Josh Groban – Pure Imagination
An evening pause: The song was first performed by Gene Wilder in the 1971 film Willa Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, posted here in 2019.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Tag: entertainment
Real Engineering – The World’s Oldest Construction Project: Sagrada Familia
Gunhill Road – I Got a Line in New York City
An evening pause: Something a bit different. As noted on the youtube webpage, the visuals here “were created by human artists tapping into the assistance of leading-edge generative AI.” Normally I find the fad to go to AI to do our thinking and creativity for us to be more than appalling, but in this case it is clear the artists guided the art, and then fitted it well to the music.
Hat tip Bob Robert.
Manon – Act I, ‘Bedroom’
An evening pause: Written by Kenneth MacMillan and performed by Marianela Nuñez as Manon and Federico Bonelli as Des Grieux of the Royal Ballet.
Contrast the gentility and elegance of this dance of two, of which Astaire and Rogers were of the same class, with that of the raw modern gymnastic routines of large groups. Both have their merits, but to me there is something more civilized and thoughtful about the former.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
The Waifs – Crazy Train
Wedding String Quartet – Le Onde by Ludovico Einaudi
An evening pause: This video breaks one of rules for a good evening pause, in that is is shot from one static wide shot camera. I normally reject such videos, as the visuals are boring. I make an exception here because of the music and the arrangement, which is so breath-taking you don’t care about the visuals at all. Makes me want to know more about this composer and his work.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
Tchaikovsky – Waltz of the Flowers
An evening pause: Most people today likely associate this music with space stations and spacecraft in space (influenced by the movie 2001: a Space Odyssey), but this video shows the real reason it was written, for dancing the waltz.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Don Rickles, Ruth Buzzi, and Arte Johnson – bloopers from Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
An evening pause: This sequence shows the almost vain attempt to shoot a series of quick jokes using the running gag of Buzzi playing her character “Gladys” on a park bench being “accosted” by Arte Johnson, playing his character “Tyrone”. Rickles adds another element. It shows again that humor is at its heart silliness. If you can’t be silly you can’t be funny, and these three comedians certainly understood that.
Hat tip Cotour.
Bonnie Raitt – Runaway
Cyndi Lauper – She Bop
An evening pause: Performed live in Japan, around 1986.
Hat tip Judd Clark, who describes this accurately as “appealingly bizarre.” To me it simply shows how Cyndi Lauper had a humble sense of humor.
Jools Holland and the Playboys – Highwire
An evening pause: For those familiar with the 1960s British television show, Danger Man (which in the U.S. was titled Secret Agent) starring Patrick McGoohan (more famous for the later spy series The Prisoner), this music will be very familiar. It was written by Edwin Astley, was the theme music for the second iteration of the British release. In the American release it was used as background music throughout the show. You can watch the entire series here. It has what I call muscle, and is well worth your time.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
Astrud Gilberto – The girl from Ipanema
Mark Felton – The Bombed British City Beneath New York
Dry Bar Comedy – Dumb song lyrics
An evening pause: This is long, but if you like popular music, of all kinds, you will find it worth the watching. To paraphrase one comedian, you will never hear these songs (or most other pop songs) the same way again.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Johnny Winter – Be Careful With A Fool
An evening pause: Performed live 1970. Tommy Shannon is on bass and Uncle John Turner is on drums.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Sarah McLachlan – Blackbird
Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi
An evening pause: This was I think the song that made her career. Its shallow environmentalism, from the still naive 1960s, seems appropriate today on Labor Day.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
The Rat pack – Birth of the Blues
An evening pause: Performed live 1965. That’s Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin, and Johnny Carson.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
Minh Ngọc Ng – Handel’s Passacaglia
Van Morrison – Moondance
An evening pause: Performed live on television, and includes Etta James, George Benson, Carlos Santana, Dr. John, and Tom Scott.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Gerry & The Pacemakers – You’ll Never Walk Alone
An evening pause: The Rogers & Hammerstein classic from the 1945 musical Carousel. Pop groups in the 1960s routinely covered classics like this, because they knew their music history, used it to influence their own work, and also wished to celebrate it.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Jim Morrison of The Doors, as described by his father and sister
The Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
An evening pause: I admit that I was never a fan of Winehouse, but quality is still quality, even if one has different tastes.
Hat tip Doug Johnson.
Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover
Swingrowers – That’s Right!
Tim “Randm” Salaz – Modern dance
An evening pause: As one commenter on youtube said, “This guy’s body must be fully made of water.”
Hat tip Dave McCooey.
James Kennerley – John Philip Sousa’s Liberty Bell March
An evening pause: I bet you didn’t know that this music was by Sousa. I also suspect Sousa would have never guessed how this march would become so well known in the late 20th century.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.