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search results for “Chill”
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You searched for ‘Chill’, which matched 55 songs.
click - person recommending, year, performer, songtitle - to see more recommendations.
*any*  performed by jack johnson
Recommended by mellocello [profile]

ok, go out and get whatever jack johnson you can get your hands on now! I first fell in love w/ his first album back before anyone knew him. I will admit though, that my little bro and I came up with some pretty hilarious alternate lyrics for his first big song on the radio. It took me a good while to get used to his second album, now I probably listen to that more, and then again with his third album, again, it took me a while. but he is truly great.
he started out filming pro surfing videos, and you can see where he is coming from. really chill, folksy music. good stuff





  rum: does that mean i'm allowed to recommend any (or every) song by richard harris?
100  performed by Dean blunt   2014
Recommended by Pinkfoxracing [profile]

The sweet soft voice of joanne Robertson makes a really cool contrast with the graspy and kinda dark voice of Dean Blunt plus the classical guitar playing chords that sounds like the end of a movie or a sunset. IDK it just sounds pretty cool, one of my favorites songs of my life.

from Black metal, available on CD


A Perfect Sonnet  performed by Bright Eyes
Recommended by DearPrudence [profile]

A song from the younger days of Conor Oberst. The lyrics are amazing, and he may not be the greatest singer we've ever heard, but he sings it with such intensity it gives you the chills.




Achilles last stand  performed by Led Zeppelin
Recommended by 01ccook [profile]

Like Stairway to heaven, only better. Real drive and from bonham, good direcion, and purposeful without beaing to hasty.




Any Girl Can Make Me Smile  performed by ANT  2002
Recommended by kkkerplunkkk [profile]

A beautiful, soft, sad, fragile piece about a couple breaking up and bursting into tears as they do. Incredible for its intimate feel and sparse instrumentation (voice, organ, harmonica, egg shaker) chilling lyrics 'you close your eyes but there's no paradise, you count the cost of all we've lost and all we've wasted'. It hits the nail bang on the head! Love it to bits.

from A Long Way To Blow A Kiss, available on CD


Chelsea Girl  performed by Simple Minds  1979
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

Simple Mind's second single, "Chelsea Girl", was an apt follow-up to its predecessor "Life in a Day", an epic chant, a shimmering melody, and a sing-along chorus that paid spell-bound homage to Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico, in her role within Warhol�s movie of the same name.

Producer John Leckie gives "Chelsea Girl" a lovely delicate quality, especially across the long, tinkling keyboard intro, an aura that barely dissipates even when drummer Brian McGee and bassist Derek Forbes's kick in with their thumping rhythm. The band were proving to be masters at these juxtaposed styles, creating rock solid bases and overlaying them with much more fragile and elegant melodies and atmospheres. Here, those latter are close to effervescent and, as the band shift down into the long bass-driven, overlapping tag teamed vocal outro (a playful lift from Roxy Music�s �Mother Of Pearl�, but no matter), absolutely crystalline.

On album and onstage, �Chelsea Girl� remained fans' favorite, on 45 though, it inexplicably crashed and burned, and didn't even reach the UK chart.
(AMG)

from Life In A Day, available on CD


clarinets/love scene  performed by gonsalez  2000
Recommended by olli [profile]

i've always had a weakness for clarinets. especcialy in jazzy hip hop-influenced chillout music. love the lady-sample.fits comfortably next to the following track, "love scene", too.
a nice bit of incidental music for your life.

from gonzales uber alles (kitty-yo)



Daydream  performed by Wallace Collection  1968
Recommended by Trijnie [profile]

