Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Feelin Groovy?


Groovy. 

What a great word.  I love that word second only to the phrase “what in the cat hair?” 

No explanation necessary there. 

I still love to say   Groovy”      because let’s face it kids,  it is fun to say.    Also because I like to get a little rise out of my own kiddos.  I say it to them a little tongue in cheek, and they roll their eyes at me, especially my 18 year old who is way too young to “get it”. 

For those of us in our 50’s and 60’s, the word “groovy” takes us back to a time  growing up that things were pretty much… well… groovy.  It has a whole different set of meanings for us than it does for ya’ll younger folk.  Our minds immediately go to
 


peace symbols. flower children, smiley faces, Laugh In, and of course,the absolute grooviest: Woodstock. 

Back in the early 70’s when I was graduating high school and going off to college, I considered myself pretty groovy, even though I was not.  A friend of mine in high school wore the same jeans to school for 4 months straight without washing them, how groovy  was that??

Still-  it is hard to put your finger on the exact meaning of it.  Groovy”  is elusively not exactly cool… 

only in a Napoleon Dynamite kind of way. 


sweet suit!

The shelf life of “Groovy”  only lasted through the 70’s. After that, if you ventured to say “that is so groovy” you were “uncool” to the max.  I quit saying it for awhile, because of course, of MY cool factor, but picked it up again after the 90’s to irritate my teens:)... Also by then I really did NOT give a rip about my cool factor:)

If you really want to know what the word “groovy” is all about,

(and I am sure you are just dying to know)

you have to listen to Simon and Garfunkel’s 1967 album “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme” about 4000 times like I did.  Specifically the song “Feelin Groovy”, which pretty much did make you feel just that. 



Many of the songs on the album were protest songs against the Viet Nam War.  In my private reality, the song “Feelin Groovy”  gave us all a break from a violent, volatile time, in the midst of

an unpopular war,

and following a beloved president’s assassination. 

I am not sure if that is what the famous folk singers had in mind, but it seems we were all able to, for 2:01 minutes, forget our troubles.  

And just…. feel groovy.

I am not sure what your trials and troubles are right now, but have a listen.  






My prayer for you is that you will feel “Groovy”. 

Just for a blink of an eye.

5 comments:

  1. I feel groovy most of the time! Sock it to me baby!!!!!

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  2. I like this post...and I did forget about my troubles listening to that song. The guys at the end of the video have oddly shaped heads!

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    1. smothers bros were the funni guys back then- lets face it they all have bad hair:)

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  3. I liked it too! And also forgot about my troubles for a second. Is Garfunkel the tall one? He doesn't look like he is feeling too groovy. He needs to smile more! :)

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    1. yup garfunkel was the one thatwas usually in a funk- even singing that groovy song:)

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