Paul | Guitar Lessons and Performance - Paul Elwood

Sweet Georgia Brown

“Sweet Georgia Brown” is a jazz standard composed in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard, with lyrics by Kenneth Casey.

Reportedly, Bernie came up with the concept for the song’s lyrics – although he is not the credited lyricist – after meeting Dr. George Thaddeus Brown in New York City. Dr. Brown, a longtime member of the Georgia House of Representatives, told Bernie about his daughter, Georgia Brown, and how subsequent to her birth on August 11, 1911, the Georgia General Assembly had issued a declaration that she was to be named Georgia after the state. This anecdote would be directly referenced by the song’s lyric: “Georgia claimed her – Georgia named her”.

The song uses a harmonic progression very similar to that of Harry Warren’s 1922 hit Rose of the Rio Grande. Both songs use a descending circle of fifths pattern (VI7 – II7 – V7 – I) for their 16-bar “A” sections, and then have a second 16-bar “B” section that largely repeats the same pattern, though each song differs in the harmonic progressions of the final eight bars of their respective B sections. One of the lyric lines in “Sweet Georgia Brown (“Georgia claimed her, Georgia named her”) also echoes the rhyme scheme of a line in “Rose of the Rio Grande” (“You claim it, I’ll name it”).

The tune was first recorded on […]

Paul2026-05-09T13:18:07-04:00

Flip Flop and Fly

“Flip, Flop and Fly” has an arrangement similar to Big Joe Turner’s 1954 number 1 R&B chart hit “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. Music critic Cub Koda suggests that “leftover verses [from the ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ recording session] were then recycled into Turner’s follow-up hit, ‘Flip, Flop and Fly.'” Both are up-tempo twelve-bar blues with a strong backbeat. “Flip, Flop and Fly” reached number 2 on Billboard magazine’s R&B chart in 1955, less than one year after “Shake, Rattle and Roll”.^[4]

Accompanying Turner on vocals are the song’s co-writer Jesse Stone on piano, Al Sears on tenor sax, Connie Kay on drums, and unidentified trumpet, alto sax, baritone sax, guitar, and bass players. Turner subsequently recorded several live versions of the song.

Other notable versions

In 1973, a rendition by the Canadian Downchild Blues Band reached number 35 on the RPM 100 singles chart. It was the first, and highest ranked, of four songs on the Canadian charts and is included on their second album Straight Up (1974), In 1978, a rendition by the American the Blues Brothers appeared on their album Briefcase Full of Blues. In 2000, a rendition by the American Ellis Hall was used on the soundtrack of the 2000 animated comedy film, Chicken Run.

“Music comes to me more readily than words.” […]

Paul2026-04-16T14:37:54-04:00

will you still love me

Will you still love me tomorrow

“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (sometimes also titled “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”) is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles for their album Tonight’s the Night; released as a single that November, it became the first song by a girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has since been recorded by many other artists, including King on her 1971 album Tapestry.

In 1960, the American girl group the Shirelles released the first version of the song as Scepter single 1211, with “Boys” on the B-side, and both songs featured on their debut album Tonight’s the Night. The single’s first pressing was labeled simply “Tomorrow”, then lengthened later. When first presented with the song, lead singer Shirley Owens thought it was “too country”, but relented after a string arrangement was added. Session musicians on the recording included Paul Griffin on piano and Gary Chester on drums. Owens recalled on Jim Parsons’ syndicated radio program Shake Rattle Showtime that some radio stations had banned the record because they felt the lyrics were too sexually charged. The song is in AABA form.

Paul2026-04-18T08:40:36-04:00

Smile

Download “Smile” PDF

Chaplin, who composed the song with the help of composer David Raksin, was inspired by a sequence in the first act love duet from Puccini’s opera Tosca, beginning with Cavaradossi singing “Quale occhio al mondo può star di paro”. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954. In the lyrics, based on lines and themes from the film, the singer is telling the listener to cheer up and that there is always a bright tomorrow, just as long as they smile.

“Smile” has become a popular standard since its original use in Chaplin’s film and has been recorded by numerous artists.

Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics. It charted in 1954, reaching number 10 on the Billboard charts and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. This version was also used at the beginning of the 1975 movie Smile.

“Music is indivisible. The dualism of feeling and thinking must be resolved to a state of unity in which one thinks with the heart and feels with the brain.”

Paul2026-05-09T12:54:19-04:00

You Belong to Me

you Belong to Me

You Belong to Me” is a popular music ballad from the 1950s. It is well known for its opening line, “See the pyramids along the Nile”. The song was published in Hollywood on April 21, 1952, and the most popular version was by Jo Stafford, reaching No. 1 on both the UK and US singles charts.

Conception and composition

“You Belong to Me” is credited to Chilton Price, Pee Wee King, and Redd Stewart.

