Seeing as how today is Clint Eastwood’s birthday, it seems only appropriate that our song of the day should come from the score of one of his best films. From 1973’s Magnum Force, here is Lalo Schifrin’s theme:
Seeing as how today is Clint Eastwood’s birthday, it seems only appropriate that our song of the day should come from the score of one of his best films. From 1973’s Magnum Force, here is Lalo Schifrin’s theme:
Today’s song of the day is the main theme from Leone’s best-known film, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Ennio Morricone’s score is as much of a character in this film as the ones played by Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef. It perfectly sets the moods, telling us that we’re about to see something that is truly epic. The opening notes, which have so often been parodied but which have never lost their power, truly capture the feel of Sergio Leone’s mythical vision of the old west.
For today’s song of the day, we have this beautiful 2013 instrumental pieces from Moby.
Considering that it’s Ian Fleming’s birthday, what else could I have possibly picked?
A lot of people have sung this song, from Paul Anka to Frank Sinatra to Sid Viscous and Jay-Z.
Christopher Lee’s version remains my favorite.
… And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
… Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
… Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all, and I stood tall
And did it my way
… I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
Oh, no, oh, no, not me
I did it my way
… For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
… Yes, it was my way
Songwriters: Paul Anka / Gilles Thibaut / Claude Francois / Jacques Revaux
For today’s song of the day, we have a classic 1960 instrumental from The Ventures. The baton-twirling cheerleader in the video was lifted from an odd 1963 film called The Yesterday Machine.
“Take California.”
Today’s song of the day is a classic. Released in 1996, the Propellerheads’s Take California is one of the essential big beat songs. It was used to good effect in Any Given Sunday. Was it the song playing when that football player lost his eye? I really don’t remember. It should have been, though.
The voices in this song belong to Richard Nixon and comedian (and Lyndon Johnson imitator) Earle Doud.
Today’s song of the day comes from the soundtrack of 1998’s Run, Lola, Run.
Whisper my darling
I didn’t have the time to say goodbye to you
Flow into silence
My mouth is full of blood and my mind is too
And my mind is too
And you see me walking miles away
Somebody has to pay
And you see me walking miles away
I’m gonna take your pain with me
Golden reunion
I will always wait for you to be with me
Secrets in heaven
I’ll complete the mission if you want me to
And you see me walking miles away
Somebody has to pay
And you see me walking miles away
I’m gonna take your pain
And you see me walking miles away
Somebody has to pay
Somebody has to pay
Somebody has to pay
Somebody has to pay
Somebody has to pay
Since today is Arthur Conan Doyle’s birthday, it seems appropriate that our song of the day should come from Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for the 2009 film, Sherlock Holmes.
Many, many years ago, when I first heard this song on the soundtrack for Kill Bill Volume One, I immediately fell in love with it. I have to admit, as well, that when I first heard Santa Esmeralda’s version, I assumed that the cover had been recorded specifically for the Kill Bill soundtrack. Well, turns out I was not only wrong, I was way wrong. This cover version was actually recorded way back in 1977.
I also thought, before I started writing this post, that the song was originally performed by the Animals. Wrong again. The song was first written in 1964 by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, and Sol Marcus and it was originally performed by Nina Simone. Then, in 1965, the Animals did their famous cover. The Animals’ version of the song is the one that used to get stuck in my head when I was in high school because it used to play constantly at the Target where I would skip school.
But the Santa Esmeralda version is my favorite and it is today’s song of the day.