Notting Hill Soundtrack Pt 2

Top: Notting Hill soundtrack cover. Clockwise: Spencer Davis Group; Shania Twain; Boyzone; and Elvis Costello.

While I was feeling under the weather yesterday, I watched a Hugh Grant mini-marathon, catching both 'Notting Hill' and 'Love Actually' on cable. It reminded me how much I liked the soundtrack to the former, and so I decided re-post my take on if from two years ago.

Last Monday, I posted the first of two installments featuring the music of 'Notting Hill', a charming movie with some great songs. If you missed the post featuring the music of Al Green, Ronan Keating, Lighthouse Family, and cuties 98 Degrees, click here. I couldn't find anywhere on to purchase the soundtrack, but you can buy import on used copies on Amazon. The soundtrack is a delightful cross-section of great Pop music, covering several decades. The first song in this post comes from 1966, and a band some may have forgotten about. British band Spencer Davis Group, featuring the talents of Spencer Davis, Peter York, and then unknown Steve Winwood and Steve's brother Muff Winwood had a hit with "Gimme Some Lovin'", written by Davis and the Winwood brothers. This was before Steve had been a member of supergroups Traffic and Blind Faith, and before he had his solo success. I love this song! This is the Spencer Davis Group singing "Gimme Some Lovin'".

1999 was a huge year for Canadian superstar Shania Twain. She was still riding high with the success of her third album, 'Come On Over', a follow-up to the smash 'The Woman In Me'. 'Come On Over' sold 20x Platinum in the US, and the eighth single was a part of the 'Notting Hill' soundtrack. The beautiful ballad "You've Got A Way", written by Twain and then husband/producer Mutt Lange, proved Shania was at the top of her game.

Well, the first installment had the first release from Ronan Keating as he embarked on his solo career. The soundtrack also included a huge hit for Keating's boyband, the mega-popular Boyzone. Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, Ronan Keating, and the late Stephen Gately were the guys in this band, and they made sweet music throughout the 1990s for the UK and Europe. In 1998, the boys released a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, originally from the 1996 musical 'Whistle Down the Wind'. "No Matter What" was a huge hit for Boyzone, topping the charts around the world. It went to #12 in the US Adult Contemporary chart. Boyzone featured Ronan Keating, who had also contributed as a solo artist on the soundtrack. But for this song, he shared the lead vocals with a favorite of mine, the late Stephen Gately. In 1999, it was part of the 'Notting Hill' soundtrack.

One of my favorites off the soundtrack was the stunning cover of a song by Frenchmen Charles Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer by Elvis Costello. I remember first discovering Costello in the 1980s, a New Wave star of the highest magnitude with hit after hit. By the mid-1990s, he selling power had diminished, but certainly not his talent. He recorded the Aznavour hit "She" for the soundtrack, and made it current, popular, and showed off what a great song it was.

Notting Hill Soundtrack Pt2

Top: Notting Hill Soundtrack cover. Clockwise: Spencer Davis Group; Shania Twain; Boyzone; and Elvis Costello.

Last Monday, I posted the first of two installments featuring the music of 'Notting Hill', a charming movie with some great songs. If you missed the post featuring the music of Al Green, Ronan Keating, Lighthouse Family, and Americans 98 Degrees, click here. I couldn't find anywhere on to purchase the soundtrack, but you can buy import on used copies on Amazon. The soundtrack is a delightful cross-section of great Pop music, covering several decades. The first song in this post comes from 1966, and a band some may have forgotten about. British band Spencer Davis Group, featuring the talents of Spencer Davis, Peter York, and then unknown Steve Winwood and Steve's brother Muff Winwood had a hit with "Gimme Some Lovin'", written by Davis and the Winwood brothers. This was before Steve had been a member of supergroups Traffic and Blind Faith, and before he had his solo success. This is the Spencer Davis Group singing "Gimme Some Lovin'".



1999 was a huge year for Canadian superstar Shania Twain. She was still riding high with the success of her third album, 'Come On Over', a follow-up to the smash 'The Woman In Me'. 'Come On Over' sold 20x Platinum in the US, and the eighth single was a part of the 'Notting Hill' soundtrack. The beautiful ballad "You've Got A Way", written by Twain and then husband/producer Mutt Lange, proved Shania was at the top of her game.



Well, the first installment had the first release from Ronan Keating as he embarked on his solo career. The soundtrack also included a huge hit for Keating's boyband, the mega-popular Boyzone. Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, Ronan Keating, and the late Stephen Gately were the guys in this band, and they made sweet music throughout the 1990s for the UK and Europe. In 1998, the boys released a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, originally from the 1996 musical 'Whistle Down the Wind'. "No Matter What" was a huge hit for Boyzone, topping the charts around the world. It went to #12 in the US Adult Contemporary chart. In 1999, it was part of the 'Notting Hill' soundtrack.



