Rate These Recordings: If You Are But a Dream/Begin the Beguine

[Derek McGovern]

It's a new year---and a new round of "Rate This Recording!" This time we're featuring a Coke coupling requested by Mike: "If You Are But a Dream" and "Begin the Beguine."

Here's the direct link to the poll and sound files feature for these recordings:

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/if-you-are-but-a-dream--begin-the-beguine.html

Happy rating, and I look forward to reading everyone's comments here.

Cheers
Derek

[Operafocus]

When I listen to Mario doing these type of songs, I need to separate
the song and the vocal performance. I've rated them both "very good"
based on the vocal. I've heard stories from women he worked with who
said he could touch their hand and give them "the look" and they'd be
putty in his hands. If he did some singing as well whilst doing that,
I don't have any problems understanding why that would be true.
However, I have to say that most of the lyrics to these tunes are so
many layers of cheese that I get lactose intolerant just from
listening to them. ;-) But that's just me. :-)

Terri

On Jan 1, 9:02 am, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> It's a new year---and a new round of "Rate This

> Recording!"<http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/rate-this-recording.html>This

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: I agree that "If You Are But a Dream" is a pretty cheesy composition, but "Begin the Beguine"?! A classic of American song, sung to near perfection by Lanza!

Mind you, you're not the first person I've encountered who doesn't like "Begin the Beguine." A good friend of mine, who quite likes some of Lanza's operatic recordings, once cringed when I played it to him, bemoaning the fact that Lanza was singing something "so tacky" :) But then again, some people say the same thing about Puccini!

Cheers
Derek

[Operafocus]

It's not that I don't like it, per-se, I just cannot stand the cheese.
"Begin the Beguine" isn't as bad as some, as Cole Porter generally
produced lyrics way more poetic than certain others - but it's still
not my cup of tea. He sings it beautifully, but I much prefer his
proper operatic stuff.

The good thing about Puccini is - I guess - that I don't understand
every word. I know what the arias mean, generally, but I'm not forced
to listen to lines like, "Floria, my ardent lover, is dark haired. And
you, unknown beauty, crowned with blond hair, you have blue eyes.
Tosca has black eyes!" It sounds a lot more poetic in Italian.
However, to an Italian/those fluent in Italian, I suspect it'll have
the same affect as cheese in English has to those of us who are fluent
in that ;-)

Cheers
Terri

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Terri: To me, it simply doesn't matter if the words are cheesy so long as the singer makes me believe them. And I feel that's one of Lanza's greatest attributes---that he could take something as lyrically dire as "A Kiss" and turn it into something rather special simply be believing in it. And I think he did---somehow---believe in whatever he sang. There's an almost child-like fascination with life and love---an unspoiled quality if you will---in his singing of these songs. Now I don't hear that in someone like Sinatra, who sounds bored out of his mind when singing something that he obviously doesn't believe in (like the dreadful "High Hopes").

Cheers

Derek 

[JOE]

It is just amazing how effortlessly Mario sings  If You Are But A Dream  The song itself is not a great favorite of mine but I think he sings it quite well right up to the ending, He seems to break the overall smoothness exhibited throughout the song with his over the top ending…. thereby bringing down my rating a little. I still give it a very good.

 

Begin the Beguine is another story all together. Lanza removes all doubt that he was (and still is) the greatest cross-over singer of all time. I think Cole Porter would be very pleased with this rendering. ! I went out on a limb here and gave him a masterpiece rating…what’s not to love? Even though this is not the genre where you would expect Mario to excel, he nevertheless amazes us once again.

 

[Operafocus]

Hi Derek:

I think I'm just a bit more picky and need "a whole package"; voice,
melody, lyrics. It doesn't have to be a lyrical masterpiece, but too
much use of words like "love", "darling", "sweetheart", "you and me"
etc, fails to play on my heart strings. I prefer a little more
subtlety. There are cases where the voice and melody override the bad
lyrics, that I can listen to, but when it's so "sugar sweet" that I
risk tooth cavities if I listen too much to it, then... well. ;-)

Sinatra made a career out of sounding bored and uninspired. I used to
listen to him quite a bit, but got bored with the "why should I sing
on the beat when I can sit back, relax and catch up with it whenever I
feel like" attitude - that got worse and worse with age. Wonderful
quality of voice, but he took crooning to another (irritating) level.

