Today, The Grangers & The Grandma have said goodbye to New York City.
They havespentsome unforgettable and amazingmonths in the city that never sleeps, andthey are sure that they are going to returnvery soon, because they already have got AHeart in New York.
Thanks to New York City and the New Yorkers for these fantastic weeks together!
New York, New York is a 1977 American musical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese
and written by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch based on a story by
Rauch. It is a musical tribute, featuring new songs by John Kander and
Fred Ebb as well as jazz standards, to Scorsese's home town of New York
City, and stars Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli as a pair of musicians and lovers.
The story is about a jazz saxophonist (De Niro) and a pop singer (Minnelli) who fall madly in love and marry; however, the saxophonist's
outrageously volatile personality places a continual strain on their
relationship, and after they have a baby, their marriage crumbles, even as their careers develop on separate paths. The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack Haley.
Theme from New York, New York or New York, New Yorkis the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb.
It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City.
Composer John Kander and Lyricist Fred Ebb stated on the A&E Biography episode about Liza Minnelli, that they attribute the song's success to actor Robert De Niro, who rejected their original theme for the film because he thought it was too weak. The song did not become a popular hit until it was picked up in concert by Frank Sinatra during his performances at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978.
In 1979, Theme from New York, New York was recorded by Frank Sinatra for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future
(1980), and became closely associated with him as one of his signature
songs. Don Costa received a Grammy nomination for the energetic
orchestration.
Sinatra occasionally performed the song live with Minnelli as a duet.
Sinatra recorded it a second time for his 1993 album Duets, with Tony Bennett.
Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today I want to be a part of it New York, New York
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray And step a round of heart of it New York, New York
I want to wake up in that city, that doesn't sleep To find I'm king of the hill Top of the heap My little town blues, Are melting away I'll make a brand new start of it In old New York If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere It's up to you New York, New York New York, New York
I wanna wake up, in the city that doesn't sleep, To find I'm king of the hill, head of the list Cream of the crop at the top of the heap My little town blues are melting away I'll make a brand new start of it, in old New York If I can make it there, I'd make it anywhere Come on, come through New York, New York
Today, The Newtons & The Grandma has visited Radio City Music Hall where some old Grandma's friends have been singing some different versions about New York, New York, one of the best-known songs about New York City.
Before arriving to the Radio City Music Hall, the family has been studying some English grammar. They have chosen To Have Got and some State Verbs.
New York, New York is a 1977 American musical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Mardik Martin and Earl Mac Rauch based on a story by Rauch. It is a musical tribute, featuring new songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as jazz standards, to Scorsese's home town of New York City, and stars Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli as a pair of musicians and lovers.
The story is about a jazz saxophonist (De Niro) and a pop singer (Minnelli) who fall madly in love and marry; however, the saxophonist's outrageously volatile personality places a continual strain on their relationship, and after they have a baby, their marriage crumbles, even as their careers develop on separate paths. The film marked the final screen appearance of actor Jack Haley.
Theme from New York, New York or New York, New Yorkis the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb.
It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City.
Composer John Kander and Lyricist Fred Ebb stated on the A&E Biography episode about Liza Minnelli, that they attribute the song's success to actor Robert De Niro, who rejected their original theme for the film because he thought it was too weak. The song did not become a popular hit until it was picked up in concert by Frank Sinatra during his performances at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978.
In 1979, Theme from New York, New York was recorded by Frank Sinatra for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980), and became closely associated with him as one of his signature songs. Don Costa received a Grammy nomination for the energetic orchestration.
Sinatra occasionally performed the song live with Minnelli as a duet.
Sinatra recorded it a second time for his 1993 album Duets, with Tony Bennett.
Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today I want to be a part of it New York, New York
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray And step a round of heart of it New York, New York
I want to wake up in that city, that doesn't sleep To find I'm king of the hill Top of the heap My little town blues, Are melting away I'll make a brand new start of it In old New York If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere It's up to you New York, New York New York, New York
I wanna wake up, in the city that doesn't sleep, To find I'm king of the hill, head of the list Cream of the crop at the top of the heap My little town blues are melting away I'll make a brand new start of it, in old New York If I can make it there, I'd make it anywhere Come on, come through New York, New York
The Grandma is still in Brussels. She is enjoying the city, its people and its amazing culture. Today, she has decided to know more things about Jacques Brel,one of the most popular Belgian singers of all times and one of The Grandma's favouriteone, too.
Jacques Romain Georges Brel (8 April 1929-9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer, songwriter, poet, actor and director who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following -initially in Belgium and France- later throughout the world. He is considered a master of the modern chanson.
Although he recorded most of his songs in French and occasionally in Dutch, he became an influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers, such as Scott Walker, David Bowie, Alex Harvey, Marc Almond and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many performers, including: Bowie; Walker, Ray Charles; Judy Collins; John Denver; The Kingston Trio; Nina Simone; Shirley Bassey; Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams.
