HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE – a creation of Fred Guarino, Joe Orlando, Palma Pascale
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All Songs Copyright – Palma Pascale
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HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE is a unique project that was initially conceived by the late Joseph (Joe) Orlando. Joe was a friend that both Fred and Palma knew from their days in the 80’s while doing advertising and jingles which, of course, were created at TIKI Recording Studios. Palma tells me that Joe was a very talented guy, and that is obvious just from listening to this creative endeavor, alone.
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The advertising and jingle business hit a rough spot in the late 80’s, and Joe then became an Occupational Therapist, spending his time in nursing homes, where I understand he had a real knack for working with the geriatric population. It is special skill, indeed. As the “caregiver” for a family member who currently resides in an assisted living facility, as well as having spent some 28-years in very large medical facilities, I can tell you first-hand that working with this particular population takes a “special” sort of individual. Joe was one of the special ones.
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Sometime in 2003 or so, Joe contacted Fred and Palma to discuss an idea he had about using music as, let’s say, a “stimulant” for the seniors all over the world. He had already penned five or six tunes and hoped for a collaboration of Palm and Fred to record this effort, and help round out his idea with some additional material.
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And…collaborate, they did! First, they recorded the tunes written by Joe, who took the lead vocal role on those, and they did a market test to some 30 nursing homes in the area around them, there on Long Island.
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I’m told that the test proved positive – the folks seemed to really enjoy the music, and the trio discovered that even more “exercise” and “movement” songs were requested. So, they concentrated on and co-wrote those, all in their “spare” time, that is! They ended up with 13 songs altogether, by this point. Still, too short, Palma thought. [pictured above: Joe Orlando]
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Sadly, one day in 2006, as Joe was preparing to do what he so loved to do,(play his guitar), he died suddenly of a heart attack. It was, of course, a most devastating blow to both Palm and Fred. Joe was a dear, dear friend to both of them.
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Knowing how much Joe believed in this project, and wanting to see it through to fruition, Palm composed and Fred recorded four additional songs because the CD was still just a bit too short. And that, my friends, is “how” HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE came about.
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Before we start talking about the songs themselves, let me just comment that HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE is NOT something only the senior population is going to find enjoyable. Each tune is impeccably well-done, (of course – from these individuals, who would expect anything less)? There are outstanding rhythms and contra-rhythms, wonderfully clever and amusing lyrics that will put a smile on your face and a kick in your step; there are melody lines that are super-easy to sing along with, too. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that anyone listening to this collection of lively tunes will be smiling quite a wide smile before they get to the end of the very first tune!
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If you’d like to purchase a CD of HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE, ($15 US dollars plus $1.50 shipping) you can leave a comment here on the blog, or you can write to Palma at: Palma Pascale, PO Box 1644, Valley Stream, NY 11582-1644- PalmaPascale@aol.com; or to Fred at TIKI Recording Studios, 30-A Glen Street, Suite 204, Glen Cove, NY 11542 – Fred@TikiRecording.com or to me at bmjfan@mchsi.com.
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So, NOW, let’s talk about the songs themselves. We start out with a great tune – a tune to “start the day” with entitled (what else?) – GOOD MORNING.
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GOOD MORNING is a straight-ahead swing tune with standard blues changes. I believe dancers would refer to this rhythm as a Fox-Trot. Joe plays the guitar and has the lead vocal on it, while Palm is at the piano and between she and Joe, they tackle the fun backing vocals, as well.
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The song begins with a rousing intro of piano, drums ,rhythm guitar and the awesome sound of the Hammond B-3 organ. Finger snapping or clapping may be heard at various intervals throughout the song, as well as a muted trumpet that provides all the nice sweetening fills throughout the piece. Rhythm driven and fun, the song says:
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“…Good Mornin’, Good Mornin’, Good Mornin’ to you –
Good Mornin’, Good Mornin’, Good Mornin’ to you –
I hear you feel pretty good – knock, knock, knock, knock on wood
Good Mornin…”
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‘Basically the message is JUST that – it’s a good morning today folks, and so tell me – how are YOU? Feeling well? Ready to have a go at the day? The chorus asks:
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“…How ya doin’? Tell me what’s up – what’s new?
