Blogs are so passe and pretentious. Oh well, here's my blog about music that's stuck in my head when I wake up in the mornings along with adventures of the Cash family and wacky wacky crazy wacky shenanigans.
Should I be proud or embarrassed about this cultural phenomenon that I'm about to share with you?
Back in 1988, just three years after the Superbowl Champion Chicago Bears nearly single-handedly destroyed rap music forever, a Mormon band from Salt Lake City put themselves on the Utah map with a silly rap about Mormons which led to nearly 100,000 cassette tape sales.
That means that this artist, (The Walter Hays Band) made at least 6 figures in sales on this "rap" Just let that sink in.
Also it was stuck in my head. And if you dare, take a listen:
I warned you a couple of posts ago that I was involved in a production and, as is custom for me, my brain has been bombarded with many of these catchy tunes from Ebb and Kander's musical "Curtains"
This one is kind of fun. In Curtains there is a show within a show and a song they keep rehearsing called "in the same boat." In the musical I play the composer who has made 3 different versions of the song, with three different melodies:
(Take some time to listen to all of these- it really is very fun)
Melody #1
Aaaand #2
#3
And then if you stick around to the end of the production, you get to hear all of this happening at once. Such a great moment. Music can be so much fun.
I hope you took some time to enjoy something kind of fun and different today. Have a great week!
I love "Singin' in the Rain" more than the next guy- but I am somewhat critical of how the musical came to be.
Back in the golden age of Hollywood musicals, often times popular songs would be regurgitated and reused in many different musicals. I suppose people wanted to hear music with which they were familiar. Singin' in the Rain found itself being developed under this formula and most, if not all of the songs are taken from other works. Next time you watch the musical, pay attention to the way the songs move the plot along-- here's a hint, they dont!
Today's song, "Good Morning" was actually first heard in the 1939 (13 years prior) musical "Babes in Arms" which starred Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Here's how you first would have heard the song had you been there!
As a lover, and student of musicals, it's important to me that the music and songs are key to the storytelling and should be used as a tool to keep the plot running- it's what makes a good musical.
Now, if you were to put together a group of musicals that had been written around a series of already known songs (many modern musicals do this, see "Mamma Mia" or "All Shook Up" as an example) and try to decide which is the best of the best, "Singin' in the Rain" would likely top the list. It's a great film!
I've been cast in a dang play. This time I'll be playing Aaron Fox, a heartbroken songwriter from the 2007 Broadway hit, "Curtains"
Doing a show is a double edged sword for me. On one hand, I love the process of putting the show together and demonstrating my talents is fun and fulfilling. On the other hand, when you're involved in a community production, you sign-on for a 3 month, or more commitment. Performing is not a Friday night hobby-- you are all in.
So, I'll immerse myself into this role, this production (along with my wife, daughter and even my dad!) and plan on putting home projects on the back burner. I am very excited for this role- he is a smaller part and he gets to sing the most beautiful song in the show.
Today's song, however comes from the first act, when Aaron, his ex-wife (and songwriting partner) along with the show's producers scoff at a negative review of their production. It's called "What Kind of Man" It's not the most beautiful song in the show, but it's one of many catchy tunes, so if you read my blog, plan on seeing a few posts featuring showtunes from "Curtains" in the forthcoming weeks. Here's your song pals (there are some cuss words)
I think this ballad by Ben Folds is best described with his own words from an interview with Billboard Magazine:
"'Why didn't you tell me how I got fat?' is not usually how you start a ballad, so I felt like that disarms the listener and confuses others. I divorce myself from listeners who aren't tolerant of humor."
"I did notice universally that, especially when it comes to weight, people look in the mirror and get the angle just right, tell themselves it's all right, and then they go out. And people say 'Take my picture from this angle or don't take it from that angle,' and at some point, in time you get a perspective on it and you are like 'Holy s--t!' I also like to start with an awkward sentence to open up with because that's how I feel as a person."
If you know me well, you know about my love affair with all things Ben Folds. This song doesn't fall short- it's lovely, maybe one of the more gorgeous songs he's written. I hope you'll take a moment to listen- I think his funny lyrics are always surprising, funny, and more often than not, meaningful. This one starts out with "Why didn't you tell me that I got fat?"
I really like this song and I hope you'll take 4 minutes of your day to listen to it, I think this song showcases not only the man's skill as a songwriter but also arranger.
