CASTLES IN THE AIR

DON MCLEAN
SONGWRITER: DON MCLEAN
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: BELIEVERS
LABEL: MILLENNIUM
GENRE: COUNTRY
YEAR: 1981
 
      Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1971 hit song "American Pie", an 8.5-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early rock and roll generation.
          His other hit singles include "Vincent", "Dreidel", a rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying", a rendition of the Skyliners' "Since I Don't Have You", and "Wonderful Baby".
           His composition "And I Love You So" has been sung by Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, Glen Campbell, and others, and in 2000, Madonna had a hit with a rendition of "American Pie".
         In 2004, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In January 2018, BMI certified that "American Pie" and "Vincent" had reached five million and three million airplays respectively.
        "Castles in the Air" is a song by Don McLean. Originally recorded in 1970, it was his first American single release, preceding "American Pie". The original version of "Castles in the Air" was included on the Tapestry album. In February 1971, it was released as the first single from the album and reached Nº. 40 on the Billboard Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary chart. After the success of the "American Pie" single, "Castles in the Air" was included as the B-side to its follow-up, "Vincent", and received enough radio airplay to reach the Hot 100 chart as a "flip".
        In 1981, McLean re-recorded and re-released "Castles in the Air" The new version of the song, a slower ballad version compared with the more mid to uptempo version of the original, first appeared on his álbum Believers, and later replaced the original version on some copies of Tapestry. The new rendition was more successful, becoming a Top 40 hit in the US (No. 36 Billboard and Nº. 31 Cash Box), and reaching No. 11 in Australia. It was also a top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary charts of both the US (No. 7) and Canada (Nº. 2). "Castles in the Air" became McLean's final pop hit before his genre shift to country music in the mid-1980s
          The song describes a man who is unsatisfied with and weary of an urban lifestyle. Although native to the city, he decides to forsake not only his urban 'castle in the air' but also his love interest there. Because of his desire for and love of a country life, he decides to seek romance with a like-minded woman.
And if she asks you why you can tell her that I told you
That I'm tired of Castles in the Air
I've got a dream I want the world to share in castle walls
Just leave me to despair
 
Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky
A dream come true, I'll live there 'til I die
I'm asking you, to say my last goodbye
The love we knew, ain't worth another try
 
Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
Perhaps she'll understand if you tell it to her plain
 
Oh, but how can words express the feel of sunlight?
In the morning in the hills away from city strife
I need a country woman for my wife
I'm city born, but I love the country life
 
For I will not be part of her Cocktail-Generation Partner's Waltz
Devoid of all romance
The music plays and everyone must dance
I'm bowing out, I need a second chance
 
Save me from all the trouble and the pain
I know I'm weak but I can't face that girl again
Tell her the reasons why I can't remain
Perhaps she'll understand if you tell it to her plain
 
And if she asks you why you can tell her that I told you
That I'm tired of Castles in the Air
I've got a dream I want the world to share in castle walls
Just leave me to despair.

CHEEK CHEEK

BOSWELL SISTERS
SONGWRITER: IRVING BERLIN
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: THE BOSWELL SISTERS/COLLECTION, VOL. 5, 1933-1936
LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS
GENRE: JAZZ
YEAR: 1935
 
          The Boswell Sisters were a singing group of close harmony, formed by sisters Martha Boswell Lloyd (9 of June of 1905 - 2 of July of 1958), Connee Boswell (originally Connie, 3 of December of 1907 - 11 of October of 1976) and Helvetia "Vet" Boswell (20 of May of 1911 - 12 of November of 1988), known for intricate harmonies and rhythmic experimentation. They achieved national prominence in the United States in the 1930s.
            The sisters grew up in a middle class family at Camp Street, 3937, in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana. Marta and Connie were born in Kansas City, Missouri. Helvetia was born in Birmingham, Alabama. (Connee changed the way he wrote his name in the 1940s.) Born from a former vaudeville actor, Clyde "AC" Boswell, and his music-loving wife, Meldania, the sisters, along with his brother Clyde Jr. ("Clydie"), aged 14 - arrived in New Orleans as children in 1914. Martha, Connie, and Vet studied classical piano, cello, violin and guitar, respectively, under the tutelage of Professor Otto Finck, from Tulane University. They played their repertoire of classics in local recitals, often as a trio, but the jazz scene soon won them over, personally and professionally. "We were studying classical music... And we were being prepared for the stage and a concert tour across the United States, but the saxophone got us," Marta said in an interview in 1925 for the Shreveport Times.
            In addition to providing young Boswells with a classical and formal musical education, Meldania Boswell regularly took her children to see the great African American artists of the moment at the Lyrical Theater. There, young Connie heard Mamie Smith, whose "Crazy Blues" (1920), the first blues recorded by an African American, was a success. Connie would later emulate Smith's style on the Boswells 'first recording, "I'm Gonna Cry (Cryin' Blues)," before defining her own vocal style. In interviews, the sisters reported that they were walking around New Orleans in search of new and interesting sounds, which were often found outside African American churches and bars.
Heaven, I'm in heaven
My heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancin' cheek to cheek!
 
