# The Strange Magic of: Michael Bolton



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Whoa Nellie! Slow down, easy there, no need to get excited..... This isn't really about Michael Bolton so much as it is about a song, a great song, _Since I Fell For You._. Since being written by Buddy Johnson in 1945, it's been recorded about a million times, by practically everyone except Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Lenny Welch had the biggest hit with it in 1963, and did a very fine job indeed, and it would remain my first choice until.... Now, I have no particular interest in Michael Bolton; in fact, while I worked in a office during his peak years, I grew exhausted from hearing How Am I Supposed To Live Without You on everyone else's desk radio about 50 times a day--it came close to driving me mad. But then, one day, Bolton decided to sing _Since._ To my mind, this is the best reading ever of a wonderful torch song, and makes Michael Bolton's musical career seem almost...important.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I don't know, I'd still take Van Morrison's. Not to mention Dinah Washington.

Obligatory video clip:


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## OldFashionedGirl (Jul 21, 2013)

My dad was listening to Michael Bolton today. I don't like his voice, though my dad says he's a great singer. Matter of taste probably.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

OldFashionedGirl said:


> My dad was listening to Michael Bolton today. I don't like his voice, though my dad says he's a great singer. Matter of taste probably.


I thought he had more "success " with woman for his appearance.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Wasn't Michael Bolton that guy with the high-pitched voice and maybe half an octave range?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

KenOC said:


> Wasn't Michael Bolton that guy with the high-pitched voice and maybe half an octave range?


You're thinking of Tiny Tim. Played the ukulele.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

No, not the Tiny one, definitely not!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

KenOC said:


> No, not the Tiny one, definitely not!


Both had long hair. Twins separated at birth?


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Here's a funny thing


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2016)

He's sufficiently guilty just based on the mullet.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Best singer for this song is Nina Simone. The quality of hurt and vulnerability in her voice is perfectly matched for the lyric.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Post Deleeeeeeeeeeeeetedddddd


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Maybe you should have called this thread, The Strange Magic of "Since I Fell For You."


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

dogen said:


> He's sufficiently guilty just based on the mullet.


His was actually a 'Skullet'.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Nina Simone (as above) and Fontella Bass are two good versions:


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Getting resignation from both Simone and Bass, and that's OK if you're in the market for resignation. I prefer anguish and agony-- more my style.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Ooh, love that Fontella Bass version.

I think a big issue is whether you want a bluesier or jazzier arrangement and performance. I do.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Strange Magic said:


> Getting resignation from both Simone and Bass, and that's OK if you're in the market for resignation. I prefer anguish and agony-- more my style.


Then Bolton is your man! He's anguish & agony alright, but not in a good way. And the sappy strings to boot!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

starthrower said:


> Then Bolton is your man! He's anguish & agony alright, but not in a good way. And the sappy strings to boot!


You're so fastidious; I'll bet you don't like pizza!


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## Bluecrab (Jun 24, 2014)




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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Strange Magic said:


> You're so fastidious; I'll bet you don't like pizza!


That's true much of the time, because most people in the pizza making business make lousy pizza, and charge too much. Kind of the same as in the pop music world!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

starthrower said:


> That's true much of the time, because most people in the pizza making business make lousy pizza, and charge too much. Kind of the same as in the pop music world!


Bad Pop. Bad pizza. I too have been disappointed and hurt by both. But being of an optimistic, cheerful nature, my reaction is to make note of from whence come the bad Pop and pizza, and to avoid future exposure, while simultaneously moving on from memory of the trauma. I hate to dwell on and thus relive the negativity of the experience, and thus instead focus on what I've found good. This way of thinking may be of some use in helping others to escape the kind of distress that bad Pop and pizza can engender. My further counsel would be for the sensitive to avoid the coming two SM posts, as I will continue mining the same vein of ore. You have been warned. :lol:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I can't even eat good pizza anymore. I'm still fat eating lettuce and oatmeal! But one of the things about being over the hill is that I look forward to Strange Magic threads!


