Better Duets Best Feelings
Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville／Don't Know Much／
当一名新奥尔兰阳光男海遭遇一位百变流行女王,结果会是如何.Don't know much,给出了我们答案~~
Aaron Neville和Linda Ronstadt,一个是典型的本土R&B和down-home soul结合的本分男生,一个是歌唱事业横跨70~80年代,以变幻风格见长,始终在歌坛处于不败地位的流行Diva,他们的合作最终产生了绝妙的异样精彩.
歌曲小背景:
Don't know much是属于Aaron客串合作的,那年,LindaRonstadt的专集<Cry Like A Rainstorm, How Like The Wind>正在制作中,Aaron作为一位特殊的合作者,参与了进来,并一同完成了堪称经典的Don't know much;其实LInda的这张专集,并不非常出名,但是正由于这首合唱歌曲的异常出色,使其专集卖出了二百万的白金销量,可见一首歌的神气力量.
Don't know much分别收入与Aaron Neville<the Best of>和Linda Ronstadt<Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind>
Aaron Neville目前为止一共获得过4次Grammy,Don't know much就是其中之一,也是第一个,1989年获得Best Pop Duo.而且同年和他的the Neville Brothers 一起获得Best Pop Instrumental Performance .90年又于Linda Ronstadt 合作"All My Life"; 获得Best Pop Duo.还有94年的Best Country Collaboration 是于另一位乡村歌手Trisha Yearwood合作.
Linda Ronstadt是那时候的流行Diva,以LA乡村乐及民谣摇滚见长的她,不仅成就了70年代的辉煌,多个白金及畅销单曲,还在80年代的转型中顺应潮流,大胆的在自己的音乐中添加当时新兴的new wave元素,开创了adult contemporary pop 和Latin Pop结合的新篇章.
Don't know much
written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Tom Snow
© 1980 EMI Blackwood Music Inc
on behalf of ATV Music Corp
and Mann and Weil Songs/ Snow Music/ Braintree Music (BMI)
Look at this face
I know the years are showing
Look at this life
I still don't know where it's going
I don't know much
But I know I love you
And that may be all I need to know
Look at these eyes
They've never seen what mattered
Look at these dreams
So beat and so battered
I don't know much
But I know I love you
That may be all I need to know
So many questions still left unanswered
So much I've never broken through
And when I feel you near me
Sometimes I see so clearly
The only truth I've ever known is me and you
Look at this man
So blessed with inspiration
Look at this soul
Still searching for salvation
I don't know much
But I know I love you
And that may be all I need to know
I don't know much
But I know I love you
That may be all I need to know
I don't know much
But I know I love you
That may be all there is to know
Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard／Can't We Try／
Dan Hill出生在1954年的多伦多，他是个混血儿。当时的加拿大，是其父母逃避种族歧视的乐土。这段故事，在他后来的歌曲McCarthy's Day中，也有描绘；加拿大是他歌唱事业的成长地，从14岁开始写歌，到5年后在GRT Records 的留名，他的歌曲风格都深深的受到了Frank Sinatra的影响，他基于瘦皮猴的风格不仅使加拿大听众所喜爱，更是得到了美国听众的认可，77年的专集<Longer Fuse >获得了成功，这张专集的成绩也使他得到Juno的青睐，并获得当年的Composer of the Year和Male Vocalist of the Year称号，并还得到77年Grammy的提名。作为词作者，Dan也和很多艺人有过合作，最出名的莫过于参与Jennifer Rush的Power of Love ，Rod Stewart的Sometimes When We Touch ，还有在Celine Dion的专集<falling into you>中的Seduces Me ，其中为Ceilne Dion谱写的Seduces Me也为他赢得了97年Grammy的嘉奖，而Ceilne也曾多次在各种访谈和演出中提及Seduces Me是她所在专集中最喜爱的歌曲。（上面那句是Dan官方网里提到的，本人不敢苟同，正确性有待考证）
Vonda Shepard，对于喜欢看Ally McBeal的朋友，当然是如雷贯耳；作为歌手和词作者的她，选择了一条与其他歌手所不同的出名道路，当大多数歌手都通过电台和巡回来为自己歌曲进行推广时，她却参与了TV Series<Ally McBeal>的演出，从1996年她的歌曲“Searchin' My Soul”被David E. Kelley 相中收入进Ally McBeal作为主题曲，而这位美丽的腼腆的Vonda也在经历了一些被唱片公司Reprise抛弃的辛酸里程后，作为了Ally McBeal一号女主角开始了她“唱而忧则演”的新生活；并打造出一片新的天地。虽然，现在Ally McBeal在播出5年后的2002年暂停了，但是Vonda Shepard 的歌唱事业确好象重燃希望，刚刚开始。
歌曲小背景：
Can't we try是1987年的作品，当时的Don已经是著名的艺人了，而24岁的Vonda歌唱事业才刚刚起步，不过似乎这首金曲给她带来了不小的收获，虽然后来她还只是个伴唱，但是Can't we try的娇人成绩，给她日后的坚持歌唱事业打下了很好的信心基础。Can't we try也是当年Billboard a/c Song Of The Year的NO.1.
歌曲收入与Don Hill<Love of my life>
Can't we try
performed by Don Hill & Vonda Shepard ; Composed by Don Hill
I see your face cloud over like a little girls
And your eyes have lost their shine
You whisper something softly
I'm not meant to hear
Baby tell me what's on your mind
I don't' care what people say
About the two of us from different worlds
I love you so much that it hurts inside
Are you listening
Please listen to me girl
Can't we try just a little bit harder
Can't we give just a little bit more
Can't we try to understand
That it's love we're fighting for
Can't we try just a little more passion
Can't we try just a little less pride
I love you so much baby
That it tears me up inside
I hear you on the telephone
With god knows who
Spilling out your heart for free
Everyone needs someone they can talk to
Girls that someone should be me
So many times I've tried to tell you
You just turn away
My life is changing so fast now
Leaves me lonely and afraid
Can't we try just a little bit harder
Can't we give just a little bit more
Can't we try to understand
That it's love we're fighting for
Can't we try just a little more passion
Can't we try just a little less pride
I love you so much baby
That it tears me up inside
Don't let our love fade away
No matter what people say
I need you more and more each day
Can't we try just a little bit harder
Can't we give just a little bit more
Can't we try just a little bit harder
Can't we give just a little bit more
Can't we try just a little more passion
Can't we try just a little less pride
Love you so much baby
Tears me up inside
Johnny Mathis & Deniece William／Too Much Too Little Too Late／
7个孩子中的老四，1935年9月30日出生在Texas州的Johnny即将成为传统白人vocal的最佳艺人之一。很小时，全家搬去了San Francisco，在那里他和父亲学习了平生第一首歌曲“My Blue Heaven”；8岁那年，他父亲花了25美圆添置了一架钢琴，那时和兄弟们以钢琴为伴的生活即他音乐的启蒙教育。有趣的事，他的音乐成就并没有很早的就被挖掘出来，相反的，Johnny到是在15岁时成为了一位名气不小的跳高运动员，他当时跳出的6'-5 1/2的成绩和当时的Olympic记录仅差2英寸，他也有此北北加州各大媒体的争相报道。当然，这只能算是他人生中的一段小插曲，最终Johnny并没有继续运动员的生涯，他选择的是音乐。即便他完全有机会成为为美国荣誉而在奥运会赛场上拼搏的体育健儿，他还是选择了录制唱片。1956年，在放弃了成为运动员的情况下，他和Columbia唱片签约并开始在制作人George Avakian的帮助下进行自己的首次名为“A New Sound In Popular Song”的歌曲录制。很快，Columbia唱片意识到了Johnny的潜力，并推荐了更接触的制作人Mitch Miller来，Johnny柔和、浪漫的嗓音立刻吸引了Mitch；LP<Wonderful, Wonderful>和随后的单曲“It's Not for Me to Say”推出了，它们使Johnny第一次获得了音乐上的巨大成就，在1957年7月，另一首歌Chances Are荣登BILLBOARD#1的位置，也使Johnny一举成为了当时最具影响力的传统流行男歌手之一，并延续至今。1998年，他还为象Diane Warren致敬发行了一张翻唱作品Because You Loved Me: Songs of Diane Warren，虽然个人感觉还是原唱的好一点，但是他的总体而言，也不坏。
R&B艺人Deniece William成长在印第安娜州,早先是Pentecostal教堂唱诗班的一员,唱诗班近乎苛刻的只准听gospel歌曲的规矩却并没有磨平Deniece对于其他音乐风格的追求和热爱；事实上，对于R&B的喜爱促成她与Stevie Wonder的接触，并作为Stevie的伴唱在Wonderlove的三重唱中起到了不小的作用。几年之后，在乐队 Earth, Wind & Fire的主唱Maurice White的帮助下，Deniece开始发展自己的歌唱事业；专集< This Is Niecey>由此诞生，Deniece的抒情和感性的R&B风格也由此成型。1977年，第二张大碟〈 Song Bird 〉发行了，这张专集的发行给她带来了新的成功，单曲“Baby, Baby My Love's All for You”获得了好评。与之而来的于Johnny Mathis的合作更是成就了两首著名的打榜金曲。随后在1982年、1984年，她先后以R&B风格的单曲获得了肯定。但是几年之后的1987年，她却重操旧业，发行了一张福音唱片<From the Beginning >,而且成就斐然，歌曲“I Surrender”和“I Believe in You”甚至为她赢得了Grammy.
