I played the piano and sang. A few friends joined me. Even some guy I don’t know joined me!

Folks, this is what happens at a holiday party for our investors with a grand piano in the entrance foyer, separated from the rest of the party where in you can barely hear yourself talk.

So us in the foyer had a blast doing half-ass sing-alongs from The Sound of Music, some other Christmas carols we had no idea what the words are. Well, I play by ears and mostly to the key of C. And I have not practiced my Christmas songbooks this year yet. (I’m late! I know!). So I churned out whatever I remembered. And people tried to sing along to whatever they knew.

Hail to the Chief (when the CEO walked in but he didn’t get that joke). God save the Queen (some Brits in the house requested that). USC Fight Song, of course. Desperado (one of my repertoires). Moon River. La Vie En Rose. Piano Man. Jingle Bell. Santa Baby. Sound of Music. Do a Deer…a female deer. Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate’s life for me. Etc.

The best moment? You see, I have a softer, lyrical adaptation of Meatloaf’s “I’d do anything for love (but I won’t do that)” to play as one of my “muzak” when folks walk into meetings. That and Metallica’s “Nothing else matters”, for untrained ears were pretty good piano music. Anyways, at the end of the party, as everyone had enough alcohol in the system, including yours truly, and not many people left hanging around, I bust out the full rock version. I was totally rocking out at the baby grand all by myself when one of the investors walked up to me.

“That’s a great song,” he said.

“Meatloaf,” I uttered.

“I know,” he replied. And then he started to sing along to the chorus. I chimed in with the girl’s part toward the ending. And he finished the song.

He applauded. I got up to shake his hand. He gave me a hug and left. I don’t even know who that guy was.

Good times for all!