Hi there, welcome back to our American Musical Tour! This week, we stop in the little but beautiful state of Connecticut. Also known as The Constitution State, The Nutmeg State, The Provisions State, and The Land of Steady Habits, Connecticut was one of the original 13 colonies and the 5th state admitted into the Union in January 1788. I've never had the pleasure of visiting, but it's a Bucket List item for me to take a trip through Connecticut and the other New England states during the fall. Let's look in on our fact dump:
-Capital City: Hartford
-Area: 5,543 square miles (America's 3rd smallest state)
-Population: 3,605,944 as of 2020 (America's 29th most populated state)
-Big 4 Major League Professional Sports Teams (Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey): 0/4
-Named College: University of Connecticut, better known as UConn (est. 1881, Storrs, CT)
-State Bird: American Robin
-State Flower: Mountain Laurel
-State Butterfly: Spring Azure
-State Tree: White Oak
-State Gemstone: Almandine Garnet
-State Dog: Siberian Husky (just like UConn's mascot)
-State Quarter: Released October 1999 (it features the Charter Oak, the white oak tree that hid Connecticut's charter from King Charles II in the 1660s)
Like the posts before, we'll be looking at artists that were born and bands that were established in Connecticut. This is obviously not all of them, but it's a great group to explore for sure. Let's dive in!
Nightbird by Dawn Robinson (written by D. Clifton)
Dawn Robinson was born in New London, Connecticut in November 1966. The Connecticutian singer/actress is best known as a member of En Vogue, one of the best selling girl groups in the world, as well as a member of supergroup Lucy Pearl. Robinson is a gifted vocalist in the genres of R&B, soul, dance pop, hip hop, and rock. As a member of En Vogue, Robinson has been nominated for eight Grammys in her thirty-five year career. She has released 1 solo studio album, B4 the Dawn, where Nightbird originally featured. This felt like a pretty standard late '90s-early '00s R&B song, and Robinson has a lovely voice to be sure. If you were an En Vogue fan, you'll probably enjoy this one plenty.
Only Love Can Break a Heart by Gene Pitney (written by B. Bacharach, H. David)
Gene Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut in February 1940. The Connecticutian singer/songwriter/musician is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and was a musical staple in the 1960s and 1970s. A guitarist, pianist, drummer, and vocalist, Pitney is best known for his work in pop music prior to his 2006 death at age 66. He released 69 studio albums both during his forty-eight year career and posthumously, and Only Love Can Break a Heart originally appeared on his 1962 album of the same name. Pitney has that classic voice you could expect from '60s pop, which made this song super nostalgic to listen to. It's been covered multiple times, but there's always something to be said for the original.
Only love can break a heart, only love can mend it again/Last night I hurt you, but darling, remember this/Only love can break a heart, only love can mend it again/You know I'm sorry, I'll prove it with just one kiss/Only love can break a heart, only love can mend it again
I Will Be Heard by Hatebreed (written by J. Shanahan)
Hatebreed are a metalcore/hardcore punk/beatdown hardcore group that formed in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1994. The group currently consists of Jamey Jasta (lead vocals), Chris Beattie (bass guitar), Matt Byrne (drums), Frank Novinec (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Wayne Lozinak (lead guitar, backing vocals). Hatebreed have been nominated for one Grammy and released eight studio albums in their three decade career, with their song I Will Be Heard originally featured on both their 2002 album Perseverance and the soundtrack to the 2002 film XXX (starring Vin Diesel and Asia Argento). These guys, especially Jasta, are apparently pretty controversial, but from the music side of things this just sounded like regular metal to me. It's fine, but I've definitely heard better from the genre.
Now is the time for me to rise to my feet/Wipe your spit from my face, wipe these tears from my eyes/Now is the time for me to rise to my feet/Wipe your spit from my face, wipe these tears from my eyes/I’ve got to take my life back, one chance to make it right/I’ve gotta have my voice be heard and bring meaning to this life/'Cause I've trusted for nothing, I’ve been led astray/I’ve been tried and tested, but I won't accept defeat/Now I've done things I regret and it's time to reverse the rules/I just want to make good on all the promises that I have made/I will be, I will be heard/I will be heard
Song for My Father by Horace Silver (written by E. Shashoyan, H. Silver)
Horace Silver was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in September 1928. The Connecticutian musician/composer/arranger was known for helping establish the hard bop genre of music in the 1950's. Silver was an extremely gifted pianist and performed genres such as jazz, hard bop, mainstream jazz, soul jazz, and jazz fusion prior to his 2014 death at age 85. He released 35 solo studio albums in his fifty-eight year career, and Song for My Father originally appeared on the 1965 album of the same name by The Horace Silver Quintet. Man, Silver could play; this song was an absolute blast to listen to. It's become a jazz standard as well as Silver's signature song, and it's a phenomenal piece of music.
