The Perfect Nanny - Jon Langford

Hi folks, it's Steve from Cover Freak. Kurtis has once again generously invited me to guest post on his blog.

Of all the songs in Mary Poppins, The Perfect Nanny is probably the one that makes the least impression on a viewer. It's short and it isn't the sound track for some over-the-top production number. I think it's the only song in the movie that doesn't feature either Dick Van Dyke or Julie Andrews. So it was all the more impressive for me when Jon Langford got his hands on it.

JON LANGFORD is probably best known as a member of the British punk rock band the Mekons. He has worked tirelessly to end the death penalty in America, notably releasing two CDs on Bloodshot Records to benefit organizations working to stop excutions. Langford is also an internationally-renowned graphic artist. He's a very charming man and someone that I respect greatly as a person as well as an artist.

Langford had something of a Country and Western epiphany in the mid-90s, and many of his solo recordings since then have explored styles of music long ago abandoned by the moguls on Nashville's Music Row. So when the folks at This American Life asked him to record this song for one of their shows it must have seemed only natural to him to transform it into a jaunty two-step.

Thanks again to Kurtis for indulging me here. If you like this kind of stuff check out Cover Freak, where you can always find music that doesn't sound like you remember.

The Perfect Nanny Jon Langford 2006