VARIOUS ARTISTS / “You Go To My Head”
In some of our political meetings back in the day an issue would come up, usually a matter of detail (the wording on a flyer, maybe which block to start a march, who was going to pick up whom for the demonstration, like that…) and a person might not have a political opinion about the issue but might have a preference. We used to announce the difference between taking a principled position and just opting for a matter of taste. We called those later statements, points of personal preference.
When you said your statement was a point of personal preference it was given respect but not blown out of proportion. This week’s cover selection “You Go To My Head” is a point of personal preference. I just like the song. I’m not making any special claims about the melody or the harmony, nor am I suggesting that any of these versions ought to be classics per se. But… that said, I dig this song.
As you listen to the various versions—if you listen to them at all—I’m sure you will have your favorites. Whether it’s the unusual offering from Smokey Robinson or the molasses slow, sweet reading by Shirley Horn supported by Joe Henderson on tenor, or maybe the quietitude of Chet Baker in duet with pianist Paul Bley, or those smears and half-valve tart trumpet soundings of Harry Sweets Edison working with Oscar Peterson, who knows. You might even go for Pops or Etta James. Whatever…
Hopefully, there is at least one cut in this box of goodies that will get to your head and offer you a morsel of sonic delight. That’s it. No big thing but nevertheless thank goodness for small flavors.
—Kalamu ya Salaam
P.S. The classic photo above by William Gottlieb is Dizzy Gillespie admiring Ella Fitzgerald with Ella’s future husband, bassist Ray Brown looking on over Ella’s shoulder.
You Go To My Head Mixtape Playlist
01 Count Basie & Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan
02 Brownie Speaks - Clifford Brown
03 Diane - Chet Baker & Paul Bley
04 Oscar Peterson & Harry Edison
05 Take Love Easy - Ella Fitzgerald with Joe Pass
06 Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson
07 Music For Lovers - Lee Morgan
08 Timeless Love - Smokey Robinson
09 Heart Of A Woman - Etta James
10 The Main Ingredient - Shirley Horn
This entry was posted on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Cover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
4 Responses to “VARIOUS ARTISTS / “You Go To My Head””
January 19th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Thanks so much for this …! I’ve always loved this song and now I want to go out and get every version!
January 21st, 2010 at 11:12 pm
Oh my, I like the list. But I must ask, how could you leave out the definitive version? Billie Holiday’s standard recording.
kalamu sez
different strokes for different… i don’t think billie’s version is definitive.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:51 am
OK, if Billie’s isn’t definitive. And Dinah Washington/Clifford Brown’s recording wasn’t definitive enough to make the cut, then I’m suspicious.
kalamu sez
i understand you are suspicious. i was not making a best of list, i was just spreading the joy around. i’ve already written extensively about both billie and dinah (click where their names are highlighted in red and you can read "some" of what i have previously said). at bol we write about and share music 52 times a year, going on five years now. what i try to do is open us to the breath and breadth of music out there, and at the same time avoid playing personal favorites over and over. this was not about making the cut, but simply about sharing some touching movements—or to put it another way, you ain’t got to be deeply in love with everyone you kiss, sometimes a kiss is just a kiss…
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