Love Is Blue

[burningbusch]

As far as harpsichord goes, you can find it in numerous songs in the 1950s and early 60s (I'm sure before that as well). It was just another color, like celeste, organ, accordion.

 

Here's L. Welk's Calcutta (1961)

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCqJslURFVY&list=PLAIV0dLl8IN-gZzwSnKh4R9pNspXrQ1d8&index=21&t=0s

 

And Percy Faith (1952) #1 Hit Delicado

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O2DxbReKMU

 

I love these older instrumentals including LiB, Summer Place and many others. Even at a young age, I preferred instrumentals over songs with vocals. Vocals have two potential obstacles, you have to like the sound of the singer's voice and you have to like the lyrics. For me, at least one of those often fell short. In addition to the larger ensemble hitmakers, you had the Ventures, the Chantays, Booker T. and Ramsey Lewis, etc. Even today, my playlist is probably 80%+ instrumentals.

 

Busch.

[Dave Bryce]

Tish. You spoke French.

Obscure 60's sitcom references for $200, Alex.

 

dB

Not that obscure, Bubeleh.

Not for this group, that's for sure.

 

dB

[Music Bird]

I always liked the version by The Spotnicks, since they didnt waste money hiring a string and horn section, and the DX7 e piano and horns and strings are nice. I dont really like the original, its too live and has a live string and horn section, 2 things that are too much money for people like me and these people who made this song to perform with. I do like some of those old instrumentals where the arrangements are creative, like Summer Place and Hawaii Five O. I like the Ventures, and guess what, I believe they tour with 2 keyboardists nowadays. Theres also a lot of other instrumentals I like, more in garage rock style though.

Also theres probably a Moog version

 

There is...

Heres another version on synths

Its done on a MiniAK, CS6X, VFX, Motif Rack, and a Fantom XR. No live stuff. Ill see if I can do a version on FL Studio.

 

For those who like garage rock instrumental tracks, youll love The Steps. Their keyboardist was using an Ace Tone Top 5 organ back then.

[FJR]

 

Annd don't forget the "very portable", Nord Harpsichord!!

 

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M3yMvI7bJU

 

[Bosendorphen]

The Beatles, "In My Life" (1965), might have been the first, but Terry Riley was also using it in his compositions and as Lennon & McCartney were big fans of Riley (or at least McCartney was), that might have influenced them (or it might have been George Martin's suggestion).

I thought the "harpsichord" in "In My Life" was a piano recorded at half speed then sped up.

 

"Love Is Blue" came out when I was in 5th grade. I was sick for a week or so and getting my homework assignments delivered by the girl that would become my wife 19 years later. I recall hearing it on the radio and loved it. Poignant memories.

[ApprenticeGary]

The Paul Mauriat version was played early 1980s as background music in the radio programms in China. Thus here people of my generation and older cant be more familiar with this beautiful tune.

[Doerfler]

I thought the "harpsichord" in "In My Life" was a piano recorded at half speed then sped up.

Correct.

[Mark Schmieder]

Wow, I had no idea that the harpsichord was making it into pop music in the 50's. That's a period that's kind of a gap for me in my listening background.

 

A song with a similar vibe, and also heavily influenced by Greek and Balkan music (although it actually had put lyrics to an old Russian song, but the Klezmer interlude gave a different feel), was the one that many of us are familiar with mostly due to Paul McCartney arranging it for Mary Hopkins:

 

"Those Were the Days".

[Shamanczarek]

This Harpsichord-based hit goes all the way back to 1951 and features Stan Freeman who also played on Percy Faith's "Delicado" in 1952. This song was co-written by Ross Bagdasarian of Chipmunks fame based on an Armenian folk song and produced by anti-rock and roll Columbia A & R man Mitch Miller.

 

[video:youtube]

[delmar]

[video:youtube]

If we're talking sweet melody memories of childhood...

