"Blue Sky/Blue Skies/Put Your Records On"
- Dec 5, 2016
- 5 min read
The Songs
Blue Sky - Francesca Battistelli (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpSdObyiDl4)
Blue Skies - Ella Fitzgerald (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epRXoS_P0lk)
Put Your Records On - Corrine Bailey Rae (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gPD7kY1amE&list=PLJOnjCCUWR13Y-uNURl4McHa8kjhyPO7A&index=1)
The Why
The initial idea for this mash-up came when I was learning to play “Put Your Records On” on guitar, but couldn’t remember the second verse or bridge lyrics; I knew the chord progression was pretty common, so I searched for another song I might know to mash-up the songs and not be stuck not knowing the lyrics to the second half of the song. One might think, well you could have just Googled the song. Wouldn’t that be easier than trying to make a whole new arrangement? Yes, my friend, it very well would have been. And I did look up the lyrics soon enough.
But now I had this chord progression (1 - 2 - 4 - 1) in my head and I knew I’d heard it often enough before. I resorted to scrolling through my iTunes to see what other songs/artists might ring a bell, and lo and behold I remembered “Blue Sky” by Francesca Battistelli, one of my favorite any-time-of-day songs has a similar chord progression to this one! And that’s how it began. When we decided as the Lacey Hearts to perform something like this for our college talent show, I added in the old jazz song “Blue Skies” because of the “blue sky” lyric theme, and to have a variety of genres mixed into it - to have 3 songs for 3 singers. :)
The How
I found that the key of C fit each song well for all 3 voices (on guitar, I capo’ed 3, playing A). I started off picking the intro as in “Put Your Records On” (for your blog-reading time’s sake I will refer to this as “PYRO”), then started singing the verse of “Blue Sky” (“Bsky”). Since two of the songs had the common chord progressions, we were able to layer in different sections of each song to be sung simultaneously.
*A note about layering in mash-ups*
When layering sections of the different songs, it’s important to have rhythmically different songs as well as different note ranges, that way they’re not just singing variations of the same thing or confusing listeners. In this arrangement, since “Bsky”s chorus is longer and has more syllables per phrase, it worked well to layer in “Blue Skies” (“Bskies”) which has shorter phrases that can be spread out/lengthened. Then we added in the chorus of “PYRO” as the “Bsky” chorus was halfway through, and the “Bskies” singer added some “ooo”s and fun echos to fill in the chords being sung. If you layer in sections of songs that are in close vocal ranges of notes and/or too similar of rhythms, it is often hard to listen to and is more confusing to the listener.
We alternate from verse of one song to pre-chorus and chorus of a second song to layering on a third song that seems unrelated at first, but fills out the chords being sung and matches the theme. Near the middle we come to the “Bsky” bridge and sing one repetition of it in unison. As it repeats, we add harmonies and phrases of the other two songs, building into one final chorus where all three songs are happening. To finish the song, we bring it down to sing in unison the first part of “PYRO”s first verse, and sing the last phrase in 3-part harmonies to end.
The Lacey Hearts' Last Show
We performed this at our university talent show - MU’s Got Talent (and won 3rd place!) - and is our last performance as the Lacey Hearts. Kelsey, Brittney and I began singing together freshman year, and continued to perform for various events on and off campus throughout college. We placed almost each year that we performed in MUGT: first two years winning 2nd place, 3rd year nothing, 4th year 3rd place. The prizes didn’t matter to us as much as the chance to stand out and have fun singing these arrangements. We’re all grads now and life is taking us different places, but the music we made as the Lacey Hearts is something we’ll hold onto for a long time. Hope you enjoy this fun, feel-good mash-up! :)
Blue Sky/Blue Skies/Put Your Records On
Key - C (Capo 3, play A)
Intro: 1 - 2 - 4 - 1
When you're down and you're out
And you don't think you have a friend
When you're lost in the doubt
And you can't see what's around the bend
Maybe sometimes
Just hold on, don't turn around
we've got it wrong, but it's alright
Keep on walking don't lose heart
The more things seem to change,
Cause I am here I am here
the more they stay the same - don't you hesitate.
Where ever you are where ever you are
(Britt/Joc. “oo-ooo’s”)
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.
(Kels/Britt echo/harmony)
Don't you know that I know Life can be
So hard It makes you wanna give up (Wanna give up wanna give up)
But don't you know over the horizon
The sunny day you're looking for
Is waiting right here in my love
Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see
Blue birds
When the rain is falling There's no silver lining
Singin a song
And you just can't seem to find the light
Nothing but blue birds
When you need a reason to help you keep believing
From now on Girl, put your records on, tell me your
Let my love be your blue skyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
favourite song, You go ahead, let your hair down
Your blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your
Your blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
dreams, Just go ahead, let your hair down.
Your blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
(Unison)
Come on come on Don't you be afraid
Whatever comes tomorrow My love is here to stay
(+harmony)
Blue daaaaaaaays all of
Come on come on Don't you be afraid
Them gonnnnnne nothing but
Whatever comes tomorrow My love is here to stay
Three little birds sat on my window
Blue skies from now
And they told me I don’t need to worry
Onnnn nothing but
When will you realize that you don’t even
Blue skiiiiiies from now
Come on come on Don't you be afraid
Try any longer Do what you want to!
onnnnnn
Whatever comes tomorrow my love!
Blue skiiiiiiies
When the rain is falling There's no silver lining
Smiling at meeee
And you just can't seem to find the light
Nothing but blue skies
When you need a reason to help you keep believing
Do I seeeeee Girl, put your records on, tell me your
Let my love be your blue skyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
favourite song, You go ahead, let your hair down
Your blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your
Your blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
dreams, Just go ahead, let your hair down.
Your blue skyyyyyyyyyyyy (your blue sky)
Unison: Three little birds sat on my window.
3-part: And they told me I don't need to wo-orry.
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