(backing echos: How ya doin’? – How ya doin’?)
So glad to see you – are you glad to see me too?...”
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It’s catchy and clever – very easy for the seniors to understand, and it’s a perky, fun listen. I’d imagine it to be able to bring a smile and a great feeling to the faces of those gathered together to hear it!
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GOOD MORNIN’ TO YOU!
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Next in the line-up is THE COFFEE SONG. At first, I wondered “why have a song dedicated to coffee drinking?” But soon, I had my answer. As I mentioned, I am the caregiver of a senior who resides in an assisted care facility. Though I don’t normally visit in the mornings at “coffee” time, I happened to shortly after hearing this enchanting compilation for the first time. I quickly understood why a whole song was dedicated to the topic of coffee.
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Let me ask my readers – have you ever been in a Senior facility at coffee-time? Mama Mia! Trust me when I tell you that you would think it was some how laced with the secret of happy living – it’s THAT important – like perhaps, it was made of GOLD! Coffee-time is THE time of the morning – THE thing that makes one rise out of bed in the first place , apparently. The miracle elixir of the Senior population. And woe to those who try and interfere with this precious commodity or anything to do with this particular time of the morning!! Trust me.....
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I’m certain having worked for so long with these seniors; Joe knew full-well how important coffee and coffee-time is! Hence…THE COFFEE SONG.
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Think “The Mills Brothers” or “The Ink Spots” when getting a feel of the rhythm of this one:
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“…Who wants a cup of coffee? You want a cup of coffee?
Coffee??? Who wants a cup of coffee?
If you like coffee – you like tea – just say YES and follow me!
Coffee and tea – it’s always for free! Come on down and have a cup!
Do you like sugar? One or two? Do you like milk, or plain old brew?
Diet sweet or a sugary treat? – Come on down and have a cup….”
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Again, it’s got a clever (and for the seniors, a meaningful) lyric. The tempo of this tune is quite rhythmic and yet relaxing, too. Palma spices the composition up with her wonderful, many-part backing vocals – lots of “shooobie-do-wa’s and ba-do-dah’s!
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Meanwhile we hear a muted trumped (a do-wah effect, if you will – mute on/mute off) in the background, being most playful and spicing up the song. Joe is providing a nice, straight-forward rhythm guitar while Palm tickles the ivories, as they say. When she takes off and plays on the chorus, it really sort of sounds like she’s tickling them. Cleverly played, and superbly done.
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Recall in other blogs how I have written about the “less is more” concept? It’s really true, and these selections are no different. Yes, we get to hear a variety of instruments throughout, but….not all at the same time, and not all playing the same THING, each pass through. It’s all changed-up, and keeps the listener interested. I would guess most times, the listener doesn’t even recognize this about a song, which I would believe is the norm. It’s like that voice we sometimes hear, telling us the right thing to do – it’s there, but we don’t consciously recognize it, you know? That’s the way the tunes Palma arranges, are. They’re so well done and so precisely arranged, on a conscious level, we might recognize that it’s all a bit different, perhaps embellished just a tiny bit on one pass, perhaps understated instead, on the next. Consciously, we don’t notice it, though we HEAR it, and enjoy what we hear! Do you know what I mean? So…less IS more – and clever, artful arranging is vital to the real success of a song – cause one can hear it over and over and never be bored with it.
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Well then…now that we’ve had a “music 101” lesson, let’s get back to the song at hand, shall we?
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One of the instruments used in this piece is one I wouldn’t have thought to use, but it’s really effective – that is the Marimba – (well, it could be a Xylophone but I think it's a Marimba– I’ll have to check with Palm for sure). Because of the fact that this instrument is classified as a “percussion” instrument, played with mallets – it provides a great punch-up to the song. Well done, Palm!
