Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April
29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra,
which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than six
decades.
Born in Washington,
D.C., Ellington was based in New York Cityfrom the mid-1920s onward and gained a national profile through his
orchestra's appearances at the Cotton
Clubin Harlem. In the 1930s, his orchestra toured
in Europe. Although widely considered a pivotal figure in the
history of jazz,
Ellington embraced the phrase "beyond category" as a liberating
principle and referred to his music as part of the more general category of
American Music.
Some of the jazz musicians who were members
of Ellington's orchestra, such as saxophonist Johnny Hodges,
are considered among the best players in the idiom. Ellington melded them into the
best-known orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Some members stayed with the
orchestra for several decades. A master at writing miniatures
for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote more than one
thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded
personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards.
He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, for example Juan Tizol's
"Caravan",
and "Perdido",
which brought a Spanish tingeto big band jazz. In the early 1940s, Ellington began a nearly
thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn,
whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed
many extended compositions, or suites, as well as additional short pieces.
Following an appearance at the Newport
Jazz Festivalin July 1956, Ellington and his
orchestra enjoyed a major revival and embarked on world tours. Ellington recorded for most
American record companies of his era, performed in and scored several films,
and composed a handful of stage musicals.
Ellington
was noted for his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and for his eloquence
and charisma. His reputation continued to rise after he died, and he
was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Awardfor music in 1999.
The melody of “I Let a Song Go Out of My
Heart” is one of Ellington’s most beguiling, and memorable. The fact that
Ellington had composed this song, made an arrangement of it for his band, and
actually recorded it before the opening of the spring 1938 Cotton Club Parade,
indicates to me that he was happy with what he had created.
HEY JUDE
THE BEATLES
SONGWRITERS: JOHN LENNON & PAUL MCCARTNEY
COUNTRY: U. K.
ALBUM: THE BEATLES
LABEL: APPLE RECORDS
GENRE: POP ROCK
YEAR: 1968
The Beatles were an English rockband formed in Liverpoolin 1960. The group, whose
best-known line-up comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrisonand Ringo Starr, are regarded as the most influential band of all
time. They were integral to the development of 1960s countercultureand popular music's recognition as an art form. Rooted
in skiffle,
beatand 1950s rock and roll, their sound incorporated
elements of classical musicand traditional popin innovative
ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from balladsand Indian musicto psychedeliaand hard rock. As pioneers in recording,
songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects
of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youthand sociocultural movements.
Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney,
the Beatles built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburgover three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffeplaying bass. The core trio of Lennon,
McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of
drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join
them in 1962. Manager Brian Epsteinmoulded them into a
professional act, and producer George Martinguided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their
domestic success after their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962. As their popularity grew into the
intense fan frenzy dubbed "Beatlemania",
the band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four", with Epstein, Martin
and other members of the band's entourage sometimes given the informal title of
"fifth Beatle".
By
early 1964, the Beatles were international stars, leading the "British Invasion"
of the United States pop market and breaking numerous sales records. They
soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night(1964). From 1965 onwards, they produced records of greater
complexity, including the albums Rubber Soul(1965), Revolver(1966) and Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band(1967),
and enjoyed further commercial success with The Beatles(also
known as "the White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road(1969).
In 1968, they founded Apple Corps, a multi-armed multimedia
corporation that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy.
After the group's break-upin 1970, all four members enjoyed success as solo artists. Lennon
was shot and killedin December 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in November 2001.
McCartney and
Starr remain musically active.
The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all
time, with estimated sales of 600 million units
worldwide. They are the best-selling act in the US, with
certified sales of 183 million units. They hold the record for most number-one
albums on the UK Albums Chart, most number-one hitson the Billboard Hot 100chart, and most
singles sold in the UK. The group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein 1988, and all four main members were inducted individually
between 1994 and 2015. In 2008, the group topped Billboard's
list of the all-time most successful artists on the Billboard Hot 100. The band
received seven Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, an Academy Award(for Best
Original Song Scorefor the 1970 film Let It Be)
and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards.
Timemagazine named them among the 20th
century's 100 most important people.
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English
rockband the Beatlesthat was released as a
non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartneyand credited to the Lennon–McCartneypartnership. The single was the Beatles' first release on their Applerecord label and one of the
"First Four" singles by Apple's roster of artists, marking the
label's public launch. "Hey Jude" was a number-one hit in many countries around
the world and became the year's top-selling single in the UK, the US, Australia
and Canada. Its nine-week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100tied the
all-time record in 1968 for the longest run at the top of the US charts. It has sold approximately eight
million copies and is frequently included on music critics' lists of the
greatest songs of all time.
The
writing and recording of "Hey Jude" coincided with a period of
upheaval in the Beatles. The balladevolved from "Hey Jules", a song McCartney wrote to
comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, after Lennon had left his wife
for the Japanese artist Yoko Ono. The lyrics espouse a positive outlook on a sad
situation, while also encouraging "Jude" to pursue his opportunities
to find love. After the fourth verse, the song shifts to a codafeaturing a "Na-na-na na"
refrain that lasts for over four minutes.
