SONGS FOR
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
LYRICS & LINER NOTES
[Album available from iTunes and Amazon, as well as this website.]
1. Anthem Of The Extraordinary
Are you extraordinary? Most likely you are. But what are the traits, qualities, and circumstances that make someone extraordinary? On this album, we meet a scientist, a daredevil, an activist, an artist, a performer, an explorer, an inventor, an athlete, a humanitarian, a survivor, and a criminal—all of them extraordinary. Maybe you have something in common with these people (though I hope you’re not a criminal).
Are you extraordinary? Are you extraordinary? What have you discovered? What have you seen? What have you invented? Where have you been? Are you a daredevil? Acrobatics in the sky? Are you a secret Russian spy? Are you extraordinary? Are you extraordinary? What are your achievements? What have you survived? What have you fought for? Where do you thrive? Are you a prodigy? A sparkling superstar? Are you a mystery to us all? Are you extraordinary? Yes, you're extraordinary! Are you extraordinary? You are extraordinary! Are you extraordinary? Yes, you're extraordinary! Are you extraordinary? You are extraordinary?
TAYLOR MAC: vocals • ALLYSSA LAMB: backing vocals • KRISTIN MUELLER: drums • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
2. Billie Jean King (1943 - )
Athlete and activist Billie Jean King won thirty-nine Grand Slam titles in tennis. She was one of the top three players in the world between 1966-1974, and number one for six of those years. She also started a professional woman’s tennis tour, a woman’s sports magazine, and co-founded World TeamTennis. Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon champion, claimed that women’s abilities were no match to men’s. He challenged King to a match in what became known as the “Battle of the Sexes.” The match was televised and viewed by an estimated fifty million people worldwide.
Billie Jean King, Billie Jean King, here's the thing about you: For all the ladies throughout the world, you've come through. Billiey Jean King, Billie Jean King, across the court balls flew.For all the ladies throughout the world, you've come through. Tennis is a splendid sport. You'd win nine times out of ten. But it's such a shame if you are treated less than men. Bobby Riggs, he came along. He strutted all his stuff. He challenged you, he wished to prove that men are extra tough. But by the match was done you'd won three sets out of three. You'd won for yourself and women alike. Even Bobby would have to agree. Billie Jean King, Billie Jean King, here's the thing about you: For all the ladies throughout the world, you've come through. Billie Jean King, Billie Jean King, across the court balls flew. For all the ladies throughout the world, you've come through.
CLAUDIA GONSON: vocals • JONTI SIMAN: bass • BEN HOLMES: trumpet • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
3. Sam Patch (1799 - 1822)
Also known as “The Yankee Leaper,” Sam Patch was America’s first famous daredevil. In 1829 he successfully jumped more than 120 feet into the foaming river at the base of Niagara Falls. Nearly 10,000 spectators watched his performance, and he quickly became a household name. During his short-lived career, he jumped from bridges and ship masts, but at High Falls on the Genesee River he met his match. Reports from the crowd vary. Some say he staggered while climbing the platform (he was known to go on drinking binges). Others say he accidentally fell. Either way, he hit the water off-center and did not return to the surface.
Sam Patch, Sam Patch, the jumping bug, he did catch. A hundred feet without a scratch. So impressive, Samuel Patch. Sam Patch, Sam Patch, the fame and glory would soon hatch. Plus a few bucks, he would snatch. Exciting times for Samuel Patch. Sam Patch, Sam Patch, at Genesee Falls he met his match. From his “spirits” he did detach. So long to you, dear Samuel Patch. So long to you, dear Samuel Patch. So long to you, dear Samuel Patch.
STEPHEN GERARD: banjo • OLIVIER MANCHON: violin • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
4. Jane Goodall (1934 - )
Did you know that the vocalization of a chimpanzee is known as a pant-hoot? Jane Goodall certainly does. That’s because she is regarded the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees, having spent enough time in the Gombe forest in Tanzania to witness the lives of three generations of chimps. She was the first to observe that chimps not only use tools to hunt for food, but also make the tools. Prior to this finding, it was assumed that only humans made tools. Ooh ooh ahh ahh ahhhh ahhhhhh!
