Marni Nixon, Jim Bryant (Bernstein & Sondheim) - "Somewhere" - (1961)

I was so mesmerized by this scene (from WEST SIDE STORY, 1961) on a large screen at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL on the night of July 9, 2011. The song resonated with me and I had to share it on the Daily Throwback today.


"Somewhere" is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story which was made into a film in 1961. The music is composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and takes a phrase from the slow movement of Beethoven's 'Emperor' Piano Concerto, which forms the start of the melody.


The song has been recorded by many artists, and released as a single by several, including Len Barry, Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, Phil Collins, Johnny Mathis, Matt Monro, Julian Lloyd Webber, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, Devo, Tom Waits, P. J. Proby, Oscar Peterson, Il Divo, Dutch Rockband Zinatra, Donald Braswell II, Pet Shop Boys, Ian McCulloch, Kylie Minogue, Jane McDonald, Charlotte Church, Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson, La Toya London, Leona Lewis, Celine Dion, Celtic Woman, Jackie Evancho & Katharine McPhee.

In the 1961 film, the song occurs at a pivotal point, after the rumble in which former Jets leader Tony (Richard Beymer) has stabbed his girlfriend's brother, Bernardo (George Chakiris). Having nowhere else to go, Tony runs to his girlfriend, Maria (Natalie Wood). Maria has just been told of her brother's death, and who killed him. When Tony comes to her room through the balcony window, Maria, in shock, pounds against his chest.   Realizing in spite of her anger that she still loves Tony, Maria begs him to hold her. After Maria cries out, "It's not us...it's everything around us, Tony says "Then I'll take you away, where nothing can get to us." and begins singing 'Somewhere' to her. His comforting voice draws her in, and it becomes a duet of hope that their love will survive "somehow, someday, somewhere."


As in the stage show, Maria sings the first few lines of the song as Tony dies in her arms.

"Somewhere" was released as a single by the British music group Pet Shop Boys in 1997 to promote their "Somewhere" residency at the Savoy Theatre in London, which was named after the song, and to promote a repackage of Bilingual.


The single was another Top 10 hit for the group, peaking at #9. The single also peaked at #25 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, equaling #125 on the main US Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at #19 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. In the US, the song was released as a double a-side with "A Red Letter Day".


The Pet Shop Boys' version also uses elements of another West Side Story song, "I Feel Pretty", and the album version uses elements of "One Hand, One Heart" spoken by Chris Lowe.
Pet Shop Boys version:

Hank Williams - "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" (1952)

"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is the title of a song written and recorded American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous cover versions and has since achieved popularity in a number of music genres.


With a melody based on the Cajun song "Grand Texas", some sources, including Allmusic, claim that the song was co-written by Williams and Moon Mullican, with Mullican uncredited but receiving ongoing royalties.


Released in July 1952, crediting Williams as the sole author, it was performed by Williams as a country song. It reached number one on the U.S. country charts for fourteen non-consecutive weeks. "Jambalaya" remains one of Hank Williams most popular songs today.

The California Ramblers - "At Sundown" (1927)

Please wait until the lyrics begin. Nice flashback tune from the 20's. The California Ramblers were a popular and prolific jazz group from the 1920s, that recorded hundreds of songs under many different record labels throughout the 1920s. Three of the members of the band, Red Nichols, Jimmy Dorsey, and Tommy Dorsey, would go on to front big bands in later decades.


The original bandmembers were from Ohio, but chose the name California Ramblers because they thought people would be less inclined to listen to a jazz band from the Midwest. The "Ramblers Inn was named after the band and was inPelham, New York]. The band was instantly successful, and would remain well-known throughout the decade. They were one of the most prolific recording groups in the 1920s, the Ramblers recorded originally for Vocallion Records In November of 1921. In Early 1922 The front man for the California Ramblers Violinist Oscar Addler told Their Manager Ed Kirkeby that He Addler was going to take over as the bands manager and booking agent. Ed Kirkeby who had a lot of pull in the New York Music Scean had the B. F. Keath Cercut Bar the Ramblers from playing in any of their restaurants dance halls or theaters. By the end of March 1922 the Original band broke up.They made their last recording on March 16,1922 for Arto Records. The Banjo player and founder of the Ramblers Ray Kitchingman ask Kirkeby if the band could be reformed and suggested a band playing at Shanlee's dance hall whitch was led by Violinist Arthur Hand. Kirkeby said yes and the this new band of California Ramblers made their first recording on April 3, 1922 for the Emerson Record Company. In late 1924 the Ramblers signed a contract with Columbia Records and then, in conjunction with their manager Ed Kirkeby, agreed to waive all royalties to Columbia for the right to record for other companies under different names. They recorded for nearly every independent label in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., using over 100 unique aliases. List of pseudonyms


They weren't from Ohio necessarily, some were, but also from Pennsylvania. They played at Shanleys Dance Hall, The Monte Carlo and the California Ramblers Inn and in 1928 at the McAlpine Hotel although they were not the first mixed band to record (the first was Jimmy Durante's Original New Orleana jazz Band In 1918 with light skinned black clairnetist Achelle Baquet),they were an early intagrated band with light skind black trumpeter Bill Moore in the band from 1922 - March 1925 when he was replaced by Red Nichols. Bill Moore was billed as The Hot Hawiian during his time with the California Ramblers. == The California Ramblers were the first group to record the classic song "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?", in 1925, and many people in or associated with the band - Red Nichols, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Elwood Madeo Jr., and manager Ed Kirkeby - became some of the most famous and influential figures of the Big band era.

