The Ukulele Alphabet: Question by Old 97’s

Letter Q, Week 2
“Question” by Old 97’s

Dan and I got engaged in Mindowaskan Park in Westfield, New Jersey on August 29, 2004.¹

Dan chose this spot because it’s where Ed Stevens proposed to Carol Vessey in Ed, the 2000s TV show that was one of the pop culture things that brought us together as a couple. (Ed’s New Jersey filming locations were a whole deal with us… but that’s another story.)

And in that scene, as you’ll see below, the song “Question” plays as Ed gifts Carol with a bunch of her favorite things leading up to his big question.

That episode aired in November 2003, so it was still fresh in both of our minds. We’d planned on seeing a Bruce Springsteen exhibition at the Newark Museum that afternoon, and when Dan mentioned that we could stop by Westfield afterward and walk around the park, I knew. I just knew we were getting engaged.

And this was the song running in a loop in my head all day.

I didn’t know then if Dan knew that I knew he was about to propose, so I didn’t want to blow his spot up. He maintains that he did not, though he says that because he knew I hated surprises (true, don’t even try it), he made sure to find a place away from people walking around the pond before he busted the ring out.

Meanwhile, I was checking my invisible wristwatch, like, we are almost the entire way around the pond, come on, let’s get this over with!

And 21 years later, we’re still waiting for Ed to come out on DVD and streaming. Sigh!

Watch the Ed scene featuring the original version of “Question”:

What’s the Ukulele Alphabet?

Read all about my 2025 ukulele performance project (and its rules) here.

I want to A-B-SEEEE some more!

Watch all the performances in the Ukulele Alphabet project.

1. And we adopted Lenny Potatoes on August 29, 2007, so it’s apparently a magical day for our family! Happy 18th adoptaversary, sweet bun! ↩︎