Posted on 03/15/2014 8:10:20 PM PDT by lee martell
I'm a night person, and I like music inspired by the night. The biggest void that we know of is the darkness of the night. The darkness surrounds our part of the earth, like a soft heavy comforter filled with down. The night is without shape, and cannot be measured. This unknowable nature of the dark night allows us to easily imagine what is or what should be there. We imagine what is desired or what is dreaded. The night has long served as a catalyst or a muse for creativity. Look to the french composer Claude Debussy, who wrote his signature piece; Clair de Lune in 1890, publishing the final version in 1905. The piano is spare and elegant. The measures allude to the slow drift of cumulus clouds floating at night, translucent with moonlight. This is the third movement from Debussy's Suite Bergamasque, which was based on poems of Paul Verlaine.
Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller was released in 1939 on Bluebird Records. The recording used a clarinet led saxophone section, which is widely considered classic Glenn Miller style. The song evolved from a 1935 version of another Miller song; "Now I Lay Me Down To Weep". Jazz critic Gary Giddins wrote about the song's impact and legacy. "Miller exudes little warmth on or off the bandstand, but once the band struck up this theme, audiences were done for; throats clutched, eyes softened. No other record of it's time could match 'Moonlight Serenade' for it's ability to induce a Pavlovian slobber in so many for so long".
A lot of songs by Phil Collins were technically very good, but somewhat formulaic. There is one exception, although this was recorded when he was still with Genesis. The song Tonight Tonight Tonight was released in 1986 on the album Invisible Touch. The music video has an atmosphere reminiscent of the film Blade Runner, which was a source of inspiration for the video. Supposedly, Collins wrote this song after divorcing his first wife Andrea in 1979. He was upset enough to have left Genesis for a couple of months. There is something about this song that is both invigorating, because of the incessant percussion which varies in force and in tempo, and there is also a soothing effect that is imposed on the listener because of the cello like chords that become a dirge, that dirge is your only path away from the chaos. This is not a night song, but listen to the first three minutes of Shaft, by Issac Hayes, those are the kind of 'cello like chords' I'm speaking of, where you are prodded onto your journey, like it or not. **Nights in White Satin is a beautiful, lyrical piece of work, by the Moody Blues. Night Moves, by Seeger worth a mention. **Are You Lonesome Tonight?, by Elvis captures an intimate moment, listen you his voice, which seems to resonate or softly echo. That feels like a though within the head. What other night music is there?
lovely. thank you for the post.
Good post and topic. I’m an **EXTREME** night owl...tonight I might have to get into bed early...at least by two. :) Anyway, I have been since I was little. I used to stay up and watch the Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder when I was just a grade schooler. It’s just me and I will always be this way. Anyway, I associate the night with dark, sad, quiet, lonely, reflective, energized, inspired, life, passion. creative and my musical tastes often reflect dark and sad, etc.
These are a few songs, other than Starry, Starry Night and Stardust which were already mentioned, that I have on my homepage that have night in the title (And I do love Nights in White Satin but don’t have that on my home page for some reason):
New Order live, 1985, ‘This Time of Night’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9OCB69KwpU
The Ray Noble Orchestra
and Al Bowlly
Midnight, the Stars, and You!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ9aT-Wa_tE
Cold Is The Night - The Oh Hello’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDdV_x513dc
Sometime Around Midnight (Majordomo Version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEu3EmBCzQ&;
And here are a few that remind me of night and dark, sad, quiet, mysterious. I’m sure I’m leaving out a ton in both categories:
I **LOVE** all the dark, night images used in the Rachel’s song video.
Rachel’s Song by Vangelis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0L82_Gq7M
Vangelis - West Across The Ocean Sea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5LkUIQ5go8
Great star images in this one:
The Church - Under The Milky Way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA54NBtPKdI
The Doors - Riders On the Storm (Remastered HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DED812HKWyM
Simon & Garfunkel Sound Of Silence Lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zLfCnGVeL4
Wow, Thanks for sharing some of your favorites. This is not night related, but closer to Symphonic Goth, a phrase I just made up. You may be familiar with The Cure, the group from England, I never get tired of a particular album and title song called “Disintergration”, or their other album title song ‘The Kiss; And let’s not forget Joni Mitchell’s album Heijera, which has Song For Sharon, and Amelia.
Yes, I like the Cure! I don’t know a whole lot of their things, but I know a few and I actually need to get a couple more up on my FR page that a friend shared with me...I just have one up right now. And I love that term you made up...symphonic goth.
Wow, there is so music out there that I don’t know. Not familiar with Mitchell but I do know her name. I’ll have to look those up.
Thanks for your reply and post.
Sorry...two more that make me think of the night:
I used to listen to this one as a little girl...listening to brother’s album:
Don’t Fear The Reaper - BLUE OYSTER CULT - Official Music Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtoK2CSTehQ
Queensryche - Silent Lucidity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhat-xUQ6dw
Nice choices but too flowery for me. I think the Russians were the best in the romantic classics. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are my domestics favs (in the romantic genre.)
“Werewolves of London” - Warren Zevon
The soundtrack to “An American Werewolf in London” only had songs to do with the moon, and from the IMDB blurb Werewolves of London could not be obtained though they tried for the movie.
Blue moon Bobby Vinson, Sam Cooke, The Marcels (separate versions by all)
Moondance Van Morrison
Bad Moon on the Rise CCR
Interesting sound track. Good werewolf movie. And the moon is always a central theme.
DK
Night People - Aoussaint Hangin’ out, lookin’ at each other, waitin’ for something to happen
Moonride - Chris Connor
The Rays did a lovely vocal of Claire de Lune called Magic Moon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDw5LP0NhM0
Wow, somebody else lost some letters earlier - I just lost some, too. That’s supposed to say Allen Toussaint
I heard an incredible version of Summer Nights by Darlene Love and Lou Christie.
"Mad Man Moon" is a better Genesis song, and more in line with the lune theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2CrLfHuGE
That was Brook Benton. There is also a beautiful duet by Conway Twitty and Sam Moore.
Rachmaninoff #2 - I listen to that every day at work
Moonlight and Roses--Waring's Pennsylvanians (1926)--my mother liked to sing this song
Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day--Bing Crosby (1931)
Moonlight on the Colorado--Dick Robertson & His Collegians (1930)--my great aunt loved this song
Midnight, the Stars, and You--Ray Noble & His Orchestra (vocal refrain by Al Bowlly) (1934)--featured on the John Batchelor radio show
It’s hard to even think about Clair de Lune without thinking of Victor Borge.
I’ll add that to my list of “Must Investigate.”
i stumbled across blackmore’s night a few months ago. really like them FIRES AT MIDNIGHT
Stardust, Willie Nelson and In Dreams, Roy Orbison.
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