Currently browsing: Songs
Sometimes you like a song at first, but the more you hear it, the less you can tolerate it. The great ones are different. They express the thoughts…preserve the moments…and capture the imagination. Winner: “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Loser: “MacArthur Park.”
Dance with My Father, by Luther Vandross
I have to admit, I didn’t appreciate Luther Vandross enough while he was alive. What a smooth, pure, R&B voice he had....
Read More
The Way We Were, by Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand was at the height of her popularity when she paired with Robert Redford in The Way We Were. Movie: yawn. Song:...
Read More
“Unchained Melody”
Remember the great 1955 prison film Unchained? Well of course you don’t. But Alex North and Hy Zaret wrote a memorable theme song for...
Read More
“I (Who Have Nothing)”
I’ve always loved this song. It’s a little melodramatic, sure. But from the time I first heard the Ben E. King original in...
Read More
“Purple Haze”
This is one of those things that make you go, “Hmm.” “Purple Haze” was a groundbreaking single written by Jimi...
Read More
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” The Shirelles
“Tonight you’re mine, completely. You give your love so sweetly. Tonight the light of love is in your eyes.” With these...
Read More
“Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas
“Dancing in the Street” came out in 1964, right at the height of the British Invasion. The Beatles held number one from Feb. 1...
Read More
“I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline
It was the Billboard Hot Country chart’s number one song for the year 1961. Sometimes those songs become classics, sometimes they...
Read More
“My Girl,” The Temptations
I’d like to know how many times I danced to this song during my teenage years. Seems every band, regardless of the type of music they...
Read More
“Stand By Me,” Song
When Mike Stoller came up with the bass line that begins “Stand By Me,” he had one of his greatest moments as a composer. Then...
Read More