Conan O'Brien Honor George Harrison in Week-Long Tribute to the Late Beatles Star.
Videos Performances below.
by Kaitlyn Durocher Mon., Sep. 15, 2014 5:09 PM PDT
Turner Entertainment Networks, Terry O'Neill/Getty Images
The Beatles' music continues to live on, and the work of one of the Fab Four is about to get some special attention.
Conan O'Brien is planning a weeklong tribute to honor the late George Harrison that will air the week of Sept. 22-25.
During the tribute, Beck and Norah Jones, along with Harrison's only child, Dhani Harrison, will perform live versions of songs from The Apple Years 1968-75, a reissue of the singer's first six solo albums.
Other performers are set to perform daily during the week.
Performances:
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Boxset Promo:
Live Review: George Fest at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood (9/28)
“I thought this was George Michael Fest,” Conan O’Brien quipped as the first guest performer at George Fest, a one-night affair celebrating the work of another famous George: Harrison. “I spent all week learning ‘Faith’.”
It wasn’t the only laugh of the evening, which played out better than could be expected, and that is saying a lot when your bill boasts Brian Wilson, Norah Jones, The Flaming Lips, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Ben Harper, Weird Al Yankovic, and tons more. Put on by the Best Fest as a benefit for Sweet Relief, there was an expectation of looseness and under-rehearsed renditions of Harrison’s Beatles, Traveling Wilburys, and solo endeavors, made all the more likely by the amount of music stands present onstage.
As it turned out, the vast majority of the performances were tight, thanks to the backbone of the evening, New York-based Best Fest house band the Cabin Down Below Band. They supported each and every artist through their choice of cover songs, being sure to give each one the proper introduction so as to convey their musical contributions to the world. For Weird Al, it was noted that they were most excited to meet him. Others, like Norah Jones and Perry Farrell, were noted friends of the band. And, for clearly the most key guest, Harrison’s son Dhani, it was pure respect, both for the contributions of his father and the support he gave to the evening.
The performers were all there in pure donation of their time, but looking at their faces and the honor they felt in celebrating Harrison, it was clear that performing was payment enough. Brandon Flowers, whose goofy choice of “Got My Mind Set on You” only makes sense when considering how mainstream the other songs he covers with The Killers are, was almost shy-seeming in this environment, loosening up very quickly, though, to take his mic off the stand and evoke a sing-along. Norah Jones, just about the loveliest human being on planet Earth, revealed that she liked “Behind That Locked Door” because “it was kinda country.” Spoon’s Britt Daniel noted that “I Me Mine” was his favorite” Harrison song.
But some of the best performances were from less likely sources. Weird Al Yankovic crushed his take on the 1971 hit “What Is Life”, in full rock star mode for this rare opportunity to not play for laughs (though the man is just inherently funny). Ian Astbury of The Cult, whom just a year ago looked in ill health when his band played Anaheim, seemed sober and focused, delivering “Be Here Now” as a lovely tribute to the master. And The Flaming Lips fought through some microphone issues to create the most sonically pleasing song of the night, “It’s All Too Much”.
Nearly every song performed deserves comment. Butch Walker offered the only punk jump of the night. Perry Farrell was functioning at a higher plane, singing a sweet “Here Comes the Sun” between asking Dhani if he wanted to go surfing some time and bestowing blessings upon the Harrison family. Conan O’Brien was remarkably competent in his run through the light “Old Brown Shoe”. And Brian Wilson, with Al Jardine, did all that was needed from him by simply showing up, singing “Oh Sweet Lord”.
The night limped to a close a bit, with the group sing-alongs suffering from having too many people onstage, but knocking this kind of spontaneous performance would be pretty unfair, and by the time they were sung, some three hours after the concert began, the audience was in good enough spirits to embrace the atmosphere that we were all in the band together. The fest hinted at possibly a New York version of George Fest and an L.A. event of unannounced theme to coincide with the Grammys in February. The more than 1,000 fans who attended Sunday night’s event will surely line up if it is anywhere close to what was witnessed at George Fest.
