Download    Sixteen-year-old Alex Chilton stepped into a Memphis recording studio for the first time on a Saturday morning in 1967.  He was handed the lyrics to a song called “The Letter” and told to “sing gruff” – hard for one so young, I’ll bet.  The only claim to fame he had so far was he and his young band winning a “Battle of the Bands” at a local YMCA.  They called themselves “The Devilles” at the time , but soon changed the name to “The Box Tops” – nobody seems to know why.

Anyway, they had a number one hit on their hands and proved to be too young and naive to handle the fame.  A series of managers and agents took advantage of their innocence and group members changed almost constantly.  They did manage to put out three albums, but none of their songs was anything like the hit they had with “The Letter””… well, maybe “Cry Like a Baby’ was a close second.  By 1972, this iconic “blue-eyed soul group” was finished.

If you do a 60’s set, “The Letter” is a great start to the set.  I noticed when I was putting this together that the last 12 bars (with no vocals) uses the same organ chords as “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees.  Well… a little plagiarism here?  Who knew?  This tune is also the shortest song (less than 2 minutes) to hit number one on the Billboard charts.  Absolutely perfect to start your 60’s set.

(Backup tracks on the Pop/Rock list)

  Right-Click to Save    “Hey nonny ding dong, alang alang alang, boom ba-doh, ba-doo ba-doodle-ay”.  Okay, the opening lyrics to this tune are just plain goofy, but they’re fun and that’s what this song is all about.  If you’re looking for a cute little ditty that’ll entertain your audience and make them tap their feet, this one never fails.  We started doing “Sh’Boom” about fifteen years ago and it made me go buy a vocal harmony processor to have even more fun with it.  Even young crowds liked it and I always got a smile from the club manager – and that’s a good thing.

“Sh’Boom” is an early doo-wop song written in 1954 by members of the R&B group The Chords.  The song was also recorded that same year by The Crew Cuts and that version became the mainstream hit.  It stayed #1 on the charts for nine weeks and has been covered by, well… almost everybody.  It is the quintessential example of what doo-wop was all about – one lead vocal and 2 or 3 backup singers doing tricky things behind the lead.  This kind of music just makes me happy – and there’s not a word about beating up women or killing cops.  In case you hadn’t noticed, I hate hip-hop… doesn’t make me the least bit happy (just an aside).

So trot this one out to your younger crowds (the older ones already know and love it).  This is a long arrangement but it’ll keep your people on the dance floor for awhile.  I used flute and trombone on the first two tracks for vocals, but mute those tracks and there’s plenty of room for two or three or four singers to doo-wop themselves all over the place.  And remember… life can be a dream – if you do it right.

(Pop/Rock list)

  Download    This is us doing that great John Sebastian tune “What a Day for a Daydream”.  Sebastian grew up listening to folk music in the Greenwich Village section of lower Manhatten and eventually  formed his group “The Lovin’ Spoonful” in 1964.  Their first gig together was so bad the manager told them to go away and practice.  Obviously they did, because the Lovin Spoonful had numerous hits through the 60’s which are still played today.  Apparently that’s true – we’re even still doing them.  “Day Dream” has always been one of my favorite songs to perform.

At the peak of their success, the producers of the television series The Monkees wanted to base their program around the Lovin’ Spoonful but dropped the band from the project due to song publishing rights.  That’s too bad since not one member of The Monkees could play a musical instrument – they were all actors!  Their whole career was a sham, but that’s Hollywood.  The “Spoonful” were the real deal, largely because of Sebastian’s songwriting ability and smooth vocals.

I based our arrangement largely on the original, but I wanted something different in the middle.  So I worked up a kind of Dixieland solo that some people might consider odd – but consider the source.  And the whistling at the end isn’t either one of us – the keyboard has a pretty good “whistle” sound.  The ending is kind of abrupt, but it can be faded out.  It’s a live recording, so I couldn’t tweak it.  Singers, if you like this sequence, feel free to download the midi backing tracks from the Pop/Rock list.  Won’t cost you a dime – I’m just that nice.

    Sometimes, Elton John didn’t like his own songs.  He couldn’t even get the name spelled right on this one.  The track is spelled Benny on the sleeve of the single and in the track listing of the album, but Bennie on the album vinyl disc label.  Makes no difference, I guess, but I prefer Bennie – just seems right.  Besides, it’s such a fun song to perform, who cares how it’s spelled?  Well, I kinda do…. but I’m way too anal.

Unlike most of Elton’s arrangements, this one is remarkable in its simplicity.  We have piano, bass, one rhythm guitar, drums, and a sprinkling of organ at the very end.  Those powerful G major piano chords at the beginning are just begging for more and seem lonely.  In fact, after recording it, the band sat back in the studio and said “That’s really very odd”.  Elton thought it was too empty and definitely didn’t want it released as a single.  But, of course it was, and became one of his most popular hits.

Today, in concert, it’s like he doesn’t quite know what to do with the song.  He might play it true to the original, simple and uncluttered.  Or, if he’s feeling frisky, he’ll go on for 20 minutes improvising between two chords – GM7 and FM7.  If you plan on performing it straight and true, my arrangement here will suit you just fine.  However, if you’d like to jazz it up a bit, there’s LOTS of room for your keyboard acrobatics.  But you’ll have to learn the song… imagine that.

