Youtor
Solitaire
>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=a-tRsY42vB0
“Solitaire” … a new solo piano arrangement of the powerful 1970s pop ballad. • Neal Sedaka released this song in 1972 after moving from the US to the UK where he started working with four musicians who formed his backing band for the release. Those musicians, inspired by Sedaka, went on to form the UK rock band 10cc, continuing to work with Sedaka. • For Sedaka, “Solitaire”, and the associated album, marked his return to the pop music charts – both in the UK and US – as it was the first time in 10 years that he had released and performed a song that made significant headway in the charts. Andy Williams immediately covered the song, taking it to a higher chart rating, and that caught the attention of The Carpenters who released their version in 1975 which reached an even higher chart position. • The reason Sedaka’s previously successful career had languished was timing. He was a rising star singer/songwriter performer just as the Beatles reached the US and Beatlemania started. He was eclipsed by their success and the change they brought to the pop/rock music scene. His solution was to move to the UK, where he had enjoyed some level of continuing success, charge his lyricist and work hard to rebuild his career. • Thanks to a meeting with Elton John, who was a Sedaka fan, he signed with John’s record label (Rocket Records) and that led to the launch of his next three albums, including his album “Solitaire”, named for its title track. • Sedaka’s original success had started in the 1950s after he left Julliard and moved into the Brill Building where he worked with other up and coming singer/songwriters. Early on he even dated Carole King – writing one of his successful songs about her. So, by the time of the Beatles’ impact, he had a very well-established catalog of music and had honed his skills as a composer, arranger, and producer. • Past the 1970s, Sedaka continued to write and produce music – generally for other performing artists. He was eventually inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His music continues to resurface in new forms, in films and in concerts well into the 21st century. • “Solitaire” is a song about a man who loses the love of his life due to his indifference – very much, to quote Joni Mitchell, a case of “… you don’t know what you’ve got, ‘til it's gone.” The man is then left with an empty shell of a life and the only thing he can do is play solitaire. It is very much a “lonely hearts club” song. • Sad songs generally have a difficult road to success. They need to relate to common issues and be flawless in terms of melody, lyrics, etc. Solitaire’s success is a tribute to the talents of Sedaka and Phil Cody (who wrote the lyrics) as it has stood the test of time. • • MUSIC INSIGHTS: • In common with many pop songs, this one has a relatively simple AB structure – verse and chorus. Though it may be hard to hear, Sedaka says he was influenced by Roberta Flack when he wrote the verse and by Chopin for his chorus. While Chopin is not usually a composer one thinks of as influencing a popular song, Sedaka does bend the harmony in the chorus to a more Chopinesque style while his verse definitely uses an interesting move in the harmony that Flack has used in some of her work. • I decided to move the tempo up a bit for solo piano – more towards the tempo The Carpenters used for their cover. Slower would risk the music dragging. That said, the melody is very lyrical with a definite, great high point – the power ballad moment when the chorus starts. That lends itself to great movement on the keyboard – between registers and in terms of counter melody to create a good flow in the music. • • VIDEO INSIGHTS: • The lyrics for this song are about loss and emptiness due to a lack of being able to relate. Not exactly the most positive story line. Reflecting that in video scenes requires a delicate balance between darkness, reflection and hope. Getting that balance, with a nod to the card game solitaire, was my goal. Thus, the video goes from darkness, through some evolution to reach the point where there is always a horizon to see and explore in life. • • Please do indicate if you like the music and/or music video – it would encourage me to release other new works. Also, please do subscribe to this channel so that you get announcements of all future releases. • • “Solitaire” was arranged, performed on a Nord 3 Stage Piano, and recorded in late-June 2024 using Ableton Live with piano voices from the sample libraries of Spitfire Audio and Native Instruments. The master mix was done using iZotope Ozone 9. • • At some time in the future, it will be released for streaming. • • Be sure to subscribe here and follow-on social media or signup for the weekly newsletter through the Solo Hands website (if you sign up for our newsletter via the website, you will also receive our free eBook, Musical Notes – Composing Arranging): • http://www.solohands.com • Facebook: @SoloHandsMusic • Instagram: @SoloHandsMusic
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