Gravity by John Mayer (written by J. Mayer)
John Mayer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in October 1977. The Connecticutian singer/songwriter/guitarist/record producer is well renowned as one of music's greatest guitarists along with winning multiple awards for his music. Mayer has been a fixture in the genres of rock, pop, and blues throughout his twenty-six year career. He has received seven Grammys: Best Male Pop Vocal Performance 2003 for Your Body Is A Wonderland; Song of the Year & Best Male Pop Vocal Performance 2005 for Daughters; Best Pop Vocal Album 2007 for Continuum; Best Male Pop Vocal Performance 2007 for Waiting on the World to Change; Best Male Pop Vocal Performance 2009 for Say; and Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance 2009 for our spotlight song Gravity. Mayer has released 8 solo studio albums since 2001, with Gravity originally featured on his 2006 album Continuum. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #71 and is certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. I'm not a John Mayer stan at all, but I will say I respect him as a musician and songwriter a lot and that there's not been a song I've heard from Continuum that I haven't liked. If you like this one, definitely also check out Waiting on the World to Change, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, and Say.
Gravity is working against me/And gravity wants to bring me down/Oh, I'll never know what makes this man with all the love that his heart can stand/Dream of ways to throw it all away
Make Believe It's Your First Time by Karen Carpenter (written by J. Wilson, B. James)
Karen Carpenter, the sister half of sibling duo The Carpenters, was born in New Haven, Connecticut in March 1950. The Connecticutian singer/musician is still reviled as one of pop's most recognizable and lovely voices, even after her tragic death in 1983 at age 32. A musical icon both for her vocals and her drumming, she performed genres both with her brothere and as a solo artist like pop, easy listening, soft rock, and jazz. As a member of The Carpenters, Carpenter won three Grammy awards: Best New Artist 1971, Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus 1971 for They Long to Be Close to You, and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group 1972 for their self-titled album. She released 14 studio albums with The Carpenters and had one posthumous self-titled solo album in 1996, which this solo version of Make Believe It's Your First Time originates from. It's really, truly so sad we lost Carpenter when we did, but I feel privileged to have grown up listening to her thanks to my mom's love of The Carpenters. Plus, the world needs more female drummers, and she was really amazing.
We've tried our hand at love before/We've been around the game enough to know the score/But then is then and now is now/And now is all that matters anyhow/Make believe it's your first time/Leave your sadness behind/Make believe it's your first time/And I'll make believe it's mine
Why Can't I? by Liz Phair (written by E. Phair, L. Christy, S. Spock, G. Edwards)
Elizabeth "Liz" Phair, known early in her career as Girly-Sound, was born in New Haven, Connecticut in April 1967. The Connecticutian singer/songwriter has been an indie rock fixture for the last thirty-four years. Phair is a vocalist, guitarist, and pianist and typically performs genres such as indie rock, lo-fi, alt rock, and pop rock. She's been nominated two Grammy awards, both for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance: once in 1995 for her song Supernova and again in 1996 for her song Don't Have Time. Phair has released 7 studio albums since 1993, with Why Can't I originally featured on her 2002 self-titled album. This song was on NOW 14 as well, which shows just how much air time it got on the radio in the early '00s. This was a fun, nostalgic listen for me, especially since I own and still love a copy of NOW 14.
Get a load of me, get a load of you, walking down the street and I hardly know you/It's just like we were meant to be/Holding hands with you when we're out at night, got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right/And I've got someone waiting, too/What if this is just the beginning/We're already wet, and we're gonna go swimming/Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you/Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you/It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it so tell me/Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you
New Person, Old Place by Madi Diaz (written by E. West, J. Floyd, M. Diaz-Svalgard)
Madeline Diaz-Svalgard, better known by her stage name Madi Diaz, was born in Greenwich, Connecticut in May 1986. The Connecticutian musician is a talented singer and songwriter who has collaborated with artists like Miranda Lambert, Harry Styles, and Kacey Musgraves in addition to having a successful solo career. Diaz dabbles in genres like pop, folk, electronic, and rock, and is a talented vocalist, guitarist, and pianist. She has released 6 solo studio albums in her seventeen year career, with New Person, Old Place originally featured on her 2021 album History of a Feeling. I found Diaz on an episode of my favorite NPR podcast All Songs Considered and downloaded this song then because I liked it so much. She takes that melancholy yet hopeful tone throughout her music and lyrics, and her most recent album Weird Faith is definitely popping up on my year end post in a few weeks.
