Who Sang This Song or Who Wrote That Music?
By John Clifton
Occasionally, readers here at AskDeb will write in asking for information on who wrote a song, who sang some popular song of the past or even what a particular song someone heard once was. Sometimes, these are some of the hardest questions we get, because the information we have to go on isn't much and someone else has already scoured the internet for that information. When I get those questions, I feel like I might as well turn them into a page of material.
So here are three questions about music we had recently. One is about who composed a song. Another is about who sang a hit song that was popular in the 1990's. A third asked what a song on a tv show episode was and who sang that song. Each became minor mysteries for me to solve, though it was enjoyable to track down that information. So here's the answers and hope we get plenty of more music questions (we can solve) in the future.
Who Sang This Song or Wrote This Music - Plumb
"What was the slow song in the Mamma's Boys finale on NBC?"
You might look into "In My Arms" by the singer Plumb, from her 2007 album, Blink. "Plumb" is the stage name of Tiffany Lee, a Contemporary Christian singer who could also be grouped in the Christian alternative rock or simply alternative rock category. Tiffany has released 6 albums (1 a "Best of...") under the name Plumb, though the first two of these were with a band of the same name. Therefore, her albums "Beautiful Lumps of Coal", "Chaotic Resolve" and "Blink" are solo albums for Tiffany Lee. The name "Plumb" was chosen for Tiffany Lee's band in the 1990's, and took its inspiration from the song "My Favorite Plum" by Suzanne Vega.
"In My Arms" is the third track on the Blink album and achieved serious airplay. The song has also been remixed by Bimbo Jones, Scotty K, Gomi, Bronleewe & Bose and Kaskade.
Besides producing her own albums, Tiffany Lee has written songs for other female artists, such as Mandy Moore, Michelle Branch and Kimberley Locke. Two songs from the "candycoatedwaterdrops" were later hits for other singers: "Stranded" for Jennifer Paige and "Damaged" for Plummet. If you want an extra tip on the Plummet cover, I would recommend the "ATB & George Acosta remix" of "Damaged", but only if you enjoy trance music. It's my favorite version of the song.
Tiffany Lee has also produced music for film soundtracks ranging from Brokedown Palace to Bruce Almighty, as well as tv series like Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill and ER. The song "In My Arms" definitely was featured in the 6th and final episode of "Mamma's Boys" on NBC. It's a slower song with a strong female vocal, so hopefully that's the song you've been thinking about.
Who Sang This Song or Wrote That Music - Carol Kennedy-Dawson
"Hello, I'm looking for the composer to the violin music called Red Carpet Waltz plus also looking for a copy of sheet music of it. I hope you can help me."
Red Carpet Waltz was written by Carol Kennedy of Glengarry, Ontario. Carol is also known as Carol-Kennedy Dawson and Carol Dawson. As recently as 1998, Carol and her husband owned a music store in Pembroke.
Carol Kennedy at one time played piano for two different Canadian fiddle players (Johnny Mooring and Graham Townsend) and one bio suggests that she has performed in "Nashville, South America, Australia and Europe". Below is a video of Graham Townsend playing fiddle and "Carol Dawson" playing piano, and she even posts in the thread, saying she is married to Peter Dawson, who is himself a Canadian fiddle player.
If you're looking for fiddle sheet music and "ca" stands for Canada, you probably already know who most of these people are already, but they are new to me, so I included the info.
I wasn't able to find the sheet music for "Red Carpet Waltz" right away, but you might search any of these sites for a copy. I've seen the song referred to simply as "Red Carpet" in my research, so you might search under that song title, too, as well as all three versions of Carol's name.
"Red Carpet Waltz" is still being played by fiddlers, as this question suggests. Teenage Canadian fiddle player, Sierra Noble, included the song on her 2005 album, "Spirit of the Strings".
Who Sang This Song or Wrote That Music - New Radicals
"Hi,
I have searched for hours trying to find an artist name and song title. It was a 1990's band I believe that sang an uplifting POP song. The lead singer was a guy and he had a few other members in the group (all early twenties). I believe they only had one hit and then the lead singer left and had little success on his own. I also believe the video of the hit song may have been filmed in a bowling alley or maybe a mall.
I remember the song saying things like you are a star or a superstar, but I could be wrong. A similar song was Smash Mouth's All Star."
The answer is the New Radicals and their 1999 hit song, "You Get What You Give". The New Radicals got huge buzz when "You Get What You Give" became a hit, because it was an uplifting sounding song on the eve of the Y2K. U2's Edge was quoted saying it was the one song he wished he had written. Ice T said the song was a non-hip-hop song he was listening to at the time.
