Chicago woke this morning to a dusting of snow on the ground. The onset of winter can no longer be ignored. In celebration, I give you possibly my favorite live recording of all time.
The song, "Baby It's Cold Outside," was written in 1936 by Frank Loesser, the composer of Guys & Dolls as well as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He and his wife performed it together at Christmas parties for more than a decade before he sold the rights to the song to MGM in 1948. The following year it appeared in the film Neptune's Daughter, for which it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. A number of other recordings were made that year including this one by the hilarious and affable Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton, who spent most of her jazz singing career traveling with Armstrong's big and small bands.
In the score, the parts are labeled "wolf" and "mouse" -- appropriate given the classic gender roles of the characters and their tongue-in-cheek sexual innuendo. The wolf is trying to convince the mouse to stay the night with him, using the harsh weather as justification for her captivity.
There's no picture -- home video was just a glimmer in your grandmother's eye at the time -- but we really don't need it, as the performers' voices are more than enough to make even the Grinch crack a grin. The more liberty Louis takes with the words, cajoling Velma to stay juts a bit longer (and we all know why), the more giddy the audience becomes. ("You just stay here three more days and then you go back to your people.") After one ripple of laughter, while Velma is singing, Louis says under his breath: "It ain't even started yet." And he's right -- his pleadings become more and more ridiculous, but somehow (winky face) Velma becomes more and more convinced to stay.
Tune in on Monday for the first of Daijams' 12 Days of Christmas, ending with special weekend posts on December 24th and 25th. In the meantime, enjoy the first round of holiday parties this weekend (at least in my case)! My roommates and I finally finished decorating our apartment last night, and the cookie supplies and holiday cocktail bar are set out and ready to go. 'Tis the season!
Thirty-one years ago today, the world lost one of the most talented and inspirational cultural leaders we've ever known. John Lennon is irreplaceable in every respect, and this song is, in my opinion, his crowning musical achievement.
There are no frills in this song. There's no dramatic build-up. It's just peaceful. It's about possibilities. And the message endures.
This song is a safe place to me. It's on my own band's setlist. Speaking the words, singing them
to myself in the shower or maybe someday to a crowd of thousands, is a
reminder of how simple and beautiful music can be.
Juke Box Hero takes us back a few years with a Ray Charles song (and a bonus clip from the movie Ray).
One of the things I love about music is that it can almost instantly take over your entire body, willing you to move, to dance, practically involuntarily. It can happen at any age and requires no prior knowledge, skill or expertise to fully experience the effect. Songs like "Footloose," "Jailhouse Rock," and yes, "Party in the USA," all come to mind; their upbeat, repetitive rhythms, mostly mindless lyrics, and infectious melodies are a perfect tonic for getting anyone to forget who they are and what they’re doing, and just let loose in appendage-flailing ecstasy.
"What'd I Say" by Ray ‘The Genius’ Charles unequivocally falls into this category of music you just can’t sit still to. In the ’68 video (above), I love the close-up on Ray’s feet and legs bouncing up and down like pistons off a whirring crankshaft. The man’s musical energy was just dumbfounding… and intoxicating. The Jamie Foxx motion-picture version (below) does a swell job depicting the live, improvisational manner in which the song was (reportedly) conceived, as well as its power to command bodies into action.
The song has a great story, which the Wiki-room full of monkeys does a much better job of explaining in the first place than I ever could paraphrasing them, but what I find most interesting is the observation that, with the void left by Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis, the fledgling "rock and roll" genre might have died an immature death. That is, if not for Mr. Charles and this track.
In one fell swoop, with this 1959 single, various historians argue that Mr. Charles saved rock and roll, and he also apparently single-handedly created "soul" music, according to musician Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith's guitarist). That’s a lot of credit for one man and one song, but, as the monkeys continue, it had a deep impact on dozens of music legends, including Mick Jagger, James Brown, and Van Morrison.
Whether he's a true game-changer (or saver) or not, the song is still just plain and simple, frenetic and salacious, fun. Charles woos me every time with his groovy gospel piano and salty vocal ostinato. I have to move to it. I can’t not move to it. Not even Shakira gets hips moving like Ray can. Though I bet the two would’ve been good, good friends.
Okay, so maybe Tuesday isn't your typical lazy day, but this Bruno Mars track is a nice reminder to chill out once in awhile -- including on weekdays, you workaholic Americans.
We collectively discovered Bruno Mars in 2009, when he lent vocals to B.o.B.'s "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire." His debut album dropped in October 2010, and it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard charts. People love him, he's a focused and natural talent, and he's got more live videos up on YouTube than artists who have been around decades. Mars was nominated for seven Grammys last year and won one, for "Just the Way You Are" (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance), and he's been nominated for six more this year. Expectations are high for his sophomore album, but his ease and candor in live performance indicate he's here to stay.
The month his debut album was released, Billboard invited Bruno and his band to record live versions of the singles off the album. There are also some nice interview clips with Bruno talking about his music and journey. (He's from Hawaii!) I couldn't choose just one, so today you get three jams!
I speak for every woman person in the world when I say this next one is pretty much the best thing you could possibly say to someone you love. The full emotional landscape of American music was not complete until this song came out. Take notes.
And one more. There seems to be a theme here. All of his music is infused with emotion, but it's also happy. He seems to take real joy in performing.
Daijams favorite The Black Keys drops their seventh album, El Camino, tomorrow! Pick it up here. Support your favorite artists! And enjoy a live performance of the lead single, "Lonely Boy," from this past weekend's Saturday Night Live broadcast.
Point of order: These SNL videos don't stay active very long (NBC is pretty good at reigning in videos they don't post themselves), so below is the song's actual music video. I'll update with a new live version once a good one is posted to YouTube. (Suggestions?)