Yes!!!! Found it!
I live in England (nearly 20 years, but am originally from Holland. Saw twice a new commercial the last 2 days on tv here (can't remember what it was for), but regonised the song that was played in it (although it wasn't the original version). I knew it was a hit in the sixties. And always liked it. But hadn't heard it for years! My partner ,who's english, knows and does remember a hell of a lot about (popular)music and whenever a song is played HAS to announce WHO, WHAT and IN WHICH YEAR IT WAS A HIT! Get's a bit annoying at times.
He said he knew it from a "chill"-album, but I told him I was certain that it had been a hit in the sixties.
After surfing the web for an hour orso tonight, and not even quite sure if the title was "Daydream" and not knowing at all what the bands name was. At some point I found out that it could be Wallace Collection, but eventually after finding your website, and you were the only one I was able to hear that song, I got it right!
Thank you so much. The song brought back so many memories! I will keep your website in my favorites list. It was a great help.
Thanks again, Trijnie





  delicado: Yes, I think Ron, who recommended the original version, did us and the Wallace Collection a great service! The song is well known here in the UK via a remixed version by a band called 'I-Monster', who sampled and rejigged a version by the Gunter Kallemann singers (available on a common charity shop record here in the UK, 'Easy Listening' - 2LP set on Polydor). Further 'daydream' trivia fact: the melody for the middle section is lefted from a famous Tchaikovsky piece. There's a version by the 'Baker Street Philhamonic' that's also kind of cool.
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood  performed by Nina Simone  1966
Recommended by MickeyPeas [profile]

"Baby you understand me now..." sends chills down your spine.
This is the best version of this song that I have ever heard!! If you are familiar with The Animals version, then give this one a try. You won't be disapointed.

from Lady Blue (Charly Records UK B00000369Q)


Engine No. 9  performed by Deftones  1994
Recommended by Vagina Man [profile]

This is one of the Deftones first songs that got them started. Although other hits off Adrenaline were played more, this is always a fan favorite. Deftones was one of the first artists to mix rap and heavy metal, and did a damn good job of it, paving the way for bands like Limp Bizkit and E-Town Concrete. If you like heavy music but want to just chill, this is for you, its heavy but it also has the ability to let you shwerve.

from Adrenaline (Columbia)


Errare Humanum Est  performed by Jorge Ben  1974
Recommended by bobbyspacetroup [profile]

I don't have much to say, but this song sends a chill down my spine everytime I hear it. It's the first Ben recording that really "clicked" for me and has held up to countless listens.

from A T�bua de Esmeralda, available on CD



Everloving  performed by Moby  1999
Recommended by Rena Blue [profile]

I am a massive Moby fan, but this has to be my favourite piece of his music. The album version fails to do the arrangement justice. But most beautifully done 'Live on TV Jools Holland' this recording is unfortunately only available on 'Moby Play The dvd'.

from Play, available on CD



Float On  performed by Modest Mouse  2004
Recommended by ErinRae24 [profile]

This song is labeled "Indie Rock". It always cheers me up. No matter what goes wrong, we'll make it through.

from Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic Records)


Get a move on  performed by Mr. Scruff  1999
Recommended by macka [profile]

Quality Tune! Mr Scruff is from the Ninja Tune label (Nuff said!)Find it and enjoy (Dance music, kind of!)The album has been out a while but if you haven't heard it it's well worth a listen

from Keep it unreal (Ninja Tune ZEN CD42)




  n-jeff: Top tune, Mr Scruff is rightly considered a god round where I live.
To keep the sample trainspotting alive, check out Lament#1 on Moondogs album from about 1970. Although 'Get a move on' is almost entirely lifted from it, it sounds quite different. A good example of using your sources well.

  secularus: I agree, great track, usually makes the crowd get down.
Gomni  performed by Ali Farke Toure and Ry Cooder
Recommended by bluemas [profile]

Nigerian blues roots music that is great for anyone chillout




Groovin� With You  performed by The Gentle People  1999
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

What a great blend of electronica and easy listening this track is. Think of it as a trippy, chillin' "A Summer Place" in outer space with gentle male/female vocals, some french whisperings and sparse, delicate electronica intertwined with the memorable, lush string melody sample of "A Summer Place".

from Simply Faboo, available on CD




  n-jeff: Great track, it made me buy the LP, which was a little disappointing, but the first four or five tracks are great, and for me this song is the opeak of them, and the whole LP.
guns of brixton  performed by nouvelle vague  2004
Recommended by olli [profile]

bossa nova version! superb cover of the clash classic. highly recommended.