Won't you pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall? Won't you pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall? The seas may rise and skies may fall, but here in the jungle we'll do just fine if you'll just pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall. She spent lots of time in Tanzania with three generations of Chimpanzia. She learned their skills, their tricks, their traits. And soon she learned to communicate. Won't you pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall? Won't you pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall? The seas may rise and skies may fall, but here in the jungle we'll do just fine if you'll just pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall. Here comes Flint and Fifi and Flo. Along with Jane it's quite a show. Rocks and sticks and gooey glue, we use tools likes humans do. Won't you pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall? Won't you pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall? The seas may rise and skies may fall, but here in the jungle we'll do just fine if you'll just pant-hoot for me Jane Goodall. All of the things we've learned to be, I'd gladly give back for living free. Hunting for grub just you and me. Under the shade of ironwood tree, together we'll sing in harmony. For, here in the jungle we'll do just fine if you'll just pant hoot for me Jane Goodall.
TANYA DONELLY: vocals • DEAN FISHER: djembe • MARY ROACH: pant-hoots • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
5. William Kamkwamba (1987 - )
When he was just fourteen, William Kamkwamba visited a local junkyard, where he collected scraps to build a windmill for his village in Malawi, Africa—a village that had no electricity or drinking water. At first the people of his village thought he was crazy, but then they heard the radio in his home playing local Malawian reggae, and realized what William has done. He went on to built several more windmills, as well as a solar-powered pump that supplies fresh water. Now that is extraordinary!
Flattened pipes, a tractor fan, pulled out from a garbage can, put them together, let’s see. Bicycle tires, bamboo and wires, oh, William, what could it be? William Kamkwamba, he impressed his mom and pa, and everybody else in his town. He made a windmill. Built it with pure skill. In his honor let’s get down! Flattened pipes, a tractor fan, pulled out from a garbage can, put them together, let’s see. Bicycle tires, bamboo and wires, oh, William, what could it be? William Kamkwamba, he impressed his mom and pa, and everybody else in his town. He made a windmill. Built it with pure skill. In his honor let’s get down! William Kamkwamba, he impressed his mom and pa, and everybody else in his town. He made a windmill. Built it with pure skill. In his honor let’s get down!
BEN HOLMES: trumpet • JOHNNY HOTT: percussion • ALLYSSA LAMB: backing vocals • MICHAEL SACHS: saxophone • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
6. Harry Houdini (1874 - 1926 )
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Ehrich Weisz, better known as Harry Houdini, the death-defying escape artist and master mystifier who astonished audience around the world with his escapes from handcuffs, ropes, chains and straightjackets . . . often while hanging upside down or submerged in a tank of water. Through extensive touring and a lot of press, Houdini became the most famous magician in the world. And to this day, people still wonder how some of Houdini’s tricks worked.
Houdini did it—there he goes. How’d he do it? No one knows. Did he pick the locks with just his toes? His secrets, he shall not expose. Look up there, it’s Harry Houdini. In that box, it’s Harry Houdini. At home it’s not worth trying. His tricks were death defying. Leave that stuff for Harry Houdini. Houdini escaped again, I hear. From underwater without scuba gear! Held his breath for three minutes . . . oh dear. The crowds gave him a roaring cheer. Way up there, it’s Harry Houdini. In that box, it’s Harry Houdini. At home it’s not worth trying, unless you’re set on dying. Leave that stuff for Harry Houdini.
ALLYSSA LAMB: vocals • JONTI SIMAN: bass • SAM SADIGURSKY: clarinet • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
7. Jeanne de Clisson (1300 - 1359)
Yes, women can be pirates, too! Jeanne de Clisson, also known as the “Lioness of Brittany,” spent thirteen years of her life sailing the English Channel, hunting down French ships to avenge her late husband, who had been accused of treason and sentenced to death by King Philip VI. Throughout her day, the Lioness of Brittany was feared by many and praised by many others. When Jeanne found a French ship, she would destroy it, killing the men on board, but sparing just a few, to make sure her message got back to the King, proving to him that he had messed with the wrong gal!
(À l’abordage!) Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. She's a pirate of the sea. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. The Lioness of Brittany. Her husband fought with the French cavalry, but soon he was blamed for treachery. Off went his head. Her husband was dead. To Jeanne this meant war. Revenge, she swore! Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. She's a pirate of the sea. With the help of England, Jeanne bought three ships; painted them black and red. She sailed the English Channel hunting down the French boats, making sure their crew was dead. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. She's a pirate of the sea. Eventually her flagship was sunk by the French. Jeanne was adrift for days. Just when you thought her time had come,through the fog and ocean haze was . . . Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. She's a pirate of the sea. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne de Clisson. The Lioness of Brittany.