T

On Jan 2, 4:47 am, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Terri: To me, it simply doesn't matter if the words are cheesy *so long
> as the singer makes me believe them*. And I feel that's one of Lanza's

[gary from NS]

Hello Derek,and everyone,

Thanks Derek for this latest "battle of songs". I enjoy them each time.

"If You Are But A Dream", bored me,plain and simple.

Mario's voice was fine,in fact very good,but this song does nothing for me

I can listen to Mario sing anything and appreciate his wonderful instrument, but this song I must rate a 2/5.

The lyrics bore me,and the tune is jumpy, or uncomfortable.

"Begin The Beguine" immediately transports me back to the early fifties and hearing this song by various artists, being played in our home.

My Mom loved this song. I can't recall if I heard Mario sing it back then, but definitely it got a lot of air time with my parents.

I have always liked this piece,and it has a kind of sexy sound to it.

Mario gives a great delivery,and his voice is absolutely top notch. I gave it a 5/5.

Cole Porter was such a talent,I must add.

[Michael McAdam]

First of all, a Happy New Year to all you loyal Forum members and...a delighted (and belated) welcome to Operafocus Terri to this Forum. I can tell from the first "rushes" here that you are going to be a great addition to our group.

 

The two rateable songs: I had asked Derek to play these two off as I felt they both have a great, melodic base but are overlayed with lyrics of varying weight. That, coupled with the similar ending, would make them candidates for comparison, thought I.

The lyrics? Porter is always strong on the words to his songs but here in Beguine, as Terri says, maybe a little saccharine for today's tastes? Still okay, mind you but a little dated in this less romantic era?

Back in the late forties Rubinstein's lovely "Romance",  which my grandmother played often around our house, was swamped by her daughter, my mother, playing Frankie's lyric-adorned version to death on the old wind-up. Needless to say, Grandma sniffed at the Hoboken crooner's hit recording and its lyrics ("wake up, break up...." pah! said she)

 

I like Lanza's Dream enough for a 4/5 but the elevated last note was not altogether pleasing. His vocals were not as convincing as in Beguine and his light and shade colourings were not in great evidence either. Very listenable though.

 

His Beguine on the other hand.....almost a masterpiece; just above a 5/5 for me (only three of his recordings are masterpieces to me and two of them are from opera). His croony, almost lazy carressing of the melody line with his convincing treatment of the lyrics here are spot on.

 

Perhaps when a recording has been previously rubbished (as in Beloved a year or so later) he goes beyond himself to make amends, as it were, on his second time at bat?

And, he scored big time here. Light and shade in abundance. Listen to him skipping up the vocal staircase "then when I hear people...CURSE the chance that was wasted..." Also "til you whisper to me once more, 'Terri, I love you'.." ;-))Great stuff !

 

Some very varied responses to these two songs. Gary, I was surprised at your assessment of the Dream number. All songs affect people in a different way, don't we know. Your "sexy" description vis-a-vis Beguine was quite apt.

 

C'mon Muriella. Jump in here girl, this stuff is right up your alley ;-)

Mike

[leeann]

It's funny how two songs can bespeak an era in such different ways.

"You Are But a Dream," I think, doesn't stand the test of time very well, or maybe it isn't a stand-alone--sort of like "My Destiny"--a song that doesn't thrill me outside of Serenade , but which is thematically intrinsic to the film. "You Are But a Dream" was just fine in the Woody Allen movie, Radio Days; don't know about the earlier Sinatra movie,

I think Lanza takes this song and, as he does with so many, makes it bigger than it is, makes lyrics palatable and meaningful that are awkward and dated. Lanza makes me listen to songs I would never have gravitated towards, and yes, get uncharacteristically and unexpectedly caught up in their sheer romance--pieces like "You're the Song Angels Sing," "Never Till Now." Well, it would be a long list. But sometimes, with some songs, you can only do so much... I honestly prefer this song when Sinatra sings it with the Dorsey orchestra (although I'm not a huge Sinatra fan, truthfully), or  Sarah Vaughn, and I'm trying to imagine the  Etta James version (she's apparently among those who've recorded it, but imagination fails) because in their versions, orchestration and musical style are more the focus and the lyrics rather slide by under the radar.  

But "Begin the Beguine," an eternal Cole Porter, seems to  transcend its 1935 origins and is such a splendid fusion of voice, music, and meaning, of capturing how wistful, nostalgic, bittersweet  memories can be--and conflictive, as he sings more intensely with "don't let them begin the beguine..." but "oh yes, let them begin the beguine!" It even works if you've got no idea what a Beguine might be, as I hadn't (even though I've heard this song intermittently for years by various musicians). I think it's an amazing piece of artistry, subtly full of poetry, light and shade (to borrow vocabulary from other threads). Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

Very interesting comments from everyone. Keep 'em coming!

