Music

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The Beatles WERE pop music in the 60s, but when they broke up The Bee Gees took over in the 70s.

The Bee Gees at the height of their disco fame.
Kings Of Disco — and More — The Bee Gees

When we talk about pop music, we mean the top  40 record charts and the sales of singles. It was a different world and a different musical industry in those pre-digital days.

The Bee Gees were melodic songwriters and harmonic singers. The brothers Gibb started at an early age (twins Robin and Maurice were only 5) so they were perfectly synchronized as songwriters and performers in a way that only family members can be. Unlike Lennon and McCartney, they weren’t soul mates, so there was competition and tension among the brothers that uniquely shaped their music.

Unfortunately, by the 70s, pop music veered away from melody and harmony and directed itself toward beats, rhythm, dance music.

“Listening Music” could be danced to, but not all dance music was listened to. It was a trigger for brain-stem reflexes that got people tapping their feet, snapping fingers, clapping hands, and moving on the dance floor. Lyrics were not necessary, and devolved into patter, doggerel, and cliche.

When the BGs started writing dance music, it was characteristically melodic and they used their harmonies to great effect. Some of the falsetto harmonies are absolutely out-of-this-world.

But by popularizing disco for the mainstream audience, they opened the door to the crass commercialization and eventual degradation of it. The sterling example in this video is “Disco Duck.”

Everybody had to jump on the Disco bandwagon — The Stones, Rod Stewart, and even Johnny Mercer (he did “That Old Black Magic” as disco!).

Eventually (quickly), the Gibbs saturated the market to the point that they became unpopular. A harsh blowback of “I Hate Disco” followed, the their music would not get played on the pop stations. Even if their name was poison to radio programmers, their music was still covered and they still wrote new material for a variety of artists — Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, and a host of others.  Oh yeah, and they gave some of their fame to younger brother Andy Gibb who had a bunch of smash hits before dying of drug abuse at age 30.

Today, we are in an era of niche-markets although there is still a mainstream music market. However, the numbers are much smaller today — it’s not easy to earn a million dollars when Spotify only pays something like 1/1000th cent royalty.

You might say there were two Bee Gees — the Before and After Disco groups.

But there are more than two types of Bee Gees fans — there are the Before Disco, the After Disco, and those who love everything the Brothers Gibb ever did.

POSTSCRIPT: Sir Barry Gibb is the sole surviving of the four brothers (they also had one sister, oldest sibling Lesley Evans, still living) and is actively performing at age 74. That makes a 65 year career — and still going.

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I love to sing, and every once in a while — I just can’t help it. I break into song — sometimes in public. Yet despite several arrests and contusions from frustrated music critics (everybody is a critic), I persist.

I have been told (mainly by the other voices in my head) that I once had a good voice. Yet, in my many years experience in show business (hey — celebrities need their lawns mowed, too!) I have found that quality of voice is not of prime importance.

Lady plugging her ears with her fingers
OOOooooohhh!!! That’s Raunchy!

But I’m sure you have noticed some very popular singers — even Very Famous! — who have a rather unpleasant voice. Yet people love them and buy their recordings or watch them on TV and in films.

There are plenty of technically perfect singers. They have tremendous range, and their intonation is laser-accurate. I could name them all day (let’s see — ) … well, you could probably think of your own.

From earlier generations (you might have heard of them), there were very popular personalities who had less-than-perfect voices, and yet had stunning success.

Jimmy Durante was one of those. Everybody loved Durante. He was a lovable old codger, and his voice was pure gravel. He was also very funny. But his biggest hits were sentimental songs. When he sang “Young At Heart,” you could tell he would never put Sinatra out of business. But his wistful demeanor could bring a tear to your eyes. He could also sing “September Song,” and you would shiver with the dread of approaching the end of your mortal journey.

In an entirely another field, Louis Armstrong had not only gravel, but maybe ground glass for vocal cords. Yet he had tremendous hits like “Hello Dolly” and the immortal “Wonderful World” (tell me you don’t cry listening to that!).

