LOVE ME FOR A REASON

THE OSMONDS

SONGWRITERS: BRISTOL JOHNNY WILLIAM & BROWN WADE

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: LOVE ME FOR REASON

LABEL: UNIVERSAL RECORDS

GENRE: POP MUSIC

YEAR: 1974

 

           The Osmonds are an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid- 1970s. Currently consisting of a duo of original members Merrill Osmond and Jay Osmond, the group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group has comprised siblings who are all members of a family of musicians from Ogden, Utah and have been in the public eye since the 1960s.

                The Osmond Brothers began as a barbershop quartet consisting of brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay. They were later joined by younger siblings Donny and Jimmy, both of whom enjoyed success as solo artists. With the addition of Donny, the group became known as the Osmonds; performing both as teen idols and as a soft rock band, their peak lasted from 1971 to 1975. Their only sister Marie, who rarely sang with her brothers at that time, launched a successful career in 1973, both as a solo artist and as Donny's duet partner. By 1976, the band was no longer producing hit singles; that year, they transitioned into television with Donny & Marie, a popular variety show that ran until 1979.

            A revival of the original Osmond Brothers lineup in the 1980s achieved moderate success in country music, and both Donny and Marie separately made comebacks in their respective fields in the late-1980s. The Osmonds have sold over 77 million records worldwide. The quartet continued to perform through their 50th anniversary in 2007, at which point Alan and later Wayne retired due to health issues; Jimmy was recruited after Alan's retirement, with the group performing as a trio until Jimmy suffered a stroke and retired in 2018. Alan's son David Osmond performed with the group in 2019. On October 14, 2019, the original Osmond Brothers quartet reunited for CBS' The Talk for their sister Marie's 60th birthday, billed as the last appearance for the lineup. The brothers performed "The Last Chapter," written as a farewell song and introduced in 2018. Donny & Marie ended an 11-year Las Vegas residency on November 16, 2019. Merrill and Jay continue to perform and tour, as does Donny as a solo artist.

              Love Me for a Reason is the sixth studio album by The Osmonds, released in 1974. The album peaked at Nº 47 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. Two singles were released from the album: the title track "Love Me for a Reason" (Nº 1 UK, Nº 10 US) and "Having a Party" (Nº 28 UK).

            After a string of three albums (Phase III, Crazy Horses and The Plan) in which the Osmonds performed mostly their own material and focused on rock music, Love Me for a Reason consisted mostly of the work of professional songwriters, most prominently H. B. Barnum, who arranged all of the songs on the album and co-wrote three. The title track in particular was aimed at the easy listening market, continuing a string of easy listening hits for the quintet (it peaked at Nº 2 on the Billboard easy listening chart). The retrenchment, reuniting with former producer Mike Curb, and focus on pop was an effort to regain some popularity the group had lost in 1973, driven by brief but intense competition from The DeFranco Family, Donny's voice changing, and the less commercially friendly content of The Plan. 

Girl when you hold me

How you control me

You bend and you fold me

Any way you please

 

It must be easy for you

To love the things that you do

But just a pastime for you

I could never be

 

And I never know, girl

If I should stay or go

Cos the games that you play

Keep driving me away...

Don't love me for fun, girl

Let me be the one, girl

Love Me For a Reason

Let the reason be love

Don't love me for fun, girl

Let me be the one, girl

Love Me For a Reason

Let the reason be love

 

Kisses and caresses

Are only minor tests, babe

Of love turned to stresses

Between a woman and a man

So if love everlasting

Isn't what you're asking

I'll have to pass, girl

I'm proud to take a stand

 

I can't continue guessing

Because it's only messing

With my pride, and my mind

So write down this time to time

 

Don't love me for fun, girl

Let me be the one, girl

Love Me For a Reason

Let the reason be love

Don't love me for fun, girl

Let me be the one, girl

Love Me For a Reason

Let the reason be love

 

I'm just a little old-fashioned

It takes more than a physical attraction

My initial reaction is

Honey give me a love

Not a fascimile of

 

Don't love me for fun, girl

Let me be the one, girl

Love Me For a Reason

Let the reason be love

Don't love me for fun, girl

Let me be the one, girl

Love Me For a Reason

Let the reason be love

(Repeat to fade).

SUMMER BREEZE

AL JARREAU & GEORGE BENSON

SONGWRITERS: JIMMY SEALS & DARRELL CROFTS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: GIVIN’IT UP

LABEL: CONCORD RECORDS

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 2006

 

           Alwin Lopez Jarreau(March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. His 1981 album Breakin' Away spent two years on the Billboard 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R&B sound. The album won Jarreau the 1982 Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In all, he won seven Grammy Awards and was nominated for over a dozen more during his career.

