Your Songs

For the Elton John song, see Your Song.
Your Songs

Harry Connick Jr. in a black jacket and black shirt, white background, black text

Cover to the Compact Disc edition of the album
Studio album by Harry Connick Jr.
Released Vinyl: August 25, 2009
CD:September 22, 2009
(see release history)
Recorded 2008-June 2009 The Music Shed New Orleans, Capitol Studios
Genre Traditional pop, jazz, big band, vocal
Label Columbia
Producer Clive Davis (executive,)
Tracey Freeman, Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Connick Jr. chronology
What a Night! A Christmas Album
(2008)		 Your Songs
(2009)
Alternative cover
Black cover with white text
Vinyl LP Album Cover
Singles from Your Songs
  1. "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
    Released: August 25, 2009
  2. "Just the Way You Are"
    Released: September 22, 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Billboard(favorable)[2]
Daily Music Guide[3]
The Advocate(favorable)[4]

Your Songs is a studio album by American multi-platinum selling recording artist Harry Connick Jr., released by Columbia Records. It was released first in the United States on a limited edition double vinyl LP on August 25, 2009,[5] then released on CD on September 22.[6]

The album is a collaboration with Connick and record producer Clive Davis.[7]

Background

Most of the songs are chosen by record producer Clive Davis, who aimed towards classic, familiar songs, as contemporary as possible.

Davis had expressed an interest in working with Connick, who at first did not know what that meant, as he had never done such a collaboration before. Connick had an idea of bringing in a famous arranger for the album, but Davis suggested for Connick to do the arrangements himself, and he did. The finished arrangements however is influenced by Davis.

Since Davis is no longer heading up contemporary labels like arista and J Records, his focus as Chief Executive Officer of Creative, his focus has been on executive producing adult contemporary fare from the past for artists like Barry Manilow and Harry Connick Jr. to meager results

The song "Bésame Mucho" was suggested for the album by Connick's father, the previous district attorney of the Parish of Orleans, Harry Connick Sr.. Father and son has previously sung a duet on Sr.'s 1998 album release New Orleans...My Home Town, which also included songs which Jr. has recorded on his albums since.

The brothers Branford and Wynton Marsalis contribute to the album. Both are multiple Grammy winners, Branford on saxophone, and Wynton who has received nine Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize for Music, on trumpet. Both are childhood friends of Connick.[7] Also Grammy nominated trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, and guitar player Bryan Sutton plays on the album.

Connick said in a radio interview, that track number thirteen, "Smile", is dedicated to a girl named Nicola. She and her mother attended one of Connick's shows in Paris, France, several years ago. Nicola was seven at the time, and Connick took her on a tour of Paris. They stood under the Eiffel tower, and even though she could not see where she was, as she was blind, she had the biggest smile on her face. They have remained friends since, and "Smile" is for her. The song includes a trumpet solo by Roger Ingram.[8]

Promotion

On August 4, 2009, Connick had an album listening party in New York City, hosted by Sony Music chief creative executive Clive Davis. Amongst those in attendance were Alan Cumming, Bernadette Peters, Brian Williams, Kelli O'Hara, Rachael Ray, Mario Cantone, Rosie Perez, and David Hyde Pierce.[9][10]

A number of public listening events were held, from August 24–30, 2009. Connick did not attend the exclusive vinyl listening events, which were held in cities such as Orlando, Florida, Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York, Oakland, California, New Orleans, West Babylon, New York, and Los Angeles.[11]

He made a number of TV appearances in September and October 2009. In September he appeared on Oprah on the 25th, then on Today (28th), The View (29th), and Late Show with David Letterman and Imus in the Morning on September 30. In October, he was a guest on the Today on the 1st, Rachael Ray in the week of October 5, and he set out to a week-long promotional tour in Australia from October 2 through to 9th, which included a visit to Hey Hey It's Saturday, and an appearance as a guest judge on Australian Idol on October 11, 2009.[12]

Release

French First Lady Carla Bruni

The album was released first in the United States on a limited edition double vinyl LP on August 25, 2009.[5] The CD album was released on September 22.[6]

The first single of the album was Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and it was released exclusively on Amazon.com on August 25, 2009.[13][14]

After the U.S. release, Connick was in Paris, France in September 2009, to record a song with French First Lady Carla Bruni. She and Connick's wife, Jill Goodacre, both former supermodels, are long time friends. The duet is a French and Italian version of "And I love her", written by Lennon–McCartney.[15] The duet is released as a bonus track on European editions of Your Songs.