[Polkahero]

Harpsichords made their way into 1970s pop songs as well, check out the intro to this big hit:

 

[video:youtube]

[Mark Schmieder]

Hah; I always thought that was a poorly recorded hammered dulcimer (or regional equivalent), but the Wiki says it was a harpsichord:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_On-a_My_House

 

What a life of tragedy was led by George Clooney's Aunt Rosemary:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Clooney

[Tusker]

A song with a similar vibe, and also heavily influenced by Greek and Balkan music (although it actually had put lyrics to an old Russian song, but the Klezmer interlude gave a different feel), was the one that many of us are familiar with mostly due to Paul McCartney arranging it for Mary Hopkins:

 

"Those Were the Days".

 

I did not know Macca did this. Russian folk meets English music hall to make a hit, lol. Thanks for this info. Explains the awesome melodic bass among other things ...

[Mark Schmieder]

Macca produced that one; might have played bass but I think hired someone else to do the details of the acoustic instruments.

 

He was probably influenced by "Love Is Blue", which was current then. But it was also during his brief foray into bossa nova and other latin and jazz tinged music (see "Step Inside Love", which I intend to cover at some point).

[Music Bird]

Harpsichords rule!

Didnt the Beatles use one? The Addams Family theme also has a harpsichord.

[agitato]

I'll Be There by the Jackson 5 had a Clavinet playing the intro and verses.

[Dave Bryce]

I'll Be There by the Jackson 5 had a Clavinet playing the intro and verses.

You sure about that? Sounds like a harpsichord to me...

 

dB

[Mark Schmieder]

I found a fair number of references asserting that it's a harpsichord in the Jackson 5 version of "I'll Be There", but none that I would consider final and authoritative.

 

Traffic's little-known song from their "least" album (their sophomore effort): "Crying to be Heard"

 

The Beatles' "Because" from Abbey Road. It's an electric harpsichord (Baldwin?) played through a Leslie speaker (George Martin is the player).

 

Contrarily, I have confirmed that studio tricks were employed by George Martin to make "In My Life" sound harpsichord-like, as was mentioned earlier.

[agitato]

I'm sure. The upper end of the Clavinet with the brilliance rocker switch engaged, and the part played ballad piano-like rather than more familiar Clavinet style of lower end funky playing with single notes, fourths and fifths, etc. I played the part on my D6 when the song was on the charts. Beautiful song, Michael and his brothers vocal performances, notwithstanding.

[Mark Schmieder]

Well, I found the actual song session page earlier tonight and it said "harpsichord". :-)

 

Then again, there's a famous mistake on credits to a Yes song, where Steve Howe was playing an unusual stringed instrument that got identified incorrectly on the album credits.

 

People's memories fade with time too, so even when the original artists or producers are interviewed, they sometimes get it wrong, due to faulty memories, too many mind-altering substances consumed at the time or later, or hearing the wrong information so often that it supplanted what they used to know to be true from their own personal experience. :-)

 

"They who control the past, own the future".

[Dave Bryce]

Well, I found the actual song session page earlier tonight and it said "harpsichord". :-)

 

Then again, there's a famous mistake on credits to a Yes song, where Steve Howe was playing an unusual stringed instrument that got identified incorrectly on the album credits.

 

People's memories fade with time too, so even when the original artists or producers are interviewed, they sometimes get it wrong, due to faulty memories, too many mind-altering substances consumed at the time or later, or hearing the wrong information so often that it supplanted what they used to know to be true from their own personal experience. :-)

All you have to do is listen to the track.

 

Harpsichords make a very distinctive sound which clavs do not make when the key is released and the pick hits the string on the way down (when doing authentic harpsichord programs on a ROMpler, a sample of that sound should be triggered by something like release velocity when the key is released).

 

You can hear that aspect of the sound in the track.

 

dB

 

[AnotherScott]

Yeah, a clav cannot make the harpsichord sound of I'll Be There. (And yes, I've owned a clav.) One technical giveaway is the octave coupling.

[Doug Robinson]

I bought his album on the strength of that song and the arranging. I was disappointed in it, but still loved the song.

[Synthoid]

And speaking of harpsichords, this was an instant favorite when I first heard it back in the 80's.

 

 

[video:youtube]