Besides the rough voices, there are performers with weak voices — but strong emotional content — such as Fred Astaire. Fred, of course, was the greatest dancer of the golden age of the silver screen. He started out on the stage — Broadway, of course. The musical play was a perfect platform for dancing, but it demanded singing. Though his voice was weak, Fred could give the song pathos, bathos, and Aramis. In fact, the most prominent composers of the day brought their newest songs to him because he always delivered a huge audience — Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin.

Now some voices are just … ummm … hoarse. And I’m not sure that works all the time. Rod Stewart became a rock star with some of his early hits (especially with Jeff Beck and Small Faces), and his kind of voice fit in well. But, as many aging rockers have done, he gravitated toward easy listening and found a niche in the Great American Songbook revival of the first decade of the 2000s. His records were produced by another harsh, hoarse singer, Steve Tyrell (who won a 2004 Grammy for the collaboration). Was it because of “Rod The Mod’s” singing, or because of the beloved standards he sang? Even in his senior-citizen years, Rod has been a sex symbol for adoring fans.

A raspy voice is not entirely the domain of male singers. However, blues singers have used it to some artistic and pleasant ends. Janis Joplin became a legend with her soulful, rasp. Bonnie Tyler’s big hit “Total Eclipse Of The Heart,” sounded like she was ripping the organ from her body — mainly because of the pain in her voice. Melissa Etheridge and Kim Carnes (remember “Betty Davis Eyes?”) make you wonder if they are permanently damaging their vocal cords with such raspy voices. But the queen of the field (in my opinion) is Pat Benetar — whose range goes from operatic to deliciously raunchy.

And Tina Turner can’t be compared to anyone else. She is in her own category — like Irving Berlin is to songwriters.

Joe Cocker is also — for different reasons. He became an object of ridicule because of John Belushi’s imitation and the duet they did on Saturday Night Live. I don’t remember reading what Lennon & McCartney though about his version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” — although they were probably grateful for the royalties he brought in.

Leonard Cohen was mainly about the words — although his songs are melodic (when other singers perform them). He’s achieved sainthood, so we won’t make judgments about his singing quality. It’s kind of like judging a Stradivarius violin with and electronic violin.

Rod McKuen was another songwriter with a raspy voice. His songs were recorded by plenty of other singers with pleasant voices. I’m not sure his versions were very popular. He was, however, nominated for an Oscar for his theme song from “The Prime of Miss Jean Brody.” But plenty of award-winners didn’t break sales records.

Going back in time — Rose Marie (Yes, the same one from Dick Van Dyke) started her career as a child singer with a grown-up voice — Baby Rose Marie — and you can check her out on YouTube.

I guess you might think I’m making excuses if my voice is a little rough around the edges (or straight through), but beautiful singing is in the ear of the beholder, er, belistener, or … well anyway — enjoy music and never apologize, even if you like “Achy Breaky Heart.”

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He was known as both The Real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. His rocking records ushered in the age of Rock and Roll years before The Beatles landed in America, with stellar musicians he gave a start to in his band, including James Brown, Billy Preston and Jimi Hendrix.

He was born Richard Wayne Penniman, but was always known as Little Richard.

Learning To WOOOO!

Nobody can deny his influence on that infant form of music starting with his first recording session in 1951. Not Lennon and McCartney, who emulated his falsetto “WOOOOO” in many songs. Not Prince, who styled his pencil-thin mustache, his flamboyant attire, and his performance style on “The Architect Of Rock and Roll.” Not David Bowie, who named Little Richard as the initial inspiration for his biggest ever album, “Let’s Dance.” Not Bobby Zimmerman, who wrote in his 1959 Hibbing, MN high school yearbook “To join Little Richard” underneath his picture (a few years before he became Bob Dylan).

Where do you think Jagger got those moves? Where do you think Elton John learned to pound those keys? Who do you think inspired Glam Rock? And you think Kiss wore a lot of makeup? You should have asked Little Richard about Pancake 19.

