Barry Manilow

 

My mum likes Barry and to this day vacuums to Copacabana

 

Copacabana [At The Copa] – I really like that most people will dance to this song having no idea what it’s about (I am not ashamed to confess that I like to feel superior at such times). It intrigues me that such an upbeat song is actually so tragic – the “she sits there so refined and drinks herself half blind, she lost her youth and she lost her Tony, now she’s lost her mind” bit gets me every time.

 

Mandy – I always liked this song and enjoyed singing it but it now holds an even fonder place in my heart due to the fact that it is part of the Buffyverse as it is a song that Angel loves and that he sings badly at karaoke (it is seriously bad and I yet I still love him – you should keep that in mind).

Billie Holiday

 

My dad loves Jazz and Blues but despite this I am not the biggest fan – I do like Billie though

 

God Bless The Child  and Summertime – These are both songs that get covered to death and I have to admit that sometimes I do like the covers better but there really is something about Billie and the innate sadness in her voice.

 

Bobby Gentry - I'll Never Fall in Love Again – My father hasn’t taught me a whole lot in my life but he did teach me to love the work of Burt Barcharach and there will be a whole lot of BBs work to follow. When I spent my uni years hanging out in the comic shop we used to play BB songs from time to time (particularly if I was controlling the CD player) - I am a geek on so many levels 

 

Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together – I don’t remember who brought this into my live but I don’t remember it not being there. I love singing the  “I will, I will, I will” bit and I love my Captain & Tennille CD.

 

Dionne Warwick

 

BB songs sung by Dionne is about as good as it gets if you ask me (or my dad)

 

Anyone Who Had a Heart – I find this song beautifully tragic (to quote Wicked - the musical) and it builds to such a powerful climax – kudos to both BB and Dionne

 

Walk on By – This remains one of my favourite songs to this day. I love the concept of “foolish pride” being all that she has left and that he needs to let her kept that intact. I also just really love singing this song – especially the second verse's  “the tears and the sadness you gave me when you said goodbye”

 

Dr. Hook

 

Both my dad and my step-mother were huge Dr Hook fans and there were many holidays spent listening to them while we drove long distances. Dr Hook songs are probably one group of songs that you can guarantee all my siblings can sing (even if Liam doesn’t understand them)

 

Everybody's Making It Big But Me – How can you not love a song that features “they’ve got groupies for their bands and all I’ve got is my right hand”?????

 

More Like The Movies – This was one of my dad’s favourites when I was growing up and one that he sings really, really well. Our mutual love of this song was one of the many things that my internet friend and I bonded over.

 

Years From Now – This is one that I didn’t really love until I was older but now it is definitely one of my favourites – I love the melody and how the timing of things is slightly different on the second chorus than it is on the first.

 

On The Cover Of The Rolling Stone – Their fun songs are just so cool – “we sing about beauty and we sing about truth at 10 thousand dollars a show”

 

The Millionaire – This is Eugene’s favourite Dr Hook song and one we sing together. I do love “I could get myself a nose job, I could diet for a year but I’ll never be Robert Redford cause I’m much too fond of beer” but the gleeful “but there’s one thing in my favour (what?) I’m a millionaire (that’s beautiful)” is just brilliant.

 

Only Sixteen – I loved this as a kid but as with Sylvia’s mother below I didn’t really appreciate it until I was older. For my 25^th birthday one of my friends (whose parents also subjected her to Dr Hook growing up) and I went to see Dennis perform the songs of Dr Hook (and were up at the front, jumping up and down and singing loudly – I am sure Dennis loved us) and the “but I…I was too young… I was much too young to know” bit was just amazing to hear live and to have the crowd sing it with him.

 

Sylvia's Mother – I find something so sad about “Sylvia’s mother says don’t you say nothing to make her start crying and stay” – that this might be a possibility and he doesn’t get to talk to her really gets to me.

