Which one is your favorite? - LXIII -

This week I chose a song from Paul Simon released in December 1975. It was the second single from his fourth studio album, Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), released on Columbia Records. Backing vocals on the single were performed by Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson, and Phoebe Snow. The song features a recognizable repeated drum riff performed by drummer Steve Gadd.

Here is the song for this week;

"50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

One of his most popular singles, "50 Ways" was released in December 1975 and began to see chart success within the new year. It became Simon's sole number-one hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was his highest position in France, where it peaked at number two. Elsewhere, the song was a top 20 hit in Canada and New Zealand. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over one million copies.

Following Simon's divorce from first wife Peggy Harper, Simon opted to take a more humorous approach to document the incident. He recorded the song in a small New York City studio on Broadway, and built the song around the drums in order to "avoid clutter".

In a 1975 interview published in Rock Lives: Profiles and Interviews, Simon told the story of this song: "I woke up one morning in my apartment on Central Park and the opening words just popped into my mind: 'The problem is all inside your head, she said to me...' That was the first thing I thought of. So I just started building on that line. It was the last song I wrote for the album, and I wrote it with a Rhythm Ace, one of those electronic drum machines so maybe that's how it got that sing-song 'make a new plan Stan, don't need to be coy Roy' quality. It's basically a nonsense song."

According to Simon's younger brother Eddie (from the same interview), Paul made this song up while teaching his son how to rhyme. Even though he didn't take the lyrics too seriously, it's an interesting song, particularly for those who feel trapped in bad relationships.

Paul Simon may have sung that there were 50 ways to leave your lover, but he listed only five, which are:

1) Slip out the back, Jack

2) Make a new plan, Stan

3) You don't need to be coy, Roy, just set yourself free

4) Hop on the bus, Gus

5) Drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free

We still await the other 45! He left plenty of room for a sequel, but never followed up.

Here are the 7 versions I picked for you;

• Tok Tok Tok - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

• Sidsel Endresen & Bugge Wesseltoft - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

• Lyle Lovett - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"

• Rag'n'Bone Man - "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"

• Miley Cyrus - "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"

• Sophie Milman - "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"

• Lee Lessack & Johnny Rodgers - "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend - CIII -

Here is the last week of the year. A year we can say many words about. As the Coronavirus pandemic ripped through the planet, isolating us to levels not seen in generations, music always brought us together and let us breathe in these difficult times. A big kudos to all the musicians that created during the year. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas if you are celebrating.

As Confucius once said;

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which 

human nature cannot do without."

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Wynton Marsalis - "Jingle Bells"

• Siti Muharam - "Machozi ya Huba"

• Angel Bat Dawid - "What Shall I tell my Children who are Black"

• Les Robots - "Ode to Yull Brynner"

• Sharon Van Etten - "Blue Christmas"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LXII -

This week we have a Leonard Cohen song from 1974. The song is probably the most notable Cohen composition in the album called "New Skin for the Old Ceremony". It refers to a sexual encounter in the Chelsea Hotel, probably New York City's most famous Bohemian hostelry. For some years, when performing this song live, Cohen would tell a story that made it clear that the person about whom he was singing was Janis Joplin. Cohen would eventually come to regret his choice to make people aware that the song was about Joplin, and the graphic detail in which the song describes their brief relationship. In a 1994 broadcast on the BBC, Cohen said it was "an indiscretion for which I'm very sorry, and if there is some way of apologizing to the ghost, I want to apologize now, for having committed that indiscretion.

Here is the song for this week;

"Chelsea Hotel #2"

According to Ira Nadel's 1996 Cohen memoir Various Positions, the singer finished writing "Chelsea Hotel #2" at the Imperial Hotel in Asmara, Ethiopia. Cohen himself said the same thing but this argument was challenged by Ron Cornelius as you will read below...

The Chelsea Hotel in New York city is where Cohen lived when he wasn't at his home in Montreal or his cottage on the Greek Island of Hydra. He chose the Chelsea because he heard he would meet people with a similar artistic bent, which he did.

Introducing this song in concert, Leonard Cohen sometimes admitted that he wrote it about a very brief affair he had with Janis Joplin in 1968, explaining that she came to the Chelsea Hotel looking for Kris Kristofferson, and when they ended up in an elevator together, he told her that he was Kristofferson. She knew he wasn't, but figured he would do on this particular evening. "We fell into each other's arms through some process of elimination," Cohen said.

Joplin left in the morning, and he saw her only a few times after that. She eventually did find Kristofferson, and recorded his song "Me And Bobby McGee," which became a #1 hit when it was released after her death. However as stated above, in his later years Cohen apologized to the public to reveal this.

