Sherena Dugani - Accidental Angel (Saving Grace) - 2000

If you haven't yet seen the movie Saving Grace, you haven't lived!
And that comes from a person that can't tell his Aliens from his Shallow Grave. I'm not a movie buff.
But seriously, haha, if haven't seen it, go out and buy it: you might well find it's the funniest ever film you've seen. It's hilarious!
In a nutshell, the story goes that prim and proper Cornwall housewife Grace Trevethyn finds herself unexpectedly widowed, in dire financial straits when she inherits massive debts that her late husband had been accruing for years, and faced with losing her house. She decides to use her talent for horticulture, and hatches a plan to grow potent marijuana which can be sold at an astronomical price, thus solving her financial crisis. Grace and her gardener's efforts to hide their illegal enterprise from the quaint and curious townsfolk and market their product compose the remainder of the film.
The movie won the High Hopes Award at the Munich Film Festival and the Audience Awards at both, the Norwegian International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival, all in 2000, the year of the release.

It was also nominated to receive the ALFS Award: (British Actress of the Year - Brenda Blethyn), the BAFTA Award (Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer), the British Independent Film Award (Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actress).
It was nominated to receive the Empire Award (Best British Actress), a Golden Globe and the Golden Satellite Award (Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical).

But let's not forget that this is a Music Blog: the entire soundtrack is brilliant and entire fitting.
Probably my favourite song from it is Sherena Dugani's 'Accidental Angel'

Sherena Dugani - Accidental Angel

Björk

Björk (Guðmundsdóttir) really is a science to herself. Born 1965 in Reykjavík, her musical career began when she was eleven with her study of classical piano in elementary school. One of her instructors sent a recording of Björk singing Tina Charles' song 'I Love to Love' to RÚV, then the only radio station in Iceland.

The recording was broadcast on radio nationally; after hearing it, a representative of the record label Fálkinn contacted Björk to offer a record contract. An album, Björk, was recorded and released in 1977.
In her teens, Björk was influenced by punk, which probably explains why, on 8 June 1986, the day she gave birth to her son Sindri Eldon, she founded a post-punk band that would receive critical and popular acclaim internationally until 1992:
The Sugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir in Icelandic).
The band's first single, 'Birthday' (Ammæli in Icelandic), became a surprise hit in the UK after being declared single of the week by Melody Maker. They were immediately signed up by label One Little Indian and gained a cult following in the US and th UK. Calls from larger record companies began coming in. They rejected all these offers, and instead chose to have complete creative control by remaining with a friend's label. Björk is still signed to this label. The Sugarcubes also signed a distribution deal with Elektra Records in the United States, and recorded their first album, Life's Too Good, in 1988. Its release propelled them into international stardom—an unprecedented success for an Icelandic rock band.
While with the Sugarcubes, Björk had several side projects on the go: one of them, contributing vocals to 808 State's album ex:el, with whom she cultivated her interest in house music. 'Ooops' was released in the UK and was later included on 808 State's Best Of album, 808:88:98.
In 1992, the Sugarcubes split up. They remain friends and are all still involved in the management of Smekkleysa/Bad Taste. Björk moved to London to pursue a solo career; she began working with producer Nellee Hooper, who had produced for Massive Attack, among others. Their partnership produced Björk's first international solo hit, 'Human Behaviour'. Her solo debut album, Debut, was released in June 1993 to positive reviews; it was named album of the year by NME, and eventually went platinum in the United States. This has produced some of my favourite tracks by Björk.

The Sugarcubes - Birthday (1987)
UK#6



The Sugarcubes - Regina (1989)
UK#1, US#2



The Sugarcubes - Hit (1991)
US#1, UK#17, SWE#28, AUS#78



Björk - Human Behaviour (1993)
US#2, SWE#29, NL#35, UK#36, AUS#63



Björk - Play Dead (1993)
SWE#7, NOR#10, NL#11, UK#12, IRL#16, AUS#65


Björk - Play Dead
Uploaded by David-Arnold. - See the latest featured music videos.

Björk - Big Time Sensuality (1993)
US#1, UK#17, NL#22, AUS#62



Björk - Violently Happy (1994)
US#4, UK#13, FR#31, AUS#94



Björk - Army of Me (1995)
UK#10, SWE#12, BE#13, NL#13, NOR#17, US#21, FR#22, NZ#16, CH#28, AUS#35



Björk - It's oh so Quiet (1995)
UK#4, FIN#5, AUS#6, IRL#7, NL#19, BE#20, SWE#19, NZ#28, US#109


Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet
Uploaded by scopitones. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

The Underdog Project - Summer Jam

The Underdog Project has four members: Vic Krishna, Craig Smart (both vocals), DJ Frank (remixes) and AJ Duncan (keyboards). They formed when Vic was visiting Germany and had a jam session with his fellow-Canadian Craig, which went well, so they started recording - mostly demo tapes, but also full-fledged tracks.

The band's most popular track, 'Summer Jam' was one of the biggest pop hits in Europe. At one point, the original released in Germany in November 2000, was on the rotation list of every pop radio station in the country. It also received much attention in the UK and the US, where it was released the year after. MTV Germany and VIVA, a local rival music TV channel at the time, both supported the video, adding even more exposure. The biggest dance radio station in New York City, WKTU, also expressed support for the record and added it to their playlist, as well as market leader Power 96 in Miami.

The track was re-released several times, and features on pretty much every Summer Song Compilation there is.
Most notable was the 2003 version versus the Sunclub, which reached #1 the Dutch and Belgian charts, as well as climbing into the Top20 of several other countries.

The Underdog Project - Summer Jam (2000)
DE#2, AT#10, CH#17, IT#17



The Underdog Project VS. Sunclub - Summer Jam (2003)
BE#1, NL#1, DK#2, FR#3, AT#10, UK#14, CH#23, SWE#36, DE#86



The Underdog Project - Summer Jam (2010)

Bruce Springsteen - My City of Ruins

On Tuesday, 22 February 2011 at around 12.51am local time, New Zealand's second city Christchurch suffered a most horrific earthquake of 6.3 magnitute on the Richter Scale, resulting from a collision of the Australasian and Pacific tectonic plates with the epicenter of the quake just 3 miles below under the Canterbury region and, fatally, right below the city.

While smaller in magnitude than the September 2010 quakes, the latest tremors were more damaging and disastrous.
The New Zealand Prime Minster, John Key, has declared a national state of emergency and authorities have imposed a curfew following looting of som irresponsible citizens.
Police have said the death toll has risen to 145 to date, with no survivors found since a woman was rescued on Wednesday afternoon. More than 200 people are still missing...
The city of Christchurch has also suffered unimaginable damage, with many buildings having collapsed. The iconic cathedral has suffered irreparable damage.

Thinking of the people, here is a song by Bruce Springsteen called My City of Ruins.

Initially written late 2000, Bruce Springsteen wanted to help promote the revitalization of Asbury Park (New Jersey, US) he was born closeby and which was once a popular resort destination in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but had succumbed to significant amounts of blight, including the ill-effects of the Great Depression and race riots.
My City of Ruins was first played on December 17, 2000 at Asbury Park Convention Hall, but the song took on an entirely new meaning soon after the 11 September 2011, offering a message of hope and rising from the ruins. The most famous live performance of the song came ten days after, during the 'America: A Tribute to Heroes national' telethon. With only a guitar and a harmonica, Springsteen opened the program, introducing the number as a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters and modifying a few phrases in the song.
A studio recording was then included as the last track of his album The Rising.

The song has now special signifcance to many New Zealanders in the wake of th earthquake of 22 February 2011.

