Review Of: Everly Brothers – Ebony Eyes

Okay, this one is hands down one of the most sad songs in the history of music. The vocals and the lyrics, both deliver equally hard punches to your heart, and the next thing you know, you’re probably in tears by the end of the song. “Ebony Eyes” is undoubtedly my (personally) best song of the 60′s. It’s short, sad and a must listen for hopeless romantics. Okay, now that I’ve warned you, keep some tissues in hand, and read on!

The Everly Brothers (Isaac Donald Everly & Philip Everly)

History: “Ebony Eyes” is a song written by the American songwriter John D. Loudermilk, and recorded by the The Everly Brothers (Isaac Donald Everly & Philip Everly). It was released somewhere in the midst of January 1961. There isn’t much I could scoop up from the internet, but maybe telling you that it reached Number 8 on the U.S. charts and Number 1 on the U.K. charts would suffice (I have a strong suspicion it must have gone on to win many more awards though). BBC initially prohibited this song from airing on the radio quoting that the song was “utterly disturbing” to hear on the radio.

What it tries to convey: This one’s a piece of cake. The song revolves around the Point Of View of a soldier who is just hours away from “Whispering ‘I do’” to the love of his life, who happens to be coming to him via flight No. 1203. Unfortunately, the turbulent weather and the black skies caused a dramatic plane crash, in which he loses his beloved fiancee. The color of the dark clouds somehow causes him to remember the ‘Ebony’ colored eyes his fiancee had. Now, the incident, when searched on the internet, did not render any useful results as such; and hence I doubt the truthfulness of the incident.

Review: The song starts with a smooth duo opening (kind of resembles a choir), which meets the acoustic guitar at 00:05, and the vocals start right after that. Now the thing that I really like about The Everly Brothers is that they both have completely different vocal styles, yet they don’t try to mask the slightly hoarse one. Instead, they sing as naturally as they can and bring out the best in the song. A similar case is the ever-famous Simon & Garfunkel duo (no introductions needed). During the “My Ebony Eyes Was Coming To Me” part (00:36), one of them (the one with the softer voice) drops back to the background and gives the song a little vocal support. They meet up again shortly, and then the ‘mid-song speech’ (sorry, I couldn’t come up with a technical word) begins at approximately 01:09. The way in which he delivers the speech is enough to tell you that the song will not end well, yet the smoothness and feelings it conveys is enough to keep you hooked. The speech, in a jiffy, describes how the man walks inside to the Airlines desk and asks the manager for a reason for Flight No. 1203 being so late. After being shrugged off, he comes outside and looks up at the ‘Ebony’ colored skies and knows there’s something wrong. The loudspeaker announcement confirms his worst fears, when all the relatives and friends of people on Flight No. 1203 are called to the chapel across the street. It’s really heartbreaking, but you’ll survive it. The real test of strength, however, is in the last stanza. It ALWAYS brings tears to my eyes. In the last stanza, he imagines himself up in Heaven, and meeting his ‘Ebony Eyes’ in the form of an angel. Just read the stanza, you’ll know why I’m stressing on it. The best catchphrase of the entire song: “And I knew the Heavenly Ebony skies, had taken my life’s most wonderful prize, my beautiful Ebony Eyes” (sniff). The song eventually ends at 03:02, leaving you in tears (of happiness, for the man’s optimism, and sadness for the suffering he encounters after the terrible incident). A winner all the way!

Lyrics For “Ebony Eyes”: http://artists.letssingit.com/everly-brothers-lyrics-ebony-eyes-kn7vdqc

Download Link For “Ebony Eyes”: http://www.greensville.net/StorageLocker/Music/_Oldies/Everly%20Brothers/The%20Very%20Best%20Of/Ebony%20Eyes.mp3 (Right Click on Link, Click “Save Link/Target As”)

“Ebony Eyes” is a single recorded by The Everly Brothers in 1960

Review Of: Hall & Oates – Maneater

Okay, so I’ve got to clear something up right now. Before writing this post, I was rummaging around on the internet searching for “Maneater” without the name of the artist, and VIOLA! No mention whatsoever of Hall & Oates. Instead, I get a search result pointing me to Nelly Furtado. I shrugged my shoulders and went for it – A mistake that would cost me 4 minutes of my precious life. The song was horrible! It wasn’t even *gestures with fingers to show minuscule size* THIS close to the original! Anyways, I closed it down and headed straight for the review, and here I am! So, let’s get started!