Gregg Alexander was the lead singer of New Radicals, and was in effect the band. Most other members came and went on a rotating basis, and Gregg Alexander was the constant who wrote and sang the songs. He was involved in controversy stemming from the song, because the last stanza of "You Get What You Give" criticized Beck, Britney Spears, Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson as pretenders living in "mansions". Gregg Alexander later claimed he intentionally inserted those lyrics as an experiment, to see if they media would focus on the political lyrics at the beginning of the song, or the throwaway celebrity nonsense at the end. He also apologized to Beck for his inclusion, while Marilyn Manson quipped that he wasn't mad he was criticized, but that he was included in a line with Courtney Love.
Despite making a stir with their first single, The New Radicals were gone as soon as they arrived. Gregg Alexander announced the band had broke up even before the second single was released, saying he had done everything in the pop music industry he had wanted to do and that he didn't want a life on the road with 3 hours of sleep a night and promoting oneself for the sake of the record labels. The New Radicals are now viewed as a one-hit wonder, but they never really had a chance to see if they could have matched their initial success. Some argue Gregg Alexander was afraid of his success, while others reply he was not afraid to walk away from fame and fortune. Either way, "You Get What You Give" brought a lot of people joy for a short period of their lives, and the hit tune was one of the quintessential songs of 1999 and America on the brink of the new millennium.
Who Sang Marinero Marinero?
Don't know if you can help - I have on behalf of my Uncle exhausted just about every avenue attempting to find the song "Marinero Marinero". I would be very pleased if you could help out.
Many Thanks
David Grinham
Dear David,
There are many covers of "Marinero Marinero" by many artists, so you undoubtedly can find a version of Marinero Marinero for your uncle. The problem will probably be finding the version of the song he wants to have or is thinking about.
For instance, the Spanish boy/girl band Parchis (the big latin kid band before Menudo) had their own version, but I doubt that's what your uncle is thinking about. I've also seen a version by Milva with a disco flair, which is one of the most famous versions of the tune in the past 30 years. This version, off of Milva's 1985 album "Corpo a Corpo", is generally titled only "Marinero". You can find a copy of the Corpo a Corpo album on both Amazon.com.
You can also find confusing information on a song like "Marinero Marinero". For instance, the words "marinero marinero" were prominent in the song "La Cigarra" off her 1987 double-platinum album of traditional Mariachi music, "Canciones De Mi Padre". Carlos Marin, a member of the operatic pop quarter "Il Divo", has an unrelated song named "Marinera". And in another unrelated song, there is a great mp3 download under the both the song and album title "Marinera" produced by Richard DeLaney on an album titled Mambo Kings at Amazon's Mambo Kings' Marinera page, which appears to be a series of Latin jazz songs performed by studio musicians.
As you can see, searching for a song with a common title or a song when you aren't certain of the title can make your search much more difficult, though it sounds like you have the right title picked out. Hopefully, one of the songs above is the "Marinero Marinero", but I'm assuming the likeliest option is the Milva hit song of the eighties.
Hope you find your uncle's song.
John Clifton
Who Sang "Yeah, yeah, yeah, to the left, to the right"?
Hi,
I am currently tormenting my brain trying to figure out who sang a song I heard playing while in a restaurant today. It was from either the late 80's or early 90's by my guess. Male singer, possible British accent. The part that I recall goes: " yeah yeah yeah, to the left, to the right, now shake it up shake it up it's alright" The chorus is a long "yeah yeah yeah" I have been searching online to no avail. Please help!!! Thanks,
Stephanie
The song you're looking for is "Step It Up" by the Stereo MCs, an English hip-hop band that has been active from 1985 until the present (with all three original members still involved). The genres the Stero MCs' music bleeds into are electronica, trip hop, house and acid jazz. While "Step It Up" was a big hit for the band in 1992, their biggest hit in the US was their previous single release, "Connected". Connected peaked at #5 on the US Modern Rock charts, while Step It Up peaked at #16 on the same chart.
Stereo MCs Membership
The three members of the Stereo MCs are Nick Hallam, also known as The Head; Robert Birch, aka Rob B; and Ian Rossiter, aka Owen If. Both Nick Hallam and Robert Birch were born in England from 1960-61 in the Nottinghamshire region of England, while Ian Rossiter was born in Wales in 1959. The Stereo Mcs live shows often include female singers to add to the vocal arrangement. Thought the Stereo MCs were one of the hip bands of the early 1990's, they have never regained the popularity they had in those days. Part of this is due to their desire to keep reinventing themselves or, as a spokesman said, they don't like to repeat themselves.
Stereo MCs Songs
The song "Connected" has appeared on several soundtracks, including the film "Hackers", in the theme song of the current tv show, "Burn Notice", and on Carphone Warehouse ads during the 1990's. You'll definitely recognize Connected, of course. It sounded similar enough to "Step It Up" that I had conflated the two songs, assuming the Stereo MCs had one major hit back in 1992.
Step It Up Lyrics
Here's the lyrics to "Step It Up" by the Stereo MCs, Stephanie, if you want to check out and see if this is the song you are thinking about.
