Author: chimesfreedom

Editor-in-chief, New York.

Lesley Gore and Barry Goldwater

Lesley Gore Mike Douglas

Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore has passed away on February 16, 2015 at the age of 68 from complications related to cancer. Gore had a long track record of great hit songs that started when she was 16 years old with the 1963 hit recording of “It’s My Party.”

Other hit songs included “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “That’s the Way Boys Are,” and “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows.”  All of those performances are easily found on the Internet.

Additionally, she co-wrote the beautiful song “Out Here On My Own,” which was performed by Irene Cara in the movie Fame (1980). I still recall the first time I heard that song in the movie theater. It is the only time I have heard an audience applaud for a song in the middle of a film.

An interesting video you might otherwise overlook is her November 10, 1969 appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. Typically, she gives an excellent singing performance. But then she sits down and discusses the Vietnam War with Barry Goldwater.

Gore’s discussion with Goldwater is a nice reminder how people can disagree on television without screaming at each other. Check it out.

What is your favorite Lesley Gore recording? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    The Saga of Willie Nelson’s Guitar

    Willie Nelson Trigger

    This short 12-minute film from Rolling Stone tells the story of Willie Nelson’s famous guiar, Trigger. In The Tale of Trigger, Nelson recounts how he acquired the guitar, why he named it “Trigger” (after Roy Rogers’s horse, of course), and how he started collecting autographs on it. The video follows the important role that the Martin N-20 acoustic guitar played in his career.

    One of my favorite parts of my favorite Willie Nelson’s albums is his recognizable guitar sound. Now, The Tale of Trigger tells us a little more about the five-decade relationship involving one of the most important guitars in country music history. Check it out.

    What is your favorite Trigger appearance? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    One Hand’s Tremblin’ Over My Heart: Springsteen’s “Valentine’s Day”

    Love Birds

    In the video below, Bruce Springsteen sings “Valentine’s Day,” the closing song on his Tunnel of Love album. The song captures an underlying fear of any relationship, the fear of loss (“What scares me is losin’ you”). It’s one of the saddest songs about someone in a happy relationship.

    But sometimes thinking about the fear of loss can make you appreciate the value of what you have. Check it out.

    The performance is from October 15, 2005 in Madison, Wisconsin. Happy Valentine’s Day.

    Photo of love birds by Chimesfreedom. What is your favorite Valentine’s Day song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Steve Earle “Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now”

    Steve Earle Blues

    Steve Earle’s newest song is “Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now” from his upcoming album Terraplane (2015). The country blues of “Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now” reveals that Earle is going in a blues direction with his backing band the Dukes on the new album.

    A few months ago, Earle explained to Rolling Stone that “there’s a lot of sad stuff” on the album because he had recently been going through a divorce from singer-songwriter Allison Moorer. Thus, he notes, “It was a good time to make a blues record.”

    In case you are wondering what is a “Terraplane,” the title of the blues album is a nod to blues man Robert Johnson’s song, “Terraplane Blues.” In Johnson’s song, he used the car model Terraplane (a model artistically rendered on the cover of Steve Earle’s album above) as a metaphor for sex. As for Earle’s new song, you may listen to “Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now” below.

    Terraplane, which features 11 songs all written by Earle, will be available on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. Allison Moorer will be releasing her own new album, Down to Believing, one month later on March 17.

    What do you think of “Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Brandy Clark “Hold My Hand” At Grammys

    Hold My Hand Grammys

    One of the highlights of the recent 57th annual Grammy Awards occurred when Best New Artist nominee Brandy Clark appeared on a side stage with Dwight Yoakam to perform “Hold My Hand.” The two gave one of the small-stage emotional moments on a night usually dominated by big production numbers.

    Clark and Yoakam’s performance of “Hold My Hand” is of a song about relationship insecurities that Clark wrote with Mark Stephen Jones. 20925 Update:  While the Grammy performance is no longer on YouTube, below is a recording of Clark and Yoakam singing the song.

    “Hold My Hand” is from Clark’s album, 12 Stories. Although she did not win Best New Artist or Country Album of the Year, the Internet loved her performance and hopefully sharing the spotlight with Dwight Yoakam will make sure we hear more from her in the future.

    What was your favorite performance at the Grammy Awards? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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