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What comes after coffee time? Why, LUNCH, of course! HERE COME DE LUNCH! And that’s the name of track number 3 –

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HERE COME DE LUNCH!
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Opening with Palm playing steel drums (you know the sound – from the Caribbean, "YA, mon!") – claves added for “texture” and we hear this super Carribean-feel start the song and immediately, we’re put into a warm frame of mind. We go to that “happy place.”
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“…Here come de lunch….come de lunch – here come de lunch…here come de lunch.
Here come de lunch….come de lunch….here come de lunch….” EVERYBODY! (repeat)
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Every day about twelve o’clock – the lunch man, he’s right on the dot!
He brings lunch up to your floor – right through your door….EVERYBODY!...”
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Joe sings this in the style that is befitting a true Jamaican – and does it WELL. Palm uses a flute and intersperses it in the mix, punctuating the high-end of the music. A human trill “trrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” (you get the idea) is used a few times, adding yet more flavor. A piccolo jumps-in a place or two, and Joe’s guitar can be heard strumming the rhythm throughout.
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The song swells in intensity as it progresses. The harmonies get stronger with more voices and more parts, and the energy carries the song on. What a fun song with a fun message and an even merrier tempo! (for digestion purposes, I feel sure! ) [pictured: Palma Pascale & Fred Guarino]
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Next up – and certainly a part of community living for Seniors world-wide – MEDICATION TIME!
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In 2/4 time, this New Orleans parade-styled song is upbeat, and cadenced.
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With the driving bass-line, rhythm guitar, and a complimentary piano riff, this marks our 4th song in the collection!
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MEDICATION TIME is an important piece of the day for any Senior, whether at home or living in a community with others. The song playfully gets this concept across, making medication time a time to look forward to, rather than something to be dreaded in the Senior’s day.
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“…Medication – medication time…time for feelin’ fine.
Medication – medication time … time for feelin’ fine.
M-E-D-I-C-A-T-I-O-N…..medication….medication…”
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A playful piano glissando takes us into verse two, with a bit of an embellished piano part and some harmonies, adding a bit of fun and frivolity. This one won’t win any lyric contests, but for the intended audience, it gets the point across quite effectively! Great job, everyone!
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The 5th song is the first one that I had to put on “repeat” during my first listen to the whole collection. I just LOVE this one…..such resourceful lyrics! SNACK is the title. The tempo is a march-style, and it really MOVES! It is so cleverly penned (by Palma) and it’s so enjoyable to listen to – I laugh every single time I hear it….and suffice it to say, I’ve heard it a bunch of times, by now.

Since I know, now, how to post songs for you to enjoy, why not enjoy a little SNACK? (See some lyrics below the MP3 - follow along - it'll make a lot more sense to you being able to hear the MUSIC! Awesome, isn't it? I TOLD YOU!!! :-)

Starting out with piano and bells (think glockenspiel), with a slide whistle played just for good measure, the important question of the day is posed to our listeners:
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“…What could be better than a snack? (*Oh, Boy!) *spoken with enthusiasm!
What could be better than a snack? (*Oh, Joy!)
What do we wait for when energy’s low? Something with chocolate and powdery dough!
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What could be better than a treat? (*Oh, yeah!)
Just give me a cookie that’s sweet (*Ummmmm-Hmmmmmm)
What always works for a hunger attack? A good old reliable snack!...”
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Besides the fact that not a stone is left unturned in this lyric about how important (well, after all it IS, isn’t it?) the proverbial “SNACK” is, and all of the functions the snack serves; not to mention the variety of snacks that we have available to us. Besides all that, instrumentally the song is a HOOT, as well!
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I wonder if this was a fun “mix” for Fred, or if it was, rather a nightmare?! Palm uses the following as some of her “instruments” this time around: a train whistle, a slide whistle, a kazoo, a ratchet wheel, a “booiiinnnnggggg” sound, a duck call, tambourine and countless other “noises” to accentuate the piece with humor in all the best, most appropriate places. How absolutely keen this one is, all the way round.
