He Sang, She Sang - 12

Nothing Compares To You

Prince wrote this song in the 80's for The Family - a funk band created as an outlet to release Prince's music. This song was not released a single and went unnoticed.

In 1990, Sinead O'Connor recorded the song on her second album and made it a worldwide hit. The video was for this song is really intense and so haunting. The video went on to win the MTV Best Video award for the year.

As a result of the popularity of Sinead's cover, Prince began to perform this song live in concerts. His version features the vocal powerhouse Rosie Gaines.

A number of artists have recorded their version of this song but these are really the only 2 worth mentioning.

I have included both versions in the soundbyte playing. But i also added a live version by Lemar i discovered as well.

Which version works the best for you?

Inspired.....

Please read this as you listen to what's playing in the sounbyte - Kirk Whalum's - If Only For One Night


He looked at his watch
It was time
He stood up and roared to his men ‘Make we dey go’
His gang of not so merry men put down their bottles of ogogoro and staggered to their feet
Eyes red from intoxication
Feet unsteady
They picked up the tools of their trade
Metal rods, sticks, burlap sacks and a lone locally crafted pistol
And headed out

He led his men out of the slums called home
Onto the street
Across the empty field that was used to kick a ball around
To while away the time
Marching with single minded purpose
He led his men
Across the road
And they got onto the median
And began to walk slowly down it
Heading to the middle of the 3rd mainland bridge

Traffic was at its prime
Cars at a stand still
No one going anywhere
Bumper to bumper the cars were
Drivers resigned to the fact that this would not end anytime soon
Some with their windows rolled down
Wiped their faces as the heat made sweat drip down their faces
Executives asleep in the back of their cushy cars
After a hard day at work
Their drivers sitting upright in their white shirts and ties
Some drivers oblivious to the traffic
Courtesy of the music they were singing to
Some oblivious because of the company they had
Some drivers seemed lost in thought
Contemplating life and obligations
Everyone headed home

His band of un-merry men slowed down right at the middle of the bridge
Jumped onto the road
And it began

Windows rapped on
Some smashed
‘Bring your phone’
‘Bring your bag’
‘Give me all your money’
‘Open your boot’
‘I go fire ya head here my friend’
‘Move it morrafoker’

Some of the men laughed as they assaulted the innocent
Some said nothing
He walked in between the lanes
Weaving between the cars
Keeping his eyes on his men
And on the opposite lane
And on the passengers in the cars

He heard a guttural scream behind him
He turned around
For he had warned his men
No un-necessary violence
Smash and grab
Scare and petrify
But hurt no-one

He walked slowly back to the cause of the noise
A Toyota Corolla
Driver’s door open
A woman struggling with one of his men
In a dark suit
And bare feet
‘Please my phone’
‘Don’t take my phone’
‘Take my car, take it all but not my phone’

He heard his man
The one that the woman had locked in her grip saying
‘I go wound this woman’
‘You dey craze’
He stopped and said
‘Madam, I suggest you leave him alone’
‘Please my phone’

He looked at the woman as she let his man go
He was used to people being intimidated by him
6 feet 3 inches of solid muscle
Every inch of him as dark as coal tar
And at this time of night
He knew that the only features people would be able to see
Were the white of his eyes and his teeth
His voice scared even his mother

This woman didn’t seem to notice him
So focused on her phone
Oblivious to the kicks and slaps
She had tears streaming down her face
He noticed that in addition to the tears
She was crying
No. She was weeping
Making gut wrenching sounds as she screamed ‘my phone’

‘Let me have her phone’
They stopped struggling – his man and the woman
He sneered at her
‘All this noise and wahala over an ordinary Nokia 2210’
‘You want to die over this phone’
All the while she stared at the phone in his hand
Saying over and over ‘please, please, please, please’

‘Get into your car now’
He said in a tone that brooked no argument
He turned to his man
Threw the phone in the burlap sack
And they walked away
He heard the woman scream again but did not turn round

His men hurried along
For the window of opportunity was closing
Traffic was beginning to move

For an inexplicable reason
He turned around
While cars had started to move slowly
The woman was sitting on the bridge
In her dark suit and bare feet
Crying hysterically
Her car door still open

He walked back to her
‘Madam, get up and enter your car’
She seemed not to hear him
‘Did anyone hurt you?’
She looked at him then
And the look of pain and agony on his face made him take a step back
Yet she said nothing
Just continued to cry
‘Madam you can buy another phone. Even a better one’

She whimpered and said something
He didn’t hear
She said words again
‘You have taken my life’
For some reason, he could not move
He just stared at her

