Harpers Bizarre is the name of two separate musical acts.

Harpers Bi… Read Full Bio ↴Harpers Bizarre is the name of two separate musical acts.

Harpers Bizarre was an American pop-rock band of the 1960s, best known for their Broadway/choirboy sound and their remake of Simon & Garfunkel's "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."

Career

Harpers Bizarre was formed out of The Tikis, a Californian band who enjoyed some local success with Beatle-like songs in the mid 1960s. In 1967, record producer Lenny Waronker got a hold of the Simon & Garfunkel song "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," determined to make it into a single. The Tikis recorded it, with the arrangement featuring extended harmonies reminiscent of the work of Brian Wilson or even the Swingle Singers. The song was released under a new band name, "Harpers Bizarre" (a play on the magazine "Harper's Bazaar"), so as not to alienate The Tikis' fanbase. The Harpers Bizarre version of the song reached #13 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1967, far exceeding any success that The Tikis thus far had.
The success of the single prompted Harpers Bizarre to record their debut album. At this point the band consisted of Ted Templeman (vocals, drums, guitar); Dick Scoppettone (born 5 July 1945; vocals, guitar, bass); Eddie James (guitar); Dick Yount (bass, vocals) and John Petersen (born 8 January 1942; drums, percussion, vocals). Petersen had previously already enjoyed a brief spell of success as member of the Beau Brummels; James left shortly after the first recording sessions and was replaced by Dick Young. Under the guidance of producer Lenny Waronker (and Templeman, who emerged as the leader of the group), Harpers Bizarre developed a unique sound which experimented with heavy vocal layering. Most of Harpers Bizarre's recordings are cheerful and airy, both in subject matter and musical accompaniment often with string and woodwind arrangements, resulting in a psychedelic Broadway/Baroque pop sound.
In addition to covering several old standards (including Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" and Gordon and Warren's "Chattanooga Choo Choo"), Harpers Bizarre also recorded the work of several contemporary songwriters, including Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks and Harry Nilsson.
None of the subsequent singles, however, achieved the same level of success as their debut, and the band broke up shortly after their last album was released in 1969.
In 1976, a partial reunion of the group occurred (without Templeman) to record an album, As Time Goes By, that is often overlooked in Harpers Bizarre discographies.

Discography

Feelin' Groovy (1967)
Anything Goes (1968)
Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre (1968)
Harpers Bizarre 4 (1969)
As Time Goes By (1976)

Harpers Bizarre is also the name of an group of Harp Players from Cornwall, UK. 'Harpers Bizarre' Harp ensemble was formed in 2004 by Sarah Deere-Jones plus Sarah herself, who runs the Cornwall Harp Centre.Their first performance was at the Penventon Hotel in Redruth, Cornwall in November 2004 before going on to release their first CD 'A Cornish Pastiche' of new and traditional harp tunes.

Pocketful Of Miracles
Harpers Bizarre Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

PEE-racticality DEE-oesn't interest me
Love's the life that I lead
I've got a pocketful of miracles
And with a pocketful of miracles
One little miracle a day is all I need

TEE-roubles more or less BEE-other me, I guess
When the sun doesn't shine

But there's that pocketful of miracles
And with a pocketful of miracles
The world's a bright and shiny apple that's mine, all mine

I hear sleigh bells ringing smack in the middle of May
I go around like there's snow around
I feel so good, it's Christmas ev'ry day

LEE-ife's a carousel FEE-ar as I can tell
And I'm ridin' for free
So, if you're down and out of miracles
I've got a pocketful of miracles
And there'll be miracles enough for you and me

(I hear sleigh bells ringing)
Smack in the middle of May
I go around like there's snow around
(I feel so good, it's Christmas ev'ry day)

LEE-ife's a carousel FEE-ar as I can tell
And I'm ridin' for free
(I've got a pocketful of miracles)

But if I had to pick a miracle
My fav'rite miracle of all is you and me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Harper's Bizarre's song "Pocketful Of Miracles" speaks of a person's love for the fantastical, the magical and the miraculous. They sing of how practicality does not interest them, and that they prefer to live a life filled with love and miracles. With a pocketful of miracles, they need only one little miracle a day to feel satisfied. Even when troubled, they find solace in their miracles, stating that the world becomes a bright and shiny apple that's theirs for the taking. They describe how they feel like it's Christmas every day, hearing sleigh bells ringing even in May. For them, life is a free ride on a carousel, and if anyone needs a miracle, they've got a pocketful that's enough for everyone, including their favorite miracle of all, themselves and their significant other.

The lyrics of the song are a celebration of the joys of life and love. It's a testament to enjoying life, even when things don't seem ideal. The song encourages listeners to find joy in the small things, appreciate the positive and magical aspects of our lives, and to always carry some hope and enthusiasm with us.

Line by Line Meaning

PEE-racticality DEE-oesn't interest me
I'm not concerned with practical things

Love's the life that I lead
I prioritize love in my life

I've got a pocketful of miracles
I have many amazing things in my life

And with a pocketful of miracles
Because of these amazing things

One little miracle a day is all I need
I don't need much to be happy

TEE-roubles more or less BEE-other me, I guess
I'm sometimes bothered by troubles

When the sun doesn't shine
During difficult times

But there's that pocketful of miracles
I have those amazing things to fall back on

The world's a bright and shiny apple that's mine, all mine
Everything seems wonderful to me

I hear sleigh bells ringing smack in the middle of May
I'm so happy and optimistic

I go around like there's snow around
I feel the joy of the Christmas season all year