Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

This week’s theme is  “A song with a harmonica.”

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Some of my favorite movies are the Disney animated movies released from 1984 through 2007… when my children were growing up. With movies like The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty & the Beast, I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favorite, but none were viewed anymore than 1998’s Mulan.

An animated, comedic retelling of the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the movie included several songs. Walt Disney Records released a soundtrack shortly after the movie premiered. Two of the album’s tracks, Reflection and True to Your Heart, were released as singles.

Sang by boy band 98 Degrees and the legendary Stevie Wonder, True to Your Heart reached number 51 on the Adult Contemporary chart… and features Wonder on the harmonica.

FUN FACTS:

• Walt Disney’s Original Soundtrack from Mulan was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score but lost to Shakespeare in Love.
• The album peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 on July 18, 1998.
• The album also included vocalists Lea Salonga, Donny Osmond,  Jaz Coleman, and Christina Aguilera.

Take care, stay safe, and be well.

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for FeliciaDenise.com.

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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

This week’s theme is  “Acquire/Collect/Gather/Secure.”

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While I usually have more than a few options for SLS posts, Harvest for the World was my first and only choice for this week’s prompt.

However, I chose the cover by Vanessa Williams from her 2005 album, Everlasting Love, instead of the original by the Isley Brothers from their 1976 album of the same name.

The original version helped spur the album on to half a million copies sold in less than three weeks, making it one of the fastest selling albums in history. I prefer Vanessa’s more contemporary upbeat version… and I love her voice!

Sadly, the socially conscious song is still as relevant today as it was almost fifty years ago. The planet is a mess. Everyone is hurting and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Now, more than ever, we need a Harvest for the World.

FUN FACTS:

• Released in May of 1976, Harvest for the World was the fourteenth studio album for the Isley Brothers.
• Not released as a single, Vanessa’s cover still receives airplay on satellite radio.
• Except for the final track, Everlasting Love was a compilation of covers of popular soul songs from the 70s.

Two of the original members of the Isley Brothers Trio, Ronald – 79, and Rudolph – 81, survive and live is St Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois, respectively. Eldest brother, O’Kelly, suffered a fatal heart attack in 1986 at the age of 48.

57-year-old Williams lives with her third husband, businessman Jim Skrip, in Chappaqua, New York.

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for FeliciaDenise.com.

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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

All babies together
Everyone a seed
Half of us are satisfied
Half of us in need

Love's bountiful in us
Tarnished by our greed
Oh, when will there be
A harvest for the world

Yeah, yeah, yeah

A nation planted
So concerned with gain
As the seasons come and go
Greater grows the pain

And far too many
Feelin' the strain
Oh, when will there be
A harvest for the world

Yeah, yeah, oh, oh

When will there be
Gather every man
Gather every woman
Celebrate your lives
Give thanks for your children

Gather everyone (Gather everyone)
Gather all together (Gather all together)
Overlookin' none (Overlookin' none)
Hopin' life gets better for the world

Dress me up for battle
When all I want is peace
Those of us who pay the price
Come home with the least

And nation after nation
Turnin' into beasts
Oh, when will there be
A harvest for the world
For the world
For the world
For the world

When will there be a harvest
When will there be a harvest
When will there be a harvest
I wanna know right now
When will there be a harvest {Harvest for the world}
When will there be a harvest {Harvest for the world}
When will there be a harvest {Harvest for the world}
A harvest, a harvest for the world

Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

This week’s theme is  “Different/Same.”

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 The lead single and title track from Don Henley’s third solo studio album of the same name, The End of the Innocence was released in 1989. Henley co-wrote and co-produced the song with Bruce Hornsby, who also performed piano; both artists perform the song live in their respective concerts. Henley’s version peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his fifth solo top ten hit on the chart. The End of the Innocence also became his fourth number-one single on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.

Henley waxes poetic near the end of the song when he sings no matter how far we go or how fast we get there, we all have somewhere back there in the dust that same small town in each of us.

The official black and white music video for the song was directed by future film director David Fincher (Alien 3, Seven, Fight Club, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and earned Henley an MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video in 1990.

FUN FACTS:

• In the song lyrics, “this tired old man that we elected king” is a reference to US president Ronald Reagan. There are a lot of political overtones in the song, as Henley strongly opposed Reagan’s agenda. “Armchair warriors often fail” is a reference to former U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra Affair.
• Co-writer Bruce Hornsby had a US #1 hit with The Way It Is in 1986.
• When the Eagles broke up in 1980, Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey also launched solo careers. They all did fairly well, but Henley was the most successful. The Eagles re-formed in 1994 for their Hell Freezes Over tour.

