A lot of readers have been curious about the version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” played over the ending of America’s Got Talent this week. Because we always want to give our readers information about pop culture, it was Il Divo from their 2008 album The Promise. Il Divo is an operatic “pop” group that was created by Simon Cowell and features the international voices of Sébastien Izambard, Carlos Marín, David Miller, and Urs Bühler. [For more recent uses of the song on America’s Got Talent, see below.]
We initially thought the version may be by Mark Vincent, the winner of 2009’s Australia’s Got Talent, which would make sense. He was 15 when he appeared on the show and has recorded several albums like My Dream – Mio Visione(2009), which includes his version of “Hallelujah.” But if you listen closely to the end of America’s Got Talent, you will notice there is more than one singer in that version. And if you listen to Il Divo, you should recognize it.
September 11, 2013 Update: Of course, it would not be a competition with singers unless at some point one of the competitors sings the overplayed and misunderstood “Hallelujah.” So, last night on America’s Got TalentBranden James did a nice job performing the Leonard Cohen classic (see video in comments).
June 10, 2014 Update: Once again, the song “Hallelujah” made a prominent appearance on America’s Got Talent when this week the 20-year-old Anna Clendening, who explained to the judges her struggles with anxiety and depression disorder, gave an emotional performance of “Hallelujah.” Check it out:
What is your favorite version of “Hallelujah”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Bobby “Blue” Bland, one of the great blues and soul singers, has passed away at his Memphis, Tennessee home the age of 83. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame, Bland has thrilled audiences and influenced other performers since he began recording in the early 1950s.
Bland started out as a valet and chauffeur for B.B. King, but later ended up performing with him on a number of occasions. In this clip from Soul Train, you can see the two legends performing after a brief interview.
In 1957, “Further On Up the Road” was Bland’s first number on on the R&B charts. One of my favorite Bland recordings, though, is “Turn on Your Love Life,” which was a hit in 1961.
Finally, for something a little different, here is Bland singing Van Morrison’s “Tupelo Honey” with Morrison. Van Morrison was a long-time fan, and it is great to hear those two changing verses on the great song that was recorded in 2000 (and appears on The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 (2007). RIP.
What is your favorite Bobby “Blue” Bland song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
If you like banjo and some nice harmonies, you should check out The Vespers if you have not done so already. The Nashville Americana/folk quartet is made up of sisters Callie Cryar and Phoebe Cryar and brothers Bruno Jones and Taylor Jones. Below is their video for the song “Lawdy.”
The song appears on the band’s second album, The Fourth Wall, which was released in 2012. The Vespers formed in 2009 and have attracted some attention with their two albums, both of which were released independently. If you would like more of a sample from the Cryar sisters and the Jones brothers, you may hear the entire album of The Fourth Wall below by pressing the play button. [2015 Update: The option to play the whole album is no longer available.]
The Vespers are giving away a free download of a track off the album using the “Free Download” button. Or you can go to their Noisetrade website to get a download of the album for whatever donation you want to give to help support their music. For more information about the band, check out the bios of the members and an article in the Huffington Post.
What is your favorite track on “The Fourth Wall”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Steve Earle performed some of the songs of his latest album The Low Highway (2013) live in the KEXP radio station studio in Seattle on a program hosted by Stevie Zoom. In the video, Earle performs “The Low Highway,” “Burnin’ It Down,” “Invisible,” and “Remember Me.”
The final song, “Remember Me,” is a touching song Earle wrote to his newest child as Earle contemplates his own advanced age and the probability he will not be around for long. The segment was recorded on April 18, 2013.
What is your favorite song in the video? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Danielle Bradbery, the season four winner of NBC’s The Voice, recently did a nice cover of the song “Please Remember Me.” The young singer, who is not yet seventeen and who represents the team of Blake Shelton, has an excellent voice and a lot of potential.
So, it was great to see this fantastic country song get some recent attention. And the teenager Bradbery shows a powerhouse voice that will probably be around awhile.
Bradbery’s performance was not the only recent singing competition performance of the song. You may have heard the song on American Idol after season ten winner Scotty McCreery recorded it for use as an exit song for the eleventh season of American Idol.
Yes, the title fits those leaving American Idol, but such use of the song sort of misses the heartfelt meaning of the rest of the song. As explained below, there is more to the song than a farewell. You might hear that depth in this performance by the young and talented McCreery when he made a return visit to American Idol, but only if you ignore the hijinks on the video screen behind him.
What is “Please Remember Me” About?
“Please Remember Me” is a classic heartache song. The singer is leaving someone behind but wishing them well by reassuring them that they will find someone better. But the song is also a plea, asking the former love to remember the singer. “Please Remember Me,” like Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” (made even more famous by Whitney Houston), imagines the person left behind going on with life.
But unlike “I Will Always Love You,” in most of “Please Remember Me” the singer is not imagining how the singer will remember the lost love. Yet, there is a little of that when the singer notes, “Part of you will live in me.” Instead, most of “Please Remember Me” is asking the lost love to remember the singer.
And there is something sadder when the singer predicts that the (younger?) lover will “find better love.” The singer asks to be remembered “[w]hen I can’t hurt you anymore.”
Tim McGraw’s “Please Remember Me”
Most people probably know the song from Tim McGraw‘s version. McGraw does a decent job. And I have previously noted that McGraw does have some talent for choosing good songs.
Rodney Crowell’s “Please Remember Me”
For me, though, the best version of “Please Remember Me” is by one of the songwriters, Rodney Crowell, who wrote the song with Will Jennings. Crowell has written some of the best country songs since the 1970s. And he is held in high esteem by country traditionalists, even as he has never had the mainstream popularity of singers like Tim McGraw.
According to Wikipedia, “Please Remember Me” only went to #69 on Billboard’s country charts for Crowell in 1995. Meanwhile, it went to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks for McGraw when he released his version in 1999.
I have previously discussed how another Crowell heartache song “Til I Gain Control Again” is one of the all-time greats. And “Please Remember Me” is another song that captures a true human emotion that too rarely appears in popular songs.
At the time he co-wrote the song, Crowell was already 45 years old (and co-writer Will Jennings was in his 50’s). The lyrics, sung by an older singer, show an understanding of why the love will not work while also showing a world-weariness: “Just like the waves down by the shore / We’re gonna keep on coming back for more.”
When “Please Remember Me” is sung by a young singer, there is a touch of hopefulness and optimism about two lovers remembering each other. One might find that even Tim McGraw, who was in his early 30’s when he recorded the song, gives the song a different meaning than Crowell’s version. Still, McGraw seems to recognize Crowell’s context for the song by the rare action of removing his hat to make himself look older in the video.
But it is easier to imagine the weary older Crowell making the bittersweet plea with all of its subtext. So, if you enjoyed Danielle Bradbery’s cover or Tim McGraw’s cover, make sure you check out the Rodney Crowell original, which also features Patty Loveless providing harmony vocals for Crowell.
What is your favorite version of “Please Remember Me”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(2007). RIP.
