Download    This is a simple, basic arrangement of a simple, basic song – but, oh, what a hit it was for Fats Domino.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra had a #1 hit with it in 1940.  Louis Armstrong went to #29 on the charts with “Blueberry” in 1949.  But in ’56, Fats made it an international favorite and the tune became a rock n’roll standard.  It’s ranked #82 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest  Songs of All Time. “Blueberry Hill” may be simple and only have three chords but, as Trump would say… it’s HUGE!

One of the funniest references I’ve seen to the song was on the The Far Side, a comic written by the great Gary Larson:  A man is talking in a phone booth on top of a hill called “Blueberry Hill”.  There’s a hand tool lying in the grass.  He says into the phone, “Norm?  This is Mitch… You were right — I found my drill.”  Well… I thought it was hilarious!

Anyway, work this one into your act.  Everybody knows and loves it.  The backup tracks of the Fats Domino version are on the Pop-Rock List.  You can listen to Glenn Miller do it below:

  Download Instrumental    The original version of this song was pretty sappy, I’ll admit.  And the introduction was waaaaaay too long.  And the music itself was simplistic and rather boring.  So why did this tune stick in all our heads?  Can’t tell ya… but it might have something to do with really great lyrics and coming out at a much more innocent time.  And almost anyone can sing it… that helps.

“Mr. Blue” was recorded by “The Fleetwoods” in 1959 and was their second chart-topping hit of that year (the first was “Come Softly To Me”).  Pat Boone had a semi-hit with it later but he brought out those insane backup vocals even more.  “Wah-oo-wah-ooo”?  Please stop!  Bob Dylan even recorded it – didn’t even bother to listen to that one – I can imagine.  Frankie Avalon did it – ‘course, he covered everything.  Then Garth Brooks saved the day in 1990 on his album No Fences.  He kicked up the tempo a bit which made it way more interesting.  AND (drum roll, please) there are no backup vocals!!!

I kept the intro in but made it much shorter.  You don’t want your audience nodding off before you get into the meat of the song.  Give this one a try – it’s on the Pop/Rock List.  Oh.. and the Country List – sorry, Garth.

  Download Instrumental    A chap from Australia (they call themselves “chaps” over there – I love that) wanted me to do backups for this Zed Zeppelin classic that are exactly like the original.  Okay, no problem there, but I have to wonder why one guy performing alone on stage would attempt this particular tune.  Would be interesting to see.

“Stairway to Heaven” is considered the greatest rock song of all time.  I can’t for the life of me figure out why.  The “meat and potatoes” of any good rock’n’roll piece are the drums and bass (and a wonderful growling guitar) – the more gut-wrenching the better.  You want that beat to get down into the pit of your stomach and pick you up and transport you onto the dance floor with no help from your legs.  “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple and “All Right Now” by Free  (Trump is using this one as his theme song) are examples of what rock music is all about – not this boring Zeppelin tune.

For one thing, you don’t hear a smidgen of bass or drums until you’ve waded through 84 bars of acoustic guitar and vocal whining.  When you finally do get a beat, the event is mediocre at best.  And the lead guitar?  Not until the 116th measure.  And then, instead of building to a climax, it drops off to nothing but that tepid vocal to end the song.   This is the greatest rock masterpiece ever?  I don’t think so – but here ya go Australia. [Pop/Rock List]

Now, a chap named Pat Boone (not from Australia – I just like that word “chap”) did a cover of “Stairway” that is just awful.  It starts out pretty good – nice orchestration – but then Mr. Boone turns it into a swing tune and it’s downhill from there.  Good for a chuckle….

  Download Instrumental    Now, how does a song about marital infidelity ever get to be so popular?  Two reasons:  a slick arrangement and everybody loves a “forbidden” subject now and then.  Personally, I love the clever piano licks spread throughout the song like sprinkles on ice cream.  This one was fun to do.

“Me and Mrs. Jones – we got a thing going on”.  Yes, they certainly do.  They meet every day at the same cafe and must take care to make sure nobody knows she’s there.  This story line is unique in the fact that it’s told from the lovers point of view.  A hint about what’s coming up in the song lies in the 16 bar intro.  The saxophone plays the first line of the 1953 Doris Day hit Secret Love – “Once, I had a secret love”.  I also threw it in at the very last on the vocal (harmonica) track just for kicks.   Of course, if you weren’t of a certain age you would have never picked up on that clue.

A one-hit wonder by the name of Billy Paul recorded this one.  He only had this one success because he’s an idiot.  Take a look below at the official video of “Me and Mrs. Jones”.  The man never once takes that cigarette/joint/whatever out of his mouth.  An incredible feat, but extremely tacky. Also,  Michael Buble did a great cover of this one – worth checking out.

  Download Instrumental    Okay, maybe I went a little overboard on the orchestra on this one, but a song like this just screams for super dynamics. And that means violins, tubas, and oboes galore – love ’em!

