Too much music, too little time! :D

Hi everyone, Today, I bring a new discovery that came via television’s “The Muppets”. This week’s musical guest was Ingrid Michaelson and she sang a duet with Miss Piggy of her song “The way I am”, off her  2007 album “Girls and boys”. Here’s Ingrid’s version:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owNv81KIvAQ

It’s one of those cute, easy-listening, slice of life pleasant songs, in the vein of “Put your records on” by Corinne Bailey Rae, just really nice. Ingrid’s been  pretty productive: 5 albums in 10 years and  is labeled by Wiki as being an indi pop artist. That’s it for now, thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, here is my latest collection from the old First Nation Station, which is truly hard to beat, especially  in vintage song choices. First, a song that’s been spinning around in my head for several weeks, because I needed to find out who sang it: a little YouTube search and voilà:

Santana “I’m winning”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoZLdivjgjE

It’s also known simply as “Winning”. A great-sounding song with super vocals: it’s definitely one of those great long lost 45’s in the old dusty pile. Here comes another one I just heard yesterday and couldn’t for the life of me remember the artist, so thank God they mentioned it. Here’s Color Me Badd with “All for love”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PccRs1HR7VI

This one has a rif I remembered from, strangely enough, an old Bruce Springsteen song, “Merry Christmas baby”. Listen to the beginning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi9kvO2zL2E

You can definitely hear it in the piano rif. It just goes to show: there are only 7 notes in the musical scale and listen to how many permutations can be achieved... :D I think it might be time I’d go back to the old record shop. :D Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, I have something different for you all today and surprisingly, not about the Grammies. My friend was told that our Michael was seen on “C BS Sunday Morning” last Sunday, so I checked it out. I found this very interesting and powerful interview with both Lady Gaga & Diane Warren on CBS Sunday Morning Feb 14 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSdivzk-z_Q

I think that explains a lot about both women. I know she says she doesn’t have much of a voice, but I thought it was really sweet to hear Diane sing “I don’t wanna miss a thing”... Now of course, I had to search for their collaborative song, so here’s Lady Gaga with “Till it happens to you”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWBrN7QV6Y

It’s from the movie “The hunting ground” and a portion of the proceeds of the sale for the song go to organizations helping survivors of sexual assault, so God bless them.

“Til It Happens To You” available for download now:

iTunes:

http://smarturl.it/TIHTY

Google Play:

http://smarturl.it/TIHTYgp

Amazon:

http://smarturl.it/TIHTYamz

I hope it’s the same for the movie soundtrack. Oh, I also found out it’s Oscar-nominated for best original song, so I wish them both well! That’s it for now, thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

P.S.: You do see/hear Michael about 5 minutes in in a clip of "Time love and tenderness" but that's it.

Hi everyone, today I bring a song I should have listened to and posted a long time ago. Thanks to my son, I’d heard of Ed Sheeran a while back and I do enjoy his song “Thinking out loud”, frankly, what’s not to like? To be honest, when I first heard him, he sounded to me like a Jason Mraz wannabe, voice-wise, which is something I felt I didn’t need. I’m a big fan of Jason’s tone, phrasing and  particularly his songwriting. In any case, a friend suggested I’d listen to Ed’s song called “Photograph”, I did and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here it is:

Ed Sheeran “photograph”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSDgHBxUbVQ

The video sounds great and I really loved the lyrics, looked them up and here they are:

Ed Sheeran “Photograph” from X

Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes

 But it's the only thing that I know

 When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes

 It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

We keep this love in a photograph

 We made these memories for ourselves

 Where our eyes are never closing

 Hearts are never broken

 And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me

 Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

 Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet

 You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home

Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul

 And it's the only thing that I know, know

 I swear it will get easier,

 Remember that with every piece of you

 Hm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die

Hm, we keep this love in this photograph

 We made these memories for ourselves

 Where our eyes are never closing

 Hearts were never broken

 And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me

 Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

 Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet

 You won't ever be alone

And if you hurt me

 That's okay baby, only words bleed

 Inside these pages you just hold me

 And I won't ever let you go

 Wait for me to come home

 Wait for me to come home

 Wait for me to come home

 Wait for me to come home

You can fit me

 Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen

 Next to your heartbeat where I should be

 Keep it deep within your soul

And if you hurt me

 Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed

 Inside these pages you just hold me

 And I won't ever let you go

When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me

 Under the lamppost back on Sixth street

 Hearing you whisper through the phone,

 "Wait for me to come home."

Songwriters  ED SHEERAN, JOHNNY MCDAID

Published by  Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

So, who needs to see the video when the words speak for themselves? :D I guess this is enough for me to investigate him, to see if I can squeeze him in my musical consciousness. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, I had a few minutes to fill this morning and went to my old buddy YouTube. The very first video I found was a knock-out rendition of the U.S. national anthem by none other than Lady Gaga “Star Spangled banner”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfkWdqE8-1A

This was apparently from last Sunday's Superbowl. Seriously, I think she sang it as if this would be the very last performance she’d ever give! I haven’t been  much in the loop entertainment-newswise, so I didn’t know about it, but wish I had. All I can say is thank God for YouTube! :D Great job Gaga! That’s all I have time for today. Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

 Hi everyone, today I bring you a leftover of my holiday listening, since things were too busy over the holidays to listen as I played. All right so I’d borrowed Idina Menzel’s “Holiday wishes” album, discovered a beautiful original song and got reacquainted with one of my new/old favorites. Idina’s album is sung as a Broadway singer would sing it with gorgeous arrangements, bold and beautiful, but with wonderful nuances and sensibility. The new song I’ve discovered is called “December prayer”:

Idina Menzel “December prayer”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbva86J6Guo

