This special edition of Ramblin’ Tunes follows the suggestions to dig into calming vibes for a quiet moment in the day. Indulge yourself with soothing songs from the past.
| TITLE | ARTIST | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| Night Rider | The Electric Blues Band | This song features on a compilation CD I got from my late neighbour. |
| Stardust | Nat “King” Cole | Bandleader Hoagy Carmichael composed the classic ‘Stardust’ after giving up his law career in 1927 and it was Mitchell Parish who wrote two years later the wonderful lyrics. Nat King Cole’s released his version in 1957 and got renewed success with it in 1993 when it featured in the movie ‘Sleepless In Seattle’. |
| Slow | Rumer | The British singer songwriter Rumer with ‘Slow’ from the album ‘Seasons of My Soul’. Rumer stated once in an interview she believes in angels. He is one from Elcho Island. |
| Wiyathul | Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu | Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter Gurrumul with a beautiful song inspired by his love for his people and homeland: Elcho Island. ‘Wiyathul’ (longing for place) is sung in Yolŋu. Yolngu culture in north-east Arnhem Land – a heartland of Aboriginal culture and land rights – is among the oldest living cultures on earth, stretching back over 40,000 years. Yolngu people speak a dozen dialects of a language group known as Yolngu matha. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu sang in Galpu, Djambarrpuynu, Gumatj – and, occasionally, in English. Even if you can’t understand the language, you can relate to the emotion. Blind from birth, Geoffrey was a long-time member of the Saltwater Band, a talented Aboriginal outfit from Elcho Island, before he developed a solo career. |
| For all we know | Donny Hathaway | Soul legend Donny Hathaway (a.k.a. Donny Pitts) with the classic “For All We Know”, first published in 1934, with music by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. |
| Fragile | Sting | “Fragile” Sting from the 1987 Album: Nothing Like The Sun. As Sting stated once: “… every time something happens, it seems an appropriate song to play …” |
| Fields of gold | Eva Cassidy | The original of ‘Fields of Gold’ is by Sting, but Eva Cassidy’s voice and the way she changes the rhythm elevates it to the next level, so gifted that she did not need extra vibrato, electronics, background singers etc. The song is recorded live at the Blues Alley nightclub, Georgetown, Washington, D.C. in early January 1996. It was the last album recorded by Cassidy before her death in November 1996. |
| Jesus To A Child | George Michael | In January 1996, George Michael released “Jesus to a Child”, his melancholy tribute to his deceased Brazilian lover Anselmo Feleppa. |
| If | Telly Savalas | Hollywood actor Telly Savalas, best known at the time for his iconic role in the detective series Kojak released in 1974 a spoken word cover of a Bread song ‘If’. |
| Calling you | Jevetta Steele | The terrific American gospel singer Jevetta Steele sings Bob Telson’s “Calling You” from the 1988 movie soundtrack of Bagdad Café. |
| The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | Roberta Flack | ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’ was the breakthrough hit for Roberta Flack when it won in 1973 the Song and Record of the Year Grammy awards. Originally written by folk singer Ewan MacColl in 1957 for his lover, Peggy Seeger. |
| Mad World | Gary Jules | Gary Jules covered the Tears for Fears hit ‘Mad World’ for the 2001 movie Donnie Darko. |
| To love somebody | Scott Matthew | Australian singer Scott Matthew describes himself as a ‘Quiet-Noise-Maker’ with a passion for ballads. In 2013 he released the covers-album UNLEARNED with ‘To Love Somebody’ from the Bee Gees in 1967. |
| Need Your Love So Bad | Fleetwood Mac | In 1968, Peter Green with Fleetwood Mac recorded a version of the song “Need Your Love So Bad”, written in 1956 by the brothers William Edward “Little Willie” John and Mertis John Jr. |
| I’d Rather Go Blind | Chicken Shack | “I’d Rather Go Blind” was first recorded by Etta James in 1967. Chicken Shack released its version in 1969 with vocalist Christine Anne Perfect before she married Fleetwood Mac’s bass player John McVie. |
| Ooh Baby Baby | Linda Ronstadt | The classic Tamla Motown hit “Ooo Baby Baby” is written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore and in 1979 Linda Ronstadt (the most successful female singer of the 1970s) put her “stamp” on the song. Ronstadt’s touring band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey formed the Eagles shortly after playing on her 1972 self-titled album. Ronstadt was very supportive, encouraging Henley and Frey to form the group even though it meant losing some of her best talent. |
| Desperado | Eagles | “Desperado” by the Eagles was a touchstone in bringing this kind of song to the rock genre. Linda Ronstadt recorded and released it on her 1973 album Don’t Cry Now a few months after the Eagles’ Desperado album was issued. In 1975, Ronstadt performed shows with the Eagles singing lead vocal on Desperado. |
| Angel | Sarah McLachlan | “Angel” is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan inspired by articles about musicians turning to heroin to cope with the pressures of the music industry, in particular the overdosing and death of Smashing Pumpkins keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin in 1996. |
