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THE STORIES IN MY MIND
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
I’m a kid in school on the Upper West Side.
I’m not good at sports, though I’ve sort of tried.
If I can, I will sit in the back of the class
where it’s easier to hide.
I get picked on for sure, I can’t make a friend
At the lunch table, I’m alone at the end.
All the songs other kids like seem stupid to me.
Hangin’ out in Twitter is a bore.
Still I get through it all thanks to one thing more.
When I read my books, the world goes away.
I go on adventures, where I find
that I become a hero of the stories in my mind!
I’m riding on the backs of dragons, searching for a wizard’s ring.
Setting out upon a quest, to seek the long forgotten king.
Piloting a hyper spaceship heading for Orion’s Belt.
Fighting off the aliens who want to wear me as a pelt.
Trav’ling forward to the future, empires tremble at my feet.
Talking to computers who think bodies are so obsolete.
I become a hero of the stories in my mind.
Now, my teacher says that I write very well,
which is maybe a way to get out of my shell.
And she knows of a new club for science fiction fans.
I’ve already got some plans.
We can talk about books, we can publish a ‘zine,
we can put up a web site to show what we dream.
We can all be heroes when I find
I can share the stories in my mind.
© 2003 Hallmark Music Co.
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TOO MANY BOOKS!
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
I live in a New York apartment.
Of course, it’s rather small.
The neighbors are nosy, the kitchen is cozy.
I can’t turn around without hitting a wall.
There’s a living room, dining room,
guest room for two.
To be sure, they’re the same room,
but what can you do?
It’s affordable and clean,
I never see any mice.
There’s only one tiny problem
in this urban paradise.
I’ve got too many books.
Too many God damn books!
They block the windows.
The views are gone.
I sleep in the daytime,
read till dawn.
To make room for more books,
I’ll dump the bed.
Put the fridge on the street,
I’ll eat out instead.
I may be a schnook,
but I keep buying
book after book, after book.
I’ve got too many shelves.
Too many shelves with books!
Shelves hit the ceiling,
no drapery,
in my quiet, private
library.
I rappel over shelves
seeking the sink.
Crawl through the aisles
to look for a drink.
I admit I’m a nut,
stuck in a rut,
with a glut
of too many hard-copy books.
Lord of Print,
save me from the tomes in my life.
Grant me the light
to see my own face
when I wash up at night.
Lord of Print,
let me find my bedroom at last.
Help me explore
the path that you clear
to my buried front door.
Ah, but Lord of Print
you know that in spite of it all
when push comes to shove,
as it frequently does,
given the above,
I love having…
Too many books.
Even too many unread books.
My place smells like a musty shop.
There’s no space for me to flop.
Call me demented,
call me obsessive,
anal retentive,
slightly possessive.
But I can’t make myself stop …
collecting all those
too, too, too, too, too many books.
© 2005 Hallmark Music Co.
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IT’S TIME FOR ROSES
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
For a long time, I have been content to live my life alone.
In an orderly existence,
the path of least resistance,
has been the path I like to call my own.
Then I saw her/him at the bookstore
standing next to Schopenhauer.
She/He liked Car Talk, I liked Bartok, as I should.
We had tea, we talked till ten,
sharing thoughts from art to zen.
We made plans to meet as often as we could.
But still, it’s not so easy,
in a life that’s quite complete,
to contemplate a change I haven’t sought.
Surrounded by my books,
crowded into cozy nooks,
it’s not yet time for roses, so I thought.
Now I can’t believe what’s happened,
I’ve become a wretched mess,
full of doubts and odd confusions I don’t need.
Though I find it hard to say,
I admit I’ve lost my way,
I can’t fathom where the road I’ve taken leads.
It can’t be time for roses,
I’m not feeling all that sweet.
Instead I hear the bugle,
that old familiar bugle,
the one that keeps on sounding my retreat.
And yet ...
I look forward to her/his presence,
no, it’s more than that, I fear.
I’ve begun to play the classic love-struck fool.
Paltry words cannot express
what she/he says with one caress ...
I wonder what would happen
if I put aside my pose of deprecating ridicule,
and changed my script to make room for a slightly different cast.