Tour

A worldwide concert tour began in January 2010.[16]

Tour dates

[16] North America (2010)

[17] New Zealand (2010)

[18] Australia (2010)

Europe (2010)

Asia (2010)

Europe (2010)

North America (2010)

Asia (2010)

North America (2010)

North America (2011)

Broadway

He held a series of concerts, called Harry Connick Jr. in Concert on Broadway, at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway, from July 15 to July 31, 2010.[19] The concerts on July 30 and 31 were filmed live,[20] and aired on PBS on March 2, 2011 for a "Great Performances" special on the concerts.[21] These were also released on video, CD/DVD and album in March 2011, as Harry Connick Jr.: In Concert on Broadway.[22]

Harry Connick Jr. won an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Music Direction for Harry Connick Jr. In Concert on Broadway.[23]

The In Concert on Broadway album is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Track listing

[24][25]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."All the Way
(featuring Branford Marsalis)"  		Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn3:33
2."Just the Way You Are"  Billy Joel3:48
3."Can't Help Falling in Love With You
(featuring Wynton Marsalis)"  		George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore3:15
4."And I Love Her"  Lennon–McCartney3:12
5."(They Long to Be) Close to You
(featuring Leroy Jones)"  		Burt Bacharach, Hal David3:16
6."Bésame Mucho"  Consuelo Velázquez4:11
7."The Way You Look Tonight"  Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields3:45
8."First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"  Ewan MacColl3:23
9."Your Song"  Elton John, Bernie Taupin3:35
10."Some Enchanted Evening"  Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers4:07
11."And I Love You So"  Don McLean3:30
12."Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)"  Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley3:52
13."Smile"  Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons3:11
14."Mona Lisa"  Jay Livingston, Ray Evans3:08

Barnes & Noble Exclusive Version

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Killing Me Softly"  Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel03:24

iTunes

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."All the Way music video"  Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn 

European Editions

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."And I Love Her
(featuring Carla Bruni)"  		Lennon–McCartney 

Japan Edition

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Killing Me Softly"  Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel03:24
16."Who's Sorry Now"  Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby 
17."Answer Me My Love"  Gerhard Winkler, Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman 

Deluxe Limited Edition CD/DVD package

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Who's Sorry Now"  Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby 
16."Answer Me My Love"  Gerhard Winkler, Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman 

Personnel

[14]

Release history

Country Date Label Format
United States August 25, 2009 Columbia Records LP
September 22, 2009 CD, digital download
Canada September 22, 2009 Sony Music
Australia[29] September 25, 2009
United Kingdom[30] October 26, 2009 Columbia Records
Denmark[31] October 26, 2009 Sony Music
France[32][32] October 26, 2009 Columbia, Sony Music
Norway[33] October 26, 2009 Sony Music
Finland[34] October 28, 2009
Netherlands[35] October 28, 2009
Germany[36] October 30, 2009
Japan[37] November 11, 2009 Sony Music Japan CD

Chart positions

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[38] 9
Belgian Wallonia Chart[39] 71
Canadian Albums Chart[40] 11
French Albums Chart [41] 51
Irish Albums Chart [41] 40
New Zealand Top Albums [41] 10
UK Albums Chart[41] 28
U.S. Billboard 200[42] 8
U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums[40] 1

Awards and nominations

Your Songs was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the category Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. This was announced on Wednesday, December 2, 2009. The 52nd Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles.[43] The award went to Michael Bublé for his Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden.

