You know how some songs, the first time you hear them, grab you with both a visceral, utter familiarity and a freshness that makes your spine tingle? They play out so naturally and effortlessly that you can't imagine them any other way and there's an inherent timelessness to them as if the songwriter strung together just the right notes, in just the right order, to capture an eternal melody or permanent rhythm nestled in our collective subconscious. You listen and the reaction is almost always immediate: "Wow. Of course."
I remember reacting this way the first time I heard Alanna Myles' Black Velvet and Michel Pagliaro's "Loving you ain't Easy".
Yesterday, I discovered the classic song in the video below. Or rather, I re-discovered it since I recalled having heard it before - probably the Boney M. cover because I'm a child of the late seventies. I don't think that I'd ever heard this version, the original, sung by its creator, Bobby Hebb. Below it, Marvin Gaye's smooth rendition and finally, The Four Tops'.
How do you think David Cassidy would fare with "Sunny"?
By the way, "Sunny" was #25 in BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century, which are "the most played songs on American radio and television." Check out the title at #22 ;-)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
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12 comments:
Daydreaming, you do such a great blog. You just keep coming up with such great thoughts...it's very impressive!
Those are such great clips you posted. I LOVE Sam Cooke! Sunny is a great song, and DC could certainly sing it, although he's never really done anything with R&B or a Motown feel that I know of---or am I mistaken on that?
I would certainly take issue with that BMI list. It's supposed to be the 100 best songs of the century, but only has songs from about 1960 to, what, 1980? It seems very narrow to me. (these lists are always narrow, though) Anyway, it doesn't include any jazz standards, which is just silly. I thought of them in connection with DC because he does sing them sometimes---one example that came to mind was "Since I Fell For You", which has been recorded by everyone from Barbra Streisand to Susan Anton (??)...anyway, this is Cassidy singing it (I think he does nicely with it), and this is my very favorite version, from Ella Johnson, sister of Buddy, who wrote it. Check out the piano!
Anyway, thanks for the post. Nice to wake up in the morning and have cool songs to listen to!
SLK, thanks for your comment. The title of the list is misleading. It represents the most played songs on American radio and TV and it's compiled by BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) which is the organization that collects the license fees from radio, TV and the like and redistributes them as royalties to singers and songwriters. Here's their press release that explains that list. I'm not 100% clear on how BMI works but it seems artists must join to have them represent their interests.
I love Sam Cooke too but "Sunny" was written and sung by Bobby Hebb. ;-) David Cassidy DID record an R&B tune - I'm reserving that one for another entry. :-)
I love "Since I Fell for You" - thanks for linking to Ella Johnson's amazing version. Must admit that my favorite is Lenny Welch's version. As for David Cassidy's rendition: to me, it sounds as if he's smiling throughout and that bugs because it's supposed to be a torch song, not the happiest of songs.
Oh, that is one of my favs, SLK. I had forgotten about that one. BTW, when I click on the link to "Cassidy singing it", it comes up with Brad Leftwich on the fiddle. :-0 Very good, but not what I was expecting. LOL!!
Here is a link for Cassidy singing it then. His "now" version is very good too: Cassidy singing it now. I'm also thinking of Cassidy's Fever. Although it's hard to hear his voice throughout because of all the other things going on in the background.
I think David would do an excellent "Sunny"!!! I see Daydreaming David is going to post on the R&B tune that I know David has done so I won't spoil it. Actually I found a funny live version of that that I will post a link to when you do blog about it DD. He does a good job with it, but ... well you'll have to see it. LOL! I'd like to hear him do "I Heard it Through The Grapevine" and "Tracks Of My Tears". I think David has the range for those songs.
How in the world did I get Brad Leftwich in there?? I had been listening to him last night, but that's not the URL I copied. Weird!
I like that Fever clip. A lot. I really prefer the way he used to sing when he was younger. I know what you mean about feeling like he was smiling when he sang "Since I Fell"---it's a certain kind of sound in his voice, very hard to describe, and he didn't used to sing that way when he was younger. It's like he was hungry then, willing to reach into the song for everything it had. I wish I had a better way of describing this.
