Finally, from that recent restless night, some favorite “romantic” songs I came up with, for an alphabetical list to put me back to sleep:
ALL THE WAY (Sinatra’s version of course)
BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE (Johnny Mercer’s own version)
CRAZY LOVE (Van the man Morrison, no better “rock” love song; Patsy Cline’s CRAZY came in second in my head that night, did Willie Nelson write that?)
DON’T BLAME ME (I couldn’t think of anyone in particular, just dig the song)
EMBRACEABLE YOU (Sinatra, who else)
FEVER (Peggy Lee)
GOD ONLY KNOWS (The Beach Boys)
HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU (Marvin Gaye)
IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT (I think it was The 5 Satins? Does anyone remember? My second thought was I’M THE MAN by The Proclaimers, not exactly a romantic melody but an intensely romantic sentiment to “walk five hundred miles” etc.)
JUST YOU, JUST ME (Bill Evans version)
KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON, A (Louis Armstrong’s version is one of the most memorable)
LET’S GET LOST (who else but Chet Baker)
MY FUNNY VALENTINE (Sinatra’s and/or Miles’ version)
NO ORDINARY LOVE (Sade)
O NOSSO AMOR (from the film Black Orpheus, because the whole soundtrack is incredible and for Doodle)
PLEDGING MY LOVE (Johnny Ace, this was my immediate first thought, followed quickly by the much more recent Corrine Bailey Rae’s PUT YOUR RECORDS ON)
QUIET MAN, THE (A romantic soundtrack only because I love the movie pairing of Wayne and Maureen O’Hara so much, the only real match he ever had with a female star)
ROXANNE (The Police, it seemed romantic at the time, of course the ROB ROY Soundtrack I also find very romantic because I found the movie so romantic)
SOMETHING (The Beatles)
THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME (Fred Astaire, of course, but Ella or anyone else is almost as good, because this Gershwin brothers song is so good)
UNFORGETTABLE (Nat King Cole, the original version, not the remake with Natalie)
VERY THOUGHT OF YOU, THE (Tony Bennett does this one nicely)
WALKIN’ MY BABY BACK HOME (Nat King Cole’s version especially)
X (I couldn’t think of one, can you?)
YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG (Sinatra, what can I say, and then I remembered Willie Nelson’s YOU WERE ALWAYS ON MY MIND, how beautiful is that?)
ZING WENT THE STRINGS (The Skyliners!)
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12 comments:
You are correct, sir. Indeed the Five Satins did In the Still of the Night, on the album "Dirty Dancing."
Uh... X-Men soundtracks, or "Xylophone" by Alvin Lucier, or various Xylophone sonatas by Pittfield, as recorded by Peter Donohoe??
~ tom
I think that "At Last" by Etta James has to be one of the best love songs ever.
"Baby It's Cold Outside" is one of my favorite winter songs. It's played so often around Christmas that I've come to think of it as a holiday song.
I've been listening to Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey album a lot lately. My favorite tracks off that being "You're My Woman" and "Tupelo Honey"-- both good love songs. He's done so many good love songs.
Tom, I only knew "In The Still of the Night" as a 45 around 1956, the lp must have come later, and Anonymous is so right, how could I have not thought of "At Last"!
Thanks for the shout out, Lols! While I think Black Orpheus is an archetype of "romance," most of the music grabs me more as an expression of the various relations between human beings and existence. Which it also present archetypes of.
I think I associate a lot anguish with romantic love, so Smokey's You Really Got a Hold On Me (done nicely by John and the Beatles as well) and Li'l Anthony's Goin' Out of My Head come to mind.
Doodle
Smokey and Li' Anthony, nice.
The best version of "The Very Thought of You" has to be Little Willie John. The tape I have includes "Cottage For Sale"; his rendition being my favorite version of that song, too. Hey does anyone know the song that Nicoletta Braschi and Roberto Benigni dance to at the end of "Down By Law"? I think it's Etta James, but it's not on the official soundtrack. It's real pretty, maybe made more so by these two real lovers dancing so unselfconsciously.
Little Willie John, another great hit. I actually played piano behind him once in segregated South Carolina in 1963 in a black club on the chitlin circuit, pitside Greenville, called The Ghana. He was an interesting character as well as singer.
I meant "outside" Greenville!
Incredible! The life you've lived.
Was he gay? I always wondered. Not that it matters...
"The Very Thought of You" is a nice one. I've only heard the Billie Holiday version (if it's the same song).
As for the song that Braschi and Benigni dance to, I looked it up and it's "It's Raining" by Irma Thomas.
Also, may I add "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis. Kind of predictable, but it always gives me goose bumps.
Yes, that's the same "The Very Thought of You" and as for the Elvis rendition of "Can't Help Falling in Love with You" yes you certainly may, because despite it's almost operatic production, he really sings his heart out on it.
Oh Irma Thomas! Thanks anonymous. Did you find a place to buy it? "Can't Help Falling" is the first 45 I ever owned, the flip side was "Rock A Hula Baby." Do people still play favorite songs over and over again? I do, despite the new technology. Billie does sing "The Very Thought of You" with conviction, although she's best at the plaintive yearning for Love, as in "Lover Man:"
"I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems"
Those words uniquely describing the not-all unpleasant longing for a man whose identity has yet to be revealed. Or, a man you know, but haven't yet had the pleasure of experiencing his particular love-making.
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