Willie Nelson Pays Tribute to the Gershwins

Willie Nelson Gershwin

Willie Nelson’s upcoming album pays homage to the songwriting brothers George and Ira Gershwin. Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin (2016) reminds us that Nelson’s acoustic guitar Trigger and his voice are two of the best friends a music standard can have.

In 1978, Willie Nelson surprised many with his album devoted to the Great American Songbook, Stardust. But nowadays, nobody is really surprised when Nelson ventures outside classic country music in areas such as reggae, jazz, or blues.

On songs such as “Summertime,” Willie Nelson proves he is still one of our great song interpreters with his version of the often-covered “Summertime.” Check out Willie and Trigger on “Summertime” below.

The album features such classics as “I Got Rhythm” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Below, is his new version of “Someone to Watch Over Me,” which he had previously covered with a different arrangement for Stardust.

A few other singers join Nelson on a couple of the tracks. Cyndi Lauper joins Nelson on a playful “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off.” And Sheryl Crow helps out on “Embraceable You.” For a limited time, you may listen to songs from the album on NPR.

Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin hits stores and the Internet on February 26, 2016.

What is your favorite Willie Nelson cover of an American standard? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    When a Hockey Team Made Us Believe in Miracles

    1980 U.S. Hockey Movie On February 22, 1980, the U.S. hockey team shocked the world with a 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. As time expired, sportscaster Al Michaels asked television viewers a question that he immediately answered, “Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!”

    The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal two days later with a victory over Finland.

    The 1980 Team and the Miracle on Ice

    Although the U.S. team entered the Olympics seeded seventh, the team was more than a rag-tag group of amateurs. A large percentage of the team was made up of top college athletes on their way to the NHL. And Coach Herb Brooks had the team in top shape, as it was led by players like Mike Eruzione and goalie Jim Craig.

    The “Miracle on Ice” resonated with Americans weary from the Iran hostage crisis searching for something to celebrate. Events from the 1970s like Watergate also contributed to the fact that Americans yearned to be proud again.

    Also, President Carter had already announced that the U.S. would be boycotting the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow because of the Soviet’s invasion of Afghanistan. So it was not surprising that a scrappy group of young men taking on the powerful Soviet hockey team in the Winter Olympics would bring us together.

    In the U.S., we watched the game on tape delay during prime time. The game had already been played several hours earlier in the day. But in those pre-Internet days, it was easy to believe you were still seeing it live.

    As we watched the end of the final period, hoping the U.S. would keep the Soviets from tying the score, had we ever seen a more tense final few minutes to a sporting event?

    I was a kid, but I remember watching every U.S. hockey game in the Olympics. By some chance, I had caught the U.S.’s first game against Sweden when the U.S. tied the game with seconds left. From then on, I loved the team, and for me it was my luck that the team would go on to win the gold medal.

    Portrayals on TV and Film

    I also love sports movies, and the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team is probably the only sports story where I own both an acted-out version of the story and the documentary. I have never seen the 1981 ABC made-for-TV movie Miracle on Ice starring Karl Malden as Brooks, but there would be later excellent movies about the team.

    The 2004 movie, Miracle, starring Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks, is a gripping by-the-book retelling of the story of the team. You know how the movie is going to end.  And there is nothing flashy about the way the story is filmed.  But it is a fun movie and a fitting tribute to the team and to Brooks, who passed away after principal filming but before the movie was released.

    Documentaries About the Teams

    In 2001, a documentary was made about the team called Do You Believe In Miracles? The Story Of The 1980 U.S. Hockey Team. The movie features interviews with many of the players, Al Michaels, and others.

    The film does an excellent job putting the team and its accomplishments in the context of the times. And watching the story still makes me tear up. Currently, the entire documentary is available on YouTube.

    But what about the Soviets? More recently, in 2015 ESPN’s 30 for 30 series helped correct the imbalance of the coverage with Of Miracles and Men, directed by Jonathan Hock. This fascinating documentary examines the story of the members of the 1980 Soviet team and their experience in the Olympics. One of the most touching moments is hearing one of the players describe watching the U.S. team celebrate their victory.

    Similarly, another documentary examined the Soviet side of the story. Gabe Polsky directed Red Army, which was released in 2014.  Red Army tells the story about the Soviet team from a broader perspective but with significant focus on the 1980 team. The movie follows the history of the Soviet-Russian hockey program from the 1950s to the 1990s.

    On this anniversary of one of the greatest sports battles in my lifetime, I’m thankful for everyone involved in the game. And also thankful that decades later they made outstanding movies about the teams.

    What is your memory of the 1980 Miracle on Ice? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Bonnie Raitt’s “Gypsy In Me”

    Dig in Deep

    Bonnie Raitt is releasing a new album this month, Dig in Deep. The new album is a follow-up to 2012’s Slipstream, which was the first CD released on Raitt’s own Redwing Records label. The new album includes three songs she wrote plus two songs she co-wrote.