Hall & Oates [L-R]: Daryl Hall, John Oates

History: “Maneater” is a song produced by the ‘quite’ famous duo “Hall & Oates” (Daryl Hall & John Oates) for their 1982 album titled “H₂O“. The song went on to reach the Number One spot in the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts (December 18, 1992). It stayed on the ‘Numero Uno’ position for four weeks, surpassing their previous record of three, courtesy of Kiss on My List. There’s only one version of this song, viz. the Minute 25 Second album version.

Review: The song starts off with the lead instrument – The bass guitar. Oh, you’re pretty shocked, huh? Well, it’s the truth. The bass guitar is used as the main lead instrument. The secondary ones being the saxophone, the synthesizer and the acoustic guitar. Now that you know, let’s start again. The song starts off with the lead bass guitar, which meets a synthesizer effect (00:11) and finally meets with the saxophone at 00:27. I have to say, the saxophone and the bass guitar make an exceptional pair, and they have worked wonders for this song. The lead melody is extremely catchy. In fact, if you just listen to the instrumental version of this song (Hard to find off the internet) you’ll be tapping your toes to this tune all day. It’s an awkward composition – a mixture of Classic, Jazz, Blues and Pop. But the genres  seem to have matched perfectly, and given a brilliant output. Daryl initiates the vocals at 00:43, and I have to say, he has a terrific voice- Deep, smooth and crisp. His voice suits the background rhythm perfectly. The beats this song contains are on the faster side, but still seem to keep the momentum of the song at a slow pace. The first chorus starts at 01:27, the word ‘Maneater’ being heard for the first time. It loops twice, and goes in a brief instrumental interlude consisting of a couple of perky synthesizer effects. A couple of seconds later, the second stanza begins. The tempo of the song remains unchanged, which really adds to the effect it has on us. The song may seem to be on the slower side, but you can never get enough of it. For example, when I cycle, it’s my favorite song to listen to. The beats are fast, but the song is slow enough to keep you wanting more. The chorus starts for the second time at 02:15, and goes on till 02:36. The chorus does contain some quirky lyrics, “She’ll chew you up” being one of the most significant ones. That is, until you watch the Music Video of the song. And by God, it is hilarious! The lip sync is totally disastrous, and Daryl Hall’s onscreen phobia is more than noticeable. But hey, those were the 80′s. As long as there was music good enough to tap your toes to, anything could be forgiven. (And yes, I’ve kept the reason why “She’ll chew you up” a secret. Go watch the video for yourself and find out!) I have, as usual, provided a link for you. Getting back to the latter part of the chorus comes my favorite part – The sax solo. It starts at 02:43, and keeps your jaw hanging till 03:26. It takes you on a roller coaster ride from highs to mids, mids to lows and all over again. The chorus begins for the last time after a long “Ooooh” from John and it loops itself four times, Daryl adding some pieces of vocals in between, including that awesome “The Woman Is Wild, Oooh” part. The loop starts to fade, and the song gradually ends at 04:25.

 

Lyrics For “Maneater”: http://artists.letssingit.com/90210-lyrics-hall-and-oates-maneater-ogghckm#axzz2RxKykhzW

Download Link For “Maneater”: http://dave.ng.free.fr/Daryl%20Hall%20&%20john%20Oates%20(my%20best%20of)/10-Maneater(1982).mp3 (Right Click On Link, Click “Save Link/Target As”)

Link For “Maneater (Official Music video)”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYFKcMa_Ek

 

“Maneater” is a song from Hall & Oates’s 1982 album titled “H2O”

Review of: Chicago – If You Leave Me Now

FIRST OF ALL, I AM EXTREMELY SORRY FOR THE LATE POST!

