LOVE STORY

TAYLOR SWIFT

SONGWRITER: TAYLOR SWIFT

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: FEARLESS

LABEL: BIG MACHINE RECORDS

GENRE: COUNTRY POP

YEAR: 2008

 

           "Love Story" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on September 15, 2008, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless(2008). Produced by Swift and Nathan Chapman, the song was inspired by a love interest of Swift who was unpopular to her family and friends. Swift based the song's narrative on the plot of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet(1597), as told from the perspective of Juliet, but replaced the play's tragic conclusion with a happy ending. Musically, "Love Story" is a midtempo country pop song featuring soprano vocals and a slow-building melody.

          The song received widespread critical praise with many complimenting Swift's writing style and the song's catchiness. The single peaked atop the chart in Australia, where it was certified ten times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It reached the top five on charts in Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, and the U.K., and was one of the best-selling singles of 2009 worldwide. In the U.S., "Love Story" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified eight times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). A success on pop radio, "Love Story" was the first country song to top the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. It has sold over six million copies in the U.S., and over eight million copies worldwide.

            The accompanying music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy. The video is a period piece that drew influences from the Medieval, Renaissance, and British Regency eras. It follows Swift and model Justin Gaston as they meet in a university campus and imagine themselves in a prior era. "Love Story" was included in the set lists of all of Swift's headlining tours: the Fearless Tour (2009–2010), the Speak Now World Tour (2011–2012), the Red Tour(2013–2014), the 1989 World Tour(2015) and the Reputation Stadium Tour(2018).

       The re-recording of the song, "Love Story (Taylor's Version)", was released on February 12, 2021. Critics praised it for its crisper production, nostalgic emotion, and Swift's matured vocals. The song topped the Hot Country Songs chart, making Swift the second artist after Dolly Parton to reach number one on the Hot Country Songs with both the original and re-recorded versions of a song.

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes and the flashback starts

I'm standin' there

On a balcony in summer air

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

See you make your way through the crowd

And say, "Hello"

Little did I know

 

That you were Romeo, you were throwin' pebbles

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

And I was cryin' on the staircase

Beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said

 

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

 

So I sneak out to the garden to see you

We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew

So close your eyes

Escape this town for a little while, oh oh

 

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter

And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"

But you were everything to me

I was beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said

 

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to feel

This love is difficult, but it's real

Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Oh, oh

 

I got tired of waiting

Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around

My faith in you was fading

When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

 

Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone

I keep waiting for you, but you never come

Is this in my head? I don't know what to think

He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said, "Marry me, Juliet

You'll never have to be alone

I love you and that's all I really know

I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress

It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"

Oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you.

DON’T KNOW WAY

NORAH JONES

SONGWRITER: JESSE HARRIS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: COME AWAY WITH ME

LABEL: BLUE NOTE RECORDS

GENRE: JAZZ-POP

YEAR: 2002

 

          "Don't Know Why" is a song written and composed by Jesse Harris that originally appeared on his 1999 album, Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos. A cover of the song was the debut single of American singer Norah Jones from her debut studio album, Come Away with Me(2002).

          Jones' version of "Don't Know Why" was released on January 28, 2002, peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a critical success. The single went on to win three Grammy Awards in 2003 for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It remains Jones's biggest hit single in the United States to date, and her only one to reach the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. "Don't Know Why" was also a modest hit abroad, reaching number five in Australia, number 24 in New Zealand, and number 59 in the United Kingdom. The song was ranked number 459 in Blender magazine's "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".

Jones' piano-playing has been compared to that of Floyd Cramer, having a "style and grace, a musical maturity not found in many keyboard players today."

I waited 'til I saw the sun

I don't know why I didn't come

I left you by the house of fun

Don't know why I didn't come

Don't know why I didn't come

 

When I saw the break of day

I wished that I could fly away

Instead of kneeling in the sand

Catching tear-drops in my hand

 

My heart is drenched in wine

But you'll be on my mind forever

 

Out across the endless sea

I would die in ecstasy

But I'll be a bag of bones

Driving down the road alone

 

My heart is drenched in wine

But you'll be on my mind forever

 

Something has to make you run

I don't know why I didn't come

I feel as empty as a drum

I don't know why I didn't come

Don't know why I didn't come

I don't know why I didn't come.

MORNING HAS BROKEN

CAT STEVENS

SONGWRITERS: CAT STEVENS & ELEANOR FARJEEN

COUNTRY: U. K.

ALBUM: TEASER AND THE FIRECAT

LABEL: A & M RECORDS

GENRE: FOLK ROCK

YEAR: 1971

 

       Yusuf Islam(born Steven Demetre Georgiou; 21 July 1948), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf/Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in his career, Islamic music. He returned to making secular music in 2006. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

          His 1967 debut album and its title song "Matthew and Son" both reached top ten in the UK charts. Stevens' albums Tea for the Tillerman(1970) and Teaser and the Firecat(1971) were certified triple platinum in the US. His 1972 album Catch Bull at Four went to Nº 1 on Billboard Pop Albums and spent weeks at the top of several major charts. He earned ASCAP songwriting awards in 2005 and 2006 for "The First Cut Is the Deepest", which has been a hit for four artists. His other hit songs include "Father and Son", "Wild World", "Moonshadow", "Peace Train", and "Morning Has Broken".

          In December 1977, Stevens converted to Islam and adopted the name Yusuf Islam the following year. In 1979, he auctioned all of his guitars for charity, and left his musical career to devote himself to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community. He has since bought back at least one of these guitars as a result of the efforts of his son Yoriyos. He was embroiled in a long-running controversy regarding comments he made in 1989 about the death fatwa on author Salman Rushdie. His current stance is that he never supported the fatwa: "I was cleverly framed by certain questions. I never supported the fatwa." He has received two honorary doctorates and awards for promoting peace as well as other humanitarian awards.