            Jarreau also sang the theme song of the 1980s television series Moonlighting, and was among the performers on the 1985 charity song "We Are the World."

             George Washington Benson(born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist.

           A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, playing soul jazz with Jack McDuff and others. He then launched a successful solo career, alternating between jazz, pop, R&B singing, and scat singing. His álbum Breezin' was certified triple-platinum, hitting nº 1 on the Billboard album chart in 1976. His concerts were well attended through the 1980s, and he still has a large following. Benson has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

          Givin' It Up is a collaborative album by American musicians George Benson and Al Jarreau, released on October 24, 2006, by Concord Records. It contains songs previously recorded by both artists (Benson's "Breezin" and Jarreau's "Mornin") and original music. Other vocalists and musicians featured are Jill Scott, Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Abe Laboriel, Chris Botti, Marcus Miller, and Paul McCartney. This project also includes standards by Billie Holiday ("God Bless the Child") and Sam Cooke("Bring It On Home to Me"), pop songs by Seals and Crofts("Summer Breeze") and Daryl Hall("Everytime You Go Away") along with the jazz-swing "Four" by Miles Davis, and "Ordinary People" by John Legend.

            In 2007, Benson was awarded his ninth (or tenth) and Jarreau was awarded his sixth Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance on "God Bless the Child" with Scott. Benson also won his tenth (or ninth) Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance on "Mornin'", while "Breezin'" received a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

See the curtains hanging in the window

In the evening on a Friday night

A little light shining through the window

Let me know everything is alright, sing this song

 

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

Hear me sing, summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

 

See the paper lying on the sidewalk

A little music from the house next door

So I walk on up to the doorstep

Through the screen and across the floor

 

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

Sing it, summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind, yeah

 

When I come home from a hard day's work

And you're waitin' there not a care in the world

 

See the smile a waitin' in the kitchen

Food cooking and the plates for two

Feel the arms that reach out to hold me

In the evenin' when the day is through

 

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

Summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

 

Here we go, summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

Come on, summer breeze makes me feel fine

Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind.

CAKE

MELANIE MARTINEZ

SONGWRITERS: MELANIE MARTINEZ; CHRISTOPHER J. BARAN & KARA DIOGUARDI

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: CRY BABY

LABEL: ATLANTIC RECORDS

GENRE: INDIE

YEAR: 2015

 

           Melanie Adele Martinez(born April 28, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, photographer, screenwriter, and visual artist. Born in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York, Martinez rose to prominence in 2012 after appearing on the American television vocal talent show The Voice. Following the show, she released her debut single "Dollhouse", followed by her debut EP of the same name(2014), through Atlantic Records.

        Martinez later released her debut studio album, Cry Baby(2015), which went on to be certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Martinez's songs "Sippy Cup", "Mad Hatter", "Mrs. Potato Head", "Cry Baby", "Pacify Her" and "Soap", were all certified gold in the U.S., and her songs "Dollhouse" and "Pity Party" received platinum certification from the RIAA.

        Martinez released her second studio album, K-12(2019), alongside its accompanying film, as a follow up to the storyline of Cry Baby. Her EP was released a year later in 2020, called After School.

           Cry Baby is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Melanie Martinez. It was released on August 14, 2015, by Atlantic Records through digital download, CD, vinyl and audio cassette. The album was supported by the release of three singles. Two singles preceded the album's release: lead single "Pity Party", was released on June 2, 2015, while the second single, "Soap", was released on July 10, 2015. The third and final single from the album, "Sippy Cup" was released July 31, 2015. Cry Baby is a visual concept album. The album is labeled as na alternative pop, electropop, and indie pop release, and received generally positive reviews from critics. In 2021 the album was certified double platinum, after earning 2 million album-equivalent units (sales, streaming, and track sales).

On November 25, 2016, Martinez released an EP titled Cry Baby's Extra Clutter. The EP, released exclusively on vinyl, consisted of the three bonus tracks from Cry Baby, and "Gingerbread Man", which was released on December 23, 2015, as a single. The album was promoted by the Cry Baby Tour (2015–2017).

