Okay - not really a diva. But whatever.
Bobby Darin appeared on the Judy Garland show in the Pre-Paleozoic Era - with a strange stark set around him which was a cross between Night of the Hunter and the "Poor Jud Is Dead" number from Oklahoma. And he sang "Michael Row the Boat Ashore".
Alex made me watch it the first time I stayed with her and Chrisanne - and I wrote about it here.
It's a smokin' hot version of the song. He clenches his fist. He clenches his jaw - so the words have to come out through a clenched angry jaw. It's sexy is what it is. He's a dirty boy. He seems angry. Probably about stuff that happened when he was 3. So it's deeply engrained. But yum yum. I LOVE how he sings this song.
Again - you'd never see a number like this on television now - the medium has changed so much. But I love its simplicity - the abstract set - which is understated (and weird) enough that you forget about it - and focus only on the singer. No pyrotechnics. Just performing.
Yum. Very glad it's on Youtube. Now I can watch it constantly.
Posted by sheila | TrackBackGreat, right?? I love the shout at the end. He's so intense.
Posted by: red at March 11, 2008 8:16 PMBobby Darin is one of my all time favorites. I've got so much of his stuff it's hard to say which is my favorite but what I love about him was the punch he gave every song. I also love his rendition of "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" partly because he "talks" to the band halfway through, telling them to play it softly, like the title, and then belts it out at ten times the volume after that.
Posted by: Jonathan Lapper at March 12, 2008 7:58 AMJonathan - I need to get more Bobby Darin - I only have a couple songs on the iPod. Any particular albums you recommend?
Posted by: red at March 12, 2008 9:34 AMI was just about to respond at work earlier today when, of all things, work intervened. Anyway, Darin has nothing out there I've ever found besides collection packages so it's all pretty much a singles free-for-all. Darin went through more periods than Picasso and in a much shorter time so his career is kind of all over the place. I personally prefer his late fifties to early sixties stuff when he was doing popular jazz renditions like the classic "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea" - of which my favorite is the aforementioned "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" which is one of the best song titles ever. But even his odd folksey period produced some good stuff like "18 Yellow Roses."
Posted by: Jonathan Lapper at March 12, 2008 9:52 PM