He was a wild man, standing up to play the piano so he could dance at the same time — before he got a recording contract, he had to clean up his lyrics:

“Tutti Fruiti, good booty” became “Tutti Fruiti, aw-rootie”

Guilty-wracked as a closeted gay, Richard dropped rock in 1957 and committed himself to preaching the gospel, calling rock the Devil’s music, and recorded a religious album, God Is Real, in 1959.

But the Beatles drew him back into rock and roll when they recorded “Long Tall Sally.” He kept performing his core hits through the next few decades, and found himself in demand as a TV talk show guest (where he would shout “SHUT UP!”) and even a few movies.

In 1976 Little Richard returned to the ministry as a full-time evangelist. His next recording was another gospel album in 1979. In October 1985 he was seriously injured in an accident in West Hollywood. He struggled his way back to rock music and mass popularity.

In 1986 Little Richard was one of the ten original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he compiled many other honors.

Stars on the sidewalk —
The Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording
The Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville
The Apollo Theater Walk of Fame in New York City

Halls of Fame
Georgia Music Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Apollo Theater Hall of Fame
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame

And now, he belongs to the ages, as Ben Johnson said of The Bard of Avon.

Little Richard died May 9, 2020 in Tullahoma, Tennessee, of bone cancer — but the music will never die.

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Harold Reid died last week at age 80 after a long battle with kidney failure. He was bass singer with “The Statler Brothers,” a country and gospel quartet that had many hits. Many were arranged to feature Harold’s bass voice, including “Flowers On The Wall” — their big breakout single.

A salute to Harold Reid, Bass singer for the Statler Brothers, who died last week.
Phil, Don, Jimmy behind Harold

The group appeared frequently on the Johnny Cash TV show and toured with The Man In Black. In fact, the group is most often associated with him in the mind of their public. They went so far as to write a tribute song, “We Got Paid by Cash.”

They are credited with merging gospel harmonies with country music. They certainly mainstreamed gospel, which has always been embraced by country and folk music.

What distinguished them and made them so lovable was their injection of humor. Not only did they do schtick (Harold and his brother Don were primarily the instigators) but they recorded a couple of comedy records as Lester “Roadhog” Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys, and one of their albums had a parody of small town radio stations local shows on the second side. (If you are too young to know what an “album” was and what it means that they had “sides,” ask your nearest senior citizen).

A dozen or so years ago, I met (through a Craigslist musician’s forum) a wonderful lady named Linda Loegel. She had a bunch of lyrics she’d written over the years and I picked out a few I thought were my style, and wrote some music with her. We did one called, “The Ride Of My Life” that was about a person taking a balloon ride, and using it as a metaphor for going to heaven. She said her own mother was one of those daring senior citizens who enjoyed things like ballooning and skydiving — and this was before people were talking about “bucket lists.”

She was thrilled when I decided to do the song in the style of The Statler Brothers. And, as ususal, I did all the instruments and harmonies. It was a challenge to be a gospel quartet on my own, and I didn’t have any electronic helpers like pitch-shifters and voice ding-dongs and whatever. I just sang. You can hear the song on my music page (here).

Here is the link to listen to “The Ride Of My Life.”

https://www.soundclick.com/html5/v3/player.cfm?type=single&songid=5204329&q=hi&newref=1

Another of the Statler Brothers, Lew DeWitt, predeceased Harold.

And I’ll leave you with a little trivia:

Only two of the Statler Brothers were siblings — Harold and Don Reid. And none were named Statler. The name came from a box of facial tissues they saw in a hotel room. The joked that they could have named themselves “the Kleenex Brothers.”

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Fifty years ago today “The Beatles” released the single The Ballad Of John And Yoko in the US.

I put their name in quotes because it was actually just John and Paul making all the vocal and instrumental tracks.

The cover photo for the single was striking. The lads had changed so much in appearance in such a short time. John looked like a guru in drag. Paul was so much more macho with his beard.

