Skip to main content

it's a small world after all

"It's a small world" (Disney does not capitalize the ride's name) premiered at the World's Fair in April of 1964.  Nearly ten years later, in December of 1973, I visited Disneyland for the first time, and experienced for myself small world's journey around the world.  I don't vividly remember much about that vacation, but I do recall the anticipation and excitement of riding "it's a small world."  I also remember my mom really enjoyed the attraction.  She might have even gotten teary-eyed.



Fast forward to today.  John and I (with youngest daughter) took part in the 50th anniversary celebration of "it's a small world."  First, we rode the ride.


At 1:00, we had the privilege to listen to Richard Sherman who, along with his brother, composed and wrote that iconic song.  Mr. Sherman answered questions, including: "What comes first, the music or the lyrics?"  He responded that songs have three components: music, lyrics, and idea/concept.  Before either music or lyrics, the songwriter needs to know what the purpose of the song is.  What is the inspiration for the song?  The message behind "It's a Small World" is, of course, peace.  Mr. Sherman talked about the importance of the words, "after all."  Despite differences and difficulties, we are so similar. 




After the question and answer session, Mr. Sherman played "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins.  I'm not skilled at video editing (read: "I have no idea what I'm doing!"), so I don't know how to eliminate the background noise, but hopefully you'll enjoy this clip:



Just after 2:00 this afternoon, a band marched up Main Street, playing "It's a Small World."  Mr. Sherman and his wife followed in a Disneyland fire truck.  Everyone, led by Mr. Sherman, sang along, and followed him down Main Street.  Unfortunately, my video stopped before the singing did, but here is a 29-second glimpse of the experience:





photo visiting2_zps6d4521f3.jpg

photo ThankfulThought4_zps7d9599c2.jpg
Thanks for talented composers and song-writers, and for peaceful people everywhere.

photo signature3_zps16be6bca.jpg


Pin It

Comments

  1. ChristineApril 11, 2014 at 5:34 AM

    My family has a deep-seeded dislike for that ride. The women in my family have a way of always getting stuck on it. It started with my grandma, back before I was born. She was stuck on that ride for over an hour, with the song playing the whole time. She swore she would never get on it again. When she came with us to Disney, we kids talked her into riding. We got stuck for a good long time. And when I've taken my own kids, stuck again.
    While the song can be lovely when sung once or twice, it gets awfully annoying when played for an hour. Of course, many songs would.
    Having said that, I probably would have gotten teary if I were at that parade. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. NancyApril 11, 2014 at 7:43 AM

    Creative genius always amazes me!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 11, 2014 at 5:10 PM

    They talked about this on the channel 7 news this week and I have had the song stuck in my head ever since! Glad you got to go -- great weather!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownApril 13, 2014 at 8:46 AM

    What a treat to see the an iconic Disney songwriter! I too have mixed feelings about the ride. I loved it as a child. My mom took us to Disney every year & yes, we rode it each time. When I was high school aged, my sister & I got stuck on the ride and to this day she "hates" me for getting the song in her head!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...
3 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: I Should Blog More Often

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...
3 comments
Read more