Valentine's Torch 2015 • Julie, Etta, Judy & Barbra

Clockwise: Julie London, Etta James, Barbra Streisand, and Judy Garland. 

It is Valentine's Day, so how could I not choose some of my favorite voices to sing about love? I decided I wanted to go with some live performances, which ruled out a few of them, but that actually made my job easier. I will start with a favorite of mine, as I remember hearing her music while I was growing up. Julie London could be heard playing from stereo when I was young, for my Mother loved listening to her. To this day, it warms my heart to even hear her voice. This is Julie London singing "Let There Be Love", with music by Lionel Rand and lyrics by Ian Grant, published in 1940.

If you are feeling romantic, how can you not think about the great song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren, and sung to perfection by Etta James? The song was written for the 1941 musical 'Orchestra Wives', and was performed in the film and on record by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday. Nearly two decades later, it was recorded by James, and it became a hit for the singer. This is Etta James singing "At Last".

Next up, I picked a French popular song, with written by Léo Chauliac & Charles Trenet, first recorded by Trenet in 1943. "Que reste-t-il de nos amours?" was a hit in France, and used many times in soundtracks for French films. English-speaking audiences knew it was after new lyrics were written by Albert A. Beach, and it was introduced in 1957 by Keely Smith. That was when "I Wish You Love" became a world-wide hit, with many of the great singers recording their own version. I chose one by the great Judy Garland. She just had a way with songs that spoke to tortured romance, didn't she? This is Judy singing "I Wish You Love".

Finally, I thought I would offer one of my all-time favorites, Miss Barbra Joan Streisand. In a medley that features two spectacular songs, Barbra sand them at her 'Back to Brooklyn' concert recorded in 2012, when Streisand was 70 years old. And damn, she sounds and looks amazing! She is joined by handsome Chris Botti on trumpet on "What'll I Do", a song written in 1923 by the great Irving Berlin. For her second classic song, Barbra adds "My Funny Valentine", from the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical 'Babes in Arms' from 1937. That song was also included on the 1967 release, 'Simply Streisand'. I just couldn't let Valentine's Day go by without including it on the blog. So this is Barbra Streisand singing "What'll I Do/My Funny Valentine" featuring Chris Botti.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Spencer Day • My Funny Valentine

Handsome, talented, and busy, being on tour in the Philippines didn't deter the Jazz stylist from offering a little something special to his fans in time to Valentine's Day. Spencer did a live version of "My Funny Valentine", the great song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart from the 1937 musical 'Babes in Arms'. Here is Spencer singing the iconic Jazz standard.

To learn more about Spencer Day, visit his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook and 'follow' him on Twitter. Be sure to check out his touring schedule, and if he is playing near you, get your ticket early. Seeing Spencer performing live is a treat you will not soon forget. His music is also available online, and you can find it on iTunes and Amazon.

Dark Monday • Broadway Valentine

Clockwise: Annie Lennox, Mandy Patinkin, Chaka Khan, John Barrowman, Daniel Boys, and Ella Fitzgerald.

It is the night before Valentine's Day, so I thought I would pony up to the bar with a few love songs that were from Broadway musicals. But I thought I would offer different interpretations, other than the Broadway cast. I will start out with a fairly famous song, a standard unto itself. It has been sung by many, but few quite like this version, sung by Annie Lennox on New Years Eve 2009. She sings Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man from the 1927 musical Showboat, with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.



This next song is another great song, sung by some great voices in productions. It is a bit harder to sing, so it doesn't have nearly the amount of covers that the first did, but they are pretty special. This is If I Loved You from the Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II musical from 1946, Carousel. It is being performed by Mandy Patinkin in a live show. He blows me away.



The next entry is from the musical 1937 Babes in Arms, and written by the great songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. It is truly one of the great songs in the Great American Songbook, with covers by countless singers. This is My Funny Valentine by Chaka Khan, recorded to be a part of the soundtrack to the 1995 film, Waiting To Exhale.



Then next song was written for a 1943 musical that few people have heard of, Speak Low from the 1943 musical One Touch Of Venus composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Ogden Nash. This is an incredible performance by Ella Fitzgerald and Jazz guitarist Joe Pass.



The song I Know Him So Well was an incredible love song from the 1986 show Chess, music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. It was sung by the two female leads, about a man who they both loved. I love this version by John Barrowman & Daniel Boys, singing about the man they both loved.



Happy Valentine's Day!

Boys With A Torch

Men feeling the flame of the torch: (clockwise from top left) Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humberdinck, and Dean Martin.

Well, I just thought it was wrong to think that only a woman can hold a torch for a lover, because there is a long history of men singing about the very same thing. So I thought I would continue on with the series of Torch Singers, only featuring the men. Back in their day, they could set the hearts of woman all aflutter simply by walking on stage. That was certainly true for Frank Sinatra, the singer from Hoboken, New Jersey. Whether he was performing by himself, or in Las Vegas with his Rat Pack buddies, Sinatra knew how to sing a song. Check him out singing I've Got You Under My Skin, a classic by Cole Porter, talking about that early part of love.



If there were ever a poster boy for a gin-soaked evening in a club, it would be the very handsome Dean Martin. The boy from Steubenville, Ohio, certainly could turn a head, and never met a drink he didn't like. He'd come out on stage, drink in hand, cigarette in the other hand, and rip the hearts of many to shreds with songs like Besame Mucho, written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez.



The next song was recorded by many, but leave it to Sammy Davis Jr. to put his own particular spin on it. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) was written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the 1964 musical, The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd. Like his Rat Pack brothers, Sammy could be seen with his cigarette in hand as he performed.



