wasn't "Harry Belafonte's song" as Putz had referred to it. Harry did change a few of the words, though. For example, he changed "the king of kings salvation brings" to "the king of kings a glory brings" which sort of sets my teeth on edge because, while still true from my perspective, it alters the message completely.

    Yorkshire Pudding, good thinking, but too late to be of any use.

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  11. Sorry Robert, I didn't pick up any criticism from you at all.

    But now you mention it, there is a big difference in the words...

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<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

We are bombarded daily by abbreviations in everyday life, abbreviations that are never explained, only assumed to be understood by everyone...