We chose to play a delicious set of classic standards and covers during the cocktail hour to accentuate the ambiance of the vintage feel of the salon at the Roycroft Inn.
Here’s the playlist and liner notes for the mix of standards that I gave some of the guests at our wedding as a wedding favor. We gave this favor to our older guests (grandparents, great aunties, people who were more likely to appreciate this kind of music, rather than rock):
Disc 1:
1. “Annie’s Lament†by Annie Ross (3:01) – The famous British jazz singer contributed this track to the 2001 internationally acclaimed jazz soundtrack for the film Ma Femme Est Une Actrice.
2. “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life†by Dusty Springfield (3:32) – In our opinion, the best version of this standard!
3. “Embraceable You†by Billie Holiday (6:46) – An early Billie Holiday recording (1944) of a Gershwin classic from 1928.
4. “It’s De Lovely†by Jeri Southern (2:09) – A Cole Porter classic from Anything Goes, which Joan performed in high school.
5. “Night And Day† by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra (3:01) – Another classic from Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes.
6. “Harvest Moon† by Cassandra Wilson (5:01) – A beautiful songstress who breathes new life into songs with her avant-garde arrangements of classics.
7. “The Very Thought Of You† by Billie Holiday (2:48) – Written in 1934, this version was featured in the 1992 Mel Gibson movie Forever Young.
8. “Prelude To A Kiss† by Duke Ellington (2:41) – Ellington, who shares an April 29th birthday with Joan, wrote this song in 1938. It is often covered as an instrumental, but we love the lyrics!
9. “They Can’t Take That Away From Me† by Billie Holiday (3:05) – Another great Gershwin ballad.
10. “People Will Say We’re In Love† by Ray Charles and Betty Carter (2:52) – This delicious duo recorded an album of standards covers together in 1961, and included this swinging version of a fun, light Rodger and Hammerstein’s classic from Oklahoma.
11. “Mean To Me† by Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra (3:09) – A playful twist on a love song, written in 1929.
12. “Lullaby Of Birdland† by Ella Fitzgerald (2:50) – Another track from the incomparable soundtrack to Ma Femme Est Une Actrice. An ode to Charlie “Bird†Parker, Fitzgerald recorded this track in 1954.
13. “Lover Come Back to Me†by Mildred Bailey (3:10) – Hammerstein wrote these lyrics in 1928. It’s a great song, right?
14. “Love Is Here To Stay†by Harry Connick, Jr. (4:13) – A Gershwin cover from one of Joan’s favorite albums of all time, Connick’s soundtrack for the film When Harry Met Sally.
15. “I Wanna Get Married†by Nellie McKay (4:02) – A great, original track from the critically acclaimed 2001 double album debut Get Away From Me.
16. “I Put A Spell On You† by Nina Simone (2:38) – This 1965 cover of a 1956 song reached #23 on the Billboard R’n’B charts.
17. “I Got Lost In His Arms†(3:13)  – A classic Irving Berlin tune from Annie, Get Your Gun, Mary Pat’s favorite musical.
18. “Here I Am†by Dionne Warwick (3:01) – One of Joan’s favorite Burt Bacharach pieces, recorded by Burt’s preferred vocalist. He’s written so many great love songs, but this one is the tops.
19. “For Heaven’s Sakes†by Billie Holiday (3:29) – Joan’s favorite track from one of her favorite albums, Billie Holiday’s Lady In Satin. This was Billie’s final album before her death, and surely her most emotional album recorded.
20. “Dance Me To The End Of Love†by Madeleine Peyroux (3:58) – A 1984 song written by Leonard Cohen covered by who some call the modern day incarnation of Billie Holiday.
21. “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man†by Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra (3:17) – A cover of the classic anthemic ballad from the 1927 Kern and Hammerstein musical Show Boat.
Disc 2:
Since the playlist for disc two of this set was also used as the transition between Cocktail and Dinner music, the videos for all of the songs below are featured in tomorrow’s blog entry. Just some interesting notes below.
