Heart Banter by David Gittlin

Eternal Flame: The Story Behind The Bangles' Iconic Hit Song

“Eternal Flame” is another song that came into my head from out of nowhere. It just started playing in my mind on its own. I remembered the song, but I had never heard of (or don’t remember) an all-girl band called The Bangles. The group was popular in the 1980s. Susanna Hoff, their lead singer, wrote Eternal Flame with songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. The idea came from a Cyndi Lauper song Hoff admired, and from the eternal flame shrine near the Elvis Presley tomb in Graceland, where The Bangles saw it. “Eternal Flame” became one of The Bangles’ biggest hits, reaching #1 in nine countries, including the USA in 1989. I still don’t know why “Eternal Flame” barged unannounced into my head, but I’m glad it did. The song is BEAUTIFUL. [https://davidgittlin.net/2022/06/25/beautiful/] Here’s my cover.

"Wind Beneath My Wings"

It started out as a poem. Then it turned into a song. Then it became a background song for the movie “Beaches.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59ivoXtmW4] After various song covers at home and abroad, in 1988, Bette Midler made “Wind Beneath My Wings” a #1 hit in the USA. A year later, the song won Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Record_of_the_Year] and Song of the Year. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Song_of_the_Year] Here’s my version.

The Evolution Of A Hit Song

It started out as a poem. Then it turned into a song. Then it became a background song for the movie “Beaches.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G59ivoXtmW4] After various song covers at home and abroad, in 1988, Bette Midler made “Wind Beneath My Wings” a #1 hit in the USA. A year later, the song won Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Record_of_the_Year] and Song of the Year. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Song_of_the_Year] Here’s my version.

Love's Joys and Sorrows Explored in "Sky Blue And Black"

“Sky Blue and Black” is an emotional roller coaster, looking back on the joys and sorrows of love and its lasting impact. Jackson Browne wrote the song over four years and released it on his album “I’m Alive” in 1992. The source material comes from Jackson’s relationship with a famous actress. However, Browne never wants his songs to be identified with his specific life events, so he rarely speaks about his real-life relationships, especially in the context of his music. “It’s a drag even to imagine that people are thinking about [the] relationship instead of their own lives,” Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. “I think if a song is any good, eventually it’ll turn out to be about the life of the listener and not about the life of the writer. Anyway, that’s my hope.” Enjoy my revised version of “Sky Blue and Black” with background instrumentation.

How An 18 Year-Old Songwriter Became A Superstar

Cat Stevens wrote “The First Cut Is The Deepest” when he was eighteen. At the time, he had no intention of becoming a worldwide star performer. He sold the song for thirty pounds to P.P. Arnold, a soul singer who lived near him in London. She released “The First Cut Is The Deepest” on her first album. It reached #18 on the U.K. charts in 1967. Eventually, Rod Stewart and Sheryl Crow covered the song, making it a major hit in America. Stevens released his version of the song on his debut album, New Masters. Because he never released “The First Cut Is the Deepest” as a single, the album went largely unnoticed. Despite his shyness, Stevens’ songwriting and singing burst through to make him an international star in the music industry. I’m using Stevens’ version in my cover.