William Christopher Handy was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. Handy was born in November 1873, in Florence, Alabama. Handy’s father believed that musical instruments were tools of the devil. Without his parents’ permission, […]
Hundred Miles
“Hundred Miles” is a 2015 tropical house song by Barcelona-based DJ collective Yall featuring Gabriela Richardson. The song was written by David Borras Paronella, Joan Sala Gasol and Gabriela Richardson Torres. The song gained more fame after it was used in a 2015 advertisement for the Spanish casual clothing brand Desigual. The music video was […]
Spike Jones
Lindley Armstrong “Spike” Jones was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gunshots, whistles, cowbells, hiccups, burps, and outlandish and comedic vocals. Jones and his band recorded under the title Spike Jones and His City Slickers from the early […]
Nouvelle Vague
Nouvelle Vague is a French cover band led by musicians Olivier Libaux and Marc Collin. Their name means “new wave” in French, and refers simultaneously to the French New Wave cinema movement of the 1960s, to the new wave music movement of the 1970s and 1980s, which provides many of the songs that the band […]
Voi Che Sapete
“Voi Che Sapete” is an aria from Mozart’s opera, “The Marriage of Figaro” is one of my all-time favourites. Mozart com posed this opera buffa in 1786 to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. The libretto is based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, which was considered scandalous at the time. It’s all […]
“Belle Nuit, ô Nuit D’Amour”
“Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour” (“Beautiful Night, Oh Night of Love” often referred to as the “Barcarolle“) is a piece from The Tales of Hoffmann (1881), Jacques Offenbach’s final opera. A duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano, it is considered the most famous barcarolle ever written and described in the Grove Book of Operas as “one […]
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film Born to Dance in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year but lost out […]
Avantgardey
Avantgardey is a 20-member all-female Japanese dance team led by famed producer and choreographer Akane. Well known for their synchronized dance moves and funny expressions, the group gained worldwide popularity after performing with renowned DJ Steve Aoki at one of his concerts in January 2023. Since then, their fame has gone viral, and they’ve reached […]
To Zanarkland
“To Zanarkand” is the main theme of Final Fantasy X, composed and arranged by Nobuo Uematsu who got the idea of the tune for the opening theme from a flautist he consulted for help. He requested the tune to be used in Final Fantasy X and coaxed the team in using it for certain event […]
“I Wanna Be Loved by You”
“I Wanna Be Loved by You” is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical Good Boy. It was first performed by Helen Kane in September 1928, who was the inspiration behind the cartoon Betty Boop. Kane who became known as the ‘Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl’ because […]