Liner notes as they appear inside the cover of Robin Hopper's "The Alaska Collection".


*All words and music by Robin Hopper, unless noted.
* If you'd like to have the lyrics, you can email me, at the address
on the next page.

LAND OF MY DREAMS
Performers - Robin, Joe Page, Shonti Elder, John Schlomer
Ah, Alaska! Land of the midnight sun! (Translation: you can't get
to sleep in the summer, because the sun is pouring in your 
windows at 11:00 p.m.) A fisherman's paradise! (Translation: 
everyone in the world knows how good the fishing is, and they are
all crowded into YOUR spot on the river!) Beautiful, snowcapped
peaks! (Translation: Alaska has three seasons - last winter, this
winter, and next winter!) All kidding aside, this is a great place to
live - the stuff dreams are made of.

SEASONS
Music by Robin Hopper, lyrics by Robert Filter
Performers - Robin, Kurt Riemann
This piece was the result of my first collaboration with Bob Filter,
a wonderful poet from Anchorage. I love the way he paints 
Alaskan pictures with words.

THE OLD BUSH PILOT
Music by Robin Hopper and Suzy Crosby, words by Robert Filter
Performers - Robin, Stu Schulman, Frank Solivan, Joe Page
Another collaboration with Bob Filter produced this piece. Although
he's not a pilot himself, I think that he has captured the daring spirit
of the early Alaskan bush pilots in his writing. Flying in the early days
of Alaska's settlement was a risky proposition, at best. If the weather
turned bad and you were lucky, you made it home with some exciting
stories to tell. If Lady Luck wasn't on your side, they'd probably find
you in the spring.......

COMBAT FISHING
Robin,Bernard Glansbeek,Frank Solivan,Charlie Hewitt,Tom Bargelski
My favorite Alaskan postcard is a shot of the Russian River by the
ferry, when the reds are in. It's shoulder-to-shoulder fishermen, three
or four rows deep as far as you can see, with lines tangled and lures
flying everywhere. In the forefront of the picture is Walt Disney's
Goofy, muscling his way into the crowd, trying to elbow his way to the
water. While this may sound funny, - it's not so far removed from the
truth.....

ALASKA'S FLAG
Words by Marie Drake, music by Elinor Dusenbury
Permission granted by the University of Alaska
Performers: Robin, Bernard Glansbeek, Frank Solivan
Years ago, the newly-formed state of Alaska had a contest among school
children to design a new flag. The winner was Benny Benson, an orphan
from Seward. He drew the Big Dipper and the North Star in gold, on a
background of rich blue. Alaskans are proud of their flag, and I think that
this song is beautiful. It's our official state song, and as a music teacher,
I make sure that every one of the thousands of students who pass through
my classroom learns it.

HOMER SPIT JIG
Performers: Robin, Denise Martin
One day, I was walking down Homer Spit with my two children. It was a
brisk and sunny day, and we were having a grand adventure, running and
skipping along as we sang songs. I was in the middle of singing a little
ditty with nonsensical dum-dee-dum syllables when I stopped dead in my
tracks. This wasn't a melody that I recognized - it was something new!
We turned around and made a beeline for the camper, singing the tune all
the way at the top of our lungs so we wouldn't forget it. When we got
back to the campground, I drew a musical staff on a piece of paper and
scribbled down the notes. Presto! Homer Spit Jig was born! Since then,
I've created two circle dances to go with it - one is very easy, and one is
a bit more tricky. I use them at school with my students. If you'd like the
directions, just email me!

SALMON SONG
Music by Robin Hopper, lyrics by Robert Filter
Performers - Robin, Kurt Riemann
Can you imagine 75 kindergarten students dressed up as fish, dancing and
singing this song? Yes, it's an annual ritual at the school where I teach
music to 500 elementary students. With Bob's words, a calypso-ish
melody, Kurt's earthy rhythm ensemble and dozens of colorful singing
"fish", it's quite a unique experience!

UP ON A MOUNTAIN TOP
Performers: Robin, Stu Schulman
I was roaming around the house one day, deep in the throes of creating a
three part round. I had the melody all set, but I didn't have a clue as to
what the topic of the song was going to be. I happened to glance out the
front window, and caught sight of one of my favorite landmarks - Bear
Mountain. This edifice rises up off the floodplain to stand as a steep,
weathered sentinel over our home. When you stand on top of it, you feel
as though you can see the entire earth.

