Sing Holiday

The single greatest pop concert moment for me ever was Madonna singing Holiday at Slane on her Reinvention tour. I was there with a great bunch of people including Brian and Patrick. We were right up the front of the stage. There was 80,000 people behind us. The whole concert was of course amazing but Holiday! Oh, Holiday. How you have been a part of my life. From the very first time playing it from the original Madonna album. From it's various chart successes. All the places I lived in, all the clubs and bars I heard it in. How many times I played it on single, album or CD just to have a few minutes of chase-all-your-cares-away pop. Watching her Detroitness sing it on Live Aid. Meeting friends over the years who like Holiday as much as me and wishing and hoping for that someone who loves pop just as much as me. So that's the 40 songs that mean a lot to me or rather some of them! And just in time too as I am 40 today. It is a weird number to write. But it is all good! Here are 3 wonderful live performances of Holiday, my most favourite pop song of all time. First back to the beginning. This is from the Virgin tour.

The second is from the Girlie show tour. The third performance is from the Reinvention tour.

A Song For You

A Song for You was written by Leon Russell. It has been covered by so many music artists. This week a lot of people are writing about Whitney Houston's version of the song. It is one that she sang before at concerts but her version now is a dance version and it seems right that she is making her comeback with that song on her album. Thank you Paul for the great review you gave to the album. Donny Hathaway's version is still one of the greatest and many male singers have sang it like Donny or in tribute to him. Leon Russell's own version is very different to the one we most know. That version that most people know is by the Carpenters. Did you know it was never a single for them? I didn't until today. It is as good as their version of Superstar which is my joint favourite Carpenter song. Here are three versions of A Song For You. Song number 39 of my 40. The first is by the Carpenters.

The second is by Christina Aguilera with Herbie Hancock.

The third version is by Elliott Yamin. Of the more modern versions of the song it is his version that I find is the most emotional, in other words it makes me cry!

On The Radio

There are many artists that should be on my list of 40 songs like Whitney, Abba, Kylie, Celine. They all have amazing songs from their music careers but my list is really a snapshot of the music I like. So some are remixes or one hit wonders. However, these next three songs are really my top 3 songs of all time, well so far! For me, pop music began with my Dad. He is a great man, I have said that before here. My parents are my home in Kilkenny. My mother has been behind everything that my dad has done with her constant support and they have always supported me in whatever me or my brother or sisters have done. One of the greatest things that my father did was set up a radio station in Kilkenny, KCR. I have also I written about it on my site. I am so proud of him. My dad is 64 now and is still working away on new projects, he is always positive, never negative. I am also proud of myself for having my own show and that show created a lifelong love of the UK charts and later the American chart. I don't think my love of pop would be the same without the radio station in our back garden that my dad set up with 3 other people Liam Carroll, Mike Breen and Jerry Joyce. Today I think of those times and all the songs. The hundreds of songs, the thousands. Every genre of music but mostly pop and country and a million love songs. My darling sisters Jane and Emma and my brother Mike all like their own music and we are a little different in our music tastes though Emma likes pop a lot and I love her for that. Every time she goes to a concert with our friend Mary I am almost there with her. Emma texted me last year to tell me she and Mary had bumped into Mutya Sugababe in a London hotel foyer and I thought well that's a true sister of mine! . There are loads more songs that I will post on my site. Today I will post the last three of my All Time 40. The first song is from 1979 and is On The Radio by Donna Summer. It is for me a flawless pop song. Song number 38 of my 40. I remember looking at a Donna Summer album in Theresa's office in the radio station and that Casablanca label pictured above. This is On The Radio by Donna Summer. If my blog was my radio show this is for all my family, for my Uncle Christy and his record collection, for my aunt Theresa buying all those early singles, my readers and friends here, all kindred spirits and very much this is for my Dad and Mam, to say thank you for starting the music.