Continuing our gaggle of lesser-known love songs, we now have a fun song, "Love is the Reason" from the 1951 musical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, with a score by Arthur Schwartz and the wonderful Dorothy Fields. It's performed by the also-wonderful Shirley Booth. And we'll add in another song, the comedy number "I Love You," this from Little Me, a show that got 10 Tony nominations in 1962, including one for Sid Caesar as Best Actor who played eight different roles in the show and sings the number here, along with Virginia Martin. The score is by Cy Coleman and lyricist Carolyn Leigh (who wrote several of the lyrics in Peter Pan).
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Not only is today when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in baseball, but it's also Valentines Day -- which seems wonderfully appropriate. Once again, we offer up a bouquet of lesser-known love songs and even some comedy just for the occasion. To start off, here are two of the most beautiful that I know -- but particularly from musicals, which has more than its share of love songs. This first is probably my favorite of the two, "When Did I Fall in Love?" from Fiorello! with a score by Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, which won both the Pulitzer Prize and also Tony Award for Best Musical (tying, of all things, that year with The Sound of Music). It's sung here by Ellen Hanley. What I most admire about the song is the simplicity of the words, almost conversational, yet that bring out rich emotion. Usually when I've posted this in the past, I've used the Original Cast Recording, which is wonderful. But I just found a new version which is terrific. As it happens, it's from a live production of the musical, done in 2013 at the New York City Center Encores!, which annually has put on pared-down productions for brief runs of lesser-known, deserving shows. (Fiorello! was the first revival they ever presented -- and became the first they ever repeated for their 10th anniversary.) It's performed here by Kate Baldwin, who knows a thing or two about how to sing Harnick, having released an album of his songs. She soars here. The other, a very close runner-up, is "I Know Now" from the 1964 British musical Robert & Elizabeth, about the poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. In many ways, this is the opposite of "When Did I Fall in Love?", being very poetic (befitting its two main characters) and lush. The show had a score by Ron Grainer and Ronald Millar. It's performed by Keith Michell and June Bronhill. The treat here is that they recreated the number seven years later for a 1971 television special, so we have video of it. By the way, some may recognize Keith Michell's name. He most-famously played the lead in the PBS Masterpiece Theatre mini-series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII. And also had a recurring role as insurance investigator (and former jewel thief) 'Dennis Stanton' on Murder, She Wrote. He also had the lead in the London West End production of Man of La Mancha. June Bronhill was an Australian opera singer who also performed in several musicals, including as 'Maria' in the original Australian production of The Sound of Music. Okay, as a bonus, here's another love song from Robert & Elizabeth sung by the pair. Not precisely a comic number, but a lively fun one -- with a couple of among my favorite rhymes in any song -- as Robert explains to the overly-protected Elizabeth that he's deeply in love with her, which she tries to put off, knowing that her authoritarian father would never permit it. Since today is when Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training (other teams, too, but team schedules are variable), I thought it only proper to, once again, post this wonderful song by the great Tom Paxton about being a baseball pitcher. Well, it's about that and more.
With a shout-out to the inveterate Chris Dunn. Okay, one last time, we go back to Sesame Street, which every once in a while has had country music stars on to sing with The Muppets. This time, we have the legend, Johnny Cash. He sings the ballad of Nasty Dan here to Oscar the Grouch who, not surprisingly, finds it something he actually likes a lot. And in his conversation at the end with Johnny Cash finishes things off with a fun joke. From the archives. This week's contestant is Benjamin Keating from Monticello, Illinois. I got the hidden song within a few notes, and I think most people should get it soon enough. Oddly, though, the contestant was stumped by it – yet got the composer style right off. In fairness, he acknowledges he’s pretty young, and with a lot of clues does eventually get it. As for the composer style, it didn’t sound like an area in my wheelhouse, though my guess wasn’t terribly wrong. But when I heard the answer, I think I should have gotten it, and some of you may.
From the archives, the contestant on this week's episode is Jackie Aivaliotis from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At first I thought I didn't have a clue, particularly since it's a style of music that is generally a totally toss-up for me. And the song was well-hidden. Then I thought I might have the hidden song. And then...I didn't, and didn't have a clue. But then I was certain that I did know the hidden song -- and was right. And was even correct on my guess of the composer style. So...going from "not a clue" to getting both -- huzzah!
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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