ALWAYS SOMEWHERE

SCORPIONS

SONGWRITERS: KLAUS MEINE & RUDOLF SCHENKER

COUNTRY: GERMANY

ALBUM: LOVEDRIVE

LABEL: HARVEST

GENRE: HEAVY METAL

YEAR: 1978

 

          Scorpions are a German heavy metal band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band's inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal. The lineup from 1979 to 1992 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass), and Herman Rarebell (drums). The band's only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of Scorpions' studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1979, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016 respectively.

         During the mid-1970s, with guitarist Uli Jon Roth part of the line-up, the music of the Scorpions was defined as hard rock. After the departure of Roth in 1978 and short-lived reunion with Schenker's brother Michael, Matthias Jabs joined and, following the guidance of producer Dieter Dierks, the Scorpions changed their sound towards hard rock/heavy metal, mixed with rock power ballads. Throughout the 1980s the group received positive reviews and critical acclaim from music critics, and experienced commercial success with the albums Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting (1984), the live recording World Wide Live (1985), Savage Amusement (1988) and Best of Rockers 'n' Ballads (1989), which is their best-selling compilation album.

              Scorpions' eleventh studio álbum Crazy World (1990) was also well-received, and included the song "Wind of Change", a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It is one of the best-selling singles in the world with over fourteen million copies sold. Scorpions have sold over 110 million records in total. They have released 18 studio albums, 27 compilation albums and 74 singles. Six of their singles have reached number one on the charts in different countries. Their albums, singles, compilations and video releases have reached gold, platinum and multi-platinum status 200 times in different countries.

            Rolling Stone described the Scorpions as "the heroes of heavy metal", and MTV called them "Ambassadors of Rock". The band has influenced a number of acts such as Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Metallica, Megadeth, Testament, Skid Row, Cinderella, Doro, Helloween, Hanoi Rocks, and Yngwie Malmsteen. The Scorpions were ranked number 46 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock programme, with "Rock You Like a Hurricane" at number 18 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. "Still Loving You" ranked 22nd place among the greatest ballads. They have received prestigious awards such as three World Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Rock wall, and a presence in the permanent exhibition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, the group celebrated its 50th anniversary.

             Lovedrive is the sixth studio album by German band Scorpions, released in 1979. Considered by some critics to be the pinnacle of their career, Lovedrive was a major evolution of the band's sound, exhibiting their "classic style" that would be later developed over their next few albums. Lovedrive cemented the "Scorpions formula" of hard rock songs combined with melodic ballads. "Loving You Sunday Morning" was a hit in September 1978.

        Lovedrive was the band’s first album to be released by Harvest Records in Europe and Mercury Records in the United States and Canada following the band's departure from RCA. It proved to be a major commercial breakthrough, reaching Nº. 55 on the Billboard Top 200, which none of their previous five albums had dented at all. The RIAA certified the record as Gold on 28 May 1986, and the album also proved a breakthrough in the United Kingdom where it was the first Scorpions album to chart and peaked at No. 36.

            Lovedrive ranked Nº. 25 on IGN's 2007 list of the Top 25 metal albums.

Arrive at seven the place feels good

No time to call you today

Encore till eleven then Chinese food

Back to the hotel again

 

I call your number the line ain't free

I like to tell you: come to me

A night without you seems like a lost dream

Love I can't tell you how I feel

 

Always somewhere

Miss you where I've been

I'll be back to love you again

 

Always somewhere

Miss you where I've been

I'll be back to love you again

 

Another morning another place

The only day off is far away

But every city has seen me in the end

And brings me to you again

 

Always somewhere

Miss you where I've been

I'll be back to love you again.

THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORD

DAVID BOWIE

SONGWRITER: DAVID BOWIE

COUNTRY: U. K.

ALBUM: THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORD

LABEL: MERCURY

GENRE: HARD ROCK

YEAR: 1970

 

             David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie (/ˈboʊi/,UK also/ˈbəʊi/BOH-ee), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was a leading figure in the music industry and is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, with his music and stagecraft having a significant impact on popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the UK, he was awarded tem platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver, and released eleven number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone placed him among its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and named him the "Greatest Rock Star Ever" following his death in 2016.

            Born in Brixton, South London, Bowie developed an interest in music as a child. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and álbum The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the álbum Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth, directed by Nicolas Roeg, and released Station to Station. In 1977, he further confounded expectations with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.

