The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Ruth Sanderson is one of my favorite renditions of the fairy tale. And I have only owned it in paperback, but the good news is that it has been re-released with a new cover in hardcover so I can finally own a pristine copy of the book. It was released earlier this month and has been sitting in my blog drafts for too long. It is a truly gorgeous book and has captured more than my fancy. A friend of a friend wanted to make sure I knew about it last year when she learned I work with fairy tales. She was passionate about it, too.
Here is a video promoting the new edition with previews of many of the illustrations:
And here are some more images:
You can read about the conception and execution of this rather famous image (it has been licensed quite a bit) on Sanderson's site at The Artist at Work. Page down to the very bottom.
Back in October I shared Katy Perry's Snow White inspired ads for ghd (hair products in the UK) and now we have a new fairy tale inspired ad: The Little Mermaid. The photo was shot by David LaChapelle.
Here are some more behind the scenes shots from ghd. The company has been using fairy tales for a while from Rapunzel to Cinderella to these Katy Perry ads. I wonder what they will do next?
And the mermaid costume is a gown, by the way. Still can't imagine it is easy to walk in.
Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman is today's music post. If you are unfamiliar with him, Chapman is a Christian music artist who has had some mainstream hits. This song is not religious. It is the song of a father cherishing time with his daughter.
From the lyrics:
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
Here is a music video followed by Chapman sharing the story behind the song's inspiration:
The poignancy of this song grew shortly after its release due to the tragic accidental death of Chapman's daughter, Maria Sue, one of the inspirations of the song. The accident occurred about six weeks after the above video was shared on YouTube in 2008 although I am unsure when it was filmed. Chapman lives in the Nashville area so this story was well-shared news in my hometown at the time and remains a sad note, almost making me not want to share it. But I appreciate the message as well as the use of Cinderella in a less common way in music, so I am sharing it with you today.
Professional Cinderella by Corinna Fugate is today's song. It is no longer for sale on Amazon but may be on iTunes which I always have difficulty linking to specific songs. (The iTunes link does support SurLaLune--about three dollars a year actually since readers rarely link to there from SurLaLune. I prefer Amazon myself since their songs are not MP4s and can be used on multiple players more readily.)
From the lyrics:
Professional Cinderella, I am praying
Was it too much to ask for
One happy ending
Professional Cinderella, my heart's breaking
Was it too much to ask for one happy ending
Cinderella by Buck Owens & His Buckaroos is today's song of the day. Yes, another country, classic country this time, selection.
Here are some of the lyrics:
So you've found your Prince Charming
Was just a dream
There wasn't any palace and you weren't a Queen
In your faded cotton dresses anyone could see
But they're still Cinderella to me
Cinderella Cinderella this is not the way love should be
Cinderella Cinderella won't you let me take you home with me
Our honeymoon may not be a fancy ball
You may not have a maid and butler at your call
But I'll be more than any prince could ever be
And you'll be Cinderella to me
Cinderella Cinderella...
This video is a live rendition--I prefer the studio version linked above--but at least you can hear the entire song this way:
Yes, it was time to pull up a song from The Slipper and the Rose (1976 Film Soundtrack). Since, listening to "Suddenly (It Happens to You)" works as a Cinderella song, I chose it although it isn't one of my favorites. If you're a fan, enjoy! If not, well, it may be too late if you aren't under age 10. I admit it. But I first saw it at that age so I adore!
Here's a clip. The ability to work around the special effects was fun in its time.
Okay, and while we are here, this is my favorite song from the musical:
Last month as my life was starting to spin into a whirling dervish frenzy--it's not over yet, but I have been able to slow down temporarily the last day or two--Sarah Cross, author of the upcoming Kill Me Softly, sent me an email with recommendations for March Music Month here on the SurLaLune Blog. Rather than break it up, I thought I would offer it all up in one fell swoop as a guest post from Sarah.
And shouldn't we invite her back to talk about her book next month? (Raise of hands!) Thanks, Sarah, for sharing. I wasn't aware of many of these and I think readers here are going to have a fun time exploring your suggestions. And if you don't follow her Fairy Tale Mood, you should!
Sarah's words:
I'm a writer and I curate a fairy tale tumblr (Fairy Tale Mood) (mostly art), and I'm a longtime fan of SurLaLune and a (lurking) reader of the blog. You mentioned a while ago that you were looking for fairy tale music for your March Music theme, and I wanted to offer up some suggestions. I hope it's not too late!
A few of these are Disney remixes or medleys, but I promise they're more than covers.
Pogo creates songs made up of vocal syllables, musical chords and sound effects recorded from various Disney movies, and then splices together clips from Disney movies to make the videos.
Alice (Disney remix)
Wishery (Disney remix)
Bloom (Disney remix)
2) "I am Not a Princess" Marina & the Diamonds music video by ELY -
This is not an official music video. It was created by an independent filmmaker, but it's wonderfully done and one of the best fairy-tale-themed music videos I've seen. From the filmmaker's description: "The story reimagines a myriad of classic princess mythologies that every little boy and girl has grown up either adoring...resenting...fulfilling...(or a conflicted mixture of all those feelings), and writes each fairy tale its own unique, modern twist. This message: of carving your own path and ultimately following your heart, regardless of expectation or society, is very near and dear to me and hopefully reflected in the spirit of this film. "
3) Nick Pitera - "One Man Disney Movie" Disney Music Medley
This is a pretty incredible performance. The screen is split into 6 sections, all featuring Nick Pitera, who sings as various Disney heroines, heroes, villains, and sidekicks, and the characters even "interact"/react to each other.
