This week's themes were a bit tougher because I wanted to use songs that the musician did not sing but created a song that became famous by someone else singing. I will be curious to see what the others will come up with including the host, Jingle, Jangle, Jungle. Here are the 3 themes:
A SONG WRITTEN BY BARRY GIBB
A SONG WRITTEN BY PRINCE
A SONG WRITTEN BY ED SHEERAN
1. GREASE IS THE WORD-1978 SUNG BY FRANKIE VALLI
I do love the soundtrack to this movie even though I hate the ending..she gives up who she is as a person and becomes a slut for the horned toed Ravolta. I know the politically correct are all up in arms over some songs because the guys talk about if Ravolta got any but, seriously, teen boys think sleep, sex, food, sex and sex. I am not saying it is right to promote but ...please. How many RAP songs are out there where they use that horrible N word(invented by the whites to demean the African American), talk about T & A plus much more which is just as distasteful. Anyhoo, I love this song and I didn't know Barry Gibb wrote this.
2. NOTHING COMPARES 2 U-1990-SUNG BY SINEAD O'CONNOR
OK, yes, she notoriously ripped the pope's picture in half and was vilified for it, even today. She has suffered from mental illness and has done some very strange things but she hurts and it comes out in her singing. She has a beautiful voice and I only found out recently, that it was written by purple boy, Prince. I think there is no one better to sing this than Sinead....hmmm, you BOTB gals and guys out there, there is a battle to try.
3. DARK TIMES-2015 SUNG BY THE WEEKND
This was a total loss for me and I had to go on a search. I refuse to show Justin Bieberhead (my hubby's nickname for tattoo boy) or One Erection (nyuck, nyuck) but I found this song which isn't too bad. You know me with these pop song things. but this man is talented, he is Canadian and was just famously snubbed by the Grammys despite having a stellar year last year in music. I found this pretty good but, please, why Weeknd? Spell it, at least, correctly, dear Abel,..it is Weekend. Yup showing my age.
Now, what can you think up?
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteI learned from you today, dear friend. I didn't know that Barry Gibb wrote "Grease Is The Word." I agree it's a cool song. The dynamic arrangement gets you riveted from the start thanks to the brassy blast from the horn section.
Great selection for the Prince song, too! I remember the public's reaction to Sinead's nearly bald head when this video broke. Sinead and her hair style (or lack thereof) figured into a memorable SNL sketch with comedian Phil Hartman doing a spot-on imitation of Frank Sinatra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SdIJimk-w8
The MTV station where I worked at the time played that vid for "Nothing Compares 2 U" in heavy rotation.
Several years ago I posted a song featuring The Weeknd on my old blog Shady Dell Music & Memories.
Here are my picks:
BARRY GIBB SONG: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," the first chart-topping U.S. hit for The Bee Gees. Penned by Barry and Robin when the English brother group reunited after a 16-month break-up, "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" came together in the summer of 1970 at the same time the Brothers Gibb composed "Lonely Days," their first top 5 charting hit in the states. Both songs were recorded in a single night. The lyrics to "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" grab me from the very start:
I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow,
but I was never told about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
PRINCE SONG: "Sugar Walls," the 1985 top 10 U.S. hit recorded by Sheena Easton. "Sugar Walls" was widely regarded as a euphemism for the lining of the vagina. Some broadcasters banned the video on the basis of the song's lyrics and the dirty ditty wound up on the Parents Music Resource Center's list of "Filthy Fifteen" hit songs and was criticized by Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart and Tipper Gore, co-founder of the PMRC watchdog group.
ED SHEERAN song: "Don't Let Me Be Yours," a pop song recorded by Zara Larsson, a Swedish zinger I discovered in the early 2010s and featured on my old SDMM blog. "Don't Let Me Be Yours" cracked the top 40 in Sweden in 2017. By the way, Ed Sheeran appears as himself in Yesterday, a 2019 romantic musical film loaded with Beatles songs and featuring totally hot actress Lily James, soon to be Pamela Anderson. I highly recommend Yesterday.
Before I forget, I want to let you know that I saw your comment about Shady on Alex J's blog. Your kindness is noted and appreciated, dear friend, and I say "it takes one to know one."
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear BB!
I would be at a total loss for all three...
ReplyDeleteI'm totally lost.
ReplyDeleteI’d have to do some research on this one, which I’m too lazy to do! I didn’t know B Gibb wrote Grease is the Word, though I did know Prince wrote Nothing Compares 2 U.
ReplyDeleteYou put an extra burden on yourself and you managed to pull it off beautifully. Most impressive, dear.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, that Weeknd one - yeah, that would've thrown me too. And why drop ONE "e"? I'm with you, Birgit. Spell it right. That's just too weird. I'm also with you about Grease. The message that a gal/woman should give it all up if she wants to keep her guy. Puke! Otherwise, great song picks!
ReplyDeleteThat still of Brazil is pretty freaky.
ReplyDeleteI liked Blade Runner too and also felt Harrison Ford did a great job.
Take special care.