from nouvelle vague (peacefrog)



  Ricard: Love this version... it's all slowed down, and it makes it sound so menacing!
Gutter Cat vs. The Jets  performed by Alice Cooper Band  1972
Recommended by Tangento [profile]

Here is a prime example of the endless amount of creativity this band had.
They take a song/ concept from a broadway musical, and transform it into an unparalelled, irresistable rock classic.
(That you will NEVER F*#%ing HEAR on a "Classic Rock Station" - They choose stale ClearChannel Playlists over quality & taste)

Alice & the band (his best lineup ever, 1969-74) have created a masterpiece of imaginative rock music here.

The sequence beginning with:
"...Midnight/ Catfight/ Neckbite/ ...Die!"
...and the following interlude leading up to the
'Street Fight' and including the 'Jets Chant'
is one of my favorite pieces of music EVER, by ANYONE.
I get chills to this day.
I wonder if Leonard Bernstein ever heard this, and what he thought.

from School's Out, available on CD


Hazel’s Groove  performed by Custom Blue
Recommended by aquila49 [profile]

Chill classic!

from Acoustic Chill


hellhound on my trail  performed by Robert Johnson
Recommended by brianstewart [profile]

spine chillin'




Here Comes The Sun  performed by Nina Simone  1971
Recommended by jaflapper [profile]

Nina's version of this George Harrison classic is brilliant. She makes this song sound as if it were her own. The emotion in her voice send chills down my spine.





  rooftop_holler: wow, this is hauntingly lovely. thanks for pointing me in it's direction. it's gonna be a refrain on the "summertime tape" (working title only) i'm building right now...a refrain someplace in there to track 2 (the beatles version, following ELO's "mr blue sky")
I Bleed  performed by The Pixies  1989
Recommended by naked mardou [profile]

This song is recommended for anyone who likes Weezer's Undone (The Sweater Song), and doesn't know its true roots. This track happens to be the exact same song, with different lyrics, recorded many a year before Weezer came along. With a slow and steady tempo and half-sung, half-spoken lyrics, this chill classic is a must for any playlist.


available on CD - Doolittle (4AD)


I Will Get On  performed by Annie  2002
Recommended by SleazyListening [profile]

You may remember Annie from her/their housey dancefloor number of a year or two back "The Greatest Hit".

Well, they've come back with this, a sublime downbeat track with a lush-yet-delicate female vocal. Instrumentally, it reminds me of a slower, swinging P-funk number, quite minimal beats but funky as all hell (in a chill kinda way).

Absolutely beautiful -hard to find but worth looking.

Originally a limited-release 7" on Norwegian label Telle, and quickly licensed by UK house label Loaded -it appears on a sampler they released late 2002.


available on CD - (vinyl) (Loaded)


I’m Not Alone  performed by Calvin Harris  2009
Recommended by geezer [profile]

This sounds like the sun going down on 15 years of dance culture ,the raver sounding older and wiser on this Ibizan sun kissed "dance ballad" ?
A reflective intro gives way to a keyboard break chorus and back again but building in layers to a celebratory pitch ,both chilled and euphoric in equal measure ,a grown up dance track for the Brit Pop generation

from the single I’m Not Alone
available on CD - I,m Not Alone c.d single


je suis venu te dire que je m�e en vais  performed by stereo total feat. alex chilton
Recommended by olli [profile]

great version of the classic gainsbourg song. this is one of the bonus tracks on the rerelease of "oh ah", and it features some absolutely fantastic backing guitars courtesy of alex chilton. a pretty lo fi recording, but the feel on this is quite a few notches up from the album version. it basicly gives me the chills and stops me from doing anything productive each time i hear it. probably the most played track in my itunes folders right now.

(original recording by serge gainsbourg. think there�s an english language version by mick harvey.)


available on CD - oh ah (rerelease) (kill rock stars (?))



Julie With...  performed by Brian Eno  1977
Recommended by bugbarbecue [profile]

Picture yourself in a boat on a river.

