5 on Friday -- Set 253

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

December -- one final time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month throughout 2014 I've featured the songs or compositions that launched careers. I've looked at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles whom I've loved the best.

I've really enjoyed this project. I'm going to launch a brand new one for 5 on Friday in 2015 -- stay tuned.

To wrap up The Hit Makers, I'm turning now to an abiding love of mine: film scores.

Here are five of my favorite film composers and the scores that brought them into wider public recognition.

1 - Fiddler on the Roof - adapted from Jerry Bock's Broadway score by John Williams - 1971

My love affair with all scores John Williams technically began with his Star Wars score, when I sat cross-legged in front of our old stereo listening to the different themes with my 70s headphones (a cherished Christmas present.) Yet my family had already fallen for his Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack a few years earlier, initially borrowing and re-borrowing the soundtrack album from the library -- until it dawned on us that maybe we should just go ahead and buy the album for ourselves. You can definitely hear his signature orchestration in this piece.

John Williams won an Oscar for his work on this score. 

2 - Chariots of Fire - Vangelis - 1981

Vangelis' score for Blade Runner, which was released a year after Chariots of Fire, was the score that brought me to this composer. I also adored his score for The Bounty, and used a piece from his L'Apocalypse des Animaux (La Petite Fille de la Mer) for one of my university film projects.

The opening theme made it to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 as a single in the US, #12 in the UK and #21 in Australia.

Vangelis won an Oscar for his work on this score.  

3 - Batman - Danny Elfman - 1989

Basically, I've been a fan of Danny Elfman's since the beginning -- Pee-wee's Big Adventure. I even considered putting his Beetlejuice soundtrack as his breakthrough score, but then again I'm the exact target audience for his work. If I think in terms of the general public, in discussing this with my husband, we feel that the Batman soundtrack is the score that put Danny Elfman into the public spotlight.

He won a Grammy for his work on this score.

4 - The Lion King underscore - Hans Zimmer - 1994

I discovered Hans Zimmer's music through the amazing 2000 score for Gladiator. Like many others, I'd listened to Zimmer's work in many other films before then, but the Gladiator score is what made me a fan.

His work on 1994's The Lion King, adding additional underscore alongside the Elton John songs, brought him before worldwide audiences as well as winning Hans Zimmer an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy.

5 - Requiem For a Dream - Clint Mansell - 2000

The soundtrack that turned me into a Clint Mansell fan was the 2006 score for The Fountain (especially Death is the Road to Awe.)

General audiences will be most familiar with his theme from Requiem For a Dream, a cult movie hit that wouldn't be as recognizable to the public compared to this piece of music. The theme was picked up independently from the film and used heavily by studios as the music for newly-releasing movie trailers in cinemas.  

5 on Friday -- Set 248

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Now that November has arrived, it's time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

This will come as no surprise to any of you -- my favorite music of all is ballet scores.

I know -- shocking, right?

Here are five of my favorite ballet composers and the scores that launched their careers in that musical form.

1 - Swan Lake main theme - composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikoksky - 1876

Main theme begins at the 1:46 mark and ends at the 3:22 mark

2 - Romeo and Juliet main theme - composed by Sergei Prokofiev - 1935 

3 - The Firebird final theme - composed by Igor Stravinsky - 1910

Final theme begins at the 37:33 mark and ends at the 40:26 mark

4 - Giselle main wilis theme - composed by Adolphe Adam - 1841

Wilis theme begins at the 6:05 mark and ends at the 8:42 mark

5 - La Bayadere's Nikia theme - composed by Ludwig Minkus - 1877

Nikia (who is the temple dancer or bayadere of the title) theme begins at the 0:00 mark and ends at the 3:13 mark

5 on Friday -- Set 243

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Now that October has arrived, it's time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

Here are five of my favorite Australian bands and artists, and the songs that brought them to the masses.

1 - Highway to Hell  -- AC/DC -- 1979

Ten years ago, if you had asked me whether AC/DC would be on my list of favorite bands, I would have looked at you as if you'd lost your mind.

The Supernatural soundtrack changed all of that.