But mostly, the Beatles were rumored to be breaking up. After The White Album, everyone went his own way for a while. Ringo walked out because of all the tension and fighting, but they talked him into coming back a few days later. George rebelled against Paul’s authoritarian actions in the studio. John had retreated with Yoko … and who knew what they were doing?

And yet, out of all this tension and conflict, some of their best musical creation and performance rose.

The first time I heard the song was on the news. I was 13, my family lived in a small town in a rural area, and there wasn’t as much entertainment news as we have today. But The Beatles made news — usually when they outraged the older generation, got into trouble, or made a fabulous work or art or appearance.

I loved the song at first listening — not unusual for my experiences with Beatles’ songs. Also, I had started strumming the guitar, trying to learn some chords, and it was a relatively simple song to pick up.

John and Yoko took off to evade the press and ended up in Amsterdam sequestered in a hotel room. They allowed the press to come in and interview them and gave the typical non-sequitur hippie answers the were known for. Yoko turned John Avant-Garde, which didn’t settle well with anybody. But it was great for press coverage.

When the ordeal was over, John wrote the song on April 14 and took it over to Paul’s house, where (according to interviews) “they finished it.” Nobody mentioned what Paul added to the song, but it was probably musically rather than any lyrics.

This was unusual because they had parted badly after the “Let It Be” sessions (which were filmed for a movie of the same name and became the last time they played together as a band). But they always rallied together around the music.

What I remember from the version I heard on the nightly news was that one of the words in the chorus was censored. They didn’t bleep it out, they actually cut it — so the musical phrase didn’t have enough beats.

“{Christ} you know it ain’t easy, you know hard it can be.
“The way things are going, they’re gonna crucify me.”

I discovered (internet research) that this was not unusual. Many countries either censored it or outright banned the song.

For historical context, the Beatles were very unpopular with the older generation — The Establishment — in America ever since Lennon had made his statement that among young people, The Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. That caused an uproar, as well as album burnings, banning of long hair in schools, and all kinds of reactions.

Lennon told his publicity department: “Tony – No pre-publicity on Ballad Of John & Yoko especially the ‘Christ’ bit – so don’t play it round too much or you’ll frighten people – get it pressed first.”

The song is legendary — one of the group’s greatest hits. And on a personal note — one of my Karaoke Faves.

It was fifty years ago today — and already a legend.

THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO

Standing in the dock at Southampton
Trying to get to Holland or France
The man in the mac said
You’ve got to go back
You know they didn’t even give us a chance

Christ you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re going to crucify me

Finally made the plane into Paris
Honeymooning down by the Seine
Peter Brown call to say
You can make it O.K.
You can get married in Gibraltar near Spain

Christ you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re going to crucify me

Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton
Talking in our beds for a week
The newspapers said
Say what’re you doing in bed
I said we’re only trying to get us some peace

Christ you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re going to crucify me

Saving up your money for a rainy day
Giving all your clothes to charity
Last night the wife said
Oh boy when you’re dead
You don’t take nothing with you but your soul, think

Made a lightning trip to Vienna
Eating chocolate cake in a bag
The newspapers said
She’s gone to his head
They look just like two gurus in drag

Christ you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re going to crucify me

Caught the early plane back to London
Fifty acorns tied in a sack
The men from the press
Said we wish you success
It’s good to have the both of you back

Christ you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re going to crucify me
The way things are going
They’re going to crucify me

Songwriters: JOHN LENNON,PAUL MCCARTNEY
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
For non-commercial use only.

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I’ll bet this has happened to you. It happens to everybody, I think.

You get a song that runs through your mind, and try as you might — you just can’t get it out of your head.

Shari Lewis and her lovable little puppet Lamb Chop had a running gag on her children’s TV show — “The Song That Never Ends.” Lamb Chop would start singing, causing the ventriloquist to moan and complain, “Oh No! Not that!”

