Olivia Newton-John -Let Me Be There

    

   知名女歌星Olivia Newton-John 五月13日因對癌症研究的付出和在演藝事業的成就，於澳洲墨爾本獲得La Trobe大學頒授榮譽博士學位。  

    Olivia Newton-John 1948年九月出生於英國劍橋，在澳洲墨爾本長大，目前已經具有歌星、作曲、演員、企業家及社會運動者多重身分，她曾經獲得四次Grammy獎，有五首排行榜冠軍歌曲，十首Billboard    Hot  100 singles排行榜前十名的暢銷曲，另於Billboard  200  solo albums排行榜，他有二張專輯獲得冠軍，她一共有14張單曲和專輯唱片獲得金唱片，據統計Olivia Newton-John在全世界共賣了近一億張唱片，她主演的電影Grease「火爆浪子」的插曲專輯，和與男主角John Travolta合唱的插曲"You're The One That I Want"都曾創唱片銷售紀錄。

    Olivia Newton-John也是一位長期投入社會運動的人士，她主要關懷環保與動物權益議題，1992她發現罹患乳癌，但狀況緩解，不幸2017年又發現癌細胞轉移。

    Olivia Newton-John 倡導健康自覺，她投入很多慈善事業、並幫忙募款，她開設了服裝公司Koala Blue，還是澳洲健康休閒事業the Gaia Retreat & Spa的共同擁有人。

    Olivia Newton-John是歷年暢銷歌星排行榜第33名的巨星，她16歲因才藝表演奪冠前往英國比賽，因而踏入歌壇。祖父是德國的諾貝爾物理獎得主Max Born。

   影歌雙棲的 Olivia Newton-John，在排行榜上成績最好的歌是1981年獲得10週冠軍的"Physical"，其實早年剛出道時她還唱過鄉村歌曲，例如1973年底的Let Me Be There（#6），就曾獲得Grammy最佳鄉村女歌星演唱獎。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKDtZGFA7Ww

Let Me Be There

Olivia Newton-John

Wherever you go

Wherever you may wander in your life

Surely you know

I always wanna be there

Holding you hand

And standing by to catch you when you fall

Seeing you through

In everything you do

Let me be there in your morning

Let me be there in you night

Let me change whatever's wrong and make it right

Let me take you through that wonderland

That only two can share

All I ask you is let me be there

Watching you grow

And going through the changes in your life

That's how I know

I always wanna be there

Whenever you feel you need a friend to lean on, here I am

Whenever you call, you know I'll be there

Let me be there in your morning

Let me be there in you night

Let me change whatever's wrong and make it right

Let me take you through that wonderland

That only two can share

All I ask you is let me be there

Ben E King-Stand By Me

  英國Prince Harry哈利王子與美國演員Meghan Markle的婚禮吸引了全球的注目，婚禮當中由Karen Gibson and the Kingdom choir演唱了“Stand By Me”。

   Ben E King所寫的“Stand By Me”這首歌最早在1961年推出，獲得熱門排行榜第4名，1986年由Stephen King史提芬金的小說      The Body改編的電影用“Stand By Me”為片名，當然這首歌也用來當主題曲而再度發行，還得到第9名。

  Ben E King 1938年出生於美國北卡羅萊納州Henderson，成長於紐約哈林區，高中時就參加The Moonglows合唱團，1957年他轉投the Five Crowns合唱團，該團於1959年改名the Drifters。

 

Ben E King在the Drifters寫了1959年獲得第2名的暢銷曲“There Goes My Baby”，那也是他第 一首主唱的歌，1960年他離團單飛，成績很不錯，在歷年暢銷歌星排行榜獲得第323名，（the Drifters 成績更好，獲得第104名）。

Ben E King在寫“Stand By Me”的時候他還是the Drifters的主唱，但是the Drifters沒有錄這首歌，Ben E King回憶，合唱團的經紀人告訴他，歌不賴，但我們不想要。

