Linda Ronstadt & Andrew Gold Duet

[the Scribe]

[eddiejinnj]

used to hear this song all the time on hte easy listening station they played when i worked in a 5 and 10 in hs and college. who is it frank and nancy or andy williams or one of them. i tell you, it is 2012 and i have loved linda since the mid 70's and never heard this b4. it is amazing that i can still hear stuff she has done as if it is new. kind of cool version. linda sounds gr8; very chipper and serves her soprano well. eddiejinnj

[the Scribe]

If you love Popular (Hot 100-Hit Parade) Music like I do then you probably love this song. Most of the time I prefer the originals OR any Linda Ronstadt version because I love her voice so much and her arrangements are always top notch. This song works really well as a duet and she and Andrew sound great together. Andrew was such a "choice" musician himself. A real musical genius in my opinion. I will always think of he, Kenny, Waddy and Dan as the "Linda Ronstadt Band" although she has had some great combinations before during and after. i.e. Grolnick, Kortchmar, etc.

Some history:

Can't Get Used to Losing You
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to:
"Can't Get Used to Losing You"
Single by Andy Williams
Released 1963
Writer(s) Jerome "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman

"Can't Get Used to Losing You" is a song written by Jerome "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman,[1] first made popular by Andy Williams in a 1963 record release, which was a #2 hit in both the US and the UK. Twenty years later, British band The Beat took a ska re-arrangement of the song to #3 in the UK.

Contents
1 Andy Williams Recording
2 The Beat recording
3 Other Recordings
4 See also
5 References

Andy Williams Recording"Can't Get Used to Losing You" was the title of both a hit album and a single from the album, recorded by Andy Williams and released in 1963. It peaked at number 2 in both the US and the UK. In the US, the single spent four weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the Easy Listening chart for four weeks, peaking on both in April 1963.[2] Williams' recording peaked at #1 on the Cashbox charts.

The Beat recordingThe Beat (known as The English Beat in the USA) originally recorded their cover of "Can't Get Used to Losing You" as a track on their 1980 album I Just Can't Stop It. It was not released as a single until three years later, just as The Beat announced that they were breaking up. The single was remixed slightly from the album track, and became the band's fifth and final top ten UK hit, and their highest charting single release ever.

Other RecordingsThis song has been covered by Madeline Bell, Julie London, Skeeter Davis, Bobby Darin, Chad & Jeremy, Bobby Rydell, The English Beat and Renegade Soundwave.

In one of Kermit Schafer's blooper books, it says that an announcer introduced the song as "Can't Get Used to Using You".

See alsoList of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1963 (U.S.)
References1.^ "1963, "Can't Get Used to Losing You"". www.jacquedee63.com/cantgetusedtolosing.html.
2.^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
3.^ "PopularSong.org, "Meet the Boxes, Juke and Cash"". www.popularsong.org/tidbits25.html.
4.^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Album Cuts 1955-2001, (Billboard Publications)
This 1960s pop song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
v ·t ·e

Pick your favorite:

[Dianna]

Sept 20, 2012 14:00:55 GMT -5 the Scribe said:

Kind has a donny and marie sound to it. I like it!!!!

[erik]

Quote by dianna re. LR/AG version of "Can't Get Used To Losing You":

Kind has a donny and marie sound to it. I like it!!!!

I shudder to think of what Linda (who's fairly far removed from Marie Osmond to begin with) would think of that.

[Dianna]

why? because they're mormon? Despite their religious upbringing , arie is a very thoughtful open minded woman. It's funny but, I know Marie is a republican.. although donny did support Obama in 08.. Marie is friends with some of the more liberal celebrities.. rosie odonnell for one, she also has a gay daughter and has been outspoken in her support. I really don't think they're all that too far removed.

[erik]

I mean in terms of musical styles, Linda's fairly far removed from Marie; and it does seem like she did this on a lark as a favor to her longtime sideman.

[Dianna]

I guess it was the .. I'm a little bit country (Linda) and a little bit rock n roll (Andrew) vibe I got from the number rob posted. ha

[fabtastique]

wow, I love it - how have we not heard this before? Just bought it off iTunes!!

[eddiejinnj]

what year is this from? i will try andlook that up now. if i were to guess it would be early 80's right around the what's new period. eddiejinnj

[eddiejinnj]

wow was i wrong. the album came out in 2006. unless it is an unreleased version from
the past. she sounds so youthful on this song. boy, she still had her chops at 60. like we have all said unless there are things the public doesn't know, we all think linda is being too hard on herself re: her present voice because as of 2010 on the webb album and her 2006 releases including this she sounds great!!!! eddiejinnj

[fabtastique]

it appears to be from 1996 I think....