I used to stay up on the off chance that you might call me back/I used to go shopping for pain, go through pictures, it's all I had/I’d sift through our memories and live there, even when I wasn't sad/I used to, I used to, but now I don't do that/You used to be able to dictate each feeling inside my head/Drag me through every trauma over and over again/‘Cause if I was crazy then I'd still be yours, I’d always come back/You used to be able to, now you don't do that/What used to hurt doesn't hurt anymore/What used to work doesn't work anymore/And that's just true it's not even brave/Can't be a new person in an old place
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You by Michael Bolton (written by M. Bolotin, D. James)
Michael Bolotin, better known by his stage name Michael Bolton, was born in New Haven, Connecticut in February 1953. The Connecticutian singer/songwriter/musician is well known for being a standout voice in '80s and '90s pop. Bolton is a gifted vocalist, guitarist, and pianist and has performed genres such as pop rock, soft rock, blue-eyed soul, and even hard rock in his early days. He has won two Grammy awards, both for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance: once in 1990 for our spotlight song How Am I Supposed to Live Without You and again in 1992 for his cover of When a Man Loves a Woman. Bolton has released 24 studio albums in his forty-nine year career, and his cover of How Am I Supposed to Live Without You was originally featured on his 1989 album Soul Provider. Bolton has an incredibly distinct and powerful voice, the kind that never leaves any doubt that it's him singing and not someone else. He has many hits that are all good in their own right, although my favorites would have to be Go the Distance or Jack Sparrow (that he did with The Lonely Island).
I could hardly believe it when I heard the news today/I had to come and get it straight from you/They said you were leaving, someone’s swept your heart away/From the look upon your face, I see it’s true/So tell me all about it, tell me 'bout the plans you're making/Oh, then tell me one thing more before I go/Tell me, how am I supposed to live without you/Now that I’ve been loving you so long/How am I supposed to live without you/And how am I supposed to carry on/When all that I’ve been living for is gone
A George M Cohan Overture by Robert Wendel (written by R. Wendel)
Robert Wendel was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1951. The Connecticutian composer is an awarded writer of contemporary classical music, as well as having worked in musical theatre and member (plus standby conductor) of the Radio City Music Hall orchestra among other achievements. Wendel has composed, arranged, and published over 50 pieces of music, and A George M Cohan Overture can be found on the 2010 album American Reflections. As an alumnus of a classical music college program, a lifelong lover of musical theatre, and an American, I really loved this piece that showcased many recognizable tunes associated with Cohan. Wendel is definitely a gifted composer, and classical music is always great to put on when you need to relax.
Take It All by Sawyer Fredericks (written by S. Fredericks, D. Romer, S. MacWilliams)
Sawyer Fredericks was born in Newtown, Connecticut in March 1999. The Connecticutian singer/songwriter is best known as the winner of The Voice Season 8, where he was a member of Team Pharrell, and also being the youngest male winner of the competition show to date. Fredericks is a guitarist and vocalist who focuses on genres such as folk and blues. He has released 3 studio albums in his twelve year career, with Take It All originally featured on his 2015 album A Good Storm. I didn't watch this season of The Voice, but I really liked the vibe of this song. Fredericks has a great voice for folk and Americana, and I recommend this one if you like those genres yourself.
My head is spinning around and my heart is on the floor/Beating louder than the roar of thunder, banging on my door/So take it all, take it all/I left my world wide open, it felt like a dream/You found me as another, I barely knew my name/You take it all, oh, take it all/Take the hurt in my chest, take the pain in my eyes/Take the fear in my soul, take the tears that I cry/You call me out of my head and I was ready to fall/‘Cause you are all that I need, so take it all/Take it all
Yankee Doodle by United States Army Chorus (traditional lyrics)
Yankee Doodle is the official state anthem for Connecticut. The traditional nursery rhyme was originally published in the 1780s, but the song itself predates the American Revolutionary War. If you grew up in America, you for sure know the first verse and chorus to this song, likely from either Barney or some sort of patriotic program put on in your elementary school. It's nostalgic like most nursery rhymes, and honestly tracks as the state song for one of our original states.
Yankee Doodle went to town/A-riding on a pony/Stuck a feather in his cap/And called it macaroni/Yankee Doodle keep it up/Yankee Doodle dandy/Mind the music and the step/And with the girls be handy
I hope you enjoyed checking out these fine musical acts from this fine state with me today. Happy listneing, and see ya'll next week!
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