Actually, in this case it happens to be the middle of the ocean. Just drifting any direction. No land in sight, nothing else on the water, not even any clouds. No distractions. Just you, the boat, and the water.

Oh, and Julie -- she's there -- with her open blouse, gazing up into the empty sky.

What's so powerful about Eno's "Julie With..." (and this is perhaps representative of his entire career) is that he gives you an experience in perfect detail, as if reading a book.

Even if you discount the lyrics, which, although not exactly Shakespearian, are clear and unambiguous, there is no escaping the image that Eno is presenting.

Casting aside any overanalysis, what we're left with is an outstanding bit of relaxing, but emotionally evocative chillout music. Completely beatles, the instrumentation is typical Eno: pad synthesizers, minimoog and guitar with heavy chorus. Not something you'd throw on at an afterparty, but great for a sunset in solitude.

from Before And After Science, available on CD


Knight Moves  performed by Chilly Gonzalez  2010
Recommended by geezer [profile]

A gorgeous ,lively instrumental set to a gentle piano driven house beat.Uplifting and glad retaining the joy of disco music

from Ivory Towers, available on CD


Knight Moves  performed by Chilly Gonzales
Recommended by DeathandHarmony [profile]




la planete sauvage  performed by alain goraguer  1973
Recommended by olli [profile]

this entire soundtrack to the film la planete sauvage comes highly recommended. never seen the film, but it can�t possibly be as good as the soundtrack suggests.
chilly, funky instrumental orchestral music. there�s a really haunting recurring theme through the album, nice use of choirs and twangy guitar too.


available on CD - la planete sauvage (soundtrack)



  HoboTech: Actually, the film La Planete Sauvage is quite good. There are lots of really great visuals that go perfectly with the music. It can be a bit slow at times, and the music is fantastic on its own, but I urge anyone towards viewing of this masterpiece of French cinema.
Love Interruption   performed by Jack White
Recommended by icerberg [profile]

mostly the lyrics/vocals but the music is also pretty chill idk




Love Will Tear Us Apart  performed by Nouvelle Vague  2004
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

Nouvelle Vague is the project of Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux, who basically took classic late 70s/early 80s new wave songs and transformed them into light, easy going, predominantly bossa tinged tracks, including heavily accented, whispery Longet-esque vocals. They claim these young vocalists never even heard the original songs. It works brilliantly for sure on "Love will tear us apart" where they manage to interpret the song as a melancholic, chilled stroll down a beach with sparse percussion, acoustic bass and guitar, vibraphone and some samples of waves rushing on the seaside. I'd like to think even Ian Curtis might smile down on this cover version...

from Nouvelle Vague, available on CD



Madrugada Eterna  performed by The KLF  1990
Recommended by Synthetrix [profile]

From The KLF's brilliant ambient album CHILL OUT. I highly recommend this entire album. Buy it now. You won't be disapponted.


available on CD - Chill Out (Wax Trax)


Man's Girl  performed by Digital Underground  1998
Recommended by lionson76 [profile]

If you've never made love to hip hop, this is a good track to try out. It's over 8 minutes long and should serve as a tight backdrop for spittin' your weak game on those bitties. And if you get the album, the very next track, called "April Showers", picks up nicely where "Man's Girl" leaves off. Enjoy, Casanova.

from Who Got the Gravy?, available on CD


Metal Warriors  performed by Manowar  1992
Recommended by rum [profile]

'Metal Warriors' is Manowar's call to arms, a joyous rallying cry to all the "Brothers of True Metal" of the world. Stand tall and proud, they implore, for the magic of the metal has brought you here. The power within each and every one unites them, and to exclusion of everybody else ("if you're not into metal, you are not my friend!"). Anyone that tries to suppress their might will be met with fearless defiance, "we don't turn down for anyone, we do just what we please!". And they live and die metal, and will not tolerate fakes and frauds and softies, "heavy metal, or no metal at all, wimps and posers, leave the hall!" rings out the epic chorus, "heavy metal, or no metal at all, wimps and posers� go on get out!"

