Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Supremes - "Stop! In The Name Of Love" (1965)

"Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 number-one single recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart from March 21, 1965 to April 3, 1965, and reached the number two position on the soul chart.


The Supremes' choreography for this song, with one hand on the hip and the other outstretched in a "stop" gesture, is equally legendary. Paul Williams and Melvin Franklin of "The Temptations" taught the girls the routine backstage in London, before the Supremes' first televised performance of the single on the Ready Steady Go! special "The Sound of Motown," hosted by Motown enthusiast Dusty Springfield.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Manfred Mann - Blinded by the Light (1977)



"Blinded by the Light" is a song written and originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen, although it is mostly known by its 1977 #1 hit version recorded by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

The Earth Band's recording of the song features several changed lyrics. The most prominent change is in the chorus, where Springsteen's "cut loose like a deuce" is replaced with "revved up like a deuce."

This is commonly misheard as "wrapped up like a douche." Springsteen himself has joked about the controversy, claiming that it was not until Manfred Mann rewrote the song to be about a "feminine hygiene product" that it became popular.

Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (1981)



Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere.

Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy (1984)

I felt like a 'smalltown boy' who grew up in sheltered suburbia. Then in the 80's when I went to dance clubs in San Francisco or Los Angeles this song would play and I would think it was for 'me'--the 'smalltown boy'.


Bronski Beat was the name of a popular British synthpop trio who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with this 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues. Although many groups in the early to mid-80s had an openly gay image, Bronski Beat was one of the first groups to address the issues of gay people. At the height of their popularity the band consisted of singer Jimmy Somerville backed by Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek, both of whom played keyboards and percussion. Somerville went on to have success as lead singer of 'The Communards' and as a solo artist.

The 'Smalltown Boy' song addresses key issues in 1980s homosexual culture. It addresses family rejection for being homosexual and homophobia in British society - and can extend to that of other countries also - of the time. It also deals with loneliness through societal and familial rejection.

The promotional music video (above) was made, and a "young gay man" (Jimmy Somerville, lead singer of Bronski Beat) was used to depict these issues.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Carter Burwell - Way Out There (1987)



The theme to the movie 'Raising Arizona'.

The song borrows elements from "Goofing Off Suite", originally recorded by Pete Seeger in 1955, and also includes an excerpt from the "Chorale" movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Symphony No. 9".

Soft Cell - Tainted Love (1981)

Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and influential multi-platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.


The duo split in 1984, but reformed in the early 2000s to tour and released a new album in 2002. Their songs have been covered by various artists.


"Tainted Love" was originally composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of The Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965. It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart and has since been covered by numerous other groups and artists. There are also covers in other languages, including the Spanish version called "Falso Amor" performed by La Unión.

Soft Cell's record label chose to release "Tainted Love" on July 7, 1981 as Soft Cell's second single (their first was "Memorabilia", which did not chart). The label implied that this single would be Soft Cell's final release if the single did not sell. The 12" single version (extended dance version) was a medley, transitioning to a cover of The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go" half-way through the song. Buoyed by the then-dominant Synthpop sound of the time and a memorable performance on Top of the Pops "Tainted Love" rapidly reached number one on the UK singles chart, eventually repeating the feat in 17 territories.


On the US chart dated January 16, 1982, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #90. It appeared to peak at #64 and fall to #100 on Feb. 27. After spending a second week at #100, it started climbing again. It took 19 weeks to crack the US Top 40. The song reached #8 and spent a then-record breaking 43 weeks on the Hot 100.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ludwig Van Beethoven - For Elise (1867)

Play this tune for a few hours in your home and feel your mood, mind and spirit improve for the better. Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise" (English: "For Elise"), is one of Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular compositions.


It is not certain who "Elise" was. Max Unger suggested that Ludwig Nohl may have transcribed the title incorrectly and the original work may have been named "Für Therese", a reference to Therese Malfatti von Rohrenbach zu Dezza (1792–1851). She was a friend and student of Beethoven's to whom he proposed in 1810, though she turned him down to marry the Austrian nobleman and state official Wilhelm von Droßdik in 1816.


According to a recent study by Klaus Martin Kopitz, there is flimsy evidence that the piece was written for the German soprano singer Elisabeth Röckel (1793–1883), later the wife of Johann Nepomuk Hummel. "Elise", as she was called by a parish priest (she always called herself "Maria Eva" or "Betty"), had been a friend of Beethoven's since 1808. In the meantime it has been proven that Rudolf Schachner, who in 1851 inherited Therese von Droßdik's musical scores, was a relative of Babette Bredl who in 1865 let Nohl copy the autograph in her possession. Thus Kopitz's hypothesis is definitely refuted.


The pianist and musicologist Luca Chiantore argued in his doctoral thesis and his recent book "Beethoven al piano" that Beethoven might not have been the person who gave the piece the form that we know today. Chiantore suggested that the original signed manuscript, upon which Ludwig Nohl claimed to base his transcription, may never have existed. On the other hand, the musicologist Barry Cooper stated, in a 1984 essay in the Musical Times, that one of two surviving sketches closely resembles the published version. It has also been suggested that Elise simply refers to a term at this point in history which simply meant 'sweetheart', therefore suggesting this piece was written for Elise (Theresa Malfatti).

