On this day in 1994, the great Tony Bennett recorded his MTV Unplugged special. It would be released in June of the same year.
Think about this for a minute. It is 1994. It was the year of dance music like Another Night by Real McCoy. It was the year of rap music like Tootsee Roll by the 69 Boyz and Regulate by Warren G. It was the year of rock like Closer by Oasis and Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden.
The Unplugged appearance by Tony Bennett consisted of songs from the Great American Songbook. Tony on MTV?? How could this possibly work?! Would the MTV generation even consider watching this old crooner? You bet they did! Unplugged helped introduce some classics to an entirely new audience.
The show itself was like any other Tony Bennett show. It was Tony and a small group. This time he was backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio. The show also included guest appearances by Elvis Costello and k.d. lang. The audience was mesmerized by Tony and the album went platinum. It also won Grammy Awards in 1995 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year!
The set list included It Had to Be You, Fly Me To The Moon, and A Foggy Day. It also featured some of Tony’s big hits. He sang I Left My Heart In San Francisco, Rags to Riches, I Wanna Be Around and Steppin’ Out With My Baby.
For me, the highlight was Tony and k.d. lang singing Moonglow together. The harmony is not an easy one, yet k.d. nails it. She said this about Tony, “He asked me to perform on his MTV Unplugged album in 1994 and the sparks started flying when we sang together. I felt elevated, comfortable and just in sync with him when we were doing Moonglow – as if I was with a teacher but also a friend. It was like an opening. It just felt right.”
As you watch the clip, you can see the mutual love that these two have for each other. Eight years later, the two would get together for an entire album called “A Wonderful World.”
Tony was a legend. His performances were pure magic!
Welcome back to The Music of My Life, where I feature ten songs from each year of my life. In most cases, the ten songs I choose will be ones I like personally (unless I explain otherwise). The songs will be selected from Billboard’s Year-end Hot 100 Chart, Acclaimed Music, and will all be released in the featured year.
As you might remember, I started this last May on my birthday. I have tried to work a week or two ahead on this feature. One thing I have noticed as we move into the late 2010’s and 2020’s is that there are not that many songs that mean anything to me. No life event connects with them. There are only a few I may like. That being said, it is very possible that I will combine two or three years into one week. I also have a feeling that there may be upcoming years where I don’t pick any songs. If that happens, the feature will wrap sooner than expected, which may be a good thing.
2014 was actually a good year of music for me. I turned 44 that year. I had a new career in sleep and was still able to do a few hours on the radio. Many of the songs from this year were ones I played on the air …
It didn’t mean much to me in 2014, but Let It Go by Idina Menzel sure does today. It is the first song I danced to with my daughter at our first Daddy/Daughter Dance. That may have been the only song we danced to that first year, but I will never forget it. It is from her favorite movie, Frozen.
“Kids don’t want to stand out all the time, they want to fit in,” Menzel said regarding this song. “It’s about finding that thing that makes you different that’s going to make you special and extraordinary.”
Let It Go won for Best Song at the Oscars in the 2014 ceremony. It also earned an entry in the 2016 Guinness World Records book for “Most Languages Featured on a Single.” It was recorded in 42 different languages for Frozen‘s foreign releases.
Let It Go
Paramore was primarily known for their rock music. Ain’t It Fun is a very different sound for them. It was more pop/dance than rock. (From songfacts) Bassist Jeremy Davis told The Guardian that the band had their largely teenage fan base in mind. “After we started writing weird stuff like ‘Ain’t It Fun,’ we got nervous,” he said. “But that was a comfort. We’ve grown and we don’t like the same music we liked, so why would [our fans] not? That idea kept us pushing ourselves.”
Songfacts also says, “This upbeat track mixes gospel, soul and some Prince-style R&B. Hayley Williams told The Sun: “Taylor (York) and I came up with the melody and I thought about Prince, too. Then it got layered with more groove and funk and all the cool elements. The next thing I know there’s a gospel choir in the studio and we have that track. It’s been so liberating to write this record.”
The xylophone in the song really helped the song to stand out on the air. That’s what I remember most about the first time I played it. “Well, that’s certainly different,” I thought.
