Fallen Standards

Well known standards given a guitar arrangement, with keyboards and various synthesized backing. Left click a title to listen.

Put'n on da Glitz (Irving Berlin) [4.81Mb playing time 2:06 mins]
Berlin's original Puttin' on the Ritz included references to the then-popular fad of flashily-dressed but poor black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue, "High hats and narrow collars.. white spats and 15 dollars.. Spending ev'ry dime.. For a wonderful time". The song was featured with the original lyrics in the 1939 film "Idiot's Delight", and performed by Clark Gable! According to Wikipedia, it makes use of delayed rhythmic resolution, staggering off-balance passages, emphasized unorthodox stresses in the lyric, sudden resolution satisfyingly on a held note, followed by the forceful assertion of the title phrase.. yeah, right.

Tidal Wav (J. Fred Coots) [5.05Mb playing time 2:09 mins]
New Yorker Fred Coots, a prolific songwriter who famously penned 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', wrote Love Letters in the Sand in 1931. Lyrics were later added by Kenny and Kenny, and the great American idol Pat Boone had a mega hit with it in 1957. Boone himself whistled through the instrumental section - maybe the guitar player hadn't shown up.

My Blue Seven (Donaldson) [3.67Mb playing time 1:36 mins]
Written by Walter Donaldson in 1924 while he was waiting for his turn at the billiard table, My Blue Heaven was recorded in 1927 by Gene Austin whose sung version is one of the biggest selling singles of all time.
When I was young, I was football crazy and wanted to be Stanley Matthews, but my white shirt had no number on it. My mum sewed a big blue 7 on it (Stanley Matthews' number). She was not to know that, of course, doubtless working out that 7 was the easiest number to patch on.

Girl from the Chip Shop (Jobim/Moraes) [5.37Mb playing time 2:17 mins]
Eighteen-year-old Heloisa Eneida Menezes Pais Pinto was the original tall and tan and young and lovely green-eyed Girl From Ipanema for whom composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes lusted as she walked to the beach each day past the bar where they sat drinking. Years later, after Jobim and Moraes died, Helo, as she was known, opened a boutique in Rio clled Girl from Ipanema and was promptly sued by the copyright heirs.
Reportedly the second-most recorded song of all time, it shot to fame in 1963 courtesy of Astrud Gilberto (who was not well known in Brazil, but could sing a bit in English) and tenor sax genius Stan Getz.

Dream Sweetly (apologies to Chet Atkins) [3.61Mb playing time 2:34 mins]
Is Sweet Dreams a standard? I don't know. Maybe someone will put me right one day. Just couldn't resist having a go after hearing Atkins + Knopfler doing it.

Stranglers in the Nite [5.28Mb playing time 2:18 mins]
Responsibility for the original composition of Strangers in the Night is somewhat in dispute, but Bert Kaempfert definitely bought up the rights and used it in the film "A Man Could Get Killed", subsequently offering a differently arranged version to Frank Sinatra.
Old Blue Eyes is reported as saying this song was the worst piece of shit he'd ever heard... obviously he hadn't come across my version... doo-be-doo-be-doo...

You Only (Andy Rand/Buck Ram) [2.03Mb playing time 2:10 mins]
The original Platters were a doo-wap group formed in 1953 Los Angeles. Their first record company reckoned this Buck Ram ditty Only You was rubbish and didn't release it. After changing labels, the group had an immediate top-ten hit with it and became a household name.
Stung Badly (Scott Joplin)(1902) [2.6Mb playing time 2:51 mins]
When I was young, we had a nice polished piano in the front room. I always thought a piano rag was what you dusted it with. The popularity of Joplin's The Entertainer took a serious upturn when it was featured in the Newman/Redford 1973 film "The Sting". Ironically, the film was set in the 1930's - fully a decade after ragtime music had gone out of fashion. Played here duetting with myself, almost in time.
Fogbound (Garner) [3.6Mb playing time 1:34 mins]
Erroll Garner had a prodigious talent for the piano. However, his musical stature was somewhat heftier than his physical one, and he apparently needed to supplement the height of his piano stool with telephone directories in order for him to reach the keys. He wrote Misty in 1954, and it was the inspiration for the 1971 classic stalker film "Play Misty for Me", itself the prototype for "Fatal Attraction". I am happy to say that no bunnies were boiled for my version. Played here solo.
Flora (Raksin) [2.88Mb playing time 1:15 mins]
The music was composed by David Raksin for the 1944 film "Laura" starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews, and is heard frequently during the soundtrack. The haunting romantic lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer after the release had made the tune popular, even though Mercer apparently had never seen the film. Played here solo.

Put'n on da Glitz (Irving Berlin) [4.81Mb playing time 2:06 mins] Berlin's original Puttin' on the Ritz included references to the then-popular fad of flashily-dressed but poor black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue, "High hats and narrow collars.. white spats and 15 dollars.. Spending ev'ry dime.. For a wonderful time". The song was featured with the original lyrics in the 1939 film "Idiot's Delight", and performed by Clark Gable! According to Wikipedia, it makes use of delayed rhythmic resolution, staggering off-balance passages, emphasized unorthodox stresses in the lyric, sudden resolution satisfyingly on a held note, followed by the forceful assertion of the title phrase.. yeah, right.
Tidal Wav (J. Fred Coots) [5.05Mb playing time 2:09 mins] New Yorker Fred Coots, a prolific songwriter who famously penned 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', wrote Love Letters in the Sand in 1931. Lyrics were later added by Kenny and Kenny, and the great American idol Pat Boone had a mega hit with it in 1957. Boone himself whistled through the instrumental section - maybe the guitar player hadn't shown up.
My Blue Seven (Donaldson) [3.67Mb playing time 1:36 mins] Written by Walter Donaldson in 1924 while he was waiting for his turn at the billiard table, My Blue Heaven was recorded in 1927 by Gene Austin whose sung version is one of the biggest selling singles of all time. When I was young, I was football crazy and wanted to be Stanley Matthews, but my white shirt had no number on it. My mum sewed a big blue 7 on it (Stanley Matthews' number). She was not to know that, of course, doubtless working out that 7 was the easiest number to patch on.
Girl from the Chip Shop (Jobim/Moraes) [5.37Mb playing time 2:17 mins] Eighteen-year-old Heloisa Eneida Menezes Pais Pinto was the original tall and tan and young and lovely green-eyed Girl From Ipanema for whom composers Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes lusted as she walked to the beach each day past the bar where they sat drinking. Years later, after Jobim and Moraes died, Helo, as she was known, opened a boutique in Rio clled Girl from Ipanema and was promptly sued by the copyright heirs. Reportedly the second-most recorded song of all time, it shot to fame in 1963 courtesy of Astrud Gilberto (who was not well known in Brazil, but could sing a bit in English) and tenor sax genius Stan Getz.
Dream Sweetly (apologies to Chet Atkins) [3.61Mb playing time 2:34 mins] Is Sweet Dreams a standard? I don't know. Maybe someone will put me right one day. Just couldn't resist having a go after hearing Atkins + Knopfler doing it.