One of my favorites off the soundtrack was the stunning cover of a song by Frenchmen Charles Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer by Elvis Costello. I remember first discovering Costello in the 1980s, a New Wave star of the highest magnitude with hit after hit. By the mid-1990s, he selling power had diminished, but certainly not his talent. He recorded the Aznavour hit "She" for the soundtrack, and made it current, popular, and showed off what a great song it was.

Notting Hill Soundtrack Pt 1

Clockwise: Notting Hill Soundtrack cover; Lighthouse Family; 98 Degrees; and Al Green; Ronan Keating.


I will admit that I think 'Notting Hill' is my favorite Julia Roberts movie, and in the top 5 of Hugh Grant's film, although 'Maurice' remains my favorite. I also thought the movie had a wonderful soundtrack, and I've been wanting to do a post forever. Once I stated putting this together, I figured out I needed to make two posts, so this is the first installment, and the second will be coming next week. But I will start with the song from the boyband which gave us Nick Lachey and his brother Drew (long before he won on 'Dancing With The Stars'), 98 Degrees. The Lachey boys were joined by Justin Jeffre and Jeff Timmons, two more cuties. The boys were together in the 1990s, making a few hits. "I Do (Cherish You)" was a hit in 1998, making it to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1999, it was in 'Notting Hill', adding sweetness to the soundtrack.



The next song had a rich and interesting history. It was written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and first recorded by Country star Keith Whitley, released late in 1988. The song took a few weeks, but finally sat atop the Billboard Country chart for two weeks. In 1994, bluegrass band Union Station recorded the song for a tribute album for Keith Whitley, who had passed less than a year after releasing the song. The following year, Alison Krauss rerecorded the song as her first solo single, following her time with Union Station. It was Krauss' first Billboard Top 10. Finally, in 1999, Boyzone was calling it quits, and Ronan Keating was looking for his first single as a solo artist. He was invited to be a part of the 'Notting Hill' soundtrack, and he jumped at the chance. He recorded "When You Say Nothing At All", and became the second artist to make it their solo debut, and the third to take the song on to the Billboard chart.



The next song in this post is another cover song. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" was a huge hit in 1971 for the Bee Gees, who were worldwide Pop stars by this time. The song was credited to Barry and Robin Gibb, although in 2009, Maurice was added to the credits. In 1972, the great Al Green covered the song for his 'Let's Stay Together' album. The Reverend Al's version made it to the soundtrack to 1997's 'Good Will Hunting', 1999's 'The Virgin Suicides' as well as 'Notting Hill' and 2010's 'The Book of Eli'. In 2008, Green recorded it as a duet with Joss Stone for the soundtrack of 'Sex In The City'. But here is Al's solo version as it is heard in 'Notting Hill'.



To be honest, I wasn't really familiar with out next group, Lighthouse Family. The British duo was made up by singer Tunde Baiyewu and keyboardist Paul Tucker. From their debut album in the UK, Lighthouse Family were huge hits, both in England and across Europe. So they were asked to be a part of the of 'Notting Hill', so they recorded a cover of Bill Wither's iconic song, "Ain't No Sunshine".



Hope you enjoyed it, and will be back next week for the second part!

Dancing Up A Storm

Clockwise: Weather Girls; Panic At The Disco; Eurythmics; and Boyzone.

Well, I had to think about Irene when coming up with the posts, didn't I? I'll start with the obvious, to be sure. I couldn't possibly even consider doing this post without the amazing Weather Girls, Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. Twenty-nine years ago, they had the #1 Dance song in the country when they sang It's Raining Men.



Just two years later, in 1984, the Eurythmics released the third single off the album Touch, Here Comes The Rain Again. The song made it to #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #4 on the Dance/Club Play chart. Here is Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart with Here Comes The Rain Again.



In 2010, Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, and Shane Lynch were still recovering from the surprising death of Stephen Gately. They had released a new album, and the first included Gately's vocal track. So when Boyzone released Love Is A Hurricane, it was the first song without Gately. While I still miss Stephen, I have to say Ronan, Keith, Mikey and Shane are looking damn good in the video.



Certainly much has been written, theorized, and categorized about the final group in the post tonight. Original members Spencer Smith and Brendon Urie still make up the nucleus of Panic At The Disco, a few years ago having lost three other members. But the Pop/Punk/Emo band from Las Vegas was not prepared to call it a day, and put out Vices & Virtues earlier this year, and excellent album. Here is their song, Hurricane.



So, having listened to all those songs, I now feel ready to face Irene! Two about rain, and the other two with hurricane in their title... Hope you enjoyed!

