Embedded Files
Dancing in the dark
Dancing in the dark
Played for us by Pierre Fracalanza. Music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz, first introduced by John Barker with Tilly Losch dancing in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon. The song was first recorded by Bing Crosby on August 19, 1931 with Studio Orchestra directed by Victor Young, staying on the pop charts for six weeks, peaking at number 3,and helping to make it a lasting standard.
The 1941 recording by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra earned Shaw one of his eight gold records at the height of the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s.
It was subsequently featured in the classic 1953 MGM musical The Band Wagon and has since come to be considered part of the Great American Songbook. In the film it is orchestrally performed to a ballet dance by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse set in Central Park.
I saw her again
I saw her again
Played for us by Stephen Ades. John Phillips wrote this song soon after Michelle became his wife and he had observed that she had a 'wandering eye'. Later on, when both were part of the vocal group The Mamas and Papas, Michelle had an affair with another member of the group and it is believed that John made the group perform this song as a punishment.
Two major reasons for the success of The Mamas and Papas were Phillips's skill as a vocal arranger and the way that his compositions twist and turn in interesting and unexpected directions.
When I fall in love
When I fall in love
Played for us by Pierre Fracalanza. Written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film One Minute to Zero. Jeri Southern sang on the first recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties.
The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952. The song reached number 20 on the Billboard chart.
That old black magic
That old black magic
Played for us by Stephen Ades. This song was composed in 1942, with lyrics that were written for, as well as about, Judy Garland. She made one of the early recordings and the song has been covered by numerous singers since then. Stephen first got to know the song in a spirited performance by Ella Fitzgerald, on a live recording of her famous 1960 concert in Berlin.
Waltz of the Flowers, Nutcracker Suite
Waltz of the Flowers, Nutcracker Suite
Played for us by Stephen Ades. This classical orchestral piece is from The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a - a selection of 8 musical numbers Tchaikovsky made from The Nutcracker ballet for a concert performance before the St. Petersburg branch of the Musical Society on March 19, 1892. The March is the first piece.
Someone Like You
Someone Like You
Played for us by Stephen Ades. Adele is one of the most significant singer/songwriters of the present time. She has an instantly recognizable earthy, North London voice, laced with glottal stops. As a songwriter she is the queen of the heartbreak ballad, many of her best known songs reflecting her own heartbreaks. Adele has said that this is the song she would most like to be remembered for. The words of the refrain are:
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you two
Don't forget me, I beg
I'll remember you said
sometimes it lasts and loves but sometimes it hurts instead
Adele often has another person as a sounding board for the songs she writes, in many cases her record producer, and so many of her songs have dual writing credits. The credits for this song are Adele Adkins and Daniel Wilson.
Tom Lehrer medley
Tom Lehrer medley
US academic mathematician Tom Lehrer wrote and performed a large number of witty, biting satirical songs in the 1950s and 60s. He was highly skilled with lyrics and wordplay. Without any promotion by the music industry, he sold an extraordinary number of record albums of him singing his songs and accompanying himself on the piano. Album titles included 'An evening wasted with Tom Lehrer'.
Stephen first encountered the songs at a 1980s London revue entitled Tomfoolery, where a compilation of his work was performed by five artistes accompanied by a band. His arrangements in this medley follow the musical style of Tomfoolery.
Now in his nineties, Lehrer has recently placed all his songs in the public domain, meaning that they can be freely performed and adapted without royalties or copyright restrictions. He has also posted all the words and music at https://tomlehrersongs.com, which may be of interest to anyone who wishes to use this medley for karaoke.
The medley consists of:
Pollution
The old dope peddler
National brotherhood week
Wernher von Braun
We will all go together when we go
Make You Feel My Love
Make You Feel My Love
Played for us by Stephen Ades. A song written by Bob Dylan for his album Time Out of Mind, released in September 1997. This love song is not the style of song that we typically associate with Bob Dylan, and his own rendition of it lacks the romantic feel that others have given it - it has been covered by over 450 artists and ranks as one of the classics of its time. Here Stephen emulates one of the more romantic treatments.
'Hello Dolly' Theme
'Hello Dolly' Theme
Played for us by Stephen Ades. This organ has a fine solo ("style D") trumpet as well as the more common muted trumpet. You can hear the solo trumpet at the start and end of this number.
Hello, Dolly! is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers, which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955.
'Dolly' is widow Dolly Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker looking for a match for wealthy but grumpy Horace Vandergelder, but actually intent on marrying him herself. After a series of ups and downs and histrionics, they agree to marry and she promises, at the end of this number and the close of the show that "Dolly'll never go away again".
Moon River
Moon River
Played for us by Stephen Ades. Moon River was written for and made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The lyrics, by Johnny Mercer, hark back to his childhood in Savannah, Georgia and its waterways. Moon River has been described as "a romantic song in which the romantic partner is the idea of romance". The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
The song's success was responsible for relaunching Mercer's career as a songwriter, which had stalled in the mid-1950s because rock and roll had replaced jazz standards as the popular music of the time. The song's popularity is such that it has been used as a test sample in a study on people's memories of popular songs.
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