Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 20, 2017

DEAR JERRY: My copy of "A Song of Joy (Himno a la Alegria)," by Miguel Rios (A&M 1193), states the song is "Based on the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony." Pop music records using Renaissance classics rarely mention the original work, like "A Song of Joy" does. I would love to see your list of records with a classical connection.
—Esther Palacios, Grants Pass, Ore.

DEAR ESTHER: Other than "A Song of Joy," I found 49 more vocals (instrumentals don't count), and that's without getting into entire LPs (e.g., Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, etc.). Each song is listed by the 20th century title, with the version most associated with the tune, year issued, and its classical roots:

"All By Myself" (Eric Carmen, 1975): From Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor"
"All My Love" (Patti Page, 1950): Music is from Maurice Ravel's "Bolero"
"Annie's Song" (John Denver, 1974): Borrows a few notes from the second movement of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's "Fifth Symphony"
"Beyond the Sea (La Mer)" (Bobby Darin, 1960): From Claude Debussy's "La Mer." UK pressings show title as "La Mer (Beyond the Sea)"
"Bigger the Figure, The" (Louis Prima, 1952): Based on Gioachino Rossini's "Largo al Factotum" [Make Way for the Factotum], an aria from his opera, "The Barber of Seville"
"Can't Help Falling in Love" (Elvis Presley, 1961): Melody is based on Jean-Paul-Égide Martini's "Plaisir D'amour" [The Pleasure of Love]
"Catch a Falling Star" (Perry Como, 1958): Based on a theme from Johannes Brahms' "Academic Festival Overture"
"Could It Be Magic" (Barry Manilow, 1971): Based on Frédéric Chopin's "Prelude in C Minor" Opus 28, No. 20
"Daybreak" (Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, vocal by Frank Sinatra, 1942): Based on "Mardi Gras" from Ferde Grofé's "Mississippi Suite"
"Don't You Know" (Della Reese, 1959): Adapted from "Musetta's Waltz," in Giacomo Puccini's "La Boheme"
"Five Sleepy Heads" (Elvis Presley, 1968): Melody from Brahms' "Guten Abend, Gute Nacht (Good Evening, Good Night)," famously known as "Brahms' Lullaby"
"Full Moon and Empty Arms" (Frank Sinatra, 1946): Based on Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2"
"Groovy Kind of Love, A" (The Mindbenders, 1966): Based on Muzio Clementi's "Sonatina in G Major" Opus 36, No. 5
"Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp)" (Allan Sherman, 1963): Adapted from the ballet, "Danza Delle Ore (Dance of the Hours)," in Act 3 of Amilcare Ponchielli's opera, "La Gioconda"
"Here" (Tony Martin, 1954): Adapted from the aria, "Caro Nome" [Dear Name] in Giuseppe Verdi's opera, "Rigoletto"
"Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)" (Perry Como, 1956): Based on a theme from Emmanuel Chabrier's rhapsody for orchestra, "España"
"I Love Only One Girl" (Elvis Presley, 1967): Based on "Aupres de ma Blonde" [With My Girlfriend]. Composer of this 17th century French tune is unknown.
"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" (Perry Como, 1946): Based on Chopin's "Fantaisie-Impromptu"
"I'm So Glad" (Deep Purple, 1968): Based on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" from his "Scheherazade" suite
"It's Now Or Never" (Elvis Presley, 1960): Based on "O Sole Mio" by Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi
"Joy" (Apollo 100, 1972): Based on Johann Sebastian Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
"Lady Linda" (The Beach Boys, 1979): Also based on Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"
"Lamp Is Low, The" (Mildred Bailey, 1939): Adapted from Ravel's "Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte" [Dance for a Dead Infant]
"Like I Do" (Nancy Sinatra, 1962): Adapted from the ballet, "Danza Delle Ore (Dance of the Hours)," in Act 3 of Ponchielli's opera, "La Gioconda"
"Lover, Come Back to Me!" (Nat King Cole With Billy May and His Orchestra, 1953): Partly based on Tchaikovsky's "Barcarolle (June)" from "The Seasons," Opus 37b
