I first heard Fever by Suzi Quatro (True!) but my father assured me it was a Peggy Lee song.
wikipedia wrote:
"Fever" is a song written by Eddie Cooley and John Davenport and originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. It was released as a double-sided hit along with the top-ten R&B song "Letter from My Darling". The song reached number one for three weeks on the R&B Best Sellers chart, which also made the popular charts as an early rock and roll song, peaking at number twenty-four.[1]
So obviously a blues song when you hear the original (reminds me of Andre Williams Jail Bait), but quickly turned into a contemporary 'standard'
"Those Were the Days" is a song credited to Gene Raskin, who put English lyrics to the Russian song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" ("Дорогой длинною", lit. "By the long road"), written by Boris Fomin (1900–1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevskii. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism. The Georgian Tamara Tsereteli (1900–1968) in 1925[1] and Alexander Vertinsky in 1926[2] made what were probably the earliest recordings of the song. However, it is best remembered for Mary Hopkin's 1968 recording, which was a top-ten hit in both the U.S. and the U.K. On most records of the song, Gene Raskin is credited as the writer of the song, even though he just wrote the English lyrics and not the melody.
That's brill Edgar, I always thought that song was a pastiche of east European folk - not actual east European folk. Wasn't Hopkin talent spotted by the beatles?
I don't know what label she recorded with, but the Beatles definitely supported her.
0 Replies
hingehead
1
Reply
Tue 10 May, 2011 09:13 pm
Inspired by Edgar's alternative route:
The first version of My Way, before Paul Anka wrote the english lyrics and gave it to Frank Sinatra....
wikipedia wrote:
"Comme d’habitude" (French for As usual) is a French song written in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibaut.
Originally titled "For Me" with lyrics in English, the song was initially refused by numerous artists, most notably Michel Sardou, until Hervé Vilard finally agreed to record it. However, Revaux was not satisfied with Vilard's version of the song and approached Claude François, asking that he record it. François accepted but asked that an underlying theme of a couple in a strained relationship be included, in reference to his recent breakup with fellow French singer France Gall. Revaux agreed and with some rewriting from Gilles Thibaut the song became "Comme d'habitude" and was released by François in 1968.
The song was also covered by Florent Pagny in 1989 and released as a single in France.
Paul Anka, upon hearing the song while watching French television in Paris, got the rights to it (for free[1]) for his American production company. After rewriting English lyrics (which are unrelated to the original) Frank Sinatra recorded a cross-Atlantic version of it in 1969 under the title "My Way". "Comme d'habitude" has reputedly been recorded in more languages, by more artists than any other song in contemporary music history.
The tune of "Comme d'habitude" is also the musical basis for David Bowie's 1968 single "Even a fool learns to love". Bowie had previously been asked to write English lyrics to the original "Comme d'habitude" by his manager Tony Defries (the year before Paul Anka acquired the French song), but declined, believing there was no commercial or artistic merit in the project.
0 Replies
hingehead
1
Reply
Tue 10 May, 2011 09:19 pm
This was a country pop novelty by Ray Stevens when I first heard it.
But Errol Garner wrote and recorded it in 1954 and it started its days with class.
wikipedia wrote:
Originally composed as an instrumental following the traditional 32-bar format, the tune later had lyrics by Johnny Burke and became the signature song of Johnny Mathis, reaching #12 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart in 1959. It has been covered numerous times, perhaps most notably by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan (1959), Billy Eckstine (1960), Frank Sinatra and Earl Grant (1961), Lloyd Price (1963), and also by Ray Stevens (1975) as a country song. A version was also recorded by Julie London and an instrumental version by The Shadows.
Erroll Garner's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1991,[1] and Johnny Mathis version of the song was inducted in 2002. The 1975 country version by Ray Stevens won a Grammy in the category of Music Arrangement of the Year.
The song plays a key role in the plot of the movie Play Misty for Me (1971). Clint Eastwood and Universal paid $25,000 to use the song in the film.
According to producer Val Garay, the original demo of the tune that was brought to him sounded like "a Leon Russell track, with this beer-barrel polka piano part."
Keyboardist Bill Cuomo came up with the signature synth riff, using the then-new Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, which now defines Carnes' version. The song was recorded completely live in the studio on the first take.
I guess that's why producers make the big bucks
0 Replies
edgarblythe
1
Reply
Wed 11 May, 2011 12:56 pm
The origins of the song are disputed, but the writing is co-credited to African American singer/songwriter Dave "Curlee" Williams, and white pianist, bandleader and songwriter James Faye "Roy" Hall (May 7, 1922 - March 2, 1984).[1] On March 21, 1955, Big Maybelle made the first recording for Okeh produced by the young Quincy Jones.
Roy Hall made a recording of the song in September, 1955 for Decca Records, and maintained that he had written it and had secured the legal copyright as co-writer under the pseudonym of "Sonny David". However, a Decca sample copy of Hall's recording lists Dave Williams as the sole writer. On the Pop Chronicles documentary, Jerry Lee Lewis credited Big Mama Thornton.[2]
Other early recordings include Dolores Frederick and The Commodores (no relation to the '70s Motown group). However, none of these early recordings found much commercial success. All subsequent recordings of the song list the composers as Sonny David and Dave Williams. Hall was also a Nashville club owner, who later claimed to have employed young piano player Jerry Lee Lewis at some point around 1954.
[edit] Jerry Lee Lewis versionJerry Lee Lewis had been performing the song in his stage act, and recorded it at his second recording session for Sun Records, at an unknown date in February 1957. The release is reviewed in Billboard magazine on May 27, 1957.[3] Supervised by producer Jack Clement, Lewis radically altered the original, adding a propulsive boogie piano that was complemented by J.M. Van Eaton's energetic drumming, and also added suggestive spoken asides. Lewis later stated : "I knew it was a hit when I cut it. Sam Phillips thought it was gonna be too risqué, it couldn't make it. If that's risqué, well, I'm sorry."[4]
In Lewis' biographical film, Lewis is shown spying in on Black American speak-easy type club, listening to Whole Lotta Shakin Goin' On by a Black female soloist. (The part is played by singer Valerie Wellington, her version is also on the film's soundtrack.) The next scene depicts Lewis using the song without crediting the original artist.
Released as Sun 267, the record reached number three on the Billboard pop charts, and number one on the R&B charts.[5] The single also hit number one on the country charts, and number eight in the UK. Lewis became an instant sensation and, as writer Robert Gordon noted: "Jerry Lee began to show that in this new emerging genre called rock 'n' roll, not everybody was going to stand there with a guitar."
Jerry Lee Lewis's version of the song is ranked as the 61st greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. In 2005, it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
0 Replies
hingehead
1
Reply
Wed 11 May, 2011 02:53 pm
@Setanta,
Quote:
Have you ever seen the Clint Eastwood motion picture, Play Misty for Me?
Too young Set (never thought I'd say that again) - I remember ads for it on TV but I wasn't allowed to watch scary movies that late