Bruce Springsteen - My City of Ruins (2000)



Lyrics:

The song first starts describing the current state of Asbury Park, the deterioration, and the absence of people in the area
Throughout the song, Springsteen continues to describe the city using images such as men loitering on a street corner and buildings with boarded up windows. The song ends, however, on a hopeful and optimistic note by powerfully imploring the city to rise up from the decay.


There's a blood red circle
on the cold dark ground
and the rain is falling down
The church doors blown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone

My city of ruins

Now the sweet veils of mercy
drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows
The hustlers and thieves
While my brother's down on his knees

My city of ruins - My city of ruins
Come on rise up! - Come on rise up!

Now there's tears on the pillow
darling where we slept
and you took my heart when you left
without your sweet kiss
my soul is lost, my friend
Now tell me how do I begin again?

My city's in ruins - My city's in ruins

Now with these hands
I pray Lord
with these hands
for the strength Lord
with these hands
for the faith Lord
with these hands
I pray Lord
with these hands
for the strength Lord
with these hands
for the faith Lord
with these hands

Come on rise up! - Come on rise up!
Rise up

Plagiarism? - Lady Gaga vs. Madonna

Personally I don't hear any resemblence - let alone fully fledged plagiarism - I found this article in today's The Independent very well written on the subject. But judge for yourself:

Born This Way: It's the same old song... so what?
The Independent, Friday, 25th February 2011

A week ago an event occurred that changed the world as we knew it. It was met with almost universal jubilation and signalled a victory for oppressed people everywhere. I'm not talking about the toppling of the Egyptian president, though that comes a close second in terms of drama. I'm referring to the release of Lady Gaga's new single and ode to the disenfranchised, "Born This Way".

Few singles have been as hotly anticipated as this fist-pumping, disco-loving, self-proclaimed gay anthem, not least by Gaga herself who suddenly brought the release date forward, gasping on Twitter that she simply couldn't wait any longer. It is also the first from her forthcoming album, due for release in May, and is intended to give us a taster of delights yet to come. In this respect, "Born This Way" has done its job. It has won the approval of her millions of "little monsters", as her fans are called, shot to No 1 in the US Billboard chart, and heralded a suitably barmy Grammy performance, in which the singer seemed to hatch from a giant egg.

But "Born This Way" has also prompted a row that even this unapologetically demented, steak-wearing icon probably didn't anticipate, and that's whether she nicked it wholesale from Madonna's 1989 hit "Express Yourself". Leading the charge of accusers is Christopher Ciccone, Madonna's brother, with an expletive-ridden attack on the two songs' similarities. By Friday evening the internet was buzzing with comments simultaneously defending and blasting Gaga. Plagiarism clearly being in the ear of the beholder, by Monday the singer stood accused of stealing not just from Madonna but also from TLC, Alanis Morissette, David Guetta, Carl Bean and High School Musical as well.

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (2011)
US#1, CAN#1, CH#1, SWE#1, ES#1, FIN#1, IRL#1, NL#1, BE#1, KOR#1, NZ#1, AUS#1, AT#2, DE#2, DK#2 FR#2, IT#2, NOR#2, UK#3, SVK#10, CZK#43



So did Gaga deliberately filch her latest hit from Madonna? Given that this isn't exactly an under-the-radar release, it's pretty unlikely. Perhaps a more pressing question might be: does it matter either way?

Madonna - Express Yourself (1989)
US#1, CAN#1, CH#1, IT#1, EuroHot100 #1, BRZ#1, BE#2, DE#3, IRL#3, SWE#3, ES#3, NOR#4, UK#5, NL#5, AT#5, AUS#5



Of course it doesn't. Sure, there are similarities between the two songs, most noticeably in the melody. But if you listen to it over and over you begin to hear – or imagine you're hearing – all manner of songs past and present. Why? Because mainstream pop music has broadly stuck to a formula in sound and structure that has been carried across the decades. If it didn't, it wouldn't be called "popular music".

When it comes to creating art in any form, sources of inspiration can be entirely unconscious. Add to this the fact that, in music, there are limited notes to choose from and a finite number of variations one can employ for a three-minute pop song, and the notion of what constitutes a copy, and what is mere coincidence, gets every more murky (Shostakovich is alleged to have underlined the point when he used the tune to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" in his Prelude No 15 in D Flat Major).

Pop plagiarism has been a thorny issue ever since George Harrison lost a lawsuit in 1981 on the grounds of having used the melody of the Chiffons' song 'He's So Fine' on his 1971 hit 'My Sweet Lord'. The judge conceded that this was a case of "subconscious plagiarism", though it still cost the ex-Beatle around £400,000.

Since then, barely a week has gone by without an obscure or long-forgotten musician complaining that someone has ripped off their cherished composition, in the hope of getting a writing credit and, where possible, a sizeable royalty cheque.

A year ago Eddy Grant, of 'Electric Avenue' fame, requested credit for Gorillaz's 'Stylo', from their album Plastic Beach, which he felt had overwhelming similarities to his instrumental B-side from 1982 'Time Warp'. In 2008 Coldplay suffered a triple whammy when they were accused of plagiarism by Joe Satriani, Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens) and an obscure outfit named Creaky Boards. Each claimed that the song 'Viva La Vida' lifted substantial portions from their own compositions – 'If I Could Fly', 'Foreigner Suite' and 'The Songs I Didn't Write', respectively. Creaky Boards retracted their allegations when it was proved that Chris Martin and Co had written their song long before they penned theirs. Satriani's case was settled out of court while Islam never pursued his.

Plagiarism can exist in many forms. It might refer to lyrical similarities, or echoes of the melody and structure of another song. It can also refer to unauthorised sampling, a can of worms that was opened after technology made it possible for artists to cut and paste other people's work. In the Eighties and early Nineties, many musicians were frequently caught out assuming that their samples were undetectable or too obscure. The KLF unlawfully used Abba samples in their 1987 album What The Fuck Is Going On? and ended up taking thousands of recalled copies to Sweden and burning them on a pyre.

But, while the use of samples is unambiguous, and now routinely credited, the broader appropriation of sounds and ideas is more difficult to prove. Of course, there is a fine line between inspiration and imitation. But at this stage in its evolution, is any pop music truly original? Elvis and the Rolling Stones used the sounds of black blues-players; Oasis borrowed liberally from the Beatles. For the past 20 years music has looked determinedly backwards, with the most popular bands of the present preferring to plunder the back catalogues of Eighties bands.

At the beginning of this week Madonna emailed Gaga to express her support for "Born This Way", leading Lady Gaga to remark on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: 'If the queen says it shall be, then it shall be'. It's possible that the Queen of Pop is simply delighted with the controversy, sitting back and totting up the royalties as pop lovers across the world, inspired by Gaga's single, revisit her greatest hits.

But whatever her reasons, if Madonna is happy with 'Born This Way' then who are we to say its existence is wrong? I say leave Gaga alone and let her get on with the job of making largely derivative yet frequently inspired pop music. Let's face it, a world without her would be a very dull place indeed.

Robin S. - Show Me Love

'Show Me Love' self-penned by Robin 'S.' Stone (vintage 1962, Queens, NYC) is one of the most well-known house anthems in the United Kingdom. In 1993, it was the lead single for Robin S.'s debut album of the same name, and it became her biggest hit to date.

The song is famous for its use of the Korg M1 Percussion Organ Preset in the riff that is present throughout.

