Mark Pentleton » film songs

78/365 Songs: I have a dream – Abba

admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:51:28 +0000

Thanks for the nice comments this week on the songs I’ve been playing – it’s great to know that people are enjoying my music! Back to Abba today with the song I have a dream. It first appeared on the 1979 Voulez-vous album and is one of the Abba songs which everyone knows. I’ve decided to play this in A flat rather than B flat. I’m not quite sure why – just to be different probably!

74/365 Songs – Perfidia

admin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:19:45 +0000

Today’s song is the Mexican classic Perfidia, written in 1939 by Alberto Domínguez and was a hit for Xavier Cugat in 1940. It’s been recorded by many artists and I first heard it on the Nat King Cole Spanish album Mis Mejores Canciones. One of my favourite recordings is Linda Ronstadt’s version from the Mambo Kings soundtrack (YouTube link). I’ve tried to do something a bit ‘dramatic’ with the minor verse before moving into a slow bolero for the chorus, and then introducing a few more syncopated bass lines a bit later. As ever, I hope you enjoy it!

68/365 Songs: Gabriellas Sång – Så som i himmelen

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:16:08 +0000

Today’s song is perhaps not very well known – but it deserves to be. It’s taken from the 2004 Swedish blockbuster Så som i himmelen (On earth as it is in heaven) and was sung by Helen Sjöholm in the film. The film tells the story of Daniel, a renowned conductor who, following health problems, returns to his village in the north of Sweden and eventually is convinced to help out with the local church choir. As a child he had endured a life of bullying and one of the choir members (Gabriella) is still suffering at the hands of one of these bullies. Gabriella’s song is about living the life she wants to live. The performance of this song in the film is extremely powerful – here’s the YouTube link, but it’s worth trying to get hold of the film to see the song in its original context. In some ways the ending of the film is tragic, making it unlikely to cross over into a Hollywood treatment! However, in other ways the ending is truly happy because the song’s final line, “Jag vill känna att jag levt mitt liv” (”I want to feel that I’ve lived my life”) is exactly what Daniel has done.

The film was nominated as Best Foreign Language Film in the 77th Academy Awards, and the song spent 68 weeks in the Swedish charts between 2004 and 2006. It’s one of those songs which is very well known in Scandinavia, often performed at Confirmation celebrations, but it’s still relatively unknown in the English-speaking world. As yet I don’t know of any English language version, but a translation of the lyrics is below. I hope you enjoy it!

Swedish

Det är nu som livet är mitt
Jag har fått en stund här på jorden
Och min längtan har fört mig hit
Det jag saknat och det jag fått

Det är ändå vägen jag valt
Min förtröstan långt bortom orden
Som har visat en liten bit
Av den himmel jag aldrig nått

Jag vill känna att jag lever
All den tid jag har
Ska jag leva som jag vill
Jag vill känna att jag lever
Veta att jag räcker till

Jag har aldrig glömt vem jag var
Jag har bara låtit det sova
Kanske hade jag inget val
Bara viljan att finnas kvar

Jag vill leva lycklig för att jag är jag
Kunna vara stark och fri
Se hur natten går mot dag
Jag är här och mitt liv är bara mitt
Och den himmel jag trodde fanns
Ska jag hitta där nånstans

Jag vill känna att jag levt mitt liv

English translation

It is now that my life is mine
I’ve got this short time on earth
And my longing has brought me here
All I lacked and all I gained

And yet it’s the way that I chose
My trust was far beyond words
That has shown me a little bit
Of the heaven I’ve never found

I want to feel I’m alive
All my living days
I will live as I desire
I want to feel I’m alive
Knowing I was good enough

I have never lost who I was
I have only left it sleeping
Maybe I never had a choice
Just the will to stay alive

All I want is to be happy
Being who I am
To be strong and to be free
To see day arise from night

I am here and my life is only mine
And the heaven I thought was there
I’ll discover it there somewhere
I want to feel that I’ve lived my life!

365 Songs: As time goes by – Casablanca

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:22:26 +0000

It’s day 50 on 365songs and today’s performance is the classic 1942 song As time goes by from the film Casablanca. It was actually first written in 1931 and featured in the musical Everybody’s Welcome, but was made famous when it was performed by Sam in Casablanca. This song was actually named as #2 in the American Film Institute’s list of top movie songs – 100 years … 100 songs. I’m sure a few more of these songs will find their way into my playlist for the year! I hadn’t realised this until I read about the song, but it seems that the verse of this song was never included in the film, and most recordings since then have also left it out. I’ve always played it with the verse, so I hope you enjoy this rarity! If you’d like to sing along, the verse lyrics are below…

This day and age we’re living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension.

Yet we get a trifle weary
with Mr Einstein’s theory
So we must get down to earth at times
Relax, relieve the tension.

And no matter what the progress
or what may yet be proved,
The simple facts of life are such
they cannot be removed.

You must remember this,
a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply,
as time goes by…

365 Songs: Everything I do – Bryan Adams

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:19:29 +0000

I promised cheesy romantic slush today, and here it is, in the form of the song Everything I do (I do it for you) from the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Why this song today? Well, this was the film Catriona and I went to see on our first date… eighteen and a half years ago!

The song spent no fewer than 16 weeks at No.1 in the UK charts, and I think by that time everyone was pretty sick of it, but it’s always been a special song for us…

365 Songs – When all is said and done – Abba

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:08:39 +0000

This song was first appeared on the Visitors album in 1981 and it is said to tell the story of the separation of Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. It was reworked into a ballad for the Mamma Mia film, this time focusing on two people finding love again. I think it’s one of the best songs from the film. Here’s my interpretation which is more Mamma Mia than the Visitors…

If you’re enjoying my songs, please do consider contributing to the Haiti Earthquake appeal and downloading my From a Distance charity CD album.

365 Songs – Wind beneath my wings

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:02:50 +0000

Today is the final day here in London at BETT and I’m absolutely shattered. It’s been an enjoyable few days working with Oscar and Joe and everyone on the stand, but I’ll be really glad to get home tonight! Today’s song is The Wind Beneath My Wings. It was first recorded by Roger Whittaker in 1982 and but was made famous by Bette Midler in 1989 in the film Beaches. Not really my kind of film, but the song is nice! And must be played in G flat!

365 Songs – Against All Odds – Phil Collins

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:06:23 +0000

Today’s song was requested by Helen Myers. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Helen on several occasions and she wrote a lovely comment last week on Guldet Blev till Sand. I’ll hopefully catch up with Helen later this week at BETT. I hope you enjoy this, Helen!