The song is catchy. I don’t know that I’d call it an earworm, but you get hooked right from the beginning.
Ain’t It Fun
The next song is one that I have written about before. I chose it in the 2021 Song Draft that Hanspostcard hosted. It is one of those songs that I love to listen to. Here is the blog I wrote for the Song Draft:
Who would have imagined that in 2014 a Cole Porter song would be popular? Thanks to Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Porter’s Anything Goes was very popular … again.
The recording of the song took place over a year in New York City. Bennett’s quartet was present, as well as other musicians. It received mostly positive reviews. The Chicago Tribune said that it found Gaga to be in “good voice” and Bennett in “classic form”. V Magazine called the song a “fresh take” on the original. MTV News said “Gaga is clearly having a blast, doing her best Broadway belting with tons of energy and enthusiasm”
On the Billboard Jazz Digital Songs chart, the track debuted at the top, becoming Gaga’s second entry on that chart, following “The Lady is a Tramp”. The song was Bennett’s 15th entry on the Jazz Digital Songs chart, and his third number-one single. “Anything Goes” sold 16,000 digital downloads in the US during the week of its release.
Lady Gaga’s voice is one that could easily sing the American Song Book. The true sound of her voice is lost on current music. And how could you not like Tony Bennett?
Anything Goes
One song that really stands out to me from 2014 is Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. It was one that many brides I DJ’d for picked as their first dance. It’s a great choice.
The first time I heard it, it reminded me a bit of Into the Mystic by Van Morrison. Little did I know that Ed says Van Morrison heavily influenced this song. He told songfacts:
“No one’s really channeled Van Morrison for a long time. Everyone always channels, Michael Jackson and the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and I feel like Van Morrison is a key figure in the music that I make.”
The video features Sheeran and his partner Brittany Cherry ballroom dancing and was shot all at once in 16 mm film. “I wanted the video to be a little different, so I opted for ballroom dancing,” he explained when the video was released in October 2014. “I had lessons for five hours a day when I was on my US tour last month.”
Songfacts says: With electronic music ruling the airwaves, this was one of the few hit songs of its time with a guitar solo (played by Chris Leonard), which is near the end of the song in place of a bridge. Running 4:41, it was also very long by 2014 hit song standards, although this extra time makes the song more appealing as a first dance wedding number.
Thinking Out Loud
When Shake It Off hit the radio, it drove me crazy. At that time, Taylor Swift was everywhere. There was a ton of publicity leading up to her 1989 album. This was the lead single.
This song IS an earworm. Even if I switched stations or turned down the monitors in the studio, I still found that it would run through my head. Gee, I don’t know why? The phrase “shake it off” shows up 36 times in this song, mostly in the chorus. “Shake” appears 70 times. URGH!
Songfacts says: The song originated from Swift learning to overcome her fear of not being accepted. “I think it kind of takes not caring what people think about you a step further to kind of locking the fact that people don’t get you,” she explained to BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast Show. “Kind of taking pride in the fact that you know you are and it honestly doesn’t matter if someone else doesn’t want to understand you. We go through these scenarios in so many different phrases of our lives, no matter what it is.”
“I’ve had to learn a pretty tough lesson in the past couple years that people can say whatever they want about at any time, and we cannot control that,” said Swift. “The only thing we can control is our reaction to that… You can either let it get to you… [or] you just shake it off.”
Shake It Off
Another big song that worked well as school dances was Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon. I used to love watching folks jumping around and dancing to it. It was always great to hear them shout the chorus as it played.
Vocalist Nicholas Petricca told American Songwriter magazine the story of the song:
“Well, (Guitarist) Eli Maiman and I were working on something that’s now the verse. And it had this great feeling that we couldn’t stop playing over and over. We didn’t have a chorus and we didn’t have a subject or a lyric.”
“So over the next weekend, I went to this awesome party they have at The Echo in Echo Park, Los Angeles, called Funky Soul Saturday. The story of ‘Shut Up and Dance’ is based on a true story of hanging out there with my friends… this girl actually told me to shut up and dance with her. We took it back to the studio and it spun out very quickly after that.”