I love most of Robin S.'s releases around the 1993/94 time, so watch this space for tracks you may have heard but never attributed - or vice versa... :-)


Covers & Samples - often tried never nowhere near reached:
DJ Tonka made and released a lousy remix of this song in 2002.
In 2007, the classic was sampled in a bootleg by Hardwell, in a mash-up with the Laidback Luke and Steve Angello track 'Be'. A revival of the song occurred, and several remixes and covers followed:
In 2007, the song was covered by Australian DJs Mobin Master, featuring vocals from Karina Chavez. The song was nominated for an ARIA Award for best dance release in 2008, but, surprise surprise, trying to cover an already perfect track - thankfully - didn't win them the trophy.
In 2009, the song was formally remixed and released by Laidback Luke and Steve Angello. It is the most successful remix to date, reaching UK#11, but in my opinion is waaaaaaaayyyy off the quality of the original. Michael Mind, The Wideboys, Ibiza Music United, Soulshaker and many others artists have also remixed the song. The Pussycat Dolls sampled the song in 2005 when performing 'Don't Cha'. The song was also sampled by Cheryl Cole during a live performance of 'Fight For This Love' at the 2010 BRIT Awards.

Robin S. - Show Me Love (1993)
NL#2, US#5, UK#6, CH#9, SWE#10, FR#14, AT#15



Lyrics:

Ahhh... Yeah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

Heartbreaks and promises, I’ve had more than my share
I’m tired of giving my love and getting nowhere, nowhere
What I need is somebody who really cares
I really need a lover, a lover who wants to be there
It’s been so long since I touched a wanting hand
I can’t put my love on the line, that I hope you’ll understand

So baby if you want me
You’ve got to show me love
Words are so easy to say, oh ah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

I’m tired of getting caught up in those one night affairs
What I really need is somebody who will always be there
Don’t you promise me the world, all that I’ve already heard
This time around for me baby, actions speak louder than words

So if you’re looking for devotion, talk to me
Come with your heart in your hands
Because me love is guaranteed

So baby if you want me
You’ve got to show me love
Words are so easy to say, oh ah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

Show me, show me baby
Show me, show me baby
Show me, show me baby
Show me, show me baby

Heartbreaks and promises, I’ve had more than my share
I’m tired of giving my love and getting nowhere, nowhere
What I really need is somebody who will always be there
This time around for me baby, actions speak louder than words

If you’re looking for devotion, talk to me
Come with your heart in your hands
Because me love is guaranteed

So baby if you want me
You’ve got to show me love
Words are so easy to say, oh ah yeah
You’ve got to show me love

There’s nothing that you can tell me
You’ve got to show me love
There’s only one key to my heart
You’ve got to show me love

Show me, show me baby
You’ve got to give it to me, give it to me, give it to me yeah
I don’t want no fakes, don’t want no phoney
I need you love
Show me, show me, show me baby
Give it to me, give it to me
I am not a toy, I’m not a play thang
You’ve got to understand

If you’re looking for devotion, talk to me
Come with your heart in your hands
Because me love is guaranteed...
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Peter Schilling

Pierre Michael Schilling, better known as Peter Schilling, born 1958 in Stuttgart, Germany, had a massive, and commercially most-successful NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle, 'New German Wave') hit with Major Tom, a character unofficially related to Major Tom, the theme of David Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity. The song is about the character being caught in an accident in space. On of my favourite songs of the German 1980s.
Of his follow-up songs only Terra Titanic, which I almost prefer, made it anywhere near the significance.
In 1989 Peter suffered from Burn-Out-Syndrome.

Peter Schilling - Major Tom (1983)
German Version: DE#1, AT#1, CH#1, NL#2, FR#2



Peter Schilling - Terra Titanic
DE#26

...Baby One More Time

Yes yes yes - life's a bitch, eh... -

Baby One More Time was originally written for either TLC or the Backstreet Boys, but they rejected it because the were 'taking time out'

- hindsight is a good thing... -

the record has since sold well over 25 million times worldwide!!!

Martin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, Swedish music producer and songwriter from Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, had his breakthrough as a producer and songwriter in the mid 90s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys, 'NSYNC, Robyn, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Taio Cruz, Usher, Avril Lavigne and Pink, among many others. His trademark is a danceable, keyboard-laden pop sound that blends music styles such as funk, heavy metal and Europop. 'I Want It That Way', 'Larger Than Life', 'California Gurls' and 'Dynamite' are only a handful of many.

But it was his 1998 composition 'Baby One More Time' that propelled him stratosherically: Max was the first non-American citizen ever to win ASCAP's prestigious award 'Songwriter of the Year' in 1999.

Musically, '…Baby One More Time' is a Pop song set in common time and has a tempo of 93 beats per minute. The song begins with three piano notes, an opening that has been compared to many other songs, such as 'We Will Rock You' and the theme song of the film Jaws due to the fact the track makes its presence known in exactly one second.

Lyrically, the song speaks about lost love. It’s a song everyone can relate to: regret, wanting him or her back. The track is also easily recognizable for its opening line 'Oh baby baby', a phrase coined by Britney that is also used in her future recordings such as 'Oops!... I Did It Again', also written by Max. The song’s lyrics caused controversy in the United States because the line 'Hit me baby one more time' seems to have S&M or Domestic violence connotations.

'…Baby One More Time' has been covered extensively: one of the earliest live covers of the song was by Scottish band Travis, recorded during one of their concerts at The Bay Tavern in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, England. The song was later included in the release of their 1999 single, 'Turn'. 'We did it for a laugh the first time... and as we played it, the irony slipped from my smile. It’s a very well-crafted song. It has that magic thing, lead singer Fracis Healey said. Briney heard their version and said: 'It was so weird. I liked it though. It was a very different vibe from what I did'.
In July 2005, The Dresden Dolls performed a cover during their summer concerts while opening for Panic! at the Disco. Frontman Brendon Urie joined the band to perform the song in 'a strange twist to this pop ditty'. It’s obviously darker and actually tortured as opposed to Britney’s school girl despair.
Tori Amos covered the song live during her Sinful Attraction Tour at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California.
Swedish humorist heavy metal band Black Ingvars covered the song for their 2000 album Kids Superhits. The same year, British death metal cover band Ten Masked Men included a rendition of the song on their Return of the Ten Masked Men album.
A cover by Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa was featured in the soundtrack of the 2000 film Ready to Rumble. In 2003, the song was covered by American pop punk band Bowling for Soup for the soundtrack of the remake film Freaky Friday and commented that their version was 'really, really, dark and really rock... not the kind of poppy stuff that we usually do.
Japanese pop singer Shiori Takei covered the song of her 2005 album The Note of My Nineteen Years.
A cover of the song by metalcore band August Burns Red was included along with a cover of 'Toxic' by A Static Lullaby. Both versions were probably the best exponent of how a cover should be done.
Music duo Doll Factory included a cover of the song as a bonus track on later printings of their album Weightless.
Singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman released an EP titled Sad Britney that includes a cover of the song along with covers of 'Toxic', 'Gimme More' and 'Radar'.

Britney Spears - Baby Hit Me One More Time

Singles Charts: AUS#1, AT#1, BE#1, CAN#1,DK#1, European Hot 100 #1, FIN#1, FR#1, DE#1, IRL#1, NL#1, NZ#1, NOR#1, SWE#1,CH#1, UK#1, US#1
Year End Charts: UK#1, BE#1, AUS#2, AT#3, DE#3, CH#3, Europe Hot100 #3, US#5, CAN#19
End of Decade Charts: ISR#24, US#78
Certifications:
Platinum: AUS: 3x (270k), NOR: 2x (25k), UK: 2x (1.58m), AT (500k), FR (575k), NL (110k), NZ (20k), SWE (30k), CH (70k), US (1.75m)
Gold: DE 3x (950k)


Britney Hit Me Baby One More Time
Uploaded by minagreen. - News videos from around the world.

