Story Songs: Love is in the Air

With Valentine's Day around the corner, here are a few love songs that I have enjoyed through the years. 

The Bee Gees's last Top 10 hit in the U.S. was "One" in 1989, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard chart.  The song was written by the Gibbs brothers, one of the greatest songwriting teams in history.

James Taylor's "Only One" didn't crack the Billboard Top 100 in 1985 but it was No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The JT-penned song was on his "That's Why I'm Here" album.

The late, great Jim Croce's "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" was No. 9 (No. 1 in AC) in 1974, a year after his death in an airplane accident. I've often wondered why he's not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Elton John's "Your Song," written by John and Bernie Taupin, was his first big hit at No. 8 in 1971.  I first heard the tune in the movie "Friends" and became a big fan of his music. 

One of the greatest Beach Boys' songs is "God Only Knows," written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher. It is on the masterpiece "Pet Sounds" album, released in 1966 with Carl Wilson doing the lead vocals. Although charting at only No. 39 (with "Wouldn't It Be Nice"), Rolling Stone magazine rated it No. 11 on its greatest rock songs of all time. 

From the doo-wop era comes "I Only Have Eyes for You," a No. 11 cover by The Flamingos in 1959. The song was written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin for the movie Dames in 1934.  It was a No. 18 song for Art Garfunkel in 1975.

Daryl Hall and John Oates, we know them as Hall & Oates,  had an upbeat love song with "You Make My Dreams," a No. 5 tune in 1981 written by Hall, Oates, and Sara Allen. 

There are countless other love songs I've admired and appreciated through the years but I wanted to keep this list manageable (I've blogged about other love songs so check my past posts under Story Songs). 

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Until the next time . . . 

Story Songs -- Some Friendly Tunes

Some of the most uplifting tunes are those about friendship. Aside from food and water, having friends helps sustain us through life's journey.

Friends are special. They brighten our days with their presence,  lift us up when we're down, and enhance our memories when we reflect on our lives. 

There are quite a few friendship songs that I've enjoyed through the years, so many that I can't include them all in this post. More will come later. 

Here are some of my favorites:

The Beach Boys -- "Friends"
No. 47 in 1968
Written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine

"We been friends now for so many years

We've been together through the good times and the tears

Turned each other on to the good things that life has to give"

Queen -- "You're My Best Friend"
No. 16 in 1976
Written by John Deacon

"Oh, you're the best friend I ever had

I've been with you such a long time

You're my sunshine and I want you to know

That my feelings are true

I really love you

Oh you're my best friend"

James Taylor -- "You've Got a Friend"
No. 1 in 1971
Written by Carole King

"You just call out my name

And you know wherever I am

I'll come running, to see you again

Winter, spring, summer or fall

All you have to do is call

And I'll be there

You've got a friend"

Simon & Garfunkel -- "Old Friends"
Released in 1968 on "Bookends" album
Written by Paul Simon

"Old friends

Memory brushes the same years

Silently sharing the same fear"

Andrew Gold -- "Thank You for Being a Friend"
No. 25 in 1978
Written by Andrew Gold

"And when we both get older

With walking canes and hair of gray

Have no fear, even though it's hard to hear

I will stand real close and say,

Thank you for being a friend"

Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks -- "Whenever I Call You Friend"
No. 5 in 1978
Written by Kenny Loggins and Melissa Manchester

"Whenever I call you friend

I believe I've come to understand

Everywhere we are

You and I were meant to be

Forever and ever"

The Zombies -- "Friends of Mine"
Released in 1968 on "Odyssey and Oracle" album
Written by Chris White

"It feels so good to know two people

So in love...

So in love..."

More to come later, my friends.

Until the next time...

Story Songs: Lonely and Lonesome Tunes

While driving my car the other day and listening to the local oldies station (93.5 FM), Rick Nelson's "Lonesome Town" played softly through the speakers.

His voice conveyed the feelings of breaking up with someone you love (teen angst), beginning with the opening verse:

"There's a place where lovers go

To cry their troubles away

And they call it 'Lonesome Town"

Where the broken hearts stay"

The song (No. 7 on Billboard in 1958) lingered in my mind for quite a while as I thought about other tunes I like with "lonely" and "lonesome" in the title.  So here a few I've enjoyed through the years:

One of Elvis' early hits was "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" in 1960, recorded after his discharge from the army. The song, written in 1926 by Roy Turk and Lou Handman, was a chart topper for the King.

"Are you lonesome tonight,

Do you miss me tonight?

Are you sorry we drifted apart?"

If any singer could express loneliness and sadness, it was Roy Orbison. His "Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)," a No. 2 song for the balladeer in 1960. 

"There goes my baby

There goes my heart

They're gone forever

So far apart"

Jackie Wilson is almost in tears (figuratively) as he belts out "Lonely Teardrops," a No. 7 song in 1958. It was also the last song Wilson performed live before collapsing on a stage in 1975, suffering a heart attack. He died nine years later.

"My heart is crying, crying

Lonely teardrops,

My pillow's never dry of lonely teardrops

Come home, come home

Just say you will, say you will"

Singer-songwriter James Taylor reached No. 14 on the charts in 1973 with "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."

"You ain't gonna see me getting down on my knees

I'm undecided and your heart's been divided

You've been turning my world upside down"

My all-time favorite "lonesome" song is Hank Williams Sr.'s penned "I'm So Lonely I Could Cry," a tune even Elvis said was "probably the saddest song I ever heard." It's not a song to listen to if you're really depressed because it will make you cry along with the singer.

"Did you ever see a robin weep

When leaves begin to die?

Like me, he's lost the will to live

I'm so lonesome I could cry"

My favorite version is by B.J. Thomas, which reached No. 8 on the charts in 1966.

Yes, these are songs about sadness, but they're also contemplative in expressing emotions that we all share in our lives. 

Any favorite "lonely" and "lonesome" songs?

Until the next time.... 

Friendship Songs

I believe most of us value true friends, you know, those folks you can always count on during good times and especially the bad.

We all have our share of fair-weather friends, those who show up when things are sunny but disappear during dark and bleak days. Are they really friends?

I've compiled a few songs about friends--only those with friend in the title--that address the importance of friendship in our lives.

"You've Got a Friend" -- written by Carole King and a No. 1 song by James Taylor in 1971.

"Thank You for Being a Friend" -- written and performed by Andrew Gold in 1978.

"You're My Best Friend" -- written by John Deacon and a No. 16 hit by Queen in 1976.

"That's What Friends Are For" -- written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and a No. 4 song for Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder in 1986.

"Friends of Mine" -- written by Chris White and performed by The Zombies in 1968 (from the "Odyssey and Oracle" album).

"Friends" -- written by Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson and Al Jardine and performed by The Beach Boys, a No. 47 song in 1968. 

"Old Friends" -- written by Paul Simon and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel in 1968 (from the "Bookends" album).

"With a Little Help from My Friends" -- written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles in 1967 and later a No. 1 song in the United Kingdom by Joe Cocker a year later. (Yes, I know there's a double meaning about the "friends.")

Other songs to consider "Whenever I Call You Friend" (written by Kenny Loggins and Melissa Manchester) and a No. 5 song by Loggins and Steve Nicks in 1982, "Friends in Low Places" (written by Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee) and performed by Garth Brooks, and "Friends," written Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

What are your favorite "friend" songs?

Until the next time (and thank you for being a blog friend)... 

(Information about songs  from Wikipedia)