The Windmills of Your Mind (Song)

Song / Down Memory Lane

"The Windmills of Your Mind" is a song with music by Michel Legrand, one of my favourite French composers of film and television scores. The English lyrics of this piece is written by Americans Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The melody was inspired by the theme of Wolfgang A. Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante second movement. The French lyrics (under the title "Les Moulins de mon cœur") was written by Eddy Marnay. The song (with the English lyrics) was introduced in the film The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), starring Steve McQueen and Faye Funaway. It was sung by Noel Harrison, and the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in the same year.





In 2004, "The Windmills of Your Mind" was ranked 57 in AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs survey of top songs in American cinema.  Above, is a recording of Noel Harrison singing this haunting and moving Oscar winning classic song from the Thomas Crown Affair film.


Video Credit:

The Windmills of Your Mind - Noel Harrison. Youtube, uploaded by John1948JohnD. Accessed January 13, 2018.


Resource:

The Windmills of Your Mind (Song).  en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed JAnuary 13, 2018.



(c)  Tel Asiado.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Moment to Moment (Song)

Song (Soundtrack) / Down Memory Lane


"Moment to Moment" title tune was written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer. 

Moment to Moment is a 1966 American psychological thriller film directed by Mervyn LeRoy starring Jean Seberg, Honor Blackman, Arthur Hill, Sean Garrison, and Peter Robbins. Jean Seberg is a married woman who has an affair which leads to murder. The movie is LeRoy's 75th and final one. 





Video Credit:

Henry Mancini MOMENT TO MOMENT  (Uploaded by Felixbautista. Sound contents solely and rightfully belongs to, owned and administered by SME - not intended for copyright infringement and exclusively for audio and visual entertainment.  Accessed November 28, 2016.)


Resource:

Moment to Moment Film. en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed November 28, 2018.

Moment to Moment. IMDb. Accessed November 28, 2018.

The Wizard of Oz (Film)

CLASSIC MOVIE  / Datebook: September 27

The film popularised the uplifting song "Over the Rainbow" beautifully sung by Judy Garland

The 1939 American musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. The songs were written by Edgar "Yip" Harburg (lyrics) and Harold Arlen (music). The musical score and the incidental music were composed by Stothart. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films in American history, it is the best-known and most successful adaptation of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, alongside other stars, and with Terry (as Toto).

The Wizard of Oz best scenes, YouTube uploaded by Movieclips. Accessed September 27, 2025. 



 

Playlist:

 The Wizard of Oz (1939 Movie, with Judy Garland). By Movieclips: 

 

The Wizard of Oz is an icon of American popular culture, nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to Gone with the Wind. It won in two other categories, including Best Original Song for "Over the Rainbow" and Best Original Score by Herbert Stothart.

The 1956 broadcast television premiere of the film on the CBS network reintroduced The Wizard of Oz (film) to the wider public and eventually made the presentation an annual tradition, making it one of the best known films in movie history. The film was named the most-viewed motion picture on television syndication by the Library of Congress, which also included it in its National Film Registry in 1989. Designation on the registry calls for efforts to preserve it for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."



Resource:

The Wizard of Oz (1939 Film). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed September 27, 2010.



(c) September 2010. Updated August 27, 2025. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Hymne à l'amour (Hymn to Love)

Songs /

Video: Lyrics in French sung by Edith Piaf

 

Marguerite Monnot: Hymne à l'amour (If You Love Me) 

 "Hymne à l'amour" (French for "Hymn to Love") is a popular French song originally performed by Édith Piaf.

The lyrics were written by Edith Piaf and the music composed by Marguerite Monnot. Piaf first sang this song at the Cabaret Versailles in New York on September 14, 1949. It was written to her lover and the love of her life, the French boxer, Marcel Cerdan. On October 28, 1949 Cerdan was killed in a plane crash on his way from Paris to New York to come see her. She recorded the song on 2 May 1950.

Lyrics
HYMN TO LOVE
Original : Hymne À L'Amour
(Eddie Constantine / Marguerite Monnot)

Recorded by : Christine Albert; Corey Hart; Cyndi Lauper; Edith Piaf.