[sliderocker]

Sept 20, 2012 23:32:03 GMT -5 erik said:

I mean in terms of musical styles, Linda's fairly far removed from Marie; and it does seem like she did this on a lark as a favor to her longtime sideman.

Likewise, I thought it was a bit of a lark as I couldn't see her doing a song associated with Andy Williams! Even though the song was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, who wrote numerous pop-rock hits in the 50s and 60s including some for Elvis (His Latest Flame, Little Sister. Suspicion, etc), I figured her doing the song was a favor to Andrew. Or was it? Look at the other older pop, rock and country songs Linda has recorded and released on her albums. Most were probably familiar to her when she was in her teens and early 20s originally. And I think Linda would've been no different from other people, in that the songs she listened to when she was in her teens and early 20s have stayed with her all of her life. Linda's late teen years were during the "American Graffitti" era - would she have been all that different from other teens in what she listened to? Granted, she was different from most kids as most kids did not become singers in their adult life, but because of that difference, I think she might well have listened to anything and everything and applying it to her later career.

[Dianna]

well, I am not Linda's central nervous system, so I wouldn't pretend to guess how she feels about that song in particular unless she speaks out about it.. funny but the only songs she has tired of or spoke in negative terms are the rock songs early in her career.

[sliderocker]

Sept 21, 2012 11:55:56 GMT -5 Dianna said:

well, I am not Linda's central nervous system, so I wouldn't pretend to guess how she feels about that song in particular unless she speaks out about it.. funny but the only songs she has tired of or spoke in negative terms are the rock songs early in her career.

I think she would had to have liked most of the songs she has covered in her career, at least by the original artist. I couldn't have seen her recording a song whether she was a solo artist or in a duet or trio with others or what have you if she didn't like the song to some degree.

As far as her personal musical tastes in her teens and early 20s are concerned, there was an article I remember reading in the 80s or 90s which said the music we listened to from our teens to about age 22 was the music we'd still be listening to in our adult lives. I think that's true to a large degree. Look at the oldie goldies audience, which would include many of us, Linda included. Many of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s are still listening to the music from thsoe eras and are likely to keep listening to the music to the end of our days. Of course, with Linda, her listening experience would also include music from the 1950s.

Could it be that one of the reasons Linda dislikes her music, has tired of or spoken negatively about be because the songs are associated with her than with the original artists? Would she rather the radio stations play the original versions of the songs she had hits on? While I recall oldies radio playing the original hit versions of songs Linda had hits on as well as Linda's hit versions for a time, it was Linda's versions that stayed on the playlists because Linda's versions of those songs didn't sound dated. They became the keepers. Had Linda never recorded the songs, that likely wouldn't have stopped the songs from languishing in obscurity because most of them sounded extremely dated.

[eddiejinnj]

i looked the album up "since 1951" and the release date is 2006 unless that was a typo and others know for sure it was1996. pls advise? eddiejinnj

[sliderocker]

Just to add to the confusion, Amazon indicates "Since 1951" was released on September 1, 2009. There is no mention of when the songs were recorded but he had other albums released before that date after 2000, so I would assume the 2006 date is in error but not because it was recorded before 2006, and that the recording dates for the songs likely could've been along a 2007-09 time frame - although the possibility remains a song or two could've been from earlier times.

[the Scribe]

The album is from 1996.



During the 1990s Gold once again joined forces with bandmates Karla Bonoff, Wendy Waldman and Kenny Edwards to re-form Bryndle and release their first album. In 1996, he left Bryndle and released, Halloween Howls, considered by Dr. Demento as one of the two best Halloween albums in history. The same year he recorded under a pseudonym, The Fraternal Order Of The All, "Greetings from Planet Love" on his own record label, QBrain Records. This album utilized a fake 1960s band, with original songs in the style of Gold's favorite 1960s bands, such as The Beatles, The Byrds and The Beach Boys. He released a rarities Wax album, Bikini Wax, and the same year he released ....Since 1951. He has since also produced, composed, and/or written songs for numerous films, such as the comedy Rectuma from director Mark Pirro and contributed songs for many television soundtracks and commercials. He sang "Final Frontier", the theme song for the television sitcom Mad About You. His rendition of the song was used as the wake-up call for the Mars Pathfinder space probe in 1996. Gold also produced seven albums for Eikichi Yazawa.



I am not sure how familiar any of you are with Andrew's solo career but did you know he recorded the album What's Wrong With This Picture simultaneously with Hasten Down The Wind (all the same players, including Linda on many of the backing vocals)? One of my very favorite songs of all time is from that album (wishin' Linda would have recorded it) and it is this one:



You know, I am so very sad Andrew is no longer with us but he is in spirit....especially during Halloween!