A real life example would be the song (I hate to even mention it — you will curse me tonight when you go to bed and it has wormed its way into your brain)”It’s a Small World.” According to Time.com, the song by Richard and Robert Sherman is the most publicly performed song of all time. It lives in infamy (as FDR would say) in an attraction at Disneyland. I made the mistake of taking that boat ride with my loving wife once and I was MAD by the time we exited — I tell you MAD!!!

Whew … excuse me … I think I’m ok now.

But the song that runs through my head lately may not be as well known … or at least, not well remembered.

Pete Seeger Album "Waist Deep In The Big Muddy"

Folk music legend Pete Seeger wrote the song and it was a hit when he played it in concerts and finally recorded it on a album. However, he was censored when he was invited to perform the

tune on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (those radicals! Grrrr!!!!) but the hosts kept after CBS and were finally allowed to invite Seeger back to perform the show later (in 1968). The ironic fact is — Seeger recorded the album for CBS records.

The song needs historical context. It was similar to (if not based on) what became known as “The Ribbon Creek incident” in 1956. Marine Staff Sergeant and drill instructor Matthew McKeon marched his platoon into a swamp called Ribbon Creek and six US recruits died — drown. The sergeant was convicted for possession and use of an alcoholic beverage.

Seeger’s song is based in WWII but the situation is the same. Soldiers are ordered march into “The Big Muddy” by a captain, who is warned by a sergeant of the danger involved. “But the big fool said to push on.”

Each verse follows our loyal troops into the river farther and farther — as they get waist deep,knee deep, neck deep, …

Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you as I have reprinted the lyrics below and linked to a video of Seeger performing the song.

The controversy arose because Seeger used some of the very terms that Pres. Lyndon Johnson used to diss his critics of escalation of the war in Vietnam. “Nevous Nellies” the captain calls his men who are complaining about the march.

To quote Seeger —

But every time I read the papers
That old feeling comes on;
We’re — waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

It isn’t Lyndon Johnson of whom I am thinking, though. I was in elementary school at the time and just beginning to be aware of the big old world out there.

Maybe I’m thinking of
Brexit
or a Mexican border wall
or 17 years of war in Afghanistan
or the invasion and occupation of Iraq
or intervention in the Somali Civil War
or Bosnian-Serbian-Kosovo war
or reinstatement of the president of Haiti
or insurgency in Pakistan
or drone strikes in Somalia
or anti-pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean
or overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya
or anti ISIS intervention in Syria
or our role in the Yemeni Civil War
or 50 years of a war on Drugs

or maybe — just a little — Vietnam

Are we victims of “confirmation bias?”

Maybe it is no wonder that I often feel like we are

  • Waist Deep In The Big Muddy

It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in-a Loozianna,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain told us to ford a river,
That’s how it all begun.
We were — knee deep in the Big Muddy,
But the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, “Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?”
“Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
‘Bout a mile above this place.
It’ll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We’ll soon be on dry ground.”
We were — waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, “Sir, with all this equipment
No man will be able to swim.”
“Sergeant, don’t be a Nervous Nellie,”
The Captain said to him.
“All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I’ll lead on.”
We were — neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once, the moon clouded over,
We heard a gurgling cry.
A few seconds later, the captain’s helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, “Turn around men!
I’m in charge from now on.”
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn’t know that the water was deeper
Than the place he’d once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
‘Bout a half mile from where we’d gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy
When the big fool said to push on.

Well, I’m not going to point any moral;
I’ll leave that for yourself
Maybe you’re still walking, you’re still talking
You’d like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers
That old feeling comes on;
We’re — waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a
Tall man’ll be over his head, we’re
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!

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My Funny Valentine — You will still hear this every Valentine’s Day, even 80 years after it was written. The song is tender but odd — like the person who wrote it.

Actually, the beautiful music was written by “Richard Rodgers” — the guy who wrote Oklahoma and The Sound of Music and a lot of other classic Broadway musicals that were hits on the big screen.

