Thursday, December 30, 2021

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "Jamaica Farewell" (1957)



Jamaica Farewell

Down the way
Where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountaintop
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down
My head is turning around 
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Sounds of laughter everywhere
And the dancing girls swing to and fro
I must declare my heart is there
Though I've been from Maine to Mexico

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down
My head is turning around 
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Down at the market you can hear
Ladies cry out while on their heads they bear
Ackee, rice, salt, fish are nice
And the rum is fine any time o' year

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down
My head is turning around 
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Down the way
Where the nights are gay
And the sun shines daily on the mountaintop
I took a trip on a sailing ship
And when I reached Jamaica I made a stop

But I'm sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down
My head is turning around 
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town

Sad to say I'm on my way
Won't be back for many a day
My heart is down
My head is turning around 
I had to leave a little girl in Kingston town.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "At Last" by Etta James (1960)




At Last

At last
My love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song

Oh yeah yeah
At last

The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clover
The night I looked at you

I found a dream, that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known

Oh yeah yeah
You smiled, you smiled
Oh and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine...

At Last

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "La Vie en Rose by Édith Piaf" (1946)



La Vie en Rose

[Couplet 1]
Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

[Refrain]
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Qu'il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ça m'fait quelque chose

[Couplet 2]
Il est entré dans mon cœur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit, l'a juré, pour la vie
Et dès que je l’aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat

[Pont]
Des nuits d'amour à plus finir
Un grand bonheur, qui prend sa place
Des ennuis des chagrins s'effacent
Heureux, heureux, à en mourir


[Refrain]
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Qu'il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ça m'fait quelque chose

[Couplet 3]
Il est entré dans mon cœur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C'est toi pour moi, moi pour toi dans la vie
Tu me l'as dit, m'as juré pour la vie
Et, dès que je t’aperçois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon cœur qui bat

[Outro]
La-la-la, la-la-la
La-la-la, la-la-la
La, la, la-la

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "It's Hard To Be Humble" by Mac Davis (1980)



It's Hard To Be Humble

Back a few months ago, I was headlinin' a great big nightclub... and they put me up a couple days early, I came in a couple days early. And they put me up in what they call the "Star Suite."

Now here I am, headlinin' in one of the biggest nightclubs
In the country and I wake up at eight o'clock in the morning
In this "Star Suite"...

...All by myself

[Crowd:] Awwww!

Yeah, that's what I said, "Awwww"

But I did what I've always done, man, to cheer myself up
I picked up my guitar, I sat down and I wrote me a little song
Now this is how it feels to be alone at the top of the hill, tryin'
to figure out why

Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
'Cause I get better lookin' each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin' the best that I can

I used to have a girlfriend
But I guess she just couldn't compete
With all of these love-starved women
Who keep clamoring at my feet
Well I could probably find me another
But I guess they're all in awe of me
Who cares? I never get lonesome
'Cause I treasure my own company

Oh... Lord, it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
'Cause I get better lookin' each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin' the best that I can

I guess you could say I'm a loner
A cowboy outlaw, tough and proud
Well, I could have lotsa friends if I wanted
But then I wouldn't stand out from the crowd
Some folks say that I'm "egotistical"
Hell, I don't even know what that means
I guess it has something to do with the way
That I fill out my skin-tight blue jeans

Oh... Come on, where's all the kickers in here?!
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
'Cause I get better lookin' each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble
But I'm doin' the best that I can!
One more time, what are we doin'?
We're doing the best that we can!
Give yourselves a hand
Yee-haw!

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "Runaround Sue" by Dion (1961)


Runaround Sue

Here's my story, it's sad but true
It's about a girl that I once knew
She took my love then ran around
With every single guy in town

Yeah, I should have known it from the very start
This girl would leave me with a broken heart
Now listen people what I'm telling you
A-keep away from-a Runaround Sue, yeah

I miss her lips and the smile on her face
The touch of her hand and this girl's warm embrace
So if you don't wanna cry like I do
A-keep away from-a Runaround Sue

She likes to travel around, yeah
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
Sue goes out with other guys

Here's the moral in the story from the guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll tell ya
Keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Yeah keep away from this girl
I don't know what she'll do
Keep away from Sue!

