Songbook site index

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Yes, I’m Ready (Barbara Mason)

Barbara Mason (1965) — “Handance Mix” (Tom Moulton?), 2005

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About the site
1890-1969 selected standards and hits pages
Galleries: performing artist and songwriter
Galleries: film
Songwriters to 1954
Songwriters, 1955-1975
Complete page index
Film Musicals and Revues: selected films and songs, 1929-47
Performing Artist features
Jazz Age
Swing Eras 1 and 2
Friends
Acknowledgments
Disclaimer

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• 1890-1899 selected hits and standards
• 1900-1909 selected standards and hits
• 1910-1919 selected standards, hits, and special features
• 1920-1929
• 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926 (1), 1926 (2), 1927, 1928, 1929
• 1930-1939
• 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, additional 1930s hits and standards
• 1940-1949
• 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949
• 1950–1954 selected standards and hits
• 1955-1959
• 1960s: selected performers
• 1960s: selected songs
• 1970s: selected performers and songs

Posts:

• Songbook

(above) header tab 5 generation browse demonstration: Page Index > Songbook site index > Songwriter > Songwriters to 1954 > Berlin, Irving > Berlin pages (11) — correction: The page Irving Berlin: selected songs of 1909 and 1910 is now included in the Berlin drop down index.

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Instead of breaking up, let’s do some kissing and making up

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Last night I added the following images to the page “Baby Love” and The Supremes in Amsterdam and London, October 1964.

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All of the photos were taken during the brief 10-day London tour, which included one day in Amsterdam, by The Supremes in October 1964, in the wake of the international explosion of their hits “Where Did Our Love” and “Baby Love.” The latter became the first #1 hit in the UK by a Motown artist.

Among the albums seen in the image below are the following:

• The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles’ Hits, (US) Liberty LST-7388, (UK) Liberty LBY 1218, released in 1964 — The Chipmunks
• A Portrait of Mr. T, Roulette SR-25243, SR 25243, released in 1963 — Jack Teagarden
• Country Meets Folk,  (US) ABC-Paramount ABCS-463 (Stereo), (UK) His Master’s Voice CLP1759, released in 1964 — Brian Hyland

Baby Love (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland, Jr.)

(below) The Supremes lip-sync to “Baby Love” on an episode of Top of the Pops, originally broadcast on 15 October 1964. It’s the debut UK television appearance by the Supremes. Evidence suggests (see the “Baby Love” page) that the group may have worn the same dresses for the TOTP appearance (possibly taped 7-8 October), a performance at the Carré Theatre in Amsterdam on 14 October, as well as for Manchester Square and Christmas tree photo shoots. I’ve no idea why they are sitting beside a Christmas tree in October.

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Also, the following image and video were added yesterday to the page Motown: Holland–Dozier–Holland: selected songs, 1965.

Stop! In the Name of Love (Holland–Dozier–Holland)

The Supremes — from the TV special It’s What’s Happening Baby!, originally broadcast on 28 June 1965

Haven’t I been sweet to you?

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I know some of you want more photos of The Supremes taken during the March-April 1965 Motortown Revue UK tour. Here’s a few of the group on the streets of London during that time, which I may to add to the page Motortown Revue UK Tour, 1965.

All images in this gallery are from the Bentley Image Bank, Bentley Historical Library, an image collection at the University of Michigan Library Digital Collections website.

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(below) Live TV studio recording for the Ready Steady Go! special The Sound of Motown (Season 2, Episode 35) —  taped at Rediffusion Television Studios on 18 March 1965; originally broadcast on 28 April 1965

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

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New page published today (Tuesday evening):

• 12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 3, 1964-1978 – “The Warmth of the Sun” to “Good Timin’”

The new page is the third in my series of 12/8 and 6/8 time songs. As is the case throughout the series, the specific recording of a song selected is either the original recording, when it happens to be in 12/8 or 6/8 time, or the first recording of the song in 12/8 or 6/8 time that I’ve identified. I haven’t yet decided whether to continue the series to part 4.

