Ellie Greenwich Passes Away

[filkertom]

Sadness. Singer-songwriter and producer Ellie Greenwich has passed away at the age of 68. She wrote or co-wrote such classics as "Da Do Ron Ron", "And Then He Kissed Me", "Be My Baby", "Chapel of Love", and "Leader of the Pack". (Her official web site notes that last one is included on the RIAA [Recording Industry Association Of America] and The NEA [National Endowment For The Arts] list of the Greatest Songs Of The 20th Century, and it's been recorded by Frank Alaimo, Alvin and The Chipmunks, Jana Anderson, Bandit, Buddies, Melissa Etheridge, Wayne Fontana, Bette Midler, Annie Golden, Hit Crew, Good Riddance, Twisted Sister, The Carpenters, The Dixie-Cups, The Fabulous Singlettes, The Green Bay Packers, the Shangri-Las, and The Shirelles.) There's even a Broadway musical based on her life. She also was one of Neil Diamond's early producers (the one you'd know is "Cherry Cherry").

Most people have a bunch of favorite songs. But they're not necessarily the same ones you sing all the time. What do you find yourself singing when you want to sing? Some of mine lately include "My Freeze Ray" (which usually leads to me singing the entire Dr. Horrible soundtrack), "The Soviet Machine" (from Chess), and "Shop Vac" and "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton.

Comments

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

Two songs come to mind with this question. The first song that generally comes to mind if I'm just singing to myself would be King of the Road by Roger Miller, who is a much under appreciated artist.

The other would be Dobie Grey's Drift Away.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I saw this and was teasing my friends in the office, with whom I often have political discussions, that they'd overlooked the important death of the day (and NOT Dominick Dunne :-) Damn.

These days I seem to be singing "Carpet of the Sun" by Renaissance, "Ripple" by the Grateful Dead, "The Punk Meets the Godfather" by the Who, "So Far Away" by Carole King, or "Summer, Highland Falls" by Billy Joel. (Often while listening to a live performance; those stay with me when they're done, though.) Except last night, when I screened Doctor Horrible at work, and got poked to stop singing along :-)

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Oddly, as I was on the plane back from Arizona this weekend, the Touchstone logo came onto the screen, and the opening chords of And Then He Kissed Me which are so distinctive, that I knew immediately that I was about to be treated to Elizabeth Shue dancing around her bedroom, and subsequently, the movie, Adventures in Babysitting, IMHO the best movie Chris Columbus ever made. Rest in peace, Ellie. We'll all be singing your songs long after people have forgotten what radio is.

I find myself singing Randy Newman's Broken Windows a lot, as well as John Prine's Fish & Whistle and frequently There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This from Sweet Charity, usually the part about the hat-check. Recently though, my clone has thoroughly earwormed me with her Wicked Girls.

[pagawne.livejournal.com]

May she rest in peace.

[raven-ap-morgan.livejournal.com]

Call me odd - the latest one seems to Rush - "Force Ten":

Tough times
Demand tough talk
Demand tough hearts
Demand tough songs
Demand...

Either that or Toyboat stuff, since that's what I've been working on lately...

Raven

[bald-ruminant.livejournal.com]

The dirty version of Strangers in the Night that I learned in Boy Scouts and Highway to Hell by AC/DC.

[ericcoleman]

That is one of my favorite Rush songs ... the sound of that still amazes me

As for the rest, you gotta get out more often ... you really do.

[realinterrobang.livejournal.com]

I sing a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan and Palestrina. Yep, I spent many, many years in choirs, can you tell?

I have to say, I am sitting here shaking my head wondering how the hell anyone (let alone a couple of organisations who really, really ought to know better) could consider "Leader of the Pack" one of the greatest songs of the 20th Century. Maybe if by "greatest" you mean "most recorded," I suppose. In a world where Geeshie Wiley languishes in obscurity (and Ofra Haza is still dead), considering "Leader of the Pack" to be anything other than a popular novelty single is weird, and not in a good way.

[raven-ap-morgan.livejournal.com]

That is one of my favorite Rush songs ... the sound of that still amazes me

I've been using the opening bass riff as a warm-up exercise for some time now, actually.