She likes to travel around, yeah
She'll love you and she'll put you down
Now people let me put you wise
She goes out with other guys

Here's the moral in the story from that guy who knows
I fell in love and my love still grows
Ask any fool that she ever knew, they'll tell ya
A-keep away from-a Runaround Sue

Stay away from that girl
Don't you know what she'll do now
Keep away from that girl

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frank Valli (1967)


Can't Take My Eyes Off You

You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you
You'd be like heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you

Pardon the way that I stare
There's nothing else to compare
The sight of you leaves me weak
There are no words left to speak

But if you feel like I feel
Please let me know that it's real
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you

I love you, baby
And if it's quite alright, I need you, baby
To warm a lonely night, I love you, baby
Trust in me when I say

Oh, pretty baby
Don't bring me down, I pray, oh pretty baby
Now that I found you, stay
And let me love you, baby
Let me love you

You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you
You'd be like heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you

I love you, baby
And if it's quite alright I need you, baby
To warm a lonely night, I love you, baby
Trust in me when I say

Oh, pretty baby
Don't bring me down, I pray, oh pretty baby
Now that I found you, stay, oh pretty baby
Trust in me when I say

Oh, pretty baby

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "Highly Illogical" by Leonard Nimoy (1967)




Highly Illogical

From far beyond the galaxies 
I've journeyed to this place
To study the behavior patterns o
Of the human race

And I find them highly illogical

Girl meets boy they fall in love
She says he's everything 
She's dreamed of
But when they get married 
Before he's aware
She changes his habits 
The way he combs his hair
She changes him to someone 
He's never been
And then complains 
He's not like other men
Now really I find this most illogical

Take the case of your automobiles
Greatest invention 
Since man discovered wheels
Hydromatic overdrive 
Four-on-the-floor
Pushbutton windows 
Pushbutton doors
Double barreled carborators 
Rush you any place
But you never can find 
A parking space

Highly illogical

Take the case of modern man
He works all his life 
Gives it all he can
Saves all his money 
Works overtime
Pinches every penny 
Banks every dime
All he can think about 
Is money but you know
That he can't take it with him 
Where he's going to go

Now I find that fascinatingly illogical

Now is the time to journey home 
To tell of what I've learned
My people, I believe, 
Have every right to be concerned
For in spite of computers 
And advanced psychology
Behavior patterns 
Are still a mystery
I predict the future 
Of this earthly human race
Is that having made a mess of Earth 
They'll move to outer space

Well there goes the neighborhood

Totally, completely, absolutely, irrevocably, highly illogical

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton (1970)


Rainy Night in Georgia

Hoverin' by my suitcase
Tryin' to find a warm place to spend the night
Heavy rain's fallin'
Seems I hear your voice callin' "it's all right"

A rainy night in Georgia
A rainy night in Georgia
Lord, I believe it's rainin' all over the world
I feel like it's rainin' all over the world

Neon signs a-flashin'
Taxicabs and buses passin' through the night
A distant moanin' of a train
Seems to play a sad refrain to the night

But it's a rainy night in Georgia
Such a rainy night in Georgia
Lord, I believe it's rainin' all over the world
I feel like it's rainin' all over the world

How many times I wondered
It still comes out the same
No matter how you look at it or think of it
It's life and you just got to play the game

Find me a place in a box car
So I take my guitar to pass some time
Late at night when it's hard to rest
I hold your picture to my chest and I feel fine, I feel fine

But it's a rainy night in Georgia
Baby, it's a rainy night in Georgia
Lord, I believe it's rainin' all over the world
Kinda lonely now and it's rainin' all over the world

Rainin', rainin' rainin', rainin', rainin' rainin', 
rainin', rainin', rainin', rainin'