Friday Night Party Mix - Boybands

Clockwise: Westlife, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, & Take That

If variety is the spice of life, than my iTunes is a veritable cabinet filled with a shipment from the islands. The spice might add some heat, while others might zip a little bit of savory flavor, and others might just leave a cool taste in your mouth. Sometimes I choose my music for flavor, while other times I just let it go, and randomly spice my experience. But no matter what, I just hope I have the music that can make an impact on me, one way or another. Certainly, there are some boybands that do just that. They stroke a memory of hearing a song, or of being with certain people, be them friends or lovers. Sometimes, there are groups like Westlife, and much of their music just reminds me of good times. When I hear a song like When You're Looking Like That, I think about getting back to my apartment, and playing it while I get ready to go out to meet friends.



But when I hear the music of Backstreet Boys, I am often transported to a couple of clubs in Rhodes Island. It seems one of the songs I would constantly hear back then was I Want It That Way, and when I hear it again, it makes me smile.



Could there be anything that makes me smile quite as strongly as when I see some Irish boys getting all break-dancing, bringing the hood with them to a video? Well, So Good does all that, and more. When the guys from Boyzone look about as cute as can be, they also get their dancing on, and do it with style.



Now when I hear Back For Good by Take That, I think about time traveling, most of the time on a plane with my iPod in place. I loved to get on the plane, put on the headphones, take out a book, and disappear for a few hours. It was like heaven.



I have long had admiration for the boys of Westlife, and it continues to this day. I hold no delusion about getting to see them play live - I buy DVDs for that. And I certainly have a warm spot for those songs I first heard them sing, like Swear It Again, and the beautiful Flying Without Wings.

Remembering Stephen Gately

It was a year ago today that Stephen Gately left us, and I still find myself listening to his music, both his music with the group Boyzone, and his solo stuff as well. It is with Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch that Stephen first became known as part of the Irish boyband Boyzone. Ronan and Stephen became the lead singers, and Boyzone shot to stardom in Ireland 1994, and soon conquered the UK and Europe. In 1998 they had a hit with the song No Matter What.



In 1999, Gately broke the news that he was gay, making headlines across the UK. While it was big news, Gately was fully supported by his bandmates. However, within a year the band went on a prolonged hiatus, and both Gately and Keating went on to release solo albums. Gately's was released in 2000, named New Beginning, also the name of the first single. It scored well on the charts. It should have, cause I think it is a wonderful song.



The second single was I Believe, which was also included as part of the soundtrack to the movie Billy Elliot. I really loved this song.



By 2007, Boyzone was starting to think about getting back together. First there were some live appearances, and a few on television specials. They returned to the studio, and did a couple of new songs that were to be included as part of a Greatest Hits collection. One of the songs was the beautiful love ballad. When doing the video, the boys decided, in a nod to Stephen, to cast a male actor opposite Stephen, and there would be physical contact. It was quite controversial, but it made for an exquisite video. This is Better.



In 2003, Gately entered married Andrew Cowles in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2006, they officially registered in London for a civil partnership. The couple were introduced by friend Elton John and his lover, David Furnish. A year ago, Stephen was excited about beginning work on a new album with Boyzone, having laid down some tracks before heading off on vacation with Cowles. It was shocking and quite sad that he passed while away.


Andrew Cowles & Stephen Gately

Sadly, even after his death, there was some controversy. A particularly poisonous and homophobic write for London's Daily Mail wrote and published a report filled with misinformation, lies, and stereotypical hate. Despite a report from the coroner which dispelled some of what was said, and many others, from other journalists calling it "vile" and "idiocy" to the former Prime Minister of Ireland to the record company complained about the homophobic swill. The article was removed from an Irish edition of the paper.



At the funeral, Ronan Keating gave an emotional and loving tribute to Gately, above. The band also finished the work on their album, and included the vocal tracks Gately had laid down to date. The first video was dedicated to Stephen, a loving tribute that can be seen here. And the band just announced that one year later, they are putting up a special webpage here that was a place to remember Stephen.

Then And Now - Boyzone

L to R: Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham.

After an exhaustive audition process in 1993, manager Louis Walsh assembled Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately to form Boyzone. The group was Louis' Irish answer to Take That, the UK boyband featuring Robbie Williams that was tearing up the charts. They didn't release their first album until 1995 One of the songs from that first album was Father And Son, a song written and recorded in 1970 by Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam. It was the fourth single from their debut, all of which went #1 in Ireland, and were in the Top 3 on the UK Pop chart.



Where We Belong was the third album release for Boyzone in 1998. The fourth single off the album, No Matter What, was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman for the musical Whistle Down The Wind. It topped the Pop charts in both Ireland and the UK.