歌曲小背景：
1978年一推出即获得良好成绩的“Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” 对于Johnny来说，来之不易，这是即Chances Are获得冠军位置后相隔21年得次荣誉的歌曲，可见Johnny的歌唱生涯之长和成功。
收入于Johnny Mathis <You Light Up My Life>\Deniece Williams <The Best of Deniece Williams >
Too Much, Too Little, Too Late
-Artists: Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams from "Night Songs":
-Warner Special Products OPCD 4557
-peak Billboard position # 1 for 1 week in 1978
-Words and Music by Nat Kipner and John McIntyre Vallins
JOHNNY:
Guess it's over, call it a day
Sorry that it had to end this way
No reason to pretend
We knew it had to end some day, this way
DENIECE:
Yes, it's over, the kids are gone
What's the use of tryin' to hang on?
Somewhere we lost the key
So little left for you and me and it's clear to see
BOTH: Too much, too little, too late to lie again with you
Too much, too little, too late to try again with you
We抮e in the middle of ending something that we knew
JOHNNY: It's over
DENIECE: Oh, it was over
BOTH: Too much, too little, too late to ever try again
Too much, too little, too late, let's end it being friends
Too much, too little, too late, we knew it had to end
DENIECE; Ah, it's over
JOHNNY: It's over
DENIECE:
Yes, it's over, the chips are down (whoa)
Nearly all our bridges tumbled down
JOHNNY:
Whatever chance we try, let's face it widened-eye
It's over (It's over)
It's over < DENIECE shrieks>
BOTH: Too much, too little, too late to ever try again
Too much, too little, too late, let's end it being friends
Too much, too little, too late, we knew it had to end
JOHNNY: And it's over
DENIECE: And it's over
JOHNNY: And it's over
FADE
BOTH: Too much, too little, too late to ever try again
Too much, too little, too late, let's end it being friends
Mike Reno & Ann Wilson／Almost Paradise／
Ann Wilson的事业不是独立存在的，在她身旁，妹妹Nancy Wilson一直是位得力的助手。Wilson姐妹也是乐队Heart的灵魂人物；收Led Zeppelin及Joni Mitchell影响的Heart，早先便以硬摇滚+民谣风格主唱的Ann为特色，乐队76年的首张大碟<Dreamboat Annie>在Heart全体成员的努力下，就成为了大卖的唱片，Magic Man、Crazy on You等一系列歌曲的推出也好评如潮，使heat一跃成为当时美国本土的实力派摇滚代表。但是，好景不长，由于杰出摇滚乐队得不断涌现，80年代初，Heart即走了下坡路，最终机会来自与了这首Almost Paradise，heart的道路由于Almost Paradise的畅销而有了改观，而使她们有时间调整其内涵，而使许多精彩的歌曲得以在后面上演，其中包括What About Love、These Dreams、Nothin' At All以及88年电影Tequila Sunrise 的插曲Surrender to Me等等。
Mike Reno,作为加拿大乐队Loverboy的主唱，其事业也是一步步升起的；虽然他更希望是一名鼓手，但是每次加入一个乐队，他的演唱天赋总是不出意外的被给予了充分肯定，从最早的Moxy乐队，后来的Loverboy的前身Streetheart ，最后就是Loverboy.每次都是主唱身份的Reno充分发挥了潜质。
歌曲小背景：
作为电影Footloose的主题曲，1984年的“Almost Paradise"可谓是一鸣惊人，它不仅为Heart乐队重拾信心，带来转机，更是成为一首畅销歌曲，在当时美国榜流行单曲名列第七，成人榜第1，歌曲还成为了各高校毕业舞会的首选曲目。
歌曲收入于Footloose [Original Soundtrack]
Almost Paradise
love theme from Footloose
performed by Ann Wilson and Mike Reno
I thought that dreams belonged to other men
'Cause each time I got close
They'd fall apart again
I feared my heart would beat in secrecy
I faced the nights alone