If the sky should fall into the sea
And the stars fade all around me
All the times that we have known here
I will sing a hymn to love

We have lived and dreamed we two alone
In a world that's been our very own
With its memories ever grateful
Just for you I sing a hymn to love

I remember each embrace
The smile that lights your face
And my heart begins to sing
Your eyes have never lied
And my heart begins to sing
And my heart begins to sing

If one day you should ever disappear
Always remember these words:
If one day we had to say goodbye
And our love should fade away and die
In my heart you will remain here
And I'II sing a hymn to love

O for love, we live eternally
In the blue we'll roll this harmony
With every day we are in heaven
As for you, I'll sing a hymn to love

Don't you ever worry, dear
And the stars shall fade from the sky
All the times that we have known here
I will sing a hymn to our love
Oh darling,
Just for you I sing
A hymn to love


*****


HYMNE À L'AMOUR

(M. Monnot / E. Constantine)

Edith Piaf (France)


Le ciel bleu sur nous peut s'effrondrer
Et la terre peut bien s'écrouler
Peu m'importe si tu m'aimes
Je me fous du monde entier
Tant que l'amour inondera mes matins
Tant que mon corps frémira sous tes mains
Peu m'importent les grands problèmes
Mon amour, puisque tu m'aimes...
J'irais jusqu'au bout du monde
Je me ferais teindre en blonde
Si tu me le demandais...
J'irais décrocher la lune
J'irais voler la fortune
Si tu me le demandais...
Je renierais ma patrie
Je renierais mes amis
Si tu me le demandais...
On peut bien rire de moi,
Je ferais n'importe quoi
Si tu me le demandais...
Si un jour la vie t'arrache à moi
Si tu meurs, que tu sois loin de moi
Peu m'importe, si tu m'aimes
Car moi je mourrai aussi...
Nous aurons pour nous l'éternité
Dans le bleu de toute l'immensité
Dans le ciel, plus de problèmes
Mon amour, crois-tu qu'on s'aime?...
...Dieu réunit ceux qui s'aiment!


(c) 2017. Tel Asiado. Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Written on the Wind (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane


The song Written on the Wind is written by Sammy Cahn and Victor Young. It was sung by The Four Aces during the opening credits of the 1956 American drama film of the same title, directed by Douglas Sirk, starring Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone.  The film's score was composed by Frank Skinner. 





Video Credits:

Main Titile - Written on the Wind (Original Soundtrack). Youtube, downloaded by Classic Soundtrack Collector. Accessed September 11, 2016. 


The Four Aces - Written on the Wind (1956). Youtube, uploaded by Catspyjamas1. Accessed July 17, 2017.

"Written on the Wind" Film Opening (Directed by Douglas Sirk). Youtube, uploaded by impuritylevels. Accessed September 11, 2016.  



(c) 2007-2017. Tel Asiado. Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Irving Berlin

Composer/Songwriter Datebook: May 11

Composer Famous for "White Christmas"

Irving Berlin (May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989), was born on Tyumen Russian Empire and migrated to the United States. He was a composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage. Along with Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers, he is widely considered one of the greatest American songwriters.

His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became famous worldwide.  Over the years he was known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular which was simple and direct that reached the hearts not only of ordinary Americans but simple people all over the world.

Stephen Sondheim

Musicals / Classical Music Datebook:  March 22 

Happy Birthday Stephen Sondheim! Thank you for the lovely music!

Stephen Sondheim:  American Composer and Lyricist

Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, born March 22, 1930, is an American composer and lyricist known for his contributions to musical theatre. He has received numerous awards including an Academy Award, Tony Awards (plus a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015).

His best-known works include: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, A Little Night Music (with the famous "Send in the Clowns"), Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods. The list goes on... Sondheim also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy, and some songs for 1990's Dick Tracy, including "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" by Madonna, which won the Academy Award for Best Song.

And This is My Beloved (Song)

Song / Down Memory Lane 

This lovely favourite song "And This is My Beloved" was in the 1953 musical Kismet. It is credited to Robert Wright, composer-lyricist, and George Forrest, writer of music and lyrics for musical theatre. Like all the music in that show, the melody was based on music composed by Russian composer & chemist Alexander Borodin, String Quartet in D. (Here, performed by Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. YouTube, accessed September 11, 2018.) 


 

Vic Damone and Ann Blyth beautifully sang "And This is my Beloved" in the 1955 Hollywood classic film two years after it was first staged as a musical of the same title, Kismet (Fate). The movie clip / music belongs to MGM.  Kismet (1955) is an American musical film released by Metro-Golwyn-Mayer.  It is the fourth movie version of Kismet—the first was released in 1920 and the second in 1930 by Warner Brothers - and the second released by MGM. This 1955 film is based on the successful 1953 musical Kismet, while the three earlier versions are based on the original 1911 play by Edward Knoblock.  This film stars Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Vic Damone, and Dolores Gray, and directed by Vincente Minelli.  (Sorry, the video of Ann Blyth and Vic Damone became unavailable, 9 Dec 2020. Instead, here's another one: Mario Lanza sings "And This Is My Beloved", with Jess Alexander Choir - here.) 

