Tag Archives: songwriting

Summer’s End

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One of the great songs that John Prine wrote in the last part of his career. Like the lyrics of Paul Simon, Prine’s lyrics tells you just enough about the story to intrigue you, but open enough to let you complete it with your own experience.

Click on the video above to play.

Thanks to YouTuber Radio Heartland

Canadian Money: Quarter Ain’t Worth A Dime

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This was an odd song that I really liked on the Sha Na Na album–not a doo wop song at all like their others, but a sweet clever folk-ish song. I don’t think it had any radio play, and I doubt it would fit in to any of their concerts, so I was really glad to find it on YouTube. Give it a try, I think you might like it.

Thanks to YouTuber Sha Na Na – Topic

MacArthur Park: Richard Harris

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Definitely a front runner nominee for most overwrought pop song of all time. This live performance is both wonderful, cringe-worthy, awesome, and ridiculous all at the same time.

Thanks to YouTuber Moi Only

The Sun Is Burning

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I thought I knew the whole Simon and Garfunkel catalogue, but somehow I just found this song, which is from their first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 AM. The song was written by Ian Campbell.

Thanks to YouTuber Big Chuck Lyric Video

Suzanne

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Monday morning, we give thanks that we were born into the time of Judy Collins singing Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne,” as perfect a match between singer and song as there will ever be. Here she is at Tanglewood in 1968.

Thanks to YouTuber Flickering Songs

Let’s Fall In Love: Ella Fitzgerald

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The Great Ella with a terrific song by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Not to be confused with Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It, Lets Fall in Love.”

Accompanied by the Billy May Orchestra, from the Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book.

Thanks to YouTuber JazzBreakTV

Waiting Eight Years To Get Her Due

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Here’s a terrific performance of Dionne Warwick singing “Make It Easy On Yourself”–happening eight years later than it should have.

Here’s the story, with thanks to Wikipedia: Back in 1962, when Warwick was still a back-up singer, the songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David asked her to make a demo version of the song. The demo was so good that the record label picked up the song–but they gave it to veteran soul singer Jerry Butler to record–and it was a hit. Three years later, The Walker Brothers, a white pop trio, had a hit with the song as well. It wasn’t until 1970 that a live performance by Dionne Warwick was released and the song became a hit once again.

Click on the video and see if you don’t agree that eight years was too long to wait, and that she owns the song.

The postscript to the story is that Warwick was so angry at Bacharach and David for letting the song go to Jerry Butler, that she told them in anger, “Don’t make me over!” And Bacharach and David wrote a song for her with that title–which she recorded!–and that too became a hit.

Thanks to YouTuber Dionne Warwick Archive

Mary Spender’s Church Bells

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(Click on the video above to play)

Monday morning, crack guitar player, singer, songwriter, and videomaker Mary Spender takes us behind the scenes to her castle, as she gives us a backstage explanation of how she put together her Romeo-and-Juliet influenced music video with zero crew. A really fascinating look at what talent and resourcefulness can do. Oh, and add camera drone operator to that list.

More at Mary Spender

International Weigh-In

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(Click on the video to play)

Monday Morning, Robbie Robertson, Ringo Starr and People for Change come together virtually with musicians from all over the world to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Robertson’s masterpiece.

Thanks to YouTuber Playing For Change

Hollow Wood

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Monday morning, a beautiful song written and sung by Allison Young and Josh Turner. Josh writes:

“When Allison and I started to conceive of this project, we both wanted to do something acapella in the Scots-Irish-Appalachian folk tradition. I had suggested a few covers, and then Allison come to me with a verse and a chorus. We finished the song together over the next two days and recorded it just a few days after that. Allison woke up with her voice feeling terrible the morning of recording but it was one of the last days we had, so when she said she felt good enough to give it a try, I hit record on the camera without even checking it – couldn’t waste time! as a result, it is not a very good shot, with Allison almost out of frame and me blocked by the mic. But the recording I’m very happy with.  

Longtime friend of the channel Gabe Terraciano added some subtle fiddle drones after the fact for this one, and I put just a tiny bit of Moog synth on there for bass. Topping it off is a recording of some birds Allison took at Edwin Warner park.”

More at Josh Turner Guitar

Buy A Gun For Your Son

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Monday morning, Tom Paxton, one of the best of the political songwriters of the 60s and afterwards, sings a song for Pete Seeger in 1965 about buying war toys. Little did Tom or Pete realize that the problem of war toys would be fully solved in our time by banning toy guns for children and insisting that they use real ones.

Thanks to Mitchel Cohen for pointing out this video.

Thanks to YouTuber funkydudesupreme

The Company Way

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One more lesson in obsequiousness from How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. The late Robert Morse rings every bit of humor from the song. The clever lyrics and music are by Frank Loesser.

Thanks to YouTuber Movieclips