The Proclaimers - 500 Miles (1988)

The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid (born 5 March 1962, in Leith). They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents. They have released eight studio albums from 1987 until the present, as well as two compilation albums and a DVD, and their next studio album is expected for 2012.


Craig Reid and Charlie Reid were born in Leith in 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. After several punk rock bands at school they formed The Proclaimers in 1983.


The pair came to public attention when an Inverness based fan sent their demo to the British band The Housemartins, who were impressed enough to invite The Proclaimers on their 1986 UK tour. The exposure of the tour won them a January 1987 appearance on the British pop music television programme The Tube on Channel Four; "Letter from America" peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, whilst the album This is the Story went gold. The follow-up album Sunshine on Leith featured "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" and "I'm On My Way". They had a hit with their EP King of the Road, which reached number 9 in UK in 1990.


In March 2007 they recorded a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" with television comedy characters Andy Pipkin (played by Matt Lucas) and Brian Potter (Peter Kay) for the Comic Relief charity. A long list of celebrities were featured in the music video for this new version, including David Bellamy, Rod, Jane and Freddy, Paul O'Grady, David Tennant, Frank Sidebottom and many more. This new version of the song reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.


The band was one of The B-52s' touring partners on their Funplex tour in Australia and New Zealand in November 2009, alongside Mental as Anything.


In addition, they featured in VH1's 100 greatest one hit wonders (I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) having been their only US hit single).

Roxy Music - "Dance Away" (1979)

"Dance Away" is a song by the British rock band Roxy Music. Released in April 1979, it was the second single to be taken from their album Manifesto, and became one of the band's most famous songs, reaching Number 2 in the UK and spending a total of 14 weeks on the charts, the longest chart residency of a Roxy Music single. Although it didn't make number 1, it became the 9th biggest selling single in the UK in 1979.


"Dance Away" was originally written by Bryan Ferry for his 1977 solo album In Your Mind, but did not make the final track listing. It was then planned for inclusion on his 1978 album The Bride Stripped Bare, but again was not included. It was finally completed and released on Roxy Music's Manifesto, the band's first studio album in four years.


The single version was a different mix compared to the original album version. As with their next single "Angel Eyes", the single version of "Dance Away" later replaced the album version for subsequent releases, and was included on the band's 1995 box set The Thrill Of It All. While the 1999 re-mastered version of the Manifesto album restored the original version of "Angel Eyes", it still retained the single mix of "Dance Away" in place of the original, making the The Thrill of It All boxset the only place in which the original album version of the song can now be found.

Shirley Temple - On The Good Ship Lollipop (1934)

"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the trademark song of child actress Shirley Temple. Temple first sang it in the 1934 movie Bright Eyes.


Contrary to popular belief, the "ship" in the song is an aircraft; the scene in Bright Eyes where the song appears takes place on an airliner which is taxiing.


In the song, the "Good Ship Lollipop" travels to a candy land. There is a direct reference to an aeroplane in the song: "Someday I'm going to fly/I'll be a pilot, too...". The song was composed by Richard A. Whiting and the lyric was supplied by Sidney Clare. 500,000 copies of the sheet music, published by Sam Fox Publishing Company were sold, and a recording by Mae Questel (the cartoon voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl) reputedly sold more than 2 million copies.

U2 - "Beautiful Day" (2000)

"Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date. Like many tracks from All That You Can't Leave Behind, "Beautiful Day" harkens back to the group's past sound. The tone of The Edge's guitar was a subject of debate amongst the band members, as they disagreed on whether he should use a sound similar to that from their early career in the 1980s. Lead vocalist Bono explained that the upbeat track is about losing everything but still finding joy in what you have.


The song received positive reviews, and it became their fourth number-one single in the UK and their first number-one in the Netherlands. The song peaked at number 21 in the United States, the band's highest position since "Discothèque" in 1997. In 2001, the song won three Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The group has played "Beautiful Day" at every one of their concerts since the song's 2001 live debut on the Elevation Tour.


"Beautiful Day" was written in several stages, originating from a composition called "Always" (later released as a B-side) that the band created in a small room at Hanover Quay Studio. However, they were initially unimpressed with it, as guitarist The Edge said, "As a straight rock song, it was pretty ho-hum."[4] After lead vocalist Bono came up with the "beautiful day" lyric, the song went in a different direction. The Edge's backing vocals for the chorus were improvised one night with co-producer Daniel Lanois, an addition he called "the key" to the chorus and its new lyrics.