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon (2014)



Shut Up And Dance

"Oh don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me"
I said, "You're holding back"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo
Shut up and dance with me"

We were victims of the night
The chemical, physical, kryptonite
Helpless to the bass and the fading light
Oh, we were bound to get together
Bound to get together

She took my arm
I don't know how it happened
We took the floor and she said

"Oh, don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me"
I said, "You're holding back"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo
Shut up and dance with me"

A backless dress and some beat up sneaks
My discothèque, Juliet teenage dream
I felt it in my chest as she looked at me
I knew we were bound to be together
Bound to be together

She took my arm
I don't know how it happened
We took the floor and she said

"Oh, don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me"
I said, "You're holding back"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo
Shut up and dance with me"

Oh, come on girl

Deep in her eyes
I think I see the future
I realize this is my last chance

She took my arm
I don't know how it happened
We took the floor and she said

"Oh, don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me"
I said, "You're holding back"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo
Shut up and dance!"

"Don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me"
I said, "You're holding back"
She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo
Shut up and dance with me"

Ooh-ooh-hoo, shut up and dance with me
Ooh-ooh-hoo, shut up and dance with me

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Percy Sledge (1966)



When A Man Loves A Woman

When a man loves a woman,
Can't keep his mind on nothin' else,
He'd change the world for the good thing he's found.

If she is bad, he can't see it,
She can do no wrong,
Turn his back on his best friend if he put her down.

When a man loves a woman,
He'll spend his very last dime
Tryin' to hold on to what he needs.
He'd give up all his comforts
And sleep out in the rain,
If she said that's the way
It ought to be.

Well, this man loves you, woman.
I gave you everything I have,
Tryin' to hold on to your heartless love.
Baby, please don't treat me bad.

When a man loves a woman,
Down deep in his soul,
She can bring him such misery.

If she is playin' him for a fool,
He's the last one to know.
Lovin' eyes can never see.

When a man loves a woman
He can do her no wrong,
He can never want
Some other girl.

Yes,When a man loves a woman
I know exactly how he feels,
'Cause baby, baby, you're my world
When a man loves a woman....

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

TUNESMITH TUESDAY - "One More Minute" by Weird Al Yankovic (1985)




"One More Minute"
[constant "doo wop"s in the background throughout the song]

Aahh

Well I heard that you're leavin' (leavin')
Gonna leave me far behind (so far behind)
'Cause you found a brand new lover
You decided that I'm not your kind (aahh..)

So I pulled (I pulled) your name out (name out) 
Of my Rolodex (oohh..)
And I tore all your pictures in two
And I burned down the malt shop where we used to go
Just because it reminds me of you (dippity dippity doo)

That's right (that's right) you ain't gonna see me cryin'
I'm glad (I'm glad) that you found somebody new
'Cause I'd rather spend eternity eating shards of broken glass
Than spend one more minute with you

I guess I might seem kinda bitter
You got me feeling down in the dumps
'Cause I'm stranded all alone in the gas station of love
And I have to use the self-service pumps

Oh, so honey, let me help you with that suitcase
You ain't (you ain't) gonna break my heart in two
'Cause I'd rather get a hundred thousand paper cuts on my face
Than spend one more minute with you

I'd rather rip out my intestines with a fork
Than watch you going out with other men
I'd rather slam my fingers in a door (yah)
Again and again and again and again and again

Oh, can't you see what I'm tryin' to say, Darlin...

I'd rather have my blood sucked out by leeches (leeches)
Shove an icepick under a toenail or two
I'd rather clean all the bathroom in Grand Central Station 
With my tongue
Than spend one more minute with you

Yes, I'd rather jump naked on a huge pile of thumbtacks
Or stick my nostrils together with crazy glue
I'd rather dive into a swimming pool filled with 
Double-edged razor blades
Than spend one more minute with you

I'd rather rip my heart out of my ribcage with my bare hands
and then throw it on the floor and stomp on it 'till I die
Than spend one more minute with you