Being With You

Smokey Robinson's "Being With You" spent five weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart during the Spring of 1981 and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, his highest charting solo hit on the pop charts. The song was a number one hit in the UK for two weeks in June 1981, becoming Robinson's second UK #1 single and his first as a solo artist. It would mark his last appearance at the top of the UK Singles Chart.

Tortured Soloist

It's another delightful love song where the poor tenor is tortured about his love for a woman who probably isn't worth it. Nothing like a little drama to make a hit song! This allowed a few openings for the patter to take a slightly different perspective than the tortured soloist, but I avoided going so far as to break the drama entirely.

A Simple Variation

You'll see below I pass the patter back and forth between sections that alternate singing "oo" or "ah". This creates a lovely continuity suggestive of strings while the movement of the line between voice parts adds variation and interest. then all parts join to emphasize the concluding thought of each verse:

Closing Shop For Now

It has been a great project these last 6 months arranging a song a week. Now I got to put it aside and devote myself to my day job, prepare for the trip to sing in Cuba, and kick back a little to enjoy summer. There may be a few more songs over the next few months, but not at the weekly pace. I potted the tomato plants for the deck and mulched the strawberry patch. The sailing club opens next week.

Setting this goal for myself was quite productive. Each week the list grew and grew. Like a lot of things in this world, it was a series of tiny steps: a measure or two at a time, an idea that hits you at the gym solves a problem and suddenly a song lurches forward towards completion. The weeks go by, and by Friday sometimes the weeks' song is finished and sometimes you're just getting started. But by Sunday night, it has to be finished, so make it happen and eventually the songs just start stacking up.

And here is the stack of work since November:

A Groovy Kind of Love

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing

Ain't That Peculiar?

Baby, I Need Your Lovin'

Being With You

Blue Bayou

Botch-A-Me

Cruisin'

Gypsy Woman

Hit the Road, Jack

I Can't Get Next To You

Love Hurts

Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

Nowhere To Run

People Get Ready

Shahdaroba

Talking About My Baby

That's the Way Love Is

There Is Nothin' Like a Dame

Tracks of My Tears

Unchain My Heart

Wild Ox Moan

You Are Everything

You Don't Know Me

You're All I Need to Get By

These are all men's a cappella with the exception of "Botch-A-Me", which is SATB with jazz band. That piece is my third commission for Polymnia Choral Society and will be premiered in their final concert of the 2010 season.

I will be happy to send samples to anyone who wants to consider one of these for their ensemble. Just drop me a note.

Bob