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The song most sung today will undoubtedly be this:
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne
We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne
While it isn't necessarily about the love of one person for another, it is a reminder for everyone to celebrate the friendships and relationships in their lives — the heart of a love song, really. So today we'll leave, you, and 2010, with an ode to love.
In this show, David Miller speaks with a two local musicians, and the owner of Tony Starlight Supper Club, about love songs. How to write them. How to perform them. And how to not be scared by them.
Did you fall in (or out) of love in 2010? Did you write about it? Do you have a true love you hope stays by your side in 2011? Or a special person you want to ring in the New Year with? What is the love of your life right now? And what song best encapsulates it?
GUESTS:
- Mirah: Musician originally from Olympia, Washington
- Ritchie Young: Lead singer and songwriter for the Portland band Loch Lomond
- Tony Starlight: Owner of Tony Starlight's Supper Club and professional entertainer
Photo credit: Doctor Paradox / Creative Commons
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How are Barry Manilow love songs similar to SuperMan?
Ans: Both can prevent crime and make cities safer.
In front of convenience and liquor stores, the riff-raff of society and teens congregate in the pre-dawn hours. Barry Manilow songs drive them away like Holy Water repels Vampires. And rates of loitering, lewdness, armed robbery and muggings decline.
Barry Manilow is a closet superhero. And love songs can make a difference and even save lives.
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Manilow is a poor stick of a crooner. and if there were any truly great male (and female) talent around singing today, he'd be working NYC subways for nickels and dimes. He has a thin, emotionally flat voice with a narrow range.
The great male vocalists sang in the late 30s through the early 50s. That was it. Sinatra and Martin were about the last and continued the tradition a little longer. The great love song were written in the same era when there were real talent to give them life. The songs, the singers and the society from whence they sprung are all gone. Now we have 50 cent, Lady GaGa, Manilow and fat brats that can't actually dance a lick anyway.
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responding to Gereng below - they were spam. Gone now. If people can refrain from commenting in response to spam, it's easier to get rid of. Thanks, Emily
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Comrade Tom & Gereng,
I am not a fan of Manilow, but his best songs can be pleasant. But as I stated, playing his music keeps out the Riff Raff, Criminals and Felons who seem to be repulsed by his beats, lyrics and melodies.
Nuf Said.
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These are comments????
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Emily,
Most of the spam comments begin with a single banal nonspecific comment or praise. It ends with a web link to some commercial site or massage service.
Maybe your tech department can disable the ability to link to a web site. It may discourage future infomericals and phishing.
Very few of commenters seem to use the link feature currently and it may not be missed. Of course an interested reader can still cut and paste a web address--one more step but not disabling.
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Thanks for the suggestion! I'll pass it on.
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There was a song this year that really hit my heart with my love, Christina. It was Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - HOME. I wasn't particularly in to the song at first, but when I took a few minutes to listen to the lyrics, I realized what a beautiful love song it was. I've been long away from my family and being with the love of my life is home for me now, nothing like any other home before. I could probably try and fumble with a pen to capture how I feel, but these guys have already put it better than I ever could.
p.s. we both love OPB.
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Just in order to stay somewhat attuned to the poplular culture, I occasionally gird my loins and listen to what passes for music in our post industrial society. I watch the performers on stage and listen carefully to the words of their songs...these are not always easy to make out
The female singers are usually half naked, the men occasionally semi naked as well. When they are fully clothed they insult their audience by wearing torn, soiled looking jeans and tee-shirts or some like the cadaverous Mick Jagger go prancing about the stage in long underwear. Even when singing emotionally neutral songs or what passes for love songs they all look angry and some downright evil. None actually look loving, or much less deserving of love.
Compared with the dress, expressions and behavior of the artists of the late 30s through the 50s the current crop of "artists" appear more life half mad, derelicts. Why always the angry facial expressions?? That is something I can never understand.
The words and music? With rare exceptions, like the late, lamented, Roy Orbison, the rest are meager talents, and musical compositions are mainly just noise that starts nowhere and goes nowhere, but thank God eventually ends.
When young people today are lucky enough to have made it through childhood, undrugged, with some sense of taste in tact, they usually love the music of the 40s once they are exposed to it.
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I tend to agree with Gereng about past singers in his comment above and I'd add that my favorite was/is Nat King Cole. What a velvet voice.
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The melodies are good, but why these guests? The guy and the joanna newsom wannabe chick are obvious sociopaths. They know they are both unlovable which is why they make corpses and flies the objects of their love songs. I doubt the guy's love song to himself is even sincere.
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Thank you for this program. It made me think about my husband tenderly from the early morning, which does not happen very often in the 36th year of marriage. "Let's never stop falling in love" has become my favorite love song of all times.
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I was too young to know his work when he was a young man, but I'm thilled to have recently "discovered" Leonard Cohen in all his current glory. Pure seduction!
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With sorrow, I fell out of love this year. But I also fell back in love with me, whom I had forgotten about for a bit.
The song that resonated with me this year was "It's Your Life" by Francesca Battistelli.
The chorus below reminded me to make intentional use of my precious time to make a difference in a way that makes me feel whole. I like that the choices I make (every day!) are the words of my heart and mind.
It’s your life
What you gonna do?
The world is watching you
Every day the choices you make
Say what you are and who
Your heart beats for
It’s an open door
It’s your life -
Thank you for the rebroadcast Friday. A listener called me after hearing the show and hired me to write a song for his wife who is due with their first child first of March. -Sam boywritessongforgirl
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Congrats .. glad to hear that! :)
Thanks,
Tag My Buddy
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Comments are now closed.
In the year 2000, Rolling Stones Magazine and MTV listed the Greatest Rock and Roll songs of the Millenium. And the #1 song was the Beatles "Yesterday" by Lennon and McCartney. A winsome, love-pining, rock ballad with a spare performance and a common name. It is also the most covered or re-recorded song in history with over 3000 versions done by everyone from Michael Jackson to Frank Sinatra.
But the song has a surprisingly flippant history. A 23 yo Paul McCartney awoke one morning with the melody on his brain. The lyrics came harder, but John Lennon recalled hammering out the words in one afternoon of collaboration with Paul in between busy music sessions, interviews, and meals.
And thus was concieved the greatest song ever, after a late brunch and some cigarettes.
I am not sure this story would inspire future song writers or deflate them. But that song is "Yesterday." No one has written the corollary songs of "Today" and "Tommorow" which are sure to be a hits.
Pay attention to your dreams when you wake up, they may provide the stuff of legends.