Moon River by Audrey Hepburn.

If you’ve ever seen Breakfast At Tiffany’s, you know this song. You even remember the scene when she sings it too. The first time I saw this film was in September of 2012. It was during my stay in Ireland and it happened to be on television one late afternoon. I had only caught the ending of it and so I watched it later when I returned home. Audrey was another special star we got to see, she’ll never be forgotten.

Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini and written by Johnny Mercer. It received an Academy Award in 1961 for Best Original Song from Audrey’s performance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The song was written specifically for Audrey’s vocal range and used as the theme song for the movie. An instrumental can be heard right when the film begins.

Many other artists have recorded this song as well. These include: Jerry Butler, Aretha Franklin, Ann-Margaret, Paul Anka, Johnny Mathis, Rod Stewart, The Killers, and R.E.M. among many others.

Above is the audio.

:EDIT: I just decided to pull up Audrey’s Wikipedia page. For some reason, I felt like her birthday was coming up though I had no idea when it was. It’s tomorrow…Wow. Happy Birthday, Audrey.

Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp.

I never realized how many songs I knew by Supertramp. No association was ever made…maybe they didn’t get my attention growing up. However, I will say that I like the piano in tonight’s track. I know absolutely nothing about this band so I had to do some research…

Supertramp is a British rock band that formed in 1969. Ten years later they’d release their sixth album, Breakfast in America, which included Take the Long Way Home. It was the fourth single from the album, reaching #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It also went to #1 on the UK Single chart as well as #4 on Canada’s RPM Top Singles.

According to songfacts, Frontman Roger Hodson called this track “a last-minute surprise” because it was written as the album was wrapping up. The lyrics have many different interpretations. It seems to describe a man who feels good about himself at one moment but then reality kicks in, and he’s questioning where he is in life. He takes the long way home to live in his illusion of a perfect life a little longer…

Bachelor Kisses by The Go-Betweens.

I would love to know the story behind this song. The late Grant McLennan was a terrific songwriter. Bandmate Lindy Morrison once said that he constantly wrote about relationships. They’d be so intense, always creating a new song which was great for the band. According to one source, Grant said he wrote it after the band was dropped by a record company and was in immigration, having been refused entry into the UK. But really, all those thoughts just came from that? Probably not…

My all-time favorite lyric is, “Hand, hands like hooks, you’ll get hurt if you play with crooks. Your hand, that’s all he took, the world opened up for your looks.”

Bachelor Kisses was released as a single in August of 1984 from the band’s third album, Spring Hill Fair (I’ve always loved the album cover). Sadly, both the single and the album failed to chart in the UK and Australia. They weren’t known in the United States yet. This resulted in being dropped by a second record company. Thankfully, they were later signed to Beggar’s Banquet and the rest is history.

Above is the official music video.

Hit the Waves by The Mary Onettes.

This is my second entry about The Mary Onettes. Great music. Some of their lyrics are a little dark for my taste, but songs like this are perfect daydreaming tunes.

Hit the Waves was released in March of 2013 from the band’s third album of the same name. If it wasn’t for Spotify, I never would have found them. I really think these guys deserve more attention. I can’t believe they aren’t on the radio or in SPIN magazine or something.

I hope one day they gain some well-deserved popularity. Until then, here’s an honorable mention!

To read my other entry, click HERE.

Heartbeat by Don Johnson.

The name ‘Don Johnson’ should sound familiar if you watched Miami Vice in the 80′s or NYPD Blue in the 90′s…but did you know he has two albums? I didn’t.

Heartbeat was released as a single August of 1986 from his first album of the same name. The single went to #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and the album itself charted at #17 on the Billboard 200. The lyrics were written by Eric Kaz and Wendy Waldman.

In 1988, Johnson would later make the Top 40 again with a duet called “Till I Loved You” with Barbara Streisand.

It’s amazing how many actors/actresses have a singing career under their belt too.

Above is the audio and album cover.

Three Little Birds by Bob Marley & The Wailers.

Today’s entry is by request! This is one of Marley’s most popular songs and I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t on Wikipedia! I then realized it’s not called, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” but instead, “Three Little Birds.” I was gonna say…this was a hit but not a single? Not possible!

Three Little Birds was released in September of 1980 from the album, Exodus. It went to #17 on the UK’s Top 20 and has been covered by various artists over the years. In 2008, an 8-year-old British singer, Connie Talbot, covered the song and it reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot Single Sales Chart. Listen to her version HERE.

The song is self-explanatory, it says you shouldn’t let worry get the best of you because everything will work out in the end. It is believed that the “three little birds” represent the trinity.

Above is the official video.

The Waiting by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

If one thing’s for certain, it sucks to wait. And wait and wait and wait. We are always waiting for someone, something, or to get somewhere. We wait for things to happen, even though we wish it could with just a snap of a finger. Life’s not so easy. Tonight’s song talks about the waiting is the hardest part.

The Waiting was released as a single in April of 1981 from the band’s fourth album, Hard Promises. According to songfacts, Petty said, “That was a song that took a long time to write. Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) swears he told me the line – about the waiting being the hardest part – but I think I got the idea from something Janis Joplin said on television. I had the chorus very quickly, but I had a very difficult time piecing together the rest of the song. It’s about waiting for your dreams and not knowing if they will come true. I’ve always felt it was an optimistic song.”

The single went to #19 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and to #1 on their Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for six consecutive weeks. It also went to #6 on Canada’s music charts. Linda Ronstadt covered the song in 1995, listen to her version HERE.

Above is the official video. A brief ad may play before it begins.