So, anyway, put your reservations aside and head out into the streets to find this one, just this one*, awesome, thumping Manowar track. Spinal Tap were playing for laughs, this however, is frighteningly real.

*although 'Achilles, Agony, and Ecstasy in Eight Parts: Prelude/I. Hector Storms' their 30 minute interpretation of Homer's Iliad is certainly worth a listen.

from Triumph Of Steel (Warner 7567824232)


Middle of the Day  performed by B.o.B
Recommended by jde10 [profile]

B.o.B is rap/rock. This song is very calm, it is good for being high and chilling out.




Misty  performed by Billie Holiday
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

Her voice is so flawless and haunting.She gives me chills.





  vallesivan: im been looking for this complete cd set for along time, but still cant find it, please let me know in wish album i can find this song (Billie Holiday Misty). thx
Misty Canyon  performed by Sven Libaek  1970
Recommended by mr_klenster [profile]

What can one say that hasn't already been said about this much sought after library track by Norwegian composer Sven Libaek? It's elegant, replete with cool tones, beautiful arrangement, and the feeling of longing. I've listened to this song countless times, and the mist still gives me the chills.






  delicado: Yes, it's a really lovely track with a delicious arrangment - love those vibes and the relentless beat. I had been wondering why the lower-register melody sounded so familiar to me (the one played by what sounds like a distorted horn section, and then by a saxophone). I figured it out today - it's very similar to the tune in the bridge of Bacharach's 'What the World Needs Now' ("Lord, we don't need another mountain"), except that it's played over a very different chord sequence.
  mr_klenster: The two songs definitely do share similar tonal shadings. I was at a loss, trying to describe the Libaek song, it's quite a strange, haunting tune, but you've made a great observation.
Paradisiaque  performed by MC Solaar  199?
Recommended by macka [profile]

French Hip-Hop (don't let that put you off!)well worth a listen! Title track to this excelent album.

from Paradisiaque


Pink Frost  performed by The Chills
Recommended by LawrenceM [profile]

Classic New Zealand psychedelia .... jangly guitar, haunting, evocative lyrics, fragile vocals and an otherworldly feeling which perfecly evokes Dunedin. The best New Zealand pop song ever written.

from Kaleidoscope World, available on CD




  delicado: I saw The Chills at my first ever gig in March 1990. They were really good actually, but somehow I never followed up and bought any of their records. I will have to check this one out. Playing at the same show were McCarthy, whose records I did buy, and who became Stereolab.
pink frost  performed by the chills  1984
Recommended by shaka_klaus [profile]

heavenly guitars, a simple bassline and bang! you have yourself a pop song.

from the single pink frost (flying nun fn cold 003)
available on CD - kaleidoscope world (creation/flying nun)



Postales  performed by Federico Aubele  1999
Recommended by sunev45 [profile]

sexy, great guitar and dance-able beat. very chill

from Buddha Bar Vol. 7, available on CD


Private Dancer  performed by Tina Turner  1984
Recommended by countofbluecars [profile]

This sultry ballad from 1984 is the perfect showcase for Tina's great voice. A nice chill out song and good soundtrack for a romantic evening.




Re: stacks   performed by Bon Iver
Recommended by lindsaybrie [profile]

Chill, simple guitar.




Sad and Crazy  performed by Photo-Poetic  2007
Recommended by drjonez [profile]

Chill and cozy. Kind of epic. I love it

from unknwon (?)


Shake it out  performed by Manchester Orchestra  2009
Recommended by bhahn16 [profile]

Indie rock style song, introspective lyrics, and when the song changes pace and breaks it down, I get chills every time. One of my favorite songs of '09.


available on CD - Mean everything to nothing


Skinned  performed by Blind Melon
Recommended by Gwendolyn [profile]

the intro to this song is on a kazoo. the rest is guitar and awesome lyrics.. "i'll make a shoehorn out of your shin" ... my only complaint is that this song is too short

from Soup


Stella  performed by Andreas Vollenweider
Recommended by snoopy313 [profile]

On a few cafe del mar type albums but don't let that put you off also on the excellent new big chill album. Vollenweider is a highly underated harp player this is a gem which will make your heart sing. It's one of those songs that kind of teases you with what it's going to do and then does it unashamedly and then just when it sounds like it's going to just noodle off to sleep it starts nudging you and letting you know your going to get it again, little minx! Sorry but this is aural sex - download - you and everyone you know will love it maybe not as much as me but they will.