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Strange Magic said:


> My further counsel would be for the sensitive to avoid the coming two SM posts, as I will continue mining the same vein of ore. You have been warned. :lol:


Michael McDonald? 
Peter Cetera?
Richard Marx?


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> Bad Pop. Bad pizza. I too have been disappointed and hurt by both. But being of an optimistic, cheerful nature, my reaction is to make note of from whence come the bad Pop and pizza, and to avoid future exposure, while simultaneously moving on from memory of the trauma. I hate to dwell on and thus relive the negativity of the experience, and thus instead focus on what I've found good. This way of thinking may be of some use in helping others to escape the kind of distress that bad Pop and pizza can engender. My further counsel would be for the sensitive to avoid the coming two SM posts, as I will continue mining the same vein of ore. You have been warned. :lol:


There's bad pizza in Italy? You're in Italy aren't you?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Morimur said:


> There's bad pizza in Italy? You're in Italy aren't you?


Sir, I live in Nova Caesarea, where the pizza is as good as it gets.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

GreenMamba said:


> Michael McDonald?
> Peter Cetera?
> Richard Marx?


Even better than them!

Edit: I retract my "even better" just above-I posted those words in a fit of sudden zeal, whereas my true stance is that each of these clips is an entity unto itself, neither "better" nor "worse", but instead to be each savored for its own special qualities.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

GreenMamba said:


> Michael McDonald?
> Peter Cetera?
> Richard Marx?


I saw McDonald in concert a couple weeks ago. I actually enjoyed it! He has a good band. Peter Cetera has a great voice, and I dug him with Chicago. He's a fine bass player too. As for Marx? I like Chico, Harpo, and Groucho!


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Strange Magic said:


> Sir, I live in Nova Caesarea, where the pizza is as good as it gets.


I suppose that is New Jersey then. Never been there but anyway I think we should turn this into a pizza review topic. 
My top three is:
1. Lo meulet blan (=the white foal). Restaurant in a sports centre in the very small village of Introd in the Aosta valley of Italy. Superb!
2. Pizzeria Sa Lolla in Wageningen in the Netherlands where I studied. Excellent!
3. ??? (pizzeria in the coastal town Koper on the west coast of Slovenia. Excellent too!


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

By the way: "Bad pop! Bad pizza!", wonderful, I think we should try to get that in some sort of list of memorable quotations!


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

starthrower said:


> I saw McDonald in concert a couple weeks ago. I actually enjoyed it! He has a good band. Peter Cetera has a great voice, and I dug him with Chicago. He's a fine bass player too. As for Marx? I like Chico, Harpo, and Groucho!


I like Karl. (But I have to add some words to make that publishable as 'I like Karl' is not enough. It ain't Twitter.)


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## Iean (Nov 17, 2015)

GreenMamba said:


> Michael McDonald?
> Peter Cetera?
> Richard Marx?


Please consider this a request for a Richard Marx appreciation thread. Very underrated pop songwriter and singer. In the year 2066, I am sure a lot of people will still sing "Right Here Waiting" in the shower:angel:


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

starthrower said:


> I saw McDonald in concert a couple weeks ago. I actually enjoyed it! He has a good band. Peter Cetera has a great voice, and I dug him with Chicago. He's a fine bass player too. As for Marx? I like Chico, Harpo, and Groucho!


But not Zeppo, I see. I actually have some affection for the Doobies and Chicago, which places McDonald and Cetera above Bolton in my book. Voice isn't the problem with them so much as artistic choices in their latter years ("I did it all for the glory of love...").


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

GreenMamba said:


> But not Zeppo, I see.


What about Gummo? Let's not forget Gummo.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

For some reason I don't remember those two. Harpo and Groucho are the great ones!


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Gummo never appeared in any movies. Zeppo did, but was pretty useless. 

And Chico was a great one too.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Here is Lenny Welch's version. The Michael Bolton treatment is a "Boltonized" update of Lenny's approach. Imagine what John Bolton would do with this song! Just imagine him singing it if/when he........


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