OLIVIER CONAN: vocals • OLIVIER MANCHON: violin • COMPANY: backing vocals • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else..
8. Evel Knievel (1938 - 2007)
Robert Craig Knievel was, without a doubt, a fan of Elvis. Instead of wooing audiences with his voice, however, he performed stunts on a motorcycle, jumping as many as fourteen Greyhound buses in a single leap of faith. During his career he attempted hundreds of jumps, flying high above water fountains, canyons, and rows of parked vehicles. Throughout the process he broke at least 433 bones, received multiple concussions, and even ended up in a month-long coma after a failed jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. And that’s why you shouldn’t try it at home.
Evel (Evel, Evel) Knievel. Evel (Evel, Evel) Knievel. Evel (Evel, Evel), Evel (Evel, Evel), Evel (Evel, Evel) Knievel. Evel (Evel, Evel) Knievel. Evel (Evel, Evel) Knievel. Evel (Evel, Evel), Evel (Evel, Evel),Evel (Evel, Evel) Knievel.
BEN HOLMES: trumpet • ALLYSSA LAMB: vocals • KRISTIN MUELLER: drums • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
9. Mary Fields (Stagecoach Mary) (1832 - 1914)
Mary Fields was one tough lady. She was the first African American woman to be employed as a mail carrier in the United States. At six-foot tall, 200-pounds, she smoked cigars and packed a gun. (Here it should be mentioned that she was sixty-years-old when she took the job.) Along with her mule, Moses, she never missed a single day of work, even if it was snowing and the wagon was frozen in its tracks. In other words, Stagecoach Mary ruled.
Stagecoach Mary brought me my mail every single day without fail. Rain or snow, wagon is stuck, it don’t matter, I’m still in luck. Now Mary Fields was born a slave and orphaned to a nun. She took to drinking, smoked cigars, always packed a gun. But she loved that nunnery, and the nuns they did love her. They gave her money, nothing funny, just wanted to be sure that she would find her way, so she opened a café. But the café didn’t last because Mary gave everything away. (She was just too nice!) Stagecoach Mary brought me my mail every single day without fail. Rain or snow, wagon is stuck, it don’t matter, I’m still in luck. Mary Fields had other skills, so she headed out one day. At six feet tall, two hundred pounds, nothing would stand in her way. She heard there might be a job in Cascade as a postal worker, but the other applicants were half her age; Mary would need to be quicker. (And she was!) The fasted at hitching horses to a stagecoach rig, she was awarded the job of first black woman to have a mail delivery gig! Stagecoach Mary brought me my mail every single day without fail. Rain or snow, wagon is stuck, it don’t matter, I’m still in luck. The town of Cascade was proud to have Mary and all that she would do. And to show their adoration, to prove that their love was true, although woman were not allowed in saloons, it was strictly a man’s club, Stagecoach Mary was granted access to each and every pub. Stagecoach Mary brought me my mail every single day without fail. Rain or snow, wagon is stuck, it don’t matter, I’m still in luck. Stagecoach Mary brought me my mail every single day without fail. Rain or snow, wagon is stuck, it don’t matter, I’m still in luck.
JOHNNY HOTT: percussion • ALLYSSA LAMB: backing vocals • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
10. Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1377)
At the age of twenty-one, Ibn Battuta set off from Morocco on a journey that would last twenty-four years. His travels began with a hajj (or pilgrimage) to Mecca, but continued to what is now Iraq and Iran, down to Tanzania and the Swahili Coast, up to India, and over to China. Batutta traveled on camel, boat, and foot, covering approximately 75,000 miles and visiting just about the entire known Islamic world . . . and then some. Upon Battuta’s return to Morocco, he dictated his stories into a book known as the Rihla (“The Journey”). Six-hundred and fifty plus years later, Michael Hearst learned about Ibn Battuta and wrote a song about him.
Desert trails and ocean sails, a caravan in the sun. Sixteen months, 3000 miles, our journey's just begun. First stop was in Mecca, my future came in view. On to Arabia, India and China, then down to Timbuktu. I survived a shipwreck, married four women, maybe several more? I'm Ibn Battuta, Moroccan scholar, now I must go explore.