Travis - Baby One More Time



Ten Maked Men - Baby One More Time



Matt Cardle - Baby One More Time



August Burns Red - Baby One More Time

Alannah Myles

Alannah Myles, ah, Alannah Myles... Canadian Rock Chick, born 1958 and daughter of Canadian broadcasting pioneer William Douglas Byles, began writing songs at the tender age of 9! She sang in a group for the Kiwanis Music Festival in Toronto at 12 and by the time she was a teenager, began performing solo gigs in Southern Ontario. She eventually met Christopher Ward, a recording artist and songwriter who helped her to form her own band, and performed cover versions of Aretha Franklin, T Rex, AC/DC, Bob Seger, the Rolling Stones, and the Pretenders. By the time she was in her early mid-twenties, she and Christopher began collaborating with David Tyson to produce her self-titled debut album.
In May 1989, Warner Music in Canada released it. It produced four Top40 tracks, including 'Love Is' and 'Black Velvet', which became a number one hit worldwide and was named the most played song on radio for 1989 & 1990. It received the ASCAP Millionaire Award for having received over 5 million airplays at radio. 'Black Velvet' won Alannah a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance in 1991.

Alannah Myles - Love Is (1989)
AUS#12, CAN#16, US#19, N#32, UK#61



Alannah Myles - Black Velvet (1989)
US#1, CH#1, SWE#1, NOR#1, DE#2, CAN#2, UK#2, AT#2, NZ#2, NL#3, AUS#3, DK#29



Alannah Myles - Who Loves You? (1989)

Demet Akalın - Zirve (2010)

Here is to recommend the album 'Zirve' of Turkish Model-come-Pop-Diva Demet Akalın, one of the most famous singers in Turkey.
Like me, vintage 1972, her songs, mostly become summer hits and usually include lyrics about broken relationships, fights and being stronger afterwards. She became famous a decade ago having a relationship with the famous basketball player Ibrahim Kutluay. They broke up and she started her music career with her hit single 'Senin Anan Güzel Mi' and became popular with the hit album 'Unuttum'.
Several albums followed, which all received not only crtical acclaim, but were also hugely successful, with Demet picking up Best Song Award in Kral TV Music Awards 2005, the most prestigious music award in Turkey (similar to the Brits or the Grammys), the Altın Kelebek and MÜYAP Golden Record.
Having been liking her for years, I picked up her album Zirve on holidays last year - her best album yet. Here three tracks which became my favourites for months.

Demet Akalın - Tecrübe



Demet Akalın - Olacak Olacak



Demet Akalın - Bu Benim Partyim
(no official video just yet)


Demet Akalın - Bu Benim Partim 2010 By DeMiRBeY17 by demirbey17

Banned video - Enrique Iglesias 'Sad Eyes' (2000)

Everyone seems to think Enrique Igleasias, son of Julio Iglesias, is this fluffy little vocalist, but there's more:

Back in September 2000, Enrique decided to cover Bruce Springsteen's 'Sad Eyes', which apart from scoring #8 in the US Dance Charts and #34 in the official US Billboard Charts, went largey ignored. But this is why I love remixes - HQ2, an Australian DJ outfit gave it a once over and the tune appeared on dancefloors. Eric Kupper did the same in the US.

But the question is, why did Enrique Iglesias' handlers ditch the gem of a music video to the track, featuring a naked Enrique cavorting with a stripper who dances around a pole that extends from between his legs? Can't they see this is art? The video for Enrique's cover of Bruce Springsteen's Sad Eyes randomly surfaced on David LaChapelle's website (I told you: art!) and has begun to make the rounds, with responses from somewhere between OMG and WTF.
Mr. Iglesias' phallic fantasy begins with an ode to the loneliness of fame, watching a video of himself performing, then flips channels to a phone sex ad, and he is drawn in sexy trance towards the glowing screen. He then goes cruising for hosin a fancy car and finds the sex ad lady (played by porn star Cassidey, says Tabloid Prodigy ), who is a sad but lighthearted whore who comes to his home and dances the 10-foot steel pole that stands erect between his legs. But wait! Was it all a dream? A possibly-jacking-off Enrique alone in bed with a nudie magazine featuring a trashy picture of sex ad lady. All in all: an indisputable cinematic triumph for the son of Julio Iglesias, rife with pathos and cleavage.

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler, better known as Enrique Iglesias, started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa. This helped turn him into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Hispanic or Latino market in the US, and the biggest seller of Spanish language albums for a number of years. Before the turn of the millennium, he made a crossover into the mainstream English language market, signing a deal with Universal Music Group for an unprecedented US$48 million to release his Spanish albums (and Interscope to release the English versions). Last year he parted with Interscope and signed with Universal Republic.

Enrique Iglesias - Sad Eyes (Eric Kupper Remix)
CH#43



Lyrics:

Every day here you come walking
I hold my tongue, I don't do much talking
You say you're happy and you're doin' fine
Well go ahead, baby, I got plenty of time
Sad eyes never lie
Sad eyes never lie

Well for a while I've been watching you steady
Ain't gonna move 'til you're good and ready
You show up and then you shy away
But I know pretty soon you'll be walkin' this way
Sad eyes never lie
Sad eyes never lie

Baby don't you know I don't care
Don't you know that I've been there
Well if something in the air feels a little unkind
Don't worry darling, it'll slip your mind

I know you think you'd never be mine
Well that's okay, baby, I don't mine
that shy smile's sweet, that's a fact
Go ahead, I don't mind the act
Here you come all dressed up for a date
Well one more step and it'll be too late
Blue blue ribbon in you hair
Like you're so sure I'll be standing there
Sad eyes never lie
Sad eyes never lie
Sad eyes never lie
Sad eyes never lie

Freemasons Remixes

Anybody who knows me well knows that I am probaby the proverbial 'No.1 Fan' of the Freemasons. Having had trouble with the dear knee, I have been unable to attend my beloved Sunday afternoon 'congregation' at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the RVT... - and of there's a God, he/she/it will make sure I'll soon be able to join the decadent frolicking once more... In the meantime, if you do have a party to host or attend, these 16 songs should start you off well... :-)

Freemasons feat. Siedah Garrett - Rain Down Love



Freemasons feat. Amanda Wilson - Watchin'



Faith Evans - Mesmorized



Beyoncé - Déjà Vu



Beyoncé & Shakira - Beautiful Liar



B.E.D. feat. Chloe Myers - Before I Leave



Freemasons feat. Bailey Tzuke - Uninvited



Freemasons feat. Hazel Fernandes - If



Freemasons feat. Amanda Wilson - Love on my Mind



Herd & Fitz feat. Abigail Bailey - Just Can't Get Enough



Luther Vandross - Shine



Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill



Beyoncé - Ring The Alarm



Freemasons feat. Wynter Gordon - Believer



Dirty Old Ann - Turn Me On


Dirty Old Ann - Turn Me On
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Eurythmics - Here comes the Rain Again



Faith Hill - Breathe

Noel Harrison - Windmills of Your Mind (1968)

Written in 1968 by Michel Legrand, Marilyn and Alan Bergman for the movie The Thomas Crown Affair, it won the Oscar for Best Song from a Movie the following year.