Price, a songwriting librarian at WAVE Radio Louisville, had written the song in its virtual entirety as “Hurry Home to Me”, envisioning the song as an American woman’s plea to a sweetheart serving overseas in World War II. Afforded songwriting credit on the song mostly in exchange for their work in promoting it, King and Stewart did slightly adjust Price’s composition musically and lyrically, shifting the focus from a wartime background “into a kind of universal song about separated lovers” (World War II having ended some years previously) and changing the title to “You Belong to Me”. Price had previously had success with another hit she had written, “Slow Poke“, under a similar arrangement with the two men.

The first recording of the song, in February 1952, was by Joni James. She had seen the sheet music in the Woods Building in Chicago, and […]

Paul2026-03-29T18:49:22-04:00

White Room

“White Room” is a song by British rock band Cream, composed by bassist Jack Bruce with lyrics by poet Pete Brown. They recorded it for the studio half of the 1968 double album Wheels of Fire. In September, a shorter US single edit (without the third verse) was released for AM radio stations, although album-oriented FM radio stations played the full album version. The subsequent UK single release in January 1969 used the full-length album version of the track.

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Paul2026-04-16T14:29:31-04:00

Teach your Children

“Teach Your Children” is a song written by Graham Nash in 1968 when he was a member of the Hollies. Although it was never recorded by that group in a studio, the Hollies did record it live in 1983. After the song was initially recorded for the album Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969, a much more enhanced version of the song was recorded for the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, released in 1970. As a single, the song peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year. On the Easy Listening chart, it peaked at No. 28. In Canada, “Teach Your Children” reached No. 8. Reviewing the song, Cash Box commented on the “incredible soft harmony luster” and “delicately composed material.” Billboard called it “a smooth country-flavored ballad that should prove an even bigger hit on the charts [than ‘Woodstock’].” Stephen Stills gave the song its “country swing”, replacing the “Henry VIII” style of Nash’s original demo.

“Music is the tool to express life – and all that makes a difference.” – Herbie Hancock

Paul2026-04-16T15:01:52-04:00

Wagon Wheel

“Wagon Wheel” is a song co-written by Bob Dylan and Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show. Dylan recorded the chorus in 1973 while Secor added verses 25 years later. Old Crow Medicine Show’s final version was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in April 2013. The song has been covered numerous times, including charting versions by Nathan Carter in 2012, Darius Rucker in 2013 and Nathan Evans in 2022.

Content

The song describes a hitchhiking journey south along the eastern coast of the United States from New England in the northeast through Roanoke, Virginia, with the intended destination of Raleigh, North Carolina, where the narrator hopes to see his lover. As the narrator is walking south of Roanoke, he meets a trucker who is traveling from Philadelphia through Virginia westward toward the Cumberland Gap and Johnson City, Tennessee.

Old Crow Medicine Show’s version of the song is in swing 2/4 time signature, with an approximate tempo of 76 half notes per minute. It uses the I–V–vi–IV pattern in the key of A major, with the main chord pattern of A–E–F♯m–D. On the music video, the guitar is played with capo on the second fret and (open chord equivalents) G-D-Em-C-G-D-C.

“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” – Emory Austin

Paul2026-04-16T16:12:32-04:00

What is Life

“What Is Life” is a song by the English rock musician George Harrison from his 1970 triple album All Things Must Pass. In many countries, it was issued as the second single from the album, in February 1971, becoming a top-ten hit in the United States, Canada and elsewhere, and topping singles charts in Australia and Switzerland. In the United Kingdom, “What Is Life” appeared as the B-side to “My Sweet Lord“, which was the best-selling single there of 1971. Harrison’s backing musicians on the song include Eric Clapton and the entire Delaney & Bonnie and Friends band, with whom he had toured during the final months of the Beatles. Harrison co-produced the recording with Phil Spector, whose Wall of Sound production also employed a prominent string arrangement by John Barham and multiple acoustic rhythm guitars, played by Harrison’s fellow Apple Records signings Badfinger.

An uptempo soul tune, “What Is Life” is one of several Harrison love songs that appear to be directed at both a woman and a deity. Harrison wrote the song in 1969 and originally intended it as a track for his friend and Apple protégé Billy Preston to record. Built around a descending guitar riff, it is one of Harrison’s most popular compositions and was a regular […]

Paul2026-05-02T10:57:33-04:00

Help

Help! is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to the film Help!. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles “Help!” and “Ticket to Ride“, appeared in the film and take up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side includes “Yesterday“, the most-covered song ever written. The album was met with favourable critical reviews and topped the Australian, German, British and American charts.

During the recording sessions for the album, the Beatles continued to explore the studio’s multitracking capabilities to layer their sound. “Yesterday” features a string quartet, the band’s first use of Baroque sensibilities, and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” includes a flute section. The North American release is a true soundtrack album, combining the first seven songs with instrumental music from the film. The omitted tracks are instead spread across the Capitol Records LPs Beatles VI, Rubber Soul and Yesterday and Today.

In the US, Help! marked the start of artistic recognition for the Beatles from mainstream critics, including comparisons to the European art music tradition. It was nominated in the category of Album of the Year at the 1966 Grammys Awards, marking the first time that a rock band had been recognised in this category. In 2000, it was voted 119th in the […]

Paul2026-05-03T18:02:31-04:00

About Paul

Other notable versions

Conception and composition

Content