Ron Cornelius is a guitarist who played on sessions with many artists, including Johnny Cash, Loudon Wainwright III and Bob Dylan. Before branching out into production and music publishing, he served as Leonard Cohen's band leader for four albums. Ron gave us this response regarding his role in writing this song: "He claims that I helped him with a chord change in writing an earlier version of this song. The truth is that I co-wrote the song with him on an airplane (8 hours) from New York to Shannon, Ireland. The reason it has a #2 behind it is that he tried to cheat me out of my share by recopyrighting it that way (he changed nothing) - it was just 'Chelsea Hotel.' Anyone can check out the writer credits by contacting BMI to get the truthful writer credits. I ran his band for a long time (worldwide), played on his records, and have nothing but honest input to look back on - Leonard can't say that!!!"

Later on, the song's name was converted to just "Chelsea Hotel" with many covers...

Here are the 7 versions I picked for you;

• Lloyd Cole - "Chelsea Hotel"

• Maryanne - "Chelsea Hotel"

• Rufus Wainwright - "Chelsea Hotel" 

• Lambchop - "Chelsea Hotel #2"

• Meshell Ndegeocello - "Chelsea Hotel"

• Lana Del Rey - "Chelsea Hotel No 2"

• Regina Spektor - "Chelsea Hotel"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend - CII -

Literally the last two weeks of 2020. I don't know how you feel about this year but I might remember it as a stolen year from our lives. On the other hand, it is a year that also taught us a lot about the importance of health, supporting one and other, and ruling out one's priorities for the good of greater communities. It sure caused us to miss many things especially in the area of art and travel, but thanks to the adaptability capacity of most, people could enjoy themselves via digital during these tough times.

As Nicholas Sparks once said;

“Life, he realized, was much like a song. 

In the beginning there is mystery, in the end, 

there is confirmation, but it’s in the middle 

where all the emotion resides to make 

the whole thing worthwhile..”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Jo Lemaire & Flouze - "Je Suis Venue te Dire Que je M'en Vais"

• Artemis - "The Sidewinder"

• Röyksopp - "What Else Is There?"

• Hope Sandoval w. Massive Attack - "Four Walls"

• Gevende - "Ağlaya Ağlaya"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LXI -

Another hit coming from the 60s that has been covered by many times and especially one version you can hear below was one of my top songs in the 80s. The song is a Latin soul tune that was written as an instrumental by Rodgers Grant and Pat Patrick, and first recorded by Mongo Santamaría on his 1963 album Watermelon Man. The lyrics were written for it shortly thereafter by Jon Hendricks of the vocal group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

Here is the song for this week;

"Yeh Yeh"

This version of the song was taken to the top of the UK Singles Chart in January 1965 by Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, breaking The Beatles' long-term hold on the number one spot of five weeks with "I Feel Fine", and a month later appeared on the US Billboard pop singles chart to peak at #21. The US single edited out the saxophone solo break. Interviewed after the 2003 Jools Holland Spring Hootennany, where he had played a "dynamite version" of the song, Fame explained that the arrangement had been written by Tubby Hayes.

This song hit #1 in UK due to heavy airplay at Radio Caroline, a pirate radio station broadcasting from ships in international waters.

In the US, the song was featured in a Chrysler commercial.

Here are the 7 versions I picked for you;

• Matt Bianco - "Yeh Yeh"

• Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames - "Yeh Yeh"

• Hugh Laurie - "Yeh Yeh"

• They Might Be Giants - "Yeh Yeh"

• Diana Krall (feat. Georgie Fame) - "Yeh Yeh"

• Beefy & Mustin - "Yeh Yeh"

• Karrin Allyson - "Yeh Yeh"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend - CI -

As the holiday season draws on, the covid issue really begins to disgruntle everyone. It is terribly boring not to be able to make travels or even plans for New Year's eve. Everyone's fed up with it but please be careful at least until the vaccine arrives at a health center near you... In the meantime stay with music and enjoy staying at home...

As Ray Charles once said;

“Music is powerful. 

As people listen to it, they can be affected. 

They respond.”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Brittany Howard - "History Repeats"

• Róisín Murphy - "Narcissus"

• Lizzo - "Good As Hell"

• Tomeka Reid Quartet - "Old New"

• Black Midi - "Ducter"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Lost in technology or technology lost in music?

I was happy to see that Nils Frahm released an album last week called "Tripping With Nils Frahm". It is an album recorded live in a venue that I adore in Berlin. The iconic "Funkhouse" is a former GDR broadcast center built in the 1950s, located overlooking the River Spree in Berlin's east. The product of joint efforts by architects and acousticians to create a world-class broadcasting campus, the multi-purpose venue houses spaces dedicated to recording symphony orchestras, choirs, chamber and jazz ensembles, pop music and radio plays. 

The album consists of 8 tracks all recorded live during Nils Frahm's performances in December 2018. I think this recording is the pinnacle of his live recordings, even better compared to "Spaces". 

In my opinion, what makes Nils Frahm so ethereal and emotional is that he creates this atmosphere (I also had the chance to watch him live and what I am about to tell is more obvious in a live setting) via accomplishing to lose all that technology behind his music. Yes, he is always surrounded by many gadgets and towers of synths with thousands of knobs, but when he starts to play, all that technology somehow disappears and you are in the middle of a sonic ocean.

This album is no different. I do not know if his style has evolved in that fashion because he was a classically trained pianist but his sound world is cruising between classical and electronic and that is what makes him so unique.

"Tripping with Nils Frahm" is released also as a movie that I believe could be a great experience to watch.

Here is a trailer for you;

Let's finish with Nils Frahm's own words and listen to a great piece from the album...

"I think music can be the most beautiful drug experience of your life — it is almost like an addiction," Frahm says. "And also, the word 'tripping' came because I'm on this trip for the last 10, 11 years where I'm traveling the world to make my show. And so all of this became so intense that I thought, 'Yeah — it's a trip."

"Fundamental Values" by Nils Frahm

Which one is your favorite? - LX -

The song of the week is a rock single written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker and first recorded by the Arrows in 1975. It is a song that is best known by one of its covers that was recorded six years after the original.

Here is the song for this week;

"I Love Rock 'n' Roll"

Merrill explained in a Songfacts interview how this song came about: "That was a knee-jerk response to the Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll.' I remember watching it on Top of the Pops. I'd met Mick Jagger socially a few times, and I knew he was hanging around with Prince Rupert Lowenstein and people like that – jet setters. I almost felt like 'It's Only Rock and Roll' was an apology to those jet-set princes and princesses that he was hanging around with - the aristocracy, you know. That was my interpretation as a young man: Okay, I love rock and roll. And then, where do you go with that?"

The song was released as a B-side with The Arrows' "Broken Down Heart." The group was recording for RAK Records, which was run by Mickie Most. As Merrill explains, "I Love Rock And Roll" didn't suit his current tastes, as during that time Most preferred ballads and blues. Most's wife Christina Hayes encouraged him to flip the sides, but the song didn't catch on, as it suffered from a poor run of luck at the time of its release. First, it had to be re-released as an A-side. Second, the song came out during an English newspaper strike, so new songs weren't getting the exposure they'd normally get. Third, The Arrows were feuding with their record label. As a result, the song didn't chart and was banished to obscurity.

All was not lost, however, as The Arrows performed this song when they were guests on the UK TV series Pop 45. The show's producer, Muriel Young, was so impressed that on the strength of this performance, she gave them their own TV show, simply called The Arrows Show, which ran from 1976-1977 in the UK for two full 14-week seasons on the ITV network. It was this show that Joan Jett saw in 1976, which prompted her to acquire a copy of "I Love Rock and Roll" and later cover it in 1981, producing what is arguably one of the most successful covers in rock history.

Here are the 7 versions I picked for you;

• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - "I Love Rock n Roll"

• Jamie Lancaster - "I Love Rock n Roll"

• Miley Cyrus - "I Love Rock n Roll"

• LA Guns - "I Love Rock n Roll"

• Hayseed Dixie - "I Love Rock n Roll"

• Britney Spears - "I Love Rock n Roll"

• Ghoti Hook - "I Love Rock n Roll"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend - C -

Here is the 100th of the "Five Songs For The Weekend" post. This means 500 songs over a period of two years. I hope each and every one of you has found at least a song you love and discovered an artist to your own liking. 

As Hans Christian Andersen once said;

“Life is like a beautiful melody, 

only the lyrics are messed up.”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• The Cinematic Orchestra - "The Awakening Of A Woman"

• Plaid - "Dancers"

• Soviet Soviet - "Ecstasy"

• Jyoti - "Bop For Aneho"

• Brian Eno - "Decline And Fall"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LIX -

This week's song is coming from one of the greatest electronic music bands of all time. It was released in 1978 in Kraftwerk's The Man-Machine album (released in German as Die Mensch-Maschine). The song was initially a B-side to their single, "The Model" ("Das Model"), but later the sides were swapped. The 12-inch single was pressed on luminous vinyl.

By the way, I am currently reading a book by Uwe Schütte called "Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany". I would like to thank my dear friend from Basel (@cereyanlimusiki) who was kind enough to send me the book during these tough times. I highly recommend the book not only to Kraftwerk fans but to all music lovers.