Before and after 1953, the same melody had been used  for a song and recorded by other producers. In 1946, "And This is My Beloved" was used for a song credited to William Egvick, Bert Reisfelt and Alec Wilder entitled "Spring Magic."  This was recorded by Charlie Spvak and his Orchestra.  In 1956, a version by the great tenor Mario Lanza became popular.  In 1962, Sergio Franchi sang it when he discovered Norman Luboff singing on Sunday Night at the London Palladium.  A favorite guest of Ed Sullivan, Franchi sang it on the February 4, 1968, which was broadcast by CBS, and recorded on his 1964 RCA Victor album as The Exciting Voice of Sergio Franchi.   

Lyrics:  "And This is My Beloved"

Dawn's promising skies
Petals on a pool drifting
Imagine these in one pair of eyes
And this is my beloved.

 

Strange spice from the south
Honey through the comb sifting
Imagine these on one eager mouth
And this is my beloved.

 

And when he speaks, and when he talks to me
Music! Mystery!
And when he moves, and when he walks with me
Paradise comes suddenly near.

 

All that can stir, all that can stun
All that's for the heart's lifting
Imagine these in one perfect one
And this is my beloved!
And this is my beloved!

 

 

Resources:

And This is My Beloved (Song). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed Sept 26, 2014.

Kismet (1955 film). en.wikipedia.org.



(c) September 2014. Updated September 11, 2018. Tel. Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.  

Mendelssohn's On Wings of Song

Classical Music / Music & Song

"On Wings of Song" (German: "Auf Flügeln des Gesanges"), is a song by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, the second of his "six songs for voice and piano" (Opus 34-2, 1834). He dedicated it to his beloved older sister, Fanny Mendelssohn, also a composer. The music is a setting of the poem "Auf Flügeln des Gesanges" by the German Romantic poet Heinrich Heine published in his Buch der Lieder in 1827. Franz Liszt arranged On Wings of Song for solo piano (S. 547). This song has been translated into other languages and has been adopted in school music textbooks for China, Japan and Korea.

Thanks to Youtube uploader Papermoon2011, together with the lyrics in English translation, here's a beautiful rendition of an all-time favourite short composition from Felix Mendelssohn,  "Auf Flügeln des Gesanges" (English: "On Wings of Song"), sung by tenor Peter Schreier, accompanied on the piano by pianist Walter Olbertz.




Lyrics (English translation) 

On wings of song,  my love,
I'll carry you away to the fields of the Ganges.
Where I know the most beautiful place.
There lies a red-flowering garden, in the serene moonlight,
the lotus-flowers await. Their beloved sister.

The violets giggle and cherish, and look up at the stars,
The roses tell each other secretly their fragrant fairy-tales.
The gentle, bright gazelles, pass and listen;
and in the distance murmurs the waves of the holy stream.

There we will lay down, under the palm-tree,
and drink of love and peacefulness.
And dream our blessed dream.

Links to Mendelssohn's all-time favourite  "Auf Flugeln des Gesanges": 

6 Gesänge, Op. 34: No. 2, Auf Flügeln des Gesanges. Sung by Peter Schreier. YouTube. Accessed June 26, 2023.

Auf Flügeln des Gesanges (Song). Oxford International Festival.  [Lyrics in English & German]

Felix Mendelssohn: Auf Fluegeln des Gesanges - Julian Pregardien & Els Biesemans. YouTube, uploaded by Els Biesemans. Accessed June 26, 2023.  

Felix Mendelssohn - On Wings of Song. YouTube, uploaded by NancyFloresSantos. Accessed Sept 11, 2016. 

Jascha Heifetz Felix Mendelssohn On Wings of Song Op 34 No 2. YouTube, uploaded by JessieMelody1. Accessed June 26, 2023.

Mendelssohn: Auf Flügeln des Gesanges, Op. 34, No. 2. YouTube, sung by Kiri Te Kanawa. Accessed June 26, 2023.

Mendelssohn: Auf Flügeln des Gesanges, Op. 34, No. 2. Song of the cello, performed by Mischa Maisky. Accessed June 26, 2023.

Resources:

On Wings of Song (Mendelssohn). Wikipedia.  

On Wings of Song (Poem). Wikipedia. 