| Into my arms | Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is a love ballad written by Nick Cave in rehab after consecutive relationship break-ups in 1997. |
| More Than Words | Extreme | “More Than Words” is a song by American rock band Extreme from March 1991. A sweet, pure acoustic ballad written by singer Gary Cherone and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt that proves that sometimes less really is more. |
| Albatross | Fleetwood Mac | After his brief tenure with the Bluesbreakers Peter Green recorded three studio albums with Fleetwood Mac before LSD and illness derailed his talent. In 1968 he created the instrumental ‘Albatross’, Fleetwood Mac’s first UK No. 1 hit. From start to finish, this song contains only two guitar chords: Emaj7 and F#m. Similarities can be found in Chuck Berry’s instrumental ‘Deep Feeling’ of 1957. |
| I’m Not In Love | 10cc | 10cc’s Eric Stewart’s dilemma to tell his wife he did love her without saying the three word phrase resulted in the 1975 track ‘I’m Not In Love’. It took over 256 vocal dubs to create the tsunami of voices. Kathy Redfern, the secretary of Strawberry Studios, whispered the vocals of “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry” as if they had a phone call. |
| Hijo de la luna | Mecano | “Hijo de la Luna” (English: “Son of the Moon”) is a song by the Spanish band Mecano. Written by José María Cano it refers to a tragic Romani legend. Mecano with singer Ana Torroja and brothers Nacho and José María Cano, was one of the most successful pop bands of Spain formed in 1981 (they were part of the countercultural movement La Movida Madrileña) and active until 1992. |
| Riverside | Agnes Obel | “Riverside”, referring to the river Spree in Berlin, is a song by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel, using water as a border between one world and another during people’s transformation. |
| Suzanne | Leonard Cohen | Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen wrote a poet in 1966 inspired by Suzanne Verdal, a dancer living at the waterfront of Montreal harbour. Later, Cohen met Suzanne Elrod who gave birth to his two children, Adam and Lorca. After Judy Collins had recorded the song first it was Cohen’s debut single. |
| L’Eté Indien | Joe Dassin | “L’Été indien” (French for “Indian summer”) from 1975 is American/French singer Joe Dassin’s biggest hit. In the song he reflects with fond memories of his lover, who he met during an Indian summer, but with whom he has now lost contact. The song was based on the song “Africa” by Toto Cutugno (originally released by Toto Cutugno’s band Albatros). |
| Perfect day | Lou Reed | Lou Reed’s description of a romantic ‘Perfect Day’ in 1972, produced by David Bowie. |
| Roxanne | George Michael | The Parisian red light district of Montmartre worked inspirational for Sting in October 1977 when he wrote this song. ‘Roxanne’ by The Police covered by George Michael in 1999. |
| (You’re Gonna Look) Good In Blues | Tony Joe White | “Good In Blues”, written and performed by Tony Joe White, a song from his successful album “Closer to the Truth” from 1991. |
| Song for Guy | Elton John | “Life… Isn’t ever-y-thing”, a song for Guy Burchett, a messenger for Rocket Records, Elton John’s label, who died in a motorcycle accident in 1978. |
| Don’t It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue | Crystal Gayle | American country musician Crystal Gayle recorded “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” in Nashville on October 27, 1976 (in one take). Writer Richard Leigh received a Grammy Award for “Best Country Song” for the song in 1978. |
| Let it be me | The Everly Brothers | For the Everly Brothers, “Let it be me” was the first song they did not record in Nashville. It was done in New York as one of the first pop songs to use a string section – eight violins and a cello were used. The song is an adaptation of French singer Gilbert Becaud’s 1955 song “Je t’appartiens” (I belong to you). |
| Backdoor man | Viktor Lazlo | Viktor Lazlo (real name: Sonia Dronnier, born 7 October 1960) is a French-Belgian singer who took her stage name from a character in the 1942 film Casablanca. She sings in French, English, Spanish and German. “Backdoor Man” is written by Boris Bergman (a.k.a. John Kipoor) and composed and produced by Alain Chamfort. |
| Wonderful Tonight | Eric Clapton | Eric Clapton wrote this beautiful song for his future wife Pattie Boyd while she was trying on dresses upstairs. In the time she had taken to get ready Clapton had written the song. A win/win story you could say. Not sure if she dressed in red that night. |
| The lady in red | Chris De Burgh | Chris De Burgh remembers what his wife Diane was wearing when they first met and shared it with us in 1986. |
| Ain’t No Sunshine | Eva Cassidy | “Ain’t No Sunshine” was written by West Virginia soul star Bill Withers in 1970. Eva Cassidy recorded her version in 1996 before she died later that year at the age of 33. The song was four years later released on an album called “Time after Time”. |
| Time After Time | Miles Davis | In 1983, Rob Hyman and Cyndi Lauper wrote the number one hit “Time After Time”. In her memoir, Cyndi Lauper wrote that the most honoured she ever felt was when Miles Davis covered her song in 1985. |
Sources
The information sources of the song facts include, but are not limited to, Wikipedia, songfacts.com, discogs.com, secondhandsongs.com, YouTube and artists’ related websites.
