William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: After Eight ; Year: 1982; Genre: Synthpop/New Wave The other day I discovered to my astonishment that I had not picked this cover of the popular piece from the pen of Irving Berlin. This piece has been recorded a multitude of times since the late 1920s, during and since the interwar period; in the last half century probably the two best known recordings are Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle's showstopper in Mel Brooks' 1974 Young Frankenstein , and of course, this synthpop version from Taco in 1982. I don't know if it is Taco's memorable performance, Berlin's genius writing, or both, but this is one recording that seemingly has not lost much steam over the years and can be played almost anywhere and people will react positively to it.   Watch the music video on YouTube.         My song pick 1 year ago today: Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Old Time Rock and Roll     My song pick 2 years ago today: Jerry Reed - Sixteen Tons   My song pick...

From: It's Snowing In My Heart (Bad Santa) ; Year: 2022; Genre: Pop/Christmas Music With how much he performed Irving Berlin standards back in the day I thought for sure Taco would've done the seminal standard that is White Christmas , but apparently not.... However, he did just a couple of years ago release and record this one single. I actually like this one; he definitely has not lost his charisma or showmanship, which in my personal opinion is the overwhelming strength of it.   Hear It's Snowing In My Heart (Bad Santa) on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Soul Saints Orchestra - Santa's Got a Bag of Soul   My song pick 2 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Nutrocker   My song pick 3 years ago today: Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock   My song pick 4 years ago today: The Brecker Brothers With Steve Khan - The Christmas Waltz   My song pick 5 years ago today: John McLaughlin - O Come O Come Emanuel   My song pick 6 y...

From: After Eight ; Year: 1982; Genre: New Wave/Synthpop Been really enjoying this record again after putting it into more rotation whilst listening to music; it is very unfortunate that he is relegated to the "one hit wonder" status here in the 'States. He was and still is quite a talent with an incredible voice; I would hazard to say operatic. Anyway, this is the second single from his international hit record After Eight , while it is massively overshadowed by Puttin' on the Ritz , it's definitely of high calibur. It was originally written back in 1929 and has been recorded and used in theatre countless times since, but I really like Taco's re-imagining by melding the core traditional swinging style with the contemporary synthpop of the time/   Hear Singin' in the Rain on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Big Maybelle - Candy   My song pick 2 years ago today: David Bowie - Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)   My song pick 3 years...