And just a reminder that we're rating the performance, not the song. Lyrically, for example, "If You Are But a Dream" does nothing for me---and even the melody isn't a grabber (despite its classical origins)---but, putting that aside, I feel that Mario does a fine job with the material. He's having fun here, and it's hard not to be drawn in. Anyone else would bore me to tears on this song.   

Cheers

Derek

[Vincent Di Placido]

Mario is just fantastic on these 2 songs, completely submerged &
believeing totally in what he is singing, as we have said many times
this was one of his great gifts giving his all to whatever quality of
material was put in front of him...
I think the problem with "If You Are But A Dream" as a song is that it
is sounds slightly contrived in the writing department, it doesn't
seem to be flowing naturally from the writer BUT Mario excites me on
this recording & his singing of the line, "...in love with lovely you"
is handled with typical Mario expressiveness & romance. The ending is
one of the rare big Coke endings that make perfect sense & Mario is
bang on & it is a very exciting conclusion & the placement of that
last "Dream" is sublime, one of my favourite lanza notes actually.
"Begin the Beguine" is a masterpiece & I find it hard to believe it
was just another weekly Coke show recording it is one of Mario's best
english language song recordings, full of lovely phrasing & dynamic
touches, Mario's playing & emphasising of lyrics is on perfect show
here, with one of the highlights being the 2nd, "till you whisper to
me once more, "Darling I Love You"". It also has one of my favourite
arrangements of a Coke song (although I had read it was used by Allan
Jones previously with Ray Sinatra)

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: I have no problem with the ending on "If You Are But a Dream" either; how else could the song have ended---with a whimper?! It's unconventional, but it works. Besides, who else could have pulled off such a thrilling conclusion? Yes, Mario's phrasing is full of great touches too. I just wish the song itself was more memorable.

Great to see you posting, my friend.

[Savage]

I rated the two songs very good and excellent.  If You Are But A Dream is beautifully done and Begin the Beguine a notch better.  I find both songs easy on the ears and enjoyable.  They certainly rate among Mario's better pop recordings.

                                                                                                                                                                               David

[Tony Partington]

Hi Gang:  Really wonderful and VERY interesting posts.  I too would like to extend a hearty welcome to Terri.  It's nice to have you aboard and to have yet another music lover and Lanza admirer giving voice to their opinions -  another good ingredient for the mix.

 

Now, as to the two songs at hand.  You've picked two good ones Derek.  And Mike, I thank you for suggesting these two they are a good and challenging pairing.  I say challenging because, although several folks have posted a less than enthusiastic opinion of "If You Are But A Dream," this song remains, for many, a classic as far as American popular songs go.  This of course does not necessarily make it a great song, to my mind it simply means it came along at the right time and was recorded by the right - or perhaps most popular - artist of that time and thus developed a following.  Here's a link to the Wikipedia listing for the song.  I found a couple of things in the write-up of interest.  First: That Sinatra's first recording of it was backed by "White Christmas" - not, I am sure, an altogether bit of chance.  Second: And I liked this one the most.  That of the various artists who have recorded "If You Are But A Dream," listed, right along with our boy Mario, is Screamin' Jay Hawkins.  Now when I saw this I was not just amused but rather intrigued.  I'm only familiar with Screamin' Jay's - shall we say - very passionate recording of "I Put A Spell On You."  The history of the recording of "I Put A Spell On You" is quite well known and, knowing the story myself, I found it very hard to believe that Screamin' Jay could morph into Croonin' Jay and sing "If You Are But A Dream."  Anyway, here's the link to the history of the song.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Are_But_a_Dream

 

As for Mario Lanza's reading of this song; I find it quite effective and utterly convincing.  Mario is able to apply to it the same magic he was able to apply to so many other songs he sang; that being the complete and genuine conviction of his art, his emotion and his intention.  Some while back - I'm sure Derek will remember this - I wrote a post about Mario and his ability to take truly mediocre musical works and elevate them to a station far above that which they are deserving of.  We ended up having an enjoyable and lively thread on this subject and I think many of us were surprised, when looked at objectively, just how much musical mediocrity Lanza had to deal with during his career.  Now before I go any further, let me qualify the aforementioned by saying that I am not suggesting "If You Are But A Dream" belongs in the catagory of musical mediocrity.  It is far too fine a song for that pedestrian classification and like it or not, to my ear Mario does quite a fine job with it pouring -without shame - his whole self into it.  The ending is fine and though it is what one could call a rather typical Coke show ending, I do not find it jarring or out of place with what has come before it.  Rather, as one poster pointed out, I really cannot see it going any other way.  Now just for comparison alone, here is a link to the late pop-tenor Enzo Stuarti in concert at Carnegie Hall in 1963 doing "If You Are But A Dream" and doing it VERY differently.  no big ending and, I think, no real passion involved.  At least certainly not the kind of passion Mario Lanza evokes.

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/esol6J6U/06_Gigi_Medley__If_You_Are_But.html

 

Bottom line.... My score for Lanza on "If You Are But A Dream" = 4/5.

 

Of "Begin The Beguine" what can I really say except to echo the many positives that have already been voiced on this thread.  It most certainly is a classic and, to my mind, a timeless one at that.  Mario feels, lives, loves every word and note!  As Joe pointed out, this recording is yet another example of why Mario Lanza was (and still is) the greatest cross-over singer of all time.  Joe's quite right.  Even more than right he's put his finger on that which is so magical, so magnificent, so unprecidented and yet so illusive about the voice and artistry of Mario Lanza.  In short, he could do anything and it sounded RIGHT.  It didn't sound affected or contrived.  It sounded as though both the voice of this singer as well as the mind and heart were perfectly aligned.  "Begin The Beguine" was as right within Mario Lanza as was "Lamento di Federico."  That is one of the truly great wonders of the limitless talent know as Mario Lanza.  How many singers can do this?  How many have throughout recorded history?  The truth: not too many, and certainly not with the success and ease that Mario enjoyed during his lifetime and continues to enjoy today.  Derek, I'll let you speak for me on this one as I agree with you completely: "A classic of American song, sung to near perfection by Lanza!"

 

My score for Mario Lanza's recording of "Begin The Beguine" = 5/5 

 

Ciao ~ Tony

[Shawn]

Sorry I'm late!

If you are but a dream- 4/5
Generally not the kind of song I would listen to if it were sung by anyone else- I have to echo on all points the eloquent post of Terri:

" It doesn't have to be a lyrical masterpiece, but too
much use of words like "love", "darling", "sweetheart", "you and me"
etc, fails to play on my heart strings. I prefer a little more
subtlety. There are cases where the voice and melody override the bad
lyrics, that I can listen to, but when it's so "sugar sweet" that I
risk tooth cavities if I listen too much to it, then... well. ;-)
Sinatra made a career out of sounding bored and uninspired. I used to
listen to him quite a bit, but got bored with the "why should I sing
on the beat when I can sit back, relax and catch up with it whenever I
feel like" attitude - that got worse and worse with age. Wonderful
quality of voice, but he took crooning to another (irritating) level."

These could be my own thoughts, with the exception that I never listened to that much Sinatra. I enjoy some of his early recordings (and films) but frankly his super-stardom has always been somewhat perplexing to me.

Back to the topic at hand: Begin the beguine: In great voice, sounds like he's having a lot of fun with it and his phrasing is mostly silky smooth and he transitions near seamlessly between vocal colors and volume (as on "down by the shooore, an orchestra's playing..." and "let it sleep like a dead desire, I only remember" - wow) though I think he goes a hair overboard in a couple spots. But it's a great, exuberant and completely committed rendition. I rated this 5/5 and was surprised to see that my votes were thoroughly mainstream on both selections ;-) I'll catch up on all the comments soon.

[Derek McGovern]

Well, this is harder than I expected!

Tony: thanks for sharing Stuarti's version with us; it gave me new respect for Lanza's recording :) Having said that, I feel that I rated Mario's version a notch too highly when this poll opened---I gave it a 4/5. Listening again just now to it, I feel that 3/5 ("good") is about right. Why so stingy? Well, in spite of the phrasing and conviction Lanza brings to it, I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge that there are a few notes that bother me on this recording. And that rating has nothing to do with the fact that I still can't get into the song itself.

"Begin the Beguine," on the other hand, is instantly appealing in every respect---and I also gave Lanza's rendition a 5/5. Yes, as Shawn points out, there are a couple of moments when he goes overboard---Mario: watch that sharpness!"---but it simply doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, I feel. This is very fine singing and a rendition that never fails to lift my spirits. 

Cheers
Derek