The band explains that the video was made using an “airplane that flies parabolic maneuvers to provide brief periods of weightlessness.” The video was shot in one take, although segments were edited out because the longest period of weightlessness on the airplane is around 27 seconds. Check it out.
For more information on how the video was made, check out the band’s FAQ. “Upside Down & Inside Out” is from the band’s album Hungry Ghosts (2014). The band members of OK Go are Damian Kulash, Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka, and Andy Ross.
What is your favorite OK Go video? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In Michael Burlingame’s excellent two-volume biography Abraham Lincoln: A Life, the author recounts songs that Abraham Lincoln loved and used to sing as a young man. Lincoln loved poetry, so it is not surprising that some of the songs came from poetry.
Burlingame also recounts Lincoln’s fondness for poems and songs that focused on mortality and death, perhaps because Lincoln’s mother had died when he was young and because one of his first loves, Ann Rutledge, died at the young age of 22 on August 25, 1835.
Lincoln biographies list several songs Lincoln used to sing. In some cases, the titles may be all that are remembered while in other cases some of the lyrics are recalled. As a young attorney, he often sang songs called “Mary’s Dream,” “The Soldier’s Dream,” and “Lord Ullin’s Daughter.”
Lincoln’s Favorite Song
Burlingame recounts that Lincoln’s favorite song was the ballad, “Twenty Years Ago,” which was written by by William Willing. Lincoln sang the song often in Illinois and continued to sing it while in the White House.
In the song “Twenty Years Ago,” the singer looks back on those who have passed away. Some of the lines from the song that Lincoln especially loved included: “I visited the old churchyard, and took some flowers to strew / Upon the graves of those we loved, some twenty years ago.” The recording below features Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band performing the song.
“Lord Ullin’s Daughter”
One song Lincoln sang as a young attorney is “Lord Ullin’s Daughter,” which is based on a poem by Thomas Campbell. In the poem and song, Lord Ullin pursues his eloping daughter and her lover to punish the young man who stole his daughter.
Ultimately, Lord Ullin regrets his pursuit. His chase leads to the young couple drowning: “The waters wild went o’er his child,/ And he was left lamenting.”
In this video for “Lord Ullin’s Daughter,” the music that accompanies the song was written in more modern times. Still, this version gives one an idea of what Lincoln sang.
“John Anderson’s Lamentation”
As a boy, Lincoln used to sing another song about death, the hanging ballad called “John Anderson’s Lamentation.” He even made up additional verses for the song, including:
Much intoxication my ruin has been, And my dear companion hath barbarously slain: In yonder cold graveyard the body doth lie; Whilst I am condemned, and shortly must die.
“William Riley”
Another source claims that the young Lincoln also enjoyed and sang the song “William Riley.” Apparently, it is the same song that also went by the name “Riley’s Courtship,” about a man named William or Willie Riley.
“Riley’s Courtship” tells a story that is similar to “Lord Ullin’s Daughter,” but it has a happier ending. In the song, Riley courts a squire’s daughter but is banished to Ireland. The young woman, Colleen Bawn, misses her love and becomes insane.
Unlike some of Lincoln’s other favorite songs, though, this one ends on a lighter note. Riley returned and rescued Bawn, who regained her sanity upon seeing her love. And her father repented and gave the couple lots of money.
A Young Boy’s Sad Songs
When we think of Abraham Lincoln, we usually think of him as the Great Emancipator and our greatest president, as if he came out of nowhere. But it is interesting to imagine him also as a boy and young man, joyfully singing songs that might one day prepare him for dealing with sad and serious issues as an adult.
Photo of Lincoln in 1846 (around age 37) via public domain.For discussion of a popular Lincoln campaign song, check out our post on “Lincoln & Liberty Too!” Leave your two cents in the comments.
On The Late Late Show with James Corden, the host often brings us “Carpool Karaoke,” where Corden drives around with a famous singer (or singers) in the car while Corden and his guest sing together. In the most recent segment of “Carpool Karaoke,” the great Elton John jumped in the passenger seat.
During the segment, Corden and John belt out classics like “Your Song,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Tiny Dancer,” “The Circle of Life,” and ending with a rainy day “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” John also answers some questions about topics such as his outfits and why he has four copies of every record he purchases. Check it out.
What song would you like to sing with Elton John? Leave your two cents in the comments.
A new documentary — Mavis! — explores the life and music of Mavis Staples of The Staples Singers. Jessica Edwards directed the film about the gospel and soul singer, who is also known for her civil rights work and her musical family.
HBO picked up U.S. rights to the documentary after the movie’s world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Mavis! includes performance footage as well as interviews of people like Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. Check out the trailer for Mavis!
Henry Louis Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama on February 5, 1934. Hank Aaron went on to become one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Still, the first memory of the man that usually comes to mind is one swing of the bat on April 8, 1974.
Aaron had started his professional baseball career with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League in 1951. Aaron experienced the effects of racism during that time and throughout his career. He endured, though, to became a hero to many people.
Breaking Babe Ruth’s Home Run Record
While playing for the Atlanta Braves late in his career, Aaron received a large amount of racist hate mail. The mail came in response to his approach to Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record of 714 home runs.
Aaron ended the 1973 season with 713 home runs. On the cusp of the record, he endured various death threats in the off-season. Many others, though, voiced their support for The Hammer.
Aaron persevered. He hit home run number 714 on April 4, 1974 in his first at-bat in the 1974 season. That home run came in Cincinnati off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham.
Then, back in Atlanta on April 8, 1974, the 40-year-old Aaron came to bat against Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Al Downing. This video shows what happened next.
After Breaking the Record
After his famous home run in 1974, Aaron continued to play baseball. He continued to follow the motto that helped him through tough times: “Always keep swinging.”
And, on May 1, 1975, now a Milwaukee Brewer, Aaron broke baseball’s all-time RBI record. Babe Ruth had held that record too.
On July 20, 1976, Aaron hit his 755th and final home run. Aaron’s record stood until Barry Bonds broke it on August 7, 2007. Despite the controversy about Bonds’s alleged used of steroids, Aaron graciously appeared on the JumboTron in the San Francisco Giants stadium to congratulate Bonds.
Since his playing days, Aaron has worked as an executive with the Atlanta Braves, run his own business, and helped others through his charitable work. In 1990, he published his excellent autobiography, I Had a Hammer, which I listened to as an audio book years ago. Aaron passed away on January 22, 2021.
In 1982, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His election came with one of the highest vote percentages ever. But by then, he had long been enshrined in our hearts.
, the author recounts songs that Abraham Lincoln loved and used to sing as a young man. Lincoln loved poetry, so it is not surprising that some of the songs came from poetry.
Henry Louis Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama on February 5, 1934. Hank Aaron went on to become 
