#43 'How High the Moon' by Les Paul and Mary Ford (1951)

SONG




"I like this one a lot. Can definitely hear some familiar rock structure in this song, including the almost obligatory guitar solo, but it's also 'different' enough to still be interesting." - LC




Written by: Morgan Lewis and Nancy Hamilton. 
Producer: Les Paul.

Label: Capitol.




FACTS


  • The first thing that sprung to my mind when I read the name Les Paul was the T. Rex lyric "With my Les Paul, I know I'm small but I enjoy living anyway." ...how true. Anyways, my point is, to me a 'Les Paul' has always been a model of guitar. Well, it turns out that Les Paul (the singer this time) was so dissatisfied in the 1930s with his semi-acoustic guitar, which he deemed to be too weedy on its own but too prone to feedback once amplified, that he decided the only solution was a fully amplified, solid-bodied instrument. He built his solution from a length of timber and added two cut-away sides to give the familiar appearance of an acoustic guitar as audiences found the initial appearance too bizarre. Nicknamed "the Log", it was the first-ever electric guitar! It was the direct precursor to the later Gibson model named in Paul's honour.
 
Les Paul with the original "Log"                              A Gibson Les Paul

  • After he had succeeded at solving the problem of how his guitar sounded, Paul set about solving the problem he had with the sound of his records. Bing Crosby suggested that he should build his own studio to better suit his own needs. 
  • Paul started his own studio in the garage of his home on Hollywood's North Curson Street. He equipped it to allow him to record himself playing various parts of a song which could then be layered together to create a whole song. 
  • In 1948, Les Paul was given one of the first Ampex Model 200A reel-to-reel audio tape recording decks by Crosby and went on to use Ampex's eight track "Sel-Sync" machines for multi-track recording. 
  • The same year, Capitol Records released a recording that had begun as an experiment in Paul's garage, entitled "Lover (When You're Near Me)." The song featured Paul playing eight different parts on electric guitar, some of the which were recorded at half-speed and therefore sounded twice as fast when played back at normal speed for the master. This was the first time that Les Paul had used multi-tracking in a recording. 
  • The studio drew many other famous vocalists and musicians who wanted the benefit of Paul's expertise. The home and studio are still standing, but both had been moved to Pasadena at some point after Paul no longer owned the home. 
  • In 1979, Paul and Ford's How High The Moon was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 
  • Paul received a Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1983. 
  • In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." 
  • In 1991, the Mix Foundation established an annual award in his name; the Les Paul Award which honors "individuals or institutions that have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of audio technology." 
  • In 2003, Les was ranked as #46 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." 
  • In 2005, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his development of the solid-body electric guitar. In July of this year, a 90th-birthday tribute concert was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After performances by Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Jose Feliciano and a number of other contemporary guitarists and vocalists, Paul was presented with a commemorative guitar from the Gibson Guitar Corporation 
  • In 2006, Paul was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was named an honorary member of the Audio Engineering Society. 
  • In 2007, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. 
  • In February 2009, Paul sat down with Scott Vollweiler of Broken Records Magazine, in which would be one of Les Paul's final interviews. His candid answers were direct and emotional. Broken Records Magazine had planned to run that cover feature the following month but due to delays was held until the summer. 3 days before the release, Les Paul died at the age of 94. 
  • Upon learning of his death many artists and popular musicians paid tribute by publicly expressing their sorrow. After learning of Paul's death, former Guns 'n' Roses guitarist Slash called him "vibrant and full of positive energy.", while Richie Sambora, lead guitarist of Bon Jovi, referred to him as "revolutionary in the music business". U2 guitarist The Edge said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten."
  • In August, 2009, Paul was named one of the ten best electric guitar players of all-time by Time magazine. 
  • On June 9, 2010, which would have been Les Paul's 95th birthday, a tribute concert featuring Jeff Beck, Imelda May, Gary U.S. Bonds and Brian Setzer among others, was held at the Iridium Jazz Club where Les Paul played nearly every week almost to the end of his life. The concert was released on the live album Rock 'n' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) in 2011. 
  • On June 9–10, 2011 Google celebrated what would have been Paul's 96th birthday with a Google doodle of an interactive guitar. I actually remember this one but, back in July, I had no idea what an amazing man he was. Click here for the doodle - it's worth it! Just make sure you do come back again :p
Ok, so that was more of a biography of Les Paul, but tbh I couldn't help myself. What an amazing man! He even made it into my Facebook status, ha. I shall add a few more facts about the pair of them now... longest blog entry to date ;)