Those of you who’ve been following the series may note that I’ve changed the phrase “12/8 time songs” to “12/8 and 6/8 time songs” in the previously published pages. A couple of months after I published the first two pages, while reviewing them one day I found that quite a few of the recordings that I’d identified as being in 12/8 time now seemed to me to be in 6/8 time, and there were at least a couple that I was now uncertain about. After considering for awhile breaking up each of the three parts into two sections, one for 12/8 and one for 6/8, eventually I decided to just change all the page titles.

The full series, to date:

• Earth Angel to Good Timin’: doc’s pick of 12/8 and 6/8 time songs, 1954-1978 (parent page; published 06/12/2019)
  • 12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 1, 1954-1959 – “Earth Angel” to “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” (published 31/12/2019)
  • 12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 2, 1960-1963 – “At Last” to “Surfer Girl” (published 02/01/2020)
  • 12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 3, 1964-1978 – “The Warmth of the Sun” to “Good Timin’” (published 07/07/2020)

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What a Wonderful World (George David Weiss, Bob Thiele)

Louis Armstrong All Stars — taped on 2 July 1968 at Shepherds Bush Studios, London (BBC)

Louis Armstrong (vocal), Tyree Glenn (trombone), Joe Muranyi (clarinet), Marty Napoleon (piano), Buddy Catlett (bass), Danny Barcelona (drums)

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12/8 and 6/8 time were so ubiquitous in songs and recordings of the late 50s and early 60s that I’ve no intention of trying to compile a comprehensive list. Below is my present list, which certainly may be added to from time to time.

12/8 and 6/8  time songs: part 1, 1954-1959 – “Earth Angel” to “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”

• 1954 – Earth Angel, Sincerely
• 1955 – The Great Pretender, Only You
• 1956 – Blueberry Hill (Fats Domino version), In the Still of the Night, My Prayer (Platters version), One Night (Smiley Lewis), A Thousand Miles Away, The Way You Look Tonight (Jaguars version)
• 1957 – Dedicated to the One I Love, Maybe, Over the Rainbow (Echoes version), Silhouettes
• 1958 – 16 Candles, Donna, Ebb Tide (Avalons version), I’m So Young, It’s All in the Game (Tommy Edwards version), It’s Only Make Believe, Maybe, One Summer Night, Since I Don’t Have You, Tears on My Pillow, To Know Him Is to Love Him
• 1959 – I Only Have Eyes for You (Flamingos version), Put Your Head on My Shoulder

12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 2, 1960-1963 – “At Last” to “Surfer Girl”

• 1960 – At Last (Etta James version), Get Well Soon, P.S. I Love You (Starlets version), White Christmas (Statues version), You Belong to Me (Santo & Johnny version)
• 1961 – Can’t Help Falling in Love, Come Home Soon, Daddy’s Home, House of the Rising Sun (Bob Dylan arrangement), I Love How You Love Me, A Moment Ago, My True Story, A Sunday Kind of Love (Mystics version), Till (Angels version), Tragedy (Fleetwoods version)
• 1962 – Bring It On Home to Me, Cry Baby Cry, Don’t Make Me Over, The End of the World, Surfer Girl (demo), You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me
• 1963 – Anyone Who Had a Heart, Go Now, I’d Die, In My Room, Surfer Girl

12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 3, 1964-1978 – “The Warmth of the Sun” to “Good Timin’”

• 1964 – The Warmth of the Sun
• 1965 – Didn’t Want to Have to Do It, It’s Gonna Take a Miracle, Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers version), Yes, I’m Ready
  
• 1967 – I’ve Gotta Be Me, What a Wonderful World
• 1969 – Hot Fun in the Summertime
• 1970 – Colour My World
• 1973 – Sail On, Sailor
• 1974 – Good Timin’ (unfinished version)
• 1976 – Always and Forever
• 1978 – Good Timin’

Everybody’s movin’ it

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(above) our 4th of July weekend celebration in full swing

Happy July 5th folks! Published the following page yesterday:

ZOOM page index and gallery (link fixed 9/23/2020)

which includes links to four additional recent pages. The index consists of links to Songbook pages focused on the original ZOOM series (1972-1978). Among them are a previously published page, three new ones published on 4 July, and a fourth that is republishing of a May 2020 post. The index also includes links to a couple of ZOOM-focused recent posts on the site.

