Richard Carpenter was born on this date in 1946. A handful of the hits he made with his sister Karen are included on today’s playlist.
Follow Tunes Du Jour on Facebook
Follow Tunes Du Jour on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Tunes Du Jour Presents Covers of Show Tunes
The theme of today’s playlist is cover versions of songs that originated in stage musicals. Here are the songs listed with the shows that introduced them:
- Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin – From The Threepenny Opera (1928)
- Till There Was You by The Beatles – From The Music Man (1957)
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by The Platters – From Roberta (1933)
- Little Girl Blue by Nina Simone – From Jumbo (1935)
- You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry & The Pacemakers – From Carousel (1945)
- I Am What I Am by Gloria Gaynor – From La Cage aux Folles (1983)
- On The Street Where You Live by Vic Damone – From My Fair Lady (1956)
- Everything’s Coming Up Roses by The Replacements – From Gypsy (1959)
- Send In The Clowns by Judy Collins – From A Little Night Music (1973)
- I Don’t Know How to Love Him by Helen Reddy – From Jesus Christ Superstar (1970)
- Hair by The Cowsills – From Hair (1967)
- Put On A Happy Face by Diana Ross & The Supremes – From Bye Bye Birdie (1960)
- Losing My Mind by Liza Minnelli – From Follies (1971)
- Tomorrow by Grace Jones – From Annie (1977)
- My Favorite Things by John Coltrane – From The Sound of Music (1959)
- Well Did You Evah? by Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop – From DuBarry Was a Lady (1939)
- The Man I Love by Kate Bush – From Lady, Be Good! (1924)
- If My Friends Could See Me Now by Linda Clifford – From Sweet Charity (1966)
- Summertime by Big Brother & The Holding Company – From Porgy and Bess (1935)
- Cabaret by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – From Cabaret (1966)
- I Get A Kick Out Of You by Frank Sinatra – From Anything Goes (1934)
- Don’t Cry For Me Argentina by Festival – From Evita (1978)
- Somewhere by Pet Shop Boys – From West Side Story (1957)
- The Lady is a Tramp by Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga – From Babes in Arms (1937)
- I’ll Never Fall In Love Again by Dionne Warwick – From Promises, Promises (1968)
- I Love Paris by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – From Can-Can (1953)
- Night + Day by U2 – From Gay Divorce (1932)
- There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Alison Moyet – From Grease (1971)
- Corner of the Sky by The Jackson 5 – From Pippin (1972)
- I Enjoy Being a Girl by Phranc – From Flower Drum Song (1958)
Follow Tunes du Jour on Facebook
Follow Tunes du Jour on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-25-23
Released as a single in 1971, Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” tanked. She rerecorded the song. The new version was released as a single the following year, debuting on the Hot 100 at number 99. Two weeks later it was number 97. Then it fell off the chart. Lots of television appearances and many phone calls from Reddy’s husband to radio stations across the US led to the song re-entering the Hot 100, eventually becoming the first of three US number one singles for Reddy and winning her the very first American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Vocalist.
The late Helen Reddy was born on this date in 1941. Several of her recordings are included on today’s playlist.
Follow Tunes du Jour on Facebook
Follow Tunes du Jour on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 8-27-23
The Captain & Tennille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together” was a huge hit in 1975, but not everyone agreed with its message. Ian Curtis, the leader of Joy Division and a newlywed in 1975, was one of them. His composition “Love Will Tear Us Apart” could be seen as a response to the cheerful song, expressing his disillusionment with love and life. He took his own life in 1980, a month before his song was released as a single, on its way to becoming a classic.
Daryl Dragon, better known as The Captain, a nickname given to him by The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, was born on this date in 1942. A few of his duo’s hits are included on today’s playlist.
Follow Tunes du Jour on Facebook
Follow Tunes du Jour on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 10-24-22
Today’s playlist celebrates the October 24 birthdays of The Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman, Drake, ANOHNI (nee Antony), Madlib, Lipps Inc.’s Steven Greenberg, The Big Bopper, Sanford Clark, Barry Ryan, Monica, Brenda & the Tabulations’ Brenda Payton, Neon Philharmonic’s Don Gant, and V.V. Brown; and the October 25 birthdays of Yes’s Jon Anderson, Bat For Lashes, Arrested Development’s Speech, Ciara, Art Brut’s Eddie Argos, Katy Perry, Trio’s Stephan Remmler, Helen Reddy, Kings of Convenience’s Eirik Glambek Bøe, Divinyls’ Christina Amphlett, Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson, Starland Vocal Band’s Taffy Danoff, Smokie’s Chris Norman, The Simpsons’ Nancy Cartwright, and Pablo Picasso.
Follow Tunes du Jour on Facebook
Follow Tunes du Jour on Twitter
Follow me on Instagram
Throwback Thursday: 1972
This Throwback Thursday we revisit 1972. What happened in music in 1972?:
Michael Jackson had the first of 13 solo US #1 Hot 100 singles with a song
about a rat.
Chuck Berry had his first US #1 single with a song about his penis.
Roberta Flack spent six weeks at #1 on the US Hot 100 with a song she
released in 1969.
Helen Reddy rerecorded a song from her 1971 album I Don’t Know How To Love Him. It became the first of her three US #1 Hot 100 singles and became an anthem for women’s equality.
The Staple Singers scored their first of two US #1 Hot 100 hits with a classic song that had only one verse.
Neil Young scored his only US #1 Hot 100 single.
Some of the other classic singles to peak in 1972 are “American Pie,” “Let’s Stay Together,” “Me & Mrs. Jones,” “Without You,” “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Alone Again (Naturally),” “Lean On Me,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” “School’s Out” and “The Harder They Come.”
David Bowie released The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders
from Mars.
The Rolling Stones released Exile on Main St.
Elton John released Honky Château.
As far as music goes, I’d say 1972 was pretty pretty pretty pretty good. Even the bad songs were good! Here are thirty highlights.
Follow Tunes du Jour on Facebook.
Follow Tunes du Jour on Twitter.
Follow me on Instagram.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (10-25-20)
Inspired by the October 25 birthday of The Simpsons’ Nancy Cartwright, Yes’ Jon Anderson, Helen Reddy, Arrested Development’s Speech, Ciara, Katy Perry, Chris Norman, Divinyls’ Christina Amphlett, Starland Vocal Band’s Taffy Danoff, Art Brut’s Eddie Argos, and Pablo Picasso.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (9-30-20)
Inspired by the passings of Helen Reddy and Mac Davis and the September 30 birthdays of The Fifth Dimension’s Marilyn McCoo, Johnny Mathis, T. Rex’s Marc Bolan, Frankie Lymon, Sugababes’ Keisha Buchanan, Patrice Rushen, T-Pain, Butthole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes, Marley Marl and Len Cariou.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (8-27-20)
Inspired by the August 27 birthdays of Daryl “Captain” Dragon and Bloodhound Gang’s Jimmy Pop; and the August 26 birthdays of Valerie Simpson, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Treacherous Three’s Special K, and Bob Cowsill.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (5-21-20)
Inspired by the May 21 birthdays of Ronald Isley, The Notorious B.I.G., Sugababes’ Mutya Buena, Carl Carlton, Leo Sayer, Justice’s Gaspard Augé, Fats Waller, Marcie Blane and Anjulie.