She pulled herself up
Into a kneeling position
Held onto his knee and looked up at him
‘I got married 6 months ago
My husband died last month
All I have left of him are the text messages he sent to me on that phone
Not on the SIM card
But on that phone
Please give me my phone’

He looked at her
‘The reason I can still breathe is because of those messages
Please’
He pulled himself free from her grasp
Turned his back on her
And walked away

She was numb
Unable to move
Over 200 text messages
That the love of her life had sent to her
Since he died, she spent hours re-reading those messages
Oblivious to funeral arrangements
Friends, relatives, in-laws
She went to bed cradling her phone
And selecting the messages to put her to bed
Because those messages were for her
He talked to her even though he was gone with those messages
Gone now
Everything she had of him
Gone

She looked up and it was the man
Holding a bag
‘Which one is your phone?’
Not stopping to think
She pointed at the phone at the top of the pile
He reached for it and handed it to her
‘Thank you’
He turned his back and walked away

*Inspired by my love for text messages, the movie P.S I love you, driving home on 3rd mainland bridge and the stories of these petty thieves which thankfully are not as common anymore*

Have a great weekend.

He Sang, She Sang - 10

The Closer I Get To You

Those who know me will attest to the fact that this is one of my fave songs....

Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack did this song in 1978 and its truly one of the best duets ever.

Beyonce and Luther Vandross (who is my favorite artist ever) went on to re-record this song in 2003.

I try not to give any opinions on this series so i shall leave it at that...

So which version is better?

He Sang, She Sang - 9

Dont Cry For Me Argentina

This song is from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical - Evita based on some of the events in the life of former Argentine first lady Eva Peron.

Julie Covington sang this for the first time ever in 1976 on the Evita album which is how this musical started. To the suprise of many, Julie refused the role of Evita in the stage adaptation of Evita and the role went to someone else.

Madonna went on to star in the film version of the musical in 1996 and recorded this song for the soundtrack. Madonna's version was a big hit and became her secong number 1 hit after La Isla Bonita.

Artists such as Olivia Newton John, The Carpenters, Sinead O Connor, Sarah Brightman etc have also performed covers of this song.

On the sound player are the only 2 versions i could find: the original by Julie Covington and Madonna's version....What do you think?

Enjoy!

He Sang, She Sang - 8

Mr Lonely

Bobby Vinton recorded this hit in 1964. The song hit number 1 in the US charts. Its actually a sad song. Its about a soldier far away from home, fighting a war with noone to talk to and getting no updates from home.

In 2005, Akon relied heavily on the original for his single Lonely which became a worldwide hit. His single reached number 1 in many countries and stayed there for weeks on end.

So for those of you that didnt know this was a sample, here's the original. And then there's Akon's version. Do you think he worked well with the sample?

Enjoy!

He Sang, She Sang - 7

Save The Last Dance For Me

Everyone i know loves this song......

It was first recorded by Ben E King & The Drifters in 1960. This version went to number one in the US.

Its a pretty simple song that tells a story of a lover telling his companion to have fun throughout the evening but to make sure she leaves one last dance for him. The song was written by Doc Pomus and some other guy. Now it is speculated that this song is intensely personal to Doc Pomus. He had polio and used crutches and his wife was a very vivacious broadway actress and dancer.

This song has been recorded by a number of artists including Ike & Tina Turner, EmmyLou Harris, The Beatles, Harry Nilsson etc.

The 2 cover versions i have included are by Michael Buble and Dolly Parton.

Michael Buble recorded his version in 2006 and it did relatively well on the charts and introduced a lot of young people to this song.

Dolly Parton recorded her version in 1984 and it entered the top 10 on the US country charts.

So which version do you prefer?

He Sang, She Sang - 6

Black Magic Woman

Fleetwood Mac released this song all the way back in 1969. The song went on to hit number 37 on the UK charts.

However, it wasnt till Santana recorded and released this song in 1970 that it became a massive hit. Interestingly, this song has become synonymous with Santana and is arguably his biggest hit. Santana's version helped boost the album it appeared on Abraxa to number 1. Of course Santan flips this song around. While the original version has a pop rock vibe to it, Santana adds some Latin flavour, a jazz vibe and some mad mad guitar playing.

Both versions are playing today...so which do you prefer?

A Little Extra

Even though i am running the He Sang, She Sang series (today's song is below this post), I will interrupt it now and again with other songs that might be in my head, that i am feeling at the moment or that i simply want to share.....

He Sang, She Sang - 5

I Will Always Love You

Dolly Parton first recorded this in 1974. A lot of people think of Dolly and think of her cartoon like body and really high voice....But she is actually a better than decent song writer. She wrote this song and she says she was inspired by a relationship ending - but a business one. That version changes depending on what interview you read or watch but its about the end of a relationship. This song was released on her very successful Jolene album and reached number 1 on the country charts. Dolly re-recorded this song in 1982 and was included on the soundtrack for the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Whitney Houston went on to cover this song in 1992 for the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard. This song was a major part of the movie since it was also included in the story line. Interestingly, a Jimmy Ruffin song (of The Temptations) was to be covered by Whitney but it had been used before so Kevin Costner was asked to find another song and he picked this one. Can we say massive here? Her version sold 10 million copies and has surpassed the success of the original. It was selected as the number 1 love song on VH1's countdown....The video - simple and elegant and i cannot get the image of Whitney;s vocal chords as she gets to the breakdown of this song - when she belts out :And Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, will always love you....:....And the ad-libbing? The song spent 14 weeks on Billboard charts and became her longest running number 1.

So what version do you prefer?

He Sang, She Sang - 4

Bobby Caldwell - Open your eyes

An amazing amazing song.

Bobby Caldwell is an amzing song writer and multi instrumentalist whose work will be featured more than once in this series. This song was on his 2nd album and achieved moderate success because other singles on that album became monster hits (one of them will be featured on this series). As a side note, because Mr Caldwell's voice and overall sound was blues & R&B like, his record label went to great lengths to hide the fact that he was white. His album covers had him in silhouette, promo ads and stuff had other images. It wasnt till his first live performance that the secret was revealed to all.

Most people are familiar with this song because Common samples it in his song The Light. This song was the second single off his Like Water for Chocolate album in 2000. Common uses this song as a love letter to someone - widely speculated to be his then girlfriend Erykah Badu.

The Platinum Pied Pipers whose stuff i stumbled on by mistake last year are a Detroit based R&B / Hip Hop Group. Waajeed & Saadiq (not their birth names) essentially lay down hot hot tracks and beats and their work typically features guest artists on vocals. In 2003, this talented duo had Dwele on a track called Ridin' High b/w Open your eyes (which is the first thing i heard from them) which samples Bobby Caldwell's Open your eyes.

I have featured on the soundbyte these 3 tracks.....

So who works it best?

Enjoy!

He Sang, She Sang - 3

Diwali Riddim

This dancehall beat came to prominence in 2002 and is credited to Jamaican producer Steve Marsden. Diwali is an Indian festival and the name of this track is called Diwlai Riddim because it is influenced by bollywood dance.

A lot of artists have used this track and the list too exhaustive to go into so i will concentrate on the tracks playing on the blog:

Brick & Lace - Love is wicked: Akon signed this girl group up and they burst onto the scene with this song becoming a club favorite. Apparently the girls had recorded this in 2004. Then the song went on to be featured on the soundtrack for the movie: Bratz Motion Picture

Lumidee - Never Leave You (ooh, ooh): her use of this song became a massive hit in 2003 and has been her only hit to date

Sean Paul - Get Busy: this was released in 2003 on his album Dutty Rock and was produced by Steve Marsden (see above). The song topped the Billboard 100 for 3 weeks and is still a crowd pleaser....

Wayne Wonder - No Letting Go: this was the song that introduced mainstream audiences to Wayne Wonder.

Other artists including Miss Elliott, Buju Banton and Elephant Man have also used this track...

So who do you think used this track the best?

He Sang, She Sang - 2

La Bamba

This song is a traditional mexican flamenco style number that was created over 300 years ago. The original version is not exactly what we are familiar with today.

The man responsible for taking the original traditional number and re-working it is Ritchie Valens. He took the song and turned it into a rock and roll number which was released in 1958. His version made it onto Billboard's list of Greatest Songs of All Time - number 345. This song was Ritchie's biggest hit even though his professional career lasted only 8 months. But in that time, he did big things. On the Day that Music Died, Febuary 3, 1959, he died in a plane crash aged 18. The plane crash also took the lives of Buddy Holly and JP Richardson.

A movie on Ritchie's short life was made in 1987 with Lou Diamond Phillips playing Valens. The soundtrack of that movie featured La Bamba performed by Los Lobos. This is the most popular version of the song.

A lot of other artists have also covered this song: Selena (1988), Marco Da Silva (2000), Dustry Springfield (1968), Wyclef (2004) etc.

