Cilla Black
Listen/Download – Cilla Black – It’s For You
Greetings all.
I hope all is well on your end.
The tune I bring you today is something that I grabbed during an impromptu dig a few weeks ago.
Though as a childhood Beatle-nut, I was certainly aware of their Liverpudlian home girl Cilla Black, I can’t say I knew much of her music aside from her hits.
Black, who’s biggest US hit was her 1964 recording of ‘You’re My World’ went far beyond that in the UK where she is the very definition of an ‘institution’, having had a long and successful career as a singer, actress and TV host.
I would not normally have been inclined to grab a Cilla Black 45 in the field (unless it was her epic version of ‘Alfie’), but when I picked up ‘It’s For You’ (a song I’d never heard before) I noticed that it had been written by a couple of lads named Lennon and McCartney, so I threw my dollar on the counter and took it home with me.
When I gave the disc a spin I was pleasantly surprised to hear an unusual, Bacharach/David influenced sounding tune.
I am by no means an expert on non-Beatle Lennon/McCartney compositions, but I have heard enough of them to know that ‘It’s For You’ is unlike most.
I have seen a reference that says that McCartney himself plays the piano on the record, and that he and Lennon modeled the tune after the Bacharach/David tune ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’, with which Black had already had a UK hit.
‘It’s For You’ is a sophisticated, waltz-time number with an unusual melody. Produced by George Martin (who else?) there’s a nice balance between the rhythm section and the strings (subdued) and a vaguely jazzy feel to the whole affair.
As is the case with most of these non-Beatle/Beatle tunes, I try to imagine the song as recorded by the Fabs, and it’s not hard to picture ‘It’s For You’ (in a stripped down version) as one of the darker originals on their early albums.
Nothing earth shattering, but an interesting record to get the week started.
Peace
Larry
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for a New Orleans funk 45.
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Thank you so much for reminding me about this obscure little gem. I used to have it on a compilation LP in the ’70s, but it did a runner and I completely forgot about the tune. I’m not a huge fan of her voice, but this one is different.
if you get the chance check out the version by a group called Springwell from 1971. It’s on a Parrot 45 and is a capella with some 70′s organ thrown into the mix. Three Dog Night covered the arrangement on their live LP (or maybe Springwell covered them; who knows?)
early MacLen tune “Love of the Loved” is also good.
Amazing how Cilla Black had such a low profile in the States especially as she appeared on the Sullivan show
Our Cilla went on to become the highest paid woman on British TV and something of a national treasure with Blind Date.
A longtime favorite of mine from back in the day … I bought the 45 when it came out (the followup to “It’s My World”), and have loved it ever since.
she recorded a lot of duff songs – but if you look hard enough- you’ll find gems like these!