It was only later that Petricca realized he could use the girl’s comment as a song lyric. “At the time, I was in my head and not with it,” he said. “She’s one of my best friends and pulled me out into the moment, and that really became the subject of the song. Encouraging people to let go of whatever it is that’s bothering you and get into your body and out of your head. Coming home and working on the song I thought, this is it. This is totally it.”
Shut Up and Dance
OneRepublic makes a second appearance on the list with an amazing song – I Lived.
Songfacts says:
While opening for U2 in the summer of 2012, OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder observed the effect of Bono’s lyrics on the Irish band’s fans, as they sung along to their songs. “These lyrics are so from his gut and so like honest, but poetic,” Tedder told Radio.com. “They’re not trying to be ambiguous or trying to be cool.”
Inspired, Tedder decided that with the Native he was going to write lyrics people could relate to, which meant he would have to share a little bit of himself. Accordingly, nothing on the album is a work of fiction. This song, for instance is a love letter to the singer’s son, Copeland Cruz, who was born in 2010.
How often are we told to live life to its fullest? The chorus is an example of doing just that:
I, I did it all I, I did it all I owned every second that this world could give I saw so many places The things that I did Yeah, with every broken bone I swear I lived
The song’s music video pays tribute to teenage fan, Bryan Warnecke, and his struggles living with cystic fibrosis. The clip ends with Tedder driving Warnecke to a concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado to see OneReublic perform.
I Lived
Another song that jumped out of the radio at listeners was Honey, I’m Good by Andy Grammer. The song almost sounded out of place on Adult Contemporary stations because of its “country” sound. Grammer even went as far as to call the song, “a fun hoedown!”
The song’s music video features a montage of around one hundred real-life couples that have been together from several months to over 70 years. Grammer said, “My manager and I were on the phone talking about an idea for the video. We wanted to press home the concept that this isn’t a song about a guy who’s cheating. This is about a guy who is being true. So we started calling all of our friends and family that we knew had been married for a long time and asked them to lip sync the song.”
“They all started sending videos in and we started asking by word of mouth if people knew a couple who’d been married a long time. It was so fun getting all our friends and family involved that we decided to just put it up on social media and ask the fans to be part of the video too. We asked them to get their parents and grandparents to be in it also.”
Honey I’m Good
Finally, another song that just clicked with the school dance crowds, as well as adult crowds. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars struck gold with Uptown Funk.
The intro reminds me of the intro to Smoke on the Water. As it progresses, you get another instrument, then another, etc… Songfacts explains:
This intro sets the stage for the rest of the song, introducing the hooky “doh doh doh” vocal and the clapping drum sound (made with a Linn drum machine) that show up throughout the song. Before the intro ends, various other key instruments in the song appear: bass, snare drums, cheery guitar, horns and a swishy synth effect.
Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars and the producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Drake, Alicia Keys) share writing and production credits on the song. It originated from a lick that Mars and his band were playing on tour.
“When we hit on that opening line – ‘This s–t, that ice cold. Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold’ – we knew that we had the seed of this really exciting idea,” Ronson told Billboard magazine. “I pushed myself much more than I have on anything else in the past.”
Mars and Ronson create a monster party vibe in this song, starting with the title: “Uptown” implies high class, while “Funk” is the rhythm and release. The lyrics are way over-the-top, with Mars explaining that he’s so hot he’s forcing dragons into retirement. It’s clever, fun and outrageous, but also meticulously constructed with a mix of rhyming patterns.
The song went on to be the biggest of 2015.
Uptown Funk
So there you have it, 2014 in song. Did I miss one of your favorites from that year? Tell me about it in the comments.
Next week, we’ll look at 2015. My list includes the first song my wife and I ever talked about (before we were married) and one by her favorite country singer. It also includes a “tribute” to Frank Sinatra and the worst dance song since Gangnam Style! All that and more next week.
Okay, I admit that I am stretching it a bit. Technically, a Charlie Brown Christmas is not a movie. It is a holiday special, but if you do a Google search for Christmas Movies, you will be surprised at how many lists that it appears on. So roll with me on this one…
A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted 59 years ago today on CBS. It is the first animated special based on Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip. Honestly, the special is pretty deep. It deals with Charlie Brown’s depression, the commercialization of the Christmas holiday, and the story of Jesus’ birth.