Oh, how could I have known
That all my life I only needed you
Almost paradise
We're knockin' on Heaven's door
Almost paradise
How could we ask for more
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise
It seems like perfect love's so hard to find
I'd almost given up
You must have read my mind
And all these dreams I've saved for a rainy day
They're finally comin' true
I'll share them all with you
'Cause now we hold the future in our hands
Oh, almost paradise
We're knockin' on Heaven's door
Almost paradise
How could we ask for more
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise
And in your arms salvation's not so far away
It's getting closer
Closer every day
Almost paradise
We're knockin' on Heaven's door
Almost paradise
How could we ask for more
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise
Paradise
Paradise
Terence Trent D'arby & Des'ree／Delicate／
Terence Trent D'arby 其实也就是Sananda Maitreya;他并不属于非常成功的流行艺人;尽管他1988年的"Wishing Well"和"Sign Your Name"在美国获得了巨大成功,但是后来的音乐理念和风格走向,宣告了他以前努力的失败;早年他当过美国大兵,在德国服役时,他加入了一个funk团体名叫"Touch",而有了他音乐历程的开端.后来回到英国,他便联系上了CBS,并在CBS的支持下发行了首支single-If You Let Me Stay,单曲发行依始便受到欢迎,在U.K. Top Ten 一路蹿升,紧接着的大碟<Introducing the Hardline也在英国本土获得了巨大的影响力.并于88年凭借wishing well在美国Billborad留了名.但是后来局面却发生了变化,专集<Neither Fish nor Flesh>的发行证明是一个失败,即便他是真实反应歌手想法和对一些问题看法的，刨析的尖锐和大胆得到的只能是抵触的回应.于是他也开始下坡了，虽然他的音乐作品和成果不时涌现和更新,但是听众却不接受了,<Terence Trent D'Arby's Symphony or Damn >和<TTD's Vibrator>依旧没有什么好的市场.当然到了千嘻年,一切有了很大改观,他甚至还参加了Sydeny奥运会的表演,他也由于把名字改做Sananda Maitreya和专集"Wildcard!"的成功,又一次得到听众的青睐,但是和16年前的成功相比,这个似乎有些变味了.
Des'ree典型的在英国出生的加勒比移民,她也是一位出色的R&B艺人,和大多数平凡的女艺人一样;她的留名并不深刻,当然也不失精彩;以都市爱情主题和结合多种R&B元素的风格使她也拥有很多割蜜.隶属于Sony唱片公司,早年在英国以single<You Gotta Be>一炮而红的她,而且这个歌曲的Video在Billboard也是绝对的成功,虽然后面的成果断断续续,但是也绝对不伐亮点;I Ain't Movin' 的热卖,和Seal在美国的巡回,在影片Clockers和Romeo and Juliet中的亮喉都为她创造了良好的口碑和实力证明;也使她在纷繁的歌坛得以留名.
歌曲小背景:
Delicate是1992年Des'ree和Terence Trent D'arby的首次合作 ,尽管,这首歌使他们俩都没有在美国听众那得到什么好处,但是英国Top Ten 的强劲走势还是证明了他们的实力.
收入于Terence Trent D'arby <SYMPHONY OR DAMN>
Delicate
(composed by TTD,performed by TTD & Des'ree)
Delicate like rain
Delicate like snow
Delicate like birds
Delicate just so
Delicate like air
Delicate like breeze
Delicate like you and me
A delicate advance
A delicate retreat
Delicately planned
Delicate like peace
Delicate like a touch
That's delicately brief
Delicate like you and me
Delicate like trinkets on her bracelet
(Like trinkets on her bracelet)
Delicate like a bracelet on your arm
(Like a bracelet on your arm)
Delicate like sweet arms around me
(Your sweet arms around me)
Delicate like me on top of you
Delicate like words
Delicate how time
So delicately runs
Then delicately dies
Delicate how eyes
So delicately breathe
Delicate like you my dear
Delicate like me my love
Delicate like you and
Delicate like me and
Delicate like
Delicate like you and me
