Tag Archives: Cole Porter

WEEK 44 / 24 – 30 APRIL 2015

Posted on by

302 FRIDAY 24 APRIL 2015

The Dance Sequence (It’s De-Lovely/Anything Goes/There’s Nothing Like Swimming/I’ve Got You Under My Skin/Get Out of Town/I’ve Got My Eyes on You/You’re the Top) – Orchestra  

057 Evil Under the Sun (Music from the Original Soundtrack)

This isn’t the first time I have included a cut from this gorgeous soundtrack. Mostly like with “The Grotto” (See Week 09 – 57. Friday 22 August 2014), The Dance Sequence is a medley of Cole Porter’s songs used in the 1982 film “Evil Under the Sun.” The Agatha Christie mystery featured many stars, including Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, Roddy McDowell and Diana Rigg. The fabulous piece is used to show a montage of the whereabouts of all the characters when a glamorous star is murdered on the beach. A particular Porter song is used throughout the film as a character’s theme. At this moment, all the tunes come together to frame the movie sequence. The superb arrangement comes courtesy of John Lanchberry, the only arranger I’ve given credit on this list.

Continue reading →

WEEK 38 / 13 MARCH – 19 MARCH 2015

Posted on by

260 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2015

Hello, Dolly – Barbra Streisand

Hello Dolly

I have always loved this song. As with any Jerry Herman song, there’s enough material to write a short story. It is one of Herman’s most famous songs. I’d be willing to bet that, even if you’re not into musicals, you’ve hummed the first bars of this ditty at some point in your life.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker”, “Hello, Dolly” tells the story of Dolly Levi, a widow whose favourite pastime is to meddle in people’s lives. One day she decides to stop mourning her late husband and return to the cheerful life she once had.

Continue reading →

WEEK 33 / 6 – 12 FEBRUARY 2015

Posted on by

225 FRIDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2015

Proud – Heather Small – Top 10 Contender

Queer As Folk

I’ll always associate Proud with “Queer As Folk”, the TV show.

It is a nice coincidence that I write about this song in the week I’ve just finished binge watching “Queer As Folk”, the American series. I watched and enjoyed the original run from 2000 to 2005. However, it was only this second time around that I’ve come to appreciate the cultural and, in a way, the historical significance of the show. Before 2000, no TV show had ever addressed so openly the issues of the gay community in any city, USA. For the first time, many young gay people saw themselves mirrored in real characters that captured with precision the reality of their lives.

Continue reading →

WEEK 09 – 22 AUGUST TO 28 AUGUST 2014

Posted on by

57 FRIDAY 22 AUGUST 2014

The Grotto (Get Out of Town/My Heart Belongs to Daddy/Just One of Those Things) – Orchestra

057 Evil Under the Sun (Music from the Original Soundtrack)

Allow me to remind you that one of the reasons I’m making this list is to include songs that have touched me during the first 50 years of my life. So, there’s a story behind every song I pick. Bear with me as I tell you another story from my younger years.

For many years in the 1980s and early 1990s, my father owned a video store in a mini-mall near our house. “Galeria Electronica” started selling small household appliances and audio equipment, maybe TV sets? I can’t remember well, but within a year, it became a bookstore/video store business. I used to work there occasionally, on weekends or whenever I was on university holidays. I can’t remember much of the day-to-day operation, or what I did exactly, but I remember I used to watch many of the movies we traded. Yes, traded.

Continue reading →