Noel Harrison - Windmills of Your Mind (1968)
UK#8

Münchener Freiheit

Stefan Zauner, Aron Strobel & Co. met in 1980 and named their project Münchener Freiheit, after a square and tube station in Munich's affluent quarter Schwabing. The remnant 'e' results from the band adapting the name before the city dropped it. They are also known as Freiheit, under which name the single and album releases in the English language were published.
First tries to lunch themselves into the German music landscape of the early 1980s were largely ignored, as other acts of the then dominating genre Neue Deutsche Welle (New German Wave) were fiercely competing for chart positions. Nena was one of them.
Their breakthrough came in 1985: Ohne Dich stormed up the charts and reached the top slot in Austria and Switzerland and managed to clmb to number 2 in their native Germany. Their style is a somewhat odd one, combining elements of the very perculiar Schlager with commercial pop. Although their last big hit was Liebe auf den Ersten Blick in 1992, the band remains very popular in Germany, often selling out big concert halls all over the country.

Münchener Freiheit - Ohne Dich (1985)
AT#1, CH#1, DE#2



Münchener Freiheit - Every Time (1985)



Münchener Freiheit - S.O.S. (1985)



Münchener Freiheit - Herzschlag ist der Takt (1985)



Münchener Freiheit - Tausendmal Du (1986)
AT#7, DE#9, CH#25



Münchener Freiheit - Es gibt kein nächstes Mal (1986)
DE#24



Münchener Freiheit - Herz aus Glas (1987)
DE#24



Münchener Freiheit - Play it Cool (1987)



Münchener Freiheit - So lang' man Träume noch leben kann (1987)
DE#2, CH#17 - English version below UK#14



Münchener Freiheit - Keeping The Dream Alive (1987)
UK#14



Münchener Freiheit - Bis Wir Uns Wiederseh'n (1988)
DE#11



Münchener Freiheit - Kissed You in the Rain (1988)



Münchener Freiheit - So heiß (1988)
DE#47



Münchener Freiheit - Liebe auf den ersten Blick (1992)

Isaac Delgado - La Vida es un Carnaval

Isaac Delgado seems to be one of the few lucky resident Cubans there is. Born in 1962 in La Habana/Havana, he managed to hit the heart of the Latin American world, as well as mine when I visited the country in 1998, with a track that portrays the Cuban soul to it's core: poor, but happy.
Isaac has been allowed to tour the world to promote his music, while his fellow citizens still remains to be restricted.
The reason why I included two videos is that the first, slower version on Cuban TV was the one I danced to in secret gay clubs in the West of Havana; while the second seems to be the commercial - and strangely faster one - designed to sell. Now combine the two and marvel :-)

Isaac Delgado - La Vida es un Carnaval (on Cuban television)



Isaac Delgado - La Vida es un Carneval

Sven Väth - L'Esperanza (1993)

...and there is another early Trance track that shaped my musical taste: 'L'Esperanza'.
Sven Väth, Frankfurt DJ, also associated with projects Barbarella, Astral Pilot or 16Bit, began his career in music in 1982. In 1985, he was part of the band OFF, which released 'Electrica Salsa' in 1986.

He was also one of the founders of trance music labels Harthouse and the now-defunct Eye Q, as well as being among the first DJs to play trance records. In 1995 Mixmag rated his album Accident in Paradise, which contains L'Esperanza, one of the Top50 dance albums of all time.
Today he is the owner of the Cocoon Music Event GmbH, which contains his Label, Cocoon Recordings. He is also a shareholder of the Cocoon Club in Frankfurt, Germany.

Sven Väth - L'Esperanza (1993)

BT feat. Vincent Covello - Loving You More (1995)

Brian Wayne Transeau, a.k.a. BT, born in Maryland, US, to Romanian parents, has produced and written for artists such as Paul Van Dyk, Peter Gabriel, 'N Sync, Sting, Blake Lewis, Tori Amos and Tiësto. He is known for using a production technique he calls the stutter edit. This technique consists of taking a small fragments of sound and then repeating it rhythmically.
In 2010, BT was nominated for a Grammy Award for his studio album, These Hopeful Machines under the category Best Electronic/Dance Album.
A couple of days ago he released the audio plug-in 'Stutter Edit' based on his editing digital audio in realtime.

It seems ages ago, that, already back in 1995, that he started capturing my senses by one of his earliest releases. Back then, he hired Vincent Covello to deliver dreamy lyrics on 'Loving You More', another one of my favorite Trance records.

BT feat. Vincent Covello - Loving You More (1995)
UK#14

Chicane - Saltwater (1999)

Nick Bracegirdle, a.k.a. Chicane, in 1999 composed one of my all-time favourite tunes in musical category of Trance : Saltwater

Turn it up loud, close your eyes, and imagine being in Chicago, walking on the stormy wave-whipping lake shore while the rain is battering down from above.
Ending up absolutely sogged from all sides, but happy, watching the city skyline with sea birds circling. Exactly this is what I experienced. Awesome! - The track uses parts of Clannad's 1982 hit Theme From Harry's Game with both re-recorded and newly-written lyrics, performed by Irish Celtic folk singer and Clannad singer Máire Brennan, sister of Enya.

Chicane - Saltwater (1999)
BE#5, UK#6, IRL#16, NL#23, AUS#31, CH#32

Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love (1986)

Now here is a classic track:

Written and sung by Robert Palmer, the song was originally meant to be a duet with Chaka Khan, but due to Chaka's record label Warner not permitting her to record for their rival company, Island Records, which had Robert under contract, the duet would never materialise. - The publicised reason why this collaboration never happened is a bit of a cover up: timing would have caused delay. Funny then that the song went to become Robert Palmer's signature song - everybody remembers him by it.

But the infectious melody and lyrics are not the only reasons why this song has become somewhat of a classic: the video had a great deal to do with it, too: it was directed by Terence Donovan, and features Robert's backing band is a group of models with pale skin, heavy makeup (notably the decadently red lipstick), dark hair and seductive expressions, acting like showroom mannequins.
The models in the video are (from left to right) Patty Kelly, Julie Pankhurst, Teri Marguerite Ryan and Julia Bolino with Kathy Davies at the back on drums.
Word has it that Terence Donovan got the models tipsy on a bottle of wine but as they were having our make-up retouched, Teri lost balance on her heels and knocked the top of her guitar into the back of Robert’s head, and his face then hit the microphone. A musician was hired to teach them basic guitar fingering techniques, but gave up after about an hour and left. The girls moved out of sync with one another and moving during points with no backbeat, such as the second chorus. See yourself:

Robert Palmer - Addicted to Love (1986)
US#1, AUS#1, NZ#2, UK#5, NL#34

Hijo de la Luna

Hijo de la Luna is one of my favourite songs, while it is also regarded as being one of the most important songs, in the Spanish language. Native Españolas and Españolos will probably curse me right now, but, being German, I first heard the cover version by Loona, released years later, which I grew very fond of and made me dig deeper. Not long and I came across the original version:

The song was written in 1984 by José María Cano for the group Mecano in which he and his brother Nacho were part of, along with the lead singer of the group, Ana Torroja. Hijo de la Luna appeared on their 1986 album, Entre el Cielo y el Suelo, and had an enormous success all over the Spanish speaking world, along with the rest of the album.