Irving Aaronson - Let's Misbehave (1928)



"Let's Misbehave" is a famous song written by Cole Porter in 1927, originally intended for the female lead of his first major production, Paris. Although it was discarded before the Broadway opening in favor of Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love, the star of the Broadway production, Irene Bordoni, did a phonograph recording of it which was labelled as from the production of Paris.

This rendition of the song is performed wonderfully by Irving Aaronson and His Commanders who were an American big band active in New York in the mid-twenties.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Greta Keller - "Blue Moon" (1935)

Greta Keller-Bacon (February 8, 1903 – November 11, 1977) was a cabaret singer and Hollywood actress.  Born Margaretha Keller in Vienna, Austria, she studied dance from the age of eight, followed by acting.  Her début was in Pavillon, in Vienna.  She also appeared on stage with Marlene Dietrich in Broadway, in which she sang and danced.  A recording contract with Ultraphon in 1929 took her from Vienna to Prague and Berlin, where she enjoyed great success with Peter Igelhoff and Peter Kreuder.  For over 45 years her voice was familiar worldwide, in radio shows, films, revues, concerts and musicals, but above all in recordings.  First called The Great Lady Of Chanson in her native Vienna, the nickname followed her to London and America.


In Hollywood she met and married Gaspar Griswold Bacon, Jr. son of Gaspar G. Bacon from a prominent Boston Brahmin family. The elder Bacon was a member of the board of Harvard University, and had been a close associate of J.P. Morgan, and later served as Secretary of State under Theodore Roosevelt and ambassador to France under William Howard Taft.


Known in film and theater as David Bacon, her husband was murdered in 1943, two weeks after finishing a major role in the Republic serial "The Masked Marvel."  Speculation involved affairs with Howard Hughes and another actor, but the murder was never solved.  Not long after that, their child was stillborn.  It took some time for her to recover from these events, but she restarted her career in Switzerland, then on to Vienna, Berlin and back to New York City.


Greta's voice carried the charm of the Parisian women but never lost the heart of the girl from Vienna.  Greta's singing in what some call "a style reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich" comes from the fact she was the model for how Marlene Dietrich developed her own voice.  Greta Keller made recordings throughout the world and from the earliest days of "schellack" to the dawn of CDs.  She spent many years in the United States, notably in hotel club rooms at the Waldorf and (later) the Stanhope in New York, where her show always included "My Way", with lyrics composed by Paul Anka, and a number of Noel Coward numbers.   A "singer's singer," Keller often drew other performers to the room, including the Nordstrom Sisters, Beverly Sills and Hildegarde.   Other regulars would book the same tables most nights that she was performing, including photographer Edgar de Evia.  Favorites of the Stanhope crowd were the songs of Cole Porter and Noel Coward, for their sexual innuendo and double entendres. These included "Miss Otis Regrets" and "I'm the Other Woman in His Life" by her close friend Elisse Boyd.  She regularly returned to Vienna.  The poet and singer Rod McKuen was introduced by her to an audience in Vienna. McKuen, in turn ,hosted a concert presenting her at Lincoln Center in the 1970s, and wrote the English lyric "If You Go Away" to Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," which she always sang.


Greta's greatest strength was in her adaptability. She sang each song in a unique way. Her repertoire included songs from the 1930s through the war years as well as popular songs of the day.  A few years before her death, her voice was heard in the Academy Award-winning movie, Cabaret (1972), for which she sang the song, "Heirat" (Married). The last years of her life, from 1973 until her death in November 1977 Greta lived, worked, and traveled with her last partner, Wolfgang Nebmaier, who now lives in Southern Oregon.


"Blue Moon" (January 29, 1935) was included on the album "Pennie's from Heaven" from the BBC TV series "Pennies from heaven" starring Bob Hoskins.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Pet Shop Boys - Domino Dancing (1988)

"Domino Dancing" is a song recorded by the British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys which reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released as the lead single from their 1988 album, Introspective.


Written by Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant, and influenced by Latin pop, the song was produced by Lewis A. Martinée, the Miami-based producer behind 1980s freestyle groups like Exposé. The song was also recorded at Martinée's studio in Miami, resulting in a considerably large number of studio musicians for a Pet Shop Boys song being featured on it.


The duo had achieved three number ones in 1987-1988 and "Domino Dancing" was expected to continue this success. But the public reception to the duo's new Latin sound proved disappointing. Tennant remembers: "...it entered the charts at number nine and I thought, 'that's that, then - it's all over'. I knew then that our imperial phase of number one hits was over."


The single missed the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #18, and was the duo's sixth and, to date, last Top 20 pop hit in the USA. The song did reach #5 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, where Pet Shop Boys have seen more consistent success.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Vera Lynn - A House With Love In It (1956)

Dame Vera Lynn, DBE (born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917) is an English singer and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II.


During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. She was called "The Forces' Sweetheart"; the songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again" and "The White Cliffs of Dover". She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the UK and the United States and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" and "My Son, My Son".


In 2009 she became the oldest living artist to make it to No. 1 on the British album chart, at the age of 92. She has devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children and breast cancer. She is still held in great affection by veterans of the Second World War and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the twentieth century.


