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Only the Lovers Sing

The phrase, “Only the lover sings,” has been attributed to a fourth century theologian and philosopher named St. Augustine of Hippo in Roman North Africa even though the exact quote, I don’t believe, can actually be found in any of his writings.  Nevertheless, the notion that love elevates the spirit and inspires us to reach for the heaven can be found in his writings.  So, with that in mind and wanting to write a song that doesn’t sound too philosophical or theological, I tried to express that notion in terms of human romance, namely infatuation (verse 1), commitment (verse 2), and the inevitable trials that a couple will face (verse 3).

Billy Ziogas, an American living in Greece, did the arrangement, Jackie Marks of Goffstown, NH did the background vocals, and Mike Clark of Amherst, NH did the recording, mixing, and mastering.

St Jude

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee has/had a commercial on TV that really gets to me.  A little girl with pink eyeglasses and who has been battling leukemia is at her front door, sees her father arriving in the parking lot, goes out to greet him and says, “Dad, we missed you.”  That commercial is what inspired me to write this song – a father and mother’s song of thanksgiving to St. Jude (the saint, not hospital) for his help in bringing about an apparent cure for their daughter.

Marko Atanackovic of Serbia did the arrangement.  Heather LeAnn of middle Tennessee did the female vocals.  Mike Clark of Amherst, NH did the recording, mixing, and mastering.

Connor

This song is an attempt to express what I am guessing are the hopes and aspirations of the parents of my one-year-old great nephew, Connor.  His parents are my niece Vanessa and her husband Troy Maybury.  I wanted to write something warm, tender, sweet, fun, and playful.

Arranged by Marcos Villalobos from Colombia and recorded by Mike Clark of Amherst, NH.

Symphony

Simply put, this is a marriage proposal song.  And, no, it’s not a song that I wrote for anyone in particular.  I just woke up one morning with this melody in my head and then, a few weeks later, lyrics finally came to mind.

The musical arrangement was done by Alireza Vejdani of Sweden.  Chris Bates of New Zealand did the background vocals.  And Mike Clark of Amherst, NH, USA did the recording, mixing, and mastering.

Apple of His Eye

This is a song about my great aunt and uncle, Regina and Gerard Dufour.  In talking with them one day (I think it may have been the summer of 1971 when I was 15 and was walking back home after having played basketball at an outdoor court), I asked why they married one another.  Regina said it was because she was at that stage in her life when it was time to get married and because Gerard “was a nice guy.”  That response has always bothered me as it sounded cold.  Whereas Gerard married Regina because she was the girl of his dreams, an answer that I found much warmer and more passionate.  For the purposes of rhyming, I changed what he said to “apple of his eye.”

The arrangement was done by Gustavo Eiriz of Argentina.  The background vocals were done by Chris Bates of New Zealand.  And the recording was done by Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire.

Diamond in the Dust

“Diamond in the Dust” is a tribute to Susan Boyle.  Susan was a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.  Unattractive and idiosyncratic, the expectations of both the judges and the audience were very low.  However, she stunned them all with an incredible rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical, “Les Miserables,” and talent shows from then on have never been the same.  Susan essentially re-wrote the rulebook.  Because of her, unattractiveness, age, or some sort of disability are no longer disqualifying factors for one’s chances of winning.

Gustavo Eiriz of Argentina did the arrangement.  Yann Marc of France did the backing vocals.  And Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire did the recording.

Isabella

For years I had wanted to write a song similar to what Paul McCartney of the Beatles did in 1966 when he wrote “Michelle,” a song that incorporated a little bit of French into primarily English lyrics.  And so finally I have – Isabella.  The song is about no one I know.  I chose the name because it’s pretty and because I needed a name to rhyme with “French Canada,” two of the words in the lyrics.

The arrangement was done by Gustavo Eiriz of Argentina.  The backing vocals were done by Yann Marc of France.  And the recording was done by Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire.

Like Fools

This is a song about a guy talking to his girlfriend who heard some unflattering remarks about him.  He doesn’t know what was said, but senses that her attitude towards him may have changed and he’s trying to convince her to view him as he is and not as he was.

Arrangement done by Alireza Vejdani of Sweden and recorded by Mike Clark of Amherst, New Hampshire, USA.

Give It Up

“Give It Up” is a Christmas song intended to acknowledge and honor the reason for the season.  It’s catchy, upbeat, and has a 1980s feel to it.  The lead vocals were done by yours truly, Bernard Leclerc, and the backup vocals were done by Gaston Loizeau.  The arrangement was done by Shahe Sinanoglu and the recording was done by Mike Clark.

Photographs

Usually, when I write a song, it relates to something I’ve experienced.  However, such is not the case for this particular song.  I was listening to a song on youtube called “You Say” by Lauren Daigle.  The lyrics of that song have nothing to do with the sudden death of a loved who used to take a lot of photographs.  Nevertheless, the mood and melody of her song is what inspired me to write this song.  It was nothing that actually happened in my life.