Maps of Music

Your Songs (2009)

Where the lyrics of Your Songs take you, and where it was really made.

Your Songs was first issued as a limited edition double vinyl LP in the United States, and the CD followed about four weeks later.

Key places

Main recording site in Hollywood (2009)

Recording site Capitol Studios — The album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood. The studio is listed as the main recording location for Your Songs. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Additional recording in New Orleans (2009)

Recording site Mobile studio, 1305 Soniat Street — Some additional recording for the album took place at The Music Shed in New Orleans. The point is placed at city-center level, not at the building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Your Songs: studio album by American jazz singer Harry Connick Jr.
• Released by Columbia; first in the United States as a limited edition double vinyl LP on 25 August 2009
• CD release followed on 22 September 2009
• Built from classic, familiar songs, chosen mostly by producer Clive Davis
• Davis aimed for songs that sounded as contemporary as possible

Background

• Davis expressed interest in working with Connick
• Connick first planned to bring in a famous arranger; Davis suggested Connick do the arrangements himself
• "Bésame Mucho" was suggested by Connick's father, Harry Connick Sr., a former district attorney for the Parish of Orleans
• Father and son had sung a duet on the 1998 album New Orleans...My Home Town
• Branford and Wynton Marsalis contribute; both are multiple Grammy winners and childhood friends of Connick
• Trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and guitarist Bryan Sutton also play on the album

Recording

• Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood
• Additional recording at The Music Shed, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Mixed at Macneck Inferno; mastered at Universal Mastering Studios, New York
• In September 2009 Connick recorded a duet with French First Lady Carla Bruni in Paris
• The duet is a French and Italian version of "And I love her" and appears as a bonus track on European editions

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Artist

Early life

• Born September 11, 1967 in New Orleans; raised in the Lakeview neighborhood.
• Began learning keyboards at age three, performed publicly at five, and recorded with a local jazz band at ten.
• At nine performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.
• Developed his talent at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts under Ellis Marsalis Jr. and James Booker.
• Moved to New York, studied at Hunter College and the Manhattan School of Music, and signed with Columbia Records.

Career

• Score for When Harry Met Sally... (1989) brought his first Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance; a second followed for We Are in Love (1990).
• Acted in Memphis Belle (1990), Copycat (1995), Independence Day (1996), Hope Floats (1998), and The Iron Giant (1999, voice).
• Starred as Leo Markus on NBC's Will & Grace from 2002 to 2006.
• Only You (2004) reached No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 6 in Britain.
• Hosted the daytime talk show Harry from 2016 to 2018.
• Recorded Cole Porter reinterpretations in 2019 and Alone with My Faith in 2021, earning his 16th Grammy nomination.
• Sold over 30 million albums worldwide as of 2019; won three Grammys and two Emmys.

Reception

At release

• 4 August 2009: album listening party in New York City, hosted by Sony Music chief creative executive Clive Davis
• Guests included Alan Cumming, Bernadette Peters, Brian Williams, Kelli O'Hara, Rachael Ray, Mario Cantone, Rosie Perez and David Hyde Pierce
• Public listening events held 24–30 August 2009; Connick did not attend the exclusive vinyl listening events
• Lead single "(They Long to Be) Close to You" released exclusively on Amazon.com on 25 August 2009
• 25 September 2009: TV appearance on Oprah
• 28 September 2009: Today; 29 September: The View; 30 September: Late Show with David Letterman

Records

• As of 2013, the album sold 396,000 copies in the United States
• Nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
• Nomination announced on Wednesday, 2 December 2009
• 52nd Grammy Awards held 31 January 2010 in Los Angeles; the award went to Michael Bublé for Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The song "Smile" was dedicated to a girl named Nicola, who attended one of Connick's shows in Paris with her mother several years earlier.
• Connick took the seven-year-old Nicola on a tour of Paris, and they stood under the Eiffel Tower; she was blind but knew where she was.
• "Bésame Mucho" was suggested by Connick's father, Harry Connick Sr.
• The Carla Bruni duet was released as a bonus track on European editions of Your Songs.
• The album's Grammy nomination was announced in December 2009, and the 52nd Grammy Awards went to Michael Bublé.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact