atlantalarry

Comparison of web search interest in Mitt Romney vs. Miley Cyrus

I periodically do comparisons of the public interest in various people, places, and things, as expressed in the number of google searches over time.  I put them together using the tools provided by Google on their Google Trends website.

Today on the political news site Politico there was an article about Mitt Romney's appearance on Meet the Press. 

So I put together a graph comparing the interest in Romney versus the interest in Miley Cyrus.  As you can see, Cyrus wins handily except for a brief period just before the 2012 election.  If you want more detailed info on this search, click on the Google Trends link just below the graph.  To be fair, pop culture usually far exceeds politics as a major preoccupation of the public.  But comparing specific search terms puts in in stark focus.

 

 

Three versions "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" -- Shirelles, Amy Winehouse, Carole King,

I haven't done one of my Three Versions posts in a few days, so I'm going to get back into the swing of things with "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King,, who were at that time married, and were a successful songwriting team.  It was a #1 hit for the Shirelles in 1960

I'll lead off with the Shirelles version.

 

This next version is Amy Winehouse, in a unique cover version of the song.

 

 

 

Finally here is Carole King's own version of the song

 

 

Three versions "20 Flight Rock" -- Eddie Cochran, Jeff Beck & Brian Setzer, Paul McCartney

Here are three versions of the great Eddie Cochran rockabilly hit "Twenty Flight Rock". 

 

 

 

 

I'll lead off with Cochran's version.

 

 

Here is Paul McCartney's version, which he claims got him into partnership with John Lennon.

 

 

Finally, here's a rendition by Jeff Beck and Brian Setzer:

 

Three versions of Sally Goodin-- Monroe & Watson, Woody Guthrie, Scruggs & The Chieftans

This installment of my Three Versions series features the old fiddle tune "Sally Goodin".

 

The first treatment is a duet by the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, and the great guitarist Doc Watson.

 

The second version is by the folk singer Woody Guthrie.

 

Finally here is a fascinating version of the song with Earl Scruggs playing with the Irish band The Chieftans.

 

Three versions of Mambo Italiano -- Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and Gérard Darmon

This installment of my Three Versions series features Mambo Italiano, written by Bob Merrill in 1954.  The first version was recorded by Rosemary Clooney.  Here is her rendition of the song:

 

 

The first treatment of the song I ever heard was by Dean Martin.

 

 

Finally, this is probably the strangest performance of the song I've ever seen.  It's by the French actor and singer Gérard Darmon, and includes CGI muppet-like creatures.

 

Three Versions of "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You" -- Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Linda Ronstadt with Emmy Lou Harris

Even though Hank Williams died when I was two years old, I grew up listening to his songs.  "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You" is one of my favorites.  I'm going to lead off with a version by Williams himself.

 

,

The next rendition is by Patsy Cline.  Cline had a powerful and versatile voice.  Crazy and I Fall to Pieces are among the most beautiful performances of the 20th century.  Here is her take on "I Can't Help it if I'm Still In Love With You".

 

Finally, here is Linda Ronstadt's version, with backup from Emmy Lou Harris.

 

 

Three versions of Brecht and Weill's "Alabama Song" -- The Doors, David Bowie, Lotte Lenya

"Alabama Song" is from Berthold Brecht and Kurt Weill's "Rise and Fall of the City Mahagonny".  The lyrics to other songs in the operetta were originally in German, but "Alabama Song" was in English, even as first performed before German audiences.  "Mahagonny" was written in 1929, and is the story of gangsters setting up a city of casinos and brothels on America's gulf coast.  It was first performed in 1930, was banned by the Nazis in 1933, and wasn't given much attention until the 1960s, when there was renewed interest in Brecht and Weill.

 

 

The best known version is probably by the Doors, so I'll lead off with that rendition:

 

 

I had no idea that David Bowie had performed "Alabama Song" before I encountered this video on youtube.

 

Finally, my favorite version. Lotte Lenya, in an atmospheric and spooky 1930 version:

Three Versions of "Turn, Turn, Turn" -- The Byrds, Pete Seeger, and Judith Durham (with the Seekers)

I'm posting tomorrow morning's  installment of my Three Versions series early, for no particular reason other than I feel like it.

I'm continuing the series with "Turn, Turn, Turn".  The song was written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s, and the lyrics are taken almost verbatim from chapter three of the Book of Ecclesiastes. 

I'll start with Pete Seeger's own recording of the song.

 

 

 

This next version, the 1965 hit by the Byrds, is probably the best known.

 

If the Seekers recorded a version of a song I'm presenting you can bet it will be one of the three renditions I post.  Judith Durham is probably among my top five favorite performers of all time.

 

 

 

Three Versions of "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm (The Ghost of Anne Boleyn)"

A few days ago I started tracking down youtube videos of songs or instrumental pieces which had been covered by multiple artists, and choosing three to post.

My Three Versions musical number for today is With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm (also known as The Ghost of Anne Boleyn), an English music hall song.  It was written by Bert Lee and R.P. Weston.   Weston also wrote "I'm Henery The Eighth, I Am" which became a hit for Herman's Hermits in the 1960s.

The first version is by Stanley Holloway, the great music hall performer who popularized the song.

The Kingston Trio also covered the song, Americanizing it by substituting "is Army gonna win?" for "is Ars'nal gonna win?".

Finally here's a performance in the true music hall spirit, by Molly Twitch.

 

 

Three versions of Danny Boy -- Judith Durham, Sam Cooke, and Frank Patterson

This is the third installment in my three versions series, where I post three youtube clips of the same musical number by three different performers.  The song I chose this time, "Danny Boy", has been covered by a staggering number of performers.  It was difficult choosing only three.  There were versions by Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Roy Orbison, Paul Robeson, Andy Williams, Eric Clapton, Bing Crosby, Sinéad O'Connor, Deanna Durbin, and too many more to mention.  Here are a few of my favorites.

 

 

 

The first rendition is by the incomparable Judith Durham, who was the lead singer for The Seekers.

 

 

Here's a version by the great Sam Cooke:

 

 

Finally here's the version by Frank Patterson, made famous in the home invasion scene from Miller's Crossing: