Live It Up! (Johnny Mathis album)
Encyclopedia
Live It Up! is the sixteenth album released by singer Johnny Mathis
. It was his thirteenth original studio album with three compilations of hit singles having been released by the singer at this point.
, it was a stronger seller than the previous collaboration between singer and conductor released the year before which had stalled at #38.
, "Ace In The Hole
", even including the seldom-heard verse. The title track has lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
, the husband and wife lyric writing team whose work Mathis would frequently record later in his career. From Broadway
comes "Hey, Look Me Over" from the 1960 musical "Wildcat
" which starred Lucille Ball
while "Johnny One Note
" from 1937's "Babes in Arms
" is the work of Rodgers and Hart
and allows Johnny the singer the chance to display a full range of notes at a swinging tempo. From Hollywood comes the song "Love
" from the 1946 film "Ziegfeld Follies
" where it was introduced by one of Mathis' all time favourites Lena Horne
while "I Won't Dance
" was featured in the 1935 film "Roberta
" where it was amusingly performed by Fred Astaire
and Ginger Rogers
. The only true Tin Pan Alley
standard on the album is "Just Friends".
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
. It was his thirteenth original studio album with three compilations of hit singles having been released by the singer at this point.
Overview
This is the second and final album collaboration between singer Mathis and arranger/conductor Riddle. Where their earlier album together featured a set list of ballads and swingers, this album features all uptempo songs. As such, it makes a perfect companion to the earlier album.Track listing
- "Live It Up" - 3:28
- "Just FriendsJust Friends (1931 song)"Just Friends" is a popular song that has become a jazz standard. The song was written in 1931 by John Klenner with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. Although introduced by Red McKenzie and His Orchestra in October 1931, it first became a hit when singer Russ Columbo performed it with Leonard Joy’s...
" - 4:01 - "Ace in the HoleAce in the Hole (Cole Porter song)"Ace in the Hole" is a popular song composed by Cole Porter. The song was written expressly for Porter's musical Let's Face It! which debuted at New York City's Imperial Theatre on 29 October 1941. In the original production, "Ace in the Hole" was performed by Mary Jane Walsh and Nanette Fabray...
" - 2:46 - "On A Cold And Rainy Day" - 3:06
- "Why Not" - 2:08
- "I Won't DanceI Won't Dance"I Won't Dance" is a song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach, for the 1934 London musical Three Sisters. However, Three Sisters flopped and was quickly forgotten, so when the time came to film the Kern-Harbach musical Roberta, the song was...
" - 3:58 - "Johnny One NoteJohnny One Note"Johnny One Note" is a 1937 show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Wynn Murrary. Judy Garland sang it in the film version, released in 1939.-Notable recordings:...
" - 2:39 - "Too Much Too Soon" - 2:51
- "The Riveria" - 3:03
- "Crazy In The Heart" - 3:55
- "Hey, Look Me Over" - 1:48
- "Love" - 3:46
Billboard Album Chart
This was Mathis' fifteenth consecutive charting album peaking at #14 on the Billboard album chart in its original release. Arranged and conducted by Nelson RiddleNelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, it was a stronger seller than the previous collaboration between singer and conductor released the year before which had stalled at #38.
Highlights
As was often the case in the early years of his career, Mathis includes a song by Cole PorterCole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, "Ace In The Hole
Ace in the Hole (Cole Porter song)
"Ace in the Hole" is a popular song composed by Cole Porter. The song was written expressly for Porter's musical Let's Face It! which debuted at New York City's Imperial Theatre on 29 October 1941. In the original production, "Ace in the Hole" was performed by Mary Jane Walsh and Nanette Fabray...
", even including the seldom-heard verse. The title track has lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.-Life & career:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
, the husband and wife lyric writing team whose work Mathis would frequently record later in his career. From Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
comes "Hey, Look Me Over" from the 1960 musical "Wildcat
Wildcat (musical)
Wildcat is a musical with a book by N. Richard Nash, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Cy Coleman.The original production opened on Broadway in 1960, starring a 48-year-old Lucille Ball in her only Broadway show.-Background and production:...
" which starred Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
while "Johnny One Note
Johnny One Note
"Johnny One Note" is a 1937 show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Wynn Murrary. Judy Garland sang it in the film version, released in 1939.-Notable recordings:...
" from 1937's "Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:...
" is the work of Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership of composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist Lorenz Hart...
and allows Johnny the singer the chance to display a full range of notes at a swinging tempo. From Hollywood comes the song "Love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
" from the 1946 film "Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
" where it was introduced by one of Mathis' all time favourites Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
while "I Won't Dance
I Won't Dance
"I Won't Dance" is a song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach, for the 1934 London musical Three Sisters. However, Three Sisters flopped and was quickly forgotten, so when the time came to film the Kern-Harbach musical Roberta, the song was...
" was featured in the 1935 film "Roberta
Roberta (1935 film)
Roberta is a 1935 musical film by RKO starring Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Randolph Scott. It was an adaptation of a 1933 Broadway theatre musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the novel Gowns by Roberta by Alice Duer Miller...
" where it was amusingly performed by Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
and Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
. The only true Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
standard on the album is "Just Friends".