Sunshower  performed by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band  1976
Recommended by ambassador [profile]

This one fits well with with my previous reccomendation in the melancholy/eerie vein. I read somewhere that the song was in the African JuJu style, but discofied of course given its 1976 production. It was this song that proved to be the Dr. Buzzard . . . was not your average disco band. Cory Daye's vocals are beautiful and harken back to an earlier era of classic jazz vocals, like Ella and Billie. The children's backup vocals are what gives it the spooky quality, probably because the intrumentation is dark, like seeing those cute (but scary) kids come out of the corn fields in Children of the Corn. The last chorus just sends chills down my spine as Cory digs into the lyrics and dances around them as the everything sort or brightens up, like the sun coming out after a summer rain. This makes the title all make such perfect sense.

from Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, available on CD



  Festy: You know what makes the last chorus for me (or choruses from after the kids singing only accompanied by percussion)... as simple as it may sound... it's the handclaps. They add so much and I always look forward to them coming along. I became obsessed with this song about 6 months ago and bought the CD, which, as I expected, doesn't contain so many fantastic songs on it, but, still an enjoyable CD. I really enjoy your recommendations!
The space track  performed by Cosmic Baby  199?
Recommended by AndreasNystrom [profile]

Trance/space/electropop when its at best. This track really gives you an impression about being in space, seeing colored nebulas, and pulsars.
This is the kraftwerk of the 90ies.
Starts with lots of spacesounds, and choirlike chords. Evolves with a snappy bass, and fast drums. Great chillout music.

Cosmic Baby also worked with Paul Van Dyk, and got Paul interest into music.


available on CD - TransEuropeExpress



The Truth  performed by Roisin of Moloko & J-Live  1999
Recommended by macka [profile]

Jazz Hip-Hop fusion with the smooth voice of that bird from Moloko. You'll find it on the Handsome Boy Modeling School album from Prince Paul & Dan the Automator (Quality)

from Handsome Boy Modeling School




  delicado: Check out 'Coffee Cold' by Galt Macdermot if you haven't already. The sample is straight from that - it doesn't sound as if they did anything to it at all -which is fair enough, since it's brilliant as it is...
  macka: Thanks very much, will do!
These Days  performed by Nico  1967
Recommended by djfreshmoney [profile]

I always thought Nico was kinda ridiculous. But when I saw the Royal Tennenbaums a few months ago and they dropped this tune, I was sold. This whole album is a great mixture of strings and Nico's barren, exact vocals. The soundtrack is great, no doubt, but get "Chelsea Girl" for the full impact.


available on CD - Chelsea Girl



  b. toklas: No, she was not ridiculous at all. She was rather one of the darkest figures in pop history. I saw her twice in concert before she died in 1988. It was very intense and even disturbing. Lou Reed didn�t like her, but John Cale obviously considered her a true artist and produced several of her albums. In places she has a dark beauty, in others the darkness turns into a frightening abyss. But it�s always innovative and of an high originality. I don�t listen to her music very often, but I feel great respect for her.
Un Simple Histoire  performed by Thievery Corporation  2002
Recommended by juvejazzman [profile]

This is absolutely a song to chill to. not for someone who wants to jam or anything but the samples used in this electronic piece of music are especially crisp. Very nice to relax to at night.

from The Richest Man in Bablyon


Verve Remixed  performed by Various
Recommended by techniquekal [profile]

Top DJs/Producers unite to remix favourite classics from the Verve vault. It's the 21st Century spin on Jazz classics. Even if you're not a fan of electronic music, jazz enthusiasts will enjoy this fresh take on these classics. The record is simply chilled to perfection.