Your skin is warm like an oven

Your kiss is sugary sweet

Your fingers feel like cotton

When you put your arms around me

 

I feel like I'm just missing

Something whenever you leave

We've got all the ingredients

Except you loving me

And respectfully

 

I'm not a piece of cake

For you to just discard

While you walk away

With the frosting of my heart

So I'm taking back what's mine, you'll miss

The slice of heaven that I gave to you last night

 

You smell just like vanilla

You taste like buttercream

You're filling up my senses

With empty calories

 

I feel like I'm just missing

Something whenever you leave

You've got all the ingredients

Except you needing me

So respectfully

 

I'm not a piece of cake

For you to just discard

While you walk away

With the frosting of my heart

So I'm taking back what's mine, you'll miss

The slice of heaven that I gave to you last night

 

If I am just a piece of cake

I am just a piece of cake (cake)

Then, you're just a piece of meat

You're just a piece of meat to me

 

If I am just a piece of cake

I am just a piece of cake (cake)

Then, you're just a piece of meat

You're just a piece of meat to me

 

I'm not a piece of cake

For you to just discard

While you walk away

With the frosting of my heart

So I'm taking back what's mine, you'll miss

The slice of heaven that I gave to you last night

 

The slice of heaven that I gave

Sli-li-li-ce of heaven that I gave to you

Slice of heaven that I gave to you last night.

HOLE IN MY HEART

CYNDI LAUPER

SONGWRITER: RICHARD ORANGE

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: N NIGHT TO REMEMBER

LABEL: EPIC RECORDS

GENRE: POP ROCK

YEAR: 1989

 

        Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton(born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album She's So Unusual(1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. In 1989, she had a hit with "I Drove All Night".

          Since 1983, Lauper has released eleven studio albums and participated in many other projects. In 2010, Memphis Blues became Billboard's most successful blues album of the year, remaining at number one on the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 13 consecutive weeks. In 2013, she won the Tony Award for best original score for composing the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, making her the first woman to win the category by herself. The musical was awarded five other Tonys including Tony Award for Best New Musical. In 2014, Lauper was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording. In 2016, the West End production won Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards.

     Lauper has sold over 50 million records worldwide. She has won awards at the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, the New York's Outer Critics Circle, MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards(AMAs). An inductee into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Lauper is one of the few singers to win three of the four major American entertainment awards. She won the inaugural Best Female Video prize at the 1984 VMAs for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". This music video is recognized by MTV, VH1 and Rolling Stone as one of the greatest music videos of the era. She is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Women Who Rock exhibit. Her debut album is included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, while "Time After Time" is included in VH1's list of the 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 years. VH1 has ranked Lauper Nº 58 of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.

     Lauper is known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful and distinctive four-octave singing range. She has been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for LGBT rights in the United States. Her charitable efforts were acknowledged in 2013 when she was invited as a special guest to attend U.S. President Barack Obama's second-term inauguration.

          A Night to Remember is the third studio album by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The album was supposed to be released in 1988, under the name Kindred Spirit but was delayed until 1989 and the songs from the initial project were reworked. Even though the album managed to get a top 10 hit single and sell 1.3 million copies worldwide by the end of 1989 it was seen as a disappointment by her record company. The album was met with mixed-to-poor reviews and in interviews Lauper refers to it as A Night to Forget.

I've got a ticket, no turning back

My destination,

The sea of trouble, the land of pain

You're sending me where it always rains

Oh reconsider, I'm begging you, some hesitation

I'm holding on to my sanity

I feel the beginning of emergency

My hands are slipping, oh please don't let me fall into

 

This hole in my heart that goes all the way to china

You gotta fill it up with love before I fall inside of,

This empty hole in my heart that goes all the way to China

And though you can't see the bottom, believe me it's a long way down

 

I'm on a planet without a plan

It's oh so lonely

I need to see you to get out of here

There's something deadly in this atmosphere

I'm in a desert, without a drink of your sweet water

You're my oasis in the burning sand

I'm out of danger when you touch my hand

Throw me a lifeline, I'm standing on the edge of

 

This hole in my heart that goes all the way to china

You gotta fill it up with love before I fall inside of,

This empty hole in my heart that goes all the way to China

And though you can't see the bottom, believe me it's a long way down

 

The gun was loaded, I didn't know

I pulled the trigger,

I heard a noise then the room went dark

I felt the bullet going in my heart

I feel so dizzy, oh please don't let me fall, don't leave me in

 

This hole in my heart that goes all the way to china

You gotta fill it up with love before I fall inside of,

This empty hole in my heart that goes all the way to China

And though you can't see the bottom, believe me it's a long way down

 

I've got a hole in my heart

You've got to fill it up with love.