  • Paul met country and western singer Colleen Summers in 1945. They began to work together in 1948, during which time she adopted the stage name Mary Ford.
  • By 1949, Paul and Ford were married.
  • They had a string of hits, all of which featured Ford harmonising with herself (using the technique Paul had perfected in his home studio).
  • They adopted a girl, Colleen, in 1958 and their son Robert (Bobby) was born the following year. They had also lost a child, who was born prematurely and died only four days old.
  • Les Paul and Mary Ford divorced in 1963.

Recommended songs by this artist...


Bye Bye Blues (1953)
Just One More Chance (1951)
Meet Mister Callaghan (1952)
The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise (1951)
Tiger Rag (1952)
Vaya con dios (May God Be With You) (1953)

#42 'Cry' by Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads (1951)

SONG



"I really like this song :) The melody is fab! I'm sure the lyrics will resonate with a lot of people too. Yes, this is goodun! I'm hoping that the '50s will bring me many gems like this one that I may never otherwise have heard." - LC




Written by: Churchill Kohlman.
Producer: Uncredited.

Label: Okeh.




FACTS

  • It was the drama and personality that Ray added to his performances that made him stand out as an original performer. He often broke down in tears when performing this song at his concerts. 
  • He became deaf in his right ear at age 13 after an accident during a Boy Scout"blanket toss," a variation of the trampoline. Due to this, Ray performed wearing a hearing aid. 
  • In 1958, at the age of 31, he had surgery which left him almost completely deaf in both ears, although hearing aids helped his condition. 
  • Ray was arrested twice for soliciting men for sex. After the first arrest in 1951, Ray quietly plead guilty and paid a fine. Despite this, Marilyn Morrison (the daughter of a night club owner) married him the following year, claiming (of his sexuality) that she would "straighten it out." The second arrest was in 1959 was for allegedly soliciting an undercover officer, however Ray was found 'not guilty'. 
  • Morrison and Ray's marriage didn't last (shocker!); they separated in 1953 and divorced in 1954. 
  • Since 1960, Ray began suffering as a result of his alcoholism. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis in 1977 and eventually died of liver failure in 1990.

#41 'Rocket 88' by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats (1951)

SONG





"Now this is more like it! A bit of old fashioned rock 'n' roll. I will admit though that a lot of music from this time sounds much the same to me. This could be any classic rock 'n' roll song." - LC




Written by: Jackie Brenston.
Producer: Sam Phillips and Ike Turner.
Label: Chess.


FACTS

  • This is often cited as the first rock 'n' roll record (so I suppose, in actual fact, the songs that sounds like must have copied this one but as I was born over three decades after its release, I know a lot of songs that sound like this).
  • The pianist on the track is none other than Izear Luster Turner Jr., better known as Ike Turner of 'Ike & Tina Turner' fame.
  • In March 1951, Turner and his band The Kings of Rhythm traveled to cut a session at Sam Phillips's Memphis Recording Service, which later became Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennessee. The band's vocalist/saxophonist Jackie Brenston, who also happened to be Ike's cousin, sang lead on Rocket 88. Phillips leased the master to Chicago's Chess record label.
  • Chess records were impressed with song and released it but they renamed the artist as Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats. This angered Turner, who watched the song soar to number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.  Turner also disputed that Brenston is the sole author of the song.
  • The fuzzy noise that can be heard in the background of the track is the result of guitarist Willie Kizart's amp falling from the roof of the band's car on the way to the studio, puncturing the speaker's cone, which Phillips then tried to fix by stuffing it with paper.
  • If you recognised the riff but hadn't heard this song before then you may know it from Little Richard's Good Golly, Miss Molly (1958), which stole the riff from this song, or from Cadillac Boogie (1947) by Jimmy Liggins, which this song pinched it from.
  • The song was covered by a country group called Bill Haley and the Saddlemen. Haley later went on to form rock 'n' roll group Bill Haley and the Comets (you might have heard of 'em, haha).

