Brown Eyed Girl wearing Black Velvet drinking Red Red Wine between Two Black Cadillacs on this Barefoot Blue Jean Night

Hello Monday.  This past week has been… well, a week.  We’ve had the plague running through our household – every one of us has been down for the count over the past week or so.  I’m still battling my sinus infection, so things are still a bit foggy in my head.

Thankfully since it is Monday, I can turn that fog into something colorful – especially since our Spotlight Dancer Ian Baird chose this week’s theme as “Songs with Colours in the title”.   I knew immediately at least one song I wanted to feature, and as I searched for more, I was amazed at how many songs are out there with colors in the title!  So let’s get to it, shall we?

First up is a song by a Northern Irish singer-songwriter that was written and recorded in 1967.  He rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B band Them, and after leaving as lead singer, this song was his first single.  He relocated to the United States and landed an eventual contract with Warner Bros. Records, where he recorded his career-defining album.

The song has remained a popular classic pop song that continues to be played regularly on many radio stations and is featured on the top ten list as one of the most played songs by DJ’s.

Here’s Van Morrison with “Brown Eyed Girl”:

Next up is a song that was a Canadian production for this artist’s first album, and it was a huge hit in Canada, becoming the top-selling debut album in Canadian history.  The artist won a Grammy award for Best Female Rock Performance for this song, along with several Juno Awards.

Here’s Alannah Myles with “Black Velvet”:

Next up is a song I of course had to include (you’ll know why in a minute) that was written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond.  It’s been covered by many people since, this particular one happens to be my favorite.  This version topped the U.S. and UK singles charts, and Neil Diamond included it on his The Greatest Hits album (1966-1992).

Here’s UB40 with “Red Red Wine”:

Next up is another I had to include because the artist is one of my all-time favorites.  It’s from her fourth studio album, and she co-wrote this dark tale of a scorned woman turning to murder.  She told Glamour magazine that though her lyrics are darker than ever, it doesn’t mean that she is a violent femme herself.

She shared with Billboard magazine that when she goes into a writing session, she sometimes adopts a character – one who doesn’t reflect the contentment in her real life situation.  She sang this at the Grammy Awards in 2013 wearing a white dress that became a screen when images were projected on it.

Here’s Carrie Underwood with “Two Black Cadillacs”:

Last but not least, this final song is from the third studio album from another of my favorite country music cuties.  He and his fraternal twin brother were born in Vero Beach, Florida, where they both regularly participated in a variety of sports, including golf which he pursued professionally, winning his first tournament at fifteen. 

A wakeboarding accident resulted in reconstructive surgery that left the artist unable to continue playing the sport.  While recovering from his injuries, he borrowed a neighbor’s guitar and began to teach himself how to play it.  After seeing a guitarist perform at a campus bar, he asked the bar’s owner if he could play a gig there, and eventually became a regular, even writing his own material. 

He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, making his first stop at a bank to open a savings account; after telling the bank teller that he was a singer and songwriter, the teller asked if he had any recordings available.  He gave her a CD of his work, which she sent to the Warner/Chappell Music publishing company.

Even though he didn’t get signed with Warner/Chappell, he eventually drew the attention of Sony BMG Nashville executives, who signed him to their RCA Records label in 2005. Per their suggestion, he changed his first name from Josh to Jake, so as to avoid confusion with Josh Turner and Josh Gracin.

Here’s Jake Owen with the song that happened to be the fastest-rising single of his career as well as his first Number One hit, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohorts, Callie from JAmericanSpice, Cathy from Cathy Kennedy’s Blog, and Naila Moon at Just the Stuff Ya Know.

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!

 

 

The awesome Run DMT also hosts Music Monday (who graciously helps out with our hostessing every time we need it, and who I had the privilege of meeting in person at BlogHer ’12 – she’s even more adorable than I imagined):