1. “Make You Feel My Love†by Adele (3:32) – Written by Bob Dylan for his comeback album in 1997, this cover surfaced on Adele’s debut album, 19, which was a huge hit and #1 album in 2008.
2. “A Penny A Kiss, A Penny A Hug†by The Andrews Sisters with the Vic Schoen Orchestra (3:00) – Just a sweet song that Todd and Joan love to sing to each other.
3. “Giving You The Best That I Got†by Anita Baker (4:17) – The album won three grammy’s, the lyrics won our hearts.
4. “We Are In Love†by Harry Connick, Jr. (2:44) – An original song by Harry, but it sounds like a classic standard.
5. “All Because of You†by Bill Withers (3:51) – A beautiful 1978 love song from the man who gave us “Ain’t No Sunshine†and “Lean On Me almost our first dance song!
6. “White Wedding†by Bradford Truby Trio (4:17) – A smart jazz cover of a classic 80’s rock song.
7. “I Get A Kick Out Of You†by Ella Fitzgerald (4:02) – This is another great Cole Porter ballad from Anything Goes. Ella does these songs so right!
8. “You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun†by Ethel Merman (3:12) – From the original cast recording of Annie Get Your Gun. Go Ethel!
9. “I Could Write A Book†by Harry Connick, Jr. (2:30)  – Another classic from the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack, this time a Rodgers and Hart standard.
10. “All I Want†by Herbie Hancock Featuring Sonya Kitchell (4:15) – The best track by far from Hancock’s Joni Mitchell tribute album, River: The Joni Letters.
11. “  ‘s Wonderful†by Joe Williams with Count Basie (2:39) – A fun Gershwin romp from the 1927 musical Funny Face, which Audrey Hepburn (Joan’s absolute favorite actress) would later star in a movie version of.
12. “Light My Fire†by Jose Feliciano (3:35) – Amazing acoustic guitar cover of a Doors classic rock hit. His cover came out in 1968, two years after the original was released and a #1 across the U.S. His remake mixes incredible latin guitar with a much sultrier interpretation of the lyrics than Jim Morrison’s vocals provided.
13. “Come Rain Or Come Shine†by Judy Garland (3:44) – Written in 1946 by Harold Arlen and Tommy Dorsey, covered by Garland with orchestrations by Nelson Riddle in 1956 for her album Judy.
14. “Too Darn Hot†by Mel Tormé (2:47) – By far, the best cover we’ve ever heard of our favorite Cole Porter song. Joan performed lead on this song in her high school’s production of Kiss Me, Kate.
15. “Les étoiles†by Melody Gardot (3:18) – This incredible contemporary American jazz and blues artist is one of the major movers and shakers in the music therapy movement, having used her music to recover from a debilatating head injury.
16. “ ‘A’ You’re Adorable†by Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters (2:26) – A delightful song that Joan and Todd love to sing to each other, often with a parody of the lyrics (“ ‘C’ You’re Incredible†is among Joan’s best-written parody lines).
17. “From This Moment On†by Mel Tormé (1:46) – A 1951 Cole Porter song used in the musical Kiss Me, Kate. Tormé really arranges this song impeccably, giving it swing and hep beats.
18. “A Case Of You†by Prince (3:31) – This delicate, emotional cover of one of Joan’s favorite Joni Mitchell songs is featured on the album A Tribute To Joni Mitchell. He completely changes the tone and feeling of this song and the lyrics with this masterful re-arrangement, and Joan actually–shockingly–prefers it to the original!
19. “Blinuet†by Zoot Sims (4:35) – A fantastically fun instrumental piece from the Rushmore soundtrack!
20. “You’re The Top†by Ella Fitzgerald (3:36) – Probably the most well-known and heavily covered song from Cole Porter’s oeuvre, this song was originally from his musical Anything Goes.
And here’s how the liner notes looked:
