Why this tune? This week’s song is another one from the American songbook, a pop song from 1940 written by Matt Dennis and Tom Adair. It was a hit for Frank Sinatra, singing with Tommy Dorsey’s band, and entered the jazz repertoire soon after, recorded by Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and many others. I’m attractedContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Everything Happens to Me”
Tag Archives: songwriting
Tunes on Tuesday: You Must Believe In Spring
Why this tune? It’s officially spring, and so time for songs of the spring season. This is one of the loveliest spring songs I know. Michel Legrand and Jacques Demy wrote it as “La chanson de Maxence” for the 1967 film “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort.” Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote new English lyrics for theContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: You Must Believe In Spring”
Tunes on Tuesday: Easy
Why this tune? I wrote this week’s tune last month during the annual February Album Writing Month at FAWM.org. The prompt for the song was “convenience,” which led to this musing on recent advances in large language model “AI.” Among the many tools out there are programs that will write songs for you based onContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Easy”
Tunes on Tuesday: Void and Return
Why this tune? This week’s song is another one from the last day of this year’s February Album Writing Month (FAWM.org). It’s another song inspired by a song “skirmish,” this time with the prompt “Looks like a void and return kind of day,” which the host heard at a local store. The story took aContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Void and Return”
Tunes on Tuesday: Harmony
Why this tune? I wrote this week’s song on the last day of this year’s February Album Writing Month (FAWM.org). FAWM is an annual virtual gathering of songwriters (amateur and pro) from around the world, writing, sharing and collaborating for a month. The stated goal is to write an album (14 songs). It’s a veryContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Harmony”
Tunes on Tuesday: Fly Away
Why this tune? Tunes On Tuesday revisits one of my January song-a-day songs “Fly Away” from Jan. 23, adding a second verse and bridge to this song for Parashat Metzora ( מְּצֹרָ֔ע ) inspired by a verse about setting a bird free to “make expiation for the house.” I think this is much closer to beingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Fly Away”
Tunes on Tuesday: The 28th Day
Why this tune? It’s the 28th day of the the January Song-a-Day Challenge organized by Sarah and Kat at Songwriting for Music Educators. I was working on two songs with lyrics for today’s post but wasn’t happy with either. Instead I pulled out the melodica and wrote a short instrumental melody for my daily contribution,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: The 28th Day”
Tunes on Tuesday: Bagel Day
Why this tune? January 15 is apparently National Bagel Day, so I couldn’t not mark the occasion with a new song. It’s also the midpoint of the January Song-a-Day Challenge organized by Sarah and Kat at Songwriting for Music Educators. They call this the “messy middle:” “The excitement of the initial challenge may have wornContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Bagel Day”
Tunes on Tuesday: Ain’t Misbehavin’
Why this tune? This Tuesday is also Day 7 of the January Song a Day Challenge organized by the talented team at Songwriting for Music Educators. For today’s song I updated the lyrics of the American classic “Ain’t Misbehavin’” by Fats Waller and Andy Razaf from 1929. The song entered the public domain on JanuaryContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Ain’t Misbehavin’”
Tunes on Tuesday: Onward
Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday posts on Wednesday this week to celebrate the new year 2025. The start of the year is also the start of the January Song a Day Challenge organized by Songwriting For Music Educators, Kat Reinhert and Sarah Gulish’s initiative to help music teachers learn the craft of songwriting. IContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Onward”
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter 