Thumbs Up for This Waltz

Songs I am butchering this week:

• "A Waltz for a Night" by Julie Delpy


• "And Your Bird Can Sing" by the Beatles


• "You've Got Her in Your Pocket" by the White Stripes

I am a sucker for romantic comedies. I don't like to think about the number of hours I've spent watching mediocre films in this category when I wasn't even on an airplane, nor do I care to admit how much I've enjoyed them. Let's just say that when I find one that's actually a good film, I feel more than satisfied—I feel vindicated.

Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004) are two of my favorites. They probably don't belong in the "comedy" category of romance films because the humor is subtle, but it's my blog, and I'm calling them that anyway. These films are thoughtful and funny and even talkier than a Woody Allen flick—in a word, lovely.

The premise of the first film is this: An American boy (Ethan Hawke) meets a French girl (Julie Delpy) on a train, and they end up walking around Vienna all night until they have to take their separate trains home. Mostly, they talk—and it's fabulous. I don't know what magic potion Richard Linklater and Kim Krazan used when writing the script, but somehow, they created two teenagers who are not only lost and confused like the cliche demands—but they are also intelligent, interesting, and funny.

In one night, these two characters tackle every topic under the sun: religion, politics, feminism, sex, hopes, dreams, you name it. By morning, these characters find a deep connection—and the audience can't help but connect with them, too. The sequel, which is as wonderful as the first film, explores what happens to these characters ten years later, and the rumor is that there will be another film every ten years—sort of like the "Seven Up" documentary series—which I would love to see.

One of my favorite scenes in Before Sunset is when Delpy plays a waltz that she wrote for the acoustic guitar. So, last week, I sought it out on YouTube. Some kind soul has also put the tabs for the song on the Internet, but seeing Delpy play it again taught me something brand new about guitar playing. To play "A Waltz for a Night," Delpy hooks her thumb over the fretboard to hold down the low E string. This gives the waltz its bass line. I know I've seen other players do this, but I didn't really understand what they were doing—I thought they were just resting their thumbs on the guitar neck!

Anyway, I practiced it and practiced it, and now I am ridiculously addicted to playing this song with its one-two-three, one-two-rest rhythm. Of course, I still struggle with a key part of the song which involves four rapid chord changes, and so I focus on playing the oom-pah-pah part ad infinitum instead. For some reason, no one in the family has run out of the room screaming yet. Perhaps it was because I was playing it on Mother's Day?

Not only do I like the weird fingering, I also love the imperfect, candid lyrics (for example: "It was for you just a one night thing / But you were much more to me / Just so you know"). Of course, the subject matter is a one-night stand, which makes me wonder how exactly this fits with my goal to further our son's musical education. As I was singing the telling line: "One night with you little Jesse / Is worth a thousand with anybody" last night, I couldn't help wondering if I shouldn't be working on a thumb-hookable arrangement of "Old MacDonald" instead!