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What I dig about the lyrics to this tune is NOT just that they are clever – moreover, that they’re TRUE! I doubt one single soul would argue that these painted scenarios don’t fit them in one way or another. For example, check out this chorus: [pictured below: Palma Pascale]
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“…Do you awake in the dark of the night? Sneak out of bed, and turn on the light?
There by the fridge, you say “no” to the roast – you’re happy eating peanut butter, jelly & toast.”
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OR THIS ONE
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“…Just hear the crunch of some popcorn & chips…savor the taste on your two salty lips!
Could it all be just a wonderful dream, or, is that a soda with vanilla ice cream?
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Even when Santa makes his rounds, he puts on a few extra pounds.
After he leaves all the toys in his sack, he looks for some “goodies” for on the way back.
Just give me some milk and an Oreo stack.
A good old reliable (It’s undeniable) A good old reliable SNACK!.....”
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PURLEY ENJOYABLE FUN! Well Done! Bravo!
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This next song, number 6 called “WASH YOUR HANDS” has a kind of interesting back story to it. It seems our engineer friend Fred Guarino was able to pull Joe’s voice “down” through technology to the point where he sounded more like Louis Armstrong than himself.
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Fred and Palm take on the backing vocals on this one – and they sound really good together. They should do this more often.
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Because there is so much that they needed to get across within the lyrics of this song, it’s sort of a funk, “rap” style in which Joe “speaks/raps” a good deal of the lyric.
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Sung: “…..Wash your hands – everybody wash your hands.
Wash your hands - everybody wash your hands.
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Spoken: This is the truth about washin’ your hands
It’s the thing to do – as often as you can.
Lather-up with warm wather and soap
Makes no difference – Dove, Zest or Coast.
Wash between your fingers – under those rings
Don’t let those germs do their thing..."
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And so it goes with Fred and Palm coming in on the refrain (above).
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Now, I ask you, how “different” is that? To wash your hands to a funky, rap beat, right? Palma adds some great sounds as well with some synthesized chords, too. It’s so savvy and resourcefully done- and it’s well, well executed.
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This next part is the “exercise” portion of HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE. The first exercise selection is entitled “FREE & EASY,” the 7th cut on the CD. As the title suggests, this Latin influenced song flows easily and it doesn’t make too much of a fuss, all said.
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With the Senior population, the exercises need to be relatively easy to do. This song helps make those exercises not only easy, but enjoyable as they exercise to the voice of Joe Orlando saying to them:
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“…Put your hands in the air and stretch….stretch)* *behind this, a contra melody in harmonized voices are singing “Free & Easy”
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Sway to the left – sway to the right (repeated three times)
then
Left foot out (*tap – tap) – left foot back
Right foot out (*tap – tap) – right foot back *spoken
Left arm out – left arm back
Right arm out – right arm back
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Free & Easy (*sway) Free & Easy (*sway)
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Reach with your left arm – now reach with your right
Wiggle your left arm – now wiggle your right.
Open and close your left hand – open and close your right
Box with your left hand – now box with the right.
Now, clap – clap those hands .." (the rhythm is highly accentuated here – perfect!)
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The workout for an aerobic exercise is genteel, and is made entertaining and enjoyable. And, you know what? It provides the necessary movement to keep our Seniors limbered-up, but doesn’t overdo the movements, either. It simply allows them to move, all over – sort of Free and Easy!
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For those who can – it’s time to do the ENERGY WALK, our 8th selection. We hear a terrific funky beat and the familiar sound of that classic Hammond B3 organ, as Joe announces “it’s time to do the Energy Walk.”
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“…Each forward step you’re takin’ – is progress that you’re makin’
That’s why we do the Energy Walk.
One foot before the other – follow your sister or brother
They’ll walk you through the Energy Walk….”