#40 'Mambo No. 5' by Perez Prado (1950)

SONG





"Now THIS is quality! Anyone remember Lou Bega's # A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side...# ? Well this would be the original version of Mambo No. 5.  Another good find in a sea full of sub-par songs that makes up the entries in this book." - LC




Written by: Perez Prado.
Producer: Uncredited.

Label:RCA Victor.



FACTS

  • Prado left his native Cuba in 1947 because he felt his innovative music was being stifled by his producer who branded it "too weird."
  • He lived briefly in Puerto Rico before settling in Mexico, where his "mambo" style was an instant hit largely due to being featured in many Mexican films.
  • Prado is thought to have launched the mambo craze that took hold in the 1950s with this very song.
  • You might remember the a reworking of this original song from 1999. A previously unknown German artist of Ugandan and Sicilian descent, Lou Bega, added lyrics and modernised the sound before releasing it as the hit Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...).

Recommended songs by this artist...

Patricia (1959, 1962)


And a song from my childhood, Lou Bega's version:




#39 'Goodnight, Irene' by The Weavers (1950)

SONG





"This one is a bit too 'all American' for my tastes. Someone pass the vomit bag... Its catchy though, so no doubt I'll be humming it later." - LC




Written by: Traditional; Huddie Ledbetter and John A. Lomax.
Producer: Uncredited.

Label: Decca.



FACTS

  • Now here's a fact that links back to #18 'The Gallis Pole' by Lead Belly (1939)... do you remember me telling you that Lead Belly managed to sing his way out of prison?! Well, tada! This would be the very song Huddie Ledbetter sang ;)
  • The exact origin of the song is unknown but it suspected that it could stretch back as far as the 1880s and Gussie Lord Davis's Irene, Good Night.
  • However, it was Lead Belly's version of the song recorded by Alan and John Lomax that popularised the song.
  • The song went on to become one of the greatest American folk standards of the twentieth century, however that ranking wasn't Lead Belly's but this one by the Weavers.
  • Pete Seeger's folk quartet learnt the tune straight from Lead Belly but omitted some of the more controversial verses including the line "If Irene turns her back on me, I'm going to take morophine and die."
  • The song went to number 1 in the US and stayed on the charts for almost half a year.
  • Other cover versions include those by Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Little  Richard and Jimi Hendrix, Meat Puppets, Tom Waits, and Band from TV with Hugh Laurie doing piano and vocals.
  • The song is also sung by the supporters of Bristol Rovers FC.

Recommended songs by this artist...

On Top of Old Smoky (1951)

#38 'Summertime' by Sarah Vaughan (1950)

SONG





"From Autumn back to Summer... This is the sort of 'olden days' singing I can get on board with. She has a sassiness in her style, much like Jessica Rabbit. I like the lyrics to this one too. I think this one might stick in my head for a while. It's quite dreamy if you listen to the music." - LC



Written by: George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward.
Producer: Joe Lippman.
Label: Columbia.


FACTS

  • This song was composed by George Gerschwin in 1935, for the opera Porgy and Bess; the lyrics were written by DuBose Heyward, who was the author of the book Porgy upon which the opera was based.
  • While the opera has been criticised for sustaining white stereotypes of southern black life but this individual song has become a popular jazz standard.
  • There are over 30,000 known recorded versions of Summertime.
  • Recording artists who have covered this song include: Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Vincent and Miles Davis, Sam Cook and the Marcels, Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company, Billy Stewart, The Doors, and Morcheeba and Hubert Laws.
  • Pop-punk band Sublime based their song Doin' Time on this song.

Recommended songs by this artist...

