Tag Archives: songwriting

I Know A Little Bit About A Lot Of Things

18 Monday Nov 2019

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Monday Morning, Peggy Lee seeks to expand her knowledge of a few subjects.

The guitar player is David Barbour, Peggy Lee’s husband at the time, who also composed the song.

The witty lyrics are by Ms. Lee.

More at Peggy Lee

Rock ‘N’ Roll School

11 Monday Nov 2019

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Wow. Monday morning, Mr. Perkins, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Clapton, and a bunch of other great musicians, show how it’s done.

Carl Perkins (guitar, vocals)
Geraint Watkins (piano)
Dave Edmunds (guitar, vocals)
George Harrison (guitar, vocals)
Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals)
Rosanne Cash (vocals, maracas)
Ringo Starr (drums, tambourine, vocals)
Slim Jim Phantom (drums)
Greg Perkins (bass guitar)
Lee Rocker (double bass)
Earl Slick (guitar)
David Charles (drums)
John David (bass guitar)
Mickey Gee (guitar)

Thanks to YouTuber Carl Perkins on MV

All Or Nothing At All: Frank Sinatra

08 Friday Nov 2019

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Two Brooklyn guys, Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence, wrote the music and lyrics.

It was Sinatra’s first hit, and he recorded at least three different versions of it over the years.

The song has been covered by many, including Ella, Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughn, and John Coltrane. Sometimes I like to look for the non-obvious version, but this is one time I have to admit Sinatra has them all beat.

Thanks to YouTuber  finetunes Easy Listening

 

Simple Twist of Fate

01 Friday Nov 2019

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A younger Carson McKee with a laid-backed version of the Dylan song. Carson sings the story and lyrics of the song so simply and straightforwardly that he makes it sound like an American Songbook standard.

More at Carson McKee

The Real Jersey Boys

21 Monday Oct 2019

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Monday morning, Big Girls Don’t Cry.

Last week I saw an excellent revival of the musical Jersey Boys, the play about the rise and fall of The Four Seasons, but I don’t think even the amazing Aaron DeJesus as Frankie Valli sang in as high a key as Frankie does in this clip. In this live performance (voices are live, music pre-recorded) Frankie falters on one of the notes, but it’s still great.

Thanks to YouTuber onepapa2

Ooh Baby Baby

14 Monday Oct 2019

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Monday morning, loosen your tie with the man, besides Berry Gordy,  most responsible for the success of Motown, the brilliant singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson.

Gotta love the swivel 1.0 choreography for the Miracles, too.

Thanks to Youtuber QuentinCoxBOI

That Musical About The Two Rival NYC Gangs…

09 Wednesday Oct 2019

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A delicious parody of West Side Story with Will Ferrell and his SNL compatriots.

Thanks to YouTuber

Quintet

30 Monday Sep 2019

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Monday morning, The Jets, The Sharks, Tony, Maria, and Anita get ready for the big night. Lucky them to have the Bernstein/Sondheim music to prepare to. Still the best score from an American musical in my opinion.

Thanks to YouTuber John Long

Where or When: Rodgers and Hart

20 Friday Sep 2019

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I like the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein very much, but it’s the Richard Rodgers songs written with Lorenz Hart that I appreciate the most.

Hart’s lyrics were always several notches more interesting than those of the usual love song; he was always exploring a different side of love in each song.

“Where or When” is one of my favorites with its evocative lyrics. Brian d’Arcy James and Susan Egan do the honors.

Thanks to YouTuber fschnell

Little Girl Blue: Janis Joplin

09 Monday Sep 2019

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Monday morning, a blues.

When an artist has so much raw talent sometimes the skill and hard work are overlooked. Recently I watched the American Masters documentary about Janis Joplin and it really brought home just how intentional her work was. She knew exactly what she was doing and her idols were Nina Simone and the other great blues singers.

Her version of the great Rodgers and Hart song takes it into a different stratosphere.

Thanks to YouTuber TheJairo1710

Get Your Plane Right On Time

22 Thursday Aug 2019

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It’s not enough that Josh Turner plays perfect guitar and the best Paul Simon covers you’ll ever hear, but the freakin’ guy actually does the Artie Garfunkel part for “Only Living Boy In New York” as well. Just amazing.

The reverb is courtesy of a tunnel in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. And stay tuned for the announcement after the song. Wish I could hop on a plane.

More at Josh Turner Guitar