" This Times The Dreams " ---On Arlen and Mercer: After introducing " Blues in the Night" in the 1961 film " Blues in The Night.", you would have thought that was a more than sufficient contribution to the film . The song quickly became number One on the Hit Parade. The song continues to appeal to musicians and listeners who still marvel at the what Alec Wilder describes as a song that is" Certainly a landmark in the evolution of American popular music, lyrically as well as musically." Not content with that triumph, Arlen and Mercer wrote a lovely ballad for a night club scene in which Priscilla Lane briefly sings " " This Time The Dreams on Me."
Dick Haymes provides a more recent version with his effortless way with a traditional ballad.
First Version-Priscilla Lane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66YaOSCjNtY
Haymes Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYJANaR1y3Y
NOTE: Will Friedwald ,in his " Biographical Guide to The Great Jazz and Pop Singers," believed that :Dick Hayme' talent seems beyond reproach--without a doubt he was one of the best ballad singers ever heard in American popular music-but his career choices beyond music most often seem questionable." With his smooth style, solid baritone voice and good looks, his work with the bands of Harry James, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey gave him a solid musical grounding with America's finest arrangers, musicians and bandleaders. In fact, Haymes was the first of the big band singers to make solo recordings even before his rival Sinatra was able to break his contract with Tommy Dorsey. Despite all his personal difficulties with alcoholism, Internal Revenue, Customs and Immigration and broken marriages,,Friedwald concludes that" His is one of the richest legacies in all of pop singing." That is the Haymes legacy worth remembering.
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