Okay, before you people whip out your belts and start walking towards me, I need to clear up something. The reason I wasn’t active on my blog was because I had my final semester exams (which lasted over a month) and the fact that I had to fly to Denmark to meet my grandparents. So here I am, a month and a half later, starting my review session again! I’ve got a whole bunch of beautiful songs most of you probably mustn’t have heard about. Now, if you’ve all calmed down, I’d love to start straightaway!  

The first time I heard this song was in 2013, when I saw “Zero Dark Thirty“. (an exceptional film, by the way) The song plays in the car of the US military officials who try to imitate Saddam Hussein. As soon as I heard the music, I was enchanted. Such a buttery smooth voice, such delicate vocals, and oh such romantic lyrics. My instinct? Pause the movie, Google the song and download it! “If You Leave Me Now” is a brilliant piece of art in the form of music, courtesy Chicago. So, without any further ado, let’s begin!

Chicago [Random]: Howland, Pankow, Champlin, Parazaider, Imboden, Loughnane, Scheff

History: “If You Leave Me Now” is a song from the American Rock Group “Chicago“. This song is a part of their album titled “Chicago X.” (1976) The composition and the vocals are all credited to bass guitarist Peter Cetera. The song was released as a single in the US in July 1976, and it gained success in October, wherein it stayed on the top spot for two whole weeks. It ALSO peaked at Number 1 in the UK and stayed there for three weeks. By analyzing previous data on some reviews, I found that songs which got a good reputation in the US didn’t quite work out in the UK. Seeing that this song reached Number 1 in BOTH the nationalities is really astonishing. For the complete chart performance, click here. There is only one version of this song, viz. the 3 Minute 54 Second album version.

Review: The song starts off with a synthesizer piece, which is followed by the initiation of the  bass and the vocals at the same time (00:09). The vocals – boy oh boy. They just melt you from the inside. They have a different vibe to them – innocent, yet heartfelt. (especially that ‘Ooohoo Baby Please Don’t Go’ part) Well, interesting part is that the song starts off with the chorus itself! The chorus is looped again, only this time the lyrics are quite different. This ‘modified’ chorus goes on to blend with the first verse at 00:52. The pitch of the vocals is distinctively high during the verses, but nonetheless amazing. The tune of the song also changes drastically, but slowly merges with the original again. (from around 01:24) A short, but really well played acoustic guitar solo follows after the first verse, acting as the instrumental interlude. It’s amazing, really. Sometimes, all it takes for a song to click is the simplicity of it. All this song has is a dreamy vocal track, a soft rhythm, and a beautiful interlude. The song then takes a U-turn from 02:01 and repeats everything above in the reverse order – Change in tune, high pitched vocals, new verse, and finally blend to chorus from 02:44. The song actually ends after this chorus, but the duration is prolonged by adding small pieces of acoustic and synthesizer rifts (along with some vocals) after it. The song starts fading at 03:42, and ends at 03:54, leaving you wanting for more.

Rating: I heard this song in 2013, yet I’ve listened to it for almost a thousand times. I’m sure you’ll do the same once you listen to it.  A 10/10 for this Oldie masterpiece!

Audiophileparadise’s Tip: This song is best experienced while sipping a hot cup of mocha, while in the bathroom, or while relaxing/meditating.

Lyrics For “If You Leave Me Now” : http://artists.letssingit.com/chicago-lyrics-if-you-leave-me-now-mnqlp94#axzz2RQ3oPqkB

Download Link For ”If You Leave Me Now” : http://www.radiogeorge.com/variety/all-love-songs-1/Chicago-If%20You%20Leave%20Me%20Now.mp3 (Right Click on Link, Click “Save Link/Target As”)

 

“If You Leave Me Now” is a song from Chicago’s album titled “Chicago X”

 

Poll time!

So here’s a quick poll to help me decide which song I should review next time. Vote for your favorite song, people!

