Songs of Love & Loss 2
Encyclopedia
Songs of Love & Loss 2 is the eighth studio album
by Australia
n singer
and songwriter
Tina Arena
, released on 15 November 2008 by EMI
in Australia. Her second cover
album, it follows on from Songs of Love & Loss
, released in 2007, and includes covers of songs by Blondie
, Lulu
, Alice Cooper
and Split Enz
among others. The first single, "Oh Me Oh My
", was released to Australian radio on 22 October 2008 and made available for download on 8 November. The album was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
for sales in excess of thirty-five thousand just three days after its release and debuted at #12 on the ARIA Album Chart
. A limited edition was released featuring a bonus DVD with a 10 minute documentary on the making of the album. The documentary was also available as a video download with pre-orders of the album from the iTunes Store
. The digital release also contained a bonus track, a cover of Petula Clark
's 1964 hit "Downtown
".
's "With or Without You
" was completely scrapped. Producer Greg Fitzgerald had the idea of reworking Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" and the sole original composition "Living a Lifetime Together" was written in 2003 by Arena, Paul Manners, Francesco De Benedittis and Emanuelle Vidal De Fonseca. Changes in staff at label EMI Australia left Arena unsure of her future and she revealed this stress contributed to two miscarriages she suffered during 2008 prior to the album sessions.
Arena recorded her vocals live with the London Studio Orchestra, conducted by Simon Hale
, for seven of the album's songs at AIR Lyndhurst Hall in London
during July 2008. Four more songs, including a cover of Joni Mitchell
's "Both Sides Now
", were recorded with Hale and the orchestra at Angel Studios
in September after Arena returned from her Australian tour with Andrea Bocelli
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
, released on 15 November 2008 by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
in Australia. Her second cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
album, it follows on from Songs of Love & Loss
Songs of Love & Loss
Songs of Love & Loss is the sixth studio album, and first cover album, by Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena, released on December 1, 2007. The album was Arena's first full length English language record in six years and her first album with EMI since her debut Strong as Steel in 1990...
, released in 2007, and includes covers of songs by Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
among others. The first single, "Oh Me Oh My
Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)
"Oh Me Oh My " is a Top 30 hit for Lulu which charted in 1969–70; the song has been most notably remade by Aretha Franklin and Tina Arena.-Lulu version:...
", was released to Australian radio on 22 October 2008 and made available for download on 8 November. The album was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
for sales in excess of thirty-five thousand just three days after its release and debuted at #12 on the ARIA Album Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. A limited edition was released featuring a bonus DVD with a 10 minute documentary on the making of the album. The documentary was also available as a video download with pre-orders of the album from the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. The digital release also contained a bonus track, a cover of Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
's 1964 hit "Downtown
Downtown (Petula Clark song)
"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
".
History
Arena has stated she chose songs which she loved and held meaning for her. It was her manager Bruce Pawsey's idea for her to record Blondie's "Call Me" and she covered "Every Breath You Take" on the suggestion of her partner Vincent. Considered too 'safe' by Arena, "Your Song" was almost not included and an attempt at U2U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's "With or Without You
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...
" was completely scrapped. Producer Greg Fitzgerald had the idea of reworking Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good" and the sole original composition "Living a Lifetime Together" was written in 2003 by Arena, Paul Manners, Francesco De Benedittis and Emanuelle Vidal De Fonseca. Changes in staff at label EMI Australia left Arena unsure of her future and she revealed this stress contributed to two miscarriages she suffered during 2008 prior to the album sessions.
Arena recorded her vocals live with the London Studio Orchestra, conducted by Simon Hale
Simon Hale
-Life:Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied performance and composition at Goldsmiths College, University of London between 1982-85...
, for seven of the album's songs at AIR Lyndhurst Hall in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during July 2008. Four more songs, including a cover of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's "Both Sides Now
Both Sides Now (song)
"Both Sides, Now" is a single by Joni Mitchell. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969. She re-recorded the song in a jazz style for the album of the same name, released in 2000....
", were recorded with Hale and the orchestra at Angel Studios
Angel Studios
Angel Studios is a commercial recording studio located on the corner of Upper Street and Gaskin Street Islington, London, England.The three-studio complex is in The Angel, a renovated United Reform Church. Some internal features of the church remain in the studio, such as the original Victorian...
in September after Arena returned from her Australian tour with Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
.
Track listing
- "Oh Me Oh MyOh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)"Oh Me Oh My " is a Top 30 hit for Lulu which charted in 1969–70; the song has been most notably remade by Aretha Franklin and Tina Arena.-Lulu version:...
" (Jim Doris) – 3:13 - "Only Women BleedOnly Women Bleed"Only Women Bleed" is a song written by the musicians Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner. It is a ballad about a woman in an abusive marriage.It is one of Cooper's biggest hits, reaching #1 on the Canadian RPM national singles chart and #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1975. It is from...
" (Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Dick WagnerDick WagnerDick Wagner Dick Wagner Dick Wagner (born December 14, 1943, in Oelwein, Iowa is an American rock music guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and KISS.-Performing career:...
) – 5:20 - "Every Breath You TakeEvery Breath You Take"Every Breath You Take" is a song by The Police on the band's 1983 album Synchronicity, written by Sting and Andy Summers . The single was one of the biggest hits of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks and the UK Singles Chart for four weeks. It also topped the...
" (Sting) – 3:53 - "Close to You(They Long to Be) Close to You" Close to You" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You," without parentheses. However, it was the single's flip side, "Blue Guitar," that became a hit...
" (Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Hal DavidHal DavidHarold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
) – 4:59 - "Call MeCall Me (Blondie song)"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK ....