As with many groups, even the overwhelming success did not manage to keep them together. In 1999, Gately announced he was gay and had a boyfriend, Keating recorded a solo album and a song featured in the movie Notting Hill, and other tensions were mounting behind the scenes of a big tour. In January of 2000, they announced they were breaking up the group.


L to R: Ronan, Keith, Stephen, Mikey and Shane.

In 2007, they announced they were reforming the group, and working together again. They started appearing in public together, and in 2008, they toured together and started working on a new album. They released the videos and singles Love You Anyway and Better. The later included the first depiction of Stephen with a same sex partner. They were recording in 2009, but on October 10, 2008, Stephen Gately was found dead by his lover in a vacation home. The other boys came together, all deeply saddened by his passing. The decided to remain together and complete the album they started, using the vocals Gately had laid down. In March of 2010, they released Brother, dedicated to 'Steo'. The first single, Gave It All Away, was written by Mika and included his vocals, and the video featured the remaining boys penning final goodbyes to him. The second single, Love Is A Hurricane, features the remaining boys in varying degrees of undress. It also happens to be a good song.



For more on Boyzone, check out their official website here.

New Video - Boyzone

The newly released song and video from Boyzone, the first since Stephen Gately past away in October. The song, Gave It All Away, was written by Mika, and features the now haunting opening line sung by the late Gately. The video features the other members of the band, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating and Shane Lynch, writing letters to Gately and the inclusion of old footage of him with the other members of Boyzone. I like the song, though think I might have loved it had they avoided putting the reggae beat in there.



For more on Boyzone, check out their website here.

Christmas Music - Ronan Keating

The devilishly handsome Ronan Keating came to fame as part of Boyzone, an incredibly successful boy band out of Ireland who saw their heyday in the 90s. Ronan was a driving force in the band, and after their last performance in 2000, he went on to a solo career, with hits in the UK, Ireland and Europe. This year the band was on the road to a comeback, only to have it falter when Stephen Gately passed away. The boys were already in rehearsals and had recorded some together, and the surviving members of the band were crushed by his passing. Before he had left us, Stephen also recorded vocals for Ronan's holiday album, Winter Songs. Particularly inspired were Stephen's work on Little Drummer Boy.



Ronan recently performed a beautiful version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, originally sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me In St. Louis, the 1944 musical directed by Vincente Minnelli.



He also does a very poignant version of Silent Night on the album.



For more information about Ronan, go to his official website here.

Sad News - Stephen Gately

I just saw the passing of Stephen Gately on Saturday, October 10, while on a holiday in Majorca. Gately was only 33. He is survived by his husband, Andrew Cowles, who were joined in a civil union in 2006. Stephen was part of the Irish boyband Boyzone, whom I had featured in an earlier post. While with the band, Stephen came out publicly in 1999. Boyzone had reunited in 2008 for a greatest hits release. In a video for the song Better, Gately was seen with a male partner, something I find both brave and inspiring.


Stephen Gately with partner Andrew Cowles

Gately had a solo career that included a couple of hits in the UK. He was adorable, just cute as a button, very much the boy-next-door type. My favorite was New Beginning, and yes I do have it on my iTunes.



He also had a hit song that was featured in the movie version of Billy Elliott, I Believe.



To the best of my knowledge, Gately had just the one solo album. He had appeared in several musicals, including West End productions of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.



Boyzone were planning to get together once again, and his bandmates were to join him in Majorca this weekend. Initial reports are they are heartbroken, as they were all very close. I am saddened by the news. I will once again post the video for Better.



Boyzone were Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mike Graham. My thoughts go to them, as well as with Stephen's family and his partner.

Music Video - Better by Boyzone

Sure, one of the things we can thank the British for is boybands, and one of the big ones that never made the trip across the ocean was Boyzone. The Irish boys were wildly successful for a few years before breaking up in a bit of turmoil. Prior to the bust up, Stephan Gately came out just prior to being outed in the tabloids. After they broke up, singer Ronan Keating went on to success in a solo career, as well as helping to direct the careers of others in British music, including Westlife, a favorite of mine. Stephen Gately had some minor success, especially with the theme song from the movie, Billy Elliott.



A few years ago, there was some interest from the British music industry and fans for a Boyzone reunion. The boys patched up old differences, and come back together, releasing a couple of new singles for a Greatest Hits collection. One of those was Better, a sweet love song with a really good video that created some waves with the depiction of a romantic gay male couple. I can't imagine that happening in the US, even if it were the Backstreet Boys or N'SYNK [yes, that means you, Lance Bass]. Way to support, boys! Credit should also go to the record label for not shying away from controversy.



You can get more information on the Boyzone reunion at their website.