This is my sequence of Eric Clapton’s song. I have three versions on the Pop/Rock list – one by Clapton, another by Michael Buble, and number 3 is mine. I put kind of a calypso flavor to it – great for a beach gig.
Lion Sleeps Tonight
What a fun song this is – if you’ve got the pipes. And if there are several of you singing. This song has become part of our pop culture even though it was first recorded in Zulu by one Solomon Linda in 1931 under the title “Mbube”. Disney Studios was sued by the descendants of Solomon Linda for their use of the song in the movie The Lion King. I wonder why they didn’t sue “The Tokens” when they recorded it with English words in 1961….
The allure of the song is best described, according to wikipedia, by journalist Rian Malan: “Mbube wasn’t the most remarkable tune, but there was something terribly compelling about the underlying chant, a dense meshing of low male voices above which Solomon yodeled and howled for two exhilarating minutes, occasionally making it up as he went along. The third take was the great one, but it achieved immortality only in its dying seconds, when Solly took a deep breath, opened his mouth and improvised the melody that the world associates with these words – In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.”
Fascinating stuff there. Work this more modern version into your playlist. You’ll find it in the Pop/Rock list. Your audience will love you for it.
I Can See Clearly Now
Love this song… sorta. It was released by Johnny Nash in 1972, then again in 1993 (Jimmy Cliff) for the soundtrack of the movie Cool Runnings. You’ll always get a good crowd reaction where everyone just sways and sings along – it’s got that infectious pop/reggae beat.
But I’m not wild about the middle eight bars – you know, the part where the vocals hold on to the word “sky” like…. FOREVER! Now you’re all out of breath and you’ve still got a verse to sing! Gasp! So…. since I’m always looking for the easy way out, I put a poly synth pad on track 5 to help extend that note a little. Some of us need all the help we can get.
The lead sax is on track 4 to help you with the arrangement a little. Take it out when you’re ready to perform… it’s on the pop/rock list.
Girl From Ipanema
Okay, this might be an overdone classic but, in the right place and time, this arrangement will work for you. You’re doing a club where the audience is actually paying attention, so you decide to seize the moment. You’ve got the sultry voice needed for this song and you’re about to show it off.
The lights go down and a warm blue spot shines down on only you. Nice. Your guitar player strums the introductory chords and the crowd recognizes the song immediately. They wonder if you’ll sound like Astrud and if the arrangement is the one they’ve heard a thousand times before. It’s not. This is your song right now and nobody else’s…. and the band is so subtle behind you as to be almost invisible. You have these people in the palm of your hand and they love the song again. You’re so good…
What’s nice about this sequence is you can give your piano player a chance to show off his chops. You’ll sing the song through once, then let your pianist solo for like, 32 bars, then you’re back in to do it all again and out. I left the keyboard solo in but your guy may want to mute it and play his own (probably better than mine) rendition. The vocal track is on track 4 (flute) but you’ll want to take that out and show ’em what you can do with this old classic. It’s on the jazz/swing list…
No! Not ANOTHER Saturday Night! Yes!!
Sam Cooke had a #1 hit with Another Saturday Night in 1963 (on the R&B charts for one week). Then, in 1974, Cat Stevens stepped out and massacred it with an arrangement that was half-assed reggae and so disjointed it hurt to listen for more than 20 seconds (waaaaaay too much organ).
The song languished for another twenty years until Jimmy Buffett picked it up and did the right thing. Much as I love the Buffett rendition (also on my list as version 1), every now and then I do my own (it’s all mine) – which is more of a calypso than anything else.
If you like what you hear above, go to the Pop’Rock list and pick up the midi sequence or the MP3 file.
Just a Gigolo
David Lee Roth – anybody remember him? Anybody? Lead singer for who? Oh, yeah… Van Halen. Left the band in 1985 – rejoined the band in 2006. What did he do in between? That’s a span of 21 years! What did David accomplish during all those years on hiatus??
Well, most notably, this song. Just a Gigolo was made famous by Louis Prima in 1956, who had the genius to couple it with another popular tune at the time, I Ain’t Got Nobody. Then, in the mid-eighties, David Lee had the same amount of genius to redo it as a rock/swing/jazz combination – which produced a hilarious video (click below).
I don’t like a lot of horn overpowering the lead vocals, so I toned down the brass section a bit (singers will appreciate that). It’s on the Jazz/Swing list – go get the midi and have fun with it. The leads are on tracks 1, 15, 16. Mute ’em and sing your butt off!
Dreams
Ah, Fleetwood Mac…. best band ever! And this is one of the primo songs off their Rumors album. Stevie Nicks wrote this is the midst of personal breakups in the band, including her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham.
One odd thing though – Stevie tells a story of her writing the song during the Rumors recording sessions. She says it was during one session when she wasn’t scheduled to sing but was hanging around the studio anyway. Stevie got inspired, grabbed a Fender Rhodes piano, trotted down the hall with it under her arm to another studio which, surprisingly, had a bed. She curled up in the bed with the Fender Rhodes and composed the song in 10 minutes. Well, let me tell ya…. I hauled a Fender Rhodes around for years and it was impossible to tuck under your arm and go anywhere with it – let alone a bed. A Rhodes is bulky, 4 feet wide, and weighs 130 pounds. What’s up with that story, Stevie? I love ya anyway.
Anyway, you should be doing this song. The midi sequence (with lead on Track 4) is on the Pop/Rock list.
Under the Boardwalk
I’m fortunate to live very near the most beautiful beaches in the country. My favorite music jobs are beach bars. We played a place called The Plantation several years ago on the Gulf beach and had huge fun. Playing “beach music” at a seaside bar with gulf breezes and people laughing and waves pounding on the beach is just the epitome of the music business…. to me, anyway.
Beach music has to include this song. “The Drifters” recorded it in 1964 but it’s still recognizable and creates a certain atmosphere of free living and sweet romance. The song is about a boy and a girl meeting “under the boardwalk” to share their secret love. Oddly, “The Drifters” prior hit had secret lovers meeting “up on the roof”…. whatever happened to dinner and a show?
Anyway, download the midi off the Pop/Rock list and take your audience to the beach.
Earth, Wind, and Fire? Nope!
“What You Won’t Do For Love” was recorded by Earth, Wind, and Fire – right? Wrong. I mean, it’s definitely their style and those horns! The whole world probably knows this (except me), but it was done by a blue-eyed white boy from Miami named Bobby Caldwell. I attributed this tune to the wrong artist for years without checking – dumb ass!
We’ve never performed this song because I was afraid to tackle anything by Earth, Wing, and Fire. But, really, I shouldn’t feel so bad. The record company hid the fact that he was white when they released it to the R&B charts. That’s sort of an excuse. Anyway, I’ve got this great sequence to share with you and we can all do it (the midi is on the Pop/Rock list). My apologies to Mr. Caldwell…
The Thrill is Gone
It must be painfully obvious why I’m featuring this song today. B.B. King passed away yesterday, peacefully, in his sleep. Since I’ve been in the music business, B.B. King has just always been around – playing a small club in Chicago, a big concert in Mobile, being interviewed by somebody who didn’t have a clue what the blues was all about, a special on television, a documentary about the history of blues – he was always just there, doing something. I’ll miss him terribly.
If you’re a blues singer, you’re already doing “The Thrill is Gone”. If you’re not – it’s time. Learn this one quickly (it’s on the blues list) and dedicate it to Mr. King this weekend. He’ll hear you…
Stageworthy Backing Tracks by Dave Zobrist 