C'est la Vie (1955)
Experience Unnecessary (1955)
How Important Can It Be? (1955)

#37 'Autumn Leaves' by Jo Stafford (1950)

SONG
*Another one you'll have to 'Watch on YouTube'*






"First impression is that it's a bit moany and dull. I like the musical arrangement but the singing is a bit boring, if I'm being honest (which I, usually always, am). It's pleasant enough but I think I could have died quite happily having not heard it." - LC


Written by: Joseph Kosma, Jaques Prevert and Johnny Mercer.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: Capitol.


FACTS

  • Jo Stafford found fame singing with The Pied Pipers and became a favourite of U.S. troops in World War II, which earned her the nickname 'G.I. Jo'.
  • Although Autumn Leaves is now a jazz classic, it began life as a French tune written in 1946.
  • Johnny Mercer brought the song to America with new English lyrics that he had written to Joseph Kosma's melody.
  • Stafford is viewed as the pioneer of musical parody and won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1961.
  • She was the first woman to reach number 1 in the UK singles chart.
  • She retired in 1966, whilst only in her forties, exclaiming that she was hanging up her mic "for the same reason that Lana Turner doesn't pose in a bathing suit any more."

Recommended songs by this artist...

"A" You're Adorable (1949)
How Sweet You Are (1944)
It's Almost Tomorrow (1956)
Jambalaya (1952)
That's for Me (1945)
There's No You (1945)
Whispering Hope (1962)
You Belong to Me (1952)

My verdict on the Pre-1950s entries.

Well, firstly, I would just like to say how relieved I am to have finally reached the 1950s. It was quite a struggle listening to some of those songs... However, I thought what might be nice to sort of break up the song posts a bit would be to pinpoint the songs that did stand out, either because they were brilliant or because they were particularly awful and made me question why on earth they were included in the first place.


So here we go...


The absolute winner would have to be:
#8 'Minnie the Moocher' by Cab Calloway & His Orchestra (1931)




Highlights:
(There are some good songs that I've left out but my original list was 20 songs long)

#1 'O Sole Mio' by Enrico Caruso (1916)
#3 'Allons à Lafayette' by Joe and Cléoma Falcon (1928)
#6 'St. James Infirmary Blues' by Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five (1929)
#9 'Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl' by Bessie Smith (1931)
#16 'Strange Fruit' by Billie Holiday (1939)
#17 'Over the Rainbow' by Judy Garland (1939)
#19 'Mbube' by Solomon Linda & the Evening Birds (1939)
#20 'The Java Jive' by The Ink Spots (1940)
#21 'Gloomy Sunday' by Billie Holiday (1941)
#23 'God Bless the Child' by Billie Holiday (1941)
#25 'Rum and Coca-Cola' by Lord Invader (1943)
#27 'Lili Marleen' by Marlene Dietrich (1945)
#31 'La Mer' by Charles Trenet (1946)
#32 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby (1947)
#34 'Nature Boy' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1948)

Songs that I found particularly tedious:

#5 'Pokarekare' by Ana Hato (1929)
#14 'Cross Road Blues' by Robert Johnson (1936)
#29 'Al Gurugu' by La Nina de los Peines (1946)

#36 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' by Hank Williams (1949)

SONG
*You will have to click on 'Watch on YouTube' - not entirely sure why it makes a difference*




"Haha, well I know of Hank Williams because one of the prisoners in The Shawshank Redemption (one of my favourite films of all time) is a huge fan, but this is the first song of his that I have heard. I like it. It sounds like country and Hawaiian music had a baby! I also like his style of singing. Proper old school country and blues!" - LC




Written by: Hank Williams.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: MGM.


FACTS

  • Hank Williams often put his own life into his songs, whether it be poking fun at his own alcoholism in My Bucket's Got a Hole in it or eerily anticipating his own downfall in I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive, which was released only weeks before his death.
  • I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry was apparently written about his turbulent marriage.
  • This song began life as a poem before Williams had a change of heart.
  • It was originally the B-side of My Bucket's Got a Hole in it so it wasn't a hit in its day.
  • It has since become a reference point for his troubled life, which ended with him dosed up on morphine and alcohol in the backseat of a car on New Year's Day, 1953. 
  • Rolling Stone ranked it #111 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It's the second oldest song on the list, and one of only two from the 1940s.
  • Cover versions of the song include those by artists such as Johnny Cash with Nick Cave, Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Al Green, Bob Dylan, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, and Me First & the Gimme Gimmes.

