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Today, Ocarina dedicates its song of the week to its favorite season: summer! Let’s listen to Summertime, sung by Janis Joplin, queen of the blues and one of the most influential singers in the history of contemporary music. Composed by George Gershwin for the opera Porgy and Bess in 1935, Summertime is considered by many to be a timeless, bluesy, gentle lullaby that goes straight to the heart.
Composer and singer Alexis Kochan has suggested that the melody was inspired by a lullaby from the Ukraine called “Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon”, literally “A dream goes by the window”.
Composer and singer Alexis Kochan has suggested that the melody was inspired by a lullaby from the Ukraine called “Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon”, literally “A dream goes by the window”.
Gershwin is said to have heard the symphony at a New York performance by the Ukrainian National Choir. The text is a lullaby in which the singer reassures a child about the present and the future.
Summertime has been covered so many times that it rivals the Beatles’ Yesterday as the most frequently reinterpreted song. There are jazz, blues, pop, rock, hip-hop and even reggae versions. There are great versions by Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra and others.
But the interpretation we hold most dear is undoubtedly that of Janis Joplin, characterized by a blues-rock style and significant arrangements of the intro and solo. The most beautiful version is perhaps the one she performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969, shortly before her premature loss.
We propose it to you below.
Summertime has been covered so many times that it rivals the Beatles’ Yesterday as the most frequently reinterpreted song. There are jazz, blues, pop, rock, hip-hop and even reggae versions. There are great versions by Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra and others.
But the interpretation we hold most dear is undoubtedly that of Janis Joplin, characterized by a blues-rock style and significant arrangements of the intro and solo. The most beautiful version is perhaps the one she performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969, shortly before her premature loss.
We propose it to you below.
