Song of the Day: The
Ten Commandments ("The Red Sea") [YouTube link], composed by Elmer
Bernstein, provides a musical backdrop for what remains one of the
greatest cinematic moments in motion picture history: Cecil
B. DeMille's 1956
film's rendering of the
parting of the Red Sea [YouTube link]. The Jews are liberated after
ten plagues, the last brought about by Pharoah's mocking of God, resulting in
the death of the first born of Egypt, including Pharoah's own son. A vengeful
Pharoah (played by Yul
Brynner), chases the Jews through the desert. But Moses shows
the power of God; as a pillar
of fire blocks the Egyptians, he lifts his arms, allowing the Jews to
escape through the midst of the waters, and subsequently destroying Pharoah's
chariots in their pursuit after the pillar dissipates (celebrated on the seventh
day of the Passover holiday). Charlton
Heston plays Moses in the way that only Heston could play it; the
film's screenplay is not the most contemporary, but its reverence is genuine. It
is said that Heston was in the last film of the old Bibical epics, and the first
film of the modern Biblical epics, "Ben-Hur,"
one which did not dispense with the intimacy of characterization, while
retaining the cinematic grandeur that only Hollywood could deliver. To all my
Jewish friends and colleagues, celebrating the last day of Passover, I wish
health and happiness.
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Posted to Film
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Song of the Day: Me
and Mrs. Jones, words
and music by Kenny
Gamble, Leon
Huff, and Cary
Gilbert, was a #1 hit for Billy
Paul, and is surely one of the most memorable soul tracks of my
pre-teen youth. Sadly, Paul
passed away on April 24, 2016. This has been a pretty tough year for
those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, as the artists who
provided the soundtrack of our lives have passed on. It's a reminder of our own
mortality; but music lives forever. Listen to the
original Paul hit and a nice cover by Michael
Buble.
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Posted to Music | Remembrance
Song of the Day: Let's
Go Crazy, words
and music by Prince,
who recorded this as Prince
and the Revolution, a Minneapolis rock band formed in 1979. The song
went to #1 on the Billboard Hot
100, a mega-hit from the 1984
soundtrack album, the Oscar-winning "Best
Original Song Score" to the film, "Purple
Rain." I am happy that I had the opportunity to see this Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame musician perform this blazingly hot song live
in concert; today, he
passed away at the young age of 57. His music broke through various
genres and he leaves a legacy of musical treasures released and
yet-to-be-released. I will miss him. Check out the
album version of this song, which tells us of an "afterworld . . . of
never-ending happiness," something he has given to his fans for generations to
come [YouTube links].
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Posted to Culture | Music | Remembrance
Song of the Day: Calamity
Jane ("Secret Love"), music by Sammy
Fain, lyrics by Paul
Francis Weber, was composed for the 1953
movie musical, where it was introduced by the incomparable Doris
Day, who celebrated her 92nd
birthday on April 3rd. With a melody based on the opening theme of
the A-major
piano Sonata D.664 [a Wilhelm
Kempff version on YouTube] of Franz
Schubert, this song was
released before the film, and made it to #1 on both the Billboard and Cashbox charts,
before going on to win the Oscar
for Best Original Song. For years, fans have lobbied the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to give Oscar recognition
to Day for
all of her wonderful film performances through the years, from the title role of
this film to her co-starring role with Kirk
Douglas in the 1950 Bix
Biederbecke-inspired film, "The
Young Man with a Horn" (and that was the legendary Harry
James providing the trumpet work) to the 1956 Hitchcock thriller
"The
Man Who Knew Too Much," opposite Jimmy
Stewart, where she introduced another Oscar-winning
Best Song, "Que
Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)." Check out this lovely Grammy
Hall of Fame single by the lovely lady who knew how to sing it in a film
clip and in the longer
studio version [YouTube links]. And check out this sweet
Shirley Bassey tribute to Doris as well. A belated Happy 92nd
Birthday to one
of the world's greatest animal lovers, who will always be an Award-winner
in my songbook!
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Posted to Film
/ TV / Theater Review | Music | Remembrance
Song of the Day: Cake
By the Ocean, words and music by Robin
Fredriksson, Mattias Larsson, Justin
Tranter, and Joe
Jonas, is the
first single from DNCE. I was a mobile DJ in college and the Dance
Bug is part of my genome. I still listen to current and recent hits, and really
enjoyed DNCE's
live performance of this last night because they did a "Le
Freak" Chic mash
up with the iconic producer, composer, and musician Nile
Rodgers. Check out the official
video (naughty words included) and the iHeart
Radio Awards version. [YouTube links].