Hope this helps.
John Clifton
STEP IT UP by the Stereo MCs
To the left to the right
Step it up step it up it's alright
To the left to the right
Check the new ride out it's alright
Silence ain't in season
'Cause there ain't no good in grief
Can't stop my mouth from breathin'
Or seein' what I see
Curves with destinations
Poetic symmetry
Ya cause an inflammation
In my anatomy - don't you see
Yeah yeah yeah - You can send a forget-me-not
Yeah yeah yeah - But I'll still rise up to the top
Yeah yeah yeah - Until the last day that I drop
Yeah yeah yeah - This is something you can't stop
From infancy I grown
The message that I'm givin'
You don't have to be alone - No you don't
'Cause days may come and go
You'll see no sight or sound
But when your mind is willing
You'll find that I'll be around
Hear me sayin' hear me sayin'
Yeah yeah yeah - You can send a forget-me-not
Yeah yeah yeah - But I'll still rise up to the top
Yeah yeah yeah - Until the last day that I drop
Yeah yeah yeah to the left to the right
Keep it goin' keep it goin' it's alright
To the left to the right step it up step it up it's alright
We want flesh
We want flesh
We want flesh
Ah ah ah
All you gotta do is bounce it
To see jus' what goes where
There ain't no way around it
So I have come well prepared
Don't you know
I'm in you from the outset
Hip to hip and dome to dome
We reach the outer limits
Bring the boogie boogie home
Back home
Yeah yeah yeah - You can send a forget-me-not
Yeah yeah yeah - But I'll still rise up to the top
Yeah yeah yeah - Until the last day that I drop
Yeah yeah yeah
To the left to the right
Step it up step it up it's alright
To the left to the right
Check the new ride out it's alright
See how we are livin'
You'll hear me sayin'
Yeah yeah yeah - You can send a forget-me-not
Yeah yeah yeah - But I'll still rise up to the top
Yeah yeah yeah - Until the last day that I drop
Yeah yeah yeah - This is something you can't stop
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
To the left to the right
Keep it goin' keep it goin' it's alright
To the left to the right
Step it up step it up it's alright
Alright
Alright
Dear Deb Guys,
What song has the phrase: "I was looking for something and you are something else. I was looking for more and you are so much more".
Not sure if it's the exact quote but it's pretty close! Maybe the work "searching" is used instead of "looking"....not sure. I think it was a female singing it.
Please, if you can help me! I have spent literally HOURS on line with no results and I heard this song last night on the radio but was driving in a heavy downpour and they didn't name the artist and I have no idea what station it was on as I was driving from Maine to Massachusetts and lost the connection.
Thank you so much!
Dear Music Lover,
The song you're looking for is probably "All Along" by Remedy Drive. That song certainly has the same lyric in the chorus, so if it's not the song you heard on the radio, someone needs to be filing a lawsuit against a musician somewhere. The only problem is Remedy Drive's lead singer is a man (you didn't sound certain it was a female singer, so I'm guessing there's wiggle room there), so let us know if by some chance this isn't the song you're looking for.
Remedy Drive
Remedy Drive is a Christian rock band that's been putting out albums since 1998, though their first few albums were self-published. Their first record label album came out in 2008. Because of a couple of name changes, you might find it hard tracking down all of Remedy Drive's previous albums.
Remedy Drive was originally named "The Aslan Band", and it was under this name they put out the lp, "Remedy", in 1998. The band, consisting of four brothers from Lincoln, Nebraska, changed their name to Remedy for their next four album releases: The Blue One (1999), The Red One (2001), Remedy: The Live Album (2003) and Rip Open The Skies (2006). Rip Open The Skies was by far the largest seller among the Remedy Drive albums, and this attracted the notice of Word Records. Word Records signed the band and helped them produce 2008's "The Daylight Is Coming", a name which is derived from a Gandalf line in Lord of the Rings, of all things. "All Along" is the third track off of The Daylight Is Coming.
When promoting their independent albums, Remedy Drive was a hard-working band, playing around 200 shows per year while touring the Midwest and West Coast. Their members are David Zach, Paul Zach, Philip Zach and Daniel Zach.
Check out the following lyrics and see if that's the song you're looking for. Hopefully, Remedy Drive has a brand new fan out there in the world.
All Along by Remedy Drive (Lyrics)
It’s not everything it seems - the world and its dreams
Slipping like water through my hands tonight
All the things I thought would fill me up inside
Left me empty here - and now I know why
All along I was looking for something else
You’re something else
All along I was looking for something more
You’re so much more
I finally found what I could never see before
You’ve always been the one that I was looking for
All of my castles in the sand - washed away again
And I'm left back where I began tonight
The only thing that can ever fill me up
Has been right in front of me all the time
Bridge:
I won't miss you - I won't miss you this time
I say I want you - yeah I want you in my life
Happy listening,
John Clifton