Bing Crosby – Let’s Start the New Year Right
An evening pause: From the 1942 film Holiday Inn. Stay with this after the song for a truly spectacular dance number by Fred Astaire, dancing as a New Year’s Eve drunk with Marjorie Reynolds.
Tag: music
Paolo Ercoli – Song for a winter’s night
A evening pause: A nice rendition of the Gordon Lightfoot song on an instrument called the squareneck dobro.
Hat tip Cotour.
Rita Hayworth – Steal a Show
A eveningpause: From the 1947 musical Down to Earth, where Hayworth places the goddess of dance, who comes down from heaven to save the show.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Brigham Young University Choir & Orchestra – Oh Come All Ye Faithful
An evening pause: I hope all my Christian readers had a wonderful and joyous Christmas, from your Jewish but very secular host. With good will to all!
Hat tip Judd Clark.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
An afternoon pause: This TV movie, the first ever, was produced by NBC and first aired in 1957. It subsequently played every Christmas season for most of the next decade. It has been forgotten in the ensuing years, something I think must be rectified, especially for the children of today. It is clever, sophisticated, innocent, entertaining, and above all, firmly American in every way.
Thus, I will now renew that past tradition.
An afternoon pause: This TV movie, the first ever, was produced by NBC and first aired in 1957. It subsequently played every Christmas season for most of the next decade. It has been forgotten in the ensuing years, something I think must be rectified, especially for the children of today. It is clever, sophisticated, innocent, entertaining, and above all, firmly American in every way.
Thus, I will now renew that past tradition.
Kathy Mattea – Mary did you know
An evening pause: Another reprise, this time from 2020. As I wrote then: “This song honoring Jesus I think really speaks of every child born on Earth, and how every parent should see them. As Wordsworth said, they come ‘trailing clouds of glory.'”
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kissed your little baby then you kissed the face of god.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve/Sarajevo
An evening pause: I posted this Judd Clark suggestion previously in December 2023, but Judd sent it to me again and I agree, it deserves a reprise. It reminds us that despite all the craziness that has happened in the world in the past half century, children still see wonderful things we have forgotten exist.
Handel – Pastoral Symphony from Messiah
An evening pause: One of the most beautiful sections of Handel’s masterpiece, often missed because it is quiet and gentle in tone.
Toilet Cat, The Kiffness, & Juzzie Smith – Christmas Blues
Celtic Woman – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
An evening pause: Performed live 2013. I know this song is a bit over-played this time of year, but this performance brings a freshness to it well worth experiencing. And it is about what Christmas actually celebrates.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Geoff Castellucci – I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Elahn Zetlin – Hanukkah in Jerusalem
An evening pause: Music by Hicham Chahidi.
As I watched this I could not help think once again of the Jewish saying that practically describes all Jewish holidays: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat!”
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Melinda Kathleen Reese – O Come O Come Emmanuel
An evening pause: As has become my own tradition, I always begin the Christmas/Hanukkah season’s evening pauses with this particular piece, because it not only speaks to both religions, it is amazingly beautiful to hear.
The video replays her singing the same thing three times. There is a good reason, as she almost appears to have begun singing as a lark, and the acoustics of the church astonish her. The repeats help bring out this amazing quality.
Stray Cats – Rock this town
Svetlana Zakharova – Nikiya’s Death in La Bayadère
An evening pause:This website provides a quick summary of what is happening during the dance:
Nikiya’s epic “death” solo at the end of La Bayadère‘s second act is more than a test of stamina: It’s integral to the ballet’s plot. In it, Nikiya laments her doomed relationship with Prince Solor, rejoices upon receiving a basket of flowers she believes to be from him and collapses after being bitten by a snake hidden in the basket.
Hat tip Judd Clark, who adds, “The High Brahmin offers to give Nikiya the antidote to the poison if she will renounce her vow to Solor, but she chooses death rather than life without her beloved.”
Eric Clapton – Signe
Soggy Bottom Boys – I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
David Hartley – Why Wichita Lineman is the greatest unfinished song of all time
A evening pause: As Hartley says in describing how this classic song was created, “But they kept it so simple.” After watching the video below I think you will want to go back to yesterday’s pause and listen again.
May everyone have a great weekend.
Hat tip Cotour.
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman
An evening pause: I normally don’t post pauses that are not live and have no visuals, such as this one. However, in this case I have reasons for using this original recording of this wonderful song, which will become evident in tomorrow’s evening pause.
Larry Kimpel, Billy Cobham, & George Duke – Stratus
Jefferson Starship – Jane
Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire – Swing Time
An evening pause: From the 1936 film of the same name. Fred improvises to save Ginger’s job as a dance teacher. Watch how Rogers’ impression of him and her interaction during the dance evolves so naturally. I have always found her to be not only a great dancer, able to keep up with Astaire (the king of all dance), but also a marvelous actress.
Note too how this is not the gymnastics of modern dance, which is often only one small step above a Jane Fonda exercise video, but an amazingly nuanced and choreographed sequence of complex steps and moves, set to American pop music but with graceful classical ballet in mind.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Josephine Baker – Dance Josie, Dance
Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
An evening pause: Performed live on a children’s television show (!), 1982. Stay with it, the beginning was part of the show’s shtick.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Robert Goulet & Julie Andrews – My Cup Runneth Over
An evening pause: From the 1966 Broadway musical, I Do! I Do!, and performed here on the Julie Andrews Show. I originally posted this in 2012, on our wedding anniversary. This chorus now strikes me most profoundly:
In only a moment we both will be old
We won’t even notice the world turning cold
And so, in this moment with sunlight above
My cup runneth over with love.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Sonny and Cher – I Got You Babe
An evening pause: Performed on television in 1965, though I am almost certain they are lip-synching to song’s distributed recording. I posted this before, but that was in 2012. I think enough time has passed.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Marilyn Monroe – Lazy
An eveing pause: From the Hollywood film There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954).
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Stevie Ray Vaughan – Couldn’t Stand The Weather
Leonid & Friends – Stay the Night
A evening pause: Another great cover from this Russian band, this time a song by Chicago. Recorded in 2018, which explains why the lead vocalist is a Ukrainian. It appears he is no longer with the group.
Hat tip Dan Coovert.