Heaven, I'm in heaven
The cares that hung around me through the week
Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak
When we're out together dancin' cheek to cheek!
 
Oh I love to climb a mountain
And to reach the highest peak
But it doesn't thrill me half as much
As dancin' cheek to cheek
 
Dance with me
I want my arm about you
That charm about you
Will carry me through to...
 
Heaven, I'm in heaven
My heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancin' cheek to cheek!
 
Oh, darlin' I'm in heaven when I'm out with you
I'm in heaven when I'm dancin' with you
My heart beats so that I can't speak
When we're out together dancin' cheek to cheek!
 
Oh, darlin' I'm in heaven when you're by my side
When we're out together I'm so satisfied
Blues disappear like a gambler's streak
When we're out together dancin' cheek to cheek!
 
I love to climb a mountain and reach the peak
It doesn't thrill me like dancin' cheek to cheek
 
Heaven, I'm in heaven
My heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When we're out together dancin' cheek to cheek!

CLOUDY

SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
SONGWRITERS: PAUL SIMON & BRUCE WOODLEY
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME
LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS
GENRE: FOLK ROCK
YEAR: 1965
 
             Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk-rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including "The Sound of Silence" (1965), "Mrs. Robinson" (1968), "The Boxer" (1969), and "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970)—reached number one on singles charts worldwide.
            Simon and Garfunkel met in elementary school in Queens, New York, in 1953, where they learned to harmonize together and began writing material. By 1957, under the name Tom & Jerry, the teenagers had their first minor success with "Hey Schoolgirl", a song imitating their idols the Everly Brothers. In 1963, aware of a growing public interest in folk music, they regrouped and were signed to Columbia Records as Simon & Garfunkel. Their debut, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., sold poorly, and they once again disbanded; Simon returned to a solo career, this time in England. In June 1965, a new version of "The Sound of Silence" overdubbed with electric guitar and drums became a major U.S. AM radio hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The duo reunited to release a second studio album, Sounds of Silence, and tour colleges nationwide. On their third release, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), the duo assumed more creative control. Their music was featured in the 1967 film The Graduate, giving them further exposure. Their next álbum Bookends (1968) topped the Billboard 200 chart and included the number-one single "Mrs. Robinson" from the film.
        The duo's often rocky relationship led to artistic disagreements and their breakup in 1970. Their final studio album, Bridge over Troubled Water, was released that year and became their most successful, becoming one of the world's best-selling albums. After their breakup, Simon released a number of acclaimed albums, including 1986's Graceland. Garfunkel released solo hits such as "All I Know" and briefly pursued an acting career, with leading roles in two Mike Nichols films, Catch-22 and Carnal Knowledge, and in Nicolas Roeg's 1980 Bad Timing. The duo have reunited several times, most famously in 1981 for The Concert in Central Park, which attracted more than 500,000 people, one of the largest concert attendances in history.
             Simon & Garfunkel won 10 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Rolling Stone ranked them number 3 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. Richie Unterberger described them as "the most successful folk-rock duo of the 1960s" and one of the most popular artists from the decade. They are among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 100 million records. Bridge over Troubled Water is ranked at number 172 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
            "Cloudy" is a song by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their third studio album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966). It was co-written by Paul Simon and Bruce Woodley of the Seekers; that band later covered it on their 1967 album Seekers Seen in Green. The Cyrkle released a version of the song on their 1966 debut album, Red Rubber Ball. The title track, Red Rubber Ball, was also written by the duo of Woodley/Simon.

Cloudy
The sky is gray and white and cloudy,
Sometimes I think it's hanging down on me.
And it's a hitchhike a hundred miles.
I'm a rag-a-muffin child.
Pointed finger-painted smile.
I left my shadow waiting down the road for me a while.
 
Cloudy
My thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy,
They have no borders, no boundaries.
They echo and they swell
From Tolstoy to Tinker Bell.
Down from Berkeley to Carmel.
Got some pictures in my pocket and a lot of time to kill.
 
Hey Sunshine
I haven't seen you in a long time.
Why don't you show your face and bend my mind?
These clouds stick to the sky
Like floating questions, why?
And they linger there to die.
They don't know where they are going, and, my friend, neither do I.
 
Cloudy,
Cloudy.

WALK AWAY

BEN HARPER
SONGWRITER: BEN HARPER
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: WELCOME TO THE CRUEL WORLD
LABEL: VIRGIN RECORDS
GENRE: FOLK
YEAR: 1994
 
             Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances, and activism. He has released twelve regular studio albums, mostly through Virgin Records and has toured internationally.
           Harper is a three-time Grammy Award winner and seven-time nominee, with awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2004 and Best Blues Album in 2013.
       At the 40th Blues Music Awards ceremony, Harper's joint composition with Charlie Musselwhite, "No Mercy In This Land," was named Song of the Year.
Welcome to the Cruel World is Ben Harper's debut album from Virgin Records. Released in 1994, the album established Harper as a popular folk musician in the California area. After this release, Harper went on to add a permanent backing band, the Innocent Criminals, although they remained unnamed until the Burn to Shine album.
Oh no
Here comes that sun again
That means another day
Without you my friend
 
And it hurts me
To look into the mirror at myself
And it hurts even more
To have to be with somebody else
And it's so hard to do
And so easy to say
But sometimes
Sometimes you just have to walk away
Walk away
 
With so many people
To love in my life
Why do I worry
About one
 
But you put the happy
In my ness
You put the good times
Into my fun
And it's so hard to do
And so easy to say
But sometimes
Sometimes you just have to walk away
Walk away
And head for the door
 
We've tried the goodbye
So many days
We walk in the same direction
So that we could never stray
They say if you love somebody
Then you have got to set them free
But I would rather be locked to you
Than live in this pain and misery
 
They say time will
Make all this go away
But it's time that has taken my tomorrows
And turned them into yesterdays
And once again that rising sun
Is droppin' on down
And once again you my friend
Are nowhere to be found
And it's so hard to do
And so easy to say
But sometimes
Sometimes you just have to walk away
Walk away
And head for the door
You just walk away
Walk away.

WHEN IT HURTS SO BAD

LAURYN HILL
SONGWRITER: LAURYN HILL
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL
LABEL: RHFFHOUSE RECORDS
GENRE: SOUL
YEAR: 1998
 
           Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential singers of her generation. Hill is widely credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rapping and for bringing Hip hop and Neo soul to popular music. She is known for being a member of Fugees and her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which won many awards, and became one of the best-selling albums of all-time.
            Raised mostly in South Orange, New Jersey, Hill began singing with her music-oriented family during her childhood. She appeared in the 1993 film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit alongside Whoopi Goldberg. In high school, Hill was approached by Pras Michel for a band he started, which his cousin Wyclef Jean soon joined. They renamed themselves the Fugees and released the albums Blunted on Reality (1994) and the Grammy Award–winning The Score (1996), which sold six million copies in the U.S. Hill rose to prominence for her African-American and Caribbean music influences on her rapping and singing as well as her performance on the Fugees version of "Killing Me Softly". She began to focus on solo projects, writing and producing "A Rose Is Still a Rose" by Aretha Franklin, then featuring on the Grammy Award-nominated songs "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" by Nas and Guantanamera by Wyclef Jean. Her tumultuous romantic relationship with Jean led to the split of the band in 1997, after which she began work on her solo album.
             The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) remains Hill's sole solo studio album. It received widespread critical acclaim for showcasing a representation of life and relationships and locating a contemporary voice within the neo soul genre. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and has sold approximately ten million copies there, being certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. This included the singles "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor", and "Everything Is Everything". At the 41st Grammy Awards, the record earned her five awards, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. During this time, she won several other awards and became a common sight on the cover of magazines.
            Soon afterward, Hill dropped out of the public eye, dissatisfied with the music industry and suffering from the pressures of fame. Her last full-length recording, the new-material live álbum MTV Unplugged Nº. 2.0 (2002), sold approximately one million copies in the U.S. and sharply divided critics upon its release, but has received retrospective praise. Hill's subsequent activity, which includes the release of a few songs and occasional festival appearances, has been sporadic. Her music and public statements have become critical of pop culture and societal institutions. Hill has six children, five of them with Rohan Marley. In 2012, she pleaded guilty to tax evasion and served a three-month prison sentence the following year.
           The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by American singer and rapper Lauryn Hill. It was released on August 25, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a neo soul and R&B album with some songs based in hip hop soul and reggae. Its lyrics touch upon Hill's pregnancy and the turmoil within her former group the Fugees, along with themes of love and God. The album's title was inspired by the film and autobiographical novel The Education of Sonny Carson, and Carter G. Woodson's The Mis-Education of the Negro.
           After touring with the Fugees, Hill became involved in a romantic relationship with Jamaican entrepreneur Rohan Marley, and shortly after, became pregnant with their child. This pregnancy, as well as other circumstances in her life, inspired Hill to make a solo album. Recording sessions for the album took place from late 1997 to June 1998 mainly at Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, as Hill collaborated with a group of musicians known as New Ark in writing and producing the songs.
       The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 422,624 copies in its first week, which broke a record for first-week sales by a female artist. It was promoted with three hit singles: "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Ex-Factor", and "Everything Is Everything". "Doo Wop (That Thing)", the lead single, peaked at number one in the US, with the latter two singles peaking within the top 40. To further promote the album, Hill made televised performances on Saturday Night Live and the Billboard Music Awards before embarking on a sold-out, worldwide concert tour.
              Critics generally praised The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for Hill's presentation of a woman's view on life and love, along with her artistic range. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill earned 10 nominations, winning five awards, making Hill the first woman to receive that many nominations and awards in one night. The album's success propelled Hill to international superstardom, and contributed to bringing hip hop and neo soul to the forefront of popular music. New Ark, however, felt Hill and her record label did not properly credit the group on the album; a lawsuit filed by the group was settled out of court in 2001.
               Since its release, the record has been ranked in numerous best-album lists, with a number of critics regarding it as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2015, it was included by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry. In 2021, the album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, for estimated sales of 10 million copies in the US, becoming the first female hip hop album to do so, while the album has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all-time, and the best-selling neo soul album of all time. It remains Hill's only studio album.
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
Why's it feel so good?
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
Why's it feel so good?
 
I loved real, real hard once
But the love wasn't returned
Found out the man I'd die for
He wasn't even concerned
I tried, and I tried, and I tried
To keep him in my life
I cried and I cried, and I cried
But I couldn't make it right
But I, I loved the young man
And if you've ever been in love
Then you'd understand
 
What you want might make you cry
What you need might pass you by
If you don't catch it
If you don't catch it
And what you need ironically
Will turn out what you want to be
If you just let it
If you just let it
 
See, I thought this feeling
It was all that I had
But how could this be love
And make me feel so bad?
Gave up my power
I existed for you
But whoever knew the voodoo you'd do?
But I, I loved the young man
And if you've ever been in love you'd understand
What you want might make you cry
What you need might pass you by
If you don't catch it
And what you need irconically
Will turn out what you want to be
If you just let it
What you want might make you cry
What you need might pass you by
If you don't catch it
And what you need ironically
Will turn out what you want to be
If you just let it
If you just let it
 
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
Why's it feel so good?
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
 
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
Why's it feel so good?
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad
When it hurts so bad, when it hurts so bad.

LA DIABLA

ROMEO SANTOS
COMPOSITOR: ROMEO SANTOS
PAIS: DOMINICANO x U. S. A.
ÁLBUM: FORMULA, VOL. 1
DISCOGRÁFICA: SONY MUSIC LATIN
GÉNERO: BACHATA
AÑO: 2011
 