 

Review Of: Bruno Mars – Young Girls

Okay, okay. Your lower jaw has dropped to the ground. Kindly reposition it, it’s freaking me out. And yes, you heard right. I’m reviewing a song from 2013, and that too from Bruno Mars! But you know what? This song deserves it! It is an amazing song; in fact so amazing that 13 (Actually 12, with me excluded) of my friends have to listen to this song AT LEAST twice a day to stay sane. Yes, it’s THAT good. Okay, so without any further ado, let’s get to it!

Peter Gene Hernandez (a.k.a Bruno Mars)

History: This song is from 2013! What kind of ‘history’ do you expect? Sheesh. Okay, a little briefing. “Young Girls” is from Bruno Mars‘ 2013 Album titled “Unorthodox Jukebox“. It is written by Jeff Bhasker (NOT Indian!). It was released on November 6, 2012 (But hey, I listened to it in 2013!) This was the second single to be released after the chart topper “Locked Out Of Heaven” (Which, frankly, I hate). The song runs for a total of 3 Minutes and 49 Seconds. For chart performances, click here. [Source: Wikipedia]

What It Tries To Convey To Us: It’s really simple – It’s a ballad-type song which tell us how he (Or any boy) succumbs to the charms to young girls. That’s right. Paying for everything the girl shops, listening to the constant jibber – jabber about her failed relationships with boys she still finds cute, and OH; let’s not forget the ‘Do this, do that’ attitude. What does Charlie Sheen say to that? *thinks* Right! ‘Wrapped around her finger’! And let’s face it, it is an inevitable situation for all the boys, especially of this generation!

Review: The song is supported with an electronic device (A beatbox, I guess) which makes wah-wah effects. I don’t know. It’s some sort of synthesizer music you’d love to listen to in the crisp of the morning, accompanied with some quirky ‘warp’ like effects. Listen to the tune, you’ll get what I’m saying. The beats of this song are relatively on the high side. Bruno Mars kick starts the vocals at 00:14. I have to admit, the first four lines made little sense to me. The beats settle in (Along with the fifth line of the verse) at 00:30. The lyrics get much more sensible after that. The beats and the tune go dead at 00:54, suggesting the occurrence of the big fish – The chorus, which starts at 00:56. This chorus completely blew my mind! It’s got everything a Pop song should have – A good voice, steady beats, reasonable bass, echo effects and a magnificent rhythm. The chorus is pretty long, which stretches for about (1:28-00:56) 32 seconds. The second stanza follows suit immediately (01 :30). The end of the second stanza is somewhat odd, as Bruno tends to go a little off-tune. I don’t know if it’s deliberately done (Where’s auto-tune when you need it, huh?) or if it’s a genuine mistake. The beats and the tune go off again, and in comes the chorus at 02:12. This time, however, the beats in the chorus continue even after it ends, thus continuing the rhythm. During this interlude, Bruno adds this “ooh” effect, which really gets to you. The interlude goes on till 03:14, Bruno starting the chorus thereafter. Only this time, there aren’t any beats. There is a heavy layer of bass in the air, and I swear you can hear a low tone violin solo in the background, playing at a very high tempo. The beats (They’re slower in tempo this time) finally catch up with the rest of the chorus, and the song ends with the end of the chorus. Just like that – No gradual fades off’s, nothing; which is why it sounds like a fairy tale ending.

Rating: It’s probably the ONLY song of 2012-13 that I shall review. But this song latched on to my mind, and I couldn’t (And still can’t) shake it off. It’s a 9/10 for sure! Hats off to you, Bruno Mars!