Setlist: Awaiting on You All – The Cabin Down Below Band Old Brown Shoe – Conan O’Brien If I Need Someone – Jamestown Revival For You Blue – Chase Cohl (w/Brian Bell) Isn’t It a Pity – The Black Ryder If Not for You – Heartless Bastards Any Road – Butch Walker Taxman – Cold War Kids Be Here Now – Ian Astbury Art of Dying – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club I Me Mine – Britt Daniel I’d Have You Anytime – Karen Elson (w/Norah Jones) Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) – Ben Harper What Is Life – Weird Al Yankovic Let It Down – Dhani Harrison Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp – Big Black Delta (w/Dhani Harrison) Savoy Truffle – Dhani Harrison It’s All Too Much – The Flaming Lips Here Comes the Sun – Perry Farrell Wah Wah – Nick Valensi Behind That Locked Door – Norah Jones Something – Norah Jones Beware of Darkness – Ann Wilson Got My Mind Set on You – Brandon Flowers My Sweet Lord – Brian Wilson (with Al Jardine) Handle with Care – Britt Daniel, Weird Al Yankovic, Wayne Coyne, Brandon Flowers et al. All Things Must Pass – Dhani Harrison, Ann Wilson, Karen Elson, Norah Jones et al.
My Sweet Lord at George Fest 9/28/2014 at Fonda Theater
GEORGE FEST - WHAT IS LIFE 9/28/2014 at Fonda Theater
Old Brown Shoe at George Fest 9/28/2014 at Fonda Theater
Handle with Care - live at George Fest 9/28/2014 at Fonda Theater
Dennis and Jackie Beck, 66 and 64, traveled from western Pennsylvania. Ms. Beck said she had seen Mr. Diamond 10 times.
"It's not that many," she said. She sported a "Diamond Girl" shirt and said she was convinced that this concert at his old stamping grounds would be special.
"He's an emotional guy," she said.
A largely middle-age crowd of about 800 filled the wooden seats in the hot auditorium. Pictures of Barbra Streisand (class of '59) lined the walls. [NY Times]
There was no AC in the chapel at Flatbush, Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High School and it was sticky hot as the crowd loudly sang along to Neil Diamond hit after Neil Diamond hit...from the Best Of CD they were playing before the man himself took the stage. Folks had been lined up outside since 3 PM for this somewhat secret free show and there were definitely a lot of neighborhood folks -- including many who had attended Erasmus back in the day -- and die-hard fans. When Neil did come out about 6:30 PM, after an introduction by radio DJ Scott Shannon, it was the expected thunderous applause (crowd member Geraldo Rivera also received a bit of that applause as he was taking his front row seat, just for being there and for being Geraldo). Instead of immediately launching into a song, Neil shared a few anecdotes about Erasmus which he attended from 1954-56, and this show was supposedly his first Brooklyn concert ever. He told stories about getting detention, his chorus teacher, and working as a shoeshine boy in a nearby subway station. "It's a good gig," said Diamond. "It doesn't go anywhere, but it's a good gig for a kid."
After that Neil knocked out a short set of hits, starting with "I'm a Believer," "Solitary Man," "Kentucky Woman," and, of course "Brooklyn Roads." Then a couple late '70s nuggets -- "Love on the Rocks" and "Forever in Blue Jeans" -- before the requisite new song, "Nothing But a Heartache" (from Melody Road, out next month). He finished up his set with another new one, "Something Blue," and then finished with showstopper "Sweet Caroline" which had the whole crowd singing. Well, almost. "I saw two people not singing," Neil told the crowd before proceeding to run through its chorus two more times. At 73, Diamond's voice is in great shape and he's ever the showman, with a band of pros who know how to punctuate the big moments -- nearly all the songs got the Vegas Ending. As it should be. Too short, but this free show in a very special location was a lot of fun. If you missed it, you can maybe catch the video if and when it's released. There was a very professional video crew capturing every moment. Channel 7 news, who said everyone who waited in line got in, also said the show was being filmed for a documentary. Everyone got a poster as they walked out.