But the lyrics were not written by Hammerstein — the better known of Rodgers’ partners.

For about 25 years, Richard Rodgers wrote with Lorenz — or Larry — Hart. And no story from Broadway or Hollywood could match the real-life story of this tortured but talented soul.

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart composing a song

Larry Hart and Dick Rodgers

“Funny Valentine” was written for (in most opinions) the greatest of Richard Rodgers’ musicals — “Babes in Arms.” The score of that show is like a greatest-hits compilation of Rodgers & Hart. “The Lady Is A Tramp,” “Have You Seen Miss Jones,” “Where or When” all have been adopted as

Read more on My Funny Valentine — Lorenz Hart…

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The two people most responsible for bringing jazz music into the mainstream got together 60 years ago this month and cut a record that is now an historical touchstone. I’m speaking of “Ella and Louis” the first duet album by jazz titans Fitzgerald and Armstrong.

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recorded their first duet album 60 years ago.

But the unsung hero of this project — and of popularizing jazz music as well as integrating audiences and venues — was Norman Granz.

“Ella and Louis” fueled a revival of that body of work we call The Great American Songbook — a treasure trove of music mostly created by white Jewish men — and spread it to a multi-cultural audience. And there it sits today, with most major artists giving their take on the various songs in the (informal) Songbook. In fact, Michael Feinstein gets a laugh out of telling audiences his name for it — “the Rod Stewart songbook.”

Norman Granz was a music promoter, concert impresario, talent agent and founder of several record labels — the best-known and most successful of which is Verve. His name is synonymous with jazz music to those in the know.

Most of the big-name jazz stars you’ve heard of were on a Granz record label and a Granz-produced concert. He was white and Jewish and was determined to integrate jazz music through music.

His biggest accomplishment was probably JATP –“Jazz at the Philharmonic” — which became a catalog of firsts.

In 1944 the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles had never featured jazz music before, and it didn’t intend to until Granz started working on them. The first concert was so successful that several more followed. JATP became international concert tours and popular live albums.

Using an integrated bill of performers, Granz refused to book the show at segregated theaters and halls. The tour ran for over ten years, until about 1957.

But as well as getting the music out to integrated audiences in integrated music halls, Granz got the musicians higher pay and acceptance at formerly segregated lodging while on tour.

He later tackled the task of integrating the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas.

In other words, the Norman Granz legacy is monumental. And along the path, his career was marked by remarkable accomplishments. And that was perfectly exemplified by the album he produced 60 years ago — “Ella and Louis.”

“It was perhaps more of a cultural leap, in the middle of that tumultuous century, that two black performers could be considered the best interpreters of white show tunes, and that the extemporaneous heart of jazz could elevate the whole to iconic status, desegregating American popular culture in just eleven songs.”

For the full story behind this album, you can check out this link:
https://blog.longreads.com/2016/11/07/the-story-of-ella-and-louis-60-years-later/

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Happy Valentine’s Day, Lovers!

This is either the happiest day or the saddest day of the year, depending upon the state of your love life.  As a happily married man, I’ve enjoyed a permanent valentine for twenty years and we tend to celebrate any old time we please.  It works out well.

Songwriters Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

As music lovers, my valentine and I are both great fans of the Great American Songbook standard “My Funny Valentine” — a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical “Babes in Arms.”

I’m sure you’ve heard it.  This popular jazz standard has appeared on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. It’s even been performed on “American Idol,” so even the Gen-X, Y or Z kids should know it.

Whether your favorite version is traditional (like Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra) or jazzy (like Miles Davis or Chet Baker), you can probably find a version to suit your mood.

Name your favorite performer, and chances are, you’ll find a recording of this song. Michael Bublé?  Too easy.  Jerry Garcia?  Believe it or not — YES.

The perennial song was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.  Of course the music is absolutely beautiful, but the lyrics make this the ultimate valentine song.

Read more on The Most Popular Valentine Song EVER!…

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