i say hello

Hello - how are you? Thank Thomas Alva Edison for popularizing the use of "Hello" as a salutation. When Alexander Graham Bell invented his telephone, he initially chose "Ahoy" to greet callers. After Edison unveiled his own model, he decided the telephone should be answered with the assertive "Hello", which the near-deaf inventor could hear from ten to twenty feet away.

Most likely, the English had learned "Hello" from the French in the Middle Ages, who would say "Ho là", which meant both "stop" and "pay attention." For long distance shouts, the ending was lengthened to "oo", leading to "Halloo" (1568) and "Hulloo" (1707). By the nineteenth century, the variants included "Halloa" (1840) and "Hullo" (1857).

Early usage can be found far back as 1826, "Hello" was used extensively in literature by the 1860s and was recorded in dictionaries by 1883. Charles Dickens used it in 1850, Thomas Hughes in 1857's Tom Brown's School Days and Mark Twain had it in his in 1872 tome, Roughing It.

The telephone "Hello" soon became a face-to-face greeting as well, supplanting "How are you?", "How do you do?", "Hi" and "Howdy" in popularity. I enjoy "Hello" because it's a great conversation starter, an invitation for interaction with fellow peeps, something I truly enjoy.

Now, there's no good in goodbye, so rather than bade thee adieu, let me invite you to say hello to today's music selections, a collection of tunes that will greet your sensibilities with good taste.

"With lovers there can be 'Goodbye'. But with friends there will only be 'Hello' and 'Glad to see you again.'" - Unknown

"Do not greet anybody when the heart is filled with anger and distrust. Have, instead, a pure hollow from which a whole hearted hello emanates." - Sri Sathya Sai Baba

"It is generally agreed that 'Hello' is an appropriate greeting because if you entered a room and said 'Goodbye,' it could confuse a lot of people." - Dolph Sharp

Jerry Maguire: "You had me at hello"

Cheap Trick: Hello There - 3MB

The Cramps: Aloha From Hell - 3MB

Pee Wee King : I Wanna Say Hello - 2MB

Rick Nelson: Hello Mary Lou - 4MB

The Doors: Hello, I Love You - 5MB

E: Hello Cruel World - 6 MB

Buck Owens: Hello Trouble - 2MB

Oasis: Hello - 8MB

Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry: Howdy Blues - 7MB

The Carter Family: Hello Stranger - 3MB

Poe: Hello - 6MB