Side by Side

Harry Woods contributed many songs to the Hollywood musicals of the Twenties, and many of them have stood the test of time. I’m looking over a four-leaf clover; When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along; Try a little tenderness, etc. He normally composed both words and music, as in Side by Side, which  is one of his shorter titles! It is a song about friendship and is (appropriately?) a two-part arrangement. Piano - Roberton Publications 53196 - price code X - duration c.2'25"

The Sound of Silence

The Sound of Silence was the song that launched the careers of the folk music duo Simon and Garfunkel. Paul Simon wrote it in 1963 in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He conceived the song as a way of articulating the emotional trauma felt by many Americans. Piano - Roberton Publications 53170 - price code Y - duration c.3'20"

Tea for Two

This famous song first saw the light of day in the 1925 Musical No,No Nanette.This arrangement updates the original by setting it in the rhythm of a Cha cha. The text box at the bottom of the first page of the music explains more.   Piano – Roberton Publications 53197 – price code X – duration c.2’15”

That Lucky Old Sun

The original recording of the song was by Frankie Laine (in 1949) and was an instant hit. Its success prompted many others – Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, etc. Brian Wilson premiered a song cycle entitled That Lucky Old Sun at the Royal Festival Hall in 2007, so it is still going strong!  In the 60s it was translated into Russian and presented to Soviet audiences to explain how a Western man suffers the hardships of  capitalism! Piano – Roberton Publications 53208 – price code X – duration c.3’10”

They Call the Wind Maria

If it’s any help, much of this song is in unison! It was written for the Broadway Musical Paint your wagon,(1951) a show  set in gold rush era California. This song is descriptive of  the hardships that gold prospectors endure. “Away out here they got a name for wind and rain and fire. The rain is Tess, the fire is Joe and they call the wind Maria”. Piano – Roberton Publications 53191 – price code X – duration c.1’50”

The Trolley Song

“Clang, clang, clang went the trolley. Ding, ding, ding went the bell”  sang Judy Garland in the 1944 film Meet me in St. Louis.The song invites you to join her “to the end of the line”. Piano – Roberton Publications 53192 – price code X – duration c.1’50”

The Way We Were

From the film of the same name (starring Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand), the song won the Academy award for the best original song and the best original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Well worth considering, especially if you are into nostalgia! Piano – Roberton Publications 53193 – price code X – duration c.2’2e0”

What a Wonderful World

Initially not a hit in the USA, What a wonderful world reached No.1 in the UK charts and was the biggest-selling single in 1968. The song was written specifically for Louis Armstrong and it details the singer's delight in the simple pleasures of everyday life. Piano - Roberton Publications 53182 - price code X - duration c.2'55"

The White Cliffs of Dover

For ever linked to “The Forces’ Sweetheart” Vera Lynn, The White Cliffs of Dover was first heard in 1942.  It was written at a time when British and German aircraft had been fighting over the cliffs of Dover in the Battle of Britain - it became a sensational hit.  Vera Lynn has remained popular ever since. In 2009 she became the oldest living artist to make it to no.1 on the British album chart at the age of 92. Interestingly, bluebirds  are not indigenous to the British Isles and Nat Burton, the lyricist, was an American who had not been within 3000 miles of the place!  Piano - Roberton Publications 53209 - price code X - duration c.2'30"

The Wind Beneath my Wings

The Wind Beneath my wings was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards of 1990. Originally recorded in 1983 by American country music singer Gary Morris, it only reached the number-one spot when Bette Midler started performing it. Piano – Roberton Publications 53209 – price code X – duration c.2’30”

Young and Sentimental - A Sinatra medley

The songs in this medley are You make me feel so young and Sentimental Journey. Between 1939 and 1993 Frank Sinatra recorded over 1200 songs, many of them becoming massive hits. Many consider him the greatest singer of popular songs in the 20th century. The very successful LP Songs for swinging lovers (1956) included You make me feel so young. Sentimental Journey was one of the titles on another big-seller called Come Swing with me (1961). Commercial recording in stereo had arrived comparatively recently (in 1956) and was exploited to the full on this LP. Piano - Roberton Publications 53177 - price code Y - duration c.2'55"