A Charlie Brown Christmas won an Emmy Award, a Peabody Award, and aired continuously on television for 56 years. The special’s soundtrack is one that continues to sell well during the holiday season and many of the tracks still get airplay on radio today!
The music was provided by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, a group of jazz musicians. The producer of the special (Lee Mendelson) was a jazz fan. He had heard the Trio’s version of “Cast Your Fate To the Wind” and thought they would be perfect for the soundtrack.
It is Vince Guaraldi that wrote the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy.”. He also wrote two originals for the special: Skating and Christmas Time Is Here. Lee Mendelson had a difficult time trying to find a lyricist to write words to “Christmas Time Is Here.” With time running out to get the project finished, he jotted the lyrics himself on the back of an envelope. It took him all of 15 minutes.
Whether you listen to the instrumental version or the vocal, the song is just beautiful. Both versions are on the soundtrack. The instrumental:
…and the vocal:
I would guess it is not often that a song from a Christmas special would be so good that other artists would want to cover it. However, you’d be surprised at how many have!
The first cover was in 1982 by David Benoit. Patty Austin, Debby Boone, Kenny Loggins, Tony Bennett, Stone Temple Pilots, Grover Washington Jr, and others followed suit.
My favorite covers come from two amazing jazz artists. First, the great Mel Torme:
…and Diana Krall:
Almost 60 years later, A Charlie Brown Christmas remains one of the best holiday specials of the season!
Welcome to my submission for A Sound Day’s monthly feature – Turntable Talk, hosted by Dave Ruch. This is the 28th installment of this feature and I’ve had the pleasure of writing since for it since the beginning. His topics each month are always something that I look forward to writing about.
This month his instructions were to “unfold the Musical Road Map! The idea is to pick a song with a specific location in its title and write about it. Pick a song you like, even if it’s not a place that is high on your list of dream destinations. It could be a city, a country , a state or province, even some magical mystical place living in the imagination.”
As I thought about this topic, plenty of songs entered my head. The challenge I seem to face every month is to try to pick something that one of the other contributors hasn’t already picked. There were many hits that jumped right out at me (Sweet Home Alabama, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Houston, etc…), so I started thinking about songs that would not be something too popular.
Arrivederci Roma and On An Evening in Roma, both by Dean Martin were the first songs to come to mind. Dean made me think of Frank Sinatra and New York, New York. Frank then got me thinking about Sammy Davis Jr. and I knew that the song I was going to write about would not only be something that the other bloggers wouldn’t pick, but a song that not many people have ever heard before.
Yesterday, the City of Detroit celebrated its 323rd birthday! Back in 1984, Detroit’s Mayor (Coleman Young) reached out to Berry Gordy Jr. of Motown Records to write an anthem for the city. Berry wrote “Hello, Detroit” with Sammy Davis Jr. in mind to record it. When he showed Sammy the song, Gordy says that he “fell in love with it and felt it reflected his feelings on Detroit.”
“Hello, Detroit” is certainly not the best song to come out of Motown, and it wasn’t as big as Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett’s love letters to their respected cities. However, you cannot help but hear the love for the city as Sammy begins to sing:
You’re a fighter, you’re a lover You’re strong and you recover From whatever gets you down
Those words certain have a lot of truth to them. The city of Detroit has really turned around over the past decade or so. Downtown is thriving. Ford Field (Lions) and Comerica Park (Tigers) are right across the street from each other, and from the street you can see that amazing Detroit skyline.
Comerica Park and Ford Field with The Downtown Detroit Skyline in the Background
There is so much more happening in the growing city, but as with any “dated” song, things change.
Hello Detroit, you’ve won my heart Your renaissance, and waterfronts Give you a flare of your own
The Renaissance Center has been a staple for years, but General Motors will move out next year and, looking to the future, CEO Mary Barra doesn’t rule out the demolition of the building. The company announced the move earlier this year — pulling out of the iconic skyline staple after 28 years in the name of downsizing.