References

  1. ↑ Collar, Matt. Your Songs at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "Billboard CD reviews: Jay-Z, Harry Connick, Pearl Jam". Billboard. Reuters, & Yahoo!7 News. 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  3. ↑ Salvo, Natalie. Your Songs Album Review.
  4. ↑ CD reviews for Oct. 2, 2009, The Advocate, October 2, 2009
  5. 1 2 Harry Connick Jr. – Your Songs, previewnewmusic.com
  6. 1 2 On the Radar: Harry Connick Jr., directcurrentmusic.com, July 27, 2009
  7. 1 2 Harry Connick Jr. Announces New Album Produced by Clive Davis, vintageguitar.com, July 30, 2009
  8. ↑ Radio interview: Harry Connick Jr. Album tracks played (mp3 & download) at JAZZ.FM91
  9. ↑ Harry Connick Jr. "Your Songs" Listening Event With Clive Davis, Getty Images, August 4, 2009
  10. ↑ Harry Connick Jr. "Your Songs" Listening Event With Clive Davis, Wireimage, August 4, 2009
  11. ↑ Music >> All Shows for Harry Connick Jr., Harry Connick Jr.'s Official MySpace site, August 20, 2009
  12. ↑ Idol: Harry Connick Jr., tvtonight.com, September 25, 2009
  13. ↑ (They Long To Be) Close To You: Harry Connick Jr.: MP3 Downloads, Amazon.com
  14. 1 2 Harry Connick Jr. collaborated with Clive Davis on forthcoming album of standards, The Times Picayune, July 30, 2009
  15. ↑ Le duo de Carla et Harry Connick Jr (French), parismatch.com, September 26, 2009
  16. 1 2 "Tour". The Official Harry Connick Jr. Site. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
  17. ↑ Harry Connick Jr to tour NZ, stuff.co.nz, January 21, 2010
  18. ↑ Harry Connick Jr Touring in March, undercover.com.au, January 21, 2010
  19. ↑ , Internet Broadway Database
  20. ↑ Harry Connick Jr. In Concert on Broadway Ends Limited Run July 31, Playbill.com, July 31, 2010
  21. ↑ PBS 'Great Performances' to feature Harry Connick Jr., The Times-Picayune, December 3, 2010
  22. ↑ Harry Connick Jr store, Sony Music
  23. ↑ Primetime Emmy Music Nominations Announced, filmmusicsociety.org, July 14, 2011
  24. ↑ Harry Connick Jr. takes on Elvis and the Beatles, CNN: The Marquee Blog, July 30, 2009
  25. ↑ Your Songs Barnes & Noble Exclusive, AllMusic
  26. ↑ New Harry Connick will be released on vinyl first, blogs.knoxnews.com, July 29, 2009
  27. ↑ His guitar speaks many languages, newsobserver.com, May 8, 2009
  28. ↑ News: Harry Connick Jr. – April 3, 2009, fumosonic.com, August 2, 2009
  29. ↑ Harry Connick Jr is back with a new album "Your Songs", Koffee, September 8, 2009
  30. ↑ Your Songs: Jr. Harry Connick, Amazon.co.uk
  31. ↑ Connick Harry Jr: Your songs (Danish), Sony Columbia France on MySpace
  32. 1 2 Harry Connick Jr – Nouvel album « Your Songs » – Sortie le 26 octobre (French), Sony Columbia France on MySpace
  33. ↑ Kommende utgivelser fra Sony Music (Norwegian), Sony Music Norway
  34. ↑ Sony Music Entertainment Finland – Uudet julkaisut (Finnish, Sony Music Entertainment Finland
  35. ↑ Your Songs, Connick, Harry -Jr-, bol.com
  36. ↑ Your Songs, Harry Jr. Connick, Amazon.de
  37. ↑ Harry Connick Jr – 恋人たちのラブソング (Japanese), sonymusicshop.jp
  38. ↑ Top 50 Albums Chart – australian-charts.com. ARIACharts.com. Retrieved on October 11, 2009.
  39. ↑ Your Songs – Harry Connick Jr., ultratop.be
  40. 1 2 [http://www.billboard.com/artist/Illegal name entered harry connick Jr./harry+connick+Jr./chart Your Songs – Harry Connick Jr.], Billboard
  41. 1 2 3 4 "Harry Connick Jr. – Your Songs – Music Charts". aCharts. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  42. ↑ Pearl Jam tops the albums chart, Entertainment Weekly, September 30, 2009
  43. ↑ Hair, Harry Connick Jr., Liza Minnelli, et al. Nominated for Grammy Awards, theatermania, December 2, 2009
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