Saturday 9: Just Because

Sam's Saturday 9: Just Because (1956)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun… 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Elvis complains that his girl has confused him with Santa Claus. This time of year, Santa is prominent. Did you more recently hear Santa referred to in a song, see him in a holiday decoration or ad, watch him in a film or TV show, or maybe even met him in person, ringing a bell or asking kids if they have been naughty or nice?

Yes, I have been posting on Facebook Christmas songs from the 50s. Also the bell ringers are out in force.

2) Finally Elvis just can't take it anymore and breaks up with her, just because. Is there anyone in your life who has a way of pressing your buttons and getting on your nerves?

Nope. Everything is hunky-dory right now.

3) "Just Because" is one of the last songs Elvis recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis. TripAdvisor recommends a Sun Studio tour as one of the top things to do in Memphis. Have you ever been to Memphis? If yes, what did you do?

Nope. And I don’t think that I will in the future. Lets face it right now if I go there I don’t think that I would feel safe there right now.

4) Elvis left Sun for RCA, a much bigger record label. As part of the deal, RCA negotiated for the rights to all his unreleased Sun songs. "Just Because" is one of them, and it was included on Elvis' first RCA album. Have you gotten a good deal on anything lately?

Naw. There are a lot of sales but nothing that I want.

5) In 1956, when "Just Because" was released, non-stick cookware was first introduced. Do you have any Teflon in your kitchen right now?

A couple of frying pans.

Speaking of which I just bought a 4-Quart Cast Iron Covered Braiser pan and I wrote this on Facebook…

I can’t keep from laughing!

I did my research for a cast iron covered braiser, I found what best features to look for, what Consumer Reports had to say about them and then I order it.

Well it just arrived!

I went to pick it up off the front porch and it just about slipped out of my hand… it is heavy! I mean really heavy, laughing heavy.

So I went back at Amazon and looked at the weight. 15.35 Pounds!

Now I have many cast iron pans and they are heavy but only a couple of pounds heavy.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a very nice braiser, with wide handles for wearing over mitts, porcelain coated. The weight just took me by surprise.

And my first meal cooked in it was, Skillet Tuscan Shrimp in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

6) Elvis thought peacocks were beautiful and commissioned stained glass peacock panels for his living room. Do you have any stained glass in your home?

Nope. But I do have a nice story to go with a stained glass fixture, about a new cracked.

7) He tried to keep peacocks at Graceland. One of the birds saw its reflection in Elvis' gold Cadillac and started pecking, ruining the car's expensive paint job. Elvis donated the peacocks to the Memphis Zoo. Have you ever had a bird as a pet?

Yes, and I killed it.

I was about 5 and we had a parakeet that we let fly around the house. One day I was walking down the hallway and closed the door to the den behind me when I hear a thud. And there was Petie lying floor, dead. You can imagine what that did to a 5 year old… “I killed Petie!” I still remember it today.

8) Elvis decorated the long Graceland driveway for the holidays with blue lights. His father teased that with the airport nearby, pilots might confuse their driveway with a runway. What airport is nearest your home?

Well it all depends on what you want to land there.

There is a little airport for private planes one town over and then the is a commercial airport, Bradley. Which I have a blog post about here.

9) When Elvis was alive, he kept the holiday lights up until January 9, the day after his birthday. That tradition continues at Graceland today. Conventional etiquette tells us Christmas decorations should go up the day after Thanksgiving and come down before January 6 (the 12th day of Christmas). Do you think it's ever too early, or too late, for Christmas decorations?

That was my father’s schedule. We would be out there after Thanksgiving putting up the lights and they would come down on the Feast of the Epiphany. Me, I just leave them up all year round and just turn them on after Thanksgiving.

After my parents passed away and my aunt had to go into a nursing home, I busted out my aunt from the nursing home one night before Christmas to show her the Christmas lights… oh how she enjoyed that night!

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!