In some way, the remaining two men are the next generation of Rat Packers, so to speak. Engelbert Humperdinck Please Release Me, an standard written in 1946 by Eddie Miller, Robert Yount, and James Pebworth. Engelbert, born with the relatively boring name of Arnold George Dorsey, released the song in 1967, reaching the top of the charts in the UK and to #4 on the US Billboard chart.



There are few ways to truly describe out final man tonight without using the word sex. For many years, Tom Jones has embodied a sexually-charged charisma that had women throwing their undergarments to him while he was performing, screaming to get his attention. While the sexiness of the act often grabbed the headlines, there was plenty of talent to back all that up. Watch as he performs his version of the classic 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart song from the 1937 musical Babes in Arms, My Funny Valentine.

GLEE Redux - Silly Love Songs

Clockwise: Freddie Mercury, Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Robin Thicke, Katy Perry & Michael Jackson.

Once again I am recapping the latest episode of Glee, only using the videos of the original songs rather than the covers. Hope you enjoy.

Well, it is Valentine's Day at McKinley High School, and it only seems right the Glee clubs would be singing love songs, right? The episode starts out with Puck discussing his latest love, with curvaceous Lauren. At the moment, she seems to want none of Puckster... Blaine and Kurt go for coffee, and Blaine confesses he loves Valentine's Day, and he has a desire to sing to someone to make it a memorable day. Kurt, of course, thinks he knows exactly what is going on.

Finn seems even more full of himself than usual, and attributes all the good that is going on to the fact he lead the football team to a conference championship. He plans to open up a kissing booth, and give the dollar per kiss to the Glee club. Santana busts him, saying she's kissed him, and it isn't worth a buck.

Blaine announces he is in love at a Warblers' meeting, and wants the club's help to sing to someone off-campus. He is planning on singing at the North Hills Gap, a plan Blaine calls the Warbler Gap Attack. It seems the new apple of Blaine's eye is an assistant manager, and Kurt realizes it is not him... Mercedes, Rachel and Kurt commiserate about Kurt's pain, and they tell him he must go to the attack, and scope out the competition.

Puck sings for the Glee club, and much to the astonishment of Santana and Rachel, he dedicates Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls to Lauren. He tells her it is to confirm his feelings, and she says it hurt her feelings.



Finn has the kissing booth set up, and Quinn refuses to participate, saying she doesn't want to lead him on or disrespect her boyfriend. Finn isn't buying it, and we notice Sam in the distance, unsure about what he is seeing. Later, at a record store, Sam confronts Quinn about what he did or didn't see. To stop the situation, Quinn tells him she will indeed kiss Finn...

The 'skinny Asian guy and the guy in the wheelchair' remark about how they are dating the two hottest girls in the school, and Mike dances while Artie sings Michael Jackson's PYT, which really impresses their girlfriends.



Now Santana confronts Puck, and then Lauren, about her desire to to get together with Puck. Lauren hands her glasses to Puck, and then beats the crap outta Santana until Coach Bieste interrupts the fight, and sends Santana to the nurse. And Quinn shows up to kiss Finn, and has Sam at her side. They kiss, and despite the visuals of fireworks, both Quinn and Finn profess it was nothing. Until Quinn leaves and rushes back to whisper for Finn to meet her in the auditorium tomorrow.

Blaine is having a bit of a panic attack, almost backing out of the Gap Attack. Kurt is there to back him up. So the Warbler's break into Robin Thicke's When I Get You Alone as he follows a floppy-haired boy around the Gap.



Later, the boy comes out of the Gap, explains he has been fired, and not interested in dating Blaine, who is still underage. Blaine is crushed. Santana figures out something is going on between Finn and Quinn, and goes to the hospital to contract Mono, and rushes back to kiss Finn, hoping aloud she doesn't have anything. Puck and Lauren are in the library, discussing their relationship. It isn't going well, until Puck asks her to go to Breadsticks restaurant, and gives her a candy ring. She likes his style.

Quinn and Finn meet in the auditorium, and are flirting, yet also discussing relationships, and what cheating really means. And how it hurts. And they still kiss.

Kurt and Blaine are chatting, with Blaine expressing his embarrassment over what has transpired. Kurt admits his own blunder, thinking the song was to be sung to him, not the floppy-haired sales boy. Suddenly, Blaine admits to his own inexperience when it comes to relationships, as does Kurt. But they still decide to give it a try, together.

Finn announces he has raised over $300 for the Glee club, and has kissed every girl in the school. Next, Tina decides to sing a song dedicated to her boyfriend, Mike Chang. Tina sings the great ballad My Funny Valentine, sung here by Frank Sinatra. Only she falls apart while singing.



Finn asks to be excused to the nurses office, as does Quinn. Santana makes the announcement that is sounds like Mono - the kissing disease. It turns out to be true, which we already knew. In the nurses office, Quinn tells Finn she thinks he still loves Rachel. Finn, however, can't say the same to Rachel, only that when he kissed Quinn, he saw fireworks. He can't say the same thing when he kissed her. She is inspired to sing Katy Perry's Fireworks, and I think she sounds fantastic!



Mercedes and Mike join Rachel at a table at Breadsticks, where Kurt is hosting a Lonely Heart's Club dinner, and the Warblers sing Paul McCartney and Wings' Silly Love Songs, headlined by Blaine.



Next episode is next Tuesday, February 15, and it is called Comeback.

Chaka's Valentine

Yes, that Chaka - like this is another that matters. Chaka Khan, singing My Funny Valentine. If this doesn't seem great to you, call a doctor and let them check if you are still alive. That's all I am saying.