"Hey Jude" was the first Beatles
song to be recorded on eight-track recordingequipment. The sessions took place at Trident Studiosin central
London, midway through the recording of the group's self-titled double album(also known as the "White Album"), and led to an argument
between McCartney and George Harrisonover the song's guitar part. Ringo Starrlater
left the band only to return shortly before they filmed the promotional clip
for the single. The clip was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hoggand first aired on David Frost's UK
television show. Contrasting
with the problems afflicting the band, this performance captured the song's
theme of optimism and togetherness by featuring the studio audience joining the
Beatles as they sang the coda.
At over seven minutes in length, "Hey
Jude" was the longest single to top the British charts up to that time. Its
arrangement and extended coda encouraged many imitative works through to the
early 1970s. In 2013, Billboardmagazine named it the 10th "biggest" song of all time in
terms of chart success. McCartney has continued to perform "Hey Jude"
in concert since Lennon's death in 1980,
leading audiences in singing the coda. Julian Lennon and McCartney have each bid successfully at
auction for items of memorabilia related to the song's creation.
Hey, Jude, don't make
it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey, Jude, don't be
afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
And anytime you feel
the pain
Hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know
that it's a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a
little colder
Na na na na na na na
na
Hey, Jude, don't let
me down
You have found her now go and get her
Remember (hey, Jude) to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
So let it out and let
it in
Hey, Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that is just you?
Hey, Jude, you'll do!
The movement you need
is on your shoulder
Na na na na na na na
na
Hey, Jude, don't make
it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you'll begin to make it better (better, better, better, better,
better, oh!)
Na, na na na na na,
na na na, hey, Jude
Na, na na na na na,
na na na, hey, Jude.
DEMONS & RADIOACTIVE
IMAGINE DRAGONS
SONGWRITERS: BEN
MCKEE; A. GRANT; JOSH MOSSER; DAN REYNOLDS & WAYNE SERMON.
WHERE: LIVE
AT SZIGET FESTIVAL 2014
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: NIGHT VIGIONS
LABEL: KIDNAKORNER
GENRE: POP ROCK
YEAR: 2013
Imagine Dragons is an American pop rockband from Las Vegas, Nevada,
consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds,
lead guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure
with the release of their single "It's Time",
followed by their award-winning debut studio album Night Visions(2012), which resulted in the
chart-topping singles "Radioactive"
and "Demons".
Rolling Stonenamed
"Radioactive", which holds the record for most weeks charted on the Billboard
Hot 100, the "biggest rock hit of the
year". MTVcalled them "the year's biggest breakout band", and Billboardnamed them their "Breakthrough Band of 2013" and
"Biggest Band of 2017". and placed them at the top of their
"Year In Rock" rankings for 2013, 2017, and 2018. Imagine Dragons
topped the Billboard Year-End "Top Artists – Duo/Group" category in
2018.
The band's second studio álbum Smoke + Mirrors(2015) reached
number one in the US, Canada and the UK. The album was preceded by the top 40
single "I Bet My Life", and second and third
singles, "Gold"
and "Shots".
The band then embarked on a ten month long world tour,
which led to a brief hiatus in 2016, with occasional performances and
soundtrack contributions throughout the remainder of the year.
The band released their third studio album, Evolve(2017) which resulted in three chart-topping singles, "Believer",
"Thunder",
and "Whatever
It Takes", also making them the artist with the
most weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.
The album reached the top five in many countries.
After the Evolve World Tourwas completed, Imagine Dragons released their fourth studio album Origins,
on November 9, 2018. "Natural" and "Zero" were released as the first singles
off the album. Afterwards, "Machine" and "Bad Liar" were also released. A
previously released single titled "Born to Be Yours"
was included on a deluxe version of the album. While all four albums were
commercially successful, critical reception was mixed.
Imagine Dragons has won three American Music Awards,
nine Billboard Music Awards,
one Grammy Award, one MTV Video Music Awardand one World Music Award.
In May 2014, the band was nominated for fourteen Billboard Music Awards,
including Top Artist of the Year and a Milestone Award, which recognizes
innovation and creativity of artists across different genres. In April 2018,
the band was nominated eleven more times for Billboard Music Awards.
Imagine Dragons have sold 35 million RIAAcertified singles in the US and 20 million albums worldwide. They
were the most streamed group of 2018 on Spotifyand are the
first rock act to have two songs, "Believer"
and "Thunder"
to surpass one billion streams each.
Imagine Dragons have the top three rock songs
of the 2010s on the Billboard charts, "Believer",
"Thunder", and "Radioactive".
"Demons" is a song by American rockband Imagine Dragons. It was written by Imagine
Dragons and Alex da Kid, and produced by Alex da Kid.
The song appears on their major-label debut extended play,
Continued Silence, and also makes an
appearance on their debut studio album, Night Visions,
as the fourth track. "Demons" was solicited to American triple-Aradio stations on January 28, 2013 and to modern rockstations on April 1 and
serves as the album's overall fifth single and was released as the third single
from Night Visions in the United States, and was later released to contemporary hit radiostations on 17 September 2013 as an official single. The lyrics
portray the protagonist warning the significant other of his or her flaws.