Recommended songs by this artist...

Lost Highway (1949)

#35 'Saturday Night Fry Fish' by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five (1949)

SONG



"Well, it put a smile on my face straight away! Love the rhythm of the verses too. This tune makes me want to dance. Quality! Yeah, this is one to listen to folks! In fact, I would definitely listen to this one again." - LC




Written by: Louis Jordan and Ellis Walsh.
Producer: Uncredited.

Label: Decca.



FACTS

  • This song tells the tale of a police raid on a New Orleans house party.
  • It spent 12 weeks at the top of the US R&B chart and was one of Louis Jordan's last hits.
  • By 1951, his 10-year chart run had begun to decline as rock 'n' roll, a genre he'd help to create, was becoming more and more popular.
  • It also reached 21 in the main chart, which, at the time, was quite an achievement for a record by an artist who was non-white.
  • Four decades later, his music was rediscovered when Clarke Peters created the musical Five Guys Named Moe, basing it around Jordan's songs; the musical transferred from the London fringe to lengthy runs in the West End and on Broadway. 
  • BBC comedy-show host Stephen Fry adapted the song's title into a play on his own name and used the result for his six-part 1988 programme Saturday Night Fry. 
  • American radio station WHRV, broadcasting from Norfolk, Virginia, uses the song's name for its Saturday night early-jazz program hosted by Neal Murray.

#34 'Nature Boy' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1948)

SONG



"I like the melody of this one, and I have decided that I very much like Nat's voice. This one is definitely worth a listen. Nice piano too :)" - LC




Written by: Eden Ahbez.
Producer: Uncredited (arranged by Frank DeVol).
Label: Capitol.


FACTS

  • The back story of this song goes that a few days after composer Eden Ahbez presented Nat King Cole's manager with Nature Boy in 1947, Cole performed it live at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Before Cole even reached his dressing room, after finishing his set, Irving Berlin offered to buy it.
  • Cole had had a series of hits in 1940s that appealed to a white audience. This was quite a feat as music at the time was still very much divided by race, and crossing over from black jazz to white pop acceptability was rare. Cole did it with style when this song became number 1 in the U.S.
  • The original version of this song recorded by Cole in August 1947 was transformed by Frankie DeVol of Capitol Records, whose use of strings and flute to create an enchanting backdrop for Cole's vocals made the song a massive hit.
  • Cole only does the vocals on this track and the piano solo is taken by someone else.

Recommended songs by this artist...

#28 (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 (1946)
#88 When I Fall In Love (1957)

#33 'Good Rockin' Tonight' by Roy Brown (1947)

SONG


"As the title suggests, you can definitely hear more of a rock influence in this song, along with the  brass and boogie-woogie blues riff. I like this one, it made me wiggle." - LC




Written by: Roy Brown.
Producer: Jules Braun.
Label: DeLuxe.


FACTS

  • Brown was born in Louisiana and had grown up singing gospel. Originally (if you can call it that) he was a Bing Crosby imitator, but he quickly reshaped his sound after witnessing money being thrown at blues singers in Houston.
  • Brown's stage presence and versatility allowed him to establish himself as the most popular black singer in New Orleans. 
  • Brown originally wrote the song for Wynonie Harris but Harris turned it down. He later covered the song and had a number 1 hit with it.
  • Brown wrote the song in 1946 and performed it to boogie-woogie pianist Cecil Grant. Grant was so inspired by the song that he asked Brown to perform it over the phone to Jule Braun of DeLuxe Records in New Jersey. Braun was so impressed that he told Grant to give Brown $100 and book him into the Drew Drop to keep an eye on him. Braun flew to New Orleans two days later, set up a recording session and released Good Rockin' Tonight in May 1947.
  • It has since been covered by artists including Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen.
Wynonie Harris's cover, which hit number 1 in the R&B chart:

#32 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby (1947)

SONG



"It's hard to imagine a Christmas without hearing this song. I had no idea it was so old though. I definitely agree with this one being on the list, it has truly stood the test of time but I have no fear that anyone will die without having heard it, haha. I'm also pleased to announce that MY favourite Christmas song also made this list, but it's going to be a long journey before we get to it." - LC



Written by: Irving Berlin.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: Decca.