  FlyingDutchman1971: This is a great CD! The track that really stands out for me is the remix of 'Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby' by Dinah Washington.
We're Still Free  performed by Skeleton Crew  1983
Recommended by havadonut [profile]

The best political song ever written, "We're Still Free" concerns the famous tragedy of a Korean passenger jet shot down by fighter planes when it strayed into Soviet airspace. Yet in recounting this act of barbarism on the part of the Soviets, it also implicates the righteousness of the American side of the Cold War ("We're still free here in America"). The song sets up a chilling contrast in the singing of the two performers, with Frith crying out almost desperately against believing what the media tell us, while Tom Cora gently croons the part of the Soviet air controllers as they decide to destroy the plane. Skeleton Crew was a two-man band with both performers playing drums with their feet along with electronics and strings. Here they set a contrast between the grand, arcing lines of the cello and a homey picking of the violin that's almost shockingly sweet and funny. Critical of anti-democratic trends in the West, Skeleton Crew was criticized by fans in Eastern Europe for taking freedom for granted.

from Learn to Talk (Rift (US)/RecRec (Switz) Rift/RecRec 08/05)
available on CD - Learn to Talk/Country of Blinds (RecRec (ReCDec 512))


who needs forever  performed by astrud gilberto  1966
Recommended by coffman [profile]

This exceptionally haunting and lyrical song by Quincy Jones has received its definitive interpretion by Astrud Gilberto with arrangement and accompaniment by the Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley. The melancholy urgency of the piece resonates well with the dark/sad tonality that pervades so much of Bossa Nova music, though its character is also reminiscent of certain otherwise very different pieces from the bebop era, which had a formative influence on Quincy Jones' music. There is definitely the remote influence of Charlie Parker and especially Dizzy Gillespie. It's truly a completely unique piece. The drifting melody which seems to skirt over the chord changes has a beautiful inevitability. Only a very gifted and skilled musician could have contrived such a beautiful work. So Quincy Jones deserves especial credit for crafting this song from the film "The Deadly Affair."

Astrud's delivery, so typically limpid and restrained, only serves to heighten the intensity of this darkly passionate song. The subtle but somehow fierce organ playing of Walter Wanderley acheives a sizzling romanticism that perfectly complements the reading of Astrud's apparently detached fatalism.

In my opinion, this track is a true musical masterpiece. Its remarkable economy of means is a testament to the skill of the composer as well as the artistry of the performers. In fact, it's a nearly perfect combination of expressive means and poetic intent. The beautiful resolution, with Astrud's perfect striking of the high B-flat over the half-diminished F-minor seventh, is a moment of sublime dramatic intensity, though profoundly understated, as is typical of her finest artistic moments. One is reminded of Miles Davis. Her poetic skill is rooted in subtlety.

I have listened to this extraordinary track hundreds of times, and always experienced chills rising up on the back of my neck. How amazing that this incredible musical gem was omitted from the original album A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness. Perhaps it was too intense, too heavy; whatever the case, it's a truly remarkable piece of music.

I'm truly grateful to have discovered this great albeit minor musical masterpiece. There's really nothing else quite like it! The sizzling but subtle sensitivity of the rhythm section (Claudio Slon on drums, possibly Joao Gilberto on guitar and Jose Marino on bass) adds an intensity to the piece which helps project the almost existential tone of the song.

I'm really swept away by this obscure and neglected work, which attains -- for me at least -- to a peak of poetic intensity really rare in music. As is usual with Astrud at her best, it accomplishes its artistic ends with what seems like the most minimal of means. But subtlety is always the avenue to the most profound of artistic experiences. I think this is a remarkable example -- one of the greatest -- of the wedding of popular music and high art. It is a truly perfect performance. In my opinion, its greatness increases rather than diminshes with repeated listenings. There is only one word for that -- it's magic!

from A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, available on CD



  rio: you must pick-up the quincy jones soundtrack (released with the score to "the pawnbroker") with astrud singing "who needs forever". The lush quincy jones score is hauntingly beautiful, and astrud never sounded better. This version is the real deal for me..
  rferus: Amazing guitar on this piece.

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