Linus and Lucy

"Linus and Lucy" is a popular jazz piano composition written by Vince Guaraldi, appearing in many of the Peanuts animated television specials. Named for the fictional siblings Linus and Lucy van Pelt, it was released in 1964 on the Vince Guaraldi Trio's album Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown. A Charlie Brown Christmas introduced the song to a television audience of millions of children beginning in 1965. Since that special, the piece has introduced most of the Peanuts TV specials, with the exceptions of the specials and other TV programs produced between 1979 and 1992. It is one of the most recognizable pieces by Vince Guaraldi, and has gained status as the de facto theme song of the Peanuts franchise.

The song was played to the crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour as wake-up music on Day 2 of the STS-123 mission on March 11, 2008. It has been used as background music for The Weather Channel's local forecasts since 1999 and in advertisements for insurance firm MetLife.

Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown is the central protagonist of the long-running comic strip Peanuts, syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American archetypes and a popular and widely recognized cartoon character. Charlie Brown is the leader of the Peanuts gang.

Charlie Brown is characterized as a person who frequently suffers, and as a result, is usually nervous and lacks self-confidence. He shows both pessimistic and optimistic attitudes: on some days, he is reluctant to go out because his day might just be spoiled, but on others, he hopes for the best and tries as much as he can to accomplish things.

The character's creator, Charles M. Schulz, has said of the character that "[He] must be the one who suffers, because he is a caricature of the average person. Most of us are much more acquainted with losing than winning." Despite this, Charlie Brown does not always suffer, as he has experienced some happy moments and victories through the years, and he has sometimes uncharacteristically shown self-assertiveness despite his frequent nervousness.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas is an animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez, the program made its debut on CBS on December 9, 1965. In the special, lead character Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. Lucy suggests he direct a school Christmas play, but he is both ignored and mocked by his peers. The story touches on the over-commercialization and secularism of Christmas, and serves to remind viewers of the true meaning of Christmas (the birth of Jesus Christ).

Peanuts had become a phenomenon worldwide by the mid-1960s, and the special was commissioned and sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. It was written over a period of several weeks, and animated on a shoestring budget in only six months. In casting the characters, the producers went an unconventional route, hiring child actors. The program's soundtrack was similarly unorthodox: it features a jazz score by pianist Vince Guaraldi. Its absence of a laugh track (a staple in television animation in this period), in addition to its tone, pacing, music, and animation, led both the producers and network to wrongly predict the project would be a disaster preceding its broadcast.

Vince Guaraldi

Vincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi /ɡəˈrældi/ (July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976), born Vincent Anthony Dellaglio, was an American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip.

Early career and Grammy Award

Guaraldi was born in San Francisco's North Beach area, a place that became very important to his blossoming musical career. His last name changed to Guaraldi after his mother, Carmella Guaraldi (née Marcellino), divorced his biological father (whose last name was Dellaglio) and Vince was adopted by his stepfather, Tony Guaraldi. Vince's maternal uncle was musician, singer, and whistler Muzzy Marcellino. Vince graduated from Lincoln High School, attended San Francisco State College, and served in the U.S. Army as a cook in the Korean War.

Guaraldi's first recording was made in November 1953 with Cal Tjader and was released early in 1954. The 10-inch LP was called The Cal Tjader Trio, and included "Chopsticks Mambo", "Vibra-Tharpe", and "Lullaby of the Leaves". By 1955, Guaraldi had his own trio with Eddie Duran and Dean Reilly. He then reunited with Tjader in June 1956 and was an integral part of two bands that the vibraphonist assembled. The first band played mainly straight jazz and included Al Torre (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Luis Kant (congas and bongos). The second band was formed in the spring of 1958 and included Al McKibbon (bass), Mongo Santamaría (congas and bongos) and Willie Bobo (drums and timbales). Reed men Paul Horn and Jose "Chombo" Silva were also added to the group for certain live performances and recordings. Guaraldi made a big splash with his performance with Tjader at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival.

Lucy

Lucy is an English and French feminine given name derived from Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning as of light (born at dawn or daylight, maybe also shiny, or of light complexion). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lucie. Lucy is also an American, Australian, Canadian, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and French surname.

The English Lucy surname is taken from the Norman language that was Latin-based and derives from place names in Normandy based on Latin male personal name Lucius. It was transmitted to England after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century (see also De Lucy).

Feminine name variants