The song tells the story of a woman, who prays an entire night to the Moon for a husband. In the end, the moon says that she shall have her man, but in return she wants her first-born child to be turned over to her.
When the child is born, it turns out that its skin colour does not resemble the father's. The man automatically assumes that his wife committed adultery, and kills her with a knife. Afterwards, he carries the infant onto the top of a mountain, where he abandons the child. In doing that he fulfils the moon's will.
The child is taken up into the sky by the moon, and on nights when the moon is full, it is because the child is happy, and when the child cries, the moon will wane to make him a cradle.
The chorus throughout the song says that the moon wants to be a mother, yet cannot find a lover who will make her a woman, and questions her as to what she would do with a human child.
The song also criticises the mother: asking how much someone can love a child, but be willing to sacrifice it to have a partner.
The reaction of the father is in the sight of the listener to think of. His pride and impulsive nature make him kill the one who loves him dearly, and leads him to please his enemy.
The song can be read as a myth that explains the phases of the moon. At the end it says that the moon changes according to the child's mood. An example is becoming a cot when the child is asleep meaning when the moon is about the enter the new moon phase. - Lyrics in Spanish and an Englsh attempt at translation below the videos...

Mecano - Hijo de la Luna
DE#45 (1989), NL#3 (1990), FR#6 (1991)



A number of cover versions exist, a selection of them below:

- 1991: Eleni Dimou, Greek singer, in her album 'Mia zoi then ftanei' (One lifetime is not enough), as 'Peftei to Feggari' (The Moon is Falling)
- 1992: Tuula Amberla, a Finnish singer, on the album 'Kuun poika'
- 1994: Montserrat Caballé



- 1998: Loona
DE#1, CH#2, AT#3



- 2000: Sarah Brightman



- 2001: Ivana Jordan, a Serbian singer
- 2001: Valensia (2001)
- 2002: Belle Pérez and Voice Male
- 2003: Monserrat Bustamante
- 2003: Mors Principium Est (in the Japanese version of Inhumanity)
- 2005: Psy 4 de la Rime
- 2006: Stravaganzza, a Spanish Classical Heavy Metal Group


Mecano-hijo-de-la-luna
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- 2006: Ana Torroja, the former Mecano vocalist on her solo album 'Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte'



- 2006: Lyriel, a German Celtic Rock group, on the album 'Autumntales'
- 2008: Haggard, a German symphonic metal band, on the album 'Tales of Ithiria'
- 2008: Katra Solopuro, a Finnish gothic metal singer, on the album 'Beast Within'
- 2008: Highland, a German dance/hip hop project, on the album 'Dimmi Perché'
- 2010: Vicky Leandros on her album 'Zeitlos'
- 2010: Mario Frangoulis, on his album 'Sometimes I Dream'
- 2011: Theatres des Vampires, an Italian gothic metal group, on the album 'Moonlight Waltz'

Stefanie Krämer - Hijo de la Luna



Lyrics in Spanish:

Tonto el que no entienda.

Cuenta una leyenda
Que una hembra gitana
Conjuró a la luna
Hasta el amanecer.
Llorando pedía
Al llegar el día
Desposar un calé.

'Tendrás a tu hombre,
Piel morena',
Desde el cielo
Habló la luna llena.
'Pero a cambio quiero
El hijo primero
Que le engendres a él.
Que quien su hijo inmola
Para no estar sola
Poco le iba a querer'.

Luna quieres ser madre
Y no encuentras querer
Que te haga mujer.
Dime, luna de plata,
Qué pretendes hacer
Con un niño de piel.
A-ha-ha, a-ha-ha,
Hijo de la luna.

De padre canela
Nació un niño
Blanco como el lomo
De un armiño,
Con los ojos grises
En vez de aceituna --
Niño albino de luna.
'¡Maldita su estampa!
Este hijo es de un payo
Y yo no me lo callo'.

Gitano al creerse deshonrado,
Se fue a su mujer,
Cuchillo en mano.
'¿De quien es el hijo?
Me has engañado fijo'.
Y de muerte la hirió.
Luego se hizo al monte
Con el niño en brazos
Y allí le abandono.

Y en las noches
Que haya luna llena
Será porque el niño
Esté de buenas.
Y si el niño llora
Menguará la luna
Para hacerle una cuna.
Y si el niño llora
Menguará la luna
Para hacerle una cuna.

English translation

Foolish who doesn't understand
Tells a legend
That a gypsy woman
Conjured to the moon
until sunrise
Crying she was asking
Coming the day
To marry a gypsy man

You you have your
man of dark skin
From heaven spoke the full moon
But in return I want
The first son
That you beget from him
Whoever sacrifices his son
Not to be alone
Would barely love him

Moon wants to be mother
And you don't find a lover
Who can make you woman
Tell me silver moon
what do you expect to do
with a kid of skin
Son of the moon

From a cinnamon father
a boy was born
White as the back of an ermine
With the eyes grey
Instead of olive
Albino boy of moon
Damn his stamp
This son is from a non-gipsy
And I won't shut up

Gypsy man believing
himself dishonored
Went to his woman knife in hand
Who's son is this?
You've cheated on
me permanently
And he hurted her to dead
Then he went to the mount
With the kid in his arms
And he abandoned him there

And in the nights
with full moon
It will be because
the kid is in a good mood
Aand if the boy cries
The moon will lessen
To make him a cradle
And if the boy cries
The moon will lessen
To make him a cradle

Take That - Kidz (@ the Brits Awards 2011)

Very impressive little show - like it...

Take That - Kidz (live at the Brit Awards 2011 @ The o2 London)

Winners of the 2011 Brits - 15 Feb 2011 @ The o2, London

Best British Male Solo Artist: Plan B

Best British Breakthrough Act: Tinie Tempah

Best International Album: 'The Suburbs', Arcade Fire

Critics Choice Award: Jesse J

Best International Male Solo Act: Cee Lo Green

Best British Single: 'Pass Out', Tinie Tempah

Best International Group: Arcade Fire

Best International Breakthrough Act: Justin Bieber

Best British Female Solo Act: Laura Marling

Best International Female Solo Act: Rihanna

Best British Group: Take That

Best British Album: 'Sigh No More', Mumford & Sons

Winners of the 53rd Grammy Awards - 13 Feb 2011 @ The Staples Center, LA

Album of the Year: ‘The Suburbs’, Arcade Fire

Record of the Year: ‘Need You Now’, Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year: ‘Need You Now’, Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

New Artist: Esperanza Spalding

Female Pop Vocal Performance: ‘Bad Romance’, Lady Gaga

Male Pop Vocal Performance: ‘Just The Way You Are’, Bruno Mars

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: ‘Hey Soul Sister’, Train

Pop Vocal Album: ‘The Fame Monster’, Lady Gaga

Alternative Album: ‘Brothers’, The Black Keys

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: ‘Crazy Love’, Michael Buble

Rock Song: ‘Angry World’, Neil Young

Rock Album: ‘The Resistance’, Muse

Rock Performance: ‘Tighten Up’, The Black Keys

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: ‘Helter Skelter’, Paul McCartney (from Good Evening New York City)

Hard Rock Performance: ‘New Fang’, Them Crooked Vultures

R&B Album: ‘Wake up!’ John Legend & The Roots

Contemporary R&B Album: ‘Raymond V Raymond’, Usher

R&B Song: ‘Shine’, John Legend & The Roots

R&B Performance: ‘Soldier Of Love’, Sade

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: ‘Hang On In There’, John Legend and The Roots

Urban/Alternative Performance: ‘(Forget) You’, Cee Lo Green

Rap Album: ‘Recovery’, Eminem

Rap Solo Performance: ‘Not Afraid’, Eminem

Rap Performance by A Duo Or Group: ‘On To The Next One’, Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz

Rap Song: ‘Empire State of Mind’, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

Rap/Sung Collaboration: ‘Empire State Of Mind’, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

Dance Recording: ‘Only Girl (In The World)’, Rihanna

Electronic Dance Album: ‘La Roux’, La Roux

Musical Show Album: ‘American Idiot’, (Featuring Green Day)

Traditional World Music Album: ‘Ali And Toumani’, Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate

Contemporary World Music Album: ‘Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2’, Bela Fleck

Latin Pop Album: ‘Paraiso Express’, Alejandro Sanz

Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album: ‘El Existenial’, Grupo Fantasma.