 

Lyrics For “Young Girls” : http://artists.letssingit.com/bruno-mars-lyrics-young-girls-rv8qb7t

Download Link For “Young Girls” : http://www.jattji.com/upload_file/1/11058/11221/Bruno%20Mars%20-%20Young%20Girls[JATTJI.COM].mp3 (Right Click on link, click “Save Link/Target As”)

 

“Young Girls” is a song from Bruno Mars’ album titled “Unorthodox Jukebox”

Review Of: Haddaway – What Is Love

This song is probably the most addictive Pop song of the 90′s – Putting it out right here. This song still continues to blow my mind, for it is perfect to put on for a house party. The beats are amazing, and it is very fast paced. The lyrics – Well, to be frank, there are no such thing as ‘Stanzas’, for the majority of the song is covered by the chorus itself. But the tune and the rhythm move you; almost makes you want to drop everything and start dancing. Now that you’re in the mood, let’s get on with it!

Haddaway (Artist)

History: “What Is Love” is a single recorded by Pop artist Haddaway. The song was composed by Dee Dee Halligan (a.k.a Tony Hendrik/Dieter Lünstedt) and Junior Torello (a.k.a Karin Hartman-Eisenblätter). The song peaked at Number 2 in Germany and the United Kingdom, and also got the prestige of raking the Number 1 spot in over 13 other countries, including Asian. It is also the 75th ‘Most Selling Song Of All Time’ in Germany. “What Is Love” peaked at Number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and Number 12 in Australia. Other commendable positions are: Number 17 in Canada, Number 12 in Japan (Surprise, surprise!), Number 15 in Switzerland, and so on. For the complete list of Chart Performances, click here. The song has a lot of cover versions made out of it (As well as samplings.) For the complete list, click here. The song spans for 4 Minutes and 31 Seconds. [Source: Wikipedia]

What It Tries To Convey To Us: I will be very frank – The only message it conveys to us is that we should forget about the meaning of the song and dance to the awesome beat.

Review: The song starts off with with the chorus, but without the beats. When the bass and the rhythm kick in at 00:08, you feel the energy surge through you. The electronic interlude continues till 00:39, after which Haadaway starts the first (Ahem) stanza. As I said, the stanza’s are really short (About 2 lines) and 75% of the song is the chorus itself. But don’t worry, it doesn’t seem repetitive at all. Sure enough, the first full-fledged chorus begins at 00:54, followed by a feminine vocal interlude. The second stanza starts at 01:42, and (Sure enough), the chorus follows suit at 01:56 (Followed by the two interludes). Now, while reading this, you may be thinking that the song is monotonous. The fact is – Yes, it is. But, the bass and the rhythm is so catchy, you want to hear it over and over again. Trust me guys, this song is NOT even remotely monotonous. Okay, so the rhythm and the beats go completely dead at 02:44, leaving us with Haddaway and the chorus (If you have a vivid memory, you should be able to recall the starting of the song), which merges with the bass at 02:51. From there onwards, the song gets a tad different. The bass is quite heavy, and the rhythm is almost muted. Haddaway starts the third stanza at 03:08, followed by (Again, no surprises here) the chorus. This time, however, the female vocal interlude is placed BEFORE the electronic interlude. The chorus loops thereafter, and the song gradually fades off at 04:25 with a final “What Is Love” by Haddaway.

Oh, by the way, do check out the “What Is Love” Cover Version, performed by ’8 Floppy Disks’. Yes – 8 Floppy Disks. The rhythm of the song is reconstructed using the sounds a Floppy Disk makes (And there are 8 of them, who work simultaneously to produce the rhythm. The link is given below. Check it out. It’s pure genius!

And another word of warning – Do NOT check the music video of this song. I got nightmares seeing that thing! But just for your curious minds, I’ve added the link below.

Rating: I just finished the review, and I scrolled up to check for any typos. I don’t think I have ever used so many ‘choruses’ in one review! Anyways, it’s an amazing song, which compels you to dance to the beat. A straightforward 10/10! (Don’t miss the Cover Version by ’8 Floppy Disks’)

 

Lyrics For “What Is Love” : http://artists.letssingit.com/haddaway-lyrics-what-is-love-t6nv79h#axzz2KlgdLcuc

Download Link For “What Is Love” : http://home.samatix.ru/media/Music/Haddaway/1999%20-%20Greatest%20Hits/01%20-%20What%20Is%20Love%20(Original%207%20Mix).mp3 (Right Click on link, Click ‘Save Link/Target As’)