FACTS

  • The song's writer, Irving Berlin, was a famously terrible pianist and never learnt how to write musical notation, yet despite this he managed to write more than 800 published songs; a catalog of success which has yet to be matched by any other song writer.
  • First drafted by Irving in 1940, White Christmas appeared in 1942, sung by Bing Crosby in the film Holiday Inn.
  • Although this recording was released at the height of summer, its timing coincided with the escalation of US involvement in WWII. The song's sentimentality struck a chord with the soldiers parted from their loved ones and the life they once knew. The song reached number 1 by October.
  • Five years later, Crosby was asked to re-record the song because of the degradation of the original master plate; it is this version we are most familiar with today.
  • The song has been credited with 50 million sales worldwide and is, therefore, the biggest selling single of all time.
  • It has since been covered by a variety of artists, including: Frank Sinatra, The Drifters, Elvis Presley, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Doris Day, The Supremes, Bob Marley, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Otis Redding, Stiff Little Fingers, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, New Kids on the Block, Martina McBride, Chicago, A1, Bette Midler, LeAnn Rhymes, Dionne Warwick, Westlife, Twisted Sister, Taylor Swift, Rick Astley, Boy George,and Michael Buble ft. Shania Twain.


Recommended songs by this artist...

#10 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1932)

#31 'La mer' by Charles Trenet (1946)

SONG


"It's finds like this that  make this musical journey a rewarding one. Of course, being a huge Kevin Spacey fan (he directed and starred in a film based on Bobby Darin's life) and a fan of music in general, I am familiar with Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea, but I had no idea that it was based on an original French song. Oh yes, and THIS is a TUNE!!!" - LC


Written by: Charles Trenet and Albert Lasry.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: EMI.


FACTS



  • Trenet wrote the lyrics of "La Mer" on a train in 1943 while travelling along the French Mediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne. He supposedly wrote the song in ten minutes, on toilet paper supplied by SNCF. 
  • He was assisted with the tune by Leo Chauliac. It was originally published by Raoul Breton.
  • It was not until 1946 that Trenet recorded the song, since neither he nor the people around him believed the song to be anything special or particularly original. 
  • When he released "La Mer" in 1946 it became an unexpected hit, and has remained a French classic ever since.
  • English lyrics, unrelated to the French lyrics, were later written by Jack Lawrence and entitled "Beyond the Sea". 
  • This became a hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. 
  • The song has been recorded by more than 400 other artists in many languages.


Translation
The Sea

The sea,
We see dancing along the shores of clear bays,
Shimmers with silver
The sea
Changing shimmers
Under the rain

The sea
With the summer sky
Mix up her white horses
With the angels so pure
The infinite azure shepherdess
Sea

Sea
By the ponds
Those big wet reeds
See
Those white birds
And those rusty houses

The sea
Has cradled them
Along the shores of clear bays
And with a love song
The sea
Has rocked my heart for life.



Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea:


#30 'La vie en rose' by Edith Piaf (1946)

SONG


"This one is quite pleasant listening. Reminds me of classic Hollywood movies and the glamour of the 1940s. I bet I'll find myself humming the melody for the rest of the day." - LC




Written by: Edith Piaf and Louiguy.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: EMI.




