"On the Street Where You Live"

I like Vic Damone's version of "On the Street Where You Live" all right, but it doesn't swing as hard as Dean Martin's. Dino's version was recorded for his 1960 This Time I'm Swingin'! album. The arranger/conductor on the song and album was Nelson Riddle (obviously), hence the elegant swing rhythm. Riddle was of course the guy who helped to retool Frank Sinatra's sound in the mid-1950s. Heck, this recording even featured Harry "Sweets" Edison, the trumpet player so important to Sinatra that the singer often made sure Edison had his own mike at recording sessions.

"You Belong to Me"

Written primarily by Chilton Price, "You Belong to Me" was published in 1952. That year saw two major artists of the Swing Era, Jo Stafford and Patti Page, sing hit versions. Can you imagine this happening today? The same exact song recorded and released by two different artists within a month of the other? I think that shows the strong appeal of the melody and lyrical message. According to the Wikipedia entry, Stafford's version is apparently the most popular. As well as being her greatest hit, it topped the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom was the first song by a female singer to top the UK chart.

Yet despite all of that, I still feel the song belongs to Patsy Cline. Her version seems more heartfelt and authentic. It has a melancholy to it the other versions rarely achieve. From her 1962 Sentimentally Yours album:




I love the Egyptian/tropical imagery at the very beginning of this song. The first verse, lyrically, is definitely the best (in my humble onion). It sets the romantic/exotic tone which lasts for the duration of the recording. The way she pronounces "darlin'" gets me every time. There's something so quintessentially "Country" about her dialect (especially on that word), thus making it purely American.

Dean's version is pretty cool, no doubt being heard on the radio along with the other versions, as it was released in early 1953:



A later version of the song, by The Duprees, also made the Billboard Top 10, reaching #7 in 1962:





On a somewhat related note. YIKES!:

And then you have dreamy, little Johnny Sinatra from the 1940s:
What a strange visual mix and aesthetic. Are they even in the same dimension? He is obviously a rehire for their lead singer. The three older, Jewish gentlemen, groomed as if it is the 1970s, are no doubt the original members of the group, i.e. the ones who kicked out the original lead singer because success, fame, drugs or personal issues had caused his ego to spiral out of control. And I know absolutely nothing about the Duprees other than they recorded "You Belong to Me," so that's all speculation.

Moon songs

I couldn't choose just one moon song for this special anniversary, so here's a whole bunch. No good version of "Under the Cherry Moon" or "Moondance" were to be found, and it's still too soon (in proximity to the release of the movie) to listen to R.E.M.'s "Man on the Moon." I don't like The Stones' "Moonlight Mile" or The Doors' "Moonlight Drive." Never have. I felt "Claire de Lune" and "Moonlight Sonata" were waaay too slow. Besides, this isn't meant to be a complete list.

"Moon Love"


"Blue Moon of Kentucky"


"Moonlight Becomes You"


"Old Devil Moon"


"Moonlight Serenade"


"It's Only a Paper Moon"


"How High the Moon"


"Moon River"


"The Moon Was Yellow (And the Night Was Young)"


"Walking on the Moon"


"Moonlight in Vermont"


pic source
"Blue Moon"

Hilarious

"Bike Ride to the Moon"


"Moonlight on the Ganges"


"Mr. Moonlight"


"Polka Dots and Moonbeams"


"Bad Moon Rising"


"Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)"


And last, but not least,
"Bark at the Moon"

"It's a Marshmallow World"

Wikipedia entry:

"Marshmallow World" (sometimes entitled "A Marshmallow World" or "It's a Marshmallow World") is a popular Christmas song that was written in 1949 by Carl Sigman (lyrics) and Peter DeRose (music). Although it has been recorded by many artists, it was first a hit for Bing Crosby (backed by The Lee Gordon Singers and the Sonny Burke Orchestra). Crosby's version (recorded in 1950) peaked at number 24 on the pop singles chart in January of 1951. Ray Anthony also recorded a version of the song in 1950. Another popular version was recorded by Vic Damone in 1951.

One of the most popular versions of "Marshmallow World" was recorded in 1963 by Darlene Love and released as a track on Phil Spector's classic holiday album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

Another popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin for his 1966 holiday album The Dean Martin Christmas Album.

Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra around '66:


Dean Martin solo on a '70s-era TV special: