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Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Tingle in anticipation

No one has come up with a formula for writing successful songs but, once written
and recognised as such, they can be enhanced by kicking off with an intro - called The Verse in the trade. This was regular practice in the thirties and singers like Sinatra usually include them. But not everyone is au fait. Can you predict these imperishable masterpieces from their verses? Answers below

(1) Like the beat, beat, beat of the tom-tom
When the jungle shadows fall
Like the tick, tick, tock of the stately clock
As it stands against the wall

(2) My story is much too sad to be told,
But practically everything
Leaves me totally cold.
The only exception I know is the case,
When I'm out on a quiet spree,
Fighting vainly the old ennui
And I suddenly turn and see,
Your fabulous face.

(3) Times have changed,
And we've often rewound the clock,
Since the Puritans got a shock,
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.

(4) At words poetic, I'm so pathetic
That I always have found it best,
Instead of getting 'em off my chest,
To let 'em rest unexpressed

(5) When the only sound on the empty street
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop
I open shop

(6) After one whole quart of brandy
Like a daisy I awake
With no Bromo-Seltzer handy
I don't even shake

(7) Behold the way our fine feathered friend
His virtue doth parade
Thou knowest not my dim-witted friend
The picture thou has made

(8) Summer journeys
To Niag'ra
And to other places
Aggravate all our cares
We'll save our fares

(9) Once there was a thing called Spring
When the world was writing verses
Like yours and mine

(10) The world is lyrical
Because a miracle
Has brought my lover to me.
Though he's some other place
His face I see

ANSWERS (1) Night And Day: Cole Porter, (2) I Get A Kick Out Of You: CP, (3) Anything Goes: CP,(4) You`re the top: CP, (5) Love for sale: CP, (6) Bewitched: Rogers and Hart, (7) My Funny Valentine: R&H, (8) Manhattan: R&H, (9) Spring is here: R&H,(10) Dancing on the ceiling; R&H.
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8 comments:

  1. Unknown11 January 2012 at 16:38

    I wish I could remember the words of songs. Often I can't even discern them. As you show, it can be rewarding. One thing that I have been pondering is the question which you raise about fitting words to music. I am sure that it is not easy, but I have often noticed that liberties can be taken in stretching or compressing words or phrases or altering their stress to accommodate the music - liberties not available to music-less composers of poems. I have never tried, as you have. Perhaps you could expatiate.

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  2. Roderick Robinson11 January 2012 at 17:22

    No need to be sorrowful about not knowing the intros. Many don't. And there's proof in the recordings of live performances. Often the audience only starts clapping when they finally recognise the song itself - and that can be a minute or so into the action.

    You have raised a very difficult question which I am not in a position to answer. All the time singers elide unnecessary syllables and stretch out others where there's a syllable lacking. Pop performers are especialy disdainful of scansion but it happens on the posh side too. Take the opening line of of that very well-known aria "What is life?" The allocation of notes is entirely obvious and the translation into English takes account of this. But in the Italian
    (Che farò senza Euridice) the word "senza" has to be fitted in. See how Janet Baker manages this on one of my earlier posts

    http://ldptonedeaf.blogspot.com/2011/12/was-i-cruel-you-be-judge.html

    Very elegantly in fact. And yet when I rewrote Where e'er you walk I felt transfixed by the musical notation. Adding in and subtracting syllables seemed totally alien. After all, once you start where do you finish?

    I'd be very grateful if you had a go yourself (God Save The Queen, if you like) and see whether you undergo a similar feeling of uneasiness.

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  3. Anonymous17 January 2012 at 11:53

    6 days,no blog .Wow,not writers block I hope
    jezzza.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Roderick Robinson20 January 2012 at 06:32

    Anon: Dieting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous20 January 2012 at 14:52

    I hope it works. your blog is brilliant.
    jezza

    ReplyDelete
  6. Roderick Robinson20 January 2012 at 17:33

    Anon: Tone Deaf invites all Anons to be as unpleasant as they wish. But compliments are another matter. By all means remain Anon but please add a detail that proves I’m not Anon myself. You see my problem, don’t you?

    ReplyDelete
  7. herhimnbryn21 January 2012 at 14:14

    'Summer time and the livin' is easy.

    Have responded to your comments re Martini

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Crow23 January 2012 at 03:25

    I miss you, Lorenzo. Hope you come back soon.

    ReplyDelete

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