Hawaiian Wedding Song (1961)

King/Hoffman/Manning


Now that we are one

Clouds won't hide the sun

Blue skies of Hawaii smile

On this our wedding day

The new Baz Luhrmann IMAX concert film Elvis Presley In Concert – EPIC – is out and hopefully is introducing the King to a new generation of fans. With Elvis gone since 1977, it's been more than a generation since he has been a key name in popular music. Much has been written about his circumscribed and sort of sad life, and then there are the many impersonators. Yet he remains one of the best singers of the 20th Century, at least in my opinion. All the films that his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, contracted him into are horrible, and Blue Hawaii is no exception. But his singing is at an apex. Only  Elvis can take a Hawaiian folk song, add a bunch of hokey background singers, and turn it into a love song that will stand through both volcanic and the sands of time. R.I.P. and ELVIS LIVES. 

This is the moment
I've waited for
I can hear my heart singing
Soon bells will be ringing

This is the moment
Of sweet aloha

I will love you longer than forever

Promise me that you will leave me never

Here and now, dear
All my love I vow, dear
Promise me that you will leave me never
I will love you longer than forever

Ua sila
Pa‘a ‘ia me ‘oe
Ko aloha makamae e ipo
Ka'u ia e lei a‘e nei la

Now that we are one
Clouds won't hide the sun
Blue skies of Hawaii smile
On this, our wedding day
I do love you with all my heart
I do love you with all my heart

Wild is the Wind (1956)

Tiomkin/Washington

For we're like creatures of the wind

And wild is the wind. . .
Wild is my heart for you

Dimitri Tiomkin, born in Russia, was well-known for composing the music for some of the biggest Western films in the 1940s and 1950s; he was nominated for Best Score over twenty times.  Classically trained in Moscow, his melodies are known for their emotional moodiness, alluding to both the vast emptiness of the West and the inner soul. Ned Washington, best known for composing the lyrics to When You Wish Upon a Star, was a frequent collaborator.  Three very different singers - Johnny Mathis, Nina Simone and David Bowie - all had a hit with this song; were they drawn to the words, the melody, or the idea? Johnny Mathis sang it first as the opening song for the movie of the same name. Of the three great singers who did this, I think Nina Simone owns it. What do you think?

Love me, love me, say you do

Let me fly away with you

For my love is like the wind

And wild is the wind

Wild is the wind

Give me more than one caress

Satisfy this hungriness

Let the wind blow through your heart

For wild is the wind 

Wild is the wind

You . . . touch me
I hear the sound of mandolins

You . . . kiss me    
With your kiss my life begins

You're spring to me    
All things to me

Don't you know - you're life itself!

Like the leaf clings to the tree,

Oh, my darling, cling to me

For we're like creatures of the wind

And wild is the wind    
Wild is the wind
Wild is my heart for you

September Song (1938)

Kurt Weill



"Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September. . ."

An appropriate song to begin the month of September and also to resstart this blog from some years ago. I first heard Walter Huston (John's father) singing this wistful song in a wavering, almost desperate voice: it's the end of summer, the end of vacation, the end of youth. He is better known for his character acting, particularly as the hard-bitten gold miner in his son's Treasure of the Sierra Madre. For a more modern version, check out Lou Reed's version on the great compilation album Lost In the Stars: a Tribute to Kurt Weill. 

VERSE
When I was a young man courting the girls
I played me a waiting game.
If a maid refused me with tossing curls
I'd let the old earth take a couple of twirls
And I'd ply her with tears instead of pearls
And as time came around, she came my way
As time came around, she came.

CHORUS
Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
These precious days I'll spend with you

Smile (1936)

Turner/Parsons/Chaplin

Smile, you must keep on trying,

Smile, what's the use of crying,

You'll find that life is still worthwhile,

If you just smile.

This post is dedicated to my mom, who left this world in August, one year ago today. It was her favorite song. Wallowing in tearful and brave emotion, Smile, is one of most played songs at funerals. Is there irony in the fact that Charlie Chaplin, the funny little man of silent screen was the tunesmith? (written for the movie Modern Times); the lyrics were added later. It is perhaps the song which is most associated with Nat King Cole. Recently it became popular to a new generation of fans when it was revealed that Smile was Michael Jackson's favorite song. My mother was a "tough old bird," in the words of one friend. But she was also a sentimentalist and loved beautiful, sad music. 

CHORUS

Smile, though your heart is aching,

Smile, even though it's breaking,

When there are clouds in the sky

You'll get by

If you smile

through your fear and sorrow,

Smile, and maybe tomorrow,

You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness,

Hide every trace of sadness,

Although a tear may be ever so near,

That's the time

You must keep on trying,

Smile, what's the use of crying,

You'll find that life is still worthwhile,

If you just smile.

My Melancholy Baby (1911)

Burnett/Norton

One of the very first Ella tunes I ever knew, and what a treat to become acquainted with her through this song. How can one go wrong with the Teddy Wilson on piano and Cozy Cole on drums? The song remains a standard jazz tune, even though it was written way back in 1912. The biggest event, however, in 1912 remains the sinking of The Titanic. Quite possibly, the passengers even listened to it.

Many years later in her career, Ella re-recorded the song with only piano and in a lower key. She still killed it, no surprise. When you have sung a song for forty years, you really know it.

"All your fears are foolish, fancy, 'maybes'
You know, dear, that I'm in love with you;

VERSE

Why do you grieve?
Try and believe
Life is always sunshine
When the heart beats true
Banish your fears
Smile through your tears
When you're sad
It makes me feel the same as you...


CHORUS

Come to me my melancholy baby
Cuddle up and don't be blue
All your fears are foolish, fancy, 'maybes'
You know, dear, that I'm in love with you;


Every cloud must have a silver lining
Wait until the sun shines through
Come on and smile, my honey dear,
While I kiss away each tear
Or else I shall be melancholy too...