How Do I Live
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How Do I Live

Today’s song was the 6th best selling single in the US in 1998. How Do I Live was written by Diane Warren and recorded by LeAnn Rimes who was just 14 years old at the time. It went on to set a record for staying on the Billboard Top 100 chart for 69 weeks. The song was originally intended for the soundtrack of the action film Con Air, and Diane Warren had apparently promised it to LeAnn Rimes. However, Disney (the parent company of Touchstone Pictures who were producing Con Air) decided she was too young and Trish Yearwood was chosen to record the version for the film. On hearing about this, Wilbur Rimes – LeAnn Rimes’ father and manager, quickly pushed out her version of the song and it made its way into pop history.

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my April songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/how-do-i-live

Greatest Day
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Greatest Day

Happy Easter everyone! Today’s song is the Take That classic Greatest Day. Apparently Gary Barlow wrote this song in just 3 or 4 hours, and it went on to become a #1 hit in the UK, and apparently the official song of the England football team at the 2014 World Cup. I played this a couple of years ago in a mashup with Mendelssohn’s Wedding March at our neighbours’ wedding, but today I’m playing the straight Take That version!

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my April songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/greatest-day/s-SLwXT

Marry You
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Marry You

This is another of the many songs I’ve played which hadn’t even been written the last time I took on this challenge. Like my previous Bruno Mars song, Just The Way You Are, Marry You featured on his 2011 debut album Doo-Wops and Hooligans. I’ve moved it into G flat major, slowed the song down a bit and “balladified” it (!), so I hope you like this slightly different version of the song.

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my April songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/marry-you/s-qnNUR

John 19:41
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John 19:41

After yesterday’s Jesus Christ Superstar song, Pilate’s Dream, today I’m playing the stunning piece which comes at the very end of the musical as the Apostles, Mary and Judas reflect on the life and death of Jesus. It’s the same theme as I Only Want to Say, but it’s slower, and perhaps even more powerful as a result. I’ve done something a bit special with this performance today for Good Friday – in addition to recording the piano part, I’ve orchestrated some synths and strings around it.

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my April songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/john-19-41/s-zIKjb

Pilate’s Dream
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Pilate’s Dream

Given the time of the year, I’ve decided to make today’s and tomorrow’s song from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Since I played a number of songs from this show in 2010 including Could We Start Again, Please?, I Don’t Know How to Love Him and the wonderful I Only Want to Say, I’m a bit more limited in what I can play. Today it’s the understated song Pilate’s Dream in which Pontius Pilate foresees the impending events of the Crucifixion.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/pilates-dream/s-jjJpV

For Good
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For Good

I have to admit to being not the greatest Wicked fan, but it’s possibly because I don’t know the show well enough. Last week I attended a fantastic concert put on by my son’s primary school in which the children sang songs from various musicals and one of the highlights (apart from my son’s performance as Danny Zuko of course!) was the Wicked section. I wasn’t really familiar with For Good, but have since listened to it several times and I’ve decided to play it today. I hope Wicked fans and non-fans alike enjoy this one!

First time here? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see last month’s songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/for-good/s-sCgsa

Offenbach’s Barcarolle
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Offenbach’s Barcarolle

This lovely piece of music from Offenbach’s opera The Tales of Hoffmann always reminds me of the Coves del Drach in Mallorca where visitors can experience an underground concert with musicians playing violins, cellos and a harmonium as they row across the subterranean lake. The barcarolle has its origins in Venice and is traditionally sung by gondoliers. The barcarolle is normally in the 6/8 time signature and speed is dictated by the gondolier’s stroke as the gondola moves through the water.

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my March songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/offenbachs-barcarolle/s-QWBdF

Gente di Mare
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Gente di Mare

Today’s song, Gente di Mare (“people of the sea”) dates from 1987 when it was performed by Umberto Tozzi and Raff as the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. It contrasts the life of the “people of the plains” and the “people of the city” who don’t have the freedom of the “people of the sea”. In case you wanted to know… It didn’t win the contest that year – Johnny Logan’s Hold Me Now was the 1987 runaway winner –  but did become a top 10 hit in most of continental Europe.

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my March songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/gente-di-mare/s-WImld

Viva La Vida
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Viva La Vida

Today I’m playing a Coldplay classic, Viva la Vida. In Spanish it can mean either “live the life” or “long live life”, and it the song was inspired by a Frida Kahlo painting. The artist had suffered considerable pain through polio and a broken spine, but nevertheless embraced life, inscribing the words “Viva La Vida” on one of her most well-known paintings.

There’s a huge amount of energy in this song, helped by the strings arrangement which keeps it moving at a fairly fast pace. I may have run away with myself a bit in this one, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project, listen to my previous Coldplay songs, or see all of my March songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/viva-la-vida/s-CJ0MY

When You’re Smiling
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When You’re Smiling

A nice, cheery song today – When You’re Smiling, originally made famous by Louis Armstrong in 1929, but since recorded by hundreds of artists. It’s apparently the official song of football club Leicester City and one of the strangest performances of the song is from the 1995 Woody Allen film Mighty Aphrodite when it’s performed by a Greek chorus at the end of the film! I hope this song brings a smile to you this Saturday morning!

First time on the site? Find out more about the 365 Songs project or see all of my March songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/when-youre-smiling

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