Naturally, Google Search for links...

(c) September 11, 2014. Updated June 26, 2023. Tel Asiado. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Those Were the Days (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane

The song "Those Were the Days" is credited to Gene Raskin, who set a new English lyric to the Russian romance song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" (literally "By the long road"), composed by Boris Fomin (1900-1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism. Mary Hopkin's 1968 version of this song, produced by Paul McCartney, became a number one hit on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, behind McCartney's own famous band The Beatles' hit "Hey Jude."



Video Credit:
Mary Hopkin - Those Were the Days.  YouTube, uploaded by Ahmad F Elyan. Accessed November 15, 2013.

Resource:
Those Were the Days (Song). en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed October 28, 2013.


(c) 2013.  Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane


The song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for their musical Roberta in 1933. It was sung in the original Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. The first recorded performance was by Gertrude Niesen, with orchestral direction from Ray Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's second cousin, on October 13, 1933. Niesen's recording of the song was released by Victor, with the B-side, "Jealousy", featuring Isham Jones and his Orchestra.

In 1934, Paul Whiteman had the song's first hit recording on the record charts. It was was later reprised by actress Irene Dunne, who performed it in the original 1935 film adaptation of the muusical, co-starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Randolph Scott. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" was also included in the 1952 remake of Roberta, Lovely to Look At, in which Kathryn Grayson performed. The song was a chart hit in 1958 for the famous group The Platters.




Video Credit:
Platters - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. YouTube, uploaded by OldManCrankyCane. Accessed September 11, 2013.


Resource:
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed September 11, 2013.


(c) 2013.  Tel Asiado.  Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Deep Purple (Song)

Song / Down Memory Lane

"Deep Purple" was the biggest hit written by pianist Peter DeRose. It was published in 1933 as a piano composition. In 1935 it was arranged by Domenico Savino and introduced by Paul Whiteman who had it scored for his "big band" orchestra on radio that was "making a lady out of jazz" in Whiteman's phrase. "Deep Purple" became popular in sheet music sales that Mitchell Parish added lyrics in 1938, achieving further universality in popularity. The song is also popular among gypsy style musicians.  (I have a copy of the music sheet, refer below, which for sentimental reasons I've kept through the years ...)

Below, is a recording in a 1903 Haddorff upright piano that you hear, here, which probably hadn't been tuned in years. Well, perhaps we might consider this sound to be "authentic"-- complex and mellow.  As I say for this post's category, down memory lane.

Ne Me Quitte Pas (Song)

Chansons / Songs

The French song "Ne me quitte pas" ("Don't leave me"), is a 1959 song written by Jacques Brel, a Belgian singer-songwriter. It has been included in the original French by many singers/artists and has been translated into English and many other languages. It is one of his most popular songs; another is "Quand on n'a que l'amour".



 

Below is a popular adaptation, with English lyrics by poet, singer-songwriter Rod McKuen, "If You Go Away." Other recordings of the song include: Shirley Bassey (1967), Frank Sinatra (1969), and Neil Diamond (1971). Rod McKuen sang it beautifully in his later years, here - "If you go away".



Video Credit:  

 

Ne me quitte pas (Jacques Brel) - [English subtitles].  YouTube, uploaded by RandomLectures. Accessed September 11, 2012.

Rod McKuen - If You Go Away. Youtube, uploaded by Scout4Me1. Accessed September 11, 2012. 

Resource:

Ne me quitte pas (Song). en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed September 11, 2012.


(c) 2012.  Updated November 7, 2021. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Anton Rubinstein Romance in E-flat Major, Op. 44, No. 1

Classical Music / Anton Rubinstein Music

Anton Rubinstein "Romance in E-Flat Major, Op. 44, No. 1" 


Enjoy this lovely piece of music "Romance in E-flat major" by Anton Rubinstein.  Isaac Stern: violinist, with Columbia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Frank Brieff, 1972. Arranged by Arthur Harris.



This heart-warming music is popularised by Frank Sinatra, with a song of the same name, "If You Are But a Dream," written in 1942 by Moe Jaffe, Jack Fulton and Nat Bonx, based on Anton Rubinstein's "Romance in E flat, Op. 44, No. 1." It was recorded by Frank Sinatra, for Columbia Records on November 14, 1944 in New York, arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl. In 1945 it was included in the Academy Award-winning short film, The House I Live In, which featured Frank Sinatra. The song can be found on the Columbia CD box set, The Best of the Columbia Years, 1943-1952 and The Columbia Years 1943 -- 1952: The Complete Recordings: 12 CD Box Set.  Enjoy this all-time favourite piece, both the music and the song. 

Ebb Tide (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane


"Ebb Tide" is a song written in 1953 by the lyricist Carl Sigman and composer Robert Maxwell.  The song describes the ebb tides, the ocean waves coming in and out to and from the shores.


There is a movie of the same title produced in 1937, which is a composition by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger. It's not related and should not be confused with the song itself.  




Video Credit:

Ebb Tide - Matt Monro.  Youtube, uploaded by 65Seasons.  Accessed August 5, 2011.  

(c) 2011-2017. Tel Asiado. Written for Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.

The Sound of Silence (Song)

Song / Down Memory Lane

"The Sound of Silence", originally "The Sounds of Silence," is a song by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel (Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel). The song was written by singer-songwriter Paul Simon over a period of several months in 1963 and 1964. The duo signed a record deat with Columbia Records after a studio audition. The song was recorded in March 1964 at Columbia Studios, New York City, for inclusion on their debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M..

Lyrics

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools" said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
Then the sign said, "The words on the prophets are written on the subway walls
In tenement halls"
And whispered in the sound of silence

 

Songwriters: Paul Simon / Effi Shoshani

The Sound of Silence lyrics © Paul Simon Music, Sony/atv Songs Llc

Video Credit:  

Simon & Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence (from The Concert in Central Park). Simon & Gaafunkel. Youtube. Accessed November 5, 2022.    

Lyrics:

The Sound of Silence  from Google search.

Resource:

The Sound of Silence.  en.wikipedia.org. 



(c) 2010. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.  

Stardust (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane


"Stardust" is a popular song composed by Hoagy Carmichael in 1927 with lyrics added in 1929 by Mitchell Parish. Carmichael first recorded the song, originally titled "Star Dust", at the Gennett Records studio in Richmond, Indiana. The song, "a song about a song about love", played in an idiosyncratic melody in medium tempo. It became an American standard, and is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with over 1,500 total recordings. In 2004, Carmichael's original 1927 recording of the song was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

The hit songs then were "Old Man River" and "Bill" from the musical "Showboat." In 1927, Hoagy Carmichael wrote a melody that would become one of the greatest hits of all time, "Stardust."

Along with Nat King Cole's with the Gordon Jenkins Orchestra from 1956, country singer Willie Nelson's take of "Stardust" from one of his albums of jazz and traditional pop songs has also been cited as the best version of this song.

The two videos below: an all-time favourite recordings of Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" sung by Nat King Cole, and the other, by Willie Nelson. 

Brief Profile of Hoagy Carmichael

Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (b. November 22, 1899 – d. December 27, 1981), was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He composed numerous songs, including fifty that achieved hit record status. He is best known for composing the music for "Stardust", "Georgia on My Mind" (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul" (in collaboration with lyricist Frank Loesser), four of the most-recorded American songs of all time. He also collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer on "Lazybones" and "Skylark." His "Ole Buttermilk Sky" was an Academy Award-nominee in 1946; "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," with lyrics by Mercer, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1951. Carmichael also appeared as a character actor and musical performer in fourteen motion pictures, hosted three musical-variety radio programs, performed on television, and wrote two autobiographies.

(Trivia: The song "Stardust" has been a personal favourite of mine long before my teens. It still is. One thing: my Spanish name, "Estrella" is "star" in English.  For some lovers of "Stardust", it could mean for someone who we can never be with, no matter how much we want to, possibly for the rest of our life; thanks to Hoagy's endearing lyrics: it's "... in my heart it will remain, my stardust melody, the memory of love's refrain."/ Tel)

Video Credit:

Stardust -  Nat King Cole.  Youtube, uploaded by Feeling and Form. Accessed September 11, 2009.

Stardust. YouTube, uploaded by Willie Nelson.  Accessed September 11, 2009.

Resources:

Hoagy Carmichael. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed September 11, 2009

Stardust (Song). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed September 11, 2009



(c) 2009. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

The Impossible Dream (Song)

Song / Down Memory Lane

"The Impossible Dream" - from the film Man of La Mancha

"The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" is a popular song composed by Mitch Leigh, with lyrics by Joe Darion. It is the most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical Man of La Mancha and is featured in the 1972 film of the same name starring Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, and James Coco. (refer video below). 

