Posted on 03/15/2014 8:10:20 PM PDT by lee martell
I'm a night person, and I like music inspired by the night. The biggest void that we know of is the darkness of the night. The darkness surrounds our part of the earth, like a soft heavy comforter filled with down. The night is without shape, and cannot be measured. This unknowable nature of the dark night allows us to easily imagine what is or what should be there. We imagine what is desired or what is dreaded. The night has long served as a catalyst or a muse for creativity. Look to the french composer Claude Debussy, who wrote his signature piece; Clair de Lune in 1890, publishing the final version in 1905. The piano is spare and elegant. The measures allude to the slow drift of cumulus clouds floating at night, translucent with moonlight. This is the third movement from Debussy's Suite Bergamasque, which was based on poems of Paul Verlaine.
Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller was released in 1939 on Bluebird Records. The recording used a clarinet led saxophone section, which is widely considered classic Glenn Miller style. The song evolved from a 1935 version of another Miller song; "Now I Lay Me Down To Weep". Jazz critic Gary Giddins wrote about the song's impact and legacy. "Miller exudes little warmth on or off the bandstand, but once the band struck up this theme, audiences were done for; throats clutched, eyes softened. No other record of it's time could match 'Moonlight Serenade' for it's ability to induce a Pavlovian slobber in so many for so long".
A lot of songs by Phil Collins were technically very good, but somewhat formulaic. There is one exception, although this was recorded when he was still with Genesis. The song Tonight Tonight Tonight was released in 1986 on the album Invisible Touch. The music video has an atmosphere reminiscent of the film Blade Runner, which was a source of inspiration for the video. Supposedly, Collins wrote this song after divorcing his first wife Andrea in 1979. He was upset enough to have left Genesis for a couple of months. There is something about this song that is both invigorating, because of the incessant percussion which varies in force and in tempo, and there is also a soothing effect that is imposed on the listener because of the cello like chords that become a dirge, that dirge is your only path away from the chaos. This is not a night song, but listen to the first three minutes of Shaft, by Issac Hayes, those are the kind of 'cello like chords' I'm speaking of, where you are prodded onto your journey, like it or not. **Nights in White Satin is a beautiful, lyrical piece of work, by the Moody Blues. Night Moves, by Seeger worth a mention. **Are You Lonesome Tonight?, by Elvis captures an intimate moment, listen you his voice, which seems to resonate or softly echo. That feels like a though within the head. What other night music is there?
Excellent description, Lee! I thought it would make a really fine night song, too. :-)
You did say “music,” not just “songs.”
My suggestion would be the Nocturnes of Fryderyk Chopin (which in turn were partly inspired by the Nocturnes of John Field, but Chopin’s are still my favorites).
Each nocturne was supposed to be evocative of some aspect of the night.
“Moon Over Miami”
Oh,yes, the "vibes" are the best! It doesn't get much more perfect than that for night driving. :-)
Good distinction; music, not just songs or ditties. I’ll have to check out some Chopin. I have not listened to him for a while. Gustave Holst did some interesting work around that era with his most well known work, The Planets. Each planet had it’s own suite written by Holst to match it’s essence in the known universe.
NIGHT by Jackie Wilson.
There are some songs that to me suggest certain kinds of nights, even if they are not specifically “night” songs. For instance, I associate “Dreams” by the Allman Brothers with steamy summer evenings after a thunderstorm. Several songs from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” say winter night better than anything. Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude says night right now since it is raining. Gregorian chant or works by the likes of Tallis work much better at night, as well as Rachmaninov’s Vespers.
"Super star, but he didn't get far"
Rainy Night In Georgia is another good one. Might be Lou Rawls. He was everywhere back then. Lou used to go on The Flip Wilson Show and when Flip dressed up in drag, using a falsetto, Lou sometimes played the Boyfriend during those skits. Flip’s female character was named Geraldine, I think.
She was Snooki like (before the weight loss).
Fly Me To The Moon (”In Other Words” by Bart Howard) performed by Frank Sinatra.
Paradise by the dashboard light. Meatloaf.
That scene was the most appealing demonstration of instant overwhelming natural desire I have ever seen. (click here or here). But it took the blending of "Moonglow" and "The Theme from Picnic" to make the whole scene work. (click here for soundtrack).
What a memory of those days! I think I felt the same way the when I first danced with the girl, the mother of my four children, not long after.
There’s a Moon Out Tonight - The Capris
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfVDUFsXK3o
In the Still of the Night - Fred Parris and The Satins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBT3oDMCWpI
Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muzyOd4Lh8
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Mozart
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=eina+klina+nicht&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=2450F9EB5D6B7B54FFC82450F9EB5D6B7B54FFC8
Earl King - Time For The Sun To Rise
That was excellent. I watched the scene. Kim takes over. The schoolgirl, poor thing was absolutely outclassed by Kim’s sultry entrance, she presents her woman’s body, a curvy silhoette, all wrapped in soft pink satin. William acts as though a bomb just went off went he sees her in the distance.
I knew that song without knowing what it was called till now.
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