It’s a rare phenomenon when a song – even a huge hit like “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” – has such emotional power that it affects people worldwide for generations.  Within a month of its release in January of 1970 it sailed to the top of the Billboard charts and stayed there for six weeks.  It was a time of turmoil in this country over the Vietnam War with protests in the streets that usually turned violent.  Paul Simon’s lyrics and music seemed to cool the savage beast of unrest and Garfunkel’s tenor joining in on the third verse brought a general feeling of “coming together”.  That’s the highlight of the song in my opinion – that third verse – “Sail On Silver Girl”!

Trying to exactly duplicate Simon’s arrangement is well nigh impossible, so I just went with what I felt.  That’s usually a mistake and results in over dramatization, but this still might work well for a singer in the right venue.  It’s fairly easy to sing as Paul Simon rarely ventures more than 5 or 6 notes from the tonic and it’s certainly recognizable.  Bring it out at the top of your last set and your crowd will sigh just a little when they hear “When you’re weary – feelin’ small”.  Gives a body goose bumps, it does.

  Download Instrumental    Whitney Houston – not my favorite singer. In fact, when I hear one of her songs on the radio, it’s a scramble to turn it OFF!  Beautiful voice, sure… but it’s the incessant screeching and screaming she insisted on inserting into every song that I can’t take.  And don’t even talk to me about “I Will Always Love You”.  The only thing worse than Houston is Dolly Parton warbling that irritating melody.  I know, there are those of you out there who absolutely adored Whitney and I humbly apologize.

However, “Savin’ All My Love for You” is one of my favorite songs ever and it was Whitney’s first hit – even won her a Grammy in 1985.  I remember the first time I heard it.  “Who is THAT?” was my first thought.  The vocals were so velvety and crystal clear – the music tight and professional – the arrangement just perfect.  I was an instant fan but, unfortunately, it went downhill from there…. at least for me.  She never did another song I liked… and some I hated.  But I still cling to this one and every singer I’ve worked with since ’85 has agreed to perform it – and it didn’t take much persuading.  So, all you new singers without a band, put this one in your repertoire.  The backing tracks are on the Pop/Rock list.

What was most fun about putting this one together was the tenor sax toward the end.  There’s not a sweeter sound in the whole world than a tenor saxophone played by someone who understands the complexity of the instrument.  My keyboard sax voice doesn’t even come close to the real thing.  Wait, I take that back – it does come close – especially when it reaches that high “A” at the end along with the lead. But I really miss playing along with a real sax player.  Maybe I need to put the band back together.

  Download    It’s summer, at last, and that brings the Beach Boys into your set list.  I was never a huge fan – always thought there were just too many layers of vocals and sounded more like a barbershop quartet on steroids to me.  But they are rock’n’roll icons and represent a better side of the music industry.  Long live the Beach Boys!

They formed their band in 1961 in Hawthorne, California at the beginning of the “California Sound” – music that reflected a southern California youth culture of surf, romance, and cars.  Their sound was simple and pretty straightforward at first, but then Brian Wilson started experimenting with vocal overdubs in the studio and the song “Surfin’ USA” emerged as a result of that tinkering – heavy on the vocals and harmonies while the instrumentation became secondary.   Just a few more guitar and organ tracks would have made me a happy camper, Brian.

I had fun putting this song together – especially the organ solo in the middle.  They used a Hammond B3 (cumbersome) in the studio, but went with a Farfisa when on the road (much easier to haul around).  And I had to use every choir and “ooohh” voice sound I had – just to get that “Beach Boy” effect.  Sorry about the clarinet as the lead vocal, but you’ll cut that anyway.  So, if you’re doing any beach gigs this year you might use these backups for at least one Beach Boy tune…. in between the Jimmy Buffett.

Beach jobs are my personal favorite.  I remember one summer playing so close to the surf we could feel the spray.  Then there was the salty air and the bikinis and the breeze and bikinis and the sun and … did I mention bikinis?  ‘Course, at that time my lead singer was my wife, so I had to pretend the bikinis weren’t there……. but they were.

(Pop/Rock List)

  Download Here    Ask a singer to do a Jimmy Buffett tune and nine times out of ten it will be “Margaritaville”.  Or “Volcano”.  Or, worse yet…. “Cheeseburger in Paradise”.  All great songs, to be sure…. but WAY overdone.  I’m just as guilty as anyone, having played these songs thousands of times over the years. But, for some reason, “Come Monday” always gets put on the back burner.

It’s Jimmy’s first Top 40 single, recorded in 1974 as a tribute to his wife who stayed home much of the time he was on tour.  When he sings the first line “Headed out to San Francisco – for the Labor Day weekend show” he’s talking about a specific concert in 1973 when it was especially hard to leave her.  The third line “I’ve got my Hush Puppies on” had to be changed to “I’ve got my hiking shoes on” on the single version.  Some radio stations at that time wouldn’t let a brand name be mentioned in any record.

The irony of this piece is that Monday is the day most people dread as the beginning of a work week.  But with a full time musician it’s just the opposite.  It makes me wonder why Monday is so far from Friday but Friday is so close to Monday.  That’s not fair.

(Pop/Rock List)