              Anthony Santos (Bronx, Nueva York, 21 de julio de 1981), conocido por su nombre artístico Romeo Santos, es un cantautor, compositor y actor estadounidense. Es considerado en la mayor parte de América como El Rey de la Bachata por ser el líder, vocalista y compositor principal de la agrupación Aventura.
            Como miembro de Aventura, Santos ha sido una figura clave en la popularización de la bachata a nivel internacional, llevando temas al top de las listas de Billboard Latino y a listas de Europa. Tras varios discos con la agrupación Aventura, Romeo anunció su separación de la agrupación para lanzarse como solista en abril de 2011. Como solista ha lanzado 4 álbumes de estudio: Fórmula, vol. 1 (2011), Fórmula, vol. 2 (2014), Golden (2017), Utopía (2019).
             Fórmula, Vol. 1 es el nombre del álbum debut de estudio en solitario grabado por el cantautor dominicano-estadounidense Romeo Santos, Fue lanzado al mercado bajo el sello discográfico Sony Music Latin el 8 de noviembre de 2011. Es el primer disco como solista de Santos tras la separación del grupo de bachata Aventura, del cual era el cantante principal. La producción contiene quince canciones, la mayoría de las cuales fueron compuestas por Santos y coproducida con Ivan Chevere. El álbum experimenta con el sonido de la bachata y otros géneros como el R&B y flamenco. Cuenta con la colaboración de varios artistas angloparlantes e hispanohablantes incluyendo a Usher, Tomatito, Mario Domm y Lil Wayne. La grabación del disco tuvo lugar en 2011 en The Castle, Fight Klub y EMG Studios en la ciudad de Nueva York. También fue publicado una edición de lujo del álbum exclusivamente en las tiendas de Walmart en los Estados Unidos, que contiene cinco temas extras.
              En los Estados Unidos, Fórmula, Vol. 1 alcanzó la cima del Billboard Top Latin Albums y Billboard Tropical Albums, y fue el álbum latino más vendido de 2012. Fue certificado tres veces platino (campo latino) por la Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) por el envío de 300.000 copias y la venta de 328.000 unidades en los Estados Unidos en febrero de 2014. Se colocó en el número trece, veintiséis, y setenta y siete en las listas de álbumes de Argentina, México, y España respectivamente.
          Santos promocionó el álbum con una gira por los Estados Unidos, Latinoamérica y Europa. Fue generalmente bien recibida por los críticos, que elogiaron la producción de las pistas de bachata aunque algunos de los duetos—incluyendo aquellos con Mario Domm y Mala Rodríguez—fueron criticados como intentos evidentes para apelar fuera de la audiencia bachata. El disco ganó varios reconocimientos para Santos, incluyendo una nominación al Grammy, tres Billboard Latin Music Awards, un Billboard Music award, una nominación a los premios Lo Nuestro, premios Juventud y un Soberano Award. Seis sencillos fueron lanzados, cuatro de los cuales, «You», «Promise», «Mi santa» y «La diabla», alcanzaron el primer lugar del Billboard Hot Latin Songs en los Estados Unidos.
      
Are you ready to play, oh yeah
Aposte los sentimientos y jugué a fuego lento con amor
Me enfrente a la competencia olvidando su indolencia
Hay fue mi error
Por complejo de quijote fui llevando este derroche de mal a peor
Ni el de la ruleta rusa mí rival que es tan astuta
Así se aprovecho
Y como ven no soy un ángel con buena intuición
Me lance a quema ropa y ella me venció
 
Perdí, jugué con una diabla
Que es experta en esos juegos del amor y perdí
Sus fichas y barajas no les fallan
Mas no tiene compasión
Perdí, no fui el primero ni ultimo que pierde, y si ella retornara
Y se conmueve la reto a otro duelo
Y en la revancha vuelvo y pierdo el corazón.
 
Escucha las palabras de Romeo
The king stay, kings yes sir
Llora y como ven no soy un ángel con buena intuición
Me lance a quema ropa y ella me venció
 
Perdí
Jugué con una diabla que es experta
En esos juegos del amor y perdí
Sus fichas y barajas no les fallan
Mas no tiene compasión
Perdí
No fui el primero ni ultimo que pierde, y si ella retornara
Y se conmueve la reto a otro duelo
Y en la revancha vuelvo y pierdo el corazón
 
Perdí, jugué con una diabla que es experta
En esos juegos del amor y perdí
Sus fichas y barajas
No les fallan mas no tiene compasión
Perdí, no fui el primero ni ultimo que pierde
Y si ella retornara y se conmueve la reto
A otro duelo y en la revancha vuelvo y pierdo el corazón
En la revancha you lose.