Neil will be back in Brooklyn when his 2015 tour stops at Barclays Center on March 26. Tickets for what should be his 2nd-ever Brooklyn show, go on sale October 13 at 10 AM.
All dates, plus more pictures from the intimate Brooklyn show, below...
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SETLIST: Neil Diamond @ Erasmus Hall High School 9/29/2014 1 I'm a Believer 2-Solitary Man 3 Kentucky Woman 4 Brooklyn Roads 5 Love on the Rocks 6 Forever In Blue Jeans 7 Nothing But a Heartache 8 Something Blue 9-Sweet Caroline
Neil Diamond - 2015 Tour Dates 2/27/2015 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center 3/4/2015 - London, ON - Budweiser Gardens* 3/7/2015 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre* 3/10/2015 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center 3/13/2015 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena 3/15/2015 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center 3/18/2015 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center 3/20/2015 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills 3/23/2015 - Boston, MA - TD Garden 3/26/2015 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center 4/2/2015 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre* 4/4/2015 - Washington DC - Verizon Center 4/7/2015 - Pittsburgh, PA - CONSOL Energy Center 4/9/2015 - Milwaukee, WI - BMO Harris Bradley Center 4/12/2015 - St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center 4/14/2015 - Chicago, IL - United Center 4/17/2015 - Indianapolis, IN - Bankers Life Fieldhouse 4/19/2015 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center 4/23/2015 - Mexico City, Mexico - Sports Palace 4/30/2015 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre* 5/2/2015 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome* 5/5/2015 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place* 5/7/2015 - Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena* 5/10/2015 - Seattle, WA - KeyArena 5/12/2015 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center at San Jose 5/15/2015 - San Diego, CA - Valley View Casino Center 5/19/2015 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl 5/26/2015 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center 5/28/2015 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center 5/31/2015 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
Neil Diamond Spreads Love the Brooklyn Way
Local boy makes good: Singer returns to his high school stomping ground for an unforgettable night
Neil Diamond performs a special concert at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he attended school over 50 years ago, on September 29th, 2014.
It's hard to believe Neil Diamond had never played a show on his native soil of Brooklyn before last night. But he returned to the old neighborhood for a surprise secret gig at his alma mater Erasmus Hall High School, deep in the heart of Flatbush. It was an emotional homecoming on a (surprisingly) hot September night. Seeing Neil Diamond sing "Brooklyn Roads" at his first-ever Brooklyn gig was as hardcore as seeing the Beastie Boys do "Hello Br...he borough, back at McCarren Pool in 2007.
Neil was clearly in sentimental mode, telling stories about the old days and busting his arena-size moves in the high-school chapel where he used to get sent for detention. "The memories are flooding in tonight," he said before playing "Brooklyn Roads." "I drive people crazy when I come back here because I remember every building. I used to shine shoes at that subway station. It was a great gig — no future in it, but a great gig for a kid."
Well, as the gangsters say, he don't shine shoes no more. Looking dapper in a dark suit and his new silver-fox beard, the Jewish Elvis put on a mega-energy 10-song show for a few hundred lucky fans — most of whom had waited in line all day in hopes of getting in — with the stained-glass window behind him turning the place into his personal shrine. And he crackled every Rosie in the room.
Diamond has always celebrated his Flatbush roots — during previous New York stops, he's been spotted walking the streets by day, riding the subway incognito, just a solitary man and his memories. (At Madison Square Garden a few years ago, he boasted, "I was from Brooklyn before it was hip.") "It was in this chapel I decided to take piano lessons," he told the crowd last night. "I sang in the chorus for two years. Why? Because I thought it was a great place to meet girls." He also pointed out the balcony where he sat for the Adlai Stevenson rally in 1956.
Erasmus Hall has other famous alumni whose portraits hang in the chapel, like Donny Most '70 (he played Ralph Malph on Happy Days) and Barbra Streisand '59. (Her framed yearbook photo was on the wall right next to me, which made me feel like her prom date. How lucky can you get?) Some fans had wild hopes she'd show up for "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" — but she was there in spirit, when he gave a shout-out to "my friend Barbra Streisand" as a fellow chorus alum.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
As always with a Neil Diamond show, the crowd was out for blood — it was a wildly enthusiastic mix of Erasmus Hall students and silver-haired Neil fanatics. I met a lady who drove two hours from Hyde Park as soon as the news about this gig broke — she told me proudly she hasn't missed a Neil show on the East Coast since he played Long Island in 1973. "I jumped in the car and left the sink full of dishes," she said, twirling her cane. Before the show even began, these fans were up dancing to the pre-show loop of Neil hits. (How bad-ass is it to blast "Forever in Blue Jeans" over the speakers right before you come out to sing it? Very.)
The man's voice was in studly shape, like the rest of him. Backed by a stripped-down version of his arena band, he went hard on classics like "Solitary Man" and "Love on the Rocks." (He did not do "Play Me," possibly because memories of his old English teachers made him reluctant to utter the lines, "Songs she sang to me/Songs she brang to me.") This is still the man whose classic live album Hot August Night had this liner note from the artist: "The stage, she is the God-damnedest woman you ever saw."
He debuted a pair of choice cuts from his forthcoming Melody Road. "I love doing songs you know," he told the crowd. "But I really love doing the songs you haven't heard before — because those are the ones I get to sing alone." (You have to admit — that's a brilliant way to break the delicate news you're trying out unfamiliar material.) And the new songs are top notch: "Nothing But a Heartache" is a bluesy stomp, while "Something Blue" has a lighter country lilt that evokes another Neil song with "blue" in the title. Both went over big — when the fans are clapping on the beat by the second chorus, your new tune is officially a success.
Neil ended it all with an epic "Sweet Caroline," repeating chorus after chorus after chorus. Rough "so good" count: 33. (It was definitely strange to hear Brooklyn's finest perform "Sweet Caroline" here two days after Derek Jeter played his final game in Fenway Park.) Even the cops had their phones out. At one point, Neil accused some audience members of not singing. "You can't be students or Brooklynites," he said. "Are you from Staten Island? Sorry — there's the exit."
The show was over, but there were some touching moments still ahead, as fans began to notice the Streisand yearbook photo on the wall, crowding around to kvell and take selfies with it. Seeing Kyp Malone from the band TV on the Radio get out his phone for a shot of Barbra's high-school smile seemed to connect about six generations of Brooklyn rockness. It was a moment that only the love of Neil could make happen.
Rosa Salazar Nabs Key Female Role in 'Maze Runner' Sequel (Exclusive)
12:54 PM PDT 9/30/2014 by Borys Kit
Dylan O'Brien is back as the lead of Fox's YA adaptation of 'Scorch Trials'
Courtesy of Seven Summits Pictures & Management
Rosa Salazar has closed a deal to join the cast of Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, the sequel to Fox’s YA adaptation The Maze Runner.
With Runner a solid performer, Fox immediately dated the sequel and has Scorch Trials in pre-production. Director Wes Ball is back for the sequel as are the producers, Temple Hill Entertainment and the Gotham Group.
Lead Dylan O'Brien is also back and will now find himself in a potential romantic triangle.
The first movie focused on a group of young men escaping through a deadly maze and only had one female lead, played by Kaya Scoledario.
In a major coup for the actress, Salazar will play Brenda, a character who runs around with another group of teens (and who is also that group's lone female) that ends up paired with O’Brien’s character when both end up on the run in tunnels underneath a city.
