February 1: Brighter days will soon be here… “Someday We’ll All Be Free” sung by Donny Hathaway and written by Donny Hathaway and Edward Howard. LYRICS ALBUM HISTORY SPOTIFY
February 2: We demand a chance to do things for ourselves… “Say It Loud: I’m Black and Proud” by James Brown. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 3: How much more abuse from man can she stand?
“Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye. Happy Birthday (and thanks for the song suggestion) to my favorite change-maker: Doug Weisburger. Happy Birthday, also, to Cheryl Rosenfield! LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 4: It’s the Year of the Tiger (Chinese New Year started on Tuesday, February 1, 2022)… “Mo Li Hua” (“Jasmine Flower”) sung by Tsai Chin. Here’s a video I show my students featuring four traditional Chinese instruments: the Guzheng, the Erhu, the Dizi and the Pipa. SONG HISTORY LYRICS & MELODY SPOTIFY (instrumental version) SPOTIFY (vocal)
February 5: Tune right in… “On The Radio” by Donna Summer. Happy Birthday to Colin Leonard (I remember when you were born and your crib on Lone Pine Lane) and Linda Uddyback (thanks for being a fabulous babysitter on that same street)! Also, mazel tov to Nelly Seidman; today is her bark mitzvah; I hope you’ll enjoy dancing to this one today, you cute pup… xoxo. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 6: Sweetly she did sing… “Daughter’s Lament” from The Hunger Games sung by Rhiannon Giddens and The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Happy Birthday, Toltzie and Helen Neumann! LYRICS & SONG MEANING SPOTIFY
February 7: Light up if you’re feeling happy, but if it’s bad then let those tears flow down… “Show Some Emotion” by Joan Armatrading. Happy Birthday to Amy Shocker! xoxo LYRICS & CHORDS SPOTIFY
February 8: Oh me, oh my, I can’t explain… “Beyond” by Leon Bridges. Happy Birthday to Haley Zeldes. xoxo LYRICS & CHORDS OFFICIAL VIDEO SPOTIFY
February 9: You never knew me like you thought you did… “Brando” by Lucy Dacus. Happy Birthday to Marshall Borden and Kelly Sahner! LYRICS & CHORDS SONG HISTORY
February 10: Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight… “Beat It” by Michael Jackson for birthday girl Judy Zimmerman Doherty (you know what to do, girlfriend). xoxo LYRICS & SONGFACTS OFFICIAL VIDEO SPOTIFY
February 11: It’s hard to keep a good man down… “Allentown” by Billy Joel for all who weld. Happy Birthday to my wonderful brother Alex Sherman and my fabulous friends Nancy Clarke, Herm Freeman and Anne Hadden xoxo. (Extra bday gift for the steel workers amongst us: Songs of the Steelworker) LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 12: Your love is like a rescue vessel… “Walk Through Fire” by Yola. Happy Birthday to Jen Brandwein, Jennifer Gottlieb Faber and Samantha Lyon. xoxoxo LYRICS & CHORDS ALBUM HISTORY SPOTIFY
February 13: Cryin’ gets the sad out of you…. “It’s Alright To Cry” sung by former Penn State Defensive Lineman and LA Ram Rosey Grier from “Free To Be You And Me” conceived, created and executive-produced by actress, author and former Westporter Marlo Thomas. No lyric video today, but you can learn the lyrics here and then sing along: LYRICS & CHORDS WHOLE MOVIE! SPOTIFY
February 14: Send that angel down to me… “All My Life” by Karla Bonoff and sung by Marcia Griffiths. LYRICS & CHORDS SPOTIFY
February 15: May you know the meaning of the word happiness… “Have It All” by Jason Mraz (written by Jason Mraz with David Hodges, Jacob Kasher, and Andrew Wells). Happy birthday (and thanks for the song suggestion) to Vijay Rao! OFFICIAL VIDEO LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 16: It’s time to start livin… “No Time At All” from Pippin by Stephen Schwartz and sung by Irene Ryan (yes, “Granny” from The Beverly Hillbillies). Happy Birthday to Andrew Cohen and happy belated birthday (thanks for the great song suggestion) to Nan Bacharach! LYRICS & CHORDS SPOTIFY
February 17: Pops gave me the right type’a tools to think with… “Bridging The Gap” by Nas. Happy Birthday to Sam Sisto. xoxo LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 18: What you don’t know won’t hurt you… “Happy Idiot” by TV On The Radio. LYRICS & SONGFACTS OFFICIAL VIDEO SPOTIFY
February 19: If music be the food of love, play on… “The Four Songs from Twelfth Night” by Garth Baxter. Today we’ll have a chance to see one of our favorite actresses, Madeline Seidman, play Olivia in “Twelfth Night” at the The David Geffen School of Drama at Yale’s Shakespeare Repertory Project.
February 20: Your love is life… “Your House” by Steel Pulse. LYRICS & CHORDS SPOTIFY
February 21: When love’s gone, they’ll luster on… “Diamonds Are Forever” sung by Shirley Bassey from the James Bond movie of the same name. LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 22: Rock a rhyme that’s right on time… “It’s Tricky” by Run-D.M.C. Happy Birthday to Lauren Potter D’Onofrio, Elyssa Kramer, Amy DeCeault Richo, Artie Spengler, Ned Hardy and Tyler Burke! xoxoxoxoxoxo. OFFICIAL VIDEO LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY
February 23: If it didn’t make me mad, it would make me cry… “Rollercoaster” by India.arie. Happy Birthday to Madeline Seidman. xo SONG HISTORY LYRICS & CHORDS WHY INDIA.ARIE is NOT ON SPOTIFY
February 24: Wop bop a loo bop a lop bom bom… “Tutti Frutti” by Richard Wayne Penniman, aka Little Richard. Happy Birthday to Sarah White! LYRICS & SONGFACTS APPLE MUSIC
February 25: Going for a ride… “Harlem River Drive” performed by flutist Bobbi Humphrey from her album Blacks and Blues. Written by Larry Mizell. No lyric video today, but it’s fun to sing “Harlem River Drive, going for a ride” throughout the song. Happy Birthday to Lindsey Ogilvy! LYRICS APPLE MUSIC
February 26: What makes your big head so hard? “Caldonia Boogie” first recorded in 1945 by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. Louis Jordan was born in 1908, the same year as my grandfather Sydney Alexander Sherman (who was born on this day). LYRICS SONG HISTORY APPLE MUSIC
February 27: Oh, brother, you oughta been there… “Roll Jordan, Roll” sung by Marian Anderson, who was born on this day in 1897. Here is a lyric video of the song as sung by Topsy Chapman in the movie 12 Years A Slave. SONG HISTORY APPLE MUSIC
February 28: I can play this here guitar… “On Broadway” written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil in collaboration with the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and sung by George Benson (originally recorded by The Drifters). LYRICS & SONGFACTS APPLE MUSIC