‘Something’ in Music 260
(Note: this series was originally published elsewhere.)
Something in music: origin
One evening at a hot, trendy L.A. nightclub on a rare solo outing, yours truly found himself standing alone at the bar preparing to review the upcoming act. Before he had taken more than a few notes, however, he was bookended by a pair of vivacious vixens who insisted on engaging your rockin’ writer in cozy conversation. Strangely, the subject of “marriage” arose.
One of the young ladies noted that when a gal is about to get hitched, she needs “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” Your provocative penman was immediately inspired. After all, those very same terms could be applied to music too: “Something old” or classic, “something new” or recently released, “something borrowed”, a cover, and “something blue”, a blues song or a song with “blue” in the title. The rest is history.
‘Something’ in Music 260
Something Old
Our “something old” in this edition is the classic cut “Bron-y-Aur Stomp” recorded by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was co-written by band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones and originally appeared on their third platter, Led Zeppelin III which dropped back in 1970.
Something New
Our “something new” this time is “The Broken Heart Side of the Road (Acoustic)” by New York-based singer-songwriter and musician Bill Scorzari. According to a recent e-mail, it’s the first of a trio of acoustic versions of songs from his most recent release, The Crosswinds of Kansas. Scorzari discussed the acoustic singles and accompanying music videos. He said:
“Now that we’ve started a new year (Happy New Year!), it's great to be able to look back at the good things that have come out of all of the effort we put into The Crosswinds of Kansas… It’s been a long road and I’m so grateful to everyone who has made it all possible. As a thank you to everyone who has listened to and enjoyed the songs, I decided to release new versions of three tracks from the album, which I’ve re-recorded in a singer-songwriter style, with just acoustic guitar and vocals.” This is the first.
Something Borrowed
Our “something borrowed” this time is the jazz standard “Embraceable You” co-written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1928. It first appeared in the 1930 Broadway musical Girl Crazy. This contemporary cover version is by singer-songwriter Billy Valentine. It appears on his 2006 album titled Travelin' Light.
Something Blue
Finally, our “something blue” for this edition is the blues tune “West Coast Blues” by American blues and ragtime singer and guitar player Blind Blake. This was one of his first recordings. In 1926, it was featured as the flip-side of his first solo single. It was one of the prototypes for the Piedmont blues guitar style.
Did we mention your favorite “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”? If not, let us know. Don’t forget to send us your bride photos too!