Here is the song for this week;

"Neon Lights"

The song was written by the band members; Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider and Karl Bartos.

It has a lilting melody and reflects Düsseldorf at night, paying tribute to the many colorful neon signs that advertise shops, hotels and bars in the band's hometown. "Neon Lights" is a frequently underrated classic in the Kraftwerk oeuvre, a sublimely atmospheric piece.

Andy Gill in his review for the NME hailed the album but he did not single out either the title track or "The Robots". Instead, without hesitation, he names "Neon Lights" the best track on the album. Indeed, the captivating melody has been described as a "sonic refutation of the allegations that Kraftwerk had no soul"...

Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;

• U2 - "Neon Lights"

• Simple Minds - "Neon Lights"

• OMD - "Neon Lights"

• Luna - "Neon Lights"

• Mitja V.S. (with Enzo Fabiani Quartet) - "Neon Lights"

• Senor Coconut - "Neon Lights"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCIX-

I am really starting to get desperate about this Covid issue as the numbers are drastically climbing before the arrival of the vaccine. Even after the vaccine's introduction, it looks like it is going to take some time for people to benefit from it. Therefore, in the meantime please wear a mask and pay attention to your personal hygiene, otherwise catching the virus will be a duck soup. Stay with good music and try to enjoy your week.

As Toscanini once said;

“Music is either good or it isn’t, 

it’s not someone’s opinion.”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Air - "La Femme D'Argent"

• Belle and Sebastian - "The Boy With the Arab Strap"

• Ibeyi - "River"

• GoGo Penguin - "Fanfares"

• Merle Haggard - "Miner's Silver Ghost"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LVIII -

This week's song is coming from one of my favorite bands.  It is a song by Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album Rumours released in 1977. In the US, the song reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's only number-one single there; it sold over a million copies. In Canada, it also reached number one on the RPM Top 100 Singles chart.

Here is the song for this week;

"Dreams"

During the sessions for Rumours, everyone in the band was going through a breakup (Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham with each other, John and Christine McVie with each other, Mick Fleetwood with his wife Jenny Boyd) and doing a lot of drugs. They were able to work together, but most of the songwriting was on an individual basis. Stevie Nicks wrote this one in the studio next door where Sly Stone was recording. He had a big, semicircular bed and red velvet all over the walls - a great vibe for a song about romantic entanglements.

The line, "Players only love you when they're playing," was directed at Lindsey Buckingham. Stevie Nicks was not pleased when he brought "Go Your Own Way" to the sessions, which was clearly about her. Stevie told Q magazine June 2009: "It was the fairy and the gnome. I was trying to be all philosophical. And he was just mad."

Stevie Nicks recalled to The Daily Mail October 16, 2009: "I remember the night I wrote 'Dreams.' I walked in and handed a cassette of the song to Lindsey. It was a rough take, just me singing solo and playing the piano. Even though he was mad with me at the time, Lindsey played it and then looked up at me and smiled. What was going on between us was sad. We were couples who couldn't make it through. But, as musicians, we still respected each other - and we got some brilliant songs out of it."

Christine McVie said in a 1997 interview with Q: "'Dreams' developed in a bizarre way. When Stevie first played it for me on the piano, it was just three chords and one note in the left hand. I thought, This is really boring, but the Lindsey genius came into play and he fashioned three sections out of identical chords, making each section sound completely different. He created the impression that there's a thread running through the whole thing." 

Christine McVie played both a Hammond organ and a Fender Rhodes electric piano on this track.

The song returned to the Billboard charts in 2018 after a meme went viral. A Twitter user named @bottledfleet edited parts of "Dreams" over footage of Alcorn State University's Golden Girls cheerleaders dancing to an overlay the song to prove that Fleetwood Mac is not boring. The video was posted on March 22, 2018 with the caption: "'Fleetwood Mac's music is so boring, you can't even dance to it."

The song got another boost when the TikTok user Doggface208 (real name Nathan Apodaca) uploaded a video of him skateboarding down a road while drinking Ocean Spray juice and lip-syncing along to "Dreams" on September 25, 2020. On October 4, Mick Fleetwood made his own TikTok re-creating Apodaca's video. Fleetwood posted: "@420doggface208 had it right. Dreams and Cranberry just hits different."

Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;

• The Corrs - "Dreams"

• Lissie - "Dreams"

• Dianne Reeves - "Dreams"

• The Kills - "Dreams"

• Yo La Tengo - "Dreams"

• Richie Havens - "Dreams"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCVIII -

Another series of lockdowns have just been announced as the Covid cases have peaked. I wish all the best to the people who are suffering during these unpleasant times. Keep your hopes up and stay with music...