Salazar already has one YA adventure movie under her belt: she recently completed a small role in Divergent sequel Insurgent. The actress has also notched appearances on shows such as Parenthood and American Horror Story.
She is repped by Paradigm, Seven Summits Management and Nelson Davis.
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Yvonne Strahovski to Co-Star in ABC's 'Astronaut Wives Club'
12:51 PM PDT 9/30/2014 by Lesley Goldberg
The '24' alum will reunite with 'Chuck's' Josh Schwartz
AP Images/Invision
Yvonne Strahovski
ABC's upcoming Astronaut Wives Club is staging a Chuck reunion.
Chuck alum YvonneStrahovski has booked a series regular role on the drama from Fake Empire's Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The 1960s-set drama tells the real story of the women who stood beside some of the biggest heroes in American history during the height of the space race. The drama marks the first pilot Savage has written since she co-created The CW's long-running Gossip Girl with Schwartz. The project is based on LilyKoppel's best-selling novel published last summer. Janice Williams brought the project to Groundswell. Odette Annable, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Dominique McElligott, Desmond Harrington and Bret Harrison star.
Strahovski, who is awaiting word on whether the 24 franchise will continue on, will play Rene Carpenter, who is married to Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter. A mother of four, she's strong and upfront and enjoys the limelight but is and ready to use it for personal gain. She enjoys being center of attention and is the only one of the wives singled out for her own magazine cover.
Astronaut Wives, which was picked up straight to series with a 10-episode commitment, was originally intended to air in the summer. The drama was pushed back to midseason. LoneScherfig will direct.
For Strahovski, the role marks her latest return to the small screen following NBC's Chuck, which was created by Schwartz. Her credits include 24: Live Another Day and Showtime's Dexter. She's repped by Paradigm and McKeon-Myones.
Gwen Stefani Finishing New Solo Album With Pharrell
8:55 PM PST 09/29/2014 by Andrew Hampp, Billboard, Megan Buerger
Art Streiber/NBC
She will perform her lead single on 'The Voice,' manager Irving Azoff says
It's been eight years since Gwen Stefani's last solo album, 2006's The Sweet Escape, but the wait may soon be over for new music from the newly minted Voice coach. In a panel at New York's Advertising Week on Monday (Sept. 29), Stefani's manager, Irving Azoff, revealed that the 44-year-old singer is currently in Miami recording new tracks with frequent collaborator (and Voice co-star) Pharrell Williams. Next week, Azoff added, Stefani will determine which track will be the lead single, which she plans to perform on The Voice later in the season.
The fresh details come on the heels of an August interview in which Interscope chairman John Janick told Billboard that Stefani was hustling to finish a new album for release by December, "on the back of her role on The Voice. Benny Blanco will executive produce, and it will come out in partnership with his label [Mad Love Records] as part of our overall deal with him," Janick said, noting that British group Rixton's forthcoming full-length will also be issued via Blanco's Mad Love.
Sources say Stefani has been simultaneously working on new material for a new No Doubt record, the follow-up to 2012's Push and Shove. The band just played New York's Global Citizen Festival over the weekend, re-teaming with Sting for a reprise of the Message in a Bottle cover they first performed together during the 2002 Super Bowl.
Stefani has also been busy in another role: motherhood, following the birth of Apollo Bowie Flynn Rossdale, her third son with husband Gavin Rossdale, in March.
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Listen to 'American Idol' Alum Didi Benami Get 'Lost At Sea'
8:00 AM PDT 9/30/2014 by Michele Amabile Angermiller
"I was in a really painful spot in my life," says the season-nine finalist of writing her new album, "Reverie"
Lee Cherry
AmericanIdol season-nine alum DidiBenami is about to release her proper debut album, Reverie — the result of a successful PledgeMusic crowdfunding campaign (with proceeds earmarked for Brandon McMillan’s Argus Service Dogs Foundation) and, perhaps a little bit, a broken heart.
