So it is December again and we are 17 days away from Christmas. First of all let me be the first to wish you a very merry Christmas and a very happy new year as well. In seasons like this, the media usually focuses on everything related to the occasion. For instance, in Valentine's Day all movies MUST be romantic and so on. Of course Christmas is no exception, so tonight they might be showing a film about family gatherings, family values, reunions, snow on Christmas Day, etc. Needless to say, Santa Claus will be everywhere. Despite enjoying this atmosphere, I find it a bit too boring having to go through the same things every year, regardless what the occasion is. I WILL NOT WRITE ABOUT CHRISTMAS SONGS! “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” must be one of the most covered songs ever. It dates back to 1934, but every now then someone makes their own rendition of it and the styles vary from cartoon to hard rock! Among those who sang it are Alvin and the Chipmunks, Bruce Springsteen, Elaine Paige, Perry Como and Aerosmith. When I said I will not be writing about Christmas songs I was serious… I wanted to talk about some of the songs named after celebrities, whether true or fictional and I guess that Santa counts. Celebrities? Does that include movie stars? Of course it does and my all time favourite actress is without a doubt Bette Davis. She was amazingly talented and although she passed away 21 years ago, I still believe she will always be in a league of her own. American singer Kim Carnes had a number one hit with “Bette Davis Eyes”. On that track Kim was talking about an exceptional woman whose hair is “Harlow gold” and “she's got Greta Garbo stand of sighs”. That's one girl who has a bit of three icons in her! I'd surely love to meet her.An actor I really like is Robert De Niro… hold on… I mean I like his acting. It seems that the three British girls known as Bananarama had something more on their minds – they fancied him and said it bluntly. This trio had a hit with “Robert De Niro's Waiting”, which is about an insecure girl, who found comfort in imaging that a real man is watching over her. “A walk in the park can become a bad dream, people are staring and following me, this is my only escape from it all, watching a film or a face on the wall, Robert De Niro's waiting talking Italian”. I guess that explains it all! If they really wanted to avoid harassment they should have called it “Arnold Schwarzenegger's Waiting.” Another well-established actor is Michael Caine, who was immortalised in a song named after him and recorded by the fellow British band Madness. Rumour has it that the actor's daughter was so impressed when she found out that one of her favourite bands named a track after her dad. Incidentally, Michael also appeared on record – he read the opening line “I am Michael Caine”. OK, we believe you. British singer Alvin Stardust – no he has nothing to do with the Chipmunks – said “I Feel Like Buddy Holly”. Why? He explained, cause it's “Raining in my Heart”, which is the title of a masterpiece by Buddy, who was an American rock ‘n roll legend and although he wasn't even 23 when he died in plane crash, he influenced numerous artists, including the Beatles. Another act from Britain is the band ABC, which made a song about Motown legend, American soul and rhythm and blues icon Smokey Robinson and called it “When Smokey Sings”. Unfortunately, no one in ABC could sing like Smokey! I'm sure I'm not the only one who mentioned that in March of this year it was Chopin's 200th birthday. Years ago, Italian singer Gazebo made an important statement – he sang “I Like Chopin”, which was a massive hit in Europe. One of the few real legends in this world is the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin. Her voice was declared as a “National Treasure” and I think it's not overestimated. There was a song called “Wood Beez (Pray like Aretha Franklin)” and as it is apparent, that track was a tribute to the lady herself. The title refers to her timeless hit “I Say A Little Prayer”. Incidentally, her version was a cover one and the original was recorded by brilliant songstress Dionne Warwick, who is the cousin of one Whitney Houston. Please, please, please forgive me but I just can't talk about Dionne without mentioning the Bee Gees, who wrote and produced an entire album for her in 1982. The superb outcome is called “Heartbreaker”. I'm not a big fan of Bob Dylan, but I have to admit that I do like his unforgettable “Like A Rolling Stone”. As the name suggests, it was named after British rock band the Rolling Stones and it… No it wasn't! Even the word “stone” in the song title has no “s” at the end, which proves my point. It was just a coincidence. However, one of the many acts who covered that song later was the Rolling Stones. I find it funny listening to Mick Jagger singing the lyrics. Man, you are a rolling stone, so there's no point in wondering what it's like to be one! “Sir Duke” is a personal favourite of mine and actually I'm a huge fan of the genius who wrote and sang it, Stevie Wonder. The song doesn't only reflect the way he feels about music, but it also pays tribute to music pioneers Duke Ellington (Sir Duke), Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong (Satchmo) and Ella Fitzgerlad. I can't help but include the bars in which Stevie mentioned them – “here are some of music's pioneers that time will not allow us to forget, for there's Basie, Miller, Satchmo and the king of all Sir Duke and with a voice like Ella's ringing out there's no way the band can lose”. This is brilliant, as expected from Stevie. In fact there is something about him that usually makes me smile when I listen to his songs, mainly because it sounds cheerful and enthusiastic. Now I'll go listen to Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks or Stevie Winwood. In the meantime… Send me your claim to fame to: [email protected]
