Tom Jones: “Elvis Presley Blues”

Elvis Presley Blues

The 75-year-old Tom Jones continues to create interesting music, and he is releasing a new album that includes a cover of Gillian Welch‘s “Elvis Presley Blues.” While it may seem unusual for Jones to cover a folk/Americana singer-songwriter like Welch, Jones has always been willing to sing great songs, no matter what the genre.

Jones’s cover of “Elvis Presley Blues” is also interesting because Jones was friends with Elvis Presley. Welch’s song is a tribute to Presley and a lament, as the singer thinks “about the day he died,” comparing Presley’s world-changing shaking to the steel-driving man John Henry. Jones, who also was famous for “shaking it,” seems the perfect person to sing the song. His version and the video featuring Jones watching video of his friend makes the song more personal, adding a new poignancy to the lyrics.

“Elvis Presley Blues” appears on Jones’s upcoming album Long Lost Suitcase. Check out the video for the song.

Long Lost Suitcase, a CD being released as a companion of sorts to Jones’s recent autobiography Over the Top and Back, hits stores December 5. Jones’s website describes the new album as “a catalogue of tracks that have impacted on Tom throughout his legendary career.”

What do you think of the new Tom Jones video? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Marty Brown: “King of Music Row”

    King of Music Row

    Singer-songwriter Marty Brown has been busy recording new music in Nashville, and we cannot wait for the new release. One of the recordings will be his official version of the song that launched his comeback career on America’s Got Talent, Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Also, during recent studio sessions, he recorded the song “King of Music Row,” by Tom Douglas and Kathy Ashworth.

    Brown was recently featured in PBS station KET’s story “Kentucky Life.” The segment on Brown tells about his run on America’s Got Talent and also shows him in the studio in Nashville recording “King of Music Row.”

    Although we are always especially excited about Marty Brown’s original songs, the new recording seems a perfect fit for Brown’s story and his voice. The song speaks in the voice of a songwriter, singing about “what needs to be written just right.”

    The first verse of “King of Music Row” tells of slipping into The Bluebird Cafe, the famed Nashville songwriters’ hangout. So it seems appropriate that Brown has performed “King of Music Row” at that venue. Check it out.



    Photo via YouTube. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Billy on the Street Thanksgiving Parade

    Billy on the Street Thanksgiving

    Billy Eichner of the truTV show Billy on the Street recently hosted his first-ever Thanksgiving Day parade. And what would be a Thanksgiving day parade without giant balloons, floats, and Katie Couric?

    The segment does a nice job of parodying the cultural icons often selected for such parades. And every parade needs a giant Sean Penn balloon. Check out the funny video.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    What is your favorite part of Billy’s parade? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Classic Hollywood Meets “Uptown Funk”

    Uptown Funk Hollywood

    Nerd Fest UK recently created a mashup pairing scenes from the Golden Age of Hollywood with the song “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson (featuring Bruno Mars). The old-time dance moves fit pretty well with the groove of the hit song.

    The clips from various films include folks like Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and Judy Garland. Check it out.

    What is your favorite scene in the video? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Dustin Hoffman’s Connection to McCartney’s “Picasso’s Last Words”

    Picasso's Last Words One of the wonderful songs on the classic 1973 album Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings is “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me).” Having heard the song many times, I was not too surprised to learn that the song was based on Picasso’s actual last words. But I was amazed to discover that Dustin Hoffman gave McCartney the topic of the song and encouraged the songwriter to write a song about the painter’s last words.

    In the video below, both McCartney explain how “Picasso’s Last Words” arose out of Hoffman’s curiosity about the song-writing process. During a dinner party held by Paul and Linda McCartney in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Hoffman asked McCartney how he wrote songs. Then, Hoffman asked McCartney to write a song.

    As the two men discussed topics, Hoffman remembered reading about painter Pablo Picasso’s last words in a recent Time magazine. The April 23, 1973 issue featured an article entitled “Pablo Picasso’s Last Days and Final Journey,” wherein it was reported that Picasso had said to his friends, “Drink to me, drink to my health, you know I can’t drink anymore.” Then, Picasso went to bed and died in his sleep.

    Hoffman, remembering the story, asked McCartney to base a song on those words. And McCartney came up with an excellent song. Below, both Hoffman and McCartney explain how “Picasso’s Last Words” was created.

    Below is a video of McCartney and Wings performing “Picasso’s Last Words (Drink to Me),” with lead vocals from both McCartney and Denny Laine, before the group follows up with the song “Richard Cory.”

    And that is the story behind the song. For more on “Picasso’s Last Words,” check out the Beatles Bible.

    Leave your two cents in the comments. Photo of Pablo Picasso (1904, Paris) by Ricard Canals i Llambí via public domain.

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