It’s so beautifully sung, her phrasing is like a bird in flight: gliding and soaring and sometimes just fluttering, plus, I love theconcept of finding the “song within the silence”... Okay, my second  choice, which caught my attention when I discovered it by Cee-Lo Green a couple of years ago,is the Joni Mitchell song “River”. Let’s start with Idina Menzel’s rendition of  “River”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dgkU_glEEU

I can’t say what it is that confirmed my love for this song: maybe I just heard it enough times! lol All right, so researching as usual, I found a couple of interesting versions of it, like the Sixpence None The richer version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxAiFVMoVRQ

This one has a terrific arrangement too and it was cool to find out they’d done a holiday album called “Dawn of Grace”. Too bad their rendition of “You’re a mean one Mr Grinch” isn’t on it though. I also found that Robert Downey Jr of all people sang it on “Allie McBeal” of all places. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxjQfFsQKuw

I didn’t even know he sang! He has an interesting singing voice that kind of reminds me of Bob Carlisle and it’s a very nice version too. I just might review his album “The futurist” at some point too: found it at the library. Well anyway, I couldn’t do an entry of this song without the original, so here it is by Joni Mitchell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpFudDAYqxY

I can’t say I’ve ever been a huge fan of Joni’s tone, but her delivery is delicate and as effortless as most versions I’ve heard, like the above mentioned Sixpence None The Richer and even Sarah McLaughlan’s one, which nullifies my qualms with it. Well that’s it for now. Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, today’s entry is about the fun things you find out when you research a little. I was looking up epic songs that have been covered so many times you forget whom they’re from originally. This one song, I’ve always attached to a woman’s voice, but thanks to my buddy Wiki, I found out was first sung by a man: none other than Ben E. King. The song is “I (who have nothing)” and here’s Mr King’s version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOUyAwLz7Wg

This version was released in 1963, lyrics by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was the first English version to be recorded, using the same backing track as the original  it was based on: an Italian song called “Uno de tanti” (One of many), composed by Carlo Donida. Here is the 1961 Italian version by Joe Sentieri, Italian lyrics by Giulio "Mogol" Rapetti:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMI9baBGGW4

The same year, Shirley Bassey released her own version and I have a feeling  this might be the version that defined its epic image in my head:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmOCDc3xLCs

Wow, I think it’s the first time I really paid attention to all the lyrics and I have to say she had me until: “Noze pressed against the window pane”... XP As I’ve mentioned, it was based on the Italian original that has much prettier lyrics.  Just for fun, let’s compare. First, “I (who have nothing)

I, I who have nothing

 I, I who have no one

 Adore you, and want you so

 I'm just a no one,

 With nothing to give you but Oh

 I Love You

He, He buys you diamonds

 Bright, sparkling diamonds

 But believe me, dear when I say,

 That he can give you the world,

 But he'll never love you the way

 I Love You

He can take you anyplace he wants

 To fancy clubs and restaurants

 But I can only watch you with

 My nose pressed up against the window pane

 I, I who have nothing

 I, I who have no one

 Must watch you, go dancing by

 Wrapped in the arms of somebody else

 When darling it's I

 Who Loves you

I Love You

 I Love You

 I Love You

Then, “Uno de tanti” Google translation:

I, one of many

I who have nothing

I ask you my love

Do you devote your life  to me

Forever

I, equal to which

 I, under the Stars

 I ask you, my love

It becomes my bride and a life to me

 Forever

There will be  smiles of the evening

When I come home

and I will have you in my arms close to me

I, one of many

I who have nothing

I swear that our love

will change our life

and we will see forever

There will be  smiles of the evening

When I come home

and I will have you in my arms close to me

I, one of many

I who have nothing

I swear that our love

will change our life

and we will see forever

Forever, forever

So...

Well I get the urgency and the despair in the English version, but I prefer the original, call me a sentimental fool... XD Thanks for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie :D 

Hi everyone, thanks to a reminder by a friend on suggestions for Michael’s  new CD, I bring you a jewel of a cover today. The song is called “For your precious love” by Jerry Butler, which is a classic in itself. However, the cover I discovered is  by none other than Mr Otis Redding, who could have probably made “Hickory Dickory doc” sound great! Here it is: “For your precious love” by Otis Redding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjISISGyz1A

Ooh Lord have mercy... ! Otis always brought his own phrasing and soul to a song, but it’s his vulnerability that shines through in songs like this one and “These arms of mine” or “I’ve got dreams to remember” and countless others. I own most of Otis’ music on various compilations and even the “Ultimate Otis Redding” compilation doesn’t cover all his essentials. In any case, give yourself a break, take a deep breath, close your eyes and enjoy! Thanks very much for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3

Hi everyone, I have a seriously random song to share today. Following the passing of David Bowie, I went walkabout on my local library web site and I’ll be plunging into another world in the following weeks, because I found really interesting stuff. I also found a “Fake David Bowie song” on an old CD. From what my daughter told me, this guy used to be a VJ on MTV and his name is Liam Lynch. In 2003, he released a CD called “Fake songs” that had some success with the song (I use the term looseley)  “United States of whatever”, which I quite enjoyed, fitting in my “scruffies” folder.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7_3n7xyDg

That wasn’t the song I was thinking of though. The song is actually called “Happy” and it’s one of those silly songs that has a similar effect on me as “One more minute” by Weird Al: it shakes me up when I need to wake up from a self-imposed grey place. Here it is, Liam Lynch “Happy”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRn2jDfsOsQ

I should borrow that again... :D Well anyway, it’s a sunny day, so sweep the clouds away people and thanks for indulging me. Thanks as always for reading and listening, sincerely, Sylvie <3