FACTS


  • "La Vie en Rose" translates literally as Life in Pink, but a better translation of the title would be 'Life Through Rose-tinted Glasses'.
  • Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, but it became a favorite with audiences.
  • An English version of the lyrics was written later by Mack David. 
  • Owing to its popularity, the song appeared on most of Piaf's subsequent albums. 
  • A 1998 documentary about Édith Piaf was called La Vie En Rose, as was the 2007 biographical feature film La Vie En Rose, which won Marion Cotillard an Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Piaf in the film from the age of 19 until her death at 47.
  • The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.
  • Artists who have covered this song include: Aretha Frankin, Audrey Hepburn, BB King, Belinda Carlisle, Bette Midler, Bing Crosby, Celine Dion, Cyndi Lauper (whom I am transforming into this Halloween), Dean Martin, Jack Nicholson, La Toya Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Louis Armstrong, Luciano Pavarotti, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Buble, Petula Clark and Shirley Bassey, to name but a few.

Translation
Life in Pink

Eyes that gaze into mine,
A smile that is lost on his lips—
That is the unretouched portrait
Of the man to whom I belong.

When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.

In endless nights of love,
A great delight that comes about,
The pains and bothers are banished,
Happy, happy to die of love.

When he takes me in his arms
And speaks softly to me,
I see life in rosy hues.
He tells me words of love,
Words of every day,
And in them I become something.
He has entered my heart,
A part of happiness
Whereof I understand the reason.
It’s he for me and I for him, throughout life,
He has told me, he has sworn to me, for life.
And from the things that I sense,
Now I can feel within me
My heart that beats.


Recommended songs by this artist...

#122 Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (1960)
Les Amants de Paris (1948)

#29 'Al gurugu' by La Nina de los Peines (1946)

SONG



"Definitely not my cup of tea. I love flamenco guitar but the singing grated me. I stuck it out though, just for my blog. Pretty sure, unless I'm held at gunpoint, I will not be listening to this one again." - LC




Written by: Uncredited.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: La Voz de su Amo (HMV - yes, the actual His Master's Voice, so I'm guessing that the Spanish translates to 'The voice of his master' but feel free to correct me).


FACTS

  • Pastora Maria Pavon Cruz, who was born in 1890 to a poor gypsy family in Seville, became the first major flamenco star of the twentieth century. 
  • Today she is widely regarded as the greatest female flamenco singer ever (oops... I'm clearly in a minority then).
  • Nicknamed "La Nina de los Peines" (the girl with the combs), she began singing as a child to help support her family.
  • At a young age, she began touring Spain and her first recordings were made in 1910.
  • She married the great flamenco singer Pepe Pinto; fleeing the Spanish Civil War for Argentina, they returned in the 1940s to Spain, where she continued her career.
  • The song's title is nonsense. 
I couldn't find the lyrics and, therefore, couldn't do a translation. If anyone can help with this comment or PM me :)

#28 '(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66' by The Nat King Cole Trio (1946)

SONG



"This song is easy listening. His voice is so smooth and I'm loving the piano. This one is definitely worth a listen. It makes me think of a swanky jazz club!" - LC




Written by: Bobby Troup

Producer: Uncredited
Label: Capitol


FACTS

  • Bobby Troup wrote the song whilst driving from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, along (unsurprisingly) Route 66. 
  • He wrote the song with Nat King Cole in mind.
  • Although Cole's version of the song is lightly swinging, piano-led jazz and his silky smooth vocal stylings, artists such as Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones have turned the song into an R&B (Rhythm and Blues as oppose to the use to describe urban music) classic.
  • It has also been covered by Natalie Cole, The Cramps, Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters, Depeche Mode, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (whom I adore!) and Scatman John (# I'm a scatman! #) among others. 

Recommended songs by this artist...

#34 Nature Boy (1948)
#88 When I Fall In Love (1957)

#27 'Lili Marleen' by Marlene Dietrich (1945)

SONG


"My first reaction was 'That isn't a woman singing!' but after my initial shock, I have quite warmed to both Marlene's voice and this song. I have since also found out that Marlene Dietrich is the Marlene in question in Suzanne Vega's song Marlene on the Wall (which is also on this list when we get into the 1980s... I can't wait, haha). Back to this song, my verdict is that it's very listenable and I actually quite like it despite only understanding the odd word of German." - LC

Written by: Hans Leip, Norbert Schultze and Mack David.
Producer: Uncredited
Label: Decca