Youtube Video For “What Is Love (8 Floppy Disks Cover Version) MUST SEE : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk_XaJ7gE4Q

Youtube Video For “What Is Love” (Official Music Video) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVmbhYKDKfU

 

“What Is Love” is a club single by Haddaway

Review Of: Elton John – Sacrifice

Okay guys, here’s a song MANY of you know as ‘The soundtrack from Lion King’. That’s correct, “Sacrifice” by none other than Sir Elton John. A beautiful song, personally my Elton John favorite. There’s something about the song that completely captures your attention. I first heard this song in 1997, when I was 3 years old (Yes, I still remember it!) Anyways, statistics aside, I’d love to get started  with this masterpiece immediately. Let’s get to it!

Sir Elton John (Music Composer & Singer)

History: “Sacrifice” is a song produced (The music) and sung by Sir Elton John, for his album titled “Sleeping With The Past“. The song was released twice, once in 1989 (Original Release) and the second time in 1990. It didn’t do particularly well in the U.S, but it soared high on the U.K. and France Music Charts. The song is probably best known for the soundtrack of the movie “The Lion King (1994)”. The song was composed lyrically by Bernie Taupin. For chart performances, click here. There are two cover versions of “Sacrifice”, which you can check out here. There is only one version of this song – The Five Minutes and One Seconds Album Version. [Source: Wikipedia]

What It Tries To Convey To Us: The song tells us about how men cheat by instinct, be it married or not. The line “When The Scent Of Her Lingers” pretty much conveys the whole meaning. The song’s music video is based on the same theme (Thank God!) The link to the video will, as usual, be below. All right, all right. I’ll brief you about the video. The video portrays a married couple, who happen to have a daughter. Well, things get rough between them and the woman decides to call it quits. She leaves his life, and the man raises their daughter all by himself. What the video implies (According to me) is that the woman doesn’t understand the meaning of the word “Sacrifice”, and thinks of it as just a simple word.

Review: The song starts off with a steady beat, coupled with a beautiful melody and a few ‘twinkling stars’ effects provided by the synthesizer. Sir Elton John starts the vocals at 00:17, and BOY are they amazing! Even though I’ve never betrayed anyone, the song makes me feel guilty (Maybe it’s just me.) The first stanza describes the infatuations a married man has towards another woman (In the video, it’s exactly the opposite.) The pre-chorus begins at 00:52, followed by the main chorus at 01:10. I have to say, the chorus is pure genius. You can actually feel the emotions Sir Elton John is trying to convey through this song. There’s a short interlude after the chorus, and the second stanza picks up right after that. I don’t know why, but I never quite understood the meaning of the first two lines:

“Mutual misunderstanding after the fight,

Sensitivity builds a prison in the final act”.

Anyways, the pre-chorus begins again at 02:22, followed by (No guesses here) the chorus, which begins at 02:40. There’s a beautiful interlude after the chorus, which lasts for approximately 24 seconds, after which the pre-chorus and the main chorus are looped again. The interlude sounds really amazing; in fact, the background music of the song is astounding. The ‘twinkling stars’ effect that has been added to the song does wonders for it. The song’s final moments are when the line “No Sacrifice At All” is looped.

Rating: No need for ratings here. One of the top-grossing artists of all time, a musical mastermind, and a BRILLIANTLY executed song. 10/10. Simple. Hat’s off to you, Sir Elton John!

 

Lyrics for “Sacrifice” : http://artists.letssingit.com/elton-john-lyrics-sacrifice-z3csz4q#axzz2KOk5xsDA

Download link for “Sacrifice” : http://www.greensville.net/StorageLocker/Music/_Pop/EltonJohn/1989%20-%20Sleeping%20With%20The%20Past/07%20-%20Sacrifice.mp3 (Right Click on link, click “Save Link/Target As”)

Link for Music Video (Official Version) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrLkTZrPZA4

 

“Sacrifice” is a song from Sir Elton john’s album titled “Sleeping With The Past”