Brel was a successful actor, appearing in 10 films. He directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Having sold over 25 million records worldwide, Brel is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.
Brel married Thérèse "Miche" Michielsen in 1950, and the couple had three children. He also had a romantic relationship with actress and dancer Maddly Bamy from 1972 until his death in 1978.
Jacques Romain Georges
Brel was born on 8 April 1929 in Schaerbeek, Brussels, to Élisabeth
"Lisette" and Romain Brel. He came from a family of Flemish descent, who
had adopted the French language; part of his family originated in
Zandvoorde, near Ypres.
Jacques Brel
His father worked for Cominex, an import–export firm, and later became co-director of a company that manufactured cardboard. Jacques and his older brother Pierre grew up in an austere household, and attended a Catholic primary school, École Saint-Viateur, run by the order of Saint Viator.
Remembered as a courteous and manageable pupil, Brel did well in reading and writing, but struggled through arithmetic and Dutch. The boys were also members of the local Boy Scouts troop, enjoyed their time at summer camp and on family outings to the North Sea coast.
In Brussels, the family lived at 138 Avenue du Diamant in Schaerbeek, then moved to 26 Boulevard Belgica in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, and finally settled at 7 Rue Jacques-Manne in Anderlecht. Brel was close to his mother, fascinated by her generosity and sense of humour, which he inherited.
In September 1941, his
parents enrolled Brel at the Institut Saint-Louis at rue du Marais near
the Botanical Garden of Brussels. Although he did poorly in many
subjects, he did well in history and French, and showed a talent for
writing. He helped set up the school's drama club, taking on his first
stage roles with great enthusiasm. He wrote short stories, poems, and
essays.
In 1944, at the age of 15, Brel began playing the guitar. The following year he formed his own theatre group with friends and began writing plays. In the spring of 1947, during his final year at Saint-Louis, Brel wrote a short story titled Frédéric for a school magazine Le Grand Feu. Published pseudonymously, the story is about a man on his death bed who encourages his grandson to run away while the rest of the family makes arrangements for his funeral. Despite his growing talent for writing, Brel was not a good student, and failed many of his exams.
With an academic career not in his future, the 18-year-old Brel went to work at his father's cardboard factory in August 1947. His job at Vanneste and Brel was predictable and uninspiring -a routine that involved fixing prices and meeting customers. Apart from joining the
company football team, he showed little interest in the company's social
activities and events. Perhaps to offset the boredom of his daily
office routine, he joined a local Catholic youth organisation La Franche
Cordée (FC), which had as its motto, More is within you.
Dedicated to philanthropic work,
the group organised religious retreats, fundraising events, and food
and clothing deliveries to orphanages and old people's homes.
Jacques Brel
Brel supported these activities with great enthusiasm and believed strongly in FC's mission. His parents were pleased with their son's dedication, and provided him with the company van and family car to support his FC activities.
In June 1948, Brel enlisted for military service, did his basic training in Limbourg, and served as a corporal in the Belgian air force stationed at Groenveld barracks in Zellik near Brussels. Throughout his military service, Brel was still able to attend FC meetings. While working at FC, Brel met his future wife, Thérèse Michielsen, known to her friends as "Miche".
On 1 June 1950, Jacques and Miche were married at Laeken, a suburb of the City of Brussels. On 6 December 1951, Miche gave birth to their first daughter, Chantal.
In 1952 Brel began
writing songs and performing them at family gatherings and on Brussels'
cabaret circuit. His family and friends were not supportive of his stark
lyrics and violent, emotional performances. That year he performed on a
local radio station for the first time.
In January 1953, Brel performed at the cabaret La Rose Noire in Brussels. In February he signed a contract with Philips Records and recorded his first 78 rpm record, Il Y A, which was released in March. The talent scout and artistic director at the record company, Jacques Canetti, invited him to move to Paris.
Despite his family's objections and the added pressure of raising a second daughter, France, born on 12 July, he left Brussels for Paris in the autumn of 1953. In Paris Brel worked hard to get his career off the ground. He stayed at the Hotel Stevens and gave guitar lessons to artist-dancer Francesco Frediani to pay his rent. He found work on the cabaret circuit at venues such as L'Écluse, L'Échelle de Jacob, and in Jacques Canetti's cabaret Les Trois Baudets.
In 1954 Brel competed in
the music contest Grand Prix de la Chanson in Knokke-le-Zoute,
finishing a disappointing 27th out of 28 participants. One positive
result of the experience was that the French star Juliette Gréco
requested to sing one of Brel's songs, Le diable (Ça va), at her
up-and-coming concert at the prestigious Olympia music-hall. She went on
to record the song that spring.
Jacques Brel
In July 1954, Brel made his first appearance at the prestigious Olympia Theatre in Paris.
Later that summer, he embarked on his first French tour, appearing on the bill with French singers Dario Moreno, Philippe Clay, and Catherine Sauvage. By the end of the year, Philips released his debut album, a nine-song, 10-inch LP called Jacques Brel et ses Chansons. In February 1955, Brel met Georges "Jojo" Pasquier, who would become the singer's closest friend, manager, and personal chauffeur. He began singing with a number of Christian associations, which later led to his nickname of Abbé "Abbot" Brel. In March Brel's wife and children joined him in France and the family settled in the Paris suburb of Montreuil-sous-Bois at the rue du Moulin à vent. In June he toured France again with Canetti's show Les Filles de Papa, which included Françoise Dorin, Perrette Souplex, and Suzanne Gabriello.
In March 1956, Brel
performed in North Africa, Amsterdam, Lausanne, and throughout Belgium.
In July, while visiting Grenoble, he met François Rauber, a classical
pianist who would become his accompanist on future recordings. Rauber
played a major role in providing Brel with the formal musical training
he was lacking and was responsible for Brel's musical arrangements.
The year 1964 brought a
mix of personal tragedies and professional triumphs. On 8 January,
Brel's father, Romain, died of bronchial pneumonia. Only two months
later, on 7 March, his mother Élisabeth, nicknamed Mouky, also died. At
the same time, he was given the Gold Medal of Brussels from the Tourist
Information Bureau and won a prize from the Société d’Auteurs
Belge/Belgische Auteurs Maatschappij (SABAM). He was also awarded the
French Academy's Grand Prix du Disque. He continued his ambitious
touring schedule.
By the end of the year, he released a new live album, Enregistrement Public à l'Olympia 1964. That year, he discovered a new passion, aviation. After taking flying lessons with Paul Lepanse, he purchased a small plane.
In the United States,
his audience was growing. American poet and singer Rod McKuen began
translating Brel's songs into English, and the Kingston Trio recorded
one of his English versions on their Time to Think album, Seasons in
the Sun, based on Brel's Le Moribond.
In January 1967, Brel
finished recording songs for a new studio album, Jacques Brel 67, which
was released later in the year. The album included Mon Enfance, Fils
de..., Les bonbons 67, and La Chanson des vieux amants. In late
January, he returned to Carnegie Hall and gave one final performance.
Jacques Brel
By early 1973, Brel knew that he was ill. He prepared his will, leaving everything to his wife Miche. In the spring he recorded a new single, L'Enfance, the proceeds of which he donated to La Fondation Perce Neige, an association set up to help disabled children.
After completing his last film L'emmerdeur, he took his daughters on a cruise. In November, he embarked on a two-month cruise across the Atlantic with five of his closest friends on the training ship Le Korrig. Brel devoted the final years of his life to his passion for sailing.
In 1977, Brel decided to record one final album. Despite his recent years away from the continent, his legend lived on in Europe and his records still sold millions of copies each year. In August, Brel returned to Paris and moved into a small hotel. He had quit smoking and, despite his poor health, was enthusiastic about working again with his faithful collaborators François Rauber and Gérard Jouannest.
In September and October, Brel recorded 12 of the 17 new songs he had written in the Marquesas. The result was his final album, Les Marquises, which included Jaures, Vieillir, Le Bon Dieu, Orly, Voir un Ami pleurer, Jojo, and Les Marquises. The new album was released on 17 November and was received as an historic national event in France.
At Brel's request,
Barclay did not run a huge promotional campaign for the album, and
still, by word of mouth alone, over a million fans placed advance
orders. The day the album was released, Jacques and Maddly returned to
their home in the Marquesas Islands.
From January to June 1978, Jacques and Maddly lived quietly at their home on Atuona Bay on Hiva-Oa island. In July, after his health began to fail, Brel was flown back to France and rushed to a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where doctors discovered a cancerous tumour. He remained in the hospital for six weeks and then spent the rest of the summer in Southern France.
On 7 October, he was rushed to hospital Avicenne in Bobigny near Paris. He died of a pulmonary embolism at 4.10 am on 9 October 1978 at the age of 49. On 12 October, his body was flown back to the Marquesas Islands, where he was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Atuona on the southern side of Hiva Oa island in the Marquesas, French Polynesia -a few yards away from the grave of artist Paul Gauguin.
Brel himself occasionally included parts of his songs in Dutch, one of the three official languages of Belgium, as in Mariek. He also recorded eight other Dutch versions of songs, such as Mijn vlakke land, Laat me niet alleen, Rosa, De Burgerij, and De Nuttelozen van de Nacht. Brel also recorded two obscure singles in Dutch, De apen and Men vergeet niets, which were included in the 16-CD box set Boîte à Bonbons by Barclay. So far unreleased is the song Als men niets dan liefde heeft.