As Jean Paul once said;

“Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life." 

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Hamilton Leithauser - "I Don't Need Anyone"

• Breakwater - "Release the Beast"

• Kamaal Williams - "New Heights"

• Eleggua - "Daymé Arocena"

• Richard Devine - "Harmonic Symmetry"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LVII -

This week's song is a very popular song from the 70s that was written by Eddie Curtis, Ahmet Ertegun and Steve Miller. It was released in 1973 from Capitol records.

Here is the song for this week;

"The Joker"

The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974.More than 16 years later, in September 1990, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart for two weeks after being used in "Great Deal", a Hugh Johnson-directed television advertisement for Levi's, thus holding the record for the longest gap between transatlantic chart-toppers. 

The line in this song, "I speak of the pompatus of love," has baffled listeners for some time. Greil Marcus provided the best explanation we've seen in a 2002 article for Los Angeles Magazine titled "In The Secret Country." The word "Pompatus" does exist in the Oxford English Dictionary, and it means "to act with pomp and splendor." Miller most likely heard the word on a song called "The Letter," which was recorded by the Los Angeles doo-wop group The Medallions in 1954. It was written by their lead singer Vernon Green, who was 16 at the time and crippled with polio. The song contains these lyrics:

"Let me whisper sweet words of dismortality and discuss the pompatus of love

Put it together and what do you have? Matrimony"...

The song's accompaniment is borrowed heavily from the song "Soul Sister" By Allen Toussaint. During the song, Steve Miller references The Clovers' 1954 song "Lovey Dovey" when he sings "You're the cutest thing that I ever did see / Really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree / Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, lovey dovey all the time".

The song is noted for its wolf whistle played on a slide guitar after the "lovey dovey" parts and the "some people call me Maurice" part.

The line "I'm a midnight toker" is a marijuana reference (as is the "toke" in Brewer & Shipley's hit "One Toke Over The Line" from 1970). Many stoners related to this song, and in 2012, Spin magazine named it the most commercially successful pot song of all time.

Steve Miller told the story of the song in an interview with Mojo November 2012: "I got this funny, lazy, sexy little tune," he recalled, "but it didn't come together until a party in Novato, north of San Francisco. I sat on the hood of a car under the stars with an acoustic guitar making up lyrics and 'I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, 'I'm a midnight toker' came out. My chorus! The 'some people call me the space cowboy' and 'the gangster of love' referred to earlier songs of mine and so did 'Maurice' and 'the propitious of love.' You don't have to use words. It was just a goof. I produced myself. Nobody pushing us around. That 12-string acoustic I played, it was made by Epiphone's last master guitar-maker. I forget his name, sorry. The basic rhythm track, when we cut it I was very precise with the bassist, Gerald Johnson about the line he should play. Then there's the slide guitar sound, which I put through a Leslie speaker and a wah-wah pedal, among other things."

Here are the 5 versions I picked for you;

• Barb Jungr - "The Joker"

• Fatboy Slim - "The Joker"

• Ace Frehley - "The Joker"

• K.D. Lang - "The Joker"

• Eddy Zoltan - "The Joker"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCVII -

Sorry for last week's break. It's been a hectic week with work and the radio programs. I hope you have missed the weekend songs post. In the meantime, the whole world is closely following the US elections. Whatever the result, let's hope that democracy wins in the end...

As Jimmy Heath once said;

“I prefer music where melody, harmony and rhythm 

come together and no element overshadows the other.

Jazz at its best is a democracy of creativity"

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Gil Scott-Heron - "New York Is Killing Me"

• Letta Mbulu- "Mahlalela"

• Panthera - "Voyager"

• Agnes Obel - "The Curse"

• Nick Drake - "Pink Moon"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LVI -

Here is another song from the 30s written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dubin. It was a big hit in 1933.  Deane Janis with Hal Kemp's Orchestra recorded the original version on October 31, 1933, in Chicago, which was issued by Brunswick Records.

Here is the song for this week;

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

In 1934, a rendition sung by Constance Bennett appeared in the film Moulin Rouge, but was unreleased on record.

Set in Paris, the lyrics include "I walk along the street of sorrow/The Boulevard of Broken Dreams/Where gigolo and gigolette/Can take a kiss without regret/So they forget their broken dreams."

Boulevard of Broken Dreams served as the title tune for a stage musical which played February 11 – March 9, 2003 at the Coconut Grove Playhouse: featuring a libretto by Joel Kimmel, the play was based on the life of composer Al Dubin – played by Jordan Bennett – and featured a number of Dubin compositions as its score.