    American Songwriter notes that Raitt still seeks “words and music that resonate with the emotional puzzles she’s trying to solve in her own heart.” But as the 66-year-old singer has aged, those puzzles and the way she sings about them have changed too.

    The first single from Raitt’s new album is “Gypsy in Me.” The song takes the typical story of a man seeking the open road and changes it around. In Raitt’s telling, the woman is the one telling her “honey” goodbye as she heads out for the road: “But I’m like the wind and I just keep blowing free / Must be the gypsy in me, yeah.” Check it out.

    Dig in Deep hits stores and the Internet on February 26, 2016.

    What is your favorite Bonnie Raitt song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Bruce Springsteen: Always Roaming With a Hungry Heart

    Springsteen Toronto

    During Bruce Springsteen‘s current The River tour with the E Street Band, Springsteen celebrates the 1980 album each night by playing all of the songs from the album in order. While one may debate which song on The River is the best, it is hard to dismiss the popularity of Springsteen’s first top-ten hit, “Hungry Heart,” which went to number five on the Billboard charts at the time of its release.

    The current tour also promotes the new release of The River along with outtakes and the album Springsteen almost released instead of The River in 1979. The box set The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015) is a fun exploration of a road not taken even as it affirms The Boss for the most part made the correct choices.

    “Hungry Heart” always has been one of my favorite Springsteen songs, even though its production — including speeded up lead vocals — sounds different from many of the other E Street Band songs I love. The original also features amazing backing vocals from Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan (aka Flo & Eddie) of The Turtles.

    Perhaps another reason “Hungry Heart” sounds a little different from other Springsteen songs is that Springsteen initially wrote the song for The Ramones. But after writing the song, Springsteen decided to keep it. Joey Ramone explains the genesis of the song in this video, and Springsteen more recently told the story to Jimmy Fallon too.

    Another way the song is somewhat unusual is the uplifting music combined with what otherwise would be a depressing tale of heartbreak. The song begins with the singer telling us he left his wife and kids in Baltimore. Similarly, in Arizona, I once met a man who had run away from his wife and kids back East somewhere to start a new life. I always recall him being from Baltimore, but I suspect I conflated his story with the song. Anyway, he did not seem to regret his choice at the time we spoke, but I later heard that he eventually went back East.

    The singer in “Hungry Heart,” however, makes no return. He keeps looking for home and a place to rest, similar to the hero in the poem that inspired the title of the song: Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” (“For always roaming with a hungry heart / Much have I seen and known”).

    Yet, despite the sad story of the lyrics, “Hungry Heart” is still a joyous song. Like Bob Dylan’s great “Like a Rolling Stone,” Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” gains a new meaning from the band. The uplifting music and the singer’s joy in singing about his quest defines the song. Although the singer never finds a new family or enduring love, his recognition that we are all looking for the same thing provides some comfort.

    The singer never declares he is alone with his hungry heart, and the chorus does not exclaim “I’ve got a hungry heart.” Through his travels he joyously realizes that while in many ways each person must walk one’s life alone, we are bound to all other humans who also must do the same. Everybody’s got a hungry heart.

    I like the following recent E Street Band performance of “Hungry Heart” that took place in Toronto on February 2, 2016. It is a nice quality fan video, and I love how Jake Clemons (Clarence’s nephew) is able to keep playing his saxophone as he helps the crowd-surfing Springsteen back to his feet. Check it out.

    Bruce Springsteen has yet to have a number one song on the Billboard charts, but he did surpass the number five position achieved by “Hungry Heart” four years later. In 1984, another song about loneliness, “Dancing in the Dark” went to number two on the charts.

    Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
    We are not now that strength which in old days
    Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
    One equal temper of heroic hearts,
    Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will,
    To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield    .
    — Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Ulysses”

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Gregory Hines in “White Nights”

    White Nights In The New Yorker, Joan Acocella recently wrote an article “Up From the Hold” reviewing a new book on the history of tap dancing, What the Eye Hears: A History of Tap Dancing, by Brian Seibert. The article gives a fascinating overview of what sounds like an interesting tale about the style of dance and the people who kept tap dancing alive as an art form.

    One of the stars portrayed in the book is Gregory Hines, who was born on February 14, 1946 in New York City. The article quotes Siebert’s description of an extended Hines dance sequence in the film White Nights (1985). The dance was choreographed by Twyla Tharp and features Hines and ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

    Watching the two men, Siebert concludes that it is “difficult to choose which one to watch, which shade of cool to savor.” Check out this dance scene from White Nights, where Hines and Baryshnikov define cool.

    Fans expected Hines to take tap even further. He appeared on TV and Broadway in addition to films. And he worked in various ways to promote tap dancing as an art form.

    Even though Gregory Hines passed away at the relatively young age of 57 in 2003, his work lives on, not only through his recorded work but through those he taught and influenced. Among others, Hines influenced tap dance artists like the outstanding Savion Glover.

    What is your favorite tap dancing scene in a film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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