Accentuate the Positive
Posted November 18, 2009 by
Morning Show Crew 
Comments(23)
Comments(23) 
The great American lyricist Johnny Mercer penned thousands of popular songs in the 1930’s-50’s that are still popular today. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of his birth, we’re playing your favorite Mercer songs!
Old cowhand from rio grand. . . And one from my birth year 1953 satin doll. love the show
Dylan last night was quite simply one of the best Dylan shows I’ve seen in my 8 years of seeing Dylan! If not number 1, it was certainly number 2.
He did a great mix of older songs (A Hard Rains Gonna Fall, John Brown, Highway 61, Baby Blue, Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues, Rolling Stone, etc.) and newer songs (Ain’t Talking, Po’ Boy, Jolene, If You Ever Go To Houston, Beyond Here Lies Nothing, Summer Days, etc).
And the band was just amazing; Summer Days and Highway 61 featured extended jams that almost left me breathless.
Great opening set by Dion as well, with a lot of early rock and roll songs being played, including of course, The Wanderer and Run Around Sue!
P.S. Have you seen the new Christmas video? It is delightful!
P.P.S. Johnny Mercer songs, eh? Did he write Fly Me To The Moon…i love Sinatra’s live version!
Where else can you tune in an alternative rock station and hear a tribute to Johnny Mercer? Nowhere but FUV!
Thanks for always being interesting. I have two suggestions, one very new and one very old;
Old: Johnny and Margaret Whiting singing “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
New: Los Lobos doing “Zip A Dee Do Dah.”
Just shows you how timeless Johnny Mercer is.
I’ll be in Court today so I won’t hear this, but I’ll check back on the blog.
Thanks for the fun
How do you expect us to pick a favorite, Claudia??!!!! It’s like turning a kid loose in a candy store!
Well, after some thought, I’ll suggest “Skylark” – k.d. lang version
and of course, gotta have “Frankie” in there – Frank Sinatra version of “Come Rain or
Come Shine” and/or “That Old Black Magic.”
and how can we forget Ella? Ella Fitzgerald – Blues in the Night
I better stop here!
My brain’s in overdrive now, thanks to you! Gotta work!
What an opportunity to slip in an artist who shows up rarely on ‘FUV but is always welcomed by your listeners! I leave the choice up to you, but please play either “Summer Wind” or “One For My Baby (and One More For the Road)” by Frank Sinatra.
… but if you settle on Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, I won’t be disappointed.
Thanks.
Margaret Whiting does to my mind the classic interpretation of “Blues in the Night”.
I’d like to hear Judy Garland singing “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home.” Mercer wrote the lyrics to a Harold Arlen melody. Great song!
Johnny Mercer was a true American original and his originality really shows in one of my favorite JM songs– I’m An Old Cow Hand From The Rio Grande–the melody is great but the witty lyrics really sparkle. The best version is by Dan Hicks & His Hot lLcks from Last Train To Hicksville, but Nickel Creek do it justice too.
Moon River!!! It’s always been my favorite song… : )
“Too Marvelous for Words” by Ella Fitzgerald
“P.S. I Love You” by Nellie Mckay or Bette Midler
“Jeepers Creepers” by Frank Sinatra
Johnny Mercer songs/tunes – Where do you START? Where do you END?!
WOW!
‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ (Globe Trotters Theme Song)
‘Moon River’ (Andy Williams – Is there anyone else?!)
‘That Old Black Magic’
‘Laura’ (Theme from the Movie)
‘Jeepers Creepers’
‘Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive’
AND –
‘One For My Baby (and One More For The Road)’ (Frank Sinatra – (There is NOBODY else!!!!)
I heard “How Little We Know” done by Nat King Cole this weekend — what a
great Mercer song, and what a great rendition. The other that’s great is
Lauren Bacall’s version in “To Have and Have Not” – my favorite Bogey film.
I’m sure anything you play of his will be great — I think there may be a
song or two on “Red, Hot and Blue” as well.
Thanks –
I love the Van Morrison / Georgie Fame version of “Blues in the Night” from their CD “How long has this been going on?”
Couple of favorites:
Dina Washington And I Thought About You
And
Frank Sinatra One More For My Baby
Too many songs to choose from….
I think on this one you have to stick to the people who sang his songs better than anyone…
My vote..
Ella (singing any of them) but one of my favs is Somethings Gotta Give…..(My oh my what a song what a voice )
Nat King Cole..Autumn Leaves….(the perfect song for a beautiful Autumn Day….(those lyrics are just beautiful,who writes songs like that anymore….As much as I love new music there is nothing like an old classic love song )
You should be playing thise songs all day ..maybe you should play 100 Johnny Mercer songs….what fun that would be…
Since seeing the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s as a child I’ve loved the song Moon River. I would love to hear the Audrey Hepburn version.
My top 3 with preferred artists
That Old Black Magic – Nancy Lamott (CD: “Come Rain Or Come Shine: The Songs Of Johnny Mercer” a great CD)
Moon River – as sung by Audrey Hepburn in the movie – on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNcZx2G9ifw&feature=related (or Nancy Lamott- see above)
Autumn Leaves (Eva Cassidy, even though Eva blew the lyrics a bit repeating “falling Leaves” in the second line; or Nancy Lamott; or Frank Sinatra)
a friend suggested we play “Laura” by johnny mercer at our wedding last month because my wife’s name is laura. i’ve never heard it, so if you could play that for me, that would be great.
tried to get this guilty pleasure on once before for an
autumnal theme- looking out the window, just gotta hear it: “WHEN
OCTOBER GOES”-Barry Manilow (written – before 1976?- with Johnny
Mercer?)….absolutely love the tune (off: 2AM Paradise Cafe or the
Ultimate Manilow album)….& have a good day!
Mercer, mercer me. So many to choose from!
“Accentuate the Positive”- Aretha Franklin
“Hit the Road to Dreamlamd”- Dr. John
“I’m Old-Fashioned”- Blossom Dearie
“Laura”- Carly Simon
“Skylark”- KD Lang
What a tough decision…..I LOVE Johnny Mercer’s song book.
How about Ella singing Ach-sentuate the positive.
Or better yet Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer dueting on “My cuties due at two to two”from the two of a kind album. Post ww2 optimism meets early sixties cool.
I Remember You – Bjork
One of my all time favorite songs to sing to my wife is Summer Wind – a “tradition” I carried on after listening to my dad do the same for my mom for so many years. My wife thinks I’m nuts – but it’s her I’m nuts about :)