MY CHUGACH HOME
Performers: Robin, Stu Schulman, Frank Solivan, Joe Page
Nine miles up Peter's Creek Valley, there's an old trapper's cabin
tucked right into the side of a little hill. It's well worth the long hike
back to it, and when you get there, it seems as though you've left
the rest of the world behind. The kind of place where you want to
take off your watch......

HOMESTEADER'S STOMP
Performers: Robin, Denise Martin
The students at my school have had a lot of fun trying to keep up
with the line dance that I created to go along with this instrumental
piece. The dance itself is very easy, but the tempo increases bit 
by bit, until you are breathless at the end! If you'd like instructions,
just send me a letter or an email.

I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE (Alaskan style)
Performers: Robin
My husband came up with the idea for this one - he suggested that
we take the lyrics of an old Hank Snow hit, and "Alaskanize" it.
After many edits and seven long months spent memorizing the words,
I had the world's longest tongue-twister! It's always a challenge to
see if I can make it all the way through it in a live performance!

NORTH COUNTRY LIVING
Performers: Robin, Sean Cobb, Joe Page, Heather Adrian
Have you ever noticed that most of us living here are originally from
someplace else? Alaska weaves a magic spell on you - and after
a while, it seems as though this has always been your home.

EARTHQUAKE
Performers: Robin, Dirk Westphal, Tom Bryan
Ok, ok - this song isn't *really* about an earthquake, in the literal
sense, but since earthquakes are such a common occurrence up
here, I decided to put it in, just for fun. At our house, we can
actually hear the earthquakes coming, before we can feel them.
The sound rumbles and echoes along the mountain range,
sounding just like a great big truck without a muffler. Just about
the time you realize that it isn't a truck, everything starts shaking....

FISH ON!
Performers: Robin
If you've ever fished on an Alaskan salmon stream, you know that when
you tie into a fish, you're supposed to holler: "Fish On!", to let other folks
know to get out of your way. Well, no one had prepared me for this sort
of protocol, so I got myself into a real pickle with a big, burly fisherman
on my first outing! This piece will never be finished, because every
fishing trip is a potential new verse. (Which probably explains why no
one wants to go fishing with me anymore - they're afraid they'll end up
in the song!)

FUR RENDEZVOUZ
Words and music by Brian K Jones
Performers: Robin, Bernard Glansbeek, Frank Solivan
When I first started teaching elementary school music in Alaska, I found
an old, warped '45 record in one of my classroom closets. When I
listened to the song, it told of the Fur Rendezvouz, which is a carnival in
the middle of February each year. It evolved from the days when the
trappers used to come to town (Anchorage) with all their furs to sell.
These guys didn't get out much, and after they had sold all their furs,
and bought supplies to take back to their cabins in the Bush, they
usually stuck around for a few days, to enjoy each other's company, eat
lots of good food, and play games. Today's "Rondy" is not for the
trappers, but for all of us house-bound, cabin-fever-crazed Alaskans who
need something to focus on other than the long, dark winter months.
There's nothing quite like Fur Rondy!

Recorded at two Alaskan studios -
Surreal Studios - Kurt Riemann, engineer and co-producer
Mirror Studios - Charlie Hewitt, engineer and co-producer

Graphic design and photos by Bruce Hopper, husband extraordinaire!
Copyright 2002, Published by Stillwater Productions
All rights reserved.

Please keep in touch! I'd love to hear from you.
Robin Hopper
PO Box 670549
Chugiak, AK 99567
ph/fax (907) 688-2032
email: robin@robinhopper.com
website: https://robinhopper.com

Other recordings by Robin Hopper:
NORTH COUNTRY LIVING 1994
UP ON A MOUNTAIN TOP 1996
PASS IT ON 1999
SCRAPBOOK 2001
Recordings can be ordered from the address or the website above.


The "cute" one
Created using FrontPage 2000, fixed with NOTEPAD.EXE
Last updated on 1/31/2005  by njneer@alaska.net.