Sammy Davis Jr. said, “My home has always been show business” and Detroit was always hospitable. He said that he had “a big history of connecting things with Detroit,” as he often played the Paradise Theater in Detroit early in his career.
Toward the end of his career, he would take the stage at another theater. Sammy was there for the rebirth of the Fox Theater, along with Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli.
Their five-night stand, complete with a 30-piece orchestra, kicked off a new era for the Fox Theatre. This kind of brought things full circle for Sammy. The Fox originally opened in 1928, and it was the same year a 3-year-old Sammy Davis Jr. performed for the first time.
Sammy performed “Hello, Detroit” on opening night at the Grand Reopening of the Fox Theater. The concert rebroadcast may have been the most dignified three hours of content to air on Showtime in all of 1989.
I remember the first time I heard “Hello, Detroit.” It gave me chills. I wish that I could perfectly sum up in my own words what the song means to me and the many folks who call Michigan home, but every time I wrote something, I wound up deleting it. Why? Because I found something online that truly expresses it better than I ever could. This is copied from lyricslayers.com:
Sammy Davis Jr.’s song ‘Hello Detroit’ is a heartfelt tribute to the city of Detroit, capturing its spirit, resilience, and unique charm. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a city that has faced numerous challenges but continues to thrive and inspire. Davis Jr. describes Detroit as a ‘fighter’ and a ‘lover,’ emphasizing its strength and ability to recover from adversity. This portrayal resonates with the city’s history of economic struggles and its ongoing efforts to reinvent itself.
The song highlights various aspects of Detroit that make it special, from its renaissance and waterfronts to iconic locations like Belle Isle Park and Greektown. These references not only celebrate the city’s physical beauty but also its cultural and social vibrancy. The mention of Detroit’s influence on the young, encouraging them to become ‘stars and champions,’ underscores the city’s role in nurturing talent and ambition, particularly in the realms of music and sports.
Davis Jr.’s repeated affirmations of care and prayer for Detroit reflect a deep emotional connection and a sense of loyalty to the city. The song’s affectionate tone and personal touch make it more than just a tribute; it’s a love letter to a place that has profoundly impacted the artist. The references to ‘Big D,’ ‘Motor City,’ and the ‘Motown sound’ further anchor the song in Detroit’s rich musical heritage, celebrating its contributions to the world of music and its enduring legacy.
‘Hello Detroit’ is a celebration of the city’s indomitable spirit, its cultural richness, and its ability to inspire and uplift. Through his soulful performance, Sammy Davis Jr. captures the essence of Detroit, making listeners feel the same admiration and affection he holds for this remarkable city.
That sums up the song perfectly! It was used in countless promotional ads for television and radio for a few years. Some morning radio shows would play it at the beginning of their shifts every day. Sadly, it faded away and doesn’t get much play any more. That is reason enough for me to feature it here on Turntable Talk.
Hello Detroit
You’re a fighter, you’re a lover You’re strong and you recover From whatever gets you down And there’s so many, many reasons Any time, any season Is the right time to be with you
Hello, Detroit! You’ve won my heart Your renaissance and waterfronts Give you a flair of your own
Irresistible you Hug and kissable you You’re alive with so much feeling And I will always be there for you I will say a little prayer for you And I will always care for you Hello
Hello, Detroit! You’ve touched my soul Thanks for the memories I can reach so Winter, spring, summer and fall You’ve got it all Hello, hello, hello!
Hello, Detroit!
I must go through Belle Isle Park Greet town after dark You’re in still in the young of will To become stars and champions
Hello, my friend! How have you been? It’s every air It’s everywhere The magical touch of you
Irresistible you Hug and kissable you You’re alive with so much feeling And I will always be there for you I will say a little prayer for you And I will always care for you
Hello A big deep The motor city And the Motown song that’s got the whole world singing
And I will always be there for you I will always say a little prayer for you (I will say a little prayer for you) And I will always care for you Hello!
(Hello, Detroit!) (Detroit!)
(Irresistible you) (Hug and kissable you) (You’re alive with so much feeling) (And I will always be there for you) (I will say a little prayer for you) (And I will always care for you) (Hello!)
Hello, Detroit!
