Today I wanted to try something different.
I wanted everyone to pick their favorite popular song melody. Not the lyrics, but just a lovely melody. This is one of my favorites, I could not get the link from YouTube to transfer to WordPress (probably protected), so I used this one instead. This is a group of quite gifted young men who do a great job. A really exquisite melody.
I would love to hear from you.
Remember, this is just popular music, not classical, nor folk, nor sound track scores. We will get to those later.
Don’t worry about sending a video (trying to get this one done had me pulling my hair out), just your favorite–and only if you want to.
Later I’ll tell you about the bank.
God bless everybody
Patty
These guys are great!
Great choice. A too often forgotten classic and this performance is exceptional. The vocal work is top drawer. Somewhere in the ‘60s, younger musicians discovered the airy Major 7th chord and Soft Rock was born. It’s a somewhat forgotten genre but from the mid ‘60s until Synth Pop took over in the ‘80s, it was a thing, and a good thing at that.
For melodies, there are a lot of choices, but since childhood, I have admired Jerome Kern, and especially All The Things You Are. This melody was complimented by the wholesome sentiments of the lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein.
I don’t think that WordPress will let me embed a link, but I can at least paste in the text to a version of All The Things You Are as recorded by Paul Desmond and Jerry Mulligan. Desmond (the higher pitched saxophone) was the genius who composed Take Five, when working with Dave Brubeck, and I’ve always loved Desmond’s tasteful improvisation.
Yes I am very familiar with Dave Brubeck–memories!
Wonderful stuff. Paul Desmond had a beautiful, warm, mellifluous sound, but he was never boring or corny. He was the mellow sound of the tune Take Five, with Dave Brubeck, and that same beautiful sound was found on his solo recordings. It sure beats the electronically enhanced music that is so prevalent in our day.
I’ll be darned! It did let me embed a link.
I’m having trouble with WordPress, as always. On my phone, I have to tangle with the teeny tiny keyboard. On my computer I have to open up my WordPress account and enter a comment or reply in a teeny tiny window without being able to see the whole entry I’m replying to. But I’ll give it a shot here and try to link to a real oldie: a very young Frank Sinatra singing “I Could Have Told You.”
Beautiful tune.
As soon as this song started, I began to remember the lyrics a beautiful song
Paul Mauriat’s “Love is Blue” (1968), one of my favorite popular song melodies. But for me, it’s just one, from among numerous instrumentals of the fifties and sixties.
“Tequila” by The Champs, “Walk, Don’t Run” by The Ventures, “Green Onions” by Booker T. & the M.G.’s, “Telstar” by The Tornados, and “The Theme from a Summer Place” by Percy Faith. Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen – “Midnight in Moscow.” Others by Acker Bilk (Stranger on the Shore), Henry Mancini (Elephant Walk), Duane Eddy, Al Hirt and Herb Alpert.
My favorite, so many, just so many, too many to list. And for songs with lyrics, an impossible task. Unchained melody is one of the best.
Love Is Blue, another song that time seems to have forgotten. A great tune and a great arrangement.
Tequila is a song I remember from way back, but in the ‘70s I discovered this Jazz guitar version by the late Wes Montgomery. Wes Montgomery was a known Jazz guitarist who, like many Jazz guitarists, made many different albums, but never made a lot of money, until he recorded an instrumental version of Goin’ Out Of My Head, which sold well. Thereafter, he never lacked for an audience and made a decent living. So his producers began to mine Rhythm & Blues and Pop tunes he could cover. His cover of Tequila has amazed me, from the first time I heard it, until the present.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVN9P4ALduw
Walk, Don’t Run was originally a Jazz song, written by Jazz guitarist, Johnny Smith, in the early ‘50s. His friend, Chet Atkins recorded a somewhat countrified version of it, with Johnny’s blessing and it was this recording that The Ventures heard, and adapted as an Instrumental Rock song. Johnny did not like The Ventures version, but he suffered an injury in the ‘60s which made it impossible for him to play for some time and required an extensive recovery period. Because he owned publication rights to Walk, Don’t Run, he got a piece of every copy The Ventures sold and he was compensated for every time it was played on the radio, or used in any video or movie, so he was grateful for the income generated by The Ventures version.
To this day, over 60 years after The Ventures recorded Walk, Don’t Run, the song is still recognized and frequently requested by audiences when Instrumental Rock is in the air. It’s interesting that my father, who didn’t care for Rock n’ Roll, was a Ventures fan. I’ve played Walk, Don’t Run innumerable times when I’ve worked with various bands. Sometimes, I’ll play the original Johnny Smith version, but audiences tend to prefer The Ventures version.
Anyone here remember the rumba craze? This one is one of my favorites, although I admit that the lyrics are part of what I love — and the way the singer calls out during the instrumental interlude for a flashlight because he “cannot find the melody.” 😄
Love it. The rumba was a pretty interesting beat for its time. Another good example, the theme from I Love Lucy.
Johnny Mercer was a marvelous composer and he wrote a number of famous songs.
He was one of the greats.
He really wrote lyrics to too many songs to mention. Also some music as well. He had a long career.
Herb Alpert is a true hero. Apparently, the Tijuana Brass actually outsold The Beatles in 1966. He quit playing, towards the end of the sixties, but stayed in the business as half of A&M Records. He’s in his 90s, and still performs, alongside his wife, Lani Hall, who had been the voice of Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66.
I prefer The Ventures version. I was a fan of the Ventures music. I don’t remember/have never heard that song by Johnny Mercer. But I do remember rumba.
“Love Is Blue” I had on a 45. I don’t remember what was on the flip side.
My dad was a fan of Herb Alpert, and so was I. We had a number of his albums. My mom did not like the cover of “Whipped Cream.”
I remember the cover of Whipped Cream and I can guess why your Mom did not like it. Patty
It was actually shaving cream they used, because whipped cream would have melted instantly under the lights. The model was wearing a bikini, and happened to be three months pregnant. But it was a memorable cover.