The song, which is awarded the Contemporary Classics Award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, is first sung by Don Quixote as he stands vigil over his armor, in response to Aldonza (Dulcinea)'s question about what he means by "following the quest."  It is reprised partially three more times – the last by prisoners in a dungeon as Miguel de Cervantes and his manservant mount the drawbridge-like prison staircase to face trial by the Spanish Inquisition.

Unchained Melody (Song)

Songs / Down Memory Lane 

The song "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 melody with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North used the music as a theme for the prison film Unchained. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and became one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of "Unchained Melody" have been made by more than 670 artists in multiple languages.

In 1955, three versions of the song charted in the Top 10 Billboard in the United States, and four versions appeared in the Top 20 in the UK simultaneously, an unbeaten record for any song.  Of the hundreds of recordings made, it was the July 1965 version by the Righteous Brothers, performed as a solo by Bobby Hatfield that became a jukebox standard for the late 20th century. This version acahieved a second round of great popularity when it was featured in the 1990 film Ghost starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg. It finished at number 27 on AFI's 100 years ... 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema in 2004. 



Video Credit:

Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody. YouTube, uploaded by Andrei V. Accessed September 11, 2008.


Resource:

Unchained Melody. en.wikipedia.org.  Accessed September 11, 2008.


(c) 2008.  Tel Asiado.  Written for Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.

Carrie Jacobs-Bond's "I Love You Truly"

Music / Parlour Song

 

Carrie Jacobs-Bond's Most Popular Song Still Close to Hearts. 

 

In 1901 Jacobs-Bond wrote and composed the endearing parlor song "I Love You Truly". After a century, the song remains an all-time favorite. 

 

This endearing song "I Love You Truly" by Carrie Jacobs-Bond is always one of my favorite parlour songs to this day. While revisiting a box of piano sheets, one that got my attention was this piece along with "Oh Promise me" (lyrics by Clement Scott) and "A Perfect Day," also by her.  Sentiments drifted to after-dinner family singing together around that old upright piano, and many more memories.  Those teenage years, I simply doted on singing and never bothered about the song writer who shared her heart for a lifetime, at least not until later years when passion for music and composers especially classical music intensely grew. 

The songwriter of this lovely song is Carrie Jacobs-Bond, an American songwriter and singer born 145 years ago on August 11, 1862 in Janesville, Wisconsin. Her family (parents were Dr. Hannibal Jacobs and Emma Davis Jacobs) had financial difficulties when her father died while she was still a child. She also started studying the piano with local teachers and began writing music in the late 1880s.   

Bing Crosby singing Carrie Jacobs-Bond's endearing song "I Love You Truly". (YouTube, uploaded by 'A Trip Down Memory Lane'. Accessed August 11, 2023.)

Jacobs-Bond composed many popular music pieces from 1890s to early 1940s. She was a distant cousin of John Howard Payne, writer of another extremely popular song "Home Sweet Home."

At 18, Carrie Jacobs-Bond was first married to E.J. Smith but the couple separated after seven years. They had a son Frederic. Later in 1887, at 25, she remarried to her childhood sweetheart Dr. Frank Lewis Bond. The family moved to Iron River, Michigan.  After seven years, her husband died of injuries from a fall. She moved to Chicago, Illinois the following year. Slowly, she started drawing audience after singing her own songs by providing recitals in local homes.   

Inspired by her new following, in 1901, she published her first collection, Seven Songs: as Unpretentious as the Wild Rose which included two of the most  enduring songs, "I Love You Truly" and "Just a-Wearyin' for You." 

From the success of her first collection, she founded her own music publishing company The Bond Shop which she opened with her son Frederic in Illinois Chicago. She published another collection of her songs called Songs Everybody Sings and a memoir called The Roads to Melody.  In 1910, she created her other most popular song of all, "A Perfect Day." 

Carrie Jacobs-Bond suffered from rheumatism. In 1920, hoping to find a suitable climate for her pains, she moved to California.  On December 28, 1946, she died from heart attack at the age of 84 in Glendale, California. 

A website with a lot of superb information about Carrie Jacobs-Bond is at parlor songs.  

Carrie Jacobs-Bond was the most successful songwriter-composer of her day.  "I Love You Truly" remains popular, the song and the writer-composer endeared for all time. 

 

Image Credit:

Carrie Jacobs-Bond. Wikipedia Commons / Public Domain.  Accessed August 11, 2023. 

  

Resources: 

Carrie Jacobs-Bond. en.wikipedia.org

Parlor Songs of Carrie Jacobs-Bond. Parlorsongs.com/bios/cjb. Accessed August 11, 2008.

 

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