Band Weblogs » Songs http://bandweblogs.com/blog Music news, music reviews, interviews, band press, commentary, new releases and more Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:32:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome and Pete Seeger videos http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/16/bruce-springsteen-we-shall-overcome-and-pete-seeger-videos/ http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/16/bruce-springsteen-we-shall-overcome-and-pete-seeger-videos/#comments Wed, 16 May 2007 13:11:37 +0000 Jenny May http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/16/bruce-springsteen-we-shall-overcome-and-pete-seeger-videos/ Last year I was lucky enough to have tuned in to the BBC when they aired Bruce Springsteen - The Seeger Sessions Live. The performance was filmed in the beautiful St. Luke Old Street church in London and now Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin CD/DVD is set for release on June 5, 2007. The performances are from the Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour, recorded at The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland in November 2006.

Watch the BBC video of Bruce Springsteen performing "We Shall Overcome"
The BBC Sessions was a great concert and I was intrigued with the idea that Bruce Springsteen would commit a whole night's worth of music to folk songs by musical and political activist Pete Seeger, which seemed a drastic change from the Bruce Springsteen music we all know and love. I must admit that I didn't know too much about Pete Seeger and that it was Bruce Springsteen who had brought my attention to him and his music for the most part.

When I was reading about Pete Seeger's interesting life, family and of course his music, I learned that in addition to the catalog of songs that Bruce Springsteen has covered on his new Live in Dublin CD/DVD, there were surprisingly, some other very familiar song titles.

"Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is A Season)," made famous in the 60's by The Byrds, was written by none other than Pete Seeger, though the lyrics in the song are text taken from the Bible and then set to music.

Pete Seeger also wrote "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" - which I also hadn't been aware of. I've known that song since I was in the first grade. When our teacher was away on maternity leave, the substitute teacher would come in with her acoustic guitar and sing songs to us kids, including that one. She must have been a Pete Seeger fan and I'll always remember her for bringing that guitar into class.

Watch Pete Seeger perform Wimoweh and Where Have All the Flowers Gone on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Buy: Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin on amazon.com

More information:

Pete Seeger Appreciation Page
Bruce Springsteen Official Website

By: Jenny May

]]> http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/16/bruce-springsteen-we-shall-overcome-and-pete-seeger-videos/feed/ 1 Do you like Pina Coladas? Getting caught in the rain? http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/02/do-you-like-pina-coladas-getting-caught-in-the-rain/ http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/02/do-you-like-pina-coladas-getting-caught-in-the-rain/#comments Wed, 02 May 2007 12:29:28 +0000 Jenny May http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/02/do-you-like-pina-coladas-getting-caught-in-the-rain/ Pina ColadaThe title to this entry isn't a pick up line by the way. It's just a question. No, seriously though, the other day I had a coconut and pineapple juice drink and I couldn't help but think of Pina Coladas. Can you believe I've only had one Pina Colada in my life? Well, now I'm officially on the hunt for my second one here in Oxford. Especially with all of this balmy weather we've been having. Not sure if I'll find a Pina Colada here but hopefully I will!

So with the thought of the infamous cocktail I couldn't help but start singing the song. You know the one. Then I had to look up the video on YouTube and then the lyrics. What a great song it is - and you know, I never knew that the official song title is "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)".

The story within the song is brilliant and all of these years of knowing the melody and chorus I must admit I never really knew what the song was about. Now I know. Basically there was this guy who was "tired of his lady" and then he saw a personals ad in the paper from someone who was looking for someone who likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain and so on.

Without writing down all of the lyrics, which now a days I'm not sure is an okay thing to do without having to worry about copyright infringement etc. (believe it or not), the guy responds to the personals ad by saying "Yes, I like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain ..." Eventually they meet up and low and behold, it's his wife! Great story. Classic song by Rupert Holmes.

Watch the video of Rupert Holmes performing Escape (The Pina Colada Song)


Read about Rupert Holmes on The Semi-Official Rupert Holmes Website

Rupert Holmes on Wikipedia

By: Jenny May

]]> http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2007/05/02/do-you-like-pina-coladas-getting-caught-in-the-rain/feed/ 0 Top 10 Christmas Songs - Tree Trimming Music http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2006/12/01/top-10-christmas-songs-tree-trimming-music/ http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2006/12/01/top-10-christmas-songs-tree-trimming-music/#comments Fri, 01 Dec 2006 07:56:20 +0000 Jenny May http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2006/12/01/top-10-christmas-songs-tree-trimming-music/ Christmas is just around the corner now that December has arrived and if you've got them, you can finally hang up your advent calendars and open the box for December 1st. Whether it's because of the media or just the elements in the air, for some reason the Christmas spirit has hit me early this year, and I'm afraid Band Weblogs is beginning to look like a Christmas blog. Dare I say, I even contemplated getting the tree out this weekend...which leads me smoothly into the whole purpose for this entry. Christmas music!

Buy Music:

Christmas MusicChristmas Music on amazon.com

Christmas MusicChristmas Music on amazon.co.uk

When it came to decorating the tree in my family, believe it or not it was a Christmas Eve event - the reason? As kids my parents told my brother and I that it was Santa who decorated the tree. I suppose that made things a bit more magical, but once we knew what was really going on and that we were the ONLY ones with this tradition, I wanted to be like everyone else and have our tree up earlier. My parents wouldn't budge and have continued to put the tree up on Christmas Eve ever since - which is probably why now I rebel every Christmas and seem to put the tree up earlier each year.

Since I've been involved with the whole tree trimming process, music has played a very important role when decorating the tree. One thing I've learned over the years, is that it's not always easy trying to make everyone happy with Christmas song selections. I found a great Top 10 Christmas Songs list on the BBC Wales website that could probably please quite a few.

Here's the list:

10: John and Yoko/Plastic Ono Band - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1972)

9: Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (1959)

8: Wham! - Last Christmas (1984)

7: Ding Dong Merrily On High (trad)

6: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1952)

5: The Twelve Days Of Christmas (trad)

Slade 4 and 3: Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday and Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody (both 1973)

2: The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York (1987)

1: Darlene Love - (Christmas) Baby Please Come Home (1963)

When we do decide to put up the tree (would take a lot of convincing to get it up this early), this is a pretty good list to go by for choosing which songs to play. It should help to give anyone some ideas for a holiday Christmas mix for trimming the tree!

By: Jenny May

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