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: Covering The Bee Gees

There are millions of Bee Gees fans around the world. Perhaps even a billion or so. Count me in. 

Robin, Barry, and Maurice Gibb

The Brothers Gibb —Barry, Robin, and Maurice—sold more than 220 million records and registered nine No. 1 songs (in U.S.) during their illustrious career that spanned six decades. They were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

While they recorded numerous hits in the 1960s and '70s, what impresses me is their songwriting ability. They weren't a cover band. Perhaps that's why so many of their songs come straight from the heart and touched so many people.

But let's consider the artists who covered their songs, many with great success. Click here to get an idea about the group's songwriting prowess (you'll be surprised by the number of artists and the genres). It's a big reason the music of the Bee Gees will live on for many years. 

Here are some of my favorites covers:

By the way, my favorite by the band was their last hit, "One," a No. 7 song in 1989. From what I could tell, it hasn't been covered but I bet it will be in the coming years.

Do you have any favorites?

Until the next time. . . .

   

Stayin' Power

With the passing of Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees last weekend, I thought about the group and their impact on music -- and me.

I must admit that I wasn’t a big fan of the Bee Gees when they burst on to the music scene back in the 1960s. I purchased “Spicks and Specks” in the mid-‘60s and thought it was a bunch of fluff.

A year or so later they released “Bee Gees’ 1^st,” which contained the hits “New York Mining Disaster 1941,” “Holiday,” and “To Love Somebody.” Their sound just didn’t appeal to me with the high-pitched harmonies and an unusual phrasing of lyrics in a few songs. I was more into groups like The Beatles, The Doors, The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Yardbirds, and various blues artists.

The Bee Gees produced a few more hits including “Massachusetts,” “Words,” “I’ve Got to Get a Message to You,” and “I Started a Joke.” I still wasn’t impressed. Too soft for my tastes. I was getting into heavy metal.

When my sister Sheri bought their “Trafalger” album back in 1971, I recall telling her that group’s days were numbered even though they scored more hits with “Lonely Days,” and “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”

And then came disco, and the Bee Gees were back, bigger than ever this time, with songs such as “Stayin’ Alive,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Jive Talkin’,” and more. You guessed it. I wasn’t much of a disco or dance fan  so I kind of tuned them out. But I have to say they were catchy tunes that even a non-dancer like me could tap his toes to. And still do.

I rediscovered the Bee Gees in the late ‘80s with a song titled “One,” and later, in the early 2000s, with the minor hit “Man in the Middle.” I thought their music had grown and matured and I liked it -- a lot.

A few years ago I rented the DVD “One Night Only,” and I was blown away by their performance.

Another thing about the Bee Gees that impressed me was their songwriting ability that resulted in songs for other performers such as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (“Islands in the Stream”), Barbara Streisand (“Guilty”), Dionne Warwick (“Heartbreaker”), Frankie Valli (“Grease”), Samantha Sang (“Emotion”), and Yvonne Elliman (“If I Can’t Have You”). And there are more hits.

The group I didn’t think had staying power more than 40 years ago is now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1997), sold more than 200 million albums, and winners of numerous music awards.

The Brothers Gibb -- Barry, Robin and Maurice (who died in 2003) -- are true rock ‘n’ legends and their music will live on for many years.

 

Until the next time...