4) Heather Traska - One-Woman A Cappella Disney Medley -
Inspired by Nick Pitera's medley video. From Heather's description: "86 days, 30+ looks/characters, 13 main songs, 13 "quoted" songs, 1 month to edit, recorded myself, arranged entirely by ear, edited myself, make up and costumes done myself."
5) Valentine "Black Sheep" music video
This video uses imagery from Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella. Valentine is a German pop singer, and the youtube videos for the fairy-tale version of "Black Sheep" are not viewable in the U.S. anymore--that's why I'm resorting to using a MySpace link. (The "Black Sheep" video that is viewable on youtube is the "magic version," but despite its name there's nothing magical about it.)
6) Märchen - fairy-tale concept album by Sound Horizon, a Japanese symphonic rock band, with songs based on Hansel and Gretel, The Man from the Gallows, Snow White, Frau Holle, Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, and Saint Kummernis.
Wikipedia entry I don't know a lot about this album (I first encountered Märchen via fanart of the album's fairy tale characters, and assumed it was a manga), but fans have translated & subtitled some of the songs and put them up on youtube.
Bluebeard:
Snow White:
Footage from the live concert:
Okay, and now I think I've exhausted my fairy tale music suggestions. I hope some of these are of interest!
The film Hans Christian Andersen has many musical moments featuring Andersen's tales. Today I am sharing Danny Kaye's rendition of The Ugly Duckling for the song of the day since this tale doesn't get much direct representation in music.
And thanks to YouTube, here is a clip of the song from the film, too:
These aren't Pullman's first foray into fairy tales, of course. You can find some of his earlier attempts in various publications, including Four Tales which brings together Clockwork, The Firework-Maker's Daughter, I was a Rat!, and The Scarecrow and His Servant.
Exciting news for fairytale fans: Philip Pullman is adapting the classic stories of the Brothers Grimm.
This is a project the His Dark Materials author has been working on for a while – he mentioned it to a fansite a year ago, telling Bridge to the Stars that "this isn't a book for children only", and that he was "telling the best of the tales in my own voice, and I'm finding it a great purifier of narrative thinking, rather as a pianist relishes playing Bach's preludes and fugues as a sort of palate-cleansing discipline".
But now we finally have a publication date – 6 September – and a publisher: Penguin Classics. And the new version of Grimms' Tales for Young and Old sounds great. Pullman has chosen his 50 favourite stories, "from the quests and romance of classics such as Rapunzel, Snow White and Cinderella to the danger and wit of such lesser-known tales as The Three Snake Leaves, Hans-My-Hedgehog and Godfather Death", and is retelling them in "clear as water" new versions, complete with commentary on each story's history and background.
$10 Amazon.com Gift Card came up as a deal on my Special Offers Kindle today, but it is available to everyone today only. I use gift cards to do most of my ebook purchasing on Amazon, so it's nice to add to the total this way...
The Details
What could be better than doubling your money? The answer: not very much. Take advantage of today's exclusive offer and watch $5 turn into a $10 gift card on Amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer.
Read more about it on the offer page linked above.
Swan Sister and A Wolf at the Door, both edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, are released in ebook format today. Both have been out of print for a while, so it is quite exciting to know they are readily available again beyond used copies.
Did you ever wonder what happened to the seven dwarfs after Snow White ditched them, or what life was like for the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk?" Can you imagine a wicked stepsister who really gets what she deserves, and a Cinderella who isn't dainty, but actually rather plump? Then this is the book for you.
All the fairy tales you've heard over and over again are revisted here, made new by award-winning fantasy and science fiction authors: Garth Nix tells a twisted new version of "Hansel and Gretel," Nancy Farmer shows us what life was like for the princess's magical horse, Gregory Maguire provides a side of the seven dwarfs you've never seen, and Neil Gaiman lays out the "Instructions" that fairy tales should have taught you. In all, thirteen new stories are born from old fairy tales, some disturbing and dark, others strange and funny, but each offering something original and unexpected -- and as surprising as a wolf at the door.
Just as fairy-tale magic can transform a loved one into a swan, the contributors to this book have transformed traditional fairy tales and legends into stories that are completely original, yet still tantalizingly familiar.
In this book you will find:
• a Rapunzel whose most confining prison is her loneliness
• a contemporary rendering of the Green Man myth
• two different versions of Red Riding Hood
• a tale that grew out of a Celtic folk song
• Sleeping Beauty's experience of her enchantment
• two works inspired by the Arabian Nights
• and more
In the follow-up to A Wolf at the Door, thirteen renowned authors come together with a selection of new and surprising adaptations of the fairy tales we think we know so well. These fresh takes on classic tales will show you sides of each story you never dreamed of.
For full disclosure, I am particularly fond of Swan Sister because it was dedicated to me, an honor I am still amazed and a little shocked by nine years later. But even without that, these books are wonderful and shouldn't be missed!
Posts
is one of my favorite renditions of the fairy tale. And I have only owned it in paperback, but the good news is that it has been re-released with a new cover in hardcover so I can finally own a pristine copy of the book. It was released earlier this month and has been sitting in my blog drafts for too long. It is a truly gorgeous book and has captured more than my fancy. A friend of a friend wanted to make sure I knew about it last year when she learned I work with fairy tales. She was passionate about it, too.
by Buck Owens & His Buckaroos is today's song of the day. Yes, another country, classic country this time, selection.
has many musical moments featuring Andersen's tales. Today I am sharing Danny Kaye's rendition of 
for a November 8, 2012 release date in the US.
listed with a September 6, 2012 release date and 
for the same Nov. 8 date, probably the US release listed on the UK site. 
