Jan/20/08
12comments

Ronnie Hazlehurst – Last of the Summer Wine

The Last of the Summer Wine (tab)

The saddest passing of 2007 was that of theme tune legend Ronnie Hazlehurst. He wrote the theme tunes of a great raft of shows from the 70s and 80s (none of which will mean much to you if you live outside the UK). Watch Matt Berry (IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) talk about him and play a note perfect rendition of the Sorry! theme tune.

Hazlehurst’s theme tune for Last of the Summer Wine is the sound of death to me. The show follows three pensioners as they shuffle around the Yorkshire Dales doing nothing much in particular. It has been shown on the BBC every Sunday evening for the last 300 years. Because of this (and because Hazlehurst did a great job with the tune) the opening credits of Last of the Summer Wine always give me that little-death feeling you get on a Sunday night (and not the sexy French kind) before you have to go back to the grind on a Monday morning.

Thanks to the crawling pace, it’s simple to play. Most of the notes are open or part of the chords (F, Bb, C and Gm). There’s a trip up to the Gm at the fifth fret, but other than that it’s plain sailing.

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12 Comments

  1. zym January 20th, 2008 6:35 pm

    You really are a VERY sick man Woodhead!! ;)

  2. zym January 20th, 2008 7:15 pm

    sorry, i mean woodshed.

    (thats how disturbed i found your post!)

  3. Woodshed January 20th, 2008 8:03 pm

    Was it that bad? Believe it or not, I toned it down from my original thoughts. You really don’t want to know what goes on in my head.

  4. zym January 20th, 2008 10:50 pm

    hahaha

    Musically, im sure its ‘spot on’ – but in the name of god, WHY!! :)

    You should be made to sit in a tin bath on wheels, and be pushed down a steep hill (every week for the next 30 years!)

  5. Woodshed January 21st, 2008 7:23 pm

    Because it’s a brilliant theme tune. It perfectly encapsulates the show and it’s memorable.

    You should be made to sit in a tin bath on wheels, and be pushed down a steep hill (every week for the next 30 years!)

    That sounds like a lot of fun. I’m up for it :D

  6. chloe September 7th, 2008 12:37 pm

    i am dying to know what the thme tune notes are to last of the summer wine are in harmonica notes so pls right back

  7. Woodshed September 7th, 2008 3:15 pm

    Sorry, chloe, I have no idea how to play the harmonica.

  8. Rob NY September 7th, 2008 4:18 pm

    Chloe, There is a nice video on youtube done by ‘3milesfromspace’ Its on diatonic harmonica .

  9. Rob NY September 7th, 2008 9:41 pm

    Al,Thanks for tabing this.Never saw the show,but this is a nice melody. Easy enough for some one with my limited ukulele skills

  10. Woodshed September 8th, 2008 7:39 pm

    Rob: Thanks for the link. You’re not missing anything with the show.

  11. Jessica July 12th, 2012 1:56 pm

    I’m still new to reading tabs, but thank you for doing this (and UpDown, too!) So I’ll admit, I guess I’m the only person under 60 who liked LOTSW, but that’s okay. The first 15 years were the ones worth watching, but even I will say it went on too long. Thank you again!

  12. Woodshed July 12th, 2012 10:48 pm

    Jessica: Wow! I’m amazed to have the only under 60s LOTSW liker comment!

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