A search for all the versions was futile. I have only heard the original, the Los Lobos, Wycleg and Dusty versions.

Playing on my blog are Ritchie Valens' version and the Los Lobos version....

Which do you prefer?

Enjoy!

He Sang, She Sang - 1

Turn The Beat Around

I am so excited about this series and to kick it off, i have chosen this hot disco track that a lot of people credit to Gloria Estefan.

The song was actually performed and recorded first by Vickie Sue Robinson in 1976. It appeared on her debut album and earned her a grammy nomination for best female vocal. It also hit the charts strong peaking at number 10 on the Billboard pop charts and has become a disco classic.

Gloria Estefan went on to record her version in 1994 on the soundtrack album for The Specialist (starring Sharon Stone and Sylvester Stallone). Her version peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. She released it on her 4th album and she also perfomed at the the first ever VH1 Divas Live concert. This song also became her first english number one song.

Mya performed this as a tribute to Vicki Sue Robinson who passed on in 2000.

American Idol contestants try their hands on songs from different artists and this song was performed by Carmen Rasmusuen, Haley Scarnato and Diana DeGarmo.

The soundbyte widget has the original song by Vickie Sue Robinson, Gloria Estefan's version, Haley Scarnato's version and Diana DeGarmo's version.

What version works the best for you?

Enjoy!

My New Music Series For The Year.....

So i have been working on this series since June of last year.

Music is hardly new, original or fresh. The amount of covers and samples in music is unreal. So this year will be the year of "The He Sang, She Sang Series". It really is a cover series.

What i plan to do is profile original music works and the covers - could be whole songs, could be samples. I will have a playlist widget under the soundbyte section that will have the versions featured....and readers can listen and let me know what version they prefer and just general thoughts as usual.

Music is my passion and i take for granted that a lot of people know certain things. It amuses me to have people rave about a "new" hit when i know it was originally done say 20 years ago.

I am truly going to enjoy this series and i hope its fun for all.......

Monumental Soundbyte - 100

The Jackson 5 - I want you back

This song was released in 1969 and is the first song that this talented group released on the Motown label.

Michael Jackson was 11 at the time when he recorded the lead vocals to this song but thats hard to tell because of how mature he sounds on this track.

The song is considered one of the best singles to come out of Motown and is ranked 120 on Rolling Stone's list of Greatest Songs of All Time...

Enjoy!

Monumental Soundbyte - 99

Cat Stevens - Father & Son

This song was released in 1970 and is truly monumental.

The song is essentially a conversation between a father and son. The father does not understand the need - his son's desire to make a new life while the son knows he needs to do something about his life but does not quite know how to communicate it.

Magnificent song.....Enjoy!

Monumental Soundbyte - 98

The Delfonics - Didnt i blow your mind this time

This classic song was released in 1970 and actually won a Grammy for Best R & B Performance. The Delfonics' sound was part of the Philly soul movement and this song was one of the first singles to be considered true philly sound.

This is a soul ballad with stirring vocals and accompanied by strings and horns. This song was featured on the Jackie Brown soundtrack and has been covered by a number of artists including Patti Labelle.

Enjoy!

Monumental Soundbyte - 97

Whitney Houston - Run To You

This song appears on The Bodyguard soundtrack and was released in 1993.

Its not the most successful song from this soundtrack but after I will always love you, its my second favorite.

Whitney Houston can never disappoint so maybe its her vocal delivery on this song, or maybe its the simple video, or maybe its her hair and almost matt style makeup, or is it the fact that when i sing this song, i love the riffs and ups and down of the song...whatever it is, i love this song so much.

Enjoy!

Monumental Soundbyte - 96

Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight

This beautiful song was released in 1977 and it was written for Eric Clapton's then love. Like Sting & The Police song "Every Breath You Take", this song is largely considered a romantic song.

But its actually not. Well it is. Its the reason for writing it that is less than romantic. Apparently, Eric penned this as he waited impatiently for his lady love to get ready for a shindig.

Nonetheless, it is an amazing song with 3 verses. Each of the verses is a different part of the evening and shindig they attend.

Excellent song - Enjoy

Monumental Soundbyte - 95

The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There

This family band (made of a father and his 4 kids) were predominantly a gospel group though their sound spread to R&B and Soul.

This song was released in 1972 and was was a number 1 hit in the United States but spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts. This song is also the most recognizable song from this group. I especially like this song because its a feel good, inspirational song guaranteed to make me feel good everytime i hear it.

Salt N Pepa sampled this song on Let's talk about Sex......

Enjoy!