The song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" has been added to the score of the stage musical 42nd Street for its 2017 West End run being performed by Sheena Easton in the character of Dorothy Brock: the Daily Express opined that "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" seemed "out of place" in 42nd Street while stating that Easton sang the song "splendidly".

This piece is written as a tango in the harmonic minor scale. The song is in the key of E minor.

Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;

• Tony Bennett & Sting - "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

• Diana Krall - "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"

• Marianne Faithfull - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

• Nat King Cole - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

• Seija Karpiomaa - "Sarkyneen Toiveen Katu"

• Robin Nolan Trio - "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCVI -

This week it really seems like the summer is over. Rain, clouds, cool winds and all. But hey, we have Indian summer ahead of us, right? On the other hand, Covid cases are significantly increasing all around the world. So be careful, wear a mask, pay attention to the social distance rules and keep your hands virus free. And remember this shall pass too and when it is over, we will be even stronger...

As Charlie Parker once said;

“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. 

If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn."

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Jyoti - "Mama, You Can Bet!"

• Severija - "Zu Asche, Zu Staub"

• Carl Finlow - "Anomaly"

• Kutiman feat. Melike Şahin - "Sakla Beni"

• Blick Bassy - "Aké"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LV -

This week we go back to the 30s. The song I chose is a classic Tin Pan Alley song composed by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer.

Here is the song for this week;

"Lazybones"

Mercer was from Savannah, Georgia, and resented the Tin Pan Alley attitude of rejecting southern regional vernacular in favor of artificial southern songs written by people who had never been to the South. Alex Wilder attributes much of the popularity of this song to Mercer's perfect regional lyric.

He wrote the lyrics to "Lazybones" as a protest against those artificial "Dixies", announcing the song's authenticity at the start with "Long as there is chicken gravy on your rice".

The song has been recorded scores of times over the years. Recordings were released as early as 1933 by Jay Wilbur, Paul Robeson, and 1934 by The Mills Brothers, and as recently as 2018 by Nellie McKay. 

It has been recorded by a variety of artists in a variety of formats, including country singers such as Hank Snow on the album Old Doc Brown in 1955, R&B artists such as The Supremes on their 1965 album The Supremes Sing Country, Western and Pop, Leon Redbone on his 1975 album On the Track, and even fictional characters such as the Electric Mayhem band on the Muppet Show in 1977. Jonathan King's 1971 revival was a Top 20 hit in the UK and was played on US soft rock stations, earning a position on Billboard's Easy Listening chart, reached #34. King's version sold over a million copies around the world.

Here are the 7 versions I picked for you;

• Leon Redbone - "Lazybones"

• Jacqui Naylor - "Lazybones"

• Hoagy Carmichael & Dorothy Dandridge - "Lazybones" 

• Harry Connick Jr. - "Lazybones"

• Dr. John - "Lazybones"

• Liza Minnelli - "Lazybones"

• Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong - "Lazybones"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCV -

Busy days at work, busy days in the studio. We are doing our best to prepare a radio show that would amuse the listeners and believe me it is not that as easy as it sounds. However, we enjoy a lot and hope that everyone else does too. Don't forget to listen on the internet: https://karnaval.com/radyolar/joyjazz

As Hallie Flanagan once said;

“The power of radio is not that it speaks to millions, 

but that it speaks intimately and privately 

to each one of those millions.”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Bror Gunnar Jansson - "Moan Snake Moan, Part III"

• Julia Holter - "Words I Heard"

• Holly Herndon - "Eternal"

• Jonathan Richman - "That Summer Feeling"

• Yussef Kamaal - "Calligraphy"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LIV -

I noticed that I have only written about a few songs from the 50s. So, here is a loved one from 1956. It is a song written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell, who used the pseudonym John Davenport. It was originally recorded by American R&B singer Little Willie John for his debut album, Fever (1956), and released as a single in April of the same year.

Here is the song for this week;

"Fever"

The song managed to top the Billboard R&B Best Sellers in the US and peak at number 24 on the Billboard pop chart. It was received positively by music critics and included on several lists of the best songs during the time it was released.

It has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, most notably by Peggy Lee, whose 1958 rendition became the most widely known version of "Fever" and the singer's signature song. Lee's version contained rewritten lyrics different from the original and an altered music arrangement. It became a top-five hit on the music charts in the UK and Australia in addition to entering the top ten in the US and the Netherlands. "Fever" was nominated in three categories at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

The idea for "Fever" was presented to Otis Blackwell by an old friend, Eddie Cooley, who in 1956 had a hit song called "Priscilla". Blackwell said: "Eddie Cooley was a friend of mine from New York and he called me up and said 'Man, I got an idea for a song called 'Fever', but I can't finish it.' I had to write it under another name because, at that time, I was still under contract to Joe Davis." John Davenport, the name he used, was the name of Blackwell's stepfather. Little Willie John reportedly disliked the song, but was persuaded to record it, on March 1, 1956, by King Records owner Syd Nathan and arranger and producer Henry Glover. It became the title track for his debut album, Fever, released in 1956.