         In 2006, he returned to pop music by releasing his first new studio album of new pop songs in 28 years, entitled An Other Cup. With that release and subsequent ones, he dropped the surname "Islam" from the album cover art – using the stage name Yusuf as a mononym. In 2009, he released the album Roadsinger and, in 2014, he released the album Tell 'Em I'm Gone and began his first US tour since 1978. His second North American tour since his resurgence, featuring 12 shows in intimate venues, ran from 12 September to 7 October 2016. In 2017, he released the album The Laughing Apple, now using the stage name Yusuf/Cat Stevens, using the Cat Stevens name for the first time in 39 years. In September 2020, he released Tea for the Tillerman 2, a reimagining of his classic album Tea for the Tillerman to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

         Teaser and the Firecat is the fifth studio album by Cat Stevens, released in October 1971.

       At the Australian 1972 King of Pop Awards the album won Biggest Selling L.P.

          English keyboardist Rick Wakeman played piano on a song, "Morning Has Broken." Linda Lewis also contributed female vocals on "How Can I Tell You".

Morning has broken like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the world

 

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven

Like the first dewfall on the first grass

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden

Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

 

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day

 

Morning has broken like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the world.

BE THE RAIN

NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE

SONGWRITER: NEIL YOUNG

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: GREENDALE

LABEL: WARNER BROS

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 2003

 

           Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, and activist. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and others. Since the beginning of his solo career with his backing band Crazy Horse, Young has released many critically acclaimed and important albums, such as After the Gold Rush, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, and Harvest.

         Young has received several Grammy and Juno Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. In 2000, Rolling Stone named Young #34 on their list of the 100 greatest musical artists. According to Acclaimed Music, he is the 7th most celebrated artist in popular music history. His guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature high tenor singing voice define his long career. He also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folk, rock, country and other musical styles. His often distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname "Godfather of Grunge" and led to his 1995 album Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam. More recently he has been backed by Promise of the Real. 21 of his albums and singles have been certified Gold and Platinum in U.S by RIAA certification.

           Young directed (or co-directed) films using the pseudonym "Bernard Shakey", including Journey Through the Past (1973), Rust Never Sleeps(1979), Human Highway (1982), Greendale(2003), and CSNY/Déjà Vu (2008). He also contributed to the soundtracks of the films Philadelphia (1993) and Dead Man(1995).

           Young has lived in California since the 1960s but retains Canadian citizenship. He was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2006 and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009. He became a United States citizen, taking dual citizenship, in 2020.

        Greendale is the 25th studio album by Neil Young. Young and Crazy Horse's Greendale, a 10-songrock opera, is set in a fictional California seaside town. Based on the saga of the Green family, the "audio novel" has been compared to the literary classics of Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio for its complexity and emotional depth in exploring a small town in America.

    Greendale combines numerous themes on corruption, observation of the passing of time, environmentalism and mass media consolidation. The album, concert, film and DVDs have produced a vast divergence of critical opinion ranging from being called "amateur" to being voted as one of the best albums of 2003 by Rolling Stone magazine music critics.

Save the planet for another day.

("Attention shoppers,

Buy with a conscience and save.")

Save the planet for another day.

("Save Alaska!

Let the caribou stay.")

Don't care what the governments say.

("They're all bought

and paid for anyway.")

Save the planet for another day.

("Hey Big Oil!

What do you say?")

We were runnin' through the night,

Never knowin' if we would see the light.

Paranoid schizophrenic visions,

Livin in fear of the wrong decisions.

 

We got to wake up,

We got to keep goin.

If they follow us

There's no way of knowin'.

 

We got a job to do.

We got to save Mother Earth.

 

Be the ocean when it meets the sky.

("You can make a difference.

If you really try.")

Be the magic in the Northern lights.

("Six Days...

Six nights.")

Be the river as it rolls along.

("It has three eyed fish.

And it's smellin' strong.")

Be the rain you remember fallin'.

("Be the rain.

Be the rain.")

 

Yeah rain was fallin' and we're soakin' wet.

Hail is beatin' down on our head.

The wind is blowin' through our hair,

Faces frozen in the frigid air.

 

We got to get there...

Alaska.

We got to be there,

Before the big machines.

 

We got a job to do.

We got to save Mother Earth.

 

Dream the hunter on the Western plain.

("The birds are all gone.

Where did they go?")

Dream the fisherman in his boat.

("He's comin home empty.

He's barely afloat.")

Dream the logger in the great Northwest.

("They're runnin out of trees.

They got to give it a rest.")

Dream the farmer in the old heartland.

("Corporate greed and chemicals

Are killin' the land.")

 

Next mornin' Sun was up at dawn.

She looked around and Earth was gone.

Dark visions he had last night.

He needed peace, he needed light.

 

He heard the rumble

And he saw the big machines.

The Green Army rose

And it was a bad dream.

 

He had a job to do.

He had to save Mother Earth.

 

Be the ocean when it meets the sky.

("Greek freighters are dumping

Crap somewhere right now.")

Be the magic in the Northern lights.

("The ice is melting!")

Be the river as it rolls along.

("Toxic waste dumpin'

From corporate farms.")

Be the rain you remember fallin'.

("Be the rain.

Be the rain.")

 

Save the Planet for another day.

("Be the rain.

Be the rain.")

 

Be the river as it rolls along.

("Be the rain.

Be the rain.")

 

"Be the rain.

Be the rain."