 

I Got Stoned And I Missed It – I was really annoyed when “Because I Got High” became a number one hit cause I felt like the concept had been done before and so much better by Dr Hook. I just adore “Now it took seven months of urgin’ just to get that local virgin with the sweat face up to my place to fool around a bit.” 

 

Dusty Springfield

 

You will be shocked to learn that these are BB songs. I have a bit of a problem with the idea of musicals based on songs but I did love Dusty due to fact that I love her songs so.

 

The Look of Love – Have always really liked this song – even though there really hadn’t been any looks of love in my past – I like to think that there are now (and I like them very, very much).

 

Wishin' and Hopin' – I’m not really sure what it is about this song that I like but there is just something about

 

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me – Far and away my fav Dusty song. I love the emotions and the words and the melody.

 

Elton John

 

I know you don’t like Elton but my mother does (I don’t imagine that that’s a selling point for you) and these are Anna and my favourites and we sing them often

 

Tiny Dancer – my sister loves singing “ballerina you must have seen her dancing in the sand” but I am more a “softly, slowly” girl

 

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – This is my favourite Elton song I just love the line “I’m not a present for your friends to open”

 

Frank Sinatra

 

He may have had a rather unusual private (and somewhat public) life but the man can sing and he completely kills in High Society (one of my most beloved musicals and movies ever)

 

Somethin' Stupid – I have always loved this and it was a great moment for me when this song appeared in an episode of Chicago Hope. I remain very, very annoyed that Nicole and Robbie released this and let the common people know this song.

 

Fly Me to the Moon – I love the swing beats of this song and there is something joyous about it.

 

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Walk Like A Man – This is another song that I got all excited about when it appeared in Chicago Hope (in the great episode entitled Brain Salad Surgery). I just find this a really fun song.

 

Barry White - You're The First, The Last, My Everything – My dad is a big Barry White fan and Barry does have a great voice and his songs did feature a lot in the early (and good) days of Ally McBeal – between this and Chicago Hope I am thinking that maybe David E Kelly (creator of both) and I had similar parents.

 

Gene Pitney - Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa – back to BB and back to not questioning why a I like things – cause there are some not so good things in the song with regard to his actions.

 

George Benson

 

Again my Dad really loves George – he always goes to see him when he tours and raves about it for months afterwards

 

Never Give up on a Good Thing – This would be what we dance around to whilst doing the dishes at my dad’s.

 

On Broadway – I am sure you're surprised about the fact that I like a song about a theatre district.

 

The Monkies - I'm A Believer – I never actually watched the show but I really like their music (and Davey Jones was great in the episode of Herman’s Head that he did) – I do like the Smashmouth version of this song but The Monkies are better.

 

Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline – I do love Neil (as do both my parents) and went and saw him in concert last year (in a weird moment of bonding with my step-mother) and there is always something fun about this song coming on when people are drunk and they loudly sing “touching me, touching you”

 

Peter Allen

 

My mother simply adores Peter and the only standing ovation that she ever gave was at a Peter Allen concert. I think his music is great

 

Tenterfield Saddler – This is one of those songs that people seem to know but have no idea what it is about but I love it and find  “there’s nowhere for George and his library or a son with a gun to belong…except in this song” very moving – it is one of my most v fav song lyrics ever.

 

I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love – I love, love, love, love, love, love this song so much and when I am making my selection for what I would sing each idol theme night this is always the song that I would pick for Australian music night and I would be great singing “so if you wake and find me gone just carry on you see I need my fantasy”

 

She Loves to Hear the Music – my mother thinks that if this was a song about a doctor obsessed with TV, rather than a secretary obsessed with music, that it would describe me – I have to wonder if she would be happier with me sleeping with random men that I can’t make a connection “and so they turn around and go, leave her by the radio, she didn’t love them anyway” than she is about you.

 

Vera Lynn - I'll Be Seeing You – This is a song my grandmother and mother always sung around the house and I was v excited when I was given a Vera Lynn CD a couple of Christmases ago.]