"Fever" is a soul and rhythm and blues minor key opus with an arrangement consisting of low saxophones played by Ray Felder and Rufus "Nose" Gore and guitar by Bill Jennings. The vocal style of Willie John is similar to moaning and he is backed by finger snaps. Bill Dahl from the website AllMusic noted a contrast between the song's "ominous" arrangement and the vocals along with the finger snapping which "marginally lightened the mood".

Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;

• Peggy Lee - "Fever"

• Beyoncé - "Fever"

• Madonna - "Fever"

• Leon Russell - "Fever"

• Michael Bublé - "Fever"

• Musica Nuda - "Fever"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCIV -

Today I am very excited about the radio show I will be co-hosting. The first program will be broadcasted today. It will be a jazz show with guests therefore not limited to music but sharing experiences too. You can listen to the show here: https://karnaval.com/radyolar/joyjazz

As Henry Threadgill once said;

“Art leaves something to the listener; 

that's what separates art from craft.”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Into The Pale Abyss - "Leave Us Alone"

• Charles Bradley - "Why Is It So Hard"

• Esperanza Spalding & Gretchen Parlato - "Inutil Paisagem"

• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Henry Lee"

• Tahoultine - "Mdou Moctar"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LIII -

Here is a song for the season. It dates back to 1945 and the original was in French. The tune was popularised by Yves Montand. It has been  a leading standard in the jazz repertoire.

Here is the song for this week;

"Autumn Leaves"

The song was composed by Joseph Kosma with original lyrics by Jacques Prévert in French, and later by Johnny Mercer in English. An instrumental version by pianist Roger Williams was a number 1 best-seller in the US Billboard charts of 1955.

Kosma was a native of Hungary who was introduced to Prévert in Paris. They collaborated on the song "Les Feuilles Mortes" ("The Dead Leaves") for the 1946 film Les Portes de la nuit (Gates of the Night) where it was sung by Irène Joachim. Kosma was influenced by a piece of ballet music, "Rendez-vous" written for Roland Petit, which was itself borrowed partially from "Poème d'octobre" by Jules Massenet.

Marcel Carné decided to use it in his film Les portes de la nuit and wanted it sung by Marlene Dietrich — who declined. In the movie, it is played by the whole orchestra, then by a harmonica, then hummed and sung briefly by Yves Montand, then sung by Irene Joachim (dubbed for actress Nathalie Nattier).

 The first commercial recordings of "Les Feuilles mortes" were released in 1950, by Cora Vaucaire and by Yves Montand. Johnny Mercer wrote the English lyric and gave it the title "Autumn Leaves". Mercer was a partner in Capitol Records at the time, and Capitol recording artist Jo Stafford made the first English-language recording in July, 1950. The song was recorded steadily throughout the 1950s by leading pop vocalists including Bing Crosby (1950), Nat King Cole (1955), Doris Day (1956), and Frank Sinatra (1957). It was also quickly adopted by instrumental jazz artists including Artie Shaw (1950), Stan Getz (1952), Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal (separately in 1955), Duke Ellington (1957), and Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis (together in 1958). In 2012, jazz historian Philippe Baudoin called the song "the most important non-American standard" and noted that "it has been recorded about 1400 times by mainstream and modern jazz musicians alone and is the eighth most-recorded tune by jazzmen.

Over the years since its first publication, the composition has undergone several adjustments. The verse is a 24-bar AAB form, though originally it was written in twelve bars. The AABC form chorus was originally written in sixteen bars, but is now commonly seen as a 32-bar structure. The tune is usually played in 4/4 at a medium tempo in the key of G minor, although the original edition is in A minor.

Here are the 8 versions I picked for you;

• Sarah Vaughan - "Autumn Leaves"

• Chet Baker & Paul Desmond - "Autumn Leaves"

• Iggy Pop - "Les Feuilles Mortes"

• Dee Dee Bridgewater - "Autumn Leaves"
  

• Paula Cole - "Autumn Leaves"

• Dalida - "Les Feuilles Mortes"

• Nat King Cole - "Autumn Leaves"

• Patricia Kaas - "Autumn Leaves"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCIII -

It's getting cooler and it seems that autumn is around the corner. Let's hope this corona thing will fade away before the end of the year and things will get back to normal. Just like everyone else, I  missed going to the movies and attending live concerts... I am really curious what stories or tunes will come out of this strange times we are living in...