I came across this tune called "A House With Love In It" and I so believe in the lyrics. It's special.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

The Clash - Rock The Casbah (1982)



The Clash made low-budget music videos for several of their songs, and the one for "Rock the Casbah" may be their most memorable. Filmed in Austin, Texas, it depicts an Arab, played by Austin actor Titos Menchaca, and a Hasidic Jew, played by local stage director Dennis Razze, befriend each other on the road and skanking together through the streets to a Clash concert at Palmer Auditorium, often followed by an armadillo, interspersed with the band performing in front of an oil well.

The U.S. Air Force became an unwitting participant in the video. Two RF-4C aircraft landing at Bergstrom Air Force Base (near Austin) from the east are featured in the portion of the video with the lyrics "the King called out his jetfighters.

The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony (1997)

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by English alternative rock band "The Verve", the lead track on their third album Urban Hymns (1997). It is based on music from an Andrew Loog Oldham adaptation of a Rolling Stones song, "The Last Time." It was released in June 1997 as the first single from the album, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song's momentum built slowly in the United States throughout the latter months of 1997, ultimately leading to a CD single release in March 1998, helping the song to reach number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also became famous for the legal controversy surrounding plagiarism charges. It was the 79th best selling single in the United States in 1998.


Rolling Stone ranked "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the 382nd best song of all time. In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". In September 2007, a poll of 50 songwriters published in Q magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in a list of the "Top 10 Greatest Tracks". Pitchfork Media's included the song at number 29 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.


"Limp Bizkit" created a mashup of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" on their Greatest Hitz album. The string section of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" has been sampled by artists such as "Madonna" and "Kanye West" in live concerts, while "Justin Timberlake" used the song as his curtain call for the FutureSex/LoveSounds Tour. "Moby" has created a remix of the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony". In the movie "Cruel Intentions", "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is played at the final scene.

Isley Brothers - That Lady, Pts. 1 & 2 (1973)



"That Lady, Pt. 1 & 2" is a 1973 R&B and soul hit song for The Isley Brothers, released on their T-Neck imprint. The song, one of the group's most well known, was originally performed by the group nearly a decade before in 1964 (released as "Who's That Lady?") inspired by The Impressions. After signing with Epic Records in 1973, the eldest members of the group (O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley) had included younger members, guitarist Ernie Isley, bassist Marvin Isley and keyboardist/pianist Chris Jasper, as official members. In a response to this transformation, the group gave themselves the moniker of 3 + 3, describing the three original vocalists in the group and three recruited instrumentalists, inspiring the aptly-titled album that came out that year.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Rosario Fiorello, Jude Law, Matt Damon - Tu Vuo' Fa l'Americano (1999)



Many times we see a motion-picture and it is the music that sticks with us. Here is one scene from "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999) based on the book by Patricia Highsmith. The song "Tu Vuo' Fa l'Americano" literally means 'You Pretend to be an American' OR 'You're an American Wannabe'.

The mood in this film clip just makes one want to have FUN. I think that's why I liked it so much. It is a Neopolitan language song that was first sung by Italian singer Renato Carosone. Carosone wrote the song in collaboration with Nicola "Nisa" Salerno in 1956. Combining swing and jazz, it became one of his best known songs. The song was featured in the 1960 Melville Shavelson film It Started in Naples, in which it was sung by Sofia Loren.

The lyrics are about an Italian who imitates the contemporary American lifestyle and acts like a Yankee, drinking whisky and soda, dancing to rock 'n roll, playing baseball and smoking Camel cigarettes, but still depends on his parents for money. The song is generally considered a satire on the process of Americanisation that occurred in the early post-war years, when southern Italy was still a rural, traditional society.

Carosone himself wrote that his songs "were deeply based on the American dream, interpreting jazz and its derivatives as a symbol of an America, lively land of progress and well-being, but always Neapolitan-style, folding that symbol in a sly parody of its customs". According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, "Tu vuò fa l'americano" is the symbol of Carosone's artistic parabola, as he retired from music in 1960, just four years after releasing the song.

----

Blotterhead: I must place these here as an honorable mentions!

Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano (2010)





Renato Carosone - Tu Vu Fa L' Americano (1956)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Dorothy Dandridge - Cow Cow Boogie (1942)



Not the original version of Cow Cow Boogie, but definitely my favorite. Dandridge gained fame as a solo artist from her performances in nightclubs, usually accompanied by Phil Moore on piano.

As well-known as she became from renditions of songs such as "Blow Out the Candle", "You Do Something To Me", and "Talk Sweet Talk To Me", she recorded very little on vinyl. Most of her work was done on film or 'soundies'.

She was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.


"Cow-Cow Boogie" satires the folklore of the singing cowboy in the American West. In the lyrics, the cowboy is from the city and tells his "doggies" (cattle) to "get hip."

The music was written by Don Raye, and lyrics were written by Benny Carter and Gene De Paul The song was featured in the 1942, Abbott & Costello film, Ride 'Em Cowboy, which included Ella Fitzgerald as a cast member. The first recording was by Freddie Slack & his Orchestra featuring vocalist Ella Mae Morse in 1942.

Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (1941)



This EPIC classic is #6 on the "Songs of the Century" list, put out by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts

According to the lyrics of the song, a renowned Chicago, Illinois street musician is drafted into the U.S. Army during the Wartime Draft imposed by the Roosevelt Administration. In addition to being famous, the bugler was the "top man at his craft," but the Army had little use for his talents and he was reduced to blowing the wake up call (Reveille) in the morning. This caused the musician to become dejected: "It really brought him down, because he couldn't jam." The Cap (An Army Captain—the Company Commander) took note of the blues man's blues and went out and conscripted more musicians to assemble a band to keep the bugler company. Thereafter, the bugler found his stride, infusing the military marches with his inimitable street flair: "He blows it eight to the bar - in boogie rhythm." Even his morning calls attain some additional flavor: "And now the company jumps when he plays reveille." But, the bugler is not only empowered, he is possibly spoiled, because thereafter, "He can't blow a note if the bass and guitar/Isn't with him."

Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man (1988)

There is something hypnotic about Leonard Cohen's voice. His 1988 Album was titled "I'm Your Man". The song "I'm Your Man" was number 1 in Norway for 16 weeks. The album is silver in the UK and gold in Canada.


Leonard Norman Cohen (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montréal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships. Famously reclusive, having once spent several years in a Zen Buddhist monastery, and possessing a persona frequently associated with mystique, he is extremely well-regarded by critics for his literary accomplishments, for the richness of his lyrics, and for producing an output of work of high artistic quality over a five-decade career.


Musically, Cohen's earliest songs (many of which appeared on the 1967 album, "Songs of Leonard Cohen" were rooted in European folk music. In the 1970s, his material encompassed pop, cabaret and world music. Since the 1980s, his high baritone voice has evolved into lower registers (bass baritone and bass), with accompaniment from a wide variety of instruments and female backup singers.


Over 2,000 renditions of Cohen's songs have been recorded. Cohen has been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour. While giving the speech at Cohen's induction into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008, Lou Reed described Cohen as belonging to the "highest and most influential echelon of songwriters."


From May 2008 to December 2010 Leonard Cohen was on the major comeback world tour, the biggest in his musical career, giving 246 shows in Europe, Australia, Canada, Israel and United States. The highly successful tour was followed with two live albums, "Live in London" and "Songs from the Road" in both audio and DVD versions, and with many reissues, unauthorised releases of album compilations, DVDs, biographies and books reprints, and as well many international translations of his books and international awards and nominations (such as Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Meteor Music Awards in Ireland, Porin Award in Croatia, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Polaris Music Prize, and Mojo Honours Lists). Currently he is working on a new album which will possibly be released later this year (2011).

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Sid Raimin/Robert Wells - Patty Duke Show Theme Song (1963)

Themes songs from old TV shows and jingles from nostalgic TV commercials are very much a part of our history. They bring back many fond memories. The theme song for "The Patty Duke Show" is one of them. "The Patty Duke Show" is an American sitcom which ran on ABC from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke. A total of 104 episodes were produced, mostly written by Sidney Sheldon.
Patty Lane (Duke) is a normal teenager living in the Brooklyn Heights section of New York City, who is into boys, ice cream, and sleepovers (and as the lyrics to the theme song point out--"Patty loves to rock 'n' roll, a hot dog makes her lose control!"). Her father is the managing editor of the New York Chronicle. In the unaired pilot episode, her "identical cousin" Cathy Lane (also played by Duke), whose father also works for the Chronicle as a foreign correspondent, arrives in the United States from Scotland to live with Patty's family and attend school.
The show's premise is that Cathy is more worldly and demure than identical looking cousin Patty. However, most storylines were standard sitcom fare where wacky teenager Patty encounters a problem at the top of the show only to experience a resolution by the end of the half-hour. In actuality, few storylines required two identical-looking, different-personality girls sharing the same family, home, and school. The remarkable physical resemblance that Patty and Cathy Lane share to each other is explained by their fathers being identical twin brothers.


THEME SONG LYRICS:
Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
But Patty's only seen the sight.
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights ...
What a crazy pair!
But they're cousins,
Identical cousins all the way.
One pair of matching bookends,
Different as night and day.
Where Cathy adores a minuet,
The Ballet Russes, and crepe suzette,
Our Patty loves to rock and roll,
A hot dog makes her lose control ...
What a wild duet!
Still, they're cousins,
Identical cousins and you'll find,
They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike ...
You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Starkey - Paradise (Rudi Zygadlo Remix) (2010)



We'll call this piece of art an instant throwback to yesteryear. Literally. Pure beauty!

The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn! (1965)



"Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)" is a song adapted entirely from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible (with the exception of the last line) and put to music by Pete Seeger in 1959.

Seeger waited until 1962 to record his own version of it, releasing the song on his The Bitter and the Sweet album on Columbia Records. In Seeger's own words, "I did write six words."

The song became an international hit in late 1965, when it was covered by The Byrds, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #26 on the UK Singles Chart. Thus, the song easily holds the record as the #1 song with the oldest lyrics.

Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight (1976)

Afternoon Delight" was recorded by Starland Vocal Band (an American group), featuring close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976. The song also reached number-one in Canada and peaked at number 5 in New Zealand.


Danoff's fellow bandmember and then-wife Kathy "Taffy" Nivert told at least one audience that the title came from a spicy menu item of the same name at Clyde's restaurant in Georgetown. Danoff enjoyed writing the song and downplayed the somewhat controversial lyrics, saying, "I didn't want to write an all-out sex song...I just wanted to write something that was fun and hinted at sex."

Monday, April 18, 2011

Toto - Africa (1982)



Drummer Jeff Porcaro from Toto explains "a white boy is trying to write a song on Africa, but since he's never been there, he can only tell what he's seen on TV or remembers in the past."

Minnie Riperton - Lovin' You (1975)



According to the liner notes from Riperton's compilation CD Petals, the melody for "Lovin' You" was created as a distraction for her daughter (Maya Rudolph) when she was a baby so that Minnie and her husband Richard could hang out. Maya was in the studio with her mother on the day the song was recorded and Riperton can be heard singing her daughter's name at the end of the song, but only in the unedited or album version of the song. The song fades out early in the single edit, because the disc jockeys felt that the repeated "MAYA" was being overdone and too misunderstood, thinking that it was a "Mayan Chant".

Chart (1975) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 3
U.K. Singles Chart 2

Fred Astaire - Puttin' On The Ritz (1930)

"Puttin' on the Ritz" is a popular song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film "Puttin' on the Ritz" (1930). The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the swanky Ritz Hotel.


The original version of Berlin's song included references to the then-popular fad of flashily-dressed but poor black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue, "Spending ev'ry dime / For a wonderful time". The song was featured with the original lyrics in the 1939 film "Idiot's Delight", where it was performed by Clark Gable and chorus, and this routine was selected for inclusion in "That's Entertainment" (1974).


The above video was performed by Fred Astaire in 1946 in "Blue Skies". Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was born Frederick Austerlitz. He was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. He is particularly associated with Ginger Rogers, with whom he made ten films.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Paul Anka - Put Your Head On My Shoulder (1959)

"Put Your Head on My Shoulder" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka. Paul Anka's version, released as a single in 1959, became very successful, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was repopularized when released as a single by "The Lettermen" in 1968. This version peaked just outside the top forty of the Hot 100, but continued their streak of top forty adult contemporary hits.

I have a dear friend who will cry everytime she hears this tune.  I can understand.  It's so touching.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around (1994)

I was in a small grocery store in DUMBO (Brooklyn) New York when I heard this song and thought, "Oh, I love this one." I wrote down a few of the lyrics and did an internet search to find the title and the artist. I knew the song but never knew who was responsible.


Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The quartet formed at Clydebank High School in Clydebank, Scotland, in 1982, under the name Vortex Motion. "It was either crime, the dole, football, or music - and we chose music," said Cunningham (drums and vocals).


"Love Is All Around" is a song originally composed by Reg Presley and performed by The Troggs in 1968. It has been covered by numerous artists including REM. This version by Wet Wet Wet was released on May 9, 1994. It topped the UK Singles Chart after two weeks and, fueled by its appearance in the film, "Four Weddings and a Funeral", remained there for fifteen consecutive weeks.

Little Jinder - Youth Blood (2009)



Josefine (Little) Jinder is a 20-year-old Stockholm sweetheart who says she discovered synthesizers right around the same time she discovered boys. Some years ago, Jinder moved to the UK and received a diploma in sound technology from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (owned by Paul McCartney). It was there that Jinder started developing her sound, which is influenced by New Order, Kate Bush, IDM, disco, and the rich musical history and environment of her native Sweden

.Jinder came to international attention with her first EP, Polyhedron, on Trouble & Bass in August 2008, which was followed in October by a remix edition featuring epic reworks from Supra1 and Black Holes.

Her most recent single, "Youth Blood,” debuted in March 2009 on the Trouble & Bass Scion A/V CD Vol. 25, and became an instant hit with the club vampires. It got the remix treatment twice over in December 2009, with low-end monsters from 12 Planet & Flinch and Squire of Gothos, plus house and techno rubs from huge Swedish names including Tony Senghore and Tomas Andersson. Jinder is currently working on debut album, and bringing her irresistible stage show to locations worldwide.

Sexual Harassment - If I Gave You a Party (1983)



A fairly unknown track that I feel was ahead of it's time. Very electronic and minimalist. Brings a smile to my face every time.

Frankie Smith - Double Dutch Bus (1981)



What is it about this song that I just love?

Millze cillzan sillzome plilzay dilzzouble dilzutch!
Hilzzoo?
My gizzirl!
Brillzing her izzin!
Izzo kizzay!
Izzall rizzight...
Izzo kizzay!
Izzall rizzight!
Nizzow wizzee wilzzo-izzo-zee!

I spent a good amount of my childhood having this song stuck in my head, but it took years to figure out who sang it as all I could recite from the song was a bunch of gibberish. I honestly think this song is pure crap; all but the part with the girl and guy talking back and fourth. Makes it worth listening to every time.