Fortunately for a songwriter, there is an upside to heartache: it provides material for captivating and stunning music. Case in point: the deeply personal track, “Lost At Sea,” premiering exclusively on The Hollywood Reporter's Idol Worship blog (listen below).
“I’m not just alone / I’m lonely / reaching for trust in me,” Knoxville native Benami sings. "That one hurt; I was in a really painful spot in my life,” she reveals to THR. “It was [about] one of my really close friends who I trusted and had confided in ... and I found out two years later that she had in fact hooked up with this guy in the same time period I was seeing him and never told me. She has no idea this song has anything to do with her. I go by the principle that you don’t do that to your friends. Follow the girl code.“
Produced by Billy Mohler (AWOLNATION, The Calling), Reverie, which also features collaborations with Jamie Drake and Annaliese Schiersch, is what Benami calls "my diary" — a reflection of her life journey, from childhood to her time on Idol and the years that followed.
“Release Me,” for example, examines Benami’s issues with her father and freeing herself of the drama she endured growing up in Tennessee. At the age of 14, she moved in with her Uncle Will and took on a job (she proudly noted that she bought her first car and paid for her college tuition herself), while discovering a “safe place” to learn singing-church. “I was a Jewish kid singing in church,” she says. “That’s where I learned to sing.”
Eventually, she mustered up the courage to make the move to Los Angeles and try her hand at a career in music. She was ready to give up, when her Uncle Will persuaded her to give it one more year. Undaunted, she tried out for Idol, and couldn’t believe it when she got her Golden Ticket and made her way through the rounds all the way up to the Top 10. Says Benami: “I was in shock. It was a dream come true.”
Songs about Idol include “Picture Perfect” and “Shine,” while “Out From Under/Recover” covers the ground of a “post-Idol” relationship. The album’s closer, “Hummingbird,” is the most revelatory as it delves into the psyche of post-reality show stress disorder. “After the show, then what?” she says.
The answer is different for every Idol. Some have all had varying degrees of astronomical success. Others are out there on the grind, and sadly one alum — season-seven's Michael Johns — is no longer with us.
Benami reveals that Johns called her the day of her photo shoot for Reverie. He loved “Lost at Sea,” and was planning to do a UStream show with Benami that never came to pass. They even rehearsed Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am,” and Johns encouraged Benami to sing “We Are The Champions” by Queen. “He was so sweet,” she said. “Over the years, the Idols became a big family and Michael was a part of it.”
Benami is now focusing on new beginnings. The singer has been taking acting classes (her skills can be seen in the video for “Trouble” as well as the Theory of a Deadman clip for “Hurricane”) and is headed to the East Coast for an Oct. 9 show at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City, where she might set down her suitcase for a minute.
"I'm going to be a gypsy for a little while and see where my heart takes me," she says. "It’s the artist in me.”
Fifty-one years ago, September 15, 1963, a coward murdered four little girls in an African-American church in Birmingham. It was an act of terrorism, an attempt to stem the rising tide of the civil rights movement. America -- black and white -- reacted in horror, anger, revulsion, determination.
For President Lyndon Johnson and a handful of determined congressmen, the bombing, along with the March on Washington, the Mississippi Freedom Summer and the events in Selma, collectively acted as a catalyst in the creation and implementation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The horrific events at the 16th Street Baptist Church provoked a response from pop music superstar Sam Cooke, as well. Cooke was at the height of his not inconsiderable powers, a gospel music-trained singer/songwriter with an expanding following and an even greater ambition.
As a young black man in an industry dominated by old white men, Cooke had been so busy building his career that he had not been particularly active in the civil rights movement, certainly not in the manner of artists like Harry Belafonte, Mahalia Jackson, Dorothy Love Coates, or Gladys McFadden of the Loving Sisters. He cancelled dates in the South when he learned that they were segregated and he donated money to movement causes and songs to tribute and fundraising LPs, but he was not outspoken or a regular on the nightly newscasts. Nevertheless, the March on Washington and the bombing had triggered something. In Peter Guralnick's towering biography, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke, he writes that Cooke composed "A Change is Gonna Come" in the days that followed.