Singmedavid, I think that Cassidy has only recorded one version of "Since I Fell For You". It's on his "A Touch of Blue" album from the early 2000s, so what I consider "now".
SLK, I also prefer the way David Cassidy sang when he was younger - I think that's obvious in my posts - and I think that part of the difference in his way of singing "now" vs "then" has to do with sincerity. There's also the Broadway and Las Vegas he did that must have influenced his singing style. We talked about over-emoting in another post - that might come from his stage work? I don't know, there's a pretentiousness in his singing "now" that was pretty absent "then".
Singmedavid, "Fever" is from his "Dreams are Nuthin' More than Wishes" album....;-)
Yup, over-emoting. There's a Yiddish word for it that describes it perfectly---"schmaltzy". And I think you're right, it came from Las Vegas. I lived in Reno and Lake Tahoe for years, and saw many singers who sang that way---the lounge-singer style seems to take over somehow.
Thanks for the info, DD. :-)
The pasting of links is so easy, one might have to be extra careful to make sure the intended link is what got pasted. LOL!!! I share a computer with my boys, so ... who knows what I might pick up if I'm not careful. DD might have to delete the comment. LOL!!!
I never really listened to the words before and I see what you all are saying. Dang. It's confusing because the song seems rather upbeat in this rendition.
I think Sunny is among one of the best songs ever written. I loved the Boney M version (sorry). It's my No1 disco song. Later in life I heard the original versions. I like all those variations you listed.Thank you.
I can't add anymore than what's already been said. I love David's Now voice. It still has so much to give. Since I fell for You sounds divine but could be better. I think if he could recapture his THEN voice way of singing/delivering a song combined with the deep richness of his NOW voice he would be a phenomenal singer. The Las Vegas years have left their mark on David as they did on Elvis Presley.
I had never heard those songs you highlighted. Are they Canadian or American singers? I love discovering new voices. I've recently comes across Bonnie Raitt on youtube. I think she's phenomenal. She appears to sing effortlessly.
British fan, I love the Boney M version too! One I DON'T like is this one by the Boogie Pimps. The name says it all, folks ;-) The video is sacrilegious! They really have to sex up videos today to distract us from how bad singers are. Video killed the radio star, indeed.
You are so right about David's voice! I wonder what it would take for him to move away from the schmaltz, as SLK so aptly put it? He CAN do it: "Ain't No Sunshine" is proof.
Both Myles and Pagliaro are Canadian singers. Pagliaro hails from Quebec and didn't record much in English but what he did is some of the most melodious stuff I've ever come across. Alanna Myles had a huge international hit with "Black Velvet" in the early 90s from her debut album but fell into obscurity not long after her follow-up album due to bad marketing and a contract that didn't favor her (gee, doesn't that sound familiar). She still tours - I read that her multi-platinum album didn't even garner her $200K. A pittance.
Thanks for the info DD. You know some of the best performers around are obscure and don't quite make it do they?
The popular music scene in Britain today is rubbish. My kids don't follow any commercial artist at all. They like cult bands that tend to travel round the university circuit. There's an American Ska punk band that both my son and daughter love and have seen in concert a few times called Less Than Jake. They're American and from Florida I think. They have a sense of humour and have recorded their own versions of popular music such as the Grease soundtrack. They have a version of I Think I Love You floating around somewhere. You could probably find it on youtube. It's quite hilarious.
British fan, I'm really sorry to hear that the popular music scene in Britain is rubbish today. It was the mecca for so long.
Listened to a bit of "Less than Jake" on YT: "Summer Nights" and "ITILY". I see the humor but I can't get into that speeded up music. It's always grated on my nerves. Some of the comments on the videos laud their earlier stuff as well - might look into it. Good for your kids to get off the beaten track though and find something genuine they love. I never really had the patience for that. I just pick out my favorites from the commercial stuff and hang onto them :-)
Today's music makes me feel ancient. Jay-Z? Kanye? Justin Timberlake? Lady Gaga? Ancient, I tell you.
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