Friday, April 15, 2011

The Smiths - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (1984)

Last night I was invited to a very dull screening of a movie called Meek's Cuttoff (a 2010 film starring Michelle Williams) at the Film Forum in NYC.  Ten minutes into the film I thought of this song title because that is how I felt (Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now). What a terrible, slow-moving movie with a very poor ending. 

This "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" tune reached #10 for THE SMITHS on the UK singles charts in 1984. It is actually listed as one of the Rock & Roll HALL OF FAME's 500 songs that shaped Rock & Roll. THE SMITHS, of course, were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey (vocals) and Johnny Marr (guitar), the band also included Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Critics have called them the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Skeam - Where You Should Be (2010)



Not very much of a "throwback" but this is pure beauty. Even if it's not conventional dubstep, it's many times better than this shit they are putting out now. Enjoy! Skream!

Lenny Kravitz - Believe (2001)

"Believe in Me" is the third single by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz from his 2001 sixth self-titled studio album LENNY, released on April 23, 2002.

The music video features Lenny performing in a small club setting in front of an audience full of people of different ages, races and walks of life.  Kravitz is singing soulfully to the woman that he is in love with, while biblical images appear flashing in the club.   Another scene shows back and forth imaging of the woman and of a shirtless, frustrated Kravitz boxing and lifting weights in his exercise room.  The instrumental bridge features choreographed break dancers as Kravitz plays Spanish guitar, while in the end Kravitz and the woman are seen dancing together amongst the large crowd of people.  The video features American model Megan Ewing.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ween - Mutilated Lips (1997)



Brings me back to my LSD days.

I lick my brain in silence
Rather squeeze my head instead
Midget man provoking violence
Listen not to what I said
I said please calm it down
Everything is turning brown

Mutilated lips give a kiss on the wrist
Of the worm like tips of tentacles expanding
In my mind, I'm fine, accepting only fresh brine
You can get another drop of this, yeah you wish...

Laughing lady living lover
Ooo you sassy frassy lassie
Find me the skull of Haile Sellase I...
Give me shoes so I can tapsy
Tap all over this big world
Take my hand you ugly girl...

Louis Prima & Keely Smith - My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time (1945)

"My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time" is a popular song with the music written by Vic Mizzy, the lyrics by Manny Curtis.  The song was published in 1945. The biggest hit version of the song was recorded by the Les Brown Orchestra with a vocal by Doris Day.

In this music video version (above) Louis Prima is paired with Keely Smith.  Louis Prima (b. December 7, 1910 - d. August 24, 1978) was a Sicilian-American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter.   Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the 1950s, and a pop-rock band in the 1960s.  In each of his musical endeavors, he incorporated his exuberant personality into his act.  

Keely Smith (b. March 9, 1932) is an American jazz and popular music singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s.  She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.  Smith married Louis Prima in 1953 and divorced him in 1961.  They had three children.

Monday, April 11, 2011

War - H2Overture (1973)



"H2Overture" was released on the album 'Deliver the Word' by 'War' in 1973 on United Artists Records. The album featured two singles, "Gypsy Man" backed with "Deliver the Word" (US #8), and "Me and Baby Brother" backed with "In Your Eyes" (US #15).

"H2Overture" was a hidden little gem that was perhaps the best song on the album, but never gained much popularity.

I like to close my eyes and have the flute take me to a higher state.

Enoch Light Singers - My Way of Life (1968)



Better known for their hit 'It Must Be Him', not much is known about the Enoch Light Singers. Never put into the limelight, they released a few vinyl singles and disappeared. Bert Kaempfert, however, was a staple of orchestral compositions of the late 60s and went on to do many great works. 'My Way of Life' truly melts the ears with an eerie glow. Somehow light and dark at the same time. I love it!

Brittany Murphy - Faster Kill Pussycat (2006)

"Faster Kill Pussycat" is the first single from Paul Oakenfold's 2006 album, A Lively Mind.  It features American actress Brittany Murphy's  vocals.  It was released on March 21, 2006 in the US and eventually reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay.  In the UK, it debuted at #37 on downloads alone, and reached #7 the next week. The title of the track is a play on the title of the 1965 exploitation film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! 

The music video, shot on the rooftop of a parking garage in downtown Los Angeles, features Brittany Murphy dancing, with scenes of Oakenfold as a DJ and a wild crowd.  Directed by renowned music video director Jake Nava, it premiered on television in May 2006, and received airplay on MTV and other music channels.

Brittany Murphy (b. November 10, 1977, d. December 20, 2009) had an untimely death.  On February 25, 2010, the coroner released a report stating that Murphy had been taking a range of over-the-counter and prescription medications, with the most likely reason being to treat a cold or respiratory infection. These included "elevated levels" of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, L-methamphetamine and chlorpheniramine.   All of the drugs were legal and the death was ruled to be an accident, but the report observed: "the possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state."

Brittany once commented: "My singing voice isn't like my speaking voice...I've just always kept it a secret and never taken credit because I wanted to learn how to work behind the microphone in a recording studio, and some of the singers don't even know it was me recording on their albums."
She was in a band called Blessed Soul with fellow actor Eric Balfour in the early 1990s.  She dabbled in music again with the release of the film Happy Feet, in which she covered Queen's Somebody to Love and Earth, Wind & Fire's Boogie Wonderland.  Murphy said about her character Gloria, "Oddly enough, of all the characters I've played, Gloria is the most like me. And she's a penguin! George Miller always wanted one person to do both [the speaking and the singing].  I said, 'I can sing,' and I asked him to give me a shot. I don't think he took me very seriously because most actors say they can do most things."