As for the rest, you gotta get out more often ... you really do.

Between programming and working on Toyboat material, I don't have the time to get out. Not that I'd want it any other way...

Raven

[lovefromgirl.livejournal.com]

Man, I grew up on her work -- we had a great oldies station, y'know? May she write for the choir wherever she lands.

When I want to sing? Oh, what a gruesome prospect! I like solid melody, with words that mean something. Naturally, half of my earworms at any given moment are folk and filk. I'll happily belt out a good Seanan McGuire, a Julia Ecklar, the opening bars of S.J. Tucker's Wendy Trilogy, bits of ConValescence... ;-)

Just never, ever be around me when I get into opera mode. "Nessun dorma" is code for "Run a mile, folks" chez moi.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

"Twisted" by Annie Ross.

And several Tom Lehrer songs, including Pollution, The MLF Lullaby, So Long Mom, It Makes a Fellow Proud To Be a Soldier, and A Christmas Carol at Christmas time.

Also at Christmas: Winter Wonderland, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Let It Snow, and I Love The Winter Weather.

[kilbia.livejournal.com]

Right now it's Broadway stuff because the choir I'm in is doing a Broadway-themed concert. Ending with a song from Avenue Q. Not saying which one. ;)

[ladystarblade.livejournal.com]

When I'm singing in the shower (yes, I still do that) or walking from my office to the post office or whatnot, my latest faves are Billy Joel's "I Go to Extremes," Sting's "Valparaiso," an assortment of Irish-type tunes (such as "Come Out Ye Black & Tans," "Lanaigan's Ball," and "Finnegan's Wake"), and just about anything off U2's new album No Line on the Horizon.

The playlist changes often, though.

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

Oh NOOOOES. I had no idea she wrote all those songs - I grew up on those!

[shala-beads.livejournal.com]

My songs go all over the place. Silly songs from when I was a kid, hymns, popular songs.. I sing when I'm happy. Onward Christian Soldiers would probably be number one, followed by Never Call Your Sweetheart by His Name- Christine Lavin
My husband sings Freeze Ray in an Elmer Fudd voice, and lately the two songs that he sings randomly the most are I'm On Firefly and P.J. Otaku's Joss Whedon is My Master Now. He blames me for sneaking both songs into some of the playlists he listens to most often.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

Call me odd

OK, Odd.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

Over my entire musical adulthood, that could only be "Brown-Eyed Girl".

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[wingus.livejournal.com]

More often than not, I find myself humming or whistling stuff rather than singing, as it draws less attention to myself. A lot of game music - the main Zelda theme, main theme from both Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario World, and some of the Mega Man 2 level themes are big contenders.

Ones that I actually sing now and then... your Talk Like A Pirate Day is one that shows up a lot, as is Luke Ski's "BACON!".

[andpuff.livejournal.com]

I have a new CD from John Fullbright, a red-dirt artist who does a kick-ass and wonderfully raw Hallelujah and I find myself singing that a lot lately.

[morpheus0013.livejournal.com]

What do you find yourself singing when you want to sing?

"When I Go," by Dave Carter
"Verdant Mile," by Tracy Grammer
"So They Say," Dr. Horrible
"Mad Season," MB20
"Run the Ridges," The Kingston Trio
"Nobody's Side," Chess
"Wind's Four Quarters," Heather Alexander/Mercedes Lackey

[mdyesowitch.livejournal.com]

I saw Leader of the Pack in it's Broadway run. I remember it being great until she came out at the end. But that's neither here nor there.

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

"Timothy" and chunks of Penzance.

[batyatoon]

"Nessun dorma. It means nobody's going to sleep."
"With that racket, I can see why not."

[madrona.livejournal.com]

the mountain by dave carter
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere by dylan
Going Through the Motions

[wyldemusick.livejournal.com]

I end up belting out "The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd," quite often in inappropriate places. Sometimes it's Pink Floyd's "Free Four."

[wyldemusick.livejournal.com]

I'll take "I Want My baby Back" over "Leader Of The Pack" any day of the week, though I admit that sometimes it's just the thrill of being able to recite, "And there was my baby...and over THERE was my baby...and WAY OVER THERE was my baby...."