Music Archives - Page 2 of 235

Billy Joel is Turning the Lights Back On After The Longest Time

Billy Joel is releasing his first new song since 2007, “Turn the Lights Back On.” A teaser trailer references one of his songs from his last album in 1993.

One of the most popular singer-songwriters of the twentieth century is releasing his first new song since a 2007 single “All My Life” and his last album from 1993, River of Dreams. the 74-year-old Billy Joel has announced a new song, “Turn the Lights Back On,” will be released February 1, 2024.

Joel, of course, has not been in retirement all this time, doing other projects, including his performances as part of a residency at Madison Square Garden in recent years. Seeing one of those performances takes one back in time as Joel puts on a great show with his deep catalog of popular hit songs.

So many are excited to see him releasing a new song. Although Joel usually wrote alone, the new song was co-written by Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector and Freddy Wexler. “Turn the Lights Back On” is being initially promoted with a teaser trailer.

The trailer appears to provide some piano chords from the new song but not much more. But if you look closely, the trailer opens with Joel turning the page on a music book page with the song “Famous Last Words.” That song appeared on his last album, 1993’s River of Dreams, and included images of the end of a party with words about “And these are the last words I have to say / Before another age goes by.”

And so Billy Joel “returns” with a little flash of humor, referencing his lyrics from more than thirty years about about ending his run after not having more to say. But even that song let us know that the pop songwriter with so many hit songs might return another day, another time.

These are the last words I have to say,
That’s why it took so long to write;
There will be other words some other day,
But that’s the story of my life.

At this point, we do not know if there will be additional music forthcoming (might we wish for an album?) or if this release will just be the one song. Either way, it is a nice treat to look forward to from one of the great American pop songwriters. We’re all in the mood for a melody, and this piano man has us feelin’ alright.

UPDATE: And here is the new song:

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Although the Oscars Passed Over “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” You Shouldn’t

The documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything” tells the story of rock and roll legend Richard Penniman, embracing the contradictions of a complicated person.

LITTLE RICHARD at Wrigley Fields, Los Angeles, 2 September 1956

Surprisingly, director Lisa Cortés’ documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) was recently passed over by Oscar voters, failing to make the shortlist of contenders for best documentary feature. One may speculate as to a number of reasons it may have failed to garner more support — ranging from early appearances on co-producer CNN’s channel to the challenges of covering such a well-known person. But the important thing is that you should watch the film, available streaming on sources such as Amazon Prime.

Little Richard: I Am Everything in the time provided does an excellent job of telling the story of Richard Penniman, one of the most important figures in the history of Rock and Roll. The film does not attempt to tell a linear story of every event in Little Richard’s life, but it puts together the story in an interesting fashion to help convey Little Richard’s talents and the contradictions throughout his life.

The movie features famous musicians, family members, and Black and queer scholars to piece together the ups and downs of Little Richard’s life and career. The tale shows Little Richard not only as a musical icon, but as an important figure in Black and queer history, even as Little Richard himself struggled with his own sexuality and his music at various times in his life.

As director Cortés states in the press kit for the film, “Tracing Richard Wayne Penniman’s path from 1930s Macon, Georgia through underground Black drag clubs to segregated concert halls and international fame, the film rejects simplification, giving Little Richard his due both as a revolutionary and as a deeply conflicted artist navigating tensions of race and sexuality more heated today than during his rise.”

At various points, including near the end of his life, Little Richard chose a faith that he felt required him to renounce the music and sexuality he had embraced. Watching clips of Little Richard so full of life on stage during his rock and roll years, it can be difficult to see him near the end of his life when he no longer appreciated what he had accomplished. When asked about the turn of events in Little Richard’s life, one of the commentators profoundly replies that an ending does not dictate the full significance of a person’s life.

That is true for all of us, but especially true in the case of someone like Little Richard, whose life continues to resonate and whose music still brings great joy.

Photo courtesy via Magnolia Pictures. What did you think of Little Richard: I Am Everything? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Bringing in a Brand New Year

One of the great uplifting New Year’s songs is blues singer Charles Brown’s “Bringing in a Brand New Year.”

Wishing all of our readers a great new year with one of the most uplifting songs about the holiday, “Bringing in a Brand New Year.” Many songs about the new year are slow introspective songs, as the change in year is often a good time to reflect on our lives. But, of course, it can also be a time to celebrate, and Brown’s song is in a celebratory mood. Here is to the hope that your year is as fun as Charles Brown’s “Bringing in a Brand New Year.”

