A musical interlude

It's getting a little hard to keep up the blogging right now. So today I'll just share this gorgeous song from Porgy and Bess: "Bess You Is My Woman Now" (and I threw in some other songs.) I first heard it on a Streisand album. And then I saw a wonderful clip of the original singers--it was in a documentary about the musical, and they were interviewing the original couple, and played a recording of their performance of this song for them. Somehow it was really touching, watching them listening to their younger selves.

I don't expect anyone to listen to these all, but it's worth it to pick one while you read the daily news on another tab. ;-) Heh heh.

If you don't know the story: Porgy is a disabled beggar, madly in love with the local prostitute. She's in an addictive relationship with her pimp or whatever, who beats her. At this point the pimp dude is out of the scene (I forget why) and Porgy is offering her the sort of love that she knows is good for her (he respects and adores her, and isn't a drug addict like her) but that she's not sure she can be faithful to.

The operetta isn't without controversy, for portraying stereotypical representations of African-Americans (drug addicts, criminals, etc.) But these days I think far more people hear the songs in isolation, away from the full performance. I don't even know if I've sat through an entire filmed version of it--maybe once. When you take the songs on their own, I think they escape the stereotypes, except for the exaggerated Ebonics. You learn to ignore those.

So first I've got the original for you--in the original style, which is operatic. But if you ever want to buy a recording, I say go for the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong recording, it's amazing. When I owned a car a zillion years ago I used to listen to it over and over.

Original version:

But if you need to see it acted, this is a touching movie-ish version:

Ella and Louis--I had to upload this myself a couple years ago, cause no one had!

There isn't an upload of Barbra, but this is her arrangement--a combo of "I Loves You Porgy" (also SO beautiful) and "Porgy I's Your Woman Now." This lady does a pretty great job!

Probably inspired by this movie version:

And in a totally different style, Nina Simone "I Loves You Porgy."

There's so much good music from this operetta! Right down to the last song when Porgy sets off to find Bess, who's gone away with Crown again.

I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'

A Woman is a Sometime Thing.

"The things that you're liable

To read in the Bible

It ain't necessarily so!"

My Man's Gone Now

And of course, Summertime.