Saturday, January 31, 2009

Singing Valentines

I am writing this column on February 16, 2008, but I won’t be posting it on my blog until the end of January in 2009. The topic is only good once a year for the two weeks preceding Valentine Day.

I had the privilege of singing Valentines this year for the first time, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. If you’ve never bought a singing valentine for your wife, or girlfriend, or fiancĂ©, or other significant loved one in your life, you don’t know what you’re missing. I doubt that there is anything else you can do on Valentine Day that will equal the experience she will have when four tuxedo-clad men show up at her home or in her workplace, present a long-stem red rose and a card with your personal greeting on it and then sing two love songs to her.

Our quartet sang about 30 times this year, and the response was phenomenal. The ones we sang in the home were the most personal, and the tears flowed every time. But the ones we sang at the workplace, especially at schools, were the most fun, because our audience was larger, and the school children were so impressed.

We sang to women and men—that’s right, we’re gender neutral—and our audience included teenage girls, widows, mothers and daughters. We started at 7 AM and didn’t quit until 7 PM. Several others went on until 9 o’clock.

We were one of six quartets that circulated throughout the metropolitan area singing, and we presented 148 Singing Valentines. It wasn’t inexpensive for the senders, but I bet every one of them felt it was worth every penny.

If you would like to send a Singing Valentine to your sweetheart this year, most cities have the service available. You can usually place an order online or by phone. If you order early and you allow a four-hour window, you can probably get a discount. The extras, like having the presentation at your Valentine dinner at your favorite restaurant are a little extra money, but are always worth it.

Like most quartets, we will be singing for two days this year, since Valentines Day falls on a Saturday. You can choose between Friday or Saturday, so there is a large window of opportunity to surprise and romance her.

So here it is fellas. If you are trying to come up with a good gift for Valentine Day, I guarantee that you cannot do any better than a Singing Valentine. If you don’t score big with your honey, it won’t be our fault.

Here are the lyrics to the two songs usually sung for the ladies:

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Let Me Call You Sweetheart, I’m in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.
Keep the lovelight glowing in your eyes so true.
Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you.


Heart Of My Heart

Heart of my heart, I love you.
Life would be naught without you.
Light of my life, my darling,
I love you, I love you.
I can forget you never.
From you I ne’er can sever.
Say you’ll be mine – forever.
I love you.

How can she resist?