Thanks to Dave for allowing me to participate once again! I not only look forward to reading the other contributions, but to next month’s topic.
Once again, Dave Ruch from A Sound Day has offered up an interesting topic for this month’s Turntable Talk. I see it as being a way for each of us writers to offer you a bit of ourselves. I mean, any time I write something, it usually has something that gives the reader a glimpse at who I am. In some blogs I read, there are a lot of facts and not much of the author. I’ve come to “know” many of the participants through their past submissions, but this month I feel we’re going to get a bit more personal.
This month, Dave presented us with the following instructions:
It’s almost time for Christmas dinner (even if you aren’t necessarily prone to celebrating Christmas, play along) and there’s one more seat at the table. Because of the magic that is Christmas, you can invite any one musician (or person from the music world) to be your guest. Even if they’ve passed away, they can be at your table for a meal, and a few stories. So, who would you invite? And any little musical gift you hope they might possibly come with?
As with past topics, one possibility jumped out immediately. I decided to think a bit more before I made that final decision. Oh! The list of names that I came up with! It was a long one that included Elvis Presley, Mel Torme’, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Roy Orbison, Doc Severinsen, Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Reba McEntire, Michael Buble’, and so many more! In the end, I stuck with the first name that came to mind – Dean Martin.
To this day, Dean remains my favorite singer. His laid back, carefree, and effortless approach is part of the charm that makes him so likable to me. So many of his songs hold special memories for me.
I imagine him showing up dressed to the nines in his staple tuxedo, knowing he is the guest of honor. However, I also picture him as a humble man who gets along with everyone.
Naturally, on Christmas I’d make the dish that was always served by my grandma – Ravioli. I’d be sure to make the homemade sauce for him. I’d always seen pictures of him and John Wayne eating pasta together. I’d love to hear those stories.
I feel like we could easily talk about the similarities between his folks and my grandparents (both from the old country). I know he was a fairly private guy, but I would enjoy hearing his stories about growing up in that Italian family.
The conversation would naturally turn to music. I’d have so many questions for him. The recording process has always fascinated me. On some of the newer releases they’d include some of the in between take studio chatter. Dean always seemed to be joking around and I bet he’d have some great stories about that.
Not to mention all the stars he personally knew and hung out with. I bet he could have wrote a book full of Sinatra stories! If you look back on the guests who were on his TV show, on the TV roasts, or actors who were in movies with him – it is truly an amazing group. How could he just pick one or two stories to tell when he knew so many people!?
I certainly wouldn’t want to pressure him, but I think it would be very cool to be sitting around the table and for him to give us a few measures of a Christmas song. I remember watching how people often just sang with each other back in the day. Would Dean duet with me on Marshmallow World? Who knows?
As someone who really stinks up the golf course, I’d probably bug Dean for a few golf tips. He was SO good at it, I’m sure just one little piece of advice on my grip, my stance or my swing would help me tremendously!
I’m not sure what musical gift I would hope for him to bring, but I would certainly love to get my hands on one of two things. He once had his own brand of golf balls! I’d never use them, of course, but I would love to have a box!
I would also like to have a bottle of his spirits. At one time he had a few types of his own booze!
I don’t really drink, but I think it would be awesome to have these sitting on a bar.
I suppose I’d only have one more request – a photo with him. That may be pushing the limits, so I might just have to have the camera lying around so that someone could snap some candids of the the two of us together.
I’m sure he’d be the one to want to cut the evening short. “Look, pallie, I’d love to stay and answer all your questions, but I have a 7 o’clock tee time in the morning ….” I’d totally be ok with that.
Thanks to Dave for a great topic! I cannot wait to read the guests that our other writers come up with!
How about you? Who would you picki?
Wishing you and yours a VERY Merry Christmas and a blessed 2024!
Today is the 99th birthday of WIlliam “Count” Basie. He was one of many legendary jazz pianists, and big band leaders. He formed the Count Basie Orchestra in 1935 and led the group for almost 50 years. He is noted for creating innovations like the use of two “split” tenor saxophones, emphasizing the rhythm section, riffing with a big band, using arrangers to broaden their sound, and others. So many musicians came to prominence under his direction.