Ben E King離團單飛後，他想要“Stand By Me”復活，在一場錄音工作結束後，King用鋼琴彈唱一段給製作人Jerry Leiber聽，Leiber聽了後叫樂師們通通回來，他們把“Stand By Me”錄製完成。

“Stand By Me”後來成了一首經典情歌，翻唱人很多，包括前披頭合唱團團員John Lennon在內，Ben E King版的這首歌在滾石雜誌500大歌曲榜獲得第122名，BMI全美最常播出100首歌曲榜則獲得第4名，英國皇家婚禮選這首歌，選得非常妥切。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odZ9GVuyfkc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE

STAND BY ME

(Ben E. King/Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

  And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me

  Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon

Should tumble and fall

And the mountains should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

  And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me

  Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah

----- guitar -----

  Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me

  Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

  Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me

  Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Burton Cummings-Stand Tall

   前The Guess Who合唱團的團員Burton Cummings，五月13日於洛杉磯遭一輛闖紅燈的卡車撞傷 ，他有一點腦震盪和擦傷加上腿痛和背痛。

  Burton Cummings已返回故鄉加拿大Winnipeg 。他將在冰上曲棍球季後賽開場唱國歌。

  Burton Cummings  1947年出生於加拿大Manitoba 省Winnipeg ，他是搖滾樂團The Guess Who合唱團的主唱，1966年在原鋼琴手Bob Ashley離團後他加入該團當主唱，如These Eyes、Laughing、No Time、Share The Land及三週冠軍曲American Woman等這些膾炙人口令人懷念的歌，都是他的作品。

  The Guess Who 合唱團在歷年暢銷歌星與合唱團排行榜獲得第205名，是1970年代很受歡迎的樂團。

  The Guess Who合唱團的另一位團員吉它手Randy Bachman於1970年離團另組

Bachman-Turner Overdrive，是一個很成功的Hard-Rock重搖滾樂團 ，他們的You Ain’t  See Nothing Yet、Takin’ Care of Business等歌在排行榜上獲得很好的成績。

   Burton Cummings在The Guess Who合唱團於1975年解散後，從事個人歌唱事業，他1976年的Stand Tall獲得過第10名。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Wd8rGWbA0

Stand Tall

Burton Cummings

Never been this blue

Never knew the meaning of a heartache

But then again, I've never lost at love before

Somewhere down the road

Maybe all these years will find some meaning

I just can't think about it now, or live 'em out anymore

Chorus

Stand Tall, don't you fall oh, don't go and do something foolish

you're feeling it like everyone, it's silly human pride

Stand Tall, don't you fall. donn't go do something you'll regret later

you're feeling it like everyone, it's silly human pride

Never lasted so long

Or through so much - or through so many

I just can't believe you could throw it all away

Sometimes late at night

when there's nothing here except my old piano

I'd almost give my hands to make you see my way

Chorus

Stand Tall, don't you fall oh, don't go and do something foolish

you're feeling it like everyone, it's silly human pride;

You got me down on my knees for ya, mama

Stand Tall, don't you fall. donn't go do something you'll regret later

you're feeling it like everyone, it's silly human pride

Gwyneth Paltrow-Just My Imagination

  Gwyneth Paltrow 葛妮絲派楚即將第二度走進禮堂，根據雜誌報導，她與未婚夫布萊德法契克已經簽妥婚前協議，離舉辦婚禮又進了一步。

Gwyneth Paltrow 1972年9月出生於洛杉磯，她除了以1998年的電影Shakespeare in Love《莎翁情史》獲得奧斯卡最佳女主角獎之外，她還是一位歌手和美食作者。

  Gwyneth Paltrow 與Babyface 曾於2005年翻唱過the Temptations 的1971年經典歌曲Just My Imagination，這首歌經過他門的詮釋，有了另一番不同的風味，非常動聽。

    The Temptations是歷年暢銷歌星與合唱團排行榜獲得第21名的知名R&B合唱團 ，他們1971年的Just My Imagination 曾獲得二週排行榜冠軍，這首歌與他們另一首冠軍曲My Girl最受歌迷們的喜愛。

