Every Rose Has Its Thorn

When I was a "tween" there was no such thing. You were just a kid then. I was a kid into music, but didn't know what I liked yet and so listened to whatever was on the radio. Back then, hair bands were big on the radio: Guns n' Roses, Van Halen, and Bon Jovi. This power ballad topped the charts at the end of 1988. It was written while Poison was playing at a country bar in Dallas. Can you hear it?

Something's Coming

From the film version of West Side Story (1961). I knew the music was written by Leonard Bernstein, but I didn't realize that Stephen Sondheim provided the lyrics. I guess they don't seem quite as tongue-in-cheek as some of his other works. You have to admit he is a little weird. Again, this is another song not on the playlist, but luckily YouTube had it, though it does have subtitles in some language I'm not sure of. Go figure.

The Lady is a Tramp

Sing it Frankie. My favorite quote about Frank Sinatra comes from the movie Return to Me. The old guys are playing poker and jacking their jaws. Here is part of their conversation about abusive singers: "Sinatra beat up everybody" and the reply "Frank did not. His people did, he did not." Anyway, here he is singing a 1937 Rodgers and Hart tune from their musical Babes in Arms. By the way, for my friend GinaBean: apparently Alice Cooper has done a cover of this song. Just thought you'd like to know. ;)

Music Box Dancer

In college, I took a group piano class because I have dreams of being able to sit down and play beautiful pieces of music--hasn't happened yet. I've got to buy a piano and then maybe I'll get there. My performance piece for the year was a vastly simplified version of this song. I got an A. I feel a little bad, because someone else did it as well, but they didn't notice the 8va notation and so played it an octave too low. It made me feel like a showoff when it was my turn. Anyway, the piece is a product of disco, bubblegum pop, and the Canadian musician Frank Mills. Recorded in 1974, it made it big in 1979 hitting #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Maintenance Note

A few things have kept me from blogging recently: vacation, work, child... One of the biggest things has been frustration with playlist.com. It's not really their fault. It's just that I don't always get the most current or popular music in my head. For instance, finding Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof is relatively easy, but try finding Tevye's Dream of the same production. Erg. Even worse, there's no way I could find A Sleep and a Forgetting performed by the mainly instrumental group Enoch Train (the song is based on lines from a Wordsworth poem). I didn't want to leave these songs out, since I try not to "edit" what goes into the blog. So I mention them here and we'll continue on.

Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat

Nope, it's not what you're listening to. The only version I could find on playlist.com was a cover done by Don Henley. Yeah, Don Henley. His introspective, laid back style so does not capture the spirit of this song as originally performed by Stubby Kaye who played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the original Broadway, London, and film versions of Guys and Dolls. It is one of my favorites! Kaye also performs in Fugue for Tinhorns which is what you are listening to and is one of the opening numbers of the show.

Shenandoah

I love this song. I loved it even before I lived in the Shenandoah Valley and saw the north fork of the Shenandoah River. From the top of the Woodstock tower you can see where the river bends 7 times in a row in a slow, rhythmic dance. What longing there is in this song, and who could help but want to see Shenandoah again. it's beautiful.