Friday, May 25, 2012

Star Wars 35th Anniversary "Imperial Rhapsody"

Long long ago in a time far far away....

Thirty-five years ago, on May 25, 1977, the motion-picture STAR WARS made its world-premiere.  Written and directed by George Lucas, this film began a modern day "fairy tale" saga that shows no signs of slowing down. 

I remember going to see it two or three times that summer. I was too old for the toys, but I do remember baby-sitting two boys down the street and helping them play with them. I remember thinking, "Gosh, these are pretty cool toys!" I had a t-shirt and I read the Marvel comic-books. I anxiously awaited the sequel, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), which is still one of my all-time favorite films. Around this time, Darth Vader made the cover of Time magazine!!  By the time THE RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) came out I was in high school, so a whole group of us went to it the first week it opened.


There was similar excitement when the new "episode one" came out, but by that point I knew that the market was for the next generation of fans, and not for me and mine.
Those days of heady excitemen are gone, but when we slip in the videocassette or the DVD or Blue-Ray....the fantasy and excitement comes back. That is the power these films have.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of one of the greatest movie series ever, I present here IMPERIAL RHAPSODY (sung to the tune of Queens' BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, music & lyrics by Freddie Mercury).

Caveat: I didn't write this! I actually have no idea where it came from. I found it recently on some old computer-printer paper from the early 90s. It looks like I saved it from some "chat" or early "text" emails from many many years ago. It's still funny, though. May the FARCE be with you! 

This is the good life
This is a fantasy
Working on Bespin
An escape from reality




Open your eyes
Stand up to these guys and see





I'm just a farmboy
I need some sympathy
Who is my dad I dunno
Little whine little moan






Anywhere the Force goes
Doesn't really matter to me.....to me





Vader just killed a man
Raised an arm up in the air
Now his life it isn't there
Vader we had just begun
And now I've gone and lost the rebel scum
Vader ooooooh
Didn't mean to make you mad
If I'm not here again this time tomorrow
There'll be a new admiral as if nothing ever happened

Too late
My time has come
Sends shivers down my spine
Body's aching all the time




Goood-bye everybody
I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and learn the Force



Vader ooooh I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all





I see a little silhouette of a man
Palpatine Palpatine can it be the Emperor?
Thunderbolts and lightning
Very very hurting me!

R2-D2 (R2-D2) R2-D2 (R2-D2)
R2-D2 Where'd you go C-3PO......!!!
I'm just a farmboy nobody loves me

He's just a farmboy from a dead family
Spare him this life of such mendacity






Spice'll come spice'll go Jabba let me go









Bo shuddo! (No, we will not let you go!)





Let me go!






Bo shuddo! (We will not let you go!)





Let me go!





Bo Shuddo! (We will not let you go---!!)
We will not let you go!
Never never never let you go----!!
Oh oh oh no no no no no no no!!



Oh R2-D2 R2-D2
R2-D2 Come along









C-3PO has a rebel put aside for me...for me...for me!!!







(Storm Troopers start head-banging)









So you say you're the dear old dad of mine?
But you cut my hand off and you left me to die
Oh Vader! Can't do this to me, Vader!
I know there's some good
I know there is some good in you!


May the Force be with you
Use the Force to see
May the Force be with you
May the Force be with you always.....!



Anywhere the Force goes.....!

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