My absolute favorite version (sorry, Elvis)
Ingrid Michaelson - Can't Help Falling in Love
Updated On: 9/11/12 at 07:46 PM
wtf...no love for Julie London?
Julie London performing 'Cry Me a River'
Leading Actor Joined: 5/20/11
Wynbish, I think you and I have similar tastes in vocalists, because Madeleine Peyroux and Ingrid Michaelson are excellent choices.
To add to Madeleine Peyroux, I love her cover of "Dance Me To the End of Love" (not sure if that really counts as a standard): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqpOFQvMM1A
The Wailin' Jennys cover of "Summertime" has a great three-part vocal harmony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddDgLs6-3IY
I like pretty much everything Julie London's ever touched, but her rendition of "As Time Goes By" is a stand-out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoRgOAosMjA
The entire Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald album of Porgy and Bess covers is great.
Also not quite a standard, but the Trojans' version of Stand By Me is great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgdkKm2xe_Q
Edited to add: Right, javero? I posted before before I saw yours, but yeah, she's great.
Updated On: 9/11/12 at 08:06 PM
Thanks, Michelle.
U r the bestest person in the whole world!
I adore Jo Stafford, but I can't really narrow down which of hers is my favorite
Leading Actor Joined: 5/20/11
That's so sweet of you, javero! And to think they say that everyone on these boards is a big meanie...
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
I love Phranc's "I Enjoy Being a Girl."
Belle Linda Halpern sang a version of "Lost in the Stars" at a friend's memorial service in the early '90s and just typing the phrase "Belle Linda Halpern sang a version of 'Lost in the Stars'..." gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. I hadn't forgotten all about it until I saw this thread. I don't see a version of it online anywhere (the Phranc song either), but I did find a recording of "If I Can Dream," made famous by the Elvis.
Belle Linda Halpern
Javero, I always assumed Julie London's Cry me a River *was* the first major released version. It's the one I always go to, and an absolute fave of mine (there was a 90s version I kinda liked by UK one hit wonder JAI, who had a big hit here with I Believe. It sounds kinda dated now with its commercialized take on Portishead production, but I still kinda like it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH86E17fNrk ).
*edited* I guess nobody ever said that you couldn't choose the first version of a song as the fave--I misread the question. Julie's Cry Me a River was the first one released, accoring to Wiki but it was written first for Ella, but she didn't end up recording it till 6 years after Julie.
oooooh weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuJ-fkf4Hs
Michelle, you along with a few others will probably change your opinion of me after I reveal that neither the voice of Sinatra nor Ella nor Streisand nor Diahann Carroll ever did anything for me.
For me, among the great crooners of the past Perry Como reined supreme followed closely by Vic Damone, Andy Williams and Nat King Cole . My starting lineup on the distaff side is made up Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, Dusty Springfield, Dame Shirley Bassey and Dionne Warwick (before too many Newport Menthols).
Dionne Warwick is my favorite 60s vocalist--aside from so many great singles, all of her albums with Bacharach as arranger are pretty great. I admit, it was thrilling to finally see her live, but it's so utterly ridiculous how she still proclaims at every chance she has, with no sense of irony, that her smoking has never remotely affected her voice, and if it ever started to she would stop immediately. Of course voices often change with age--but her range and delivery in the 60s and into the 70s was, IMHO honestly up there with the greats like Ella--20 years later, the range anyway was largely gone.
Speaking of Dionne, two of her covers of Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley standards recorded in 1965 that I love, both arranged and conducted by Burt Bacharach.
Who Can I Turn To? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUtZp9VARO4
Once in a Lifetime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WGa5gGdIcs
And somewhat different, and while nothing can replace Nina Simone's definitive take on Bricusse/Newley's Feeling Good, I admit, I *love* Muse's cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmwRQqJsegw
Marilyn Monroe - My Heart Belongs to Daddy
http://vimeo.com/m/11971652
The Doors- "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS8y-7B2pEk
I loved Ingrid's take on Elvis. Here's another Elvis cover in a similar tone, "Suspicious Minds"- My Morning Jacket
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsBqs6BVk4s
"Dearest"- The Black Keys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haTEd4Vn7OA
Cyndi Lauper's album At Last is pretty great.
As is -
Annie Lennox - Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
Ella- Let's Do It
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=YNZKOh3oXSU
Stephanie J Block- Funny Girl medley
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=0lRlZMpS8kA
Audra- Being Green
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=gffJQYw1VP0
Ann Hathaway- Moon River (30 seconds of animated bliss)
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=DcFdqoXdkVw
Laura Benanti & Gavin Creel- The Nearness of You
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=M05oHtsNiXI
Barbra- I Loves You, Porgy
http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=mlusyagVzAU
Annie is good but Ella owns it.
Ella: Every Time We Say Goodbye
Frank Sinatra singing "I Concentrate on You" takes a slight edge over Ella's version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nir7Yw6mTxM
Sophie Milman's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is fun to me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25woWChzucs
Understudy Joined: 8/1/12
For me it's all Sarah Vaughan all the time.
I'm Glad There Is You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU6O601qFvA
Tenderly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIOxDaWpJ78
Her voice just makes my heart melt!
Gene Kelly singing "I've Got a Crush on You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaBPYTGZrlk&feature=related
Sinead O'Connor double whammy, worth a click...
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MrlQ-8Ri_s
I Wanna Be Loved By You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-r3VJhMm4
Rufus Wainwright - Stairway to Paradise
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