Charles Brown (September 13, 1922 – January 21, 1999) is probably best known for the Christmas classic “Merry Christmas Baby.” But his recording of “Bringing in a Brand New Year” should be essential listening every New Year holiday.

Gonna be a great big parade,
I got my resolution made,
Gonna ride above the stars,
We might even take a trip to Mars.

B.B. King also has a great version of “Bringing in a Brand New Year.”

Wishing you all the best.

What is your favorite New Year song? Leave your two cents in the comments. Photo via Creative Commons.

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‘Fairytale of New York’ at Shane MacGowan’s funeral

At singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan’s funeral, a group of musicians led by Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill performed “Fairytale of New York.”

I love the Irish saying about “may you be in heaven a full half-hour before the devil knows you’re dead.” Maybe it is the part of me that has Irish blood, but I similarly love the traditions of the Irish wake in the way they treats death as something besides a solemn occasion. A funeral is also an opportunity to celebrate the deceased’s life. So with that background, it gave me great joy to see clips from the funeral of singer-songwriter-musician Shane MacGowan, including the performance of what may be his most famous song, “Fairytale of New York.”

After helping create the Pogues, MacGowan co-wrote “Fairytale of New York” with Jem Finer. We’ve called it “one of the greatest Christmas songs of all-time” while also including it in our list of depressing Christmas songs. One of my favorite versions now is this new one from MacGowan’s funeral.

MacGowan passed away on November 30, 2023, dying from pneumonia at home in Dublin with his wife Victoria Mary Clarke next to him. He was 65. Since his death, many have praised his talents, and of course many bring up his classic “Fairytale of New York,” including a rendition on the streets of Dublin.

And then at his funeral at a church in Nenagh, Ireland on Friday, December 8, 2023, a group of musicians led by Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill on vocals, performed “Fairytale of New York.” It was beautiful and uplifting, even leading to some dancing in the aisles.

As the song says, “can’t make it all alone.” We all should have such a send off.

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The Latest and Last Beatles Song: “Now and Then”

The last surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr use recordings of John Lennon and George Harrison to create the final Beatles record, “Now and Then.”

The Beatles have released what will be their final song, “Now and Then.” The surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr finalized the track using old recording of John Lennon and George Harrison.

McCartney and Starr explain the origins of the song in the short documentary below. The track originated after John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono gave the surviving Beatles three recordings of songs written by Lennon before he was killed. McCartney, Starr, and Harrison used two of the three songs earlier. They had created new Beatles songs in the 1990s to along along with the Anthology documentary about the Beatles. Those two songs were “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.”

The third Lennon song that McCartney, Starr, and Harrison tried to turn into a Beatles song in the 1990s was “Now and Then.” But this Beatles track was not completed at that time, perhaps partly or mainly due to George Harrison’s disdain for the song. Or, according to McCartney’s more recent version of events, the song was not finished due to technical and time constraints. One of the challenges was that Lennon’s demo recording did not have a clear enough separation between his voice and the piano.

But a jump in time has made the new track possible. Director Peter Jackson, in creating the Beatles documentary about the making of the Let It Be (1970) album, The Beatles: Get Back (2021), used a new technology. It allowed him to separate out the voices of the Fab Four in the original film footage from that session. This technology would also allow the Beatles to separate out John Lennon’s voice from the piano on “Now and Then.”

Then, producer Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin, added in guitar parts that George Harrison had created when the three Beatles worked on the song in the 1990s. Ringo Starr recorded a new drum track, while McCartney added bass and other instruments, including a slide guitar track as a tribute to Harrison. McCartney’s voice joins Lennon’s voice in the background during the song, and McCartney also added the line “always to return to me” in the lyrics.

Now and then,
I miss you;
Oh, now and then,
I want you to be there for me,
Always to return to me.

And so, we have what is likely the last Beatles song we will ever have created by the four actual Beatles. While it may not be a match for some of their masterpieces, it is great to hear John singing with the other lads again. Check out the official video for “Now and Then.” The video mixes old footage of the four Beatles with today’s Paul and Ringo, leading the viewer to imagine them all together again. It might even bring a few tears to your eyes.