The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Oscar-winning songwriter Hal David dead at 91 (Updated) Posted: 01 Sep 2012 10:57 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: Hal David, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist who produced dozens of hit songs with composer Burt Bacharach, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 91. David died of complications from a stroke, according to Jim Steinblatt, spokesman for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers that the songwriter once led. Bacharach and David's long series of hits during their collaboration from the 1950s through the 1970s included "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "What The World Needs Now Is Love" and "What's New Pussycat?" As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic - conveying volumes of meaning in (the) fewest possible words and always in service to the music," ASCAP president and chairman Paul Williams said in a statement. "It is no wonder that so many of his lyrics have become part of our everyday vocabulary and his songs... the backdrop of our lives." Music legends such as The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand recorded the duo's music, along with their longtime partner Dionne Warwick. In May, President Barack Obama presented David and Bacharach the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song during a White House musical tribute. David, who was president of the ASCAP from 1980 to 1986, led the Songwriters Hall of Fame as chairman and CEO for a decade ending last year, and was chairman emeritus until his death. His first major hit came somewhat late in life - with "Magic Moments," recorded in 1957 with Perry Como - when David was already in his late 30s. He also found success on Broadway, with musicals like "Promises, Promises," which ran for 1,281 performances after debuting in 1968. Revived on Broadway in 2010, it was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Grammy Award for Cast Album of the Year. Some of their popular songs were also commissioned for movie scores and themes, including "Alfie," "What's New Pussycat," "Casino Royale," "The April Fools" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Their hit song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," written for "Butch Cassidy," received the 1969 Academy Award for Best Song. The lyrical duo also got a nomination for Best Song Oscars for "The Look of Love" from "Casino Royale" and the title songs from "Alfie" and "What's New Pussycat?" David's words can also be found in the popular wedding song "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Bacharach and David parted in the early 1970s, and David subsequently collaborated with other composers, including John Barry and Albert Hammond, with whom he wrote the international hit "To All the Girls I've Loved Before." David was born on May 25, 1921 to Austrian immigrants Gedalieh and Lina Goldberg David. Hal's older brother Mack was also a songwriter who penned such hits as "La Vie en Rose," "Candy" and "Bibiddi-Bobbidi-Boo." During World War II, David served in the Army Entertainment Section. Later in life, David became active in protecting the copyrights of music creators. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received a slew of honorary doctorates and awards, including the Ivor Novello Award of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Hal's first wife Anne died in 1987. He is survived by his wife Eunice and his sons Jim David and Craig David, as well as three grandchildren and two stepsons. - AFP |
| Posted: 01 Sep 2012 06:54 PM PDT Dance fads might arise in certain periods but they continue to be hot through the years. HEY Macarena! Do the Hustle! Let's Twist again! Gangnam Style is not the first dance fad to sweep dance floors all over the world, and it won't be the last either. Over the years, we've seen numerous similar dance fads come and go. Some have been quite ingenious, others rather silly, but it's hard to argue with the timeless and the infectious quality of these dances. After all, who can resist doing the Macarena or the YMCA when the song comes on at a dance floor? It's even harder to resist when everyone is doing it at the same time! With that in mind, the dances we have selected for this list are dances that, for better or worse, will probably live on forever; the ones that everyone will instantly recognise and know how to do as soon as the relevant song comes on (by the way, is it just me, or are these dances danced to some of the most annoyingly catchy songs ever written in the history of mankind?). The Twist Arguably the first ever dance fad to go international, the Twist was a dance craze in the 1960s that was inspired by Chubby Checker's massive hit, The Twist. It's almost impossible to hear that song on the dance floor and not launch into the Twist's twisty feet grinding, hip-swivelling moves; never mind if it's done wrong, you'd look like a constipated chicken trying to lay an egg (which was probably what inspired the spin-off Funky Chicken dance). Limbo Rock The limbo dance was originally a traditional dance performed at funerals in Trinidad, but after Chubby Checker (him again) released the hit song Limbo Rock in 1962, almost every limbo boy and girl all around the limbo world was doing the limbo rock all around the limbo clock to see how low they could go. The Hustle The Hustle was an annoyingly catchy instrumental song by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony in the 1970s, the sort that despite having almost no