Tin Pan Alley: Dean Martin

     I've thought about having this as a new (and hopefully regular) attraction on my blog. I like doing film reviews, but I want something different, and I think this is a pretty good idea if I do say so myself, especially since I'm a music fanatic, and simply go crazy without it. So, with that, I give to you my first Tin Pan Alley . . . (I would like to say though just because the name of the series of posts will be Tin Pan Alley, that doesn't mean that the music will stay in that era of time. I like music from the 30s to the 60s generally, and so you'll have a lot Rock n' Roll mixed in here, too)

Photo Courtesy of http://www.redbubble.com 

     We all have out favorite songs by our favorite singers that we can have on replay in our iTunes for what seems like forever and never get tired of the song (or at least I know I do). We all have our favorite singers, our favorite songs from them (be it big hits or not), we know the lyrics (at least we think we do), and no matter if we can carry a tune or not, we always find ourselves singing along. It's just a matter of fact.

     Due to the suggestion of a nice follower (azw596), I now give you my ten top favorite songs of Dean's:

The warmest (and one of the most underrated) pair of pipes
the world was ever lucky to have.
Photo Courtesy of
http://www.virginmedia.com

1. The Tip of My Fingers . . . (Bill Anderson; Record/CD: My Woman, My Woman, My Wife)

• This is my all time favorite Dean Martin song. The first time I heard it, I got goosebumps. Every time I hear it now, my heart simply melts and I get all warm and gooey and sad inside. I just love it.

2. Let Me Love You Tonight . . . (Rene Touzet/Mitchell Parish; Record/CD: Cha Cha de Amor)

• So very romantic. It makes me feel very dreamy and light.

3. Let Me Go, Lover! . . . (Jenny Lou Carson/Al Hill; Record/CD: Dino-The Essential Dean Martin)

• Based on the song Let Me Go, Devil (which was about alcoholism), there have been many versions, the first being by Joan Weber, but no one can sing a slow, sad song like Dean. His voice was made for those sort of songs, and it really shines here.

4. The Birds and the Bees . . . (Barry Stuart; Record/CD: (Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You)

• This song just makes me very happy, and I'm always singing along to it.

5. Misty in the Moonlight . . . (Cindy Walker; Record/CD: Dino-The Essential Dean Martin)

• This song is just magical to me. Dean's rich baritone is very prominent and put to good use (and I just love the way he says "firelight"). Dean made it go to number 1 on the easy listening charts, making his version the most successful.

6. Honey . . . (Bobby Russell; Record/CD: Gentle on My Mind)

• Needless to say, this is probably one of the most saddest songs that has ever been written. Dean and sad songs? A beautiful combination. I always thought that this was Dean's song, and then I happened to hear Bobby Goldsboro, the originator, sing it on the radio one day. I had a fit. This is Dean's song from start to finish to me. I don't hear and, most importantly, I don't feel the emotion in Goldsboro's version. Anytime I hear Dean singing it, it feels like my heart is being slowly torn in two.

7. Gentle on My Mind . . . (John Hartford; Record/CD: Gentle on My Mind)

• Though he's technically a Yankee, Dean could really sing some country . . .

8. Change of Heart . . . (N/A; Record/CD: 100 Hits Legend)

• Fun to listen and sing along to.

9. Sway . . . (Pablo Patran Ruiz/Norman Gimbel; Record/CD: Dino-The Essential Dean Martin)

• This is the song that started my love for Dean. I've never gone back.

10. King of the Road . . . (Roger Miller; Record/CD: (Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You)

• Yes, technically this is Roger Miller's song, I know, but have you ever noticed how if the song was someone else's Dean always made it his own when he got his hands on it? 

     Well, there's my top ten favorite songs that Dean recorded. I would like to point out that this list is always changing, except for a few for they shall always be on my list. Dean is by far my favorite singer, and so basically anything that this man ever sang, I love. 

     Dean had a way with a song that no one else had; of course, that's the same with everybody, I guess in a way. I once read a quote somewhere by someone (clearly this man is a genius) who said, "Some have come very close to sounding like Sinatra, but none has ever come close to sounding like Dean Martin." Amen, brother!

(All videos courtesy of http://www.youtube.com)