This Just In...
Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
Greatest Love Songs of All-Time: #2
By Kevin Fischer
Wednesday, Feb 13 2008, 06:03 PM
IN ANTICIPATION OF VALENTINE’S DAY, HERE’S MY LIST OF THE 10 GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME. I’LL POST A SONG EVERY DAY THROUGH VALENTINE’S DAY.
Nat King Cole had this to say in 1954:
“My voice is nothing to be proud of. It runs maybe two octaves in range. I guess it’s the hoarse, breathy noise that some like.” (The American Songbook).
Even so, the website, “The Unforgettable Nat King Cole” writes:
“His careful enunciation of a lyric enabled him to convey a song with depth and meaning and made his rather limited vocal range seem irrelevant.”
His daughter, Natalie was only 15 when Nat King Cole died of lung cancer in 1965. Natalie began her own successful career singing R & B and soul. But when drug problems brought her to a grinding halt, Cole needed a jump start. She found it when she recorded a CD of some of her father’s greatest songs.
The CD is an eight time platinum award winner, it won numerous Grammys, and through the magic of technology, Natalie sang the title song with her father.
Recognizing that just about everybody is doing the old standards (look at the phenomenal success of the re-invented Rod Stewart) Cole told the Los Angeles Times:
“There ain’t nobody fooling me. I know where this all came from. We put a lot of brass and orchestra players back to work……I’m not annoyed at Rod and the others. But the room is getting crowded. So I’m out.”
She meant it. Her latest CD is an urban pop production.
Nothing she will ever do will match the wonder of “Unforgettable.”
BLOG EXTRA
Some of the greatest music of all-time came from Glenn Miller.
From The American Songbook:
In 1935, while a student of Joseph Schillinger, Glenn Miller wrote a simple composition as a mathematical exercise. Miller picked up the piece years later when he was a member of Ray Noble’s orchestra and Edward Heyman supplied a lyric titled, “Now I Lay Me Down to Weep.” A new lyric was subsequently written by historian George T. Simon titled, “Gone with the Dawn’ and yet another was tossed on the pile by Mitchell Parrish (who specialized in new lyrics to old songs) called “Wind on the Trees.” He finally came up with the winner, “Moonlight Serenade.” That title was inspired by Miller’s recording of Frankie Carle’s “Sunrise Serenade.”
Here’s the contemporary version of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
“Moonlight Serenade” is an incredible instrumental.
The problem is you rarely hear the lyrics.
Earlier, I wrote that just about everybody is putting their stamp on the oldies. That includes Barry Manilow.
Now don’t run away! Even if you don’t like Barry Manilow, work with me folks.
In the 90’s, Manilow did a very respectable CD tribute to the Big Bands. True to the original artists and charts, he gathered the respective bands from today for each piece and brought them into the studio to record these golden oldies.
A fan posted the following on You Tube after Manilow picked her out of the audience to dance. Concentrate on the lovely lyrics so seldom heard.
Valentine's Day is Thursday.
TOP TEN LOVE SONGS
1)
2) UNFORGETTABLE
3) CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU
4) CRAZY
5) CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU
6) IT HAD TO BE YOU
7) CHANCES ARE
8) UNCHAINED MELODY
9) EMBRACEABLE YOU
10) THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT
