Music & makeovers! I swoon for chippy paint, a gorgeous patina and a fabulous song!!! I love great music (read: Bruce Springsteen & Otis Redding), white lilacs, walking in freshly fallen snow, the Golden Girls, road trips and the fall!!!
Vintage Shiny Brite ornaments found on Pinterest (original source unknown).
We lost today’s singer over the summer, and a part of me died that day, too. I still have not stopped crying. My world lost a great deal of its light. Life will never sound the same without her in it.
She was without a doubt the greatest female singer this world has ever known. In 1958 when she was 16, she met singer Sam Cooke, who died 54 years ago today at the age of 33. He wanted her to sign with his label, RCA Records. However, her father-a minister who was her first manager-eventually had her sign with Columbia Records. She and Cooke remained friends and fans of each other’s work, and she recorded several of his songs after his death, most notably “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1967) and “You Send Me” (1968), She referred to him as “a prince of a man”.
From the second I heard she died, all I could think of was how even more beautiful Heaven sounded now that she and Cooke could sing together. I cannot even imagine what a breathtaking sound that was. The true definition of Heaven itself.
Yes, I believe in Heaven. And I believe one day I will be there myself. And after I have thanked God in person for everything he gave me, and hugged and kissed all my family and friends that passed before me, I want to be front and center to hear this woman sing with Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, Jackie Wilson, Luciano Pavorotti and anyone else she chooses. Maybe Jim Morrison??? And then I will bow to her, which is the appropriate action to take when meeting a Queen.
Please enjoy my all-time favorite renditions of the National Anthem. The first one was recorded 35 years ago at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game by one of the greatest singers to ever walk this earth. He sang it with the reverence the song deserved, but in his own unique passionate and soulful way. It was a beautiful and masterful performance.
Twenty-one years later at the 2004 NBA All Star Game, his daughter would use his version to sing it as a duet with her father and it was absolutely stunning.
Enjoy & have a happy & safe 4th of July, friends!!!
My love for Motown is immense. I have adored it since I was a kid, thanks to my parents. They bought one of those K-Tel compilations which consisted of four albums of the Motor City’s greatest hits and the rest is history.
So many great songs and singers came out of that era, and to this day four of them are still on my list of favorite voices of all time: Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, David Ruffin (lead singer of the Temptations) & Levi Stubbs (lead singer of the Four Tops.
Despite the fact that Motown gave us some of the greatest music ever made, so many of the holiday music recorded by those artists is hardly ever heard during the Christmas season. With radio stations starting earlier and earlier every year to play holiday songs, I do not know how this era of music gets overlooked. I listen to these four Christmas songs year round, and maybe after hearing them you will understand why.
Marvin Gaye (R) – The Temptations (L) (original sources unknown)
Stevie Wonder (R) – The Four Tops (L) (original sources unknown)
Hi, Vixens!!! How are all of you today? Ready for another great holiday song??? Then let’s get to it.
Soul music-whether in the form of Motown, R&B, Philly Soul, Gospel or some other variation-has been a favorite of mine forever. I love music that is consumed with so much emotion. It reminds me I am alive and hits my soul like a bolt of electricity, which is perhaps where the term “soul music” came from-music that touches the soul.
And while we are on the subject of Al Green, his version of “O Holy Night” sent shivers down my spine from the second I heard it. Done in his signature style, it oozes personality, charm, soul, R&B and every emotion it makes you feel. It is simply majestic!!!
I do not own the rights to anything, I am just sharing some of my favorite music with you.
Before we get to today’s countdown song, let’s take a minute to observe the 56th anniversary of the day the music died. On February 3 1959, a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa claimed the lives of musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson a/k/a the Big Bopper and Richie Valens. Holly was 22, Richardson was 28 and Valens was just 17 years old. They were all part of a three week long American city tour called the Winter Dance Party.
What a lot of people do not know is that country music legend Waylon Jennings, who was a member of Holly’s new band after he parted ways with the Crickets, was supposed to be on the flight but gave up his seat to Richardson because he had the flu.
If you saw the movie based on Valens’ life story, “La Bamba”, you know that Valens won his seat in a coin toss from another of Holly’s band members. One more member of the tour, Dion Dimucci (of Dion & the Belmonts), decided he could not afford the ticket for the flight so he passed on a seat.
The crash was so devastating to the music industry and fans alike it was dubbed “the day the music died” then and in Don McClean’s song “American Pie” which was released over a decade after the crash. Ironically, the song was number one in 1972 on the anniversary of the crash.
The musical influence of Holly and Valens never waned, and both were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and 2001, respectively. As of 2015, J.P. Richardson has not been elected to the HOF.
For countdown song #12, we visit one of my favorite periods of music ever-the Motown era. So many of my favorite singers have come from the Motown years: Marvin Gaye, David Ruffin, Stevie Wonder and Levi Stubbs. In fact, it is Mr. Stubbs’ group-the Four Tops-that sang my #12 favorite love song. “I Believe in You & Me“, written by David Wolfert and Sandy Linzer, was released in 1982.
It is unequivocally one of the highlights of Stubbs’ career, showcasing not only the range of his voice but its passion as well. His delivery is clear, smooth and so heartfelt it saves the borderline syrupy sentiment of some of the lyrics to ones that are just moving and hopeful. Even the esteemed Whitney Houston could not deliver her 1996 cover of this song any where close to the beauty of Stubbs’ original. We lost his voice in 2008, and music in general has never quite sounded the same to me since.
The lyrics refer to love as a miracle, and the older I get and the more I realize how hard true love is to find, I believe romantic love may really be a wonder after all.
Music is such a special part of my life, and Christmas songs are no different. There have been so many great versions of almost every song, it was hard to narrow it down to just 20. But with 10 days to go before the big day, I thought I would share my list with all of you.
Each song includes a link to a YouTube video. I do not own the rights to anything, nor am I associated with any of the channels/videos that I chose. I just picked ones that showcased either the artists and/or the song enough to give you the best feel for the tune (in my humble opinion).
All opinions are my own.
What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? Tell me in the comments below.
Enjoy!!!
1) Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen ( written by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore).
It’s Bruce. To say this is perfect would only be redundant.
2) Christmas Time is Here by the Peanuts ( written by Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi).
The Peanuts were my best friends when I was a kid, and today they are just as special to me. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is the main reason why. If all I did for the holiday season was watch this special, my Christmas would still be perfect.
3) White Christmas by Otis Redding (written by Irving Berlin).
Yes, I know all about the popularity of Bing Crosby’s version. However, in my humble opinion, Redding brings such a stunning soulful element to his version of this song I really cannot listen to any other one. And if it was good enough for the “Love Actually” soundtrack, it is good enough for me.
4) Winter Wonderland by Ray Charles (written by Felix Bernard).
Charles’ take on this is as unique and gorgeous as his version of “America The Beautiful”. Truly a holiday gem.
5) Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives (written by Johnny Marks).
Who does not want a singing snowman??? Burl Ives is one of the reasons why I still tune in to watch “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” even now.
6) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love (written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry).
Love has performed this song on Letterman’s show since 1993. You have to watch both the studio version and the live version to truly appreciate this song and Love’s voice.
7) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (written by Charles Wesley).
Between the Peanuts characters singing it at the end of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and it being the song that celebrated George Bailey’s worth in “It’s A Wonderful Life”, it is impossible for me to hear any version of this song and not get verklempt. A multitude of singers have covered this song but Martina McBride, Neil Diamond & Frank Sinatra’s versions are among my favorites.
8) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland (written by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane).
Tony Bennett called Garland the greatest singer he ever heard. I am in no position to argue with a man of his talent and taste.
9) Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley (written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson).
It’s ELVIS!!!
10) O Come All Ye Faithful by Nat King Cole (written by John Francis Wade).
Most people associate him with the most famous version of “The Christmas Song”, but it is this Christmas classic that I love the most of Cole’s holiday recordings.
11) The Christmas Song by Tony Bennett (written by Mel Torme & Robert Wells).
Tony Bennett is a legend. If you do not have any of his music in your collection, you are doing yourself a disservice.
12) It’s a Marshmallow World by Dean Martin (written in 1949 by Carl Sigman and Peter DeRose).
I think Frank Sinatra would even agree that Martin was probably the coolest member of the Rat Pack.
13) Celebrate Me Home by Kenny Loggins (written by Bob James and Kenny Loggins).
Not a cover of a Christmas classic, but a song of Loggins’ very own is now a holiday staple.
14) What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder (written by Anna Gordy Gaye (yes, Marvin Gaye’s first wife) & George Gordy).
Another original Christmas tune that has become a staple of the holiday. And who can forget Will Ferrell’s “Elf” jumping on the mattresses with his little brother while this song was playing?
15) Silver Bells by Rosemary Clooney & Bing Crosby (written by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans).
Before her nephew George was probably even born, Rosemary Clooney was Hollywood’s “it” girl. Anything she sang was perfection and pairing her voice with Bing Crosby’s turned a song into a spectacular event.
16) Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon (written by John Lennon & Yoko Ono).
From the man who told us “love is the answer”, peace was the gift he wanted for the world, and not just at Christmas.
17) The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams (written by Eddie Pola and George Wyle).
I’ll admit this song now reminds me of back to school shopping thanks to a fabulous campaign several years ago by Staples, but it is a holiday classic nonetheless.
18) The Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth by Bing Crosby & David Bowie (Drummer Boy written by Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati & Katherine Kennicott Davis, and the Peace on Earth music & lyrics written by Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman and Alan Kohan expressly for the recording by Crosby and Bowie).
In theory this was an odd pairing, but in principle their voices worked so well together it is hard to imagine this season without this song. But I still wonder what would have happened if Bowie had shown up at Crosby’s house dressed as Ziggy Stardust??? (LOL)
19) O Holy Night by Eric Cartman (written by Adolphe-Charles Adam).
South Park is one of my all time favorite shows, and this clip illustrates just one of the reasons why. Any reverence I had for this song is gone thanks to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but I would not have it any other way!!!
20) Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer by Elmo and Patsy (written by Randy Brooks).
This brings back memories of me and my cousins signing this song to my grandmother, who I miss everyday, not just at Christmas. But this makes me feel a little closer to her.
![hqdefault[1]](https://lilacsandrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/hqdefault1.jpg?w=640)
![5-23-2012-sotd[1]](https://lilacsandrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/5-23-2012-sotd1.png?w=640)
Lilacs & Rust 