The uncomplicated video echoes the band's similarly uncomplicated riffs and uncomplicated lyrics -- "Oh, oh-oh I got a love that keeps me waiting // I’m a lonely boy." The lesson: Blues doesn't need bells and whistles. And everyone can sympathize with the agony of a lover who keeps you waiting.
This year's Grammy nominations were announced on Wednesday. See the full list here. As expected, Adele cleaned up, receiving six nominations in six important categories:
Record of the Year – Rolling In The Deep
Song of the Year – "Rolling In The Deep"
Album of the Year – 21
Best Pop Solo Performance – "Someone Like You"
Best Pop Vocal Album – 21
Best Short Form Music Video – "Rolling In The Deep"
I've listened to 21 at least once a day for the last two months, so this news item is the perfect excuse to post another Adele song. Today's performance, unlike the one filmed in her home, is from her recently released DVD and was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall in London this past September, before her throat surgery. The woman knows how to mount a dramatic presence, whether she's alone in her living room or singing in front of thousands, backed by a full orchestra.
The Grammys will be aired on February 12, 2012, and Adele is scheduled to perform. She's telling the press that her throat will be ready by then, though she won't have much time to rehearse beforehand. The world wishes her the best in her recovery, and I'm sure I'm not the only person hoping she'll head back to the studio after she collects her trophies.
Let's cast our minds back to 1997. Gas was $1.12 a gallon, Bill Clinton was (barely) still president, Steve Jobs reclaimed the helm of Apple Computers, Mike Tyson bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match, the tobacco companies were forced to weather their first huge legal loss, we all learned the phrase "El Nino," and at age 21, Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer ever to win the Master's. And, of course, there was the music. Here's the top 12 songs from that year:
1. "Candle in the Wind," Elton John
2. "Foolish Games / You Were Meant for Me," Jewel
3. "I'll Be Missing You," Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
4. "Un-Break My Heart," Toni Braxton
5. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," Puff Daddy
6. "I Believe I Can Fly," R. Kelly
7. "Don't Let Go (Love)," En Vogue
8. "Return of the Mack," Mark Morrison
9. "How Do I Live," LeAnn Rimes
10. "Wannabe," Spice Girls
11. "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)," Backstreet Boys
12. "MMMBop," Hanson
Alright, so we probably could have guessed that the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls wouldn't stick around long. Toni Braxton, En Vogue, and Mark Morrison have done alright; according to Wikipedia, they're still "active" musicians, though the 90's were their unequivocal heyday. Jewel and LeAnn Rimes have maintained respectable careers, and R. Kelly has maintained a career of sorts, though the timelessness of "I Believe I Can Fly" really pales in comparison to some of his earlier, raunchier tracks, such as 1993's "I Like the Crotch on You." A true wordsmith.
That leaves us with the Top 12's heavyweights: Elton John had that year's #1 hit with "Candle in the Wind," a song written in 1973 about Marilyn Monroe's death. It surged back into popularity in the late 90's as a memorial song for Princess Diana. Another tribute song, "I'll Be Missing You," in memory of the Notorious B.I.G., was cobbled together by Faith Evans and the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, the only artist to appear twice on the list. Too bad he no longer exists.
And that's a wrap!
Oh wait. There's also Hanson, eeking in at #12. They had this little hit in the 90's called "MmmBop" to which fifth graders like myself mmbopped around our friends' basements, dancing and using hairbrushes as microphones, discussing who was the cutest Hanson, and deciding that their Oklahoma background meant they were not only talented and attractive, but also down to earth, wholesome, and our realistic future husbands.
Eventually we moved on to other (likely shorter-haired) heartthrobs. But those Hanson brothers kept at it, and for almost 15 years since the release of "MmmBop," they've been honing their craft, touring, getting married (dammit), and cutting records. Their newest, released last year on their own label, is their eighth studio album and features this song as the lead single. I'm partial to the music video, which is an homage to the Blues Brothers, a movie released the same year the eldest Hanson was born. But through the years the child prodigies (too strong a word?) have grown even more talented, and they haven't forgotten what we liked in the first place -- the great harmonies, the catchy licks, and the meaningful lyrics.
Before writing this post, I'd never read the lyrics to "MmmBop," but it does actually have words other than onomatopoetry. The then-12, -14, and -17-year-old boys were singing about finding the one or two relationships that will last a lifetime and holding on until your hair falls out. ("You have so many relationships in this life ... / So hold on to the ones who really care / In the end they'll be the only ones there /
When you get old and start losing your hair.") The brothers lived that, too; each is already married with children in multiples of two. [See guide.]
[A guide to the Hanson Brothers]
Isaac, born 1980, guitarist, prominent facial hair, married, 2 kids
Taylor, born 1983, lead singer and pianist, no facial hair, married, 4 kids
Zac, born 1985, drummer, scant facial hair, married, 2 kids
In this new song, more than a decade later, the Hanson men have apparently had enough: "I've been thinking 'bout somethin' other than you." And it sounds like there's some juicy backstory: "I've been getting the love that moves me while you've been getting around." This holds up as a satisfying break-up song, complete with an upbeat tempo and happy major chords. It's about moving on, something the Hanson brothers are familiar with as they've navigated the path from child stardom to long-lasting musical careers.
There are many reasons I'm glad it's now 2011 and not 1997. The 90's slow jams have been replaced by hip-hop, we've got a non-intern-prone Democrat in the White House, and though we've lost Steve Jobs, he left behind an indelible mark on both technology and society. Also, when Hanson releases their first beer label next year -- yes, beer label, an IPA called "MmmHop" -- I'll be old enough to drink it and enjoy the full Hanson flavor.