The
song was a commercial success, becoming their second top ten single after
"Radioactive". It spent
twelve weeks in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100,
four of which were spent at its number six peak. It is Imagine Dragons' second
song to stay more than one year on the Hot 100(61 weeks). Within two years of its release, more than 4.1 million
copies were sold in the United States, making it the eighth most downloaded
song in rock history. It has also been a moderate commercial success worldwide,
charting in several countries. The song won a MuchMusic Video Awardfor International Video of the Year – Group(2014) and an iHeartRadio Music Awardfor Alternative Rock Song of the Year (2014).
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh
I'm waking up to ash
and dust
I wipe my brow and sweat my rust
I'm breathing in the chemicals
I'm breaking in,
shaping up
Then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Oh, oh
I'm waking up
I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new
age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm radioactive, radioactive
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm radioactive, radioactive
I raise my flag, and
dye my clothes
It's a revolution, I suppose
We're painted red to fit right in
Oh, oh
I'm breaking in,
shaping up
Then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Oh, oh
I'm waking up
I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new
age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm radioactive, radioactive
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm radioactive, radioactive
All systems go
The Sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones
Straight from inside
I'm waking up
I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new
age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm radioactive, radioactive
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I'm radioactive,
radioactive.
(I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS
CUTTING CREW
SONGWRITER: NICK VAN EEDE
COUNTRY: U. K.
WHERE: LIVE AT ROCKPALAST 2007
ALBUM: BROADCAST
LABEL: SIREN RECORDS
GENRE: ROCK AND ROLL
YEAR: 1986
Cutting Crew are an English rockband formed in London in 1985. They
are best remembered for their debut álbum Broadcastand hitsingles, "(I Just) Died in Your Arms",
"I've Been in Love Before",
"One for the Mockingbird", and "Everything But My Pride".
At the end of 2018, Cutting Crew had
announced, through their social networks, they had plans to release a new album
featuring "new songs and new versions of CC classics." Although they
did not have any new releases for 2019, a press release made by January of the
following year announced the release for their second official worldwide
compilation album titled Ransomed Healed Restored Forgiven, featuring nine
songs from their past catalogue reworked as orchestral renditions, as well as
other versions. Soon afterwards, the release date was announced on 27 March
2020 by Van Eede in a short video through the Cutting Crew official Facebookpage. On the same day, they released the lead single for this
project, an 8-track digital EP of their signature song "(I Just) Died in Your Arms",
which also received a physical release, as well as a brand new video for the
song uploaded on YouTube.
The album was released on 24 April 2020, through August Day label, on digital
platforms such as Spotifyand Apple Music. But due to logistics
limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic, its physical release was
delayed until 8 May 2020. Along with its other formats there is a limited box
edition containing 3 different CDs, as well as the physical CD edition of the
reworked (I Just) Died in Your Arms EP, and a postcard signed by Van
Eede himself. To promote the album, Van Eede spoke to several media outlets,
such as American Songwriterand Forbes.
This greatest hits album has since spanned a second single, the orchestral
version of the Broadcast single "One for the Mockingbird". On 5
August 2020, it was announced a vinyl limited
edition, with only 300 copies pressed, would be available for purchase solely
through DTC,
making this the first vinyl edition of one of the band's releases since The
Scattering. After Van Eede stated he had planned to do some concerts held in
England in 2021 to support the album, the band announced on 7 September 2020
they will be the opening act for Go West's
upcoming tour in 2021.
Broadcast is the debut studio album by
English rockband Cutting Crew. It was first released in the
United Kingdom on 22 November 1986, and was later released more widely,
including in the United States on 30 July 1987 with different packaging and
four remixedtracks ("Any Colour", "One for the Mockingbird",
"I've Been in Love Before"
and "(I Just) Died in Your Arms"),
all of which were released as singles. It was the first album to be released in
the US by Virgin Records' new American imprint, Virgin
Records America.
Broadcast was re-released by Cherry Red Recordson 24 May 2010, with bonus tracks including for the first time on CD"For the Longest Time",
the B-sideof "(I Just) Died In Your
Arms".
Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight
It must have been something you said
I just died in your arms tonight
I keep looking for
something I can't get
Broken hearts, they're all around me
And I don't see an easier way, to get out of this
Her diary sits by the bedside table
The curtains are closed, the cat's in the cradle
Who would have thought that a boy like me could come to this
Oh I, I just died in
your arms tonight
It must have been something you said
I just died in your arms tonight
Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight
It must have been some kind of kiss
I should have walked away
I should have walked away
Is there any just
cause for feeling like this?
On the surface I'm a name on a list
I try to be discreet, but then blow it again
I've lost and found it's my final mistake
She's loving by proxy, no give and all take
'Cause I've been thrilled to fantasy, one too many times
Oh I, I just died in
your arms tonight
It must have been something you said
I just died in your arms tonight
Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight
It must have been some kind of kiss
I should have walked away
I should have walked away
It was a long hot
night, she made it easy
She made it feel right
But now it's over, the moment has gone
I followed my hands to my head, I know I was wrong