Pop music - Part 7

Peaceful Easy Feelin’

Download the music: Peaceful_Easy_Feelin

“Peaceful Easy Feeling” is a song written by Jack Tempchin and recorded by the Eagles. It was the third single from the band’s 1972 debut album Eagles. The single reached No. 22 on the charts and is one of the band’s most popular songs. Glenn Frey sings the lead vocal, with Bernie Leadon providing the main harmony vocal (starting in the beginning of the second verse) and Randy Meisner completing this three-part harmony.

“Learn from the masters, learn from your contemporaries. Always try to update yourself.” – Jimmy Stewart

Paul2026-04-16T14:28:22-04:00

Moonglow

“Moonglow” appears in jazz fake books and lead sheets in the key of G, though it is also thought to originally be in the key of C.

The melodic riff of the A section is composed of a repeated minor third interval followed by a major third interval and then a repeated note. Harmonic movement is largely in an ascending circle of fourths, or with descending chromatic substitutions, but there is also movement between thirds or between major and minor seventh chords. Minor seventh chords are often played in first inversion in this tune, and may therefore be thought of and notated as six chords of the relative major.

Rhythmically “Moonglow” is in ⁴₄ time. It is a foxtrot, typically played at a slow tempo, although some performers, notably Art Tatum, have played it faster. The rhythm is syncopated. Jazz players usually swing the eighth notes.

Writer George T. Simon, while working on a compilation of music for The Big Band Songbook, contacted composer Will Hudson regarding “Moonglow”, and Hudson explained how the tune came about. “It happened very simply. Back in the early ’30s, I had a band at the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit, and I needed a theme song. So I wrote ‘Moonglow’.”

“When I sing, trouble can sit right on my shoulder and I don’t even notice.” – Sarah Vaughan

Paul2026-04-16T18:20:02-04:00

Man Who Sold the World

“The Man Who Sold the World” is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was the title track of Bowie’s third studio album and was released in November 1970 in the US and in April 1971 in the UK by Mercury Records.

Produced by Tony Visconti, the track was recorded at Trident and Advision Studios in London in May 1970, towards the end of the album’s recording sessions. Bowie recorded his vocal on the final day of mixing for the album, reflecting his generally dismissive attitude during the sessions. Musically, it is based around a “circular” guitar riff from Mick Ronson. Its lyrics are cryptic and evocative, being inspired by numerous poems, including the 1899 “Antigonish” by William Hughes Mearns. Bowie’s vocals are heavily “phased” throughout and have been described as “haunting”.

“… don’t be afraid to screw up !… one of the key issues to learning is making mistakes … if you’re not making mistakes, you’re probably not having a very good time” – Robben Ford

Paul2026-04-16T14:31:19-04:00

Am I Blue

“Am I Blue?” is a 1929 song composed by Harry Akst (music) and Grant Clarke (lyrics), and published by M. Witmark & Sons. It was featured in four films that year, most notably with Ethel Waters in the movie On With the Show. It has become a standard covered by numerous artists. As a work from 1929 with its copyright renewed, it entered the public domain on January 1, 2025.

“I came from the last couple of years in a generation where we didn’t have a computer around so we didn’t waste as much time on the internet as we do now so I had large chunks of time which to devote to doing something.” – John Mayer

Paul2026-04-21T09:00:15-04:00

King of the Road

King of the road

“King of the Road” is a song written by country singer Roger Miller, who first recorded it in November 1964. The lyrics tell of the day-to-day life of a traveling hobo, who despite having little money (a “man of means by no means”), revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously and cynically as the “king of the road”. It was Miller’s fifth single for Smash Records. The song won Miller 5 Grammy Awards in 1966.

The crossover record reached number one on the Billboard US Country chart, number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Easy Listening surveys. It was also number one in the UK Singles Chart and in Norway. Miller recalled that the song was inspired when he was driving and saw a sign on the side of a barn that read, “Trailers for sale or rent”. This became the opening line of the song.

In June 1966, Richard Pryor performed the song on the premiere episode of Kraft Summer Music Hall.

Paul2026-04-23T14:58:43-04:00

Melissa

Chord and lyric sheet here

“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.” – Igor Stravinsky

Paul2026-04-30T07:40:03-04:00

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