In 1989, British electro pop duo The Pet Shop Boys met Hollywood star Liza Minnelli. Add a ‘theatrical’ song from Stephen Sondheim, and I give you ‘Losing My Mind’.
I shouldn’t really like it, but I love it!
The sun comes up, I think about you
The coffee cup, I think about you
I want you so, it’s like I’m losing my mind
The morning ends, I think about you
I talk to friends and think about you
And do they know it’s like I’m losing my mind?
All afternoon doing every little chore
The thought of you stays bright
Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor
Not going left, not going right
I dim the lights and think about you
Spend sleepless nights to think about you
You said you loved me, or were you just being kind?
Or am I losing
Losing my mind?
All afternoon doing every little chore
The thought of you stays bright
Sometimes I stand in the middle of the floor
Not going left – not going right
I dim the lights and think about you
Spend sleepless nights to think about you
You said you loved me
Or were you just being kind?
Or am I losing my mind?
Or am I losing my mind?
You said you loved me
Or were you just being kind?
Or am I losing my mind?
Or were you just being kind?
Or am I losing my mind?
Losing my mind?
Losing my mind?
Losing my mind?
Losing my mind?
Losing my mind?
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Stephen Sondheim
I am reposting this music post from 2013. I came across it by chance, and noticed just one like and one comment, from a great friend who is now deceased.
Continuing what seems to be a musical theme this week, I am recalling some of the soul songs and dance classics, of my teenage years. They are all from America on this occasion, as the main alternatives here at the time were the Mersey Sound, or belated Rock and Roll. I doubt that this selection will attract that wide an audience, or receive a great deal of appreciation, as it is all in something of a niche market. However as a memento of the parties and clubs of my youth, it is a priceless personal souvenir.
Tell it like it is. ( 1967) The ultimate slow dance track, from the smooth voice of Mr Aaron Neville. I was not much past fifteen when this was released, and I have played it regularly ever since, for over forty-six years.
Louie Louie. Not the original 1957 version, but the 1963 release by The Kingsmen. This became a Mod classic in the UK during the early 1960’s. Covered many times since, nobody beats the early funky feel of this dance-floor essential. Despite sounding like a group of black singers with very soulful lead vocals, they were actually all white, and appeared strangely camp, clad in cardigans and wearing caps. Can’t beat the 60’s!
Seven Days Is Too Long. (1967) This simple soul dance hit from Chuck Wood was a big hit in the UK, on more than one occasion. It has become one of the hall of fame records for fans of ‘Northern Soul’, the American records played almost exclusively in clubs in the North of England. Even at 61, I cannot keep my feet still!
Nothing Can Stop Me. (1965) Snappy suited, with a Motown look and feel, Gene Chandler got feet tapping with this one. Better known for the huge hit ‘Duke of Earl’, Chandler moved on to greater things with this track, another adopted by those Northern Soul aficionados.
Barefootin’. Again in 1965, Robert Parker ensured that dance floors were filled with this upbeat recording. The subject of a few covers over the years, this is the original and best, from the man himself.
Cool Jerk. A year later, in 1966, The Capitols released this one-off. Almost in its own genre, it is still undoubtedly a classic, as the numerous cover versions and inclusion in film soundtracks can testify.
Comin’ Home Baby. This 1962 song by Mel Torme is not a soul song at all. It could be called Jazz, possibly even Swing. Looking back at Mel through modern eyes, he seems somewhat ridiculous. Sharp suit, bulging eyes, college-boy haircut, and snapping fingers clutching a cigarette. But he was the epitome of cool in 1962, and to my mind, this is still one of the coolest records ever made. This video is like watching a history documentary, but they are still doing this sort of thing on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. Perhaps better to not watch him though. Close your eyes and listen.
I Get The Sweetest Feeling. Already well known for ‘Reet Petite’, and ‘Higher and Higher’, Jackie Wilson made the journey from Doo-wop to modern soul, throughout the 50’s and 60’s. This track is on my list for the memories it brings back to me, from 1968.
When I’m Gone. Saving the best until last perhaps, this short love song from the wonderful Brenda Holloway sums up the early years of Tamla Motown, and I simply love it.
There are many more, but this is just a snapshot of the party tunes of my youth. I enjoyed them then and now, and I hope that you do too.
A rocking mature lady belting out a great singalong pop song, Anastacia had a big hit with this in 2000, and followed it up later with other hits. I only ever bought this CD single, and after more than two decades I still enjoy hearing it. Having suffered twice with breast cancer, she has managed to fully recover and is still performing at the age of 55.
In 1976, I heard a new Disco hit record that had elements of Soul, and also felt like a ballad. I bought it immediately, as I knew it would be stuck in my head anyway. Forty-eight years later, it still sounds great to me.
Candi Staton had been around since the mid-1960s, but this song launched her worldwide. She went on to have more hits, release lots of albums, and at the age of 84, she is still an active performer.
I am not using the same song Jill used, but have also chosen a power ballad from the same era.
Starting life as a Country music song, Gladys recorded her deliberately Soul music version in 1974 and enjoyed a hit with it. As a long-time fan of her Motown years, I bought a copy as soon as it came out, and still love to hear it 50 years later.
In 1967, Mike D’Abo wrote the song ‘Handbags and Gladrags’, trying to get over the point that fashionable clothes and designer labels are not the way to find happiness. That same year it was recorded by Chris Farlowe, a British singer with a powerful voice who is almost forgotten now. I bought that single, aged fifteen. Two years later, Rod Stewart recorded his version of the song. Although I still liked Chris’s original, I liked the actual song enough to buy Rod’s album too.
Then much later, in 2001, the Welsh band The Sterophonics released their version of the song, which was also used as the theme song for the TV series ‘The Office’. I liked their version a lot, and bought a copy. Then I decided that I really much preferred their more soulful-voiced and orchestrated version to both of the others.
So for a change, I am presenting all three versions, in time order. I still enjoy them all, for different reasons.
Chris Farlowe. (The date on the video is wrong, it was 1967)
The Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire and cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement. Many of their songs have a left-wing political element, and the band is still going strong, with a very loyal following of die-hard fans.
I thought they were talented and ‘different’, but never quite liked them enough to buy one of their albums. Then in 1996, I heard a new record from them, released as a single from an album. I was very impressed with what sounded to me like a mini-symphony, and I bought the CD single with the extended mix. I like to revisit the song now and again, reminding myself just how much I liked it 28 years ago. It takes a minute to get going but then becomes something of an ‘anthem’, and the orchestration makes it for me.
The lyrics are still relevant in modern Britain. Play it with the volume high.
This song has featured on my blog previously, but it has a personal connection for me that never goes away.
In 1981 I was 29 years old. Life was going well, and I was enjoying my job as an EMT in London. I saw the band Japan performing this song on a late-night music TV show, and was instantly captivated by it. Not just the unique voice of David Sylvian and the unusual musical construction, but also the lyrics, which seemed to have come from inside my own head. Forty-three years later, the song is more relevant to me than ever. Along with the song, the ghosts of my own life have haunted me since then.
Whatever you think of him, there’s no denying that Prince was something of a musical maestro, whether you ever liked his music, or not. As long ago as 1984, he released a song that I bought the same day I heard it. I still think it’s his best song, although ‘Nothing Compares 2U’ is a close second. But Sinead O’Connor’s version was actually better than his original.
beetleypete 