  Babyface是一位1990年代走紅的R&B歌手、作曲人與樂手，他本名Kenneth Edmonds，曾寫過二首冠軍歌曲Boyz II Men的I’ll Make Love To You及Whitney Houston的Exhale （Shoop Shoop），還寫過44首進過Billboard 雜誌   Hot 100 排行榜Top 10的歌。

 The Temptations的Just My Imagination在滾石雜誌500首歷年最受歡迎歌曲排行榜獲得第389名。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QvnAL_zHrs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Z9-QCmZyw

Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

The Temptations

Written by: Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong

Each day through my window I watch her as she passes by

I say to myself, "You’re such a lucky guy"

To have a girl like her is truly a dream come true

Out of all the fellas in the world, she belongs to you

But it was just my imagination,

Running away with me

It was just my imagination,

Running away with me

Soon we'll be married and raise a family

A cozy little home, out in the country, with two children, maybe three

I tell you I can visualize it all

This couldn’t be a dream, for too real it all seems

But it was just my imagination, once again

Running away with me

Tell you, it was just my imagination,

Running away with me

Every night, on my knees I pray

"Dear lord, hear my plea

Don't ever let another take her love from me

Or I will surely die"

Her love is heavenly

When her arms enfold me

I hear her tender rhapsody

But in reality, she doesn't even know me

It was just my imagination, once again

Running away with me

Oh, tell you, it was just my imagination,

Running away with me

I never met her, but I can’t forget her

Just my imagination, yeah, yeah, yeah

Running away with me

Oooh, just my imagination,

Running away with me

(fade)

Sammi Smith-Help Me Make It Through The Night

  有一些歌在變成暢銷曲之前錄過好幾次，其中Sammi Smith的 1970年冠軍曲 "Help Me Make It Through The Night”就是一個例子。

  Bill Nash於1959錄過這首歌 ，而 Ray Price在他的“For The Good Times”專輯裡也加入"Help Me Make It Through The Night”這首歌的節奏版。

  按作曲者Kris Kristofferson的說法，這首歌的創意來自他看到一段Frank Sinatra的訪問，訪談中Frank Sinatra說他常藉著一瓶酒或一個愛侶（ a bottle or a lover）幫他度過長夜。

  Sammi Smith的 Mega 唱片單曲 “Help Me Make It Through The Night”，1970年12月 19日進入鄉村歌曲排行榜，後來獲得三週排行榜冠軍，這也是   Sammi Smith第五首進鄉村歌曲排行榜的歌，而“Help Me Make It Through The Night”在熱門歌曲排行榜則獲得第6名 。

  Sammi Smith出生於美國加州Orange，成長於Oklahoma，她已於2005年因肺氣腫不幸病逝（61歲）。

  “Help Me Make It Through The Night”另外還有R&B合唱團Gladys Knight&The Pips演唱的黑人靈魂歌曲版，在R&B歌曲排行榜獲得第13名，在熱門歌曲排行榜則獲得第33名，在歷年暢銷歌星排行榜獲得47名的這個大牌合唱團 Gladys Knight&The Pips的“Help Me Make It Through The Night” 也有其特別的風味，值得一聽。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bswo9KjdSzo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX66ZtKnmYU

Help Me Make It Through the Night

Sammi Smith

Words and Music by Kris Kristofferson

Take the ribbon from my hair

Shake it loose and let it fall

Layin' soft against your skin

Like the shadow on the wall

Come and lay down by ma side

Till the early mornin' light

All I'm takin' is your time

Help me make it through the night

I don't care what's right or wrong

'n' I won't try to understand

Let the devil take tomorrow

Lord, tonight I need a friend

Yesterday is dead and gone

And tomorrow's out of sight

And it's sad to be alone

Help me make it through the night

And it's sad to be alone

Help me make it through the night

I don't want to be alone

Help me make it through the night