While walking along the beachfront in Swampscott, Massachusetts, I spotted a guy coming toward me. He was singing “Under the Boardwalk” by the Drifters, half in Spanish, half in English. He must have spotted me mouthing the words, because he called me over, held up his cell phone, and hit “Record.” After a proper foreign language introduction, we launched into a complete, bilingual rendition of the song, with both of us singing lead on the stanzas, me attempting falsetto harmony on the choruses. Song over, we grinned at each other, shook hands, and parted ways. I never saw him again.
Jim DeFilippi’s most recent book “Broccoli at Christmas," illustrated by his granddaughter Josie, is available now at Jim’s Amazon Author Page: Jim DeFilippi.