…looking back, I s’pose it was a combination of the Rolling Stones, Brylcreem Men’s Hair Gel and a ceilidh with a drop of the old ‘electric soup’ … the beginning of a torrid, deeply-felt romance for this ol’ Jurassic around fifty years ago… a (very) young Apprentice Master of the Financial Universe I was at the time, working for the mighty Clydesdale & North of Scotland Bank in Tobermory on the Scottish Hebridean Island of Mull… her name was Ruby… a summer-season waitress in one of the local hotels… and to this budding wee MacCasanova, she was absolutely gorgeous… red-haired (what else with a name like that?)… and she was ready to laugh at my attempts at humour… what’s more, the first ‘girlfriend’ I had known with attractive ‘lumps in her jersey’… the first formal date, preceded by a couple of agonising days, summoning up the courage to ask her to a local ceilidh in the Village Hall, was rewarded with a giggling ‘yes’… the continued angst was marginally placated with what MacCasanova-Gallacher felt a terrific investment… a jar of Brylcreem Men’s Hair Gel to smooth down the island-barber standard ‘sheep-sheared-cut’ mop… and off we went to the ceilidh… now yeez have to understand that a built-in part of the tradition of most events in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland is imbibement of a dram or three of the hard stuff… neither the LUVLY Ruby and I were yet of legal drinking age, but that hadn’t prevented the purchase of a quarter bottle of Johnnie Walker Red by a pal on my behalf … and by the time the ceilidh was over, Ruby had proved herself no stranger to a healthy swig or two of the uisge beatha… back to my digs… and by that wunnerful Heaven-crossed coincidence, part of my admittedly restricted collection of records was the Rolling Stones’ ‘Ruby Tuesday’… I’ve no recollection if that first night together was indeed a Tuesday… but the relationship lasted for several months thereafter, until the natural parting of ways that impacts teenagers, world-shattering at the time, but of little consequence in a whole lifetime… I must admit, much as I like the Stones’ version, I prefer the one I’ve posted above, sung by the beautiful Melanie Safka… a fitting tribute to my time with a special Ruby… see yeez later… LUV YEEZ!…
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Memories seem to improve with age don’t they. They must be like wine. The unhappy parts of the past can’t compete with the pleasant ones. We’re blessed if we can still remember as we grow old. 🙂
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…and these memories are more and more precious for their age 🙂
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Nice but I actually prefer the Stones’ version. Her voice reminds me of a certain lead singer’s female companion, who had a penchant for a chocolate bar with the name of a planet. Ah memories. The joy and curse of maturing. 😀
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…yes, bit of a double-edged sword, that 🙂
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The Melanie version was my favourite too Seumas.She seemed to inject a little more emotion into it than did the Stones.
Hugs
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..hi, that man, David… I agree with you on that… great timbre to the voice:)
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You’re not saying she’s wooden are you? LOL
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..in her day( and mine) she would have been welcome to ‘shiver my timbers!’
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Ha you’re reading my mind Seumas,
Hugs
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Me too I prefer the Rolling’s, however Melani in a way reminds me Eva Cassidy (the one in the pps, I send you).. and yes music is the food of love whatever it comes from.. a friend… Without music. life seems empty, no sounds to live up our souls.
Cheers!!!!!!!
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mwaaaah L:)
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Me too, I prefer the Rollings’, however Melanie reminds me Eve Casidy (she was singing in the pps, I sent you)… anyway we need music. it’s the food our souls, without music the world’d be very sad..
Cheers!!!!!!!!!!
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hahahaha I’m silly!!!!!!!
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LUVZYA!:)
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I won’t enter the debate but good to hear about your more romantic side, Master Seumas. 🙂
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:):):)
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Rolling Stones. Yes.
(How many of us have memories of teen years and “Johnnie Walker Red by a pal on my behalf ” One again reminded of how much people have in common despite being miles apart.)
Great memory, told with class. Cheers to Ruby (and you)
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