Song 194 - The White Album - The Beatles

Today is the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles’ - The Beatles album, affectionately known as The White Album, and there is no better other way to regenerate the jukebox than by starting with this album. The trouble is where do you start with this album? It is a feast of musical masterpieces, which starts with Back in the USSR and ends with Number Nine, and shows off the extraordinary talents of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison & Starr. If anything, this for me, this is their sad album because it is the individual talent that shines throughout the tracks and signals that this supergroup is outgrowing each other. 

There is no way I can do this album justice in one blog post so, over the next four weeks, I am going to cover some of the songs on this remarkable album. If I had to pick one song and discard all the others, the one song I would keep is Blackbird. I know it’s the obvious choice, but it is one of the most beautiful songs I think that has ever been written. For years, I’ve listened to this song, without fully appreciating its true meaning. For those, who may not know, Blackbird is not only a reference to the bird but also to the race relations and the plight of African-American Women at that time.  1968 was a poignant year for America as only months earlier  Martin Luther King had been assassinated.

Recorded as a solo performance on the album with McCartney playing a Martin D 28 acoustic guitar, the lyrics brings goosebumps whenever I listen to it. It is a standard out song that captures a moment of history. The tune itself was based on Bach’s Bourée in E Minor, a tune Paul & George tried to teach themselves at school. 

But anyone who listened to the album will know that Blackbird isn’t the only creature to appear on the album, with Rocky Racoon and Piggies both appearing on the album and there’s the reference to the walrus in Glass Onion.  I remember the first few times I heard these songs and how visual the lyrics were in describing these characters.  As I writer and lover of music, I love musicians who can tell a character’s story as strongly as the Beatles.

Listen and enjoy the first four tracks and look out for more over the coming weeks

Blackbird

Piggies

Rocky Racoon

Glass Onion

Tracks from The Beatles

Written by: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Starr

Released: 22nd November 1968

Song 193 - I just can't wait to be king - from the Lion King

I'm having an African inspired day today so for Saturday Sparkle, it seems really fitting to have "I just can't wait to be king" from The Lion King. The Lion King is, of course, the 1994 smash hit animated film brought to us by Disney and tells the story of Simba and his road in succeeding his father as head of the pride. It is a magical film, which Disney turned into a live musical in 1997. I saw the musical a few years ago and it captures your breath on how they brought such an iconic film to stage. It is understandable, that the musical broke the record of the longest-running musical, which was held by The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

With the music written by Elton John and Tim Rice, there is a feast of iconic songs that could have been chosen for today so why choose I just can't wait to be king? I love the mischief-making lyrics of Simba and Nala, much to the annoyance of Zanu. They are spirited lion cubs, who don't need to be told what to do by an old hornbill, they do it their way.  It is an attitude that is inspiring, we, of course, know there's going to be consequences for their actions, but sometimes it is better to look at the rules and think how can I break them. I know I got to Africa because someone told me I was too fat to go and walk there. Never one to be told what to do, I put my walking boots and trained the weight off me.  I think what we learn as we get old is the balance of knowing what rules to break and what rules to live by. I'm a rebel at heart like Simba and Nala are. I also feel for Zanu as he is a teacher and being a teacher can be one of the hardest jobs in the world.

To hear this brilliant song, listen here and there is even lyrics so you can sing along:

I just can't wait to be king

Performed by Rowan Atkinson, Jason Weaver & Laura Williams
From The Lion King 
Lyrics - Tim Rice
Music - Elton John

Song 192 - If you could see her from Cabaret

Saturday Sparkle this week comes from Cabaret and the song If you could see her through my eyes.  Sometimes music can capture a moment in time and history, which makes you shiver every time you hear the lyrics. Together with Miss Saigon, Cabaret and its subject matter make me remember how lucky I am.

Adapted from the 1939 book, Good Bye Berlin, by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret debuted on Broadway in 1966 and found international fame with the film in 1972, which started the legendary Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowels. This film was the first film I remember being told that I was too young to watch. 

A good few years ago now, as I'm now age-appropriate, I saw Cabaret on stage in Edinburgh and was completely moved by it. One of the stand out songs for me from this musical is "If you could see her through my eyes". When Emcee sings it in the musical, he is, of course, talking about the underlying tension for anyone who was Jewish in Germany in 1939. He is trying to get people who he is singing to, to be more open-minded and not fall into the prejudices being portrayed by Nazi Germany. John Kaber and Fred Ebb created a number, which was funny and brutally honest at the same time. 

The powerfulness of the message is still very prevalent for today and for all of us. We don't realise that sometimes we are picking up prejudices that have developed because of something we have read or seen on the TV. To keep an open mind about life, for me, is being open to everything and everybody, and to give everyone a chance to find their place in the world that works for them.

Keep those minds open this Saturday sparkle.

To listen to the song - here's a clip from the film:
If you could see her through my eyes

Performed by Joel Gray

Song 191 - Popular from Wicked

Happy Sparkle Saturday People. Wicked is, possibly, one of my favourite musicals ever, I feel as though I am celebrating my 10th year anniversary of knowing this music. I remember very clearly one of my best friends talking about seeing Wicked in New York. After which, I downloaded the music and listened to it, whilst doing my CIM marketing exams. I think I also remember this as I was also falling in love with my husband, as we had just started dating, and it was the first musical we saw together, first in London and then in New York. 

Popular, even if you haven't seen the musical, is a song where everyone can understand the sentimental between Glinda and Elphaba. Glinda is the most popular girl in school and in trying to make Elphaba fit in, she kind of misses the point, and is the growth between these two friends throughout the musical that entrances you throughout the musical. Steven Schwartz's musical ability is delightful throughout the musical.