"Beautiful Day" is played at a tempo of 136 beats per minute in a 4/4 time signature. The song opens with a reverberating electric piano playing over a string synthesiser, introducing the chord progression of A–Bm7–D–G–D9–A. This progression continues throughout the verses and chorus, the changes not always one to a bar. After the opening line, "The heart is a bloom", the rhythm enters, comprising repeated eighth notes on bass guitar and a drum machine. In the first verse, Bono's vocals are in the front in the mix and their production is dry. At 0:29, a guitar arpeggio pattern by The Edge first appears, echoing across channels. The verses are relatively quiet until the chorus, when The Edge begins playing the song's guitar riff and Mullen's drums enter. During the chorus, Bono sings in a restrained manner, contrasting with The Edge's "loud, bellowing" background vocals, a sustained cry of "day".

Andrew Lloyd Weber - "All I Ask Of You" (1986)

"All I Ask of You" is a song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical version of The Phantom of the Opera. It was released as a single on both 7 and 12 inch vinyl in 1986 by Cliff Richard and Sarah Brightman.


It was certified Silver in the United Kingdom. The song occurs at the end of Act I of the musical. Christine Daaé, terrified of the Phantom after a stagehand is found murdered during an opera performance, flees to the roof of the Paris Opera House with her childhood friend, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. He promises to love her and keep her safe from the Phantom, who is listening in on the exchange without their knowledge. Heartbroken and furious at being spurned, he swears revenge against Raoul and causes the Opera's giant chandelier to crash to the floor.


The video featured above is a scene from the 2004 motion picture version of The Phantom of the Opera. The 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film was also produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber. The Phantom of the Opera stars Gerard Butler in the title role, Emmy Rossum as Christine Daaé, as well as Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver and Jennifer Ellison.


The film was announced as early as 1989, but production only started in 2002 due to Webber's divorce and Schumacher's busy career. It was entirely shot at Pinewood Studios, with scenarios also being depicted with the help of miniatures and computer graphics. Most of the actors had no singing experience, and had to receive music lessons. The Phantom of the Opera grossed approximately $154 million worldwide, and received mixed to negative reviews, praising the visuals but criticizing the writing and directing.

Culture Club - TIME (1982)

Culture Club are a British rock band formed in the early 1980s and classified as new romantic, whose sound combines British new wave and American soul with Jamaican reggae and also other styles as calypso, salsa or country. The band, sometimes described as pop/rock, consisted of Boy George (lead vocals), Mikey Craig (bass guitar), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards) and Jon Moss (drums and percussion). They are associated with the Second British Invasion of British new wave groups that became popular in the United States due to the cable music channel MTV. From the time of the band's first album release in 1981 to its dissolution in 1986, Culture Club had amassed hits in several countries around the world, including ten Top 40 hits in the US, most of which went Top 10. They went on to have subsequent hits in the UK during a reunion period of 1998–2002, where they scored a #4 single and a #25 single.


"Time (Clock of the Heart)" is a song by the British band Culture Club, released as stand-alone single in most of the world and as the second single from their debut album Kissing to Be Clever in North America. Following on the heels of the number-one UK hit, "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me", "Time (Clock of the Heart)" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. In the U.S., the song matched the number-two peak of its predecessor on the Billboard Hot 100.


In Europe and United Kingdom, it was a stand-alone single, released in November 1982. For this market, its first inclusion on a Culture Club album was on their 1987 compilation, called This Time: The First Four Years.

Mighty Sparrow - "Salt Fish" (1976)

I first heard this song on the Carribean Island of St. Christopher in the early 1990's (now known as St. Kitts). I was on a local bus with the native islanders and it was so surreal. I felt the root of tropical living when I heard this one.


Mighty Sparrow or Birdie (born Slinger Francisco, July 9, 1935, in Grand Roy, Grenada, West Indies) is a calypso singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Known as the "Calypso King of the World," he is one of the most well-known and successful calypsonians. He has won Trinidad's Carnival Road March competition eight times and has been named "Calypso Monarch" eleven times.


Salt Fish is one of the Funniest songs 'Mighty Sparrow' ever did. If you don't already know 'Salt Fish' was his greatest lover. This is sometimes seen as a very nasty and naughty song (read lyrics).


Saltfish stew is what I like
So doo-doo, give me day and night
I like you food, so don’t find me rude
My favorite, I sure every man in here already eat it


Saltfish
Nothing in the world sweeter than
Saltfish
English, colloquial, Bajans
Saltfish
It’s sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet


Very well, I like the taste
Though the smell, sometimes out of place
It hard to take, but make no mistake
I want you to know, it’s because it extra sweet it smelling so boy it’s
Saltfish
Big money does run behind it
Saltfish
Man does lick down man to find it
Saltfish
It’s sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet


Some like it hot, some like it cold
No matter what, I take it young or old
When it serve with wine, man does stew it fine
Put no pepper, the bone in the centre does be sweet like sugar


Saltfish
Some men does get drunk to taste it
Saltfish
Some does go and hide to face it
Saltfish
It’s sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet


I would die, a happy man
If I close me eye, with piece in me hand
Bury me, in the cemetery
Any money, put a saltfish picture on me tombstone saying


Saltfish
Sparrow was it’s greatest lover
Saltfish
He even adored the odor
Saltfish
It’s sweeter than meat
When you want to eat
All saltfish sweet!