lyrics whatsoever, tended to frustratingly get stuck in your head for a long, long time. In other words, it was the perfect song for a massive international dance fad in the middle of the disco era, albeit one that could get you pretty dizzy with all that spinning around. YMCA What list of dance fads would be complete without this one? When the Village People released this song in 1978, they probably never thought it would go on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide, and spawn a dance that even a two-year-old could do. Heck, it really doesn't take much to dance to this song, just a basic understanding of the the alphabet, or more specifically, the letters Y. M. C. and A (duh). Night Fever We have John Travolta to blame for this one. As Tony Manero, the weekend disco king in Saturday Night Fever, his dancing was so iconic that it's been parodied and copied endlessly, and as soon as any song from the Bee Gees-penned soundtrack album (especially Night Fever or Stayin' Alive) comes on at any dance floor, there would inevitably be a few jokers striking that finger-pointing, butt-jutting pose that Travolta made so famous. Thriller Michael Jackson's dancing was legendary, so it's no surprise that everyone wishes they could dance like him. Since not every one of us can do the Moonwalk or are brave enough to grab our crotches in public, we had to settle with doing the Thriller move instead from the video for the 1982 song. You know, the one where you pretend you're a werewolf clawing at mosquitoes. Macarena The line-dance to rule all line-dances. This was a dance so incredibly simple yet so brilliantly fun that every time it is played (yes, even today!), it synchronises almost everyone on the dance floor, and gets everyone doing the exact same moves at the same time. Never mind that no one really knew what Los del Río were singing (you knew it was about a girl called Macarena, but that was about it) in 1992; it was always a blast to scream out "HEY MACARENA!" at the end of every verse. The Ketchup Song Speaking of catchy dance-inspiring Spanish songs that no one understands, The Ketchup Song (originally called Aserejé) by Spanish pop girl group Las Ketchup spawned another dance craze in 2002 with a set of simple moves done during the chorus. About the only good thing about The Ketchup Song was that the three girls that made up Las Ketchup were a great deal nicer to look at than the two old dudes in Los Del Rio, but that was about it. Para Para A line dance that originated from Japan and became a huge hit globally around the late 1990s, the Para Para involved a series of synchronised upper body dance moves and very little lower body movement, and had the tendency to make club dance floors look more like an aerobics class instead. The dance was so popular around Asia that it was also the subject of a Hong Kong movie starring Cecilia Cheung and Aaron Kwok (who else?). Wondergirls Nobody, nobody (not even you) could avoid K-pop girl group Wondergirls hit single Nobody when it came out in 2010, and got so popular that even bored male office workers would break out in that silly clapping, pointing dance spontaneously (true story, this). I was even forced to dance to it during my wedding (don't ask). Single Ladies Thousands of people liked Beyoncé's song enough to put a ring on it, and the music video (which Kanye West reckons is one of the best videos of all time, with apologies to Taylor Swift), features one of the most parodied and copied dance moves in recent times. Please take note that if you don't have moves like Beyoncé, you had best stick to just doing that hand flipping, ring finger-pointing part in the dance. Notable mentions: The Running Man, The Robot, Lambada, The Locomotion, Cotton-eyed Joe, Mambo #5 and Vogue. Related Stories: |
| Posted: 01 Sep 2012 06:54 PM PDT PSY is a 34-year-old South Korean singer, whose music ranges from K-pop to hip hop. His real name is Park Jae-Sang while his stage name, Psy, is short for Psycho. His chubby face and rotund belly should be the first sign that he does not conform to the cookie-cutter K-pop mould. The South Korea Herald points to the power of social media to explain his unusual success, saying that, "Psy's global success shows that going viral on social media has become 'a must' for K-pop artistes looking for international exposure." The outrageous entertainer is known for making humorous videos and performing on stage as female singers such as Lee Hyori and Park Ji-Yoon and even Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Active in the industry for a dozen years since he made his debut in 2001, Psy has released six studio albums and 14 singles. His viral video Gangnam Style released as a single in July is part of his sixth solo album PSY 6 Part 1. Dubbed the Bizarre Singer for his blunt lyrics and quirky dance choreography, Psy's initial albums were said to be a negative influence on youngsters. His first album PSY From The PSYcho World! (2001) and his second album Ssa 2/Adult Only (2002) were not allowed to be sold to minors. Psy has also had his fair share of controversy. In 2001, he was arrested for marijuana possession. He was also accused of not fully serving his mandatory military draft from 2003 to 2005 and had to be-redrafted to fully serve for another two years from 2007 to 2009. Psy attended Boston University and the Berklee College of Music in America, and apart from writing his own songs, he also composes songs for other singers. He is married with two daughters. Related Stories: |
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