[the Scribe]

I believe this youtube duet may have been posted by Andrew himself. Check out more of his music. Had he still been with us I bet he would have responded to our comments. He left us with a wealth of music. I hope whoever reads this will visit this youtube site and his own website to see what you were missing. He made some great music. Let's not forget him. Subscribe to his channel.

www.youtube.com/user/qbrain

www.andrewgold.com/

[the Scribe]

Seems appropriate to post this news story in this thread as well:

Andy Williams Dead: Iconic Singer Dies At 84 After Cancer Battle

Andy Williams has died at 84 after a long battle with cancer.

The iconic singer's rep confirmed Williams' death to Lifeline Live. He died Tuesday night at his home in Branson, Mo., after battling bladder cancer for almost a year. Williams was diagnosed with cancer in November 2011 but still continued to perform at his Moon River Theater in Branson even after his devastating diagnosis.

The host of NBC's "The Andy Williams Show" from 1962 to 1971, Williams is known for lending his voice to timeless songs like "Moon River" and "Can't Help Falling In Love" -- songs that led President Ronald Reagan to dub him "a national treasure." Over his 75-year span in the business, Williams has earned 17 gold and three platinum records.

Williams is survived by his wife, Debbie, and his three children (his children are the product of a previous marriage to French dancer Claudine Longet).

Here is Linda's appearance on The Andy Williams Show aired on November 28th, 1970. (I turned 17 ten days before. Linda was 24 and at the beginning of a very long and successful career):

[Dianna]

Oh, I didn't know she sang ticket to ride. I know this is a beatles song .. but I am more familar with Karen's version. Like Linda singing it too. Nice, thanks.

[erik]

Linda did put her heart into it, although I think if she had recorded it herself, she'd probably do it the way the Fab Four did it in '65.

[the Scribe]

Karen's version was released before Linda's appearance and it appears Linda was influenced by the Carpenter's arrangement. I think the Carpenter's Ticket to Ride and Rainy Days And Mondays are my two favorites of theirs. Also love Crescent Noon:



It is the kind of song you would expect from Barbra. The Carpenters, like Linda had wonderful albums and each was an event in itself.

[Dianna]

That's what I first thought of when I heard Linda singing.. the Karen Carpenter version

[Partridge]

ronstadtfanaz said:

Pick your favorite:

I listened to them all and my favorite is still the Skeeter Davis- of course I've had that album for almost 50 years so I'm very familiar with that one. Great album title: Cloudy, with Occasional Tears- horrible cover photo. Never heard of Cam Clarke but enjoyed his version too--

[the Scribe]

I've seen that same wig on Dolly Parton!

I like the way Andrew has arranged this duet or should I say "re-arranged?" I can see a similar arrangement for a duet on Andrew's "One Of Them Is Me." I am surprised no one has recorded that song yet.

[sliderocker]

Sept 27, 2012 15:40:15 GMT -5 Dianna said:

That's what I first thought of when I heard Linda singing.. the Karen Carpenter version

I had the same thought when I first came across the video about a year or so ago. But, I wonder if Linda ever heard the version by the Carpenters before her appearance on the "Andy Wllliams Show" or if they came up with the musical arrangement during the tv taping? If memory serves, the version by the Carpenters from 1969 had only been a very minor hit for them, charting in the mid to lower end of the Top 100, and while Linda could've heard it, that low of a position usually mean the number of stations the song was heard on was few and far between. Curiously, the version by the Carpenters was heavily played where I lived after the Carpenters had scored big with "Yesterday Once More" in 1973. I sometimes wondered if A&M was trying to revive interest in the song and make it into a bigger hit? That sometimes happened with other songs (like "Solitary Man," "Get Together," "Monster Mash" and "She Loves You," which had a 1963 release in the US - its highest charting position then being #77) but it didn't happen for the Carpenters on that song, even though a nice arrangement it was.

[erik]

Actually, the Carpenters' version of "Ticket" peaked at #54 in late February 1970 (#19 on the Adult Contemporary listing).

[Dianna]

Slide, this is the album I knew of ticket to ride from. At the time, I think everyone had that album. My mom had this and I took it over.

[sliderocker]

Sept 28, 2012 9:30:01 GMT -5 erik said:

Actually, the Carpenters' version of "Ticket" peaked at #54 in late February 1970 (#19 on the Adult Contemporary listing).

That's kind of what I was referring to when I said mid to lower end of the Top 100. I couldn't remember its actual chart position, just that it didn't make the Top 40 at the time. The chart showing was better on the AC listing but I still don't know how that translated over to sales. I know there were artists who had million sellers, did lousy in the AT40 but did well on the AC chart. I always thought Billboard's charts wre a little bogus for that reason, at least as far as the singles were concerned.