On the surface, "A Change is Gonna Come" doesn't sound particularly challenging, especially in light of the defiant freedom songs that rocked the movement in 1964, "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" or "I Got My Mind Stayed on Freedom." The song was finally released as a single in late December of that year, shortly after Cooke's untimely death. It quickly became one of the anthems of the movement and music historian Dave Marsh said that "A Change is Gonna Come" "ranks with Martin Luther King's best speeches as a verbal encapsulation of the changes black perspective underwent in the Sixties."
Despite surface appearances, African-American teenagers and movement activists knew exactly what it meant. The lyrics speak of a universally understood sense of alienation in their own land, of being treated as second-class citizens, of asking for help -- and not receiving it, even from their own people. And like the great protest spirituals, even when recounting the grossest injustices, the singer continually returns to the hope, the expectation of justice: "Oh, there been times that I thought I couldn't last for long/But now I think I'm able to carry on/It's been a long, a long time coming/But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will."
Some of the power comes from Cooke's understated delivery of the song. It is not sung in anger, there is no stridency about the tone. Instead, there is a quiet determination, tempered with weariness and pain, but with an underlying sense of determination. Another impetus to the song had been the humiliation Cooke had experienced at the hands of racist police officers in Shreveport just prior to the song's composition. Sometimes a quiet, cold fury can be more effective than boastful threats. Not that many white teenagers or DJs caught all of that at the time. It was just another great song.
"A Change is Gonna Come" is not the only popular song to cross over into the repertoire and consciousness of the civil rights movement. Ray Charles had several of his hits rewritten by demonstrators at police barricades and in dank southern jails. Curtis Mayfield was revered by activists for "Keep On Pushing" and "People Get Ready." Later, the Young Rascals would release "People Got to Be Free" and refuse to perform unless there was an African-American artist or band on the bill.
Cooke didn't live to hear or see the impact of "A Change is Gonna Come." Nor did he live to see the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. or Robert Kennedy. The song lives on, with dozens of cover versions and, more importantly, a crucial place in the soundtrack of the civil rights movement. Rolling Stone magazine's writers voted it the twelfth best, or most important, rock 'n' roll song of all time. The National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress selected it for inclusion in 2007.
But to me, the most poignant testament of the song's enduring power can be found in the biography of Rosa Parks, the woman whose courageous stand against segregation was a signature moment for the Montgomery bus boycott -- and the entire civil rights movement that followed. On hearing of King's death, she retreated to her home where she held her mother and the two cried and hugged and rocked together over her loss, the nation's loss. In the midst of their tears, they pulled out Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" and played it over and over again. Biographer Doug Brinkley wrote that Parks said that Cooke's voice "soothed" her and the words were "like medicine to the soul. It was as if Dr. King was speaking directly to me."
It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die 'Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky It's been a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
Half a century later, it speaks to us still.
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Robert Darden is an Associate Professor of Journalism, Public Relations & New Media at Baylor University. His book, Nothing But Love in God's Water: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, Volume I, will be released in October by Penn State University Press.
Fiona Apple has shared a new song called "Container" for the forthcoming TV show The Affair, Consequence of Sound reports. Produced by Apple's frequent collaborator Blake Mills, the single will soundtrack the show's opening montage. Listen to it below.
Sarah Treem, the show’s executive producer, said:
“Fiona Apple has been my favorite songwriter since I was sixteen. I am honored and humbled that she has chosen to lend her talent to our opening title sequence. If our show can approach one tenth of the depth and complexity of her song, I’ll be very happy.”
The Affair premieres October 12 at 10 PM on Showtime. According to a press release, the show “explores the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital affair, and will be told separately from the male and female perspectives.”