He worked with many well known singers including Tony Bennett, Jackie Wilson, and Frank Sinatra. His list of accomplishments and recordings would take forever to write about. Instead, I’d like to share a couple of my favorite Basie tunes by Basie and some covers.
One O’clock Jump
Amazing cover by Doc and the Tonight Show Band
April In Paris
Again, Doc and the Tonight Show Band
Fly Me To The Moon – With Frank
Please Be Kind – With Frank
With Plenty of Money and You – With Tony Bennett
Chain Gang – With Jackie Wilson
It is said that one of Basie’s biggest regrets was never recording with the great Louis Armstrong.
There is a neat album that has been referenced as the “concert that never happened.”
This is concert vocals from Ray Charles and members of the Basie Band mixed together for a unique album.
Georgia on My Mind
Busted
Ok, a couple quick movie clips that feature Basie just because …
First a classic pantomime by Jerry Lewis in The Errand Boy. He uses Basie’s “Blues in Hoss’ Flat” as the basis for this gem.
…and finally, the Count and his orchestra’s cameo appearance in Blazing Saddles (using April in Paris)!
The legendary Tony Bennett passed away yesterday at age 96. Sadly, I never had the chance to see him perform live. I never had the chance to meet him. I also never had the chance to interview him on the radio. Yet, despite those things, I still have a Tony Bennett story that may make you laugh.
Whenever a Tony Bennett song comes on the radio, or his name comes up in conversation, there is one person who immediately comes to mind. My Italian grandmother.
This is a story that had I ever had the chance to talk to Tony, I wouldn’t share. You will soon see why.
“Everybody loved Tony” is a phrase that popped up in many celebrity tweets and videos today as they reflected on the man. Alec Baldwin, who did a fantastic Tony Bennett impression on Saturday Night Live, posted a video on his Instagram saying that exact phrase today. “Everybody loved Tony. Everybody loved him.” Well, not everyone ….
One day, we were all playing pinochle at my grandma’s house. Earlier that year, I had found a picture of Dean Martin (her favorite singer) and had it blown up into a poster. She framed it and at one point actually hung it in her garage so she could see him when they pulled in the car. Anyway, we began discussing singers. It was during this discussion that I learned of her feelings for Tony.
If memory serves me correct, we were playing cards and had the radio on a station that was playing “The Music of Your Life” stuff. It would be similar to the Sinatra channel on Sirius XM. “Sinatra was ok, but Dean Martin was better!” she told us. That was how the discussion began. This led to me asking about other singers.
“I’ll tell you one guy that I just can’t stand! That short, pimple faced one!” I had no idea who she was talking about. The more she tried to remember, the angrier she got. I finally asked her is she could think of one of his songs. She came up with “Rags to Riches” or “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” (I think. It was definitely one of his bigger hits)
“Oh! Tony Bennett?!” I said.
“Yeah!” she said, “Oh, I hate him!!”
This made me laugh and I asked her why. She never really had any type of concrete answer, but the fact that she disliked him could not have been more obvious.
This led to my dad, my brother, my friends, and me all finding ways to work Tony into conversation every time we visited. It also led to one of my favorite pranks to play on my grandma.
I was out shopping one day looking for a CD that I needed for an upcoming wedding I was to DJ. It was an older album, so I went to one of my favorite used record stores. After I found what I needed, an old LP caught my eye.
The big red letters shouting “TONY BENNETT” called me to it. I purchased it and wrapped it up for my grandma’s birthday or Christmas or something (I really don’t remember). I do remember her face when she opened it! She said, “Oh no! Not this pimple face! I hate him!” and threw it across the room – laughing, of course.
Now my grandmother could have easily just thrown the album away. She didn’t. She kept it on a shelf in both her house and eventually in her condo. Naturally, I had to have some fun with it. Every Sunday when we would visit, I would find a reason to slip away and get the album. I would then hide it somewhere in the house for her to find.
Many times it would be in a place she’d see right away. I’d put it behind the coffee pot, up on the chandelier, under a decorative pillow, on the chimney mantle, in place of an old 8X10 photo, under her pillow on her bed, in between the toilet seat and the lid, etc… It was every where! When she’d find it, she’d laugh and shout, “I HATE him!”