ZOOM season 4 (1974-1975): Come fly away in a blue balloon

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Howdy folks! Today I published the following page (link fixed 9/23/2020):

• ZOOM season 4 (1974-1975) cast: song and dance numbers

While I’ve struggled to find songwriter credits for some of the original songs included in the page, it’s likely that Newton Wayland, musical director and composer for the original series (1971-1978), at least composed the music for them. However, some of the originals performed in the series were co-written by him and another songwriter, so I’m going to omit songwriter credits for songs where I’m uncertain for now.

Musical staging is by Billy Wilson. See the touching tribute article at The AIDS Memorial, Facebook, published August 14, 2018.

Recordings of some of the songs featured in the new page are also found on the 1977 album ZOOM Tunes, Rounder Records ‎8005. Despite it’s 1977 release (1978, according to some sites) the “ZOOMers” listed on the back of the album are primarily cast members from season 4 (1974-75). The album also includes at least a couple of songs that were used in production numbers in season 5 (1976).

included in the page:

• Come On and ZOOM (Newton Wayland)
• I Dig Rock and Roll Music (Paul Stookey, James Mason, and Dave Dixon)
• Friends (Buzzy Linhart, Mark “Moogy” Klingman)
• Little Red Riding Hood
• Feelin’ Groovy (Paul Simon)
• Send it to Zoom #2 (m. Newton Wayland)
• SASE Song (m. Newton Wayland)
• Closing: Friends / Come On and Zoom (abbreviated versions)
• City Child (Newton Wayland*) – links only
  • ZOOM Tunes album version
  • ZOOM TV series episode version
• Blue Balloon (Newton Wayland, Christine Stark*) – with lyric transcription
• Zoomba

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I Dig Rock and Roll Music (Paul Stookey, James Mason, and Dave Dixon) — performed by ZOOM season 4 cast members: David Sales, Tishy Flaherty, Carmen Hernandez, Cate Wadsworth, Andrae Neilsan, Harvey Reed, Tracey Dunlap, and Tommy Schultz

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* The back of the 1977 ZOOM Tunes album indicates that “[a]ll original tunes and arrangements” are by Newton Wayland, Musical Director of ZOOM. However, some of the original songs are “based on poems” by various children, probably ZOOM fans who sent their poems to the show. The words to “Blue Balloon” are based on a poem by Christine Stark, age 10, of Middle Village, NY. “City Child” is based on poems by three different children, ages 8-10.

ZOOM into Action links and ZOOM reunions on The Dr. Joe Show

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some new 2020 ZOOM stuff:

• ZOOM into Action, WGBH (YouTube)
  • Introduction by Pablo Velez Jr. (1999), with playlist of videos featuring former ZOOM cast members
  • Instruction, teaching, demonstration videos
  • Play of the Week
    • Riddles by Donna Moore – performed by 70s ZOOM members Joe Shrand, Tommy White, Nina Lillie, Tracy Tannebring and Donna Moore
  • ZOOM Chat
    • ZOOMChat #1, 17 April 2020 – host Pablo Velez, Jr. (1999), with guests Jay Schertzer (1972-1973), Bernadette Yao (1972-73), Kenny Yates (2000, 2001), Frances Domond (2001), and Kaleigh Cronin (2001, 2002)
    • ZOOMChat #2, 24 April 2020

• ZOOM reunions on The Dr. Joe Show, a podcast featuring Dr. Joe Shrand with assistant Mark Stiles and guests — I wasn’t able to embed these videos. Click the links below to watch the videos at The Dr. Joe Show’s Facebook page.
  • 4 March 2020 ZOOM reunion – Tommy, Tracy, Kenny, and Joe
  • 25 June 2020 “A Zoom Zoom Reunion!” – featuring Nancy, Kenny, Tommy, Joe, and series creator Christopher Sarson (link added to this post on 9 September 2020)
    

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For the past three months my page Always Friends + original ZOOM season 1 (1972) theme and address songs, including lyrics has been the most visited page on the site. It’s not clear to me why it suddenly became more popular, because I published the page in January 2017.