2 - Who Can it Be Now -- Men at Work -- 1981

3 - Original Sin -- INXS -- 1983

Oh, how I love INXS and Michael Hutchence.

4 - Don't Dream It's Over  -- Crowded House  --  1986

As someone who loves collage, it's no wonder I was highly attracted to this mixed-media video when it first came out.

5 - Spinning Around  -- Kylie Minogue -- 2000

Although technically Kylie came to prominence with her Loco-Motion cover in 1987, her career did a bit of side-tracking for awhile. Her current dance-club music career really launched with this 2000 hit.

5 on Friday -- Set 239

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Now that September has arrived, it's time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

Here are five of my favorite bossa nova artists and the songs that brought them to the masses.

1 - Chega de Saudade (Enough Longing) -- Joao Gilberto -- original recording 1959 (I believe this version was recorded in the 60s)

2 - Desafinado (Out of Tune) -- Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd -- 1962

3 - The Girl From Ipanema -- Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz, from a composition by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes -- 1962

4 - Agua de Beber (Water to Drink) -- Antonio Carlos Jobim -- 1963

5 - Mas Que Nada (But That is Nothing) -- Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 -- 1966

5 on Friday -- Set 234

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Now that August has arrived, it's time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

Here are five of my favorite progressive rock bands and the songs that brought them to the masses.

1 - Roundabout -- Yes -- 1971

2 - Dancing With the Moonlit Knight -- Genesis -- 1973

3 - I'm Not in Love -- 10cc -- 1975

4 - The Spirit of Radio -- Rush -- 1980

5 - Plug In Baby -- Muse -- 2001

A to Z Blog Challenge -- 5 on Friday -- Set 217 -- D is for Dance Club / House Music

Welcome to Day 4 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge.

Fridays at A Piece of My Mind are all about music. So for today's challenge --   

D is for Dance Club or House Music

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

It's April, and time for my monthly 5 on Friday feature -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

If you caught my Day 1 post, you'll know that I'm a passionate ballet fan. But I also love all forms of dance, including the everyman variety known as social dance. These days, the music for that is known as Dance Club or House Music. Why 'house' music?

It could refer to a specific Chicago club called The Warehouse where the early forms of house music were created by innovative DJs. It could refer to the term 'house' as the performance venue, which is what all theatres are called. It also could refer to urban slang for 'party'.

Here are five tunes that brought these artists to the forefront of public attention. Some of the artists were actually well-known in their underground niche for years before breaking through to wider public discovery. Some of them were already established in pop dance, and were pushing the boundaries by bringing house music to a wider audience.

  

1 - Vogue -- Madonna -- 1990

2 - Poker Face -- Lady Gaga -- 2008

3 - In Your Eyes -- Kylie Minogue -- 2002

4 - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) -- Spiller -- 2000

5 - Save the World -- Swedish House Mafia -- 2011

5 on Friday -- Set 209

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

It's February, and time for my newest feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

This month, let's get our groove on with funk. 

  

1 - I Got You (I Feel Good) -- James Brown -- 1965

James Brown is credited with actually starting the new genre of funk with this tune.

2 - Everyday People -- Sly and the Family Stone -- 1968

This group is much funkier than this song. Yet it was their big-selling hit which brought them to the greatest public attention. 

3 - I Can't Get Next to You -- The Temptations -- 1969

Although The Temptations were already a success in the rhythm-and-blues and soul categories, this song launched them as funk artists with a change in line-up and a new producer.

4 - Move On Up -- Curtis Mayfield -- 1971

An innovative Renaissance man, Mayfield was a soundtrack composer (Super Fly,) a multi-instrumentalist and a civil rights activist. 

5 - Shining Star -- Earth, Wind and Fire -- 1974

This song is the funkiest song in the set, as by 1974 the public appetite for true funk had warmed to a song like Shining Star.

5 on Friday -- Set 204

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

A new year, and a new feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. Starting with the British Invasion in the early-to-mid 60s, I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

  

1 - I Want to Hold Your Hand -- The Beatles -- 1963

2 - You Really Got Me -- The Kinks -- 1964

3 - The House of the Rising Sun -- The Animals -- 1964 

4 - My Generation -- The Who -- 1965

5 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction -- The Rolling Stones