          After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its álbum Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure", a 1981 collaboration with Queen. He reached his commercial peak in 1983 with Let's Dance; its title track topped both UK and US charts. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016). Blackstar won British Album of the Year at the 2017 Brit Awards and five Grammy Awards at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

          The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by English musician David Bowie. It was originally released by Mercury Records in the United States on 4 November 1970 and in the United Kingdom on 10 April 1971. The album was produced by Tony Visconti and recorded at Trident and Advision Studios in London during April and May 1970. It features the first appearances of guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick Woodmansey on a Bowie record, who would later become famous as members of the Spiders from Mars.

           Following the largely acoustic and folk rock sound of Bowie's previous 1969 self-titled album, The Man Who Sold the World marked a shift toward hard rock, with elements of blues rock. The lyrics are also darker than his previous releases, exploring themes of insanity, religion, technology and war. None of the songs from the album were released as oficial singles, although some tracks appeared as B-sides to singles between 1970 and 1973. Originally titled Metrobolist, a play on Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis, the title was changed at the last minute by Mercury without Bowie's consultation.

           The album was released with different cover artwork in the US and the UK. For the US release, the artwork was a cartoon-like drawing of a cowboy in front of a mental asylum. It was drawn by Michael J. Weller and based on an image of actor John Wayne. Bowie was unenthusiastic about the cover, so he enlisted Keith MacMillan to shoot an alternate cover. The final image, featuring Bowie wearing a blue dress designed by fashion designer Michael Fish, was used as the cover for the UK release. The Man Who Sold the World was reissued by RCA Records in 1972, featuring a black-and-white picture of Bowie's then-current character Ziggy Stardust on the sleeve, but reissues since 1990 have revived the original UK artwork.

        The Man Who Sold the World was originally better received by music critics in the US than in the UK. Nevertheless, it was a commercial failure in both countries; however, the 1972 reissue managed to chart in both the US and the UK. Retrospectively, the album has been praised by critics for the band's performance and the unsettling nature of its music and lyrics, with many considering the album to be the start of Bowie's "classic period". It has since been reissued multiple times and was remixed in 2020, under its original title Metrobolist, for its 50th anniversary.

We passed upon the stair

We spoke of was and when

Although I wasn't there

He said I was his friend

Which came as some surprise

I spoke into his eyes

I thought you died alone

A long long time ago

 

Oh no, not me

I never lost control

You're face to face

With the man who sold the world

 

I laughed and shook his hand

And made my way back home

I searched for form and land

For years and years I roamed

I gazed a gazeless stare

At all the millions here

We must have died alone

A long long time ago

 

Who knows? Not me

We never lost control

You're face to face

With the man who sold the world

 

Who knows? Not me

We never lost control

You're face to face

With the man who sold the world.

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

NIRVANA

SONGWRITERS: DAVE GROHL; KRIST NOVOSELIC & KURT COBAIN

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: NEVERMIND

LABEL: DGC

GENRE: GRUNGE

YEAR: 1991

 

      Nevermind is the second studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991 by DGC Records. Produced by Butch Vig, it was Nirvana's first release on the DGC label, and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Characterized by its polished and cleaner sound, the album was a departure from the band's rawer debut álbum Bleach. Nirvana recorded the album at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin in May and June 1991 and it was mastered on the afternoon of August 2 at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California.

            Frontman Kurt Cobain wrote a number of songs influenced by bands such as the Melvins, R.E.M., the Smithereens, and the Pixies. He fashioned chord sequences using power chords and combined pop hooks with dissonant guitar riffs. According to Cobain, he aimed for the album to sound like a fusion between pop acts like the Knack and the Bay City Rollers and heavier acts like Black Flag and Black Sabbath. While Nevermind is widely associated with grunge, the album features the acoustic ballad "Polly; the hard rock song "Stay Away"; and the cellist-incorporated "Something in the Way". The album cover, which shows a naked baby swimming with a U.S. dollar bill on a fishhook just out of his reach, is one of the most famous album covers in popular music.

        Nevermind became an unexpected critical and commercial success. In January 1992, it reached number one on the US Billboard 200; during this time it was selling approximately 300,000 copies a week. The lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, and its video was heavily rotated on MTV. Three other successful singles were produced: "Come as You Are", "Lithium", and "In Bloom". Nevermind was voted the best album of the year in Pazz & Jop critics' poll, while "Smells Like Teen Spirit" also topped the single of the year and video of the year polls.