As Slash once said;

“Whenever society gets too stifling and the rules too complex,

 there's some sort of musical explosion..”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Massive Attack - "Teardrop"

• Florence and the Machine - "Cosmic Love"

• Gin Wigmore - "Hey Ho"

• Khruangbin - "August Twelve"

• Avalon Jazz Band - "Si Tu Vois Ma Mère"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LII -

This will be the second song I chose from Depeche Mode for the covers post. Released in 1989, the song reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2004, it was ranked No. 368 in Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Here is the song for this week;

"Personal Jesus"

It was inspired by Priscilla Presley's book Elvis And Me, where she described their relationship. Martin Gore of Depeche Mode said: "It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It's about how Elvis was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships - how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it?"

The video was the first by Depeche Mode to get significant airplay on MTV. Directed by Anton Corbijn, it has an Old West theme, with Dave Gahan and Martin Gore as cowboys. During the heavy breathing section of the song (around 2:20), there are some tight silhouette shots of Gore huffing, and then a shot of a horse's hindquarters. "I don't know if Anton was consciously trying to be perverted, I think it was more coincidental that it happened at that point," Gore told Uncut. "These video people see things very strangely." It was a little too much for MTV, so Corbijn made an edit eliminating some of the silhouette breathing, and that was the version the network aired.

Prior to its release, advertisements were placed in the personal columns of regional newspapers in the UK with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song. The ensuing controversy helped propel the single to No. 13 on the UK charts, becoming one of Depeche Mode's biggest sellers. The single was particularly successful commercially thanks to the fact that it was released six months prior to the album it would later appear on. Up to that point, it was the best selling 12" single in Warner Bros. history...

Johnny Cash did a stripped-down version (that you will hear below) on his 2002 album American IV, The Man Comes Around. Martin Gore revealed to The London Times that the band was unaware that Cash had covered this song. When they heard about the country legend's recording, the threesome was naturally thrilled. Said Gore: "I think when you're somebody of Johnny Cash's caliber, you don't ask for permission."

Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;

• Johnny Cash - "Personal Jesus"

• Richard Cheese - "Personal Jesus"

• Def Leppard - "Personal Jesus"

• Nina Hagen - "Personal Jesus"

• Marilyn Manson - "Personal Jesus"

• KO KO MO - "Personal Jesus"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.

Five Songs for the Weekend -XCII -

Last days of summer are near and we will again be stuck indoors very soon. This means that all of us will be more exposed to Covid-19, so please be careful and wear a mask. We can overcome this threat via paying the utmost attention. Be close to the music and not to the virus...

As Leopold Stokowski once said;

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. 

But musicians paint their pictures on silence.”

Here is the list for this weekend;

• Robert Glasper - "Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box"

• Peter Gabriel & New Blood Orchestra - "Mercy Street"

• Kurup - "Joeira"

• Elias Rahbani - "Dance of Maria"

• Cabaret Nocturne - "Blood Walk"

Hope you have a great weekend.

nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.

Which one is your favorite? - LI -

Here is a cool disco song from 1980. The original was a big hit for Diana Ross topping the charts all over the world. It was written and produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards.

Here is the song for this week;

"Upside Down"

The upbeat song finds the singer sticking with a cheating lover because he keeps their romance exciting, turning her emotions upside down and inside out. Rodgers explained the tune was actually inspired by Ross' desire to experiment with her career and have some fun.

The song was issued as a single through the Motown label in 1980, as the lead single from her tenth studio album, Diana. "Upside Down" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 6, 1980. It also hit number one on the Billboard Disco and Soul charts. The single was released a full four weeks after the album was released. It held down the number one spot for four weeks.

Ross, who felt her voice was overshadowed by the instrumentation on some of the tracks, demanded changes from the producers. Rodgers and Edwards made minor edits to appease her and told Ross if she still didn't like the songs, she'd have to remix them herself. They were shocked when Ross actually took them up on the offer. With the help of Motown producer Russ Terrana, she remixed the entire album, adding emphasis to her vocals. Rodgers was furious but ultimately relented on the condition that he and Edwards wouldn't be credited for the new mixes.

Mercedes-Benz used this in a 2013 commercial to promote the automobile manufacturer's "magic body control" stability function, which was proven by a bunch of chickens grooving to the tune while their heads remained stationary.

Here are the 5 versions I picked for you;

• The BossHoss - "Upside Down"

• Dusty Springfield & Tom Jones - "Upside Down"

• Cuban Jazz Combo - "Upside Down"

• Sonia Stein - "Upside Down"

• Joelle - "Upside Down"

Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).

nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.