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter composed an original song, "Container," for Showtime's new drama The Affair that is the centerpiece for the opening titles.
The Affair creator Sarah Treem approached Apple, whom she's been a fan of since her teen years, to create a new song inspired by the show's complex narrative exploring the emotional and psychological effects of an extramarital affair. The ballad was produced by Apple's frequent collaborator Blake Mills.
“Fiona Apple has been my favorite songwriter since I was 16,” said Treem. “I am honored and humbled that she has chosen to lend her talent to our opening title sequence. If our show can approach one-tenth of the depth and complexity of her song, I'll be very happy.”
Dominic West, Maura Tierney, Joshua Jackson and Ruth Wilson star in the one-hour drama, which premieres Sunday, Oct. 12, at 10 p.m. on Showtime. Watch the main titles below.
Check out Fiona Apple's upcoming tour dates with Blake Mills here.
Elvis Presley hit rings out at Dowager Duchess of Devonshire’s funeral
Published on the 02 October
The funeral cortege arrives at Edensor for the funeral service. The funeral for the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth House today October 2 2014. Over 600 staff and thousands of public lined the drive leading to Chatsworth House to pay their respects to the Dowager. Tom Maddick / Rossparry.co.uk
The dulcet tones of Elvis Presley – the man who fascinated Deborah Cavendish, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire – rang out at her funeral service today.
How Great Thou Art, sang by the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1967, was played during the service at St Peter’s Church, in Edensor, in memory of the Duchess, who passed away peacefully aged 94 last Wednesday.
The last of the famous Mitford sisters was a huge Elvis fan and owned a collection of Elvis souvenirs and artefacts, including a fence which came from Gracelands.
She once said her obsession with Elvis “happened just by chance because I was looking at something else on the television and I switched on to Elvis and I was suddenly aware that he wasn’t just another pop star, he was just a genius of his kind.”
Chatsworth funeral for Dowager Duchess of Devonshire
Hundreds of mourners attended the last Mitford sister's funeral at Chatsworth
The funeral of Deborah, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, has taken place on the Chatsworth estate.
The cortege left Chatsworth House for St Peter's Church at Edensor, where a service was held.
The Prince of Wales, who paid tribute to the last of the Mitford sisters who died aged 94 earlier this week, was there with the Duchess of Cornwall.
More than 600 staff from the stately home and hundreds of members of the public lined the route to the church.
Chatsworth House staff followed the funeral cortege to the church at Edensor
The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire's body was laid to rest in a wicker coffin among the Cavendish family graves in the village churchyard.
Chatsworth Garden has been opened to the public for a celebration of her life.
Analysis
Aleena NaylorBBC Radio Derby presenter
I understand the dowager duchess attended a funeral herself and there was a wicker coffin at it.
She was absolutely enthralled by the idea.
When someone rather disparagingly said, "Well it looks like a picnic basket," she said, "Well that's what I want."
The order of service for the funeral included hymns, as well as Elvis Presley's How Great Thou Art because of the duchess's love of the singer.
The duchess transformed Chatsworth House in Derbyshire into a popular tourist attraction.
Tributes have been paid all week. Prince Charles said he would "miss her so very much".
The dowager duchess's son Peregrine, the current Duke of Devonshire, said this week his mother had always kept the family together.
"She never complained much about anything. She gets irritated by things but only briefly. Very much a 'half-full' person, optimistic and really happy," he said.
The duchess was buried in a wicker coffin among family graves
A book of condolences will be available for people to sign in Flora's Temple in Chatsworth Garden.
The Helen's Trust, which supports the terminally ill and the Addington Fund, which helps farming families, were supported by the duchess.
Donations were collected for the two charities.
Chatsworth House, farmyard, stables shops, restaurants and the Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop have been closed for the day.
Prince Charles and Camilla were among the mourners
More than 600 staff from the stately home attended the funeral
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