Mark Pentleton - Page 23 of 43 - A place for my music, photos and videos

15 Jul 2015 2015, Music African, B flat major, B major, BoneyM, C major, July, multiple modulations, Swahili, traditional 0

Malaika

Mark

Today I’m playing a song which I first heard over 30 years ago being performed by BoneyM. It’s the Swahili song Malaika and it’s one of the most widely known of all songs in Swahili. The word malaika means “angel” and the song is the song of a poor young man who has fallen in love but who can’t afford to marry his “angel” because the dowry price is too high.

Malaika, nakupenda Malaika
Angel, I love you angel
Malaika, nakupenda Malaika
Angel, I love you angel
Nami nifanyeje, kijana mwenzio
and I, what should I do, your young friend
Nashindwa na mali sina, we,
I am defeated by the bride price that I don’t have
Ningekuoa Malaika
I would marry you, angel
Nashindwa na mali sina, we,
I am defeated by the bride price that I don’t have
Ningekuoa Malaika
I would marry you, angel

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/malaika

14 Jul 2015 2015, Music F major, French, July, traditional 0

La Romance du Quatorze Juillet

Mark

Bonne Fête Nationale à tous mes amis français! Today is the fête nationale in France and following a bit of research online about French songs relating to the 14th July I’ve come across this 19th century song which follows a romance from the first signs of love between a young girl and her beau, through to the birth of their baby and then the unfortunate events surrounding her being abandoned and subsequently sentenced to a term in prison as an unmarried mother. There are various versions of the song, some more tragic than the rest, but it’s a nice wee tune. For French speakers, there’s more information here.

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/la-romance-du-quatorze-juillet

13 Jul 2015 2015, Music 2010s, B flat major, hip hop, July, pop, rap, songs from films, Wiz Kalifa 0

See You Again

Mark

Today I’m playing the Wiz Kalifa song See You Again which was recorded as a tribute to actor Paul Walker and featured in the 2015 film Furious 7 from the Fast and Furious franchise. The song remained at number one in the Billboard Top 100 for 12 weeks and also reached number one in many other countries.

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/see-you-again

12 Jul 2015 2015, Music classical, G minor, July, Spanish 0

Mallorca

Mark

We’ve spent the last 10 days in one of my favourite places in the world, the sunny island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. I discovered that Albéniz wrote a piece for guitar named Mallorca which guitarist John Williams described as “a piece depicting a mysterious, beautiful island with a Moorish influence”. There’s an alternative version for piano and solo instrument, so I’ve used this version and performed a “duet with myself”, overdubbing the solo part. I hope you enjoy this piece today.

There are more classical pieces here, and to hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/mallorca

11 Jul 2015 2015, Music 1980s, Dionne Warwick, E flat major, July, pop, Rod Stewart 0

That’s What Friends Are For

Mark

Today I’m playing a happy song from 1982, first recorded by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack of the film Night Shift, but more well known from the Dionne Warwick version from 1985. Written by Burt Bacharach and Carol Bayer Sager, That’s What Friends Are For won a Grammy and was ranked the most popular song of 1986 by Billboard magazine.

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/thats-what-friends-are-for

10 Jul 2015 2015, Music 1980s, C major, D flat major, film themes, July, modulation, songs from films 0

Glory Of Love

Mark

Today’s song is an 80s classic which featured in the Karate Kid Part II in 1986. It was recorded by Peter Cetera shortly after he left the band Chicago to pursue a solo career. Cetera originally wrote the song for the end titles of Rocky IV but it was not selected for this and instead found its way into the second film in the Karate Kid series.

This song is dedicated to my wife Catriona who celebrates her birthday today who always sings along when she hears this song!

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/the-glory-of-love/s-If65K

9 Jul 2015 2015, Music 2010s, D major, Disney, E major, Frozen, July, modulation, songs from films 0

Love Is An Open Door

Mark

Today I’m returning to the Disney movie Frozen and playing the song Love Is An Open Door. It’s a love duet between Anna and Hans in which they gradually discover how much they share in common.

There are more Frozen songs here, and to hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/love-is-an-open-door

8 Jul 2015 2015, Music 1990s, 3/4, F major, July, pop, The Beautiful South 0

One Last Love Song

Mark

One Last Love Song was released by the Beautiful South as an extra track on their 1994 compilation album Carry On Up The Charts. I’ve always loved this song and hope you enjoy my performance!

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/one-last-love-son

7 Jul 2015 2015, Music 2000s, beyoncé, C major, classical, July, Schubert 0

Ave Maria (Beyoncé)

Mark

First there was Bach-Gounod, then Schubert, then Beyoncé… Today’s song is Beyoncé’s Ave Maria which was released in 2008. The chorus features Schubert’s theme, but the verses are original. Beyoncé apparently performed the song during her I Am … World Tour in a wedding dress and veil! I was first introduced to this song when I played it at a wedding a couple of years ago.

To hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/ave-maria

6 Jul 2015 2015, Music 1990s, billy joel, calm, G major, July 0

Lullabye

Mark

Today’s song is Billy Joel’s Lullabye which has an interesting story. The melody was originally written as a Gregorian Chant-style prelude for the song River of Dreams featuring lyrics in Latin about a man who had lost his faith. When he heard the final recording, Joel didn’t like it, and instead used the melody with lyrics inspired by his young daughter Alexa Ray.

There’s more Billy Joel here, and to hear more July songs, click here. If it’s your first time on the site, find out more about why I’m trying to record a piano tune every day here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/lullabye