Here’s Elton and his acrobatic piano:

http://www.vevo.com/watch/elton-john/bennie-and-the-jets-(red-piano-show-live-in-las-vegas)/GBUV70700130

  Download with Lead    The definition of “lush” is:  having a pleasingly rich quality.  To me, “lush” in music means lots of violins.  Which brings me to a request from “Cindy in Memphis”.  She writes:

“Can you do me a version of Paul Anka’s Put Your Head On My Shoulder?  I want it lush and pretty, with a trumpet lead, a french horn solo, and raise the key on the last verse, and make it Michael Buble style”.  Well, I like a woman who knows exactly what she wants – so here goes, Cindy.

The “lush” part was easy… remember?  Lots of violins.  And the song is a breeze to play…. everything Paul Anka wrote and sang was extremely simple.  For example, “Diana” was 4 chords… over and over and over again, but he somehow made it work.  But then there was that stupid tune “You’re Having My Baby” – just the dumbest thing ever, Mr. Anka.  But I’m off subject here.  Cindy wants it “pretty”.  Well, okay…. more violins – an extra track for pretty.  Oh, and sprinkle a little piano in there… also pretty.  And she wants to raise the key for the last 8 bars.  That’s a common trick singers use when the song has been too boring for words and you need to wake up your audience.  No problem on my keyboard – just push a button.  I love technology.  And the Michael Buble part?  No problem.  Just play the lead slightly behind the music – Buble loves that crap.

Don’t know why Cindy from Memphis wanted a trumpet lead, but I’m here to please (and criticize, you might have noticed).  If you really want to sing this song, mute the trumpet on track 4 – you’ll still have lush and pretty.

  Download    This is the day, in 1979,  when Ray Charles sang this song at the ceremony where it was named the official state song of Georgia.  So what was the state song before that?  Wait…. let me look.  Oh, yeah… “Sweet Georgia Brown”.  They made the right decision…

Hoagy Carmichael wrote this tune in 1930 – for his sister, not the state.  For his sister?  That’s a little weird.  Frankie Trumbauer had the first major hit with it in 1931.  You remember Frankie, don’t you?  But, of course, Ray had the biggest hit with “Georgia On My Mind” in 1960 and his version is just classic.  However, in 1962, Ray Charles was banned from the state of Georgia.  Can you do that?  Seems he canceled a concert in Augusta in ’61 after finding out the dance floor was restricted to “whites only”, while blacks had to sit in the balcony.  So he was prohibited from performing anywhere in the state of Georgia for 17 years.  Fascinating, since he was born there.  Apparently, the state song ceremony was a reconciliation of sorts.  Who knew?

This is the way we do it – short, sweet, and bluesy.  It’s on the Pop/Rock list for singers who need backups.  Wait for the final guitar chord –  cool, I think… but of course I would.

  Download    Ever been to a wedding where the band didn’t play Y.M.C.A.?  Neither have I.  But I ran into a couple musicians the other day who weren’t familiar with the song or how much fun it can be for their audience.  Of course, I had to educate these “youngsters without a clue”.  The great “crazy” dance tunes are going by the wayside in favor of rap and hip-hop…  and I just hate that.  So I’m on a mission.

The Village People released this gem in 1978 and it quickly became a worldwide number one hit…. except in the United States.  Rod Stewart kept YMCA out of the top slot with “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”.  There’s an irony there you might have to think about.  And then there’s the YMCA dance.  When Village People performed the song onstage, their original choreographed dance had the group clapping above their heads during the chorus.  Well, audiences thought they were making the letter “Y” and followed suit with the other three letters.  And so, a cultural craze is born…. out of a misunderstanding (more irony).  Personally, I could never get the “M” quite right…. still working on it.

This is the arrangement we’ve used for years.  I tried to get as close to the original as possible and it’s withstood the test of time.  Really should update this one…. but I know I won’t.  If it ain’t broke don’t fix it – right?  You know, I’ll bet the YMCA dance would be really hard in Chinese…

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ymca+video&&view=detail&mid=2B1EA7DF850F0D00880E2B1EA7DF850F0D00880E&rvsmid=E885664F1A17EDFDA170E885664F1A17EDFDA170&fsscr=0&FORM=VDFSRV

  Download with Lead    I recently read that this Michael Jackson hit is the most requested Karaoke song ever.  I believe it.  We owned a little beach bar for awhile in the late 90’s and I ran Karaoke three nights a week.  “Billie Jean” was performed by 5 or 6 people every night – usually not very well.  Upon reflection, I think that’s why we eventually sold the bar.  One can only take so much of an inebriated crowd slaughtering a perfectly good song over and over again… and again.

I first heard the song sitting in the St. Louis Airport disco lounge with some friends.  It started playing in the background and I said, “What is that – it’s great!”  Someone smarter than me at the table informed me it was Michael Jackson’s new single.  “Oh, man… that’s a hit” was my reply.  It’s one of those tunes you instantly like, primarily because of the beat.  That drum and bass 16 bar intro is infectious – makes you want to immediately hit the dance floor.  The lyrics I didn’t like so much, but the music production is amazing.  This one made Jackson an international pop star overnight and any self-respecting singer should be performing it, with or without a band.  If you’re working sans backup musicians, this sequence is exciting and tight enough to fill your dance floor.