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Moog Machine - Aquarius (1969) & The Avalanches - Close to You (2000)



This song has been sampled in so many electronic songs, the original must be paid tribute! From 1969, this marks the beginning of electronic music.

The Moog is actually a synthesizer dating back to 1967, and as you can imagine, is the instrument of choice for The Moog Machine.

The Avalanches, a somewhat one-hit-
album group, created an entire set from old samples. They sampled The Moog Machine better than any song by far in my opinion. You can hear Aquarius sampled in their 2000 composition Close to You:

Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Jitterbug) (1984)



"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is a song by English pop duo Wham! which was released in 1984 and became their first UK number one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo.

Michael's inspiration for the song was a scribbled note left by his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley for Andrew's parents, originally intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose.

Released in May 1984, it heralded the beginning of a softer, sunnier image for Wham!, who had spent the previous year as a moodier, more politically themed duo, with songs about unemployment, young marriage, and battles of will between parents and their children.

With the release of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", they re-emerged with wider smiles, more colourful clothing, and a more positive disposition in interviews.

Andrews Sisters - Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (1938)


It's rather embrassing but as a youngster I heard this song on the radio and I thought these girls were singing "My Dear Mr. Shane". It was only later that I knew my German language skills were relatively non-existent. Danka!
The Andrews Sisters were born in Minnesoat to a Greek immigrant father and a Norwegian American mother. They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters. After singing with various dance bands and touring in vaudeville they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937, most notably via their major Decca record hit, Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen (translation: To me, you are beautiful), originally a Yiddish tune, the lyrics of which Sammy Cahn had translated to English and which the girls harmonized to perfection. They followed this success with a string of best-selling records over the next two years and they became a household name by 1940.
They recorded 47 songs with crooner Bing Crosby, 23 of which charted on Billboard, thus making the team one of the most successful pairings of acts in a recording studio in show business history. Their million-sellers with Crosby included "Pistol Packin' Mama", "Don't Fence Me In", "South America", "Take It Away", and "Jingle Bells", among other yuletide favorites.
The Andrews Sisters' popularity was such that after the war they discovered some of their records had actually been smuggled into Germany after the labels had been changed to read "Hitler's Marching Songs". Their recording of Bei Mir Bist Du Schön became a favorite of the Nazis, until it was discovered that the song's composers were of Jewish descent. Still, it did not stop concentration camp inmates from secretly singing it, this is most likely since the song was originally a Yiddish song "Bei Mir Bistu Shein", and had been popularized within the Jewish community before it was recorded as a more successful "cover" version by the Andrews sisters.
Along with Bing Crosby, separately and jointly, The Andrews Sisters were among the performers who incorporated ethnic music styles into America's Hit Parade, popularizing or enhancing the popularity of songs with melodies originating in Brazil, Czechoslovakia, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and Trinidad, many of which their manager chose for them. The Andrews Sisters became the best-selling female vocal group in the history of popular music, setting records that remain unsurpassed.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Do the Bartman! (1990)



I may be a self-proclaimed 'biggest Simpsons fan ever
' but nevertheless this song has priceless camp value. You know; camp. Kitsch. Weird for the sake of being weird. You die-hard Simpsons fans know what I'm talking about. A true throwback to 1990.

p.s. Billboard?! Really?! Yep, #27 on Billboard's 'Hot 100'
(1991)

VISAGE - Fade To Grey (1980)


VISAGE are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade To Grey".

The VISAGE album reached #13 in the United Kingdom and was certified "Silver" by the British Phonographic Industry in March 1981. Their second single "Fade To Grey" became a huge dance floor hit. In early 1981, Fade to Grey peaked at #8 in the UK Singles Chart and reached #1 in both Germany and Switzerland.

The "Fade To Grey" structure was primarily composed by Billy Currie and Christopher John Payne. While setting the track listing of the Visage album, Midge Ure composed the song's lyrics after Billy Currie suggested the use of the melody for the album. Steve Strange had singing lessons with Ure in order to maintain himself in tune and be recorded. Gary Numan commented in interview for the Numan Digest: "As far as I'm concerned Chris and Billy were the driving force behind writing 'Fade to Grey'. They used to work on it during the sound checks on my '79 tour.

On the UK Channel 4 show "Top Ten New Romantics" in 1999, Steve Strange claimed to have been the one who came up with the idea for the French vocal in the track (a statement disputed by Midge Ure who claims this idea was his). However the original recording by Currie and Payne had featured a French vocal well before Ure and Strange were involved, and this was written by Payne who now lives in France.

The French vocal was performed by Brigitte Arendt, a young student from Luxembourg.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Doris Day - Que Sera Sera (1956)


"Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)", first published in 1956, is a popular song which was written by the Jay Livingston and Ray Evans songwriting team.

