Remember When
Lyrics for the song cycle Remember When, with music by Charles Miller, 1997.
The Concept
Remember When celebrates childhood, in all its aspects, in words and music.
A new song cycle by Charles Miller and Eden Phillips, it harks back to more innocent eras as well as highlighting the characters and interests of today’s very knowing kids. Their points of view are paramount, but Remember When also considers the attitudes of parents and grandparents and nannies – even pets and animals.
Times and places, hopes and fears, tears and laughter are all evoked in song, always with affection and often with humour. There is no plot as such. The songs jump about in time, place and mood to spark recognition in young audiences and memories in older ones.
Listen
With James Pearson, Lewis Butler, Chloë Hughes, Melissa Jacques, Corinna Powlesland and David Arneil.
The songs on this recording are sung by adults with a piano accompaniment. In the performance, Remember When can be sung by adult and children’s voices, with a children’s choir and small orchestra.
The Songs
- Just Beginning – a sung overture
- My Trainers – praise to an essential fashion item
- Slowly to Bed/Nightmare – one child’s fear of the dark
- Pony Ride – two rather smart little girls and their patient ponies
- Vigil – anxious parents await their daughter’s return from a first date
- Rock Star – a worryingly sophisticated street encounter
- What do I do now? – the first experience of love?
- Nanny and Nan – a Kensington child and a Hackney child outline their differences
- So many questions – a choral number for children and parents
- Adolescence – the beginning of the end – of childhood.
Lyrics
Count every step up the stairs
Well that’s what they told me
Step after step and I know that nobody cares
I count the stairs up to bed
Fears running round my head
And I know nobody shares my foolish worries
Slowly to Bed / Nightmare
Remembering now, remembering then, remembering what happened way back when
All we had was a hand to hold
And we were afraid of the dark
We’d try our very best not to cry
We try our very best not to lie
We’d try our very best you and I
With only a hand
That strong helping hand
That small frightened hand
Of mine
Adolescence