Marieke was translated by Brel himself. Since his own command of Dutch was poor, most of Brel's later Dutch interpretations were translated by Ernst van Altena, with Brel's cooperation, and are generally considered to be relatively true to the original French and poetic. De Apen was translated by Eric Franssen. Men vergeet niets was translated by well known Flemish artist Will Ferdy. Popular singers from the Netherlands singing Brel's songs in Dutch have been Liesbeth List, Jan Mesdag and Jeroen Willems.
Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s'oublier Qui s'enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu À savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois à coups de pourquoi Le cœur du bonheur
Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915-May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian Americans, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra found success as a solo artist after he signed with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the bobby soxers. He released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, in 1946. Sinatra's professional career had stalled by the early 1950s, and he turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best known residency performers as part of the Rat Pack.
His career was reborn in 1953 with the success of From Here to Eternity, with his performance subsequently winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Sinatra released several critically lauded albums, including In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Only the Lonely (1958) and Nice 'n' Easy (1960).
Sinatra left
Capitol in 1960 to start his own record label, Reprise Records, and
released a string of successful albums. In 1965, he recorded the
retrospective September of My Years and starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music.
Frank Sinatra
After releasing Sinatra at the Sands, recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Vegas with frequent collaborator Count Basie in early 1966, the following year he recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was followed by 1968's Francis A. & Edward K. with Duke Ellington.
Sinatra retired for the first time in 1971, but came out of retirement two years later and recorded several albums and resumed performing at Caesars Palace, and reached success in 1980 with New York, New York. Using his Las Vegas shows as a home base, he toured both within the United States and internationally until shortly before his death in 1998.
Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor. After winning an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and received critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He appeared in various musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956), and Pal Joey (1957), winning another Golden Globe for the latter.
Toward the end of his career, he became associated with playing detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967). Sinatra would later receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971. On television, The Frank Sinatra Show began on ABC in 1950, and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra was also heavily involved with politics from the mid-1940s, and actively campaigned for presidents such as Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. In crime, the FBI investigated Sinatra and his alleged relationship with the Mafia.
While Sinatra never learned how to read music, he had an impressive understanding of it, and he worked very hard from a young age to improve his abilities in all aspects of music. A perfectionist, renowned for his dress sense and performing presence, he always insisted on recording live with his band. His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname Ol' Blue Eyes.
Sinatra led a colorful personal life, and was often involved in turbulent affairs with women, such as with his second wife Ava Gardner. He later married Mia Farrow in 1966 and Barbara Marx in 1976. Sinatra had several violent confrontations, usually with journalists he felt had crossed him, or work bosses with whom he had disagreements. He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.
Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the GrammyLifetime Achievement Award.
He was collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the
twentieth century's 100 most influential people. After his death,
American music critic Robert Christgau called him the greatest singer of the 20th century, and he continues to be seen as an iconic figure.
Francis Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915, in an upstairs tenement at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was the only child of Italians Natalina Dolly Garaventa and Antonino Martino Marty Sinatra.
Frank Sinatra
Sinatra began singing professionally as a teenager, but he learned music by ear and never learned to read music. He got his first break in 1935 when his mother persuaded a local singing group, the 3 Flashes, to let him join.
By May 1941, Sinatra topped the male singer polls in Billboard and Down Beat magazines. His appeal to bobby soxers, as teenage girls of that time were called, revealed a whole new audience for popular music, which had been recorded mainly for adults up to that time.
Despite being heavily involved in political activity in 1945 and 1946, in those two years Sinatra sang on 160 radio shows, recorded 36 times, and shot four films. By 1946 he was performing on stage up to 45 times a week, singing up to 100 songs daily, and earning up to $93,000 a week.
The release of the film From Here to Eternity in August 1953 marked the beginning of a remarkable career revival. Santopietro notes that Sinatra began to bury himself in his work, with an unparalleled frenetic schedule of recordings, movies and concerts, in what authors Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan describe as a new and brilliant phase.
Santopietro stated that by the early 1980s, Sinatra's voice had coarsened, losing much of its power and flexibility, but audiences didn't care.
In 1995, to mark Sinatra's 80th birthday, the Empire State Building glowed blue. A star-studded birthday tribute, Sinatra: 80 Years My Way, was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, featuring performers such as Ray Charles, Little Richard, Natalie Cole and Salt-N-Pepa singing his songs. At the end of the program Sinatra graced the stage for the last time to sing the final notes of the Theme from New York, New York with an ensemble. In recognition of his many years of association with Las Vegas, Frank Sinatra was elected to the Gaming Hall of Fame in 1997.
Sinatra died with his wife at his side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on May 14, 1998, aged 82, after a heart attack.
American music critic Robert Christgau referred to Sinatra as the greatest singer of the 20th century. His popularity was later matched only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson.