The song was introduced in Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 film THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, with Doris Day and James Steward in the lead roles. Doris Day's recording of the song for Columbia Records was a hit in both the United States (where it made it to number two on the Billboard charts) and the United Kingdom.

From 1968 to 1973, it was the theme song for the sit-com THE DORIS DAY SHOW, becoming her signature song. It reached the Billboard magazine charts in July 1956. The song received the 1956 Academy Award for Best Original Song with the alternative title "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)". It was the third Oscar in this category for Livingston and Evans, who previously won in 1948 and 1950.

Gotan Project - Diferente (2006)



Gotan Project formed in 1999. And I first learned of them while in Paris in May 2010 (where I attended one of their concerts). Their music involves tango, but also uses elements such as samples, beats, and breaks. They are based in Paris, consisting of musicians Philippe Cohen Solal (French), Eduardo Makaroff (Argentine), and Christoph H. Müller (Swiss, former member of Touch El Arab).

I recently discovered this DIFERENTE tune and loved the video story of a set of twins (two boys and two girls). It's delightfully entertaining. Watch it and wait for the ending to see their future. This DIFERENTE tune was released in 2006.

Josephine Baker - Bye Bye Blackbird (1927)



"Bye, Bye, Blackbird" is a song published in 1926 by the American composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon.

Josephine Baker was an American-born French dancer, singer, and actress. Nicknamed the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and even the "Créole Goddess" she was (in my opinion) the first vocalist to make this song what it is today; a work of art.

The first recording was done by Sam Lanin on March 19, 1926. Within the first year it was recorded by over 20 different orchestras.

There is much speculation about the meaning of the song. At least two commentators (using the same source) attribute the song to a prostitute's leaving the business and going home to her mother. As such, it is the opposite of "House of the Rising Sun", where the prostitute returns to the business. The reason for the song's apparent ambiguity is that the opening verse and the verses about the bluebird are rarely sung.

Donna Summer - She Works Hard for the Money



Donna Summer hits on some heavy subjects in this song, but it always gets me motivated in the morning. Time to wake up and work hard for the money!

The song, co-written by the singer, told a story of a woman who "works hard for (her) money". It was based on an actual encounter that Summer had with an exhausted bathroom attendant.

The music video for the song debuted on MTV and became the first video by an African-American female artist to be placed in "heavy rotation" (a term used by MTV at the time to indicate a frequently-aired video).

The video shows a woman, working as a waitress in a diner, who is burdened with many situations in her life such as work and raising two unruly and ungrateful children. It is also seen that she has abandoned her hopes of being a ballerina. Summer appears as an observer through a kitchen window, a woman who assists the fallen-down protagonist of the video, and, at the end, a leader of a troupe of women, in various work uniforms, who have taken to the streets to signify their independence and gain recognition for their "hard work".

The protagonist is also seen dancing in the street with them. In a parody of the image created by this video, Summer herself appears in the Frank Sinatra video for "L.A. Is My Lady", released in 1984, as a waitress who serves a patron and then wipes her brow.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Martika - Toy Soldiers (1989)



Arguably one of the most iconic songs of the late 1980's, Toy Soldiers by Martika is a song that just seems to always get stuck in my head.

Martika claimed that the inspiration for the song came from a friend who was battling cocaine addiction at the time. According to an episode of VH-1's Pop-Up Video, in which the video was featured, the friend in question ultimately beat the addiction.

However this claim was retrospective, as neither Martika nor Columbia made any such claim at the time of the song's release in 1989, and the song's 'anti-drug' reputation was little more than a happy coincidence - in reality it was a standard teen-love song theme about being over-attached to an uninterested, abusive 'bad-boy' boyfriend.

At the time of the song's release, there was growing public concern about drug addiction in the young, and a number of campaigns throughout most of the world during the AIDS crisis warning of the dangers posed by discarded needles, emphasizing that even without the needle a used syringe was still dangerous to a child, who might wish to play with one as if it were an old fashioned peg doll or toy soldier.

Songs comparing heroin addiction to an abusive love affair have been a music staple for decades (e.g. The Stranglers 1979 single 'Don't Bring Harry'), and 'Toy Soldiers' motifs of emptiness replacing pain, addiction to something they know is not good for them, and a fear of the consequences if it is not ended (along with the children singing 'won't you come out and play with me?') resulted in the song's heavy rotation by radio and TV as anti-drugs due to the ambiguous nature of the lyrics.

The song spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and New Zealand while reaching number five in both the United Kingdom and Australia. When it spent its first week at number one, it had leapt over Madonna's "Express Yourself" and kept that song from reaching the top spot. On Billboard's year-end chart for 1989, "Toy Soldiers" placed number 29. It was Martika's only number-one single in the U.S., and her highest-ranking single in the United Kingdom. The single was certified Gold in the United States by the RIAA.

In March and April 2009, VH1 ran a countdown of the 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s. "Toy Soldiers" placed at #67 on the countdown despite the fact that Martika had three other Top 40 hits: "More Than You Know" (#18); "I Feel the Earth Move" (#25); and "Love ... Thy Will Be Done" (#10).

The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman



I am absolutely in love with this song. Now this is a throwback!

"Please Mr. Postman" is the debut single by The Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart.

The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when The Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100.