             Nevermind was hugely significant for Gen Xers in the United States and United Kingdom, causing a resurgence in punk culture among teenagers and young adults of the time. In addition, it was responsible in part for bringing both grunge and alternative rock music to a mainstream audience and ending the dominance of hair metal. The album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In March 1999, it was certified Diamond by the RIAA. Among the most acclaimed albums in the history of music, in 2004 the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings.

Load up on guns, bring your friends

It's fun to lose and to pretend

She's over-bored and self-assured

Oh, no, I know a dirty word

 

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello

 

With the lights out, it's less dangerous

Here we are now, entertain us

I feel stupid and contagious

Here we are now, entertain us

A mulatto, an albino

A mosquito, my libido

Yeah, hey, yay

 

I'm worse at what I do best

And for this gift I feel blessed

Our little group has always been

And always will until the end

 

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello

 

With the lights out, it's less dangerous

Here we are now, entertain us

I feel stupid and contagious

Here we are now, entertain us

A mulatto, an albino

A mosquito, my libido

Yeah, hey, yay

 

And I forget just why I taste

Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile

I found it hard, it's hard to find

Well, whatever, nevermind

 

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello, how low

Hello, hello, hello

 

With the lights out, it's less dangerous

Here we are now, entertain us

I feel stupid and contagious

Here we are now, entertain us

A mulatto, an albino

A mosquito, my libido

A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial

A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial.

THE NEARNESS OF YOU

NORA JONES

SONGWRITERS: HOAGY CARMICHAEL & NED WASHINGTON

CONTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: BLUE NOTE NOW

LABEL: EMI RECORDS JAPAN

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 2013

 

       Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She has won multiple awards and has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000s decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.

         In 2002, Jones launched her solo music career with the release of Come Away with Me, which was a fusion of jazz with country, blues, folk and pop. It was certified diamond, selling over 27 million copies. The record earned Jones five Grammy Awards, including the Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Her subsequent studio albums—Feels Like Home, released in 2004, Not Too Late, released in 2007, and 2009's The Fall all gained platinum status, selling over a million copies each. They were also generally well received by critics. Jones's fifth studio album, Little Broken Hearts, was released on April 27, 2012; her sixth, Day Breaks, was released on October 7, 2016. Her seventh studio album, Pick Me Up Off the Floor, was released on June 12, 2020. Jones made her feature film debut as an actress in My Blueberry Nights, which was released in 2007 and was directed by Wong Kar-Wai.

         Jones is the daughter of Indian sitar master and composer Ravi Shankar and concert producer Sue Jones, and is the half-sister of fellow musicians Anoushka Shankar and Shubhendra Shankar.

           "The Nearness of You" is a popular song written in 1938 by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Ned Washington. The song debuted in the 1939 recording In the Mood by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle. 

It's not the pale moon that excites me

That thrills and delights me, oh no

It's just the nearness of you

 

It isn't your sweet conversation

That brings this sensation, oh no

It's just the nearness of you

 

When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me

All my wildest dreams came true

 

I need no soft lights to enchant me

If you'll only grant me the right

To hold you ever so tight

And to feel in the night the nearness of you.

INTO THE DARKNESS

CROSBY, STILLS & NASH

SONGWRITER: GRAHAM NASH

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: DAYLIGHT AGAIN

LABEL: ATLANTIC RECORDS

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1982

 

         Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, they are called Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). They are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies, often tumultuous interpersonal relationships, political activism, and lasting influence on American music and culture.

           CSN formed in 1968 shortly after Crosby, Stills and Nash performed together informally in July of that year, discovering they harmonized well. Crosby had been asked to leave The Byrds in late 1967, and Stills' band Buffalo Springfield had broken up in early 1968; Nash left his band The Hollies in December, and by early 1969 the trio had signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Their first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash, was released in May 1969, from which came two Top 40 hits, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "Marrakesh Express". In order to tour the album, the trio hired drummer Dallas Taylor and session bassist Greg Reeves, though they still needed a keyboardist; Ahmet Ertegun suggested Neil Young, who had played with Stills in Buffalo Springfield, and after some initial reluctance, the trio agreed, signing him on as a full member. The band, now named Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, started their tour, and played their second gig at Woodstock Festival in the early morning hours of August 18, 1969. The first album with Young, Déjà Vu, reached number one in several international charts in 1970, and remains their best selling album, going on to sell over 8 million copies with three hit singles. Four singles were released from the album including "Woodstock", "Teach Your Children", and "Our House". The group's second tour, which produced the live double álbum 4 Way Street(1971), was fraught with arguments between Young and Taylor, which resulted in Taylor being replaced by John Barbata, and tensions with Stills, which resulted in his being temporarily dismissed from the band. At the end of the tour the band split up. The group have since reunited several times, sometimes with and sometimes without Young, and have released eight studio and four live albums.