Wicked made its premium in New York in May 2003, and since then has dazzled audiences across the world. Bravely must be credited to the production team to take one of the most iconic musicals of all time The Wizard of Oz and do a prequel musical some 70 years later. I've written about Wicked before in this blog so if you want to read more about my views on it, reference song number 10. For now, I'll leave you with Popular.

Song 190 - American Dream from Miss Saigon

Sparkle Saturday this week is taking us to Vietnam and the moving musical Miss Saigon and is a brilliant example of how some songs need to be seen within the context of the musical to understand their brilliance. I must admit when I first listened to the songs on the tape we had of this musical, I was a bit bored with it! Such a child that I was, however, when I saw this performed on stage I was blown away by the depth of this song. To be fair to my younger self, I probably didn't fully understand what happened in Vietnam when I first listen to the songs of this musical.

The American Dream comes right at the end of the musical and is an autobiographical account of Engineer's life and the life he hopes for in America. So much hope and so much promise, the song crescendo only to smash us down with the final scenes between Chris and Kim.  It is the power of storytelling at its finest.

Though it is not surprising that the team who brought us Les Miserables, Claude-Michel Schonbergh and Alain Boubil, could create a powerful and moving account of the destruction of the Vietnam War for the theatre for the people involved. There have been so many accounts of Vietnam on screen, in books and in music and this is one of the best.

For me, today I get to feel less guilty. I took my dad to Miss Saigon about 15 years ago but didn't take my sister and today, my sister and I are going to see the musical in Edinburgh. There is a twist in the tail as the tickets say restricted view (of course, the seats are downstairs!), hopefully, it won't be too restricted!!! Hee Hee, my sister might not be talking to me after today!

Listen here to the American Dream.

Song 189 - Lost Boy - Ruth B

I think one of the most annoying habits I have is that I collect music and sometimes I don't even remember what I have.  But the best thing about having too much choice when listening to music is that you make excellent discoveries. When I heard Lost Boy by Ruth B, it transported me inside one of my own stories and made me think about the relationship of two of the characters. Not many songs do that so I've had a note of it pinned to my notice board.

I loved putting soundtracks into my stories, because I can't imagine my characters not liking music because without music, for me, there would be something missing in life. I suppose that also how I feel about all the books I have read. I mean, can you imagine a world without Peter Pan or Winnie-the-Pooh? Don't even try and answer that questions. 

So thank you Ruth B, for this gem of a song and giving my characters a theme tune. It is interesting to read that her inspiration for the song came from the TV series Once upon a time. Inspired by storytelling, stories are the lifeblood of our society and I hope one day I will share my stories with the world. 

Listen to Lost Boy here.

Written by Ruth B.

Album: Safe Haven

Released: May 2017

Song 188 - Strangers by Sigrid

This is probably going to be one of the tracks of 2018, Strangers by Sigrid. To be honest, the song is still growing on me, but I like the idea of watching new artists and listen to them develop. Sigrid was named as BBC Music Sound of 2018, about 10 days ago, and since then I've listened to her being interviewed by a variety of people.

Coming from Norway, she started hitting our airways in 2017 when she had had first breakthrough hit, Don't Kill my vibe, and with the backing of BBC music, who knows where her music will take her this year. When interviewed by Graham Norton, she said that Adele had been an influence on her (Adele herself won BBC sound of 2008, beating Duffy to the Title) and that the chorus to Rolling in the Deep has inspired her to become an artist.

I think for Jules' Jukebox, I'll be keeping my ears out for her new releases as there is something about her sound that makes me believe she might just become as established in the music industry as Adele has been.  I've also listened to her track, Plot Twist and I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Strangers by Sigrid

Song 187 - "Macavity" from Cats

Saturdays should sparkle. This year, in the Jukebox, whilst I'll dust down the old girl, who has been unplugged for six months, Saturday are going to be show tunes because I love musicals and I can't my playlist without tunes from shows on my playlist. I know musicals aren't for everyone, but if you fall into this category, don't read my blog on a Saturday. Simple!

For me, I have to start with a tune from the first musical I show in the West End, in fact, I think Macavity was the first poem I could recall without having to read it from a book. I still have brilliant memories of the first time we saw Cats. It had been a present from our Grandparents, who lived in London for a day in the West End. There was, of course, a bit of a drama from me (heights in theatres are one of my fears), which has always been met with disapproval from my family, who must go "oh no, here we go again".

But after I went upstairs (we weren't even sitting on a balcony), I was in heaven. The rubbish dump set (with everything on the scale as a cat would see it), was breathtaking and I was transfixed by the next 2 hours of songs, dance and excitement. My addiction to musicals started that day and, even, thinking about it now, I am filled with a warmth as this love is something I shared with my family and the songs from Cats take me to a place of very precious memories of my childhood that can be provoked as soon as you turn on the playlist. But that's music for you and I think everyone listens to music with their own memories.

Anyway, before I go misty-eyed,  Cats would not have happened without T.S. Eliot, and his book of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber who put the poems to music and Trevor Dunn, the director who put it on the stage. Cats had its premiere in London's West End in 1981 and is one of the longest musicals in the West End. I've seen it four times, once in London and three times in Edinburgh. Unless you have a passionate hatred of cats, I would recommend it to you.

My favourite description of Macavity is below with the link to the track,

Macavity's a ginger Cat, he's very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he's half asleep, he's always wide awake.

Macavity from Cats the musical