Which one is your favorite? - XXIII -

Normally I am not a big fan of country music but there are certain songs I love from the genre, and this one is definitely one of them.
This is a song written and performed by American country music artist Dolly Parton. It was released on October 15, 1973 as the first single and title track from her album of the same name, produced by Bob Ferguson.


Here is the song for this week;

"Jolene"

The song was ranked No. 217 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. 

The title was inspired by an encounter with a 10-year-old fan. "She had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding out for an autograph," Parton recalled to NPR in 2008. "I said, 'Well, you're the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?' And she said, 'Jolene.' And I said, 'Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that.'"

There is another version of the story of the song which is also told by Dolly Parton and that is the song tells of Parton confronting Jolene (a bank teller), a stunningly beautiful woman, who she worries will steal away her lover/husband.

Here are the versions of the song;

• Miley Cyrus - "Jolene"

• The White Stripes - "Jolene"

• Sara Gazarek - "Jolene"

• Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Jolene"

And here is a funny version of Jolene by Theresa May, obviously out of the competition.

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 - LXIII -

Valentine's Day is coming this Friday so I would like to dedicate this week's songs to my dear wife.  Why don't you all do a list for this special day for your beloved ones?

As Jean Paul Richter once said;

"Music is the poetry of the air."

And here is this week's list (with some bonus songs on top of the usual five);

• Jeff Buckley - "Hallelujah"

• Leonard Cohen - "Dance Me to the End of Love"

• Brad Mehldau - "And I Love Her"

• Chet Baker - "Let's Get Lost"

• Billie Holiday - "What's New?"

• Peter Gabriel - "In Your Eyes"

• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - "Into My Arms"

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? - XXII -

The song of this week comes from my beloved cousin who lives in Amsterdam.
You can also follow her on this website, www.ceydaartist.wixsite.com/ceyda.
I thank her for the tip.

This is a song recorded by the British group Hot Chocolate. It was written by Hot Chocolate's lead singer Errol Brown, and produced by Mickie Most. The song was released in October 1975 and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in 1975, as well as number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 a year later. Billboard ranked it the number-twenty-two song for 1976. It went on to gain notability by being featured in films, such as The Full Monty (1997).

Without further ado, here is the song for this week;

"You Sexy Thing"

The song was originally a 1975 B-side. Not yet convinced that the song could be a hit, producer Most put it on the flip-side of the Hot Chocolate single "Blue Night". The song was later remixed by Most, who re-released it as an A-side some months later on his RAK label. The song was a hit and ultimately became the group's best-known song. In the UK the song was poised for the number-one spot, but was beaten to it by "Bohemian Rhapsody", when on November 29, 1975 the Queen single leaped above it from number nine.

The original "You Sexy Thing" has a simple structure, with most of the song alternating between two major chords (F and Bb). It has a chorus-verse form. One of the song's most memorable aspects is its distinctive six note riff which is repeated intermittently throughout, played on a mildly overdriven electric guitar on a high treble setting and with noticeable vibrato.

And here are the 3 versions I (one coming from my cousin, I won't tell you which...) chose for you;

• Stereophonics - "You Sexy Thing"

• Zella Day - "You Sexy Thing"

• Tom Tom Club - "You Sexy Thing"

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 - LXII -

Here we are again approaching the weekend. The weather report says that it is going to be a snowy weekend here so if you are around the below songs might make your weekend a bit warmer. Thanks for listening and keep on filling your life with music...

As Robert Browning once said;

"Who hears music feels his solitude peopled at once."

And here's this week's list;

• Lana Del Rey - "Shades Of Cool"

• James Basdanis - "Chechen Girl"

• Isaac Gracie - "Reverie"

• Ultimate Spinach - Jazz Thing

• The Standells - "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White"

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.

Electronic Maloya from La Reunion

In this post, I would like to briefly mention some really special music coming from La Reunion, a small island off the coast of Madagascar. It is called "Electronic Maloya from La Reunion since 1980". I would like to thank @outromusic for letting me discover this album in vinyl.

Digital Kabar is a compilation of electronic music endemic to the Reunion Island, at the crossroads of cultures and porous to all sound experiences. The musicians of the island that have been cross-fertilized by many musical genres, their way of life and their diversity have enabled them to come up to the music scene with such an amazing album.

One can tell that a tradition of music was all around the island, Maloya (the major music genre of Réunion, usually sung in Réunion Creole, and traditionally accompanied by percussion and a musical bow) was the dominating cultural factor for the islanders. And this beautiful music was totally banned by the French Republic almost through all the 20th century. The ban was quite aggressive between the early 60s and early 80s. Maloya has been built up over centuries in the sugar plantations of the island, agglomerating popular sounds brought along by slaves from Madagascar, India, and Mozambique. It was the music of the poor, especially black people, infused with mystical beliefs.  It can be considered as trance music with dark elements.

Patrick Manent - "Kabaré Ater"

Obviously, the ban by the French governments did not stop the music develop in time. Maybe that's how it did not stay frozen in time nor became the music of the older generations. It blended with rap, chanson, reggae and ultimately electronic music, and this album is a fine example of the latter.

Kwalud - "Angel Choirs"

The album is also available on Spotify in digital streaming format. Give it a listen, I am sure you'll love it...