Tropical Latin Album: Viva La Tradicion, Spanish Harlem Orchestra.

Norteno Album: ‘Classic’, Intocable.

Banda Album: ‘Enamorate De Mi’, El Guero y su Banda Centenario.

Latin Jazz Album: ‘Chucho's Steps’, Chucho Valdes and The Afro-Cuban Messengers.

Tejano Album: ‘Recuerdos’, Little Joe y La Familia.

Male Country Vocal Performance: ‘'Til Summer Comes Around’, Keith Urban

Female Country Vocal Performance: ‘The House That Built Me’, Miranda Lambert

Country Album: ‘Need You Now’, Lady Antebellum

Country Performance by a Duo or Group: ‘Need You Now’, Lady Antebellum

Country Song: ‘Need You Now’, Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley &
Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

Country Collaboration With Vocals: ‘As She's Walking Away’, Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson

Contemporary Jazz Album: ‘The Stanley Clarke Band’, The Stanley Clarke Band

Jazz Vocal Album: ‘Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From >Dee Dee’, Dee Dee Bridgewater

Jazz Instrumental Album: ‘Moody 4B’, James Moody

Improvised Jazz Solo: ‘A Change is Gonna Come’, Herbie Hancock

Large Ensemble Jazz Album: ‘Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard’, Mingus Big Band

Traditional Blues Album: ‘Joined At The Hip’, Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith

Contemporary Blues Album: ‘Living Proof’, Buddy Guy

Traditional Folk Album: ‘Genuine Negro Jig’, Carolina Chocolate Drops

Contemporary Folk Album: ‘God Willin' and The Creek Don't Rise’, Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: ‘Imagine’, Herbie Hancock and Larry Klein, arrangers (Herbie Hancock, Pink, Seal, Jeff Beck, India.Arie, Konono No 1 & Oumou Sangare)

Pop Instrumental Album: ‘Take Your Pick’, Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto

Pop Instrumental Performance: ‘Nessun Dorma’, Jeff Beck

Rock Instrumental Performance: ‘Hammerhead’, Jeff Beck

Bluegrass Album: ‘Mountain Soul II’, Patty Loveless

Americana Album: ‘You Are Not Alone’, Mavis Staples

Hawaiian Music Album: ‘Huana Ke Aloha’, Tia Carrere

Native American Music Album: ‘2010 Gathering Of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance’,(Various Artists) Derek Mathews, Dr. Lita Mathews & Melonie Mathews, producers (Gathering Of Nations Records)

Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album: ‘Zydeco Junkie’, Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band

Reggae Album: ‘Before The Dawn’, Buju Banton
Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: ‘The Reason’, Diamond Rio

New Age Album: ‘Miho: Journey To The Mountain’,Paul Winter Consort

Metal Performance: ‘El Dorado’, Iron Maiden

Country Instrumental Performance: ‘Hummingbyrd’, Marty Stuart

Musical Album For Children: ‘Tomorrow's Children’, Pete Seeger with The Rivertown Kids and Friends

Spoken Word Album For Children: ‘Julie Andrews' Collection Of Poems, Songs, And Lullabies’, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Danger Mouse, for Broken Bells

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: ‘One Love Club’, David Guetta and Afrojack's remix of Madonna's Revolver

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: ‘Love God. Love People’, Israel Houghton

Gospel Song: ‘It's What I Do’, Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters

Gospel Performance: ‘Grace’, BeBe and CeCe Winans

Traditional Gospel Album: ‘Downtown Church’, Patty Griffin

Rock Or Rap Gospel Album: ‘Hello Hurricane’, Switchfoot

Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: ‘Still’, BeBe and CeCe Winans

Classical Album: ‘Verdi: Requiem’, Riccardo Muti, conductor; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus

Choral Performance: ‘Verdi: Requiem’ Riccardo Muti, conductor; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus

Classical Contemporary Composition: ‘Michael Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony / Deus Ex Machina’, Giancarlo Guerrero

Classical Producer: David Frost

Orchestral Performance: ‘Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina’, Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Nashville Symphony

Opera Recording: ‘Saariaho: L'Amour De Loin’, Kent Nagano, conductor; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Rundfunkchor Berlin

Spoken Word Album: ‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook)’, Jon Stewart

Comedy Album: ‘Stark Raving Black’, Lewis Black

Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other
Visual Media: ‘Crazy Heart’, (Various Artists) Stephen Bruton & T Bone Burnett, producers

Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: ‘Toy Story 3’, Randy Newman, composer

Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media: The Weary Kind (From Crazy Heart) Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett, songwriters

Historical Album: The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists: ‘Baba Yetu’, Christopher Tin, arranger; Soweto Gospel Choir and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Take That - Rule The World (2007)

Guilty pleasures again... - ah hey, it's Valentine's Day... :-)

Take That - Rule The World
ICE#1, UK#2, IRL#3, IT#6, BE#13, DE#15, CH#25, SVK#26, DK#32, AT#50,NL#57, CZK#74



Lyrics:

You light the skies, up above me
A star, so bright, you blind me, yeah
Don't close your eyes
Don't fade away, don't fade away

Oh - hooooo

Yeah you and me we can ride on a star
If you stay with me boy
We can rule the world
Yeah you and me we can light up the sky
If you stay by my side
We can rule the world...

If walls break down, I will comfort you
If angels cry, oh I'll be there for you
You've saved my soul
Don't leave me now, don't leave me now

Oh - hooooo

Yeah you and me we can ride on a star
If you stay with me boy
We can rule the world
Yeah you and me, we can light up the sky
If you stay by my side
We can rule the world...

Ooooooooh

All the stars are coming out tonight
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you, for you
All the stars are coming out tonight
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you, for you

Ooooooooh

Yeah you and me we can ride on a star
If you stay with me boy
We can rule the world
Yeah you and me, we can light up the sky
If you stay by my side
We can rule the world

All the stars are coming out tonight (oooooooh)
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you, for you
All the stars are coming out tonight
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you, for you

All the stars, are coming out tonight
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you, for you
All the stars, are coming out tonight
They're lighting up the sky tonight
For you, for you

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex, England - although their origins date back to 1977, when schoolmates Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher formed a band called No Romance in China, with Vince on vocals and guitar and Andrew on bass.
Vince then played guitar in 'Ultravox rip-off band' The Plan in 1979 with friends Robert Marlow and Paul Langwith, while Martin Gore played guitar in acoustic duo Norman & The Worms with school friend Philip Burdett on vocals. Marlow, Gore, and Paul Redmond formed a band called The French Look.
In March 1980, Vince, Martin and Andrew formed a band called Composition of Sound. Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Vince and Andrew switched to synthesizers. Dave Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Vince heard him perform at a local scout hut jam session, singing to a rendition of David Bowie's 'Heroes' - and Depeche Mode were born.
When explaining the choice for the new name, taken from a French fashion magazine, Dépêche Mode, Martin Gore said: 'It means hurried fashion or fashion dispatch. I like the sound of that.'
Martin recollects that the first time the band played as Depeche Mode was a school gig in May 1980. The band made their recording debut in 1980 on the Some Bizzare Album with the song 'Photographic', which was later re-recorded for their debut album Speak & Spell.
While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town, London, Depeche Mode were approached by Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records, who was interested in them recording a single for his label. The result of this verbal contract was their first single, recorded in December 1980 and released in February 1981:
Dreaming of Me (1981) - US#47, UK#57 - non album single release (no video)

Encouraged by this, the band recorded their second single:
New Life (1981) - UK#11, IRL#22, US#29 - Speak & Spell

The next single was a relentlessly upbeat piece of synthpop, which became the band's first UK Top10 hit and it remains one of their best known songs. It was also the first Depeche Mode song to get a music video and is the only one of the band's videos to feature Vince Clarke. Depeche Mode's debut album, Speak & Spell, was released in November 1981 and peaked at number ten on the UK album charts:

Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough (1981) - Speak & Spell
AUS#4, UK#8, SWE#14, IRL#16, US#26



During the touring and promotion for Speak & Spell, Vince began to voice his discomfort at the direction Depeche Mode were taking and, in November 1981, he was leaving the band. He joined up with blues singer Alison Moyet to form Yazoo and, later, the duo Erasure with Andy Bell. Initial talk of continuing to write material for Depeche Mode amounted to nothing. Vince offered them the track 'Only You, but they declined. It went on to become a UK Top3 hit for Yazoo.