ZOOM was one my favorite TV shows in the early 1970s, and the cast of season 1 was a great team.They sang and danced as if they meant it. They played and laughed together, and sometimes shared each other’s sorrows and concerns in ZOOMraps.

I remember being heartbroken and in disbelief when I learned that all of the original seven weren’t to return for season two. How could you just break them up? My memory is that the album Playgrounds, featured in the “Always Friends” page, came out well into season 2 of the series, when even the three remaining originals who had carried over to the beginning of season 2 were gone.

Somehow I’d heard the song “Always Friends” back in 1973, though I’d never bought the album. Might have been too expensive. I don’t recall whether I heard it played on PBS to advertise the album or whether it was played on the radio. The song was beautiful, but to me it was also a deeply cutting reminder of the heartbreak of learning that the original seven were not coming back, apparently gone from my life, and perhaps from each others lives as well, forever, or so it seemed…

We really do belong a team
And we had the simple dream
That we wouldn’t have to break apart

I hadn’t heard the song for well over forty years before coming across it again a few years ago.

If you’re a fan of the early ZOOM series, and particularly of the inaugural 1972 season, then don’t miss the March 4th Dr. Joe Show episode featuring a reunion of four of the seven cast members of that first season. Tommy White joins Dr. Joe Shrand and his assistant Mark Stiles in the studio while they connect to two others by phone, Tracy Tannebring calling in from Plano, Texas and Kenny Pires calling from Hampton, Virginia.

With the quorum being moderated by Dr. Joe, each takes a turn telling their personal story of how they were chosen to be a member of the first ZOOM cast, and the four share variously funny and touching stories of their experiences while engaged in creating the weekly episodes of the show. However, to me the highlight of the show was a blessing given by Kenny starting at about the 25 minute point, which I’ve transcribed below.

You know what the most special thing is, from the show, is that we were kids…and we met…we were from all walks of life…all over the place, and to this day, however many…I don’t even wanna know what the years are, I’m not gonna mention that…but we are still friends, to this day…and we haven’t, you know, a lot of us haven’t talked, um, through those years or whatever, and we’ve met for the reunions, and some of us have been there and some of us haven’t, but it doesn’t matter, because we had a special thing, back in the day…and I love them all. And we love each other so much to where, you know, it doesn’t matter how long we haven’t been together, when we get together again it’s like we weren’t apart.

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Blown by wind, kissed by snow

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Today I published the page

12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 2, 1960-1963 – “At Last” to “Surfer Girl”

The new page is the second part of a series in which each part features a portion of the recordings listed in the page “Earth Angel” to “Good Timin’”: doc’s pick of 12/8 and 6/8 time songs, 1954-1978. See also part 1 of the series:

• 12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 1, 1954-1959 – “Earth Angel” to “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”

Songs and recordings included in the new page:

• 1960 – At Last (Etta James version), Get Well Soon, P.S. I Love You (Starlets version), White Christmas (Statues version), You Belong to Me (Santo & Johnny version)
• 1961 – Can’t Help Falling in Love, Come Home Soon, Daddy’s Home, I Love How You Love Me, A Moment Ago, My True Story, A Sunday Kind of Love (Mystics version), Till (Angels version), Tragedy (Fleetwoods version)
• 1962 – Bring It On Home to Me, Cry Baby Cry, Don’t Make Me Over, The End of the World, Surfer Girl, You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me
• 1963 – Anyone Who Had a Heart, Go Now, I’d Die, In My Room
• links: selected articles, forum threads, and videos on 12/8 time (bottom of page)

For items in the list in which a specific recording of a song is indicated, in each case this marks the first recording of the song in 12/8 or 6/8 time that I’ve identified. For all other songs in the list, the original recording is in 12/8 or 6/8 time time.

Tragedy (Gerald H. Nelson and Fred B. Burch)

The Fleetwoods — issued in March 1961 on the single Dolton No. 40, b/w “Little Miss Sad One” – The title of this post, “Blown by wind, kissed by snow,” is how that line is sung in the 1958 recording of “Tragedy” by Thomas Wayne with The DeLons, and in various covers. In the 1961 Fleetwoods recording, the line is “Blown by wind, kissed by the snow.”

Love is not a gadget, love is not a toy

Happy holidays, folks! Wishing each of you all the best this holiday season. May your days be full of cheer and joyous celebration, or quiet contemplation, as is your wont.

Today I published the page 12/8 and 6/8 time songs: part 1, 1954-1959 – “Earth Angel” to “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”.

The page is an extension of the previously published page “Earth Angel” to “Good Timin'”: doc’s pick of  12/8 and 6/8 time songs, 1954-1978. The new page is focused on a portion of the period covered in the parent page, and includes a recording of each featured song or recording in this portion. For items in the selected list in which a specific recording of a song is indicated, in each case this marks the first recording of the song in 12/8 or 6/8 time that I’ve identified. For all other songs in the list, the original recording is in 12/8 or 6/8 time.

songs and specific recordings included in the new page:

• 1954 – Earth Angel, Sincerely
• 1955 – The Great Pretender, Only You
• 1956 – Blueberry Hill (Fats Domino version), In the Still of the Night, My Prayer (Platters version), One Night (Smiley Lewis), A Thousand Miles Away, The Way You Look Tonight (Jaguars version)
• 1957 – Dedicated to the One I Love, Maybe, Over the Rainbow (Echoes version), Silhouettes
• 1958 – 16 Candles, Donna, Ebb Tide (Avalons version), I’m So Young, It’s All in the Game (Tommy Edwards version), It’s Only Make Believe, Since I Don’t Have You, Tears on My Pillow, To Know Him Is to Love Him
• 1959 – I Only Have Eyes for You (Flamingos version), Put Your Head on My Shoulder
• links: selected articles, forum threads, and videos on 12/8 time (bottom of page 2)

The plan is to eventually publish two more parts to cover the remaining years (1960-1978) of the original page, with each part to include about twenty recordings.

Whisper a little prayer for me, my baby

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The Shirelles at the Apollo, March 1963(?)

Hi folks! Published a little reference page today:

Earth Angel to Good Timin’: doc’s pick of 12/8 and 6/8 time* songs, 1954-1978

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The Heartbeats

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* selected articles, forum threads, and videos on 12/8 and 6/8 time:

counting time (video)

• 12/8 Like 4/4 but each beat is divided into three eighth notes… (YouTube)
• How to: count out triplet time signatures by Guitar Techniques,  January 17, 2012 (@musicradar.com)
• Should I count aloud to 12 in 12/8 time? Or count aloud to 6 in each measure? (@wyzant.com)

6/8 vs. 12/8 time

• Difference between 6/8 and 12/8? (@reddit.com)
• How to differentiate between 12/8 vs 6/8 timing (or hemiola) – (@music.stackexchange.com)
• 6/8 vs 12/8 (forum thread @drumchat.com)
• Is the song “House of the Rising Sun” in 6/8 time or 4/4 time? Why is there a controversy over this question? Isn’t the answer definitive? (@Quora.com) — includes discussion on 6/8 vs. 12/8 time
  • from popular post by Curtis Lindsay, pianist, composer: I have seen printed arrangements in 4/4, with The Animals’ guitar strumming notated as triplets; I’ve also seen it in 6/8 and, less often, in 12/8 — which is actually the most logical choice to my mind, given the phrase structure, harmonic rhythm, and typical groove family.

12/8 time, articles and forum threads

• Part 3: Time Signatures Explained, Writing Songs in 12/8 by David Bawiec, 7 November 2018 (@izotope.com)
• Need Help Understanding 12/8 Time (forum thread @The Gear Page)
• Is 12/8 just 4/4 but with triplets instead of eighth notes? (reddit thread)
• Is there a specific time signature that pop songs from the 50’s that would use other than 4:4? (reddit thread)

other

• Simple and Compound Meter (@musictheory.net)
• 12/8 Rhythm (@Feel the Beat, a musicology course for dancers)