Developing the song list for Young At Heart turned out to be a lot of fun. While I wanted to include songs that were connected to children, I also wanted to make sure the album didn’t devolve into just “Three Blind Mice” and “Row Row Row Your Boat”. This was to be a collection of songs that both children and adults would enjoy – songs that were both fun to sing and listen to, and occasionally have a little something to say.
I couldn’t think of a better way to start the album than with Never Never Land, which was written by Comden and Green and Jule Styne for the 1954 musical Peter Pan. High Hopes was a big hit for Frank Sinatra in 1959, and The Ugly Duckling comes from the movie Hans Christian Anderson, where it was performed so wonderfully by Danny Kaye. These are what my mother would probably refer to as “teaching songs”, as they come with a message for us all.
Pure Imagination by Bricusse and Newley is undoubtedly the most famous song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. While I have sung this previously in concert, I was excited to develop a new arrangement for this album that I hope reflects some of the wonder and mystery of the original. I Whistle a Happy Tune helps open Rogers and Hammerstein’s wonderful The King and I, and “A” – You’re Adorable is, well, just an adorable piece that has been performed by Perry Como, Dean Martin – and even by the characters on Sesame Street.
Hushabye Mountain seems to be an almost forgotten classic by the Sherman brothers, written for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I remember watching the movie as a child, and being mesmerized by the song – easily my strongest memory of the movie. And New Words, Maury Yeston’s gem from In the Beginning, made such an impression on me that I always saw it as part of this album.
Swinging On A Star, from the 1944 film Going My Way, actually originated from a dinner conversation Bing Crosby had with his young son Gary, who didn’t want to go to school the next day. The singer turned to his son and said “If you don’t go to school, you may grow up to be a mule.” Songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen was at the meal, felt that this was a delightful idea for a song in the film, and an Oscar winner was born.
Not While I’m Around comes from Stephen Sondheim’s incomparable Sweeny Todd, and so eloquently captures what every parent at some point has thought or said to their children. I was recently reintroduced to I’m Going to Go Back There Someday while watching The Muppet Movie – I had forgotten how powerful this Paul Williams piece is, and quickly added it to the song list. And after taking this journey through Never Never Land, Young At Heart seemed an appropriate cap to the album.
Each of these songs holds special meaning for me, and I hope you enjoy exploring this collection – both songs you may know, as well as a few which may be new to you.
Young At Heart will be available September 12, 2024 on Apple Music, Spotify, and all major streaming services. You can pre-save the album today on Spotify and Apple Music.