Glen Hansard & Lisa O’Neill – Fairytale Of New York
An evening pause: Sung at the funeral in December 2023 for Shane MacGowan, who wrote it.
Hat tip Altons Blevins.
Tag: entertainment
We Five – You Were on My Mind
An evening pause: The original, performed live on television, 1965.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Rodgers & Hammerstein – There is Nothin’ Like A Dame
An evening pause: Some honest humanity, from the 1958 film South Pacific.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Emma Kok with Andre Rieu’s orchestra – Voilà
An evening pause: She is 15 years old, and has an interesting backstory. I have cued the video to begin at the song’s start, because you should judge her solely on her talent. If you replay from the start Rieu explains that backstory.
Hat tip Tom Donohue.
Thomas Dolby – One of Our Submarines
An evening pause: Performed live 2012. Dolby sings and plays keyboards. Mat Hector is on drums and Kevin Armstrong is on guitar.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Ray Manzarek – the creation of “Riders on the Storm”
An evening pause: The pianist from the Doors describes how this song was created. If you want to hear it as performed, go here, which notes, “This was the last song recorded by the members of The Doors, according to Manzarek, as well as Morrison’s last recorded song to be released.”
Hat tip Doug Johnson
LuLu & Maurice Gibb – First of May
An evening pause: Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Moby – Extreme Ways
An evening pause: Performed live 2014.
Hat tip Doug Johnson.
Uriah Heep – The Wizard
An evening pause: Recorded sometimes in the 1970s, very obviously.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Yamma Ensemble – Kondja mia
An evening pause: This song is an example of what the group calls the tribal music of Sephardic Jews. The title of the song means “My rose.” Leave the closed captions on to see an English translation of the lyrics, which are quite beautiful. It is all very Middle Eastern, and something the Palestinians would recognize and like, until you told them it was by their fellow Semites, the Jews.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Ed Sussman – How the Beach Boys used the Theremin
An evening pause: Some intriguing music history centered on the electronic instrument called the Theremin, which you play electronically by moving your hands through an electric field (go here to see two previous evening pause examples).
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Dave Brubeck Quartet – Golden Brown
An evening pause: This video is not what it seems. The sax player, Lawrence Mason, has created a cover of this Dave Brubeck song by editing and playing over the Dave Brubeck quartet playing another song in 1965. As he notes on the youtube page, he did it as a tribute to “Paul Desmond (saxophonist with the Dave Brubeck quartet – the anniversary of his death is at the end of this month) [May 2020].”
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Secretariat – Triple Crown Races
An evening pause: If you have never seen the Triple Crown victories by Secretariat in 1973, you need to watch this video. It will take your breath away. In the first two races jockey Ron Turcotte appears to let the pack take the lead at the start because he knows Secretariat can’t stand being behind. In the last, it is as if the horse wanted to prove to everyone that there was no horse now or ever that was faster. From the youtube webpage:
Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three races. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and his record-breaking victory in the Belmont Stakes, which he won by 31 lengths, is widely regarded as one of the greatest races in history.
Nightwish – Last Ride of the Day
An evening pause: Performed live 2015. The song’s lyrics are beautiful, but I especially like the first line: “What’s God if not the spark that started life”.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Roberta Flack – First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
An evening pause: Performed live 1972.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Jara – Tiempo y Silencio
An evening pause: In English the song is “Time and Silence.” Lyrics:
A house in the sky
A garden in the sea
A lark in your chest
a return of the beginA wish of stars
A sparrow’s heartbeat
An island in your bed
A sunsetTime and silence
Screams and songs
Heaven and kisses
Voice and griefTo be born in your laugh
To grow in your weeping
To live on your shoulder
To die in your arms
Hat tip Judd Clark
Carly Simon – That’s The Way I Always Heard It Should Be
An evening pause: Performed live in Central Park, New York, 1971. Wonderful song, but her cynicism about marriage in this song sadly predicts the disaster we are in today, living in a society of children raised in broken homes, created by the 60s Baby Boom generation (mine) that decided to reject the fundamentals of its parents. It was foolish and sad, but most of all it was cruel to the innocent children born of that irresponsibility. Those children are now mindlessly wrecking their revenge.
Hat tip Doug Johnson.
Margarita Sipatova – Du Hast
An evening pause: Cover of a song by the German band Rammstein.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Don McLean – Vincent
An evening pause: I’ve posted McLean singing this song previously, but it is worth watching again. A beautiful song to begin the year. The words that matter:
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them freeThey would not listen, they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will
Hat tip Judd Clark.
The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin – Auld Lang Syne
An evening pause: As the New Year will arrive over the weekend, let’s celebrate the New Year now. Happy New Year to all my readers! Thank you all for your support, that in the end made this year the most successful since this website was founded. May the future bring us all joy and happiness, despite the mad ones around us.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.