I think it’s time for roses.
I know it’s time for roses, at last.
© 1997 Hallmark Music Co.
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MY LUCKY DAY
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
Finding someone who you love is not an easy job.
So many things are bound to interfere.
Too much work, too little time,
false pretensions, fear of crime.
A longer list with every passing year.
But I’m tired of all the games.
I’m tired of being stuck.
I’m tired of being tired of running out of luck.
I want the dice to roll my way!
Why not today?
Strolling in the park,
on a sunny Sunday,
saw a pretty penny,
near a tree.
As I picked it up,
thought a four-leaf clover,
waved a friendly petal,
right at me.
I got the winning numbers in the lottery.
My dentist said I haven’t got a cavity.
But I’m still missin’ huggin’ an’ kissin,’
So here’s my heartfelt plea:
Please Lady Luck, make a pledge,
to give this lonely guy/gal a little edge,
If ya bring me love, I do allege …
This is gotta be my lucky,
my extra-lucky day!
Now, I don’t believe I’m a person who
you would call superstitious.
Though I can’t complain if the Weekly World News
says “Your stars are propitious.”
And I’m surely not who you might assume
is a New Age fanatic.
But I have a hunch that I’ll soon feel
cautiously ecstatic!
Hit a million points,
playin’ zippy pinball,
caught a falling baby,
as I should.
Found a piece of art
buried in the garbage,
think that it’s a Rembrandt,
knock on wood.
I got a suit/dress at Filene’s Basement, it’s my size.
I got a perfect bowling score, won a prize.
But I’m still missin’ huggin’ an’ kissin,’
Think ya could sympathize?
Please, Lady Luck, make a pledge,
to give this lonely guy/gal a little edge,
If ya bring me love, I do allege …
That this will really be,
my amazingly stupendous,
completely unexpected,
insanely lucky day.
Gotta be my lucky day!
© 1998, revised 2010 Hallmark Music Co.
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SPRINGTIME IN BOSTON
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
In Boston winter has many attractions,
skiing, ice skating and such.
Then there’s shoveling driveways and skidding on highways,
it all gets to be a bit much.
Frankly, as the cold unfolds, here is what I’d say:
nothing becomes winter more
than when you see it melt away.
Springtime in Boston people are lost in
thoughts of a summer fling.
Back Bay is blooming, baseball is booming,
every bird wants to sing.
Temper’tures rising, is it surprising
If there’s romance in the air?
Scullers’ oars dip up and down.
Persephone is back in town.
Winter’s past.
It’s springtime in Boston at last.
I would find it boring if every day were warm
or every time you woke up in the morning,
it was pouring or
sultry heat waves were thought to be the norm.
Well, maybe boring. [spoken]
I’ll take seasons any time
even in a northern clime.
Change is what makes life more exciting.
Being laid back is less inviting.
When crocuses poke out their heads
and robins hop in flower beds,
my step takes on an extra zing
as Boston turns from winter to spring.
Proud Boston Brahmins parade on the Common
make way for ducklings, no doubt.
Beacon Hill matrons, trendy art patrons
dine in the South End on trout.
In spite of all the traffic snarls,
magnolias blossom along the Charles.
It’s springtime in Boston.
Enjoy it ‘cause it goes too fast!
It’s springtime in Boston at last!
© 2004 Hallmark Music Co.
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WHEN YOU SMILE AT ME
Words: Bob Levy
Music: Dennis Livingston
Sometimes I think we live on diff’rent planets,
distant worlds that float alone in space.
But then you bring me down to earth and manage
to melt my heart with just your smiling face.
When you smile at me,
that way you always do.
There suddenly is peace
between my heart and you.
I know we’ll be all right.
A lifetime guarantee.
When you smile the way you smile at me.
When you smile at me,
the winter turns to spring.
I feel like we’re still kids,
pretending we’ve got wings.
We make a brand new start,
defying gravity.
When you smile the way you smile at me.
I say day.
You say night.
Aren’t we a pair?
But we agree to disagree
‘cause we’ve got love enough to share.
When you smile at me,
I’m certain you’re the one.
I want to spend my life,
each day as man and wife.
It’s simple as can be.