BEN HOLMES: trumpet • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
11. Marie Curie (Madame Curie) (1867 - 1934)
No doubt you know the word “radiation?” But did you know Marie Cure came up with the term after discovering a couple of radioactive metals; one she named “polonium” for her home country of Poland, and the other “radium,” because . . . well, it sounded like the word “radiation.” In 1903 Curie won a Nobel Prize in Physics for her work, making her the first Polish person and the first woman to win the prize! In 1911 she won a second Nobel Prize, this time for her work in chemistry. Unfortunately, the radiation caught up with her, causing her to go blind and leading to her eventual death. To this day, her notebooks are still locked away because they’re too radioactive to handle!
Madame Curie, your discovery of radium was quite wise. For that they have bestowed on thee the noblest Nobel Prize. Madame Curie, so extraordinary. In the world you’ve left your mark. A museum should display your notes, even if they glow in the dark!
ALLYSSA LAMB: vocals • BEN HOLMES: trumpet, flugelhorn • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
12. Roy Sullivan (1912 - 1983)
Roy Sullivan was a ranger at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Between 1942 and 1997, Roy was struck by lightning SEVEN TIMES! The odds of getting struck by lighting just once are estimated at about one in ten thousand. The odds of getting stuck by lightning seven times is that number multiplied by itself seven times—far more zeros than there is space to write out on this album sleeve. Nonetheless, he survived all of the lightning strikes. Incidentally, Sullivan’s wife was also stuck by lightning once when she and Roy were in the backyard hanging clothes.
Stand clear, here comes Roy Sullivan! Stand clear, here comes Roy Sullivan! I guess it’s just bad luck, seven times the man was struck by lightning. That’s frightening, so stand clear. Stand clear, here comes Roy Sullivan! Stand clear, here comes Roy Sullivan! With a boom the skies are lit. Seven times the guy was hit by lightning. That’s frightening, so stand clear.
KRISTIN MUELLER: drums • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
13. Larry Walters (Lawnchair Larry) (1949 - 1993)
On July 2, 1982, a 33-year old truck driver named Larry Walters strapped himself into an aluminum lawn chair and lifted into the sky with the help of forty-five helium-filled weather balloons. He soared to an altitude of 16,000 feet, floating for ninety minutes. After his flight, Larry told a reporter, “Since I was thirteen years old, I’ve dreamed of going up into the clear blue sky in a weather balloon. By the grace of God, I fulfilled my dream. But I wouldn’t do this again for anything.”
When he was a young man he dreamed of flying high. He dreamed of flying far above his home and through the clear blue skies. But Larry had poor had vision, the air force turned him down. Just a minor setback one day he’ll float above this town. Larry had an idea: He purchased some balloons. He filled them up with helium, and to a chair they were festooned. He packed himself a sandwich and a BB gun, and at the age of 33 he headed for the sun. Up, up, up and away! Lawnchair Larry, sixteen thousand feet above L.A. Up, up, up and away. By the grace of God, looks as thought he’ll live another day. Drifting through the atmosphere, Larry’s dream came true. For longer than an hour, he sailed through he skies of blue. At sixteen thousand feet the air can get quite thin, the temperature is freezing and all you hear is howling wind. Larry, he got nervous as airplanes passed him by. He shot a few balloons and soon he lowered from the sky. Eventually he crash-landed on some power lines, but as he stepped onto the ground he realized he was fine. Up, up, up and away! Lawnchair Larry, sixteen thousand feet above L.A. Up, up, up and away. By the grace of God, looks as thought he’ll live another day. Up, up, up and away! Lawnchair Larry, sixteen thousand feet above L.A. Up, up, up and away. By the grace of God, looks as thought he’ll live another day.
ALLYSSA LAMB: backing vocals • KRISTIN MUELLER: drums • JONTI SIMAN: bass • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
14. Anthem Finale
You are extraordinary! We are certain of this. But how are you extraordinary? I’d love to know. E-mail me at info at michaelhearst dot com. While you’re at it, visit www.extroardinarypeople.us, where you can pick up a copy of the Extraordinary People book and learn more about each of these fascinating individuals (and thirty-eight others).
You are extraordinary. You are extraordinary. You are extraordinary. You are extraordinary. You are extraordinary. You are extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary. Yes, you’re extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary. Are you extraordinary? Yes, you’re extraordinary.
TAYLOR MAC: vocals • MICHAEL HEARST: everything else.