On second thought, maybe I would have told Tony that story if I met him. He might like to know that he was such a big part of my relationship with my grandma. Who knows…
Welcome September! As the new month rings in, the realization that we have entered the final days of summer and the beginning of autumn approaches. As I wrote the date yesterday, I began to sing September Song. It is a song that has been recorded by many people, but I was first introduced to it by Willie Nelson. It was on his Stardust album, which we played many times while we were up north. My grandpa said that it was his favorite song on that album.
So that made me think that a good way to welcome the month is with songs about September. Here are some of my favorites:
September Song – Willie Nelson
September Morn – Neil Diamond
This was one I remember well from when my dad was playing guitar in a wedding band called Foxfire. Whenever he had band practice, he’d bring my brother and me along. There were plenty of nights we loathed going to those practices, but every now and then, they played a song I really liked. This song was one that my mother often sang along with as she was driving.
See You In September – The Happenings
This is one that reminds me of my days at WHND, Honey Radio. The music director was very good about making sure summer songs played during the summer and songs like this played at the end of the school year and at the beginning of September. I won’t say it is a “favorite” but it does bring back some of my favorite radio memories.
September When I First Met You – Barry White
My buddy Jeff Goodrich used to say “There’s nothing like 6 minutes and 42 seconds of Barry saying cool things!” It’s a smooth groove ….
Maybe September – Tony Bennett
The legendary Tony Bennett croons through this Song from The Oscar. The parenthetical title is actually Maybe September. Sinatra called Tony one of the greatest singers of all time. His smooth delivery blends so well with this very pretty arrangement …
September Skies – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
This is one of my favorite cuts from the BSO’s first album. It is not one that many have heard before, but I can hear the likes of Michael Buble’ doing this one, too. Tell me what you think …
September – Earth, Wind and Fire
Come on! You can’t have a list of September songs without this one! This came out in 1978 and it is STILL requested at weddings and parties! People love to dance to this one. Crank it up!
September in the Rain – Annie Lennox
Sinatra did this. So did Dinah Washington. I picked up Annie Lennox’s Nostalgia album and was blown away by her version. She’s got such a great voice and the arrangement is beautiful.
Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
Every October someone will post on Facebook, “Time to wake up the guy from Green Day.” This is one of a few songs I like from them. I love the simple guitar at the beginning and how the song builds into the “Green Day” sound.
September of My Years – Frank Sinatra
A Sinatra classic, and the perfect song to wrap with. I guess at 52 years old, I am probably entering or in the September of my own years. Time flies. We see that each and every year. It seems like we just started summer, but alas, fall fast approaches.
Sing it, Mr. Sinatra ….
I’m sure I may have forgotten a few – which September song is your favorite??
Happy 95th Birthday to a living legend, Tony Bennett! So many people dream about reaching retirement age, but he was still performing regularly until his recent diagnosis of dementia. He has released a whopping 60 albums, 11 live albums, and 33 compilation albums in his career.
He first hit the charts in 1951 with a number 1 song, Because of You and last hit the charts in 2011 with the song Body and Soul. Today, in honor of his 95th birthday, Lady Gaga released “I Get a Kick Out of You,” which you can hear by clicking below:
The song is from their latest studio collaborations “Love For Sale” which is set to hit stores October 1st. Love for Sale, per a release, will be Bennett’s last studio recording.
In a piece in AARP the Magazine, Bennett’s family noted that music has been a key part of the singer’s health regimen: His regular performances up until the pandemic seemed to keep him sharp, while during Covid-19 lockdown he regularly rehearsed at home with his longtime pianist Lee Musiker.
Tony and Lady Gaga are set to perform at Radio City Music Hall tonight and on August 5th.
In high school, I took a Senior Elective class called Life In America. In the unit on pop music, the teacher explained that the song “The Shadow of Your Smile” was one of the most difficult to sing. He also used Tony’s version as the best. If you have never heard it, you have to give it a listen. He does a fantastic job.
Happy Birthday, Tony! I hope to be as active and healthy as you at 95!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 