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Again, the song is quite rhythmic and the repeated mantra “…Keep walkin’, keep on walkin’….keep walkin’, keep on walkin’…that’s why we do the energy walk…”
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It’s very easy to remember and to sing along with, as well. Another brilliant adaptation of a simple exercise put to some awesome, fun music. “It’s time to do the Energy Walk.”
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Number 9 is an amazing song, to the writer’s mind. It’s called RUMBA, 1, 2, 3. I love the way Palm thinks. She can put even INSTRUCTIONS – the “how-to” of something, if you will, into a pleasing, easy-to-understand lyric. I just find that fascinating, really. Because these lyrics make so much sense as written for this song – it sounds like this would be a cinch to do – but just try it! Pick out a topic and try to fit your instructions into a nice, rhyming song. Make it one with the same rhythm as the written instruction calls for, and that easily characterizes the topic at hand.
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Yep, that’s what I thought – NOT SO EASY, is it?

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Here’s how Palm did it, set to a Rumba beat:
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“…To do the Rumba, count the numbers – it’s very simple; 1, 2, 3.
The number 1 goes very slowly, and quickly step on 2 & 3.
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To do the Rumba is relaxing – like laundry swaying in the breeze.
Remember number 1 goes slowly, then quickly step on two & three.
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CHORUS: You make a box step, stay in your square.
You throw your arms out – as if you didn’t have a care.
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To do the Rumba, count the numbers, lift up your arm, go underneath.
Your feet will find it very simple, and when it’s over – you repeat!...”
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Okay, so there you have it – “how” to do a Rumba. The “how” is within the words of the song and they coincide with the very Rumba beat they were set to. I think this one is unbelievably CLEVER! Great rhythmic syncopation – easy to listen to instruments, and Palm’s singing is right-on and as easy to listen to as it always is. A great number, Palm. Really! :)
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Next in the exercise line up is the number 10 song called “USE IT, DON’T LOSE IT” In this one, we get to hear Fred play some of those awesome guitar licks he does so well and right from the beginning of the tune. I like the effect he’s using on the guitar, too.
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As a teen of the 70’s, music-wise, I would call this beat sort of a “go-go” pop beat. Know what I mean by that? Think about Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Recall when all of the cast would be behind the little “doors” of the wall and each would open the door either to make a statement or to tell a joke? Sometimes, in between there would be a “go-go” dancer or two, and the rhythm of THIS song is the same as that which those dancers moved to. There are lots of leg movements, and arm movements to the act of “go-go” dancing. Try it, you’ll see…..
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The lyrics say it all – they tell the story:
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“…You gotta use it, don’t lose it – use it, use it, use it, don’t lose it. (repeat X2)
Any time at all when you feel like havin’ fun and you get the urge to send those blues on the run, yeah!
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You gotta use it, before you lose it – use it, use it, use it don’t lose it. (repeat X2)
All it ever takes is a little time each day – makes you feel so good it’s like you just got paid, yeah!...”
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There are some decidedly-good drums throughout this one, making it lively and playful. Joe takes the vocal lead, and does some overdubbing, and Palm does some backing vocals here. I think, though, that it is Fred’s guitar work that “makes” this tune. Fred plays so well and his riffs are so apropos for the flavor of the era it comes from. Fred is a tasteful player – he definitely follows the “less is more” concept, and he follows it well. His playing is first-class; not fussy, not overdone. You’ve heard of Chuck Berry, yes? You remember…….. Johnny B. Goode? Yeah, well he ain’t got nothin’ on Fred Guarino – and that’s a fact.
[pictured: Fred Guarino]
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Can’t wait to tell you all the rest of this story – the song coming up is my favorite one, though, as usual, I have several “faves.” Always happens when listening to the quality music recorded at TIKI by my Long Island friends.
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Come back for part two, and …….. don’t forget to HUG SOMEONE YOU LOVE!
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All my musical best,
~Martini

(photos: courtesy of Frank Rendo)