" (Debbie HarryDebbie HarryDeborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
, Giorgio MoroderGiorgio MoroderHansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
) – 3:46 - "Baby It's You" (Benjamin KnauerPromises (group)Promises was a Canadian based pop group which was founded 1978 in Thousand Oaks, California. The members were the siblings Leslie Maria Knauer , Jed Knauer and Benny Knauer...
, Leslie KnauerPromises (group)Promises was a Canadian based pop group which was founded 1978 in Thousand Oaks, California. The members were the siblings Leslie Maria Knauer , Jed Knauer and Benny Knauer...
) – 3:40 - "Nights in White SatinNights in White Satin"Nights in White Satin" is a 1967 single by The Moody Blues, written by Justin Hayward and first featured on the album Days of Future Passed.It is in the key of E minor Aeolian.-Single releases:...
" (Justin HaywardJustin HaywardJustin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
) – 5:01 - "I Hope I NeverI Hope I Never"I Hope I Never" is a 1980 song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz from their studio album True Colours. The album version of the song goes for 4:36, forty seconds longer than the single version. The song was later covered by ENZSO, a collaboration between Split Enz's Eddie Rayner and the New...
" (Tim FinnTim FinnBrian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
) – 5:30 - "Both Sides NowBoth Sides Now (song)"Both Sides, Now" is a single by Joni Mitchell. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969. She re-recorded the song in a jazz style for the album of the same name, released in 2000....
" (Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
) – 5:14 - "Wouldn't It Be GoodWouldn't It Be Good"Wouldn't It Be Good" is a song written and recorded by singer Nik Kershaw for his 1984 studio album Human Racing. The song has been covered by numerous artists since, including Placebo, Danny Hutton Hitters, Cascada, and Soulwax.-Song information:...
" (Nik KershawNik KershawNik Kershaw is an English singer-songwriter. The one time jazz-funk guitarist was a mid-1980s teen idol. His 50 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 beat all other soloists...
) – 3:52 - "Your SongYour Song"Your Song" is a ballad composed and performed by English musician Elton John with lyrics by his long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin. It appeared on John's self-titled second album in 1970....
" (Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Bernie TaupinBernie TaupinBernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
) – 4:07 - "Living a Lifetime Together" (Tina ArenaTina ArenaFilippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
, Francesco De Benedittis, Emanuelle Vidal De-Fonseca, Paul Manners) – 3:18
Digital
- "Oh Me Oh My" (Doris) – 3:13
- "Only Women Bleed" (Cooper, Wagner) – 5:20
- "Every Breath You Take" (Sting) – 3:53
- "Close to You" (Bacharach, David) – 4:59
- "Call Me" (Harry, Moroder) – 3:46
- "DowntownDowntown (Petula Clark song)"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
" (Tony HatchTony HatchAnthony Peter "Tony" Hatch is an English composer, songwriter, pianist, music arranger and producer.-Early life and early career:...
) – 3:49 - "Nights in White Satin" (Hayward) – 5:01
- "I Hope I Never" (Finn) – 5:30
- "Both Sides Now" (Mitchell) – 5:14
- "Your Song" (John, Taupin) – 4:07
- "Baby It's You" (Knauer, Knauer) – 3:40
- "Wouldn't It Be Good" (Kershaw) – 3:52
- "Living a Lifetime Together" (Arena, De Benedittis, De-Fonseca, Manners) – 3:18
Personnel
- Tina ArenaTina ArenaFilippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
– lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocals, executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... - Mat Bartram – engineer
- Mark 'Duck' Blackwell – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, backing vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboards, percussion, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Marli Buck – backing vocals
- Pip EastopPip EastopPip Eastop is a virtuoso horn player from London, England. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music from 1974 to 1976, leaving to take up the position of Principal Horn with the Antwerp Philharmonic Orchestra .The following year he became Principal Horn of the London Sinfonietta.Between 1983 and...
– French hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player .... - Andy FindonAndrew FindonAndrew Findon is an English flautist and saxophonist. Educated at Harrow County School for Boys, he trained as an orchestral flautist, and served as principal flute of the National Youth Orchestra in the early 1970s and three years at the Royal College of Music...
– fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, dudukDudukThe duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia... - Greg Fitzgerald – producer, backing vocals, guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, percussion, programming ("Both Sides Now", "Wouldn't It Be Good")
- Paul Guardiani – producer, programming
- Simon HaleSimon Hale-Life:Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied performance and composition at Goldsmiths College, University of London between 1982-85...
– arrangingArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, conductingConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... - Skaila Kanga – harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
- Chris LaurenceChris LaurenceChris Laurence is an English jazz double bassist born in London, perhaps most noteworthy for his 1980s work in various trios with Tony Oxley ....
– bass - Paul Gordon Manners – producer, backing vocals, guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, percussion, programming ("Close to You", "Living a Lifetime Together")
- Mark NightingaleMark NightingaleMark Daryl Nightingale is an English jazz trombonist.Nightingale began on trombone at age nine, and played in the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra and the National Youth Jazz Orchestrain his teens. He attended Trinity College of Music from 1985-88...
– tenor trombone - Tony PleethAnthony PleethAnthony Pleeth, born in 1948 in London, is an English cellist, specialising in the historically informed performance of music of the 18th and 19th centuries on period instruments.-Biography and career:...
– celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Derek WatkinsDerek Watkins (trumpeter)Derek Watkins is a British trumpeter and session musician renowned for playing the trumpet and flugelhorn...
– trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
Charts & certification
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Top 50 Albums |
12 |
| ARIA Top 50 Physical Albums | 13 |
| ARIA Top 20 Australian Albums | 3 |
End of year charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ARIA Albums Chart | 79 |
| ARIA Australian Artist Chart | 26 | |
Certification
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | Gold |