In late 1981, they placed an anonymous advertisement in British music mag Melody Maker looking for another musician. Alan Wilder from Hammersmith, West London was hired in early 1982 initially on a trial basis as a touring member. In January 1982, the band released:

Depeche Mode - See You (1982) - A Broken Frame
UK#6, IRL#9, DE#44



The tour that followed the release of the single saw the band playing their first shows in North America. Two more singles were released ahead of the band's second studio album:

Depeche Mode - The Meaning of Love (1982) -A Broken Frame
UK#12, IRL#17, SWE#16, DE#64



Depeche Mode - Leave in Silence (1982) - A Broken Frame
IRL#13, SWE#17, UK#18, DE58



Depeche Mode began work on their second album in July 1982. Daniel Miller informed Alan that he was not needed for the recording of the album, as the band wanted to prove that they could succeed without Vince Clarke.
A Broken Frame was released that September and the following month the band set off on their second tour of 1982. A non-album single was released in January 1983, and was the first Depeche Mode track to be recorded with Alan:

Depeche Mode - Get the Balance Right! (1983) - non album single release
UK#13, IRL#16, US#31, DE#38



For their third album, Construction Time Again, Depeche Mode worked with producer Gareth Jones, at John Foxx's Garden Studios and at Hansa Studios in West Berlin. The album saw a dramatic shift in the group's sound: by sampling the noises of everyday objects, the band created an industrial sound.
Along with the music, Martin's songwriting was also rapidly evolving, focusing increasingly on political and social issues. An example of the new sound was on the first single, a commentary on the perceived greed of multinational corporations:

Depeche Mode Everything Counts (1983) - Construction Time Again
UK#6, CH#8, IRL#15, SWE#18, DE#23, AT#26, IT#32



In September 1983, to promote Construction Time Again the band launched a concert tour all over Europe.

Depeche Mode - Love in Itself (1983) - Construction Time Again
UK#21, IRL#27, DE#28



In their early years, Depeche Mode had only really attained success in Europe and Australia, however this changed in March 1984 when they released:

Depeche Mode- People are People (1984) - Some Great Reward
DE#1, IRL#2, UK#4, CH#4, US#13, SWE#15, IT#20, AUS#25



The song was used as the theme to West German TV's coverage of the 1984 Olympics and also charted in the US charts in mid-1985. The song had then become an anthem for the LGBT community. In September 1984, Some Great Reward was released.
In contrast to the political and environmental subjects addressed on the previous album, the songs on Some Great Reward were mostly concerned with more personal themes such as sexual politics...

Depeche Mode - Master and Servant (1984) - Some Great Reward
DE#2, SWE#7, CH#8, UK#9, IT#27, FR#34, US#49, AUS#89



... adulterous relationships...

Depeche Mode - Lie To Me (1984)



...and arbitrary divine justice...

Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours (1984) - Some Great Reward
IRL#8, UK#16, CH#19, DE#22, AUS#87



Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours (1984)
********** RARE 8 min version! *********



Also included was the first Martin Gore ballad. 'Somebody' was released as a double a-side with 'Blasphemous Rumours' and was the first single with Martin on lead vocals:

Depeche Mode - Somebody (1984) - Some Great Reward
was the flip-side of Blasphemous Rumours



In October 1985, Mute Records released a compilation, The Singles 81>85, which included the two non-album singles 'Shake the Disease' (one of my personal favourites of Depeche Mode) and 'It's Called a Heart'.

Depeche Mode - Shake the Disease (1985) - Singles 81->85
DE#4, SWE#5, CH#6, IRL#9, FR#13, UK#18, IT#29



Depeche Mode's musical style shifted again in 1986 with the release of 'Stripped', and its accompanying album Black Celebration. Retaining their sampling and the industrial sound, the band introduced an ominous, highly atmospheric and textured sound. Martin's lyrics also took on darker tone and became more pessimistic. 'New Dress' would mark the last time he attempted the kind of overt social commentary.

Depeche Mode - Stripped (1986) - Black Celebration
DE#4, CH#8, CH#9, IT#14, UK#15



Depeche Mode - A Question of Lust (1986)


Depeche Mode A Question Of Lust
Uploaded by burtonienne. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

The music video for 'A Question of Time' was the first to be directed by Anton Corbijn, beginning a working relationship that continues to the present day. He has directed a further 19 videos (the latest being 2006's 'Suffer Well') and has also filmed some of their live performances and designed stage sets and album and single covers.

Depeche Mode - A Question of Time (1986)



Music for the Masses saw further alterations in the band's sound. David Bascombe was called to assist with the recording sessions. In making the album the band largely eschewed sampling in favour of more synth experimentation. While the chart performance of the singles the next three singles 'Strangelove', 'Never Let Me Down Again' and 'Behind the Wheel' were somewhat disappointing in the UK, they scored high in Canada, Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland. The album also achieved the long awaited breakthrough in the US, which would be eternally manifested by the final concert of the their promotional tour at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena - see my previous post - a concert I would do or give anything for to attend again in time travel. The '101' live album and documenary was the result. I could watch it over - and over - and over - and over, again. Orgasmic!

Depeche Mode - Strangelove (1987)



Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (1987)



Depeche Mode - Behind The Wheel (1987)



Depeche Mode - Pimpf (1987)



Depeche Mode - Little 15 (1988)



In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with producer Flood and engineer François Kevorkian. The initial result of this session was the single:

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (1989)



Released in January 1990, 'Enjoy the Silence' became one of Depeche Mode's most successful singles to date, reaching number six in the UK. A few months later it became Depeche Mode's biggest hit in the US, reaching number eight and earning the band a second gold single. It won 'Best British single' at the 1991 Brit Awards.

Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (1990)



To promote their album Violator, the band held an in-store autograph signing at Wherehouse Entertainment in Los Angeles. The event attracted approximately 20,000 fans and turned into a near riot.
Some of those who attended were injured by being pressed against the store's glass by the crowd. As an apology to the fans who were injured, the band released a limited edition cassette tape to fans living in Los Angeles.

Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth (1990)



Depeche Mode - World in my Eyes (1990)



Depeche Mode - Halo (1990)



Depeche Mode - Clean (1990)

Depeche Mode - I Feel You (1993)



Depeche Mode - Walking in my Shoes (1993)



Depeche Mode - Condemation (1993)



Depeche Mode - In Your Room (1994)



Depeche Mode - Barrel of a Gun (1997)



Depeche Mode - It's No Good (1997)



Depeche Mode - I Feel Loved (2001)



Depeche Mode - Precious (2005)



Depeche Mode - Suffer Well (2006)



Depeche Mode - Wrong (2009)