Anything Beautiful And Inspiring.

Fond of Stevie Nicks and Fred and Ginger,and anyone or anything else that I have liked and admired over the years.To refresh my memory.Not with nostalgia though.It's not only a voyage are discovery but rediscovery. This blog is dedicated to Sally.

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

Cyndi Lauper - Who Let In The Rain

Late Night with David Letterman

Also I watched this and cried.

[a-study-of-fred-and-ginger-deac]

When Old Hollywood enthusiasts suggest that Ginger Rogers wasn’t “a great” dancer, they are actually insulting Fred Astaire as much as they are paying disrespect to Ginger. It was Fred who began training Ginger in 1930 when she was 19 years old, and he was behind the scenes training her on the Broadway circuit right up until his sister Adele retired and he needed a new partner. Between 1933 and 1939, Fred trained Ginger from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day for six months at a time. Between 1948 and 1949 Fred took Ginger into the studio again, for even longer sessions of intense training for their 10th film together. These years were spent in studio alone, where only Hermes Pan, pianist Hal Borne, and a security guard were permitted to enter, if Fred deemed it necessary. It’s astonishing to see writers and journalists who claim to love dance, to know dance, to truly understand dance, betray themselves by hinting that Ginger Rogers – the most frequent and most durable partner Fred Astaire ever had, whom he trained relentlessly for 19 years – was not a very good dancer. They are in essence saying that Fred Astaire was not a very good teacher, because Ginger Rogers was the longest running and most intense teaching experience of his career.

[a-study-of-fred-and-ginger-deac]

Many dance critics have documented how Fred Astaire loved using Ginger’s flexible back in his choreography. They rarely mention, however, the undeniable strength and resistance Ginger maintained throughout her torso. Some of her most classic, iconic photographs (such as this one for In Person) are beloved because of how delicately she places her feet, legs, arms, hands, and even her fingertips. This kind of classical poise can only be achieved through steely strength in a dancer’s core. Despite several interviews in which Fred himself attested to Ginger’s “incredible athleticism”, historians have continuously overlooked her strength.

[inrumford]

amazing cover! love Cyndi’s take - her vocal - her presence  - big thanks 2 @voiceofapoet

The wind is in from Africa Last night I couldn’t sleep Oh, you know it sure is hard to leave here Carey But it’s really not my home My fingernails are filthy I’ve got beach tar on my feet And I miss my clean white linen and my fancy French cologne Oh Carey get out your cane (Carey get out your cane) And I’ll put on some silver (I’ll put on some silver) Oh you’re a mean old Daddy, but I like you fine Come on down to the Mermaid Cafe And I will buy you a bottle of wine And we’ll laugh and toast to nothing and Smash our empty glasses down Let’s have a round for these freaks and these soldiers A round for these friends of mine Let’s have another round for the bright red devil, who Keeps me in this tourist town Come on Carey get out your cane (Carey get out your cane) And I’ll put on some silver (I’ll put on some silver) Oh you’re a mean old Daddy, but I like you I like you,  I like you, I like you Maybe I’ll go to Amsterdam Or maybe I’ll go to Rome And rent me a grand piano and put some flowers ‘round my room But let’s not talk about fare-thee-wells now The night is a starry dome And they’re playin’ that scratchy rock and roll Beneath the Matalla Moon Come on Carey get out your cane (Carey get out your cane) And I’ll put on some silver (I’ll put on some silver) You’re a mean old Daddy, but I like you The wind is in from Africa Last night I couldn’t sleep Oh, you know it sure is hard to leave here,  but it’s Really not my home Maybe it’s been too long a time since I was Scramblin’ down in the street Now they got me used to that clean white linen and that Fancy French cologne Oh Carey, get out your cane (Carey get out your cane) I’ll put on my finest silver (I’ll put on some silver) We’ll go to the Mermaid Cafe,  have fun tonight I said, oh, you’re a mean old Daddy, but you’re out of sight

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[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

Cyndi Lauper - Who Let In The Rain

Late Night with David Letterman

Also I watched this and cried.

[behindthegrooves-deactivated202]

On this day in music history: October 14, 1983 - “She’s So Unusual”, the debut album by Cyndi Lauper is released. Produced by Rick Chertoff, William Wittman and Cyndi Lauper, it is recorded at the Record Plant in New York City from December 1, 1982 - June 30, 1983. Having spent nearly a decade of singing in various cover bands, Lauper suffers numerous hard knocks and career setbacks, including damaged vocal chords, the break up of her band Blue Angel after the failure of their lone album, and personal bankruptcy. Her luck turns around in 1981 when she meets David Wolff while singing in a local bar in New York City. Wolff becomes her manager, helping her to secure a record deal with CBS/Epic subsidiary Portrait Records in 1982. Paired with producer Rick Chertoff, he brings in his friends Rob Hyman (keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals), and Eric Bazilian (bass, guitar, backing vocals) (of The Hooters), drummer Anton Fig, bassist Neil Jason, singer/songwriter Jules Shear and Ellie Greenwich (backing vocals) to play on the album. Initially getting off to a slow start, things pick up steam rapidly when the music video for the first single “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” (#2 Pop) goes into heavy rotation on MTV, and other video outlets at the end of the year. The album launches the Queens, NY born vocalist into pop superstardom, with Lauper becoming the first female artist in history to spin off four top five singles from one album, including “Time After Time” (#1 Pop), “She Bop” (#3 Pop), and “All Through The Night” (#5 Pop). “Unusual” spends 65 weeks in the top 40 alone (77 weeks total on the Top 200), winning Cyndi the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985. It also wins a second Grammy (for art director Janet Perr) for Best Album Package. The memorable front and back cover photos were taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz at Coney Island in New York City. The album is first remastered and reissued on CD in 2000 with four additional bonus tracks. It is remastered and reissued again in 2014 for its thirtieth anniversary on CD and clear vinyl with remixes of “Girls” and “Time After Time”. A special two CD boxed edition is also released with the bonus disc containing non LP B-sides, demos, live recordings and studio outtakes. The box unfolds into a 3D diorama mock up of Cyndi’s bedroom from the “Girls” video. It also comes with a paper cut out of the singer, and sheet of vinyl colorforms with various outfits to dress the doll with. The Japanese edition includes “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” as a bonus track, and a DVD with an hour long documentary on the making of “She’s So Unusual”. The boxed edition also comes with a twenty four page full color booklet, fully annotated and featuring dozens of rare and previously unpublished photos from the album’s cover photo shoot. “She’s So Unusual” peaks at number four on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified 6x Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

[jeffcbliss]

Cyndi Lauper and Rod Stewart - Hollywood Bowl; Los Angeles, CA (6-25-18).

Photo: Jeff Bliss

[takealittlepieceoftheirhearts]

What a beautiful performance!! Way too short for my liking, but I suppose the song isn’t that long to begin with. It’s great to hear this and know she’s live, though, considering the majority of her live performances available to watch on Youtube (last time I checked, at least) were televised from the ‘60s and thus done by lip sync. So this is beautiful to see and hear!

[a-study-of-fred-and-ginger-deac]

“Ginger Rogers plays such a magnificent game that it’s almost symphonic in its rhythm…” – The Los Angeles Times, (Ginger is seen here playing the mixed doubles annual motion picture championship with Solly Biano in 1938)

[twixnmix]

Cyndi Lauper photographed by Michael Putland in Hawaii, 1986. 

[lovesthe1980s]

Cyndi Lauper

[mabellonghetti]

Cyndi Lauper photographed by George Bodnar, 1992

[magicaltinseltown]

Loretta Young

[a-study-of-fred-and-ginger-deac]

For so many critics who have attempted – for over 85 years – to say that Ginger always did “less steps” than Fred, here is an interesting way to examine her deft footwork. Not only is Ginger intricately skilled as a dancer, but look at how she instinctively knows exactly when Fred will take a breath or pause in a bar of music, and she holds herself back at the exact same breath and pause. This is another example of why Fred Astaire said, “Ginger had style and talent and improved as she went along. She got so that after a while everyone else who danced with me looked wrong.”

[a-study-of-fred-and-ginger-deac]

“Ginger Rogers was a better dancer than most people gave her credit for. She may have swooped and dipped into many a romantic swoon, but her footwork was as precise as Astaire’s.” –  Anna Kisselgoff, chief dance critic of The New York Times, in 1995