Saturday Night Love

Clockwise: Vera Lynn; Anita O'Day; Sophie Tucker; and Jo Stafford.

As I was thinking about this post, I decided to listen to one of my playlists on iTunes, hoping for some inspiration. After listening to a couple of songs, I had to laugh at myself. What was I thinking, hoping for inspiration? These are the songs I am gonna use, by golly! So I started with the voice of a woman many thought of as the voice of World War II in the UK. Many found strength and support in Vera Lynn's voice, no matter what she sang. I picked her beautiful song released in 1940, "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square", written by Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin.

Ultimately, I think that Anita O'Day might be one of my favorite big band/jazz singers. No matter what I am listening to, I find there are some singers I constantly find playing. Anita is one of them. So I picked one of my favorites, a song from 1945 written by Jimmy McHugh and Clarence Gaskill, "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me".

How can anyone not love the vocals of Jo Stafford? Tonight I will feature a song written by Chilton Price, and later adapted by Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart. In 1952, Stafford released her version of the classic song "You Belong To Me", and it soared on the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. While she was thrilled to get to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in her native US, it also gave her the unique position of being the first woman to have a #1 song on the UK Pop charts.

Now, I don't understand how anyone could not love the great Sophie Tucker. While some might have gotten to know her through the bawdy jokes told by the Divine Miss M, Bette Midler, in her live shows. And while Sophie was an amazing talent, she was also a woman who was ahead of her time, which gave many producers pause while she was singing in the 1930s and 1940s. Through it all, Sophie stood tall, and continued to makes some wonderful music. Here is the 1930 live performance of "No One But The Right Man Can Do Me Wrong" from London.

Vera, Nina, Kay, Linda & Diana Sing!

Clockwise from top: Vera Lynn; Nina Simone; Diana Krall; Kay Thompson; and Linda Ronstadt.

It is Saturday night, and time for another post devoted to those incredible ladies who make us feel every ounce of hurt, every pang of love, and the softness of a kiss. While being backed by a big band. A week or so ago, I made up a couple of playlists in my iTunes so I thought I would give the first five songs of the first one, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I lead off with the voice that many said saw the British through World War I and World War II, Vera Lynn. She sings a romantic British song written in 1939 with by Eric Maschwitz and Manning Sherwin, that soon became a standard many of the greats were singing. Vera recorded "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" in 1940, and it is just so very beautiful.



I don't know if anyone can say enough about the gifted Nina Simone. Nina managed to make every song her own, with an unusual yet amazing arrangement. This is her singing the song "For All We Know", a 1934 song with music by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. This is Ms. Simone performing it in 1961.



I've already gushed on about Linda Ronstadt in earlier posts, but I can never seem to get enough of her. In the Mid-80s, when she was still making regular trips to the top of the Billboard charts, Ronstadt decided she wanted to record some of the great songs of the 1930s and 1940s, and have Nelson Riddle conduct the orchestra. She made three albums, and the second was Lush Life. That record included a stunning version of "Falling In Love Again", a song composed by Friedrich Hollaender as "Ich Bin Von Kopf Bis Fuß Auf Liebe Eingestellt" (literally: "Head to toe, I'm ready for love"). The song was originally performed in the film Der Blaue Engel (English translation: The Blue Angel) by Marlene Dietrich, who also recorded the most famous English version. However, here is the Ronstadt's "Falling In Love Again", released in 1984.



Kay Thompson was a woman of many talents, and one of those was her voice. While Thompson might be better known today as the writer of the Eloise book series for children, she was also the god-mother of Liza Minnelli (who many think was the inspiration for Eloise), and a singing and movie star in her own right. This is a clip of her singing "All Over Nothing At All" by Jack Jenney and His Orchestra featuring Kay on piano. The song was written by Peter Tinturin and Jack Lawrence, and featured in the 1937 film, Manhattan Merry-Go-Round.



I truly enjoy the music of Canadian chanteuse, Diana Krall. This contemporary torch singer can weave her spell with an ease and seductive nature just draws you in. I can't be the only one to think that, for she managed to hook Elvis Costello, her husband since 2003, and the father of their twin sons. Here is a recording of her singing "I Remember You", written by Victor Schertzinger and the great Johnny Mercer.



Have a great Saturday night!

Torch For The Boys...

Clockwise: Ruth Etting; World War II Soldiers; Anne Shelton; Nora Bayes; Vera Lynn; World War I Soldiers; and Mary Healy.

When thinking about what to do for this Saturday night post, I thought about it being Memorial Day, a time to give thanks for all the men and women who have served this country through the years. And it occurred to me there was a great deal of music from World War I and World War II that was truly wonderful, and worth hearing once again. I will start with a beautiful song written in 1928. The strongest success for the song came in the early 1940s, when recorded by the Ink Spots and by Bing Crosby. But here I will bring you a recording by the lovely Ruth Etting, who was known as American's Sweetheart of Song. Listen to her lovely version of "I'll Get By."



The next song, "I'll Be Seeing You," was written on the brink of the start of World War II. With music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal, the haunting and beautiful song spoke to the hearts of the ladies left behind when war breaks out. Here is British songstress Anne Shelton, best known for her songs of inspiration for the troops.



"Kiss The Boys Goodbye" was written by Victor Schertzinger and Frank Loesser for the 1941 movie of the same name. Here is a 1941 "Soundie," a precursor of the music video, featuring Mary Healy & The Four Debonairs.



English actress and singer Vera Lynn was incredibly popular during and after World War II. Her lovely voice was just perfect for the songs of inspiration she often sung. Check out this 1942 recording of "When The Lights Go On Again (All Over The World)," written by Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler, a song longing for the end of the war, which was still a few years away.



In 1917, "Over There" was written by George M. Cohan, the king of the patriotic songs of World War I. The song was a warning to all the enemies that the American Troops are on their way. Give a listen to this stirring rendition by Nora Bayes, an American actress and singer of the early 20th Century.



Have you hugged a soldier today?