Thursday Music Link
Presumably the name was on my mind because of the Bloody Sunday inquiry, but unless any readers know better, I would guess that the name "Bernardette" has the highest ratio of [good (or at least decent) pop songs written] : [actual people with that name], by a mile.
Talk Talk
Leonard Cohen
Paul Simon
The Four Tops
Also, just the bass guitar part of the Four Tops version. This one, plus "Standing in the Shadows of Love" and "This Old Heart Of Mine" is basically the Bach Cello Suites of the electric bass guitar.
Though if I were asked to name a song including the word "Bernadette", the first I'd think of would be Tom Lehrer's Alma.
ReplyDeleteThe Song of Bernadette might have been your title.
Not to disagree, but I've heard it argued that the Bach Cello Suites of the electric bass guitar are in fact the Bach Cello Suites.
ReplyDelete- Larry T
I can actually play that piece (nothing like as fast as that though). I see from a cursory glance that ["youtube videos of bassists playing the first prelude in G"] : ["youtube videos of bassists playing any other part of any other prelude"] is roughly the same as the ratio ["songs about women called Bernardette"] : ["songs about women called Tracey"].
ReplyDelete(also, none of the Youtube bass players has done the natural thing and transposed it to C, which is a much more suitable key for the instrument's range and instead end up fiddling about at the top of the neck - you can hear the intonation problems this causes quite excruciatingly in Larry's video).
I used to play it on the cello. Sounded fucking dreadful, mind you. I've been tempted to give it a go on the bass, and if so will transpose as you suggest.
ReplyDeleteLarry
"This one, plus "Standing in the Shadows of Love" and "This Old Heart Of Mine" is basically the Bach Cello Suites of the electric bass guitar."
ReplyDeleteStrictly speaking, this set needs three more songs....
Although it's from their generally desultory arena-rock period, the Kinks' isn't terrible either...
ReplyDelete"Strictly speaking, this set needs three more songs...."
ReplyDeleteSelect almost any other three from the Motown book.
Same bass players, same arrangers after all.....The Funk Brothers.
You can stick with the HDH songwriting and production team if you want but it's not entirely necessary.....