BIFF's Worst for the Week

We have already selected one bad musical number from Paint Your Wagon (1969) but in that movie, the team of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe provided us with a 'twofer.' Who can forget the crooning of a young Clint Eastwood? Rex Harrison once talked with the animals. In Paint Your Wagon Clint timidly talked to the trees.

The song "I Talk to the Trees" merits this 'Worst of the Week' nomination. Selection was based not solely on his singing - - though Clint's voice is not the greatest - - rather the song clinches this award with its sappy lyrics.

Clint also sang "Gold Fever" in the musical movie. More recently Clint Eastwood has moved his focus toward tree descendants with last year's Spoken Arts performance: "I talk to the chair" and the chair didn't answer!

For the record - - in Clint's long and successful acting and directing career, he has never totally given up on singing. Here are a few examples:
Rowdy - from the Rawhide television series
Burning Bridges - title song in Kelly's Heroes
Beers to You - with Ray Charles in Any Which Way You Can
Bar Room Buddies - with Merle Haggard in Bronco Billy
Gran Torino theme song - with Jamie Cullum, song played over the ending credits

Lyrics:

I talk to the trees

But they don't listen to me

I talk to the stars

But they never hear me

The breeze hasn't time

To stop, and hear what I say

I talk to them all

In vain

But suddenly, my words

Reach someone elses ear

At someone elses heart

Strings too

I tell you my dreams

And while you're listening to me

I suddenly see them

Come true

I can see us some April night

Looking out across a rollin' farm

Having supper in the candlelight

Walking later, arm in arm

Then I'll tell you

How I pass the day

Thinking mainly how

The night would be

Then I'll try to find

The words to say

All the things you

Mean to me

I tell you my dreams

And while you're

Listening to me

I suddenly see them

Come true