#great american songbook

[thesobsister]

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, "Black Hole Sun"

Lounge singer and Great American Songbook standard bearer par excellence Steve Lawrence, né Sidney Liebowitz, has died, age 88. He joins his wife, Eydie, who predeceased him by 10 years.

I could've gone with one of his solo hits such as "Go Away Little Girl" or even one of their many recordings from the aforementioned songbook, but their cover of Soundgarden captured their ability to interpret even the most diverse material in their style and unironically do a terrific version of it.

The two of them were variety show mainstays and ubiquitous in the '60s. When one said "Steve and Eydie," everyone knew whom you meant. He was also a regular guest on The Carol Burnett Show and made a number of other prime-time appearances.

aav.

#steve lawrence #eydie gormé #steve and eydie #obituary #great american songbook #lounge singers #covers #soundgarden

[citizenscreen]

‘The way you wear your hat,

The way you sip your tea,

The mem'ry of all that --

No, no! They can't take that away from me!’

- Ira Gershwin, #botd in 1896

#ira gershwin #great american songbook #standards #old hollywood

[pluckysidekick]

It’s Wednesday, my fellow Drewds! Going into the holidays I can’t help thinking about how our favorite Crew are celebrating the holidays. Can’t wait for all of the @secretsleuthexchange fics, gifsets, and fanvids we’re going to get!

In the meantime, I was inspired by a poll from @burningblake about which classic “standard” song best represents Nace (all excellent choices). I wound up making a Season 4 playlist of standards from the Great American Songbook, and a few other classic tracks, that represent their Season 4 journey for me. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, here we go!

I’ll be linking the Spotify tracks, but you should be able to find them all on Apple Music or YouTube. If you want a link to the full playlist, just hit me up here or on Discord.

1. The Nearness of You - This Hoagy Carmichael classic brings to mind Nancy and Ace’s inability to stay apart every time they’re near each other in Episode 401 🥺. I love the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong duet, but I picked Norah Jones’ version from her 2002 debut album because it’s just so perfectly wistful.

2. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby - this so so cool track was written by Louis Jordan, but I first heard it on Tom and Jerry (that’s the fighting cat and mouse cartoon in case you’re too young to remember them). I immediately envision the back and forth argument Nancy and Ace have throughout Episode 402 in the lyrics of this song. Ace just wants to know! I adore Joe Jackson’s version, but I went with Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones from 1956 because it is absolutely perfect.

3. Night and Day - I like to imagine that Nancy and Ace stayed up all night talking at the end of 402. This song perfectly embodies their relationship at this stage 🥹. It was written by Cole Porter for Fred Astaire to sing in the original ‘The Gay Divorce’ Broadway musical (catch the film, a classic Fred and Ginger madcap musical romcom with such amazing dancing🕺🏼). But I had to go with Frank Sinatra from 1957’s ‘A Swingin Affair’ because it’s such a classic swing tune.

4. April in Paris - I’m not crying, you’re crying. Warning, there’s going to be a lot of crying in this playlist. Nancy telling Ace the story of her parents’ honeymoon in Paris in Episode 403, that shy smile when she tells him she always wanted to recreate it with someone, GAH. I had to pick the wonderful Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown on trumpet, simply exquisite. I’m going to have to take a break to sob quietly in the corner. “What have you done to my heart” indeed.

5. Fever - There was only one song, and only one version of this song, that matches the heat Nancy and Ace generated in the infamous Sigil scene. Peggy Lee burned the house down in 1958 with this track. “What a lovely way to burn” - Nancy can relate.

6. So in Love - Another genius Cole Porter song, written originally for Kiss Me Kate, but sung here by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald (my personal hero). I had to pick it for THE KISS. They are just so in love 😭. A beautiful song and a beautiful rendition worthy of Nancy and Ace’s love. The fact that Kiss Me Kate is a musical about bickering exes who eventually find love again makes it even more perfect.

7. Crying - Roy Orbison, 1962. Need I say more? I may never recover from the final scene of 403. This song at least helps a little with the pain by naming it. Roy hits some insane notes in this song—the intensity matches both Nancy and Ace’s misery in that moment.

8. Good Morning, Heartache - More like Good Morning, Sorbet. In Episode 404, Nancy drowns her sorrows in her favorite frozen dessert to deal with the heartache of gaining and losing Ace. And no one does heartache like Billie Holiday, who recorded this song in 1946. Heartache haunts Nancy all throughout S4, and this track represents it perfectly.

9. I had two contenders for the Nace scenes in Episode 405, both from the early 60’s. I Fall to Pieces, released by Patsy Cline and The Jordanaires in 1961, was a country crossover and Patsy’s number one hit—an incredible track that embodies Nancy’s emotions on seeing Ace again. She can’t even look him the eye at the beginning of the episode. Which brings me to my other choice, Walk on By, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, and famously sung by Dionne Warwick in 1964. Nancy puts up a brave front for most of this episode, but inside she wants to break down and cry.

10. Episode 405’s speed dating montage is one of my favorite scenes of Season 4. Again I have two contenders—why should I have to choose? Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s One For My Baby (and One More for the Road), as sung by Ella Fitzgerald (again ‘cause she’s the best), is an ideal soundtrack for Nancy’s increasingly desperate descent as she spends every would-be speed date talking about Ace and THAT KISS. Equally appropriate is Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life—velvet-voiced Johnny Hartman and saxophonist John Coltrane’s 1963 track positively drips with ennui, elegantly over cocktails, of course. If you’ve never heard this one, please give it a listen. There’s even a mention of a week in Paris 🥺.

11. Episode 406, with the infamous Spider Prom, is Ace’s episode IMO—we finally get to see how he’s dealing with the loss of the love of his life and his best friend. He so desperately wants to somehow get back to being friends with Nancy, he resorts to spending countless hours with the help of S4 MVP Nick trying to catch Chunky Velez for her. Can’t We Be Friends? is the perfect song for him in this episode, gorgeously sung by Ella and Louis. That is, until he spies Nancy and Tristan dancing, and realizes what he can never have. Etta James’ blistering track I’d Rather Go Blind captures Ace’s feelings in that moment. He may have been the one to halt their attempts to brake the curse, but he’s hurting just as much as Nancy is.

12. I’ve got two seminal songs to represent Episode 407. When Nancy realizes that Ace let Chunky go, and hears his admission that seeing her with Tristan hurt, it positively screams Cry Me a River. No, not the Justin Timberlake song 😅. This epic torch song was famously sung by Julie London in 1955, and expresses beautifully Nancy’s scorn at Ace’s hypocrisy even as she admits that he broke her heart.

Their fight, and Nancy’s subsequent dashed hopes that Ace would call her bluff and come back, makes me think of Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye. Another Cole Porter masterpiece sung by Ella. What can I say? You can’t top perfection:

Every time we say goodbye, I die a little Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little Why the gods above me, who must be in the know Think so little of me, they allow you to go

I dare you to listen to this track without weeping over the Nace of it all. Enjoy!

Well, Drewds, we’re just past the halfway mark of Season 4 and this post is already a novel, so I’m going to stop here for now. What did you think of my picks? Any you think I missed?

I’ll do a Part 2 as long as I get a few notes on this one 😂 . It will feature more classic songs that represent Nancy and Ace as they head into the back half of the season. I know it’s going to get rough ahead, but I promise the music will be sweet.

Update: Part 2 is here!

#nancy drew #nancy drew cw #nace #ndcw #cw nancy drew #ace hardy #jazz #great american songbook #kennedy mcmann #alex saxon #nacesource #ndcentral #ella fitzgerald #louis armstrong #billie holiday #julie london #norah jones #dinah washington #etta james #patsy cline #roy orbison #author: pluckysidekick

[nudeartpluspoetry]

Fiona Apple - Why Try To Change Me Now

Music by Cy Coleman, Lyrics by James McCarthy  1952

Recorded by Frank Sinatra in the 1950s

#youtube #ballads #great american songbook #fiona apple #cy coleman

[lionofchaeronea]

I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Remembering the great saxophonist Sonny Stitt (Feb. 2, 1924--July 22, 1982) on the centennial of his birth.

#youtube #personal #music #jazz #jazz music #Sonny Stitt #saxophone #jazz saxophone #Great American Songbook #I Can't Give You Anything But Love #Oscar Peterson Trio

[burnandshiverconsulting]

Tony.

#tony bennett #singer #pop #timeless cool #great american songbook #frank sinatra #classic photo

[scissorgasm-comedy]

#jazz #jazz singer #rapper #ella fitzgerald #joe williams #real music #live music #classic jazz #great american songbook #SCATTIN #vocalist #improvisation #jazz improvisation

[cladriteradio]

Here are 10 things you should know about Judy Garland, born 100 years ago today. Hers was a complicated life and career, so we’ve focused on the positives of her early career. It's her birthday, after all. We're featuring her music all day on Cladrite Radio, so tune in now! cladriteradio.com

#Judy Garland #old movies #child stars #The Wizard of Oz #classic film #classic movies #movie musicals #classic musicals #classic Hollywood #Great American Songbook

[singeratlarge]

SONG OF THE WEEK: “Ac​-​Cent​-​Tchu​-​Ate the Positive.” https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/ac-cent-tchu-ate-the-positive This song was written by the great American songwriters, Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer in 1944. Mercer sang it in the style of a sermon. He described his inspiration for the lyrics: "[My] publicity agent went to hear a sermon by Father Divine, and his subject was 'you got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.’ …and I said 'Wow, that's a colorful phrase!'" The song has been covered many times in diverse styles, from country to jazz to punk. It reached me through the film soundtrack L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

This track is from my collection of songs I play in assisted living homes. For some time I've been performing for people in various stages of dementia and disability. I've seen miraculous things happen while singing to people who are considered to be "disconnected"—suddenly they're singing, clapping, tapping, dancing...all because of these familiar tunes. There is proof-positive that music reaches into more areas of the brain than language, math, and other forms of communication. You can help me to continue this work. Your download my music helps to underwrite my expenses to keep doing musical service in these homes. Thanks for tuning in and stay positive!

#Positivity #JohnnyMercer #GreatAmericanSongbook #HaroldArlen #popmusic #standards #jazz #FatherDivine #LAConfidential #RussellCrowe #assistedlivinghome #carehomes #dementia #Alzheimers #disability #JohnnyJBlair #Singeratlarge

#johnny j blair #singer songwriter #music #singer at large #san francisco #pop rock #Positivity #Johnny Mercer #Great American Songbook #Harold Arlen #pop standards #jazz #Father Divine #LA Confidential #Russell Crowe #assisted living home #care homes #dementia #alzheimers #disability #Bandcamp

[knightotoc]

Ranking the Standards that I Give a Fuck About

S-Tier: Let's Do It

nothing sexier than being hilarious and environmentally conscious

A-Tier: Anything Goes

the inherent gayness of stupid decisions

B-Tier: Someone to Watch Over Me

pathetic anthem👏

C-Tier: Moon River

an almost perfect song in an almost perfect movie...but just knowing there's yellowface in this film is such a bonerkiller

D-Tier: All of Me

get a grip, asshole

#dj knightotoc #great american songbook #trying to limit myself to one hot take per tier...i could go on lol #Youtube

[anotherlimb]

work study program

#david bowie #songbook #songbird #johnny cash #father time #mother lode #nin #with teeth #vinyl #thank you #very much #great american songbook #keep america weird #nine inch nails #nine inch fingernails #if 6 were 9 #dog crates #floral art #dirty towel

[worldsfastestbear]

An absolutely fabulous rendition. We think this young lady has a quite a future in entertainment in front of her...

#barbara streisand #great american songbook #when sunny gets blue #Youtube

[pluckysidekick]

I’m back with Part 2 of my playlist of Great American Songbook standards and other classic songs that embody Nace’s journey in Season 4, inspired by @emorfili’s post. Check out Part 1 here. Both posts contain Spotify links, but you can find all of these tracks on Apple Music and YouTube. DM me for a link to the entire playlist. Shall we?

1. Picking up with fan favorite Episode 408, George Benson’s 1976 slammin’ This Masquerade, written by Leon Russell, works on so many levels for this episode: Nancy and Ace having to pretend to be each other in front on Thom, acting as if everything is OK between them, with neither saying what they really feel. “We tried to talk it over but the words got in the way, We're lost inside this lonely game we play.”

2. They Can’t Take That Away from Me is so perfect for the 408 sunset scene when Ace returns Nancy’s necklace, and they seem to come to some kind of peace (for the present). They may not have been able to make it work, but they still have a deep bond that no one can take away. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s duet of the Gershwin classic is the version.

3. Witchcraft - Frank Sinatra’s definitive version works for so much of Nancy Drew, but I picked it for Episode 409 for Nancy and Ace’s twin supernatural storylines, each of them beginning to fall for someone who may not be what they seem, and of course for Bess’s day in court defending the supernatural, and exposing the real history of Horseshoe Bay with witchcraft.

4. Nancy tells Nick in 409 that she wants a relationship that’s simpler than the ‘messy’ state of things with Ace (although note the look on her face as she says it). A Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James describes so well what Nancy thinks she wants in 409 and going into 410. Meanwhile Ace is falling under the spell of his mystery ghost - you could even say he’s Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (I would). I went with Doris Day’s classic take from 1950.

5. Speaking of 410, I had to give a nod to Tristan Glass with Nat King Cole’s Nature Boy. Poor Tristan really goes through it this season and especially in this episode as he fights for his life when his would-be date shoots him, and from which he recovers only for his parents to kidnap and attempt to sacrifice her. I hope he has a nice life!

6. Episode 411 has Nancy crashing Ace’s Seder and causing a storm inside The Claw when she tries to raise Alice to discover how she died. Harold Arlen’s Stormy Weather sung by Lena Horne really drives home Ace’s stormy emotions, Nancy’s desperation (“Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky, Stormy weather, Since my man and I ain't together, keeps raining all of the time”) and Alice’s pain that generates the storm.

7. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - The tension between Nancy and Ace that spills over from 411 to Episode 412 is all the more shocking because we’re used to them being soft with each other. But once Nancy is hot on the trail of the sin she erased, she’s not going to give up. Harold Arlen’s song, here sung by Tony Bennett in 1964, perfectly depicts that tension as Ace tries to give Nancy the runaround (and of course she isn’t having it): “I don’t want you, But I hate to lose you, You’ve got me in between, The devil and the deep blue sea”.

8. I’ve Got You Under My Skin - The venom that erupts when Ace & Nancy repeatedly confront each other in 412 couldn’t exist without the strong feelings that still run under the surface. Nancy admitting that she hasn’t moved on, and the look Ace gives her - they’ve got each other under their skin. Frank Sinatra’s 1956 gorgeous recording of the Cole Porter tune mirrors the back and forth of the star-crossed lovers throughout the season, but especially as we near the end.

9. “Oh Sinnerman, where you going to run to?” That’s the question this traditional spiritual continues to ask throughout Nina Simone’s 1965 powerhouse of a track. Nancy and Ace are both on the run in 412 — Nancy toward the truth of their sin, and Ace away from it. In Episode 413, they work together with the Crew and Tristan to lift the sin fog that’s infected the town, and discover Nancy’s soul connection to the root of the town’s sin. This legendary recording captures the frenetic energy of Nancy and Ace’s journey toward redemption and forgiveness.

10. The finale quickly moves from chaos to resolution of all of our favorite characters’ futures — and for Nancy and Ace’s relationship. Johnny Hartman’s voice on 1963’s My One and Only Love is simply beautiful, capturing Ace’s emotion as he finally comes back to Nancy, heart in hand. Swoon.

11. It Had to Be You - I had to include this one, recorded by Harry Connick, Jr. for another epic slow burn, friends to lovers romance, 1989’s When Harry Met Sally. Nancy and Ace are the soulmates that chose each other (and their friends), which this song’s lyrics capture so perfectly: “For nobody else gives me a thrill, with all your faults, I love you still, it had to be you, wonderful you, it had to be you.”

12. Cheek to Cheek - We didn't get the 6 minute director's cut of this scene that included a little dance with a dip (grr), but we did get that sense of effervescence once Ace and Nancy have broken the curse. Ella and Louis trading off verses on Irving Berlin's timeless classic is just the mood.

13. Ending on a sentimental note, At Last Nancy and Ace are together, and they and all of the Crew have the next part of their journeys mapped out. This lovely Etta James 1960 track is a perfect ending for this playlist, and for Nancy and Ace, Bess, George, and Nick as they say goodbye to The Claw.

So there you have it, my picks for Nace S4, classic style. Would love to hear what you think! Tell me your favorite pick, what I missed, or what you would have chosen instead. Hope this playlist brings a little joy this festive season - I think it’s the perfect background soundtrack for reading all of the @secretsleuthexchange fics!

#nancy drew #nancy drew cw #nace #ndcw #cw nancy drew #ace hardy #kennedy mcmann #alex saxon #george benson #frank sinatra #ella fitzgerald #louis armstrong #lena horne #tony bennett #doris day #nat king cole #etta james #jazz #great american songbook #ndcentral #nacesource #harry connick jr

[ktredshoes]

'I'll Be Seeing You' - A Hugely Popular WWII Era Song About Distance Love - Couldn't Be More Timely Today - This Is Lower Merion And Narberth

This song randomly popped up on my mental playlist today so I had to look it up to keep from sobbing. Well, that didn't work.

#wwii #great american songbook #separation and loss #song angst #masters of the air #the pacific #band of brothers #dust in my eye

[lionofchaeronea]

J. J. Johnson - Like Someone In Love

Remembering the great trombonist J.J. Johnson (Jan. 22, 1924-Feb. 4, 2001) on the centennial of his birth.

#youtube #personal #music #jazz #jazz music #trombone #jazz trombone #J.J. Johnson #Great American Songbook #Like Someone in Love

[giannic]

"Son of a Preacher Man", sung by Lou Rawls, now playing, as I write ✍🏻; broadcasting at this moment via WDCB -FM, from the campus of the College of DuPage, Illinois.

Now, I am sitting on a camper's folding seat, camouflage cloth seat, enjoying a little heat in the flat (apartment)... Listening again to Lou Rawls describing living the hard knock life in the cold ❄️ 🥶 ghetto.

#radio #FM_broadcasting #lou rawls #african american #music #lyrics #great american songbook #hard knock life #tobacco road