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This flame...you put here in this eskimo. In this hitcher, this prisoner of the white lines of the freeway.
-- Joni Mitchell |
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Samantha's E-Newsletter |
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Past Articles |
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| Thursday, April 05 |
| · | Samantha Doesn't Live Here Anymore (4) |
| Wednesday, March 28 |
| · | All You Need is Love (2) |
| Monday, January 29 |
| · | Road Trip Playlist (2) |
| Monday, January 22 |
| · | Two things... (5) |
| Saturday, September 30 |
| · | SoundExchange is Calling All Artists (3) |
| Tuesday, September 19 |
| · | The Journey (2) |
| Wednesday, August 23 |
| · | On Loneliness (3) |
| Thursday, August 17 |
| · | A Sustainable Life take deux (1) |
| Saturday, August 05 |
| · | California (0) |
| Thursday, August 03 |
| · | I'm Not Really a Waitress (0) |
| | Older Articles |
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All You Need is Love |
Posted by: Samantha on Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - 03:45 PM
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Last Friday Night I went to see my fifth Cirque du Soleil ....Love, set to the music of The Beatles. I don't know how to express to you how much I loved it!
First of all, the fact I got to go was a complete and utter surprise, not to mention a...
blessing from the Universe.
Tuesday afternoon I was at the gym when a friend of a friend called me and said he was over on business from London and was coming to Vegas. He'd been given my number and would I be interested in coming to see the show with him Friday night. He'd been given the tickets by the promoter so the seats were the very best. Third row from the stage! I've enjoyed all of the Cirques, particulary O which is in water, but when you hear the Beatles in that setting, song after song just sheer brilliance, not to mention the dancing and costumes, it moves your soul.
My favorite dance was set to "Something in the Way She Moves." One of the most fantastic male dancers I've ever seen walked out slowly, wearing just dress pants and no shirt. Four beautiful ballerinas appeared in the sky encircling him from above. As they descended, the song began and they floated toward him one by one. It was truly spectacular. The intense intimacy almost made me uncomfortable with all those people around because I wanted to cry. And, as beautiful as the dancing and the costumes and the stage and the lights were, it was because of the song I wanted to cry. It reached so deeply inside of me I was undone. I had goosebumps from my little toes all the way up to the base of my hair. It said everything. Nothing was missing that needed to be said and nothing was said that didn't matter.
There's a reason why The Beatles are still the legends they are. Not only are the lyrics so amazingly poignant, while still remaining simple, but the melodies! That is something that struck me so much as I sat there in wonder. The movement of the melodies in their songs is something that's so sadly lacking in todays songs. The melody takes you on an emotional journey that reinforces the words and music. It's the power of those three things (melody, words and music) that draws you in, calling you to lose yourself in the moment and the message and the feeling. But without a melody, there is nothing. I think it might just be the single most important aspect of a song. Instantly recognizable. If it's interesting enough, it entices the listener to invest the time to listen to the words.
I'm closing this entry with the lyrics to Something by George Harrison followed by some very interesting facts about the song I found on the Internet.
But before I do, I'll tell you my only couple of connections to The Beatles. One is that my friend Steve Dudas plays guitar for Ringo. The other is that years ago when I was signed to Warner Chappell there was a record label that was interested in signing me. My music at the time was completely different, as I was writing all the songs with a producer. Anyway, the label was owned by George Harrison and Gary Wright who had the hit Dreamweaver. We went out to Gary's house and as we sat by the pool he told me that they really wanted to sign me, but George felt my songs were too dark. He wanted the messages to be more uplifting. It was a defining moment in my career because it was one of the things that motivated me to learn guitar so I could write alone.
Something
by George Harrison
SOMETHING IN THE WAY SHE MOVES
ATTRACTS ME LIKE NO OTHER LOVER
SOMETHING IN THE WAY SHE WOOS ME
I DONīT WANT TO LEAVE HER NOW
YOU KNOW I BELIEVE AND HOW
SOMEWHERE IN HER SMILE SHE KNOWS
THAT I DONīT NEED NO OTHER LOVER
SOMETHING IN HER STYLE THAT SHOWS ME
I DONīT WANT TO LEAVE HER NOW
YOU KNOW I BELIEVE AND HOW
YOUīRE ASKING ME WILL MY LOVE GROW
I DONīT KNOW, I DONīT KNOW
YOU STICK AROUND NOW IT MAY SHOW
I DONīT KNOW, I DONīT KNOW
SOMETHING IN THE WAY SHE KNOWS
AND ALL I HAVE TO DO IS THINK OF HER
SOMETHING IN THE THINGS SHE SHOWS ME
I DONīT WANT TO LEAVE HER NOW
YOU KNOW I BELIEVE AND HOW
This was released as a Double A-side single with "Come Together." It was the only song written by George Harrison released as a single by The Beatles. They had used some of his songs as B-sides, including "The Inner Light" and "Old Brown Shoe."
Harrison wrote this during a break while they were working on The White Album. It was not recorded in time for the album, so Harrison gave this to Joe Cocker, but Cocker didn't release it until after The Beatles did.
This seemed to be inspired by Harrison's wife, Patti, but he claimed he did not have anyone in mind when he wrote it. Patti went on to inspire "Layla" when Eric Clapton realized he loved her a few years later. She and Clapton were married from 1979-1988. He also wrote "Wonderful Tonight" for her.
Harrison came up with the title after listening to a James Taylor song called "Something In The Way She Moves." Taylor was signed to Apple Records (The Beatles label) at the time.
This is the only song on the Beatles 1 album that was not a #1 hit on it's own in the US or UK. "Something" and "Come Together" spent one week at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart when the compilers of the chart changed its ranking method and stopped giving separate rankings for the two sides of a single. It also gave Harrison representation among the 27 tracks.
Frank Sinatra called this "The greatest love song ever written." He often performed it in the '70s, at one point wrongly attributing it to Lennon and McCartney rather than Harrison.
Harrison had the first line, "Something in the way she moves," but had trouble coming up with the second. He considered "attracts me like a pomegranate," before coming up with "attracts me like no other lover."
This was used in a commercial for Chrysler cars in 1987.
At least 150 cover versions exist. James Brown's version was Harrison's favorite.
The only Beatles song that has been covered more is "Yesterday."
This was John Lennon's favorite song on Abbey Road.
Harrison wrote this on a piano. The Beatles often composed and recorded separately at this time.
Harrison pictured Ray Charles on vocals when he wrote this. Charles did eventually cover it.
21 string players were used in overdubs.
Before this was edited down, it contained a long instrumental tag at the end.
Harrison chastised McCartney for being too active with his bass lines in this song.
In the past, Paul had always been very critical of George's guitar playing on his songs.
Dave Grohl, a former member of Nirvana and leader of The Foo Fighters, recorded a tribute song to Harrison on the Foo's first album called "Oh George" based on the guitar lead to this. Harrison was Grohl's favorite Beatle, and this was one of the first leads he learned to play on guitar.
As a tribute to George Harrison, Paul McCartney played a version of this on his 2002 tour using a ukulele George had given him.
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