"Lover's Concerto, A" (The Toys, 1965): Based on "Minuet in G Major," composed by either Bach or Christian Petzold (opinions vary, so we'll list both to be sure)
"Mostly Martha" (The Crew-Cuts, 1955): Based on Friedrich von Flotow's "M'appari," written for his operas, "L'Ame en Peine" and "Martha"
"My Reverie" (Mildred Bailey, 1938): Based on "Rêverie," a piano solo piece by Debussy
"My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me)" (David Ruffin, 1969): Based upon Felix Mendelssohn's "Frühlingslied"
"Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" (Eric Carmen, 1976): Adapted from the third movement of Rachmaninoff's "Symphony No. 2"
"Night" (Jackie Wilson, 1960): Based on Camille Saint-Saëns' "Mon Cœur S'ouvre à Ta Voix" [My Heart Opens to Your Voice] from his opera, "Samson and Delilah"
"No Other Love" (Jo Stafford, 1950): Adaptation of Chopin's "Étude" [Study] No. 3 in E, Opus 10
"Only Time Will Tell" (Nana Mouskouri, 1988): From Franz Schubert's adagio "Notturno"
"Past, Present and Future" (The Shangri-Las, 1966) Based on Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, "Moonlight"
"She'll Never, Never Love You (Like I Do)" (Teresa Brewer, 1963): Adapted from the ballet, "Danza Delle Ore (Dance of the Hours)," in Act 3 of Ponchielli's opera, "La Gioconda"
"Song for Liberty" (Nana Mouskouri, 1988): From Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Nabucco"
"Song Sung Blue" (Neil Diamond, 1972): Based on the second movement of Mozart's "Piano Concerto No. 21"
"Story of a Starry Night" (Danny Williams, 1964): Adapted from Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, "Pathetique"
"Stranger in Paradise" (Tony Bennett, 1953): Based on Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances" segment, of his "Prince Igor" opera
"Summer Moon" (Lauritz Melchior, 1946): Based on Igor Stravinsky's "Berceuse," excerpted from "The Firebird" ballet suite
"Surrender" (Elvis Presley, 1961): Composed by brothers, Ernesto and Giambattista De Curtis as "Torna a Surriento"
"Take Me in Your Arms" (Dean Martin, 1962): Composed by brothers, Ernesto and Giambattista De Curtis as "Torna a Surriento"
"There's No Tomorrow" (Dean Martin, 1962): Based on "O Sole Mio" by Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi
"This Night" (Billy Joel, 1984): Partly based on Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, "Pathetique"
"Till the End of Time" (Perry Como, 1945): Based on Chopin's "Polonaise" in A Flat Major, Opus 53, also known as "Polonaise Héroique"
"Today, Tomorrow, and Forever" (Elvis Presley, 1964): Adapted from Franz Liszt's "Liebestraum"
"Tonight Is So Right for Love (G'schichten Aus Dem Wienerwald)" (Elvis Presley, 1960): Adapted from Jacques Offenbach's "Barcarolle"
"Tonight's All Right for Love" (Elvis Presley, 1960): Adapted from "Tales from the Vienna Woods," composed by Johann Strauss II.
"Where" (The Platters, 1959): Adapted from Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, "Pathetique"
"Whiter Shade of Pale, A" (Procol Harum, 1967): Melody based on Johann Sebastian Bach's "Air," from his "Orchestral Suite No. 3"

IZ ZAT SO? Perhaps an explanation is in order regarding Elvis Presley's "Tonight Is So Right for Love" and "Tonight's All Right for Love," two similar titles based on two different classical works.

"Tonight Is So Right for Love," was the first track on the "G.I. Blues" soundtrack album, and planned to be used worldwide.

But because this song is based on the "Barcarolle," France, Germany, and the Netherlands, didn't want it issued in their countries, though we don't know why. So RCA Victor asked Elvis and his band to return to the studio, and using very similar lyrics, record "Tonight's All Right for Love (G'schichten Aus Dem Wienerwald)," to the music of "Tales from the Vienna Woods." In those three countries, this replaced "Tonight Is So Right for Love" on the "G.I. Blues" LP.


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