It Must Be Love (week 4)
Monday February 21
Beatles Binge Day
The Beatles were so unacceptable to my Father that he would not allow their music to be played in the house. So to some extent I grew up without listening to the 'Fab Four'. Difficult to understand how so many adults felt very negative about The Beatles when you look back at their music and performance style, and compare it to what came afterwards.
Love Me Do (1962)
All My Loving (1963)
And I Love Her (1964)
Michelle (1965)
Love you to (1966)
All You Need is Love (1967)
There is one other Beatles song on Jukebox together with a personal (Beatles) story. Look in week 53.
Tuesday February 22
La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (The flower that you threw at me)
Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. This aria, also known as The Rose (or Flower) Song occurs in Act 2. As proof of his love, Don José shows Carmen the flower that she threw at him when they first met. He has kept it with him ever since. Enjoy this excellent performance by Jonas Kaufmann at the Royal Opera. Previously included in Tonic Jukebox week 48 and one of my all time favourite arias.
Performance
Lyrics
Wednesday February 23
L-O-V-E
L-O-V-E is a song written by Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler, recorded by American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole for his 1965 studio album L-O-V-E. This was first on my list when curating this month's programme.
Recording
Thursday February 24
Pelléas et Mélisande (Fauré)
Pelléas et Mélisande is a play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949). Gabriel Fauré (1845=192) was the first of four leading composers to write music inspired by Maeterlinck's drama. Debussy, Schoenberg and Sibelius followed in the first decade of the 20th century. The story of these two famous lovers follows:
Golaud finds Mélisande by a stream in the woods. She has lost her crown in the water but does not wish to retrieve it. They marry, and she instantly wins the favour of Arkël, Golaud's grandfather and king of Allemonde, who is ill. She begins to be drawn to Pelléas, Golaud's brother. They meet by the fountain, where Mélisande loses her wedding ring. Golaud grows suspicious of the lovers, has his son Yniold spy on them, and discovers them caressing, whereupon he kills Pelléas and wounds Mélisande. She later dies after giving birth to an abnormally small girl.
Here we have the third movement of Fauré's suite.
Recording
If you have a few minutes it's worth reading about the play (see link above).
Friday February 25
If I loved you
Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1956 movie starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.
Recording
Saturday February 26
Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained (January 1955), hence the song title. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of Unchained Melody have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages. The song has been sung on numerous occasions by Tonic Choir. It is sung here by The Righteous Brothers.
Performance
Sunday February 27
Theme from Love Story
Love Story is a 1970 American romantic drama written by Erich Segal, who was also the author of the best-selling 1970 novel of the same name. Also known as Where Do I Begin?, the theme from the movie has music by Francis Lai and lyrics by Carl Sigman. Lai won the Academy Award (Oscar) for best original score for Love Story. I make no apologies for including this one. This last sentence will only make sense to those who have seen the movie. Oh, and, tissues at the ready.
Orchestral version (with lots of pictures from the movie)
Andy Williams' version
Monday February 28
It must be love (two versions)
It Must Be Love is a song written and originally recorded and released in 1971 by English singer Labi Siffre.
Labi Siffre version
To end our month of LOVE here we are singing Siffre's song. In July 2012 the four Tonic choirs joined with the then new small Upbeat choir (200 singers in total) for a great day at the Watford Colosseum. As well as Bryan and me, Upbeat's Tim Sutton conducted some of the songs. He then went on to considerable success in the West End as a Musical Director. The choirs were accompanied by a 4 piece band and we had a great time. There are wonderful close-ups on this piece of video.
Tonic Choir performance
A highly suitable way to end this month of love-themed songs.
Tonic Jukebox will return on Tuesday March 15 at 8pm for Jukebox Live on Zoom.
Beatles Binge Day
The Beatles were so unacceptable to my Father that he would not allow their music to be played in the house. So to some extent I grew up without listening to the 'Fab Four'. Difficult to understand how so many adults felt very negative about The Beatles when you look back at their music and performance style, and compare it to what came afterwards.
Love Me Do (1962)
All My Loving (1963)
And I Love Her (1964)
Michelle (1965)
Love you to (1966)
All You Need is Love (1967)
There is one other Beatles song on Jukebox together with a personal (Beatles) story. Look in week 53.
Tuesday February 22
La fleur que tu m'avais jetée (The flower that you threw at me)
Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. This aria, also known as The Rose (or Flower) Song occurs in Act 2. As proof of his love, Don José shows Carmen the flower that she threw at him when they first met. He has kept it with him ever since. Enjoy this excellent performance by Jonas Kaufmann at the Royal Opera. Previously included in Tonic Jukebox week 48 and one of my all time favourite arias.
Performance
Lyrics
Wednesday February 23
L-O-V-E
L-O-V-E is a song written by Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler, recorded by American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole for his 1965 studio album L-O-V-E. This was first on my list when curating this month's programme.
Recording
Thursday February 24
Pelléas et Mélisande (Fauré)
Pelléas et Mélisande is a play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949). Gabriel Fauré (1845=192) was the first of four leading composers to write music inspired by Maeterlinck's drama. Debussy, Schoenberg and Sibelius followed in the first decade of the 20th century. The story of these two famous lovers follows:
Golaud finds Mélisande by a stream in the woods. She has lost her crown in the water but does not wish to retrieve it. They marry, and she instantly wins the favour of Arkël, Golaud's grandfather and king of Allemonde, who is ill. She begins to be drawn to Pelléas, Golaud's brother. They meet by the fountain, where Mélisande loses her wedding ring. Golaud grows suspicious of the lovers, has his son Yniold spy on them, and discovers them caressing, whereupon he kills Pelléas and wounds Mélisande. She later dies after giving birth to an abnormally small girl.
Here we have the third movement of Fauré's suite.
Recording
If you have a few minutes it's worth reading about the play (see link above).
Friday February 25
If I loved you
Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1956 movie starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.
Recording
Saturday February 26
Unchained Melody
Unchained Melody is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the little-known prison film Unchained (January 1955), hence the song title. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of Unchained Melody have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages. The song has been sung on numerous occasions by Tonic Choir. It is sung here by The Righteous Brothers.
Performance
Sunday February 27
Theme from Love Story
Love Story is a 1970 American romantic drama written by Erich Segal, who was also the author of the best-selling 1970 novel of the same name. Also known as Where Do I Begin?, the theme from the movie has music by Francis Lai and lyrics by Carl Sigman. Lai won the Academy Award (Oscar) for best original score for Love Story. I make no apologies for including this one. This last sentence will only make sense to those who have seen the movie. Oh, and, tissues at the ready.
Orchestral version (with lots of pictures from the movie)
Andy Williams' version
Monday February 28
It must be love (two versions)
It Must Be Love is a song written and originally recorded and released in 1971 by English singer Labi Siffre.
Labi Siffre version
To end our month of LOVE here we are singing Siffre's song. In July 2012 the four Tonic choirs joined with the then new small Upbeat choir (200 singers in total) for a great day at the Watford Colosseum. As well as Bryan and me, Upbeat's Tim Sutton conducted some of the songs. He then went on to considerable success in the West End as a Musical Director. The choirs were accompanied by a 4 piece band and we had a great time. There are wonderful close-ups on this piece of video.
Tonic Choir performance
A highly suitable way to end this month of love-themed songs.
Tonic Jukebox will return on Tuesday March 15 at 8pm for Jukebox Live on Zoom.