FACTS

  • The song was first recorded in 1938, but the lyrics were written much earlier than this. Hans Leip, a young German soldier, wrote the words in 1915 in order to express the nostalgia he felt during World War I.
  • Leip's poem appeared in an anthology in 1937, where it caught the eye of composer Norbert Schultze, who then set about turning it into a song.
  • It was recorded by German singer Lale Andersen in 1939, but made very little impact until German Forces Radio started playing it to the Afrika Korps in 1941. The song was well received by both Germans and Allied soldiers and English versions of the song were hurriedly recorded. Funnily enough, however, both sides ended up broadcasting the song in both languages.
  • The song's most famous singer, the German Hollywood actress and anti-Nazi Marlene Dietrich, became synonymous with song after performing it for US infantrymen "for three long years in North Africa, Italy, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland and in England," as she later recalled.


Translation

Underneath the lantern by the barracks gate,
Darling, I remember the way you use to wait,
‘Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me, you’d always be,
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.


Time would come for roll call,
Time for us to part,
Darling, I’d caress you
and press you to my heart,
And there ‘neath that far off lantern light,
I’d hold you tight, We’d kiss “good night,”
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.


Orders came for sailing somewhere over there,
All confined to barracks was more than I could bear;
I knew you were waiting in the street,
I heard your feet, But could not meet,
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.


Resting in a billet just behind the line,
Even tho’ we’re parted you your lips are close to mine;
You wait where that lantern softly gleams,
Your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams.
My Lili of the lamplight,
My own Lili Marlene.




The English recorded version (with different lyrics to the translation):





#26 'This Land Is Your Land' by Woody Guthrie (1944)

SONG

" # This hand is your hand, this hand is my hand... no wait it's your hand, no wait it's my hand...# This song reminds me of the episode of Friends where Joey finds his 'hand twin'. This song is just pure happy but I'm not sure I agree with the lyric "This land was made for you and me."... moving on... an easy listen but not sure it'd make a list of my favourite tracks of all time." - LC


Written by: Woody Guthrie
Producer: Moe Asch
Label: Folkways


FACTS

  • This is one of the USA's most famous folk songs.
  • Guthrie wrote the lyrics in 1940 as a response Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which he considered unrealistic. The song, however, was not recorded until 1944.
  • It has been covered by artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and Counting Crows.
  • Tom Morello (who sent me a private message during 2009's Xmas number 1 campaign... we won!!) performed the song on 13th October 2011, in Zucotti Park, NYC as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
  • Other countries have adapted the song to create their own versions, these include: Canada, Ireland, Sweden, Wales, Belgium, Bahamas, Namibia, Israel, and Billy Bragg has used a version with UK specific lyrics during his live performances.
  • In the 1994 Home Improvement episode "Too Many Cooks" Tim refers to Al as "Al 'This Land Is' Borland"
  • In a 1999 episode of Friends, Joey (as I already mentioned) sings a parody of the song inspired by finding his 'hand twin'.
  • The Simpsons' episode "Lisa the Treehugger" (2000) with the words changed to "This log is my log, this log is your log." in reference to a runaway giant redwood tree.

#25 'Rum and Coca-Cola' by Lord Invader (1943)

SONG



"Well this song makes me want to wiggle. The lyrics could be considered offensive... but luckily I'm not an American ;) I do love me a bit of calypso though. Definitely one of my favourites so far. ...and I'd actually love a rum and coke right about now!" - LC


Written by: Rupert W. Grant and Lionel Belasco.
Producer: Uncredited.
Label: Decca

FACTS

  • During WWII, around 20,000 American GIs were stationed in Trinidad. A local musician took objection to this and, using the stage name Lord Invader, commented on it in this calypso.
  • The song takes its title from the servicemen's drink of choice and is a metaphor for the mixture of the two cultures. The song itself comments on the prostitution that took place during this time, "Both mother and daughter/working for the yankee dollar."
  • Although the song was originally composed by Grant and Belasco, it was copyrighted in the USA by Morey Amsterdam and became a hit for The Andrew Sisters in 1945.
  • In an ensuing court case, it was found that Amsterdam had indeed infringed copyright and Lord Invader won an undisclosed sum in compensation.