         Crosby, Stills & Nash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all three members were also inducted for their work in other groups (Crosby for the Byrds, Stills for Buffalo Springfield and Nash for the Hollies). Neil Young has also been inducted as a solo artist and as a member of Buffalo Springfield but not as a member of CSN. They have not made a group studio album since 1999's Looking Forward, and have been inactive as a performing unit since the end of 2015. Whether or not this break is permanent remains to be seen, as the group has often been inactive for years at a time.

           Daylight Again is the seventh album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their fourth studio album comprising original material. It peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the final time the band has made the top ten to date. Three singles were released from the album, all making the Billboard Hot 100: "Wasted on the Way" peaked at Nº. 9, "Southern Cross" at No. 18, and "Too Much Love to Hide" at Nº. 69. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA with sales of 1,850,000.

[Intro. (Electric Guitars)]

 

Into the darkness soon you'll be sinking

What are you doing? What can you be thinking

All of your friends have been trying to warn you

That some of your demons are dying to drag you

 

Away (Into the darkness) into the darkness

Into the darkness away

 

All of your life you've been making your payments

Alone on the phone with your business arrangements

No wonder no one could ever get near you

You're screaming too loud no one can hear you

 

I see you coming to the end of the day

And was it worth it? No one can say

I see your face it is ghostly pale

Into the sunset we are watching you sail

 

[Instrumental (Electric Guitar)]

 

Temperature's rising over the rainbow

What are you hiding? Afraid of your shadow

We have been trying, trying to find you

There's no use denying our love is behind you

Stay out of the darkness

Out of the darkness stay

 

[Ending (Electric Guitar)].

YOU STEPPED OUT OF A DREAM

JULIE LONDON

SONGWRITERS: KAHN GUS & BROWN NACIO HERB

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: JULIE… AT HOME

LABEL: LIBERTY RECORDS

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 1960

 

         Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty albums of pop and jazz standards between 1955 and 1969. Her recording of "Cry Me a River", a track she introduced on her debut album, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to her musical notice, London was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1974 for her portrayal of nurse Dixie McCall in the television series Emergency!.

       Born in Santa Rosa, California to vaudevillian parents, London was discovered while working as an elevator operator in downtown Los Angeles, and began her career as an actress. London's 35-year acting career began in film in 1944, and included roles as the female lead in numerous westerns, co-starring with Rock Hudson in The Fat Man (1951), with Robert Taylor and John Cassavetes in Saddle the Wind (1958), and opposite Robert Mitchum in The Wonderful Country (1959).

          In the mid-1950s, she signed a recording contract with the newly established Liberty Records, marking the beginning of her professional musical career. She released her final studio album in 1969, but achieved continuing success playing the female starring role of nurse Dixie McCall, in the television series Emergency! (1972–1979), in which she appeared opposite her real-life husband, Bobby Troup. The show was produced by her ex-husband, Jack Webb.

          A shy and introverted woman, London rarely granted interviews, and spent the remainder of her life out of the public sphere. In 1995, she suffered a stroke, which left her with permanent health problems. In 1999, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, but forewent treatment due to her already compromised physical state. She died of cardiac arrest the following year in Los Angeles, aged 74.

          Julie...At Home is an LP album by Julie London, released by Liberty Records under catalog number LRP-3152 as a monophonic recording in 1960, and later in stereo under catalog number LST-7152 the same year.

You stepped out of a dream

You are too wonderful to be what you seem

Could there be eyes like yours

Could there be lips like yours

Could there be smiles like yours

Honest and truly?

 

You stepped out of a cloud

I want to take you away, away from the crowd

And have you all to myself

Alone and apart out of a dream

Safe in my heart

 

You stepped out of a dream

You are too wonderful to be what you seem

Could there be eyes like yours

Could there be lips like yours

Could there be smiles like yours

Honest and truly?

 

You stepped out of a cloud

I want to take you away, away from the crowd

And have you all to myself

Alone and apart out of a dream

Safe in my heart.