Don Henley turned 73-years-old last week and currently lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Sharon, and their three children.

Everyone knows how the Eagles felt about YouTube, especially Henley, and their videos are far and few between, but I did find a live Henley performance of The End of the Innocence.

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for FeliciaDenise.com.

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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

This week’s theme is  “Baking/Bread/Cake/Pie/Picnic.”

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Here’s me…being ME! 😀

I chose a group whose name included one of this week’s prompts… Bread.

Originally recorded by Bread, If went all the way to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. It also spent three weeks at number one on the U.S. Easy Listening chart as well as at the top of the Canadian AC chart.

The band’s keyboardist, David Gates, wrote the song, saying, “I wrote that one night at the dining room table, after my kids and my wife had gone to bed. It took me about an hour and a half, with an extra verse left over. If you look at it, there’s a few bizarre lines in there, like ‘you and I would simply fly away’ – that’s kind of an unusual thought. When I was done, I said, ‘That’s the best song I’ve ever written and probably will be the best song I’ll ever write.’ For me it’s really held up over time, more than any of the others.”

FUN FACTS:

• In the U.S., Bread’s version of If was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when Prince hit No. 7 with “7.”
• The song has been recorded by dozens of artists in the last 49 years and charted for several. Even actor, Telly Savalas, recorded a mostly-spoken version which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in March 1975.
• After Bread disbanded in 1973, David Gates enjoyed a successful solo career with If as his signature song.

Just in case Boomers aren’t feeling old enough today, David Gates is 79-years-old and has remained married to high school sweetheart Jo Rita since 1959. Together they raised four children: three lawyers and a cardiothoracic surgeon. Gates, who studied the cattle ranching business while touring with Bread, purchased a 1,400-acre (570 ha) cattle ranch financed by royalties he earned during his time with the group. According to his Facebook page, he lives happily with his wife in Mount Vernon, Washington, enjoying his retirement. You’re welcome. 🙂

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for FeliciaDenise.com.

~~~

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

This week’s theme is  “Air/Earth/Fire/Water.”

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I’m sure I’m not the only one who went in this direction this week, but I chose a group with one of the prompt words in their name – Air Supply!

Lost in Love originally appeared on the group’s Life Support album in 1979, which was released in Australia. The group re-recorded the song for the album Lost In Love in 1980 and this version was released as a single in the US, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

FUN FACTS:

• Founding members Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell met on May 12, 1975 while performing in the Australian production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar.
• Lost in Love spent four weeks at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1980 and topped the Billboard adult contemporary chart for six weeks that same year.
• Although their music had some commercial success, Russell claimed, on a 1995 DVD, that he and Hitchcock were so poor that they checked the backs of hotel sofas for change so that they could buy bread to make toast.

There are two music videos for Lost in Love. One, an official video, has Air Supply singing on a blue background, while their entire band of additional personnel play their music for them. The other one has Air Supply singing live at a concert.

And you get to see them both!

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for FeliciaDenise.com.

~~~

Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

This week’s theme is  “Best/Better/Good/Great.”

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One of the things I love most about SLS is not just sharing great songs that match the weekly prompt, but also finding new artists and music! Many thanks to Amy at ailovemusic.net for last week’s Midas Hutch and Freeze, and Bee Halton at thebeewrites for Wiyaala and We Are Going and Village Sex! I’m following both artists on Spotify now! Also kudos to Irene at My Slice of Mexico for posting an additional video to show a closer look at a couple doing the traditional folk dance and tying a ribbon with their feet! 🙂 🙂

Known primarily as an award-winning jazz and scat singer, Dianne Reeves spent twelve weeks on Billboard Magazine’s R&B charts with Better Days, a moving recounting of experiences shared with her grandmother and how their relationship became a source of inner strength for Reeves.

“Better Days came out of work I had been doing with another songwriter, Tony Lorrich, who coauthored it with me,” she explained. “My grandmother had passed away and so had his mother, so the song is about both of them. And people have even said to me that [‘Better Days’] reminded them of another special relative, maybe an uncle or an aunt.”

FUN FACTS:

• Dianne Reeves was born into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and her cousin is composer/sing-songwriter/producer George Duke.
• She was a member of her high school band, and while performing at a convention in Chicago was noticed by trumpeter Clark Terry, who invited her to sing with him.
• Dianne studied classical voice at the University of Colorado and has won five Grammy Awards during her career.

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for FeliciaDenise.com.

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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.