When you smile the way you smile at me.
I want to spend my life
each day as man and wife.
When you smile the way you smile at me.
When you smile at me.
© 2010 by Silk River Music & Hallmark Music Company
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WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD FROM YOU?
Words: Bob Levy
Music: Dennis Livingston
Where did you go?
I need to know what happened to our love.
Did you run off to Spain
agonizes my brain?
Is there someone else you’re dreaming of?
Why haven’t I heard from you?
Funny how quickly things change.
One moment you’re here and I’m holding you near,
then you scream that I’m weird and a little deranged!
Why haven’t I heard from you?
Even my emails are blocked.
Are you dead on the floor, on a slab in the morgue?
You don’t answer your door every time I knock, knock, knock.
Tell me once and for all
Why you hang up my calls.
I’ve got roll-over minutes to use.
Why haven’t I heard from you?
I thought you really adored me.
Then we met face to face.
You looked so shocked when you saw me.
That’s Tom Cruise’s picture on my Facebook page!
Why haven’t I heard from you?
Darling I’m really perplexed.
Did my dance in the nude that you viewed on You Tube
seem a teensy bit lewd, like I’m too oversexed?
Why haven’t I heard from you?
Send me a clue where you are.
Are you taking a cruise or a long needed snooze
after drinking cheap booze in a bar in Zanzibar?
I know I’m unique, so I spit when I speak.
Your critique left me weak and confused.
Why haven’t I heard from you?
I searched the places you go to.
You vanished into thin air.
You told my mother I stalked you.
Even my therapist thinks that’s unfair.
Why haven’t I heard from you?
I beg you for just one more chance.
Did you think I would know how ballistic you’d go
when you thought that my bulge was a gun in my pants!
Please don’t say “Stay away,” our love’s lasted six days.
We’ve got wedding announcements to choose!
Oh! [spoken]
You purchased a taser,
did I wear out your pager?
Perhaps I just misconstrued.
I don’t get it, my dear,
why you run when I’m near,
spraying mace from my face to my shoes.
Just admit I’m the one,
even you could have fun,
I’ve got toys and handcuffs to use.
Why haven’t I heard…
Why haven’t I heard…
Why haven’t I heard… from you?
© 2008 by Silk River Music & Hallmark Music Company
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WE’RE JUST BETTER OFF APART
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
All the songs and pulp romances,
movies full of soulful glances,
tell us we will find a special person.
Someone who will fill our days
with laughter, pleasure, all the ways
that signify a love is lasting and true.
Alas, this person isn’t you.
You’re charming and attractive.
We look like quite a pair.
Living in the moment is
enough for an affair.
But we have no future
if I follow my heart.
We’re just better off apart.
This may seem so sudden
but it’s long overdue.
Surely it’s apparent that
I’m needing more from you.
Now I see my close friends
called it right from the start.
We’re just better off apart.
Of course, so many couples
try to work things out.
Sometimes that’s for the best.
But happily ever after
is not what we’re about.
When I ask for a commitment,
you don’t pass the test.
Don’t try to persuade me
to stay with what we’ve got.
I know at this rainbow’s end
I’d find an empty pot.
Farewell and good wishes,
I’m finally being smart.
We’re just better off apart.
©2006 Hallmark Music
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THE PATH TO MY KINGDOM
Words adapted by Dennis Livingston from a text by Polly Ann Reed included on a “spirit” drawing c. 1850 at the Shaker community of New Lebanon, NY
Music by Dennis Livingston
The path to my kingdom is pleasant and sure.
Be faithful my child all trials to endure.
I’ll watch you by day.
I’ll watch you by night.
I’ll make you a star to shine clear and bright.
Step forward, step now
with courage all new.
Thy words are good.
Thy faith is true.
Step forward, step now
with courage all new.
Thy words are good.
Thy faith is true.
The path to my kingdom is pleasant and sure.
Be faithful my child all trials to endure.
I’ll watch you by day.
I’ll watch you by night.
I’ll make you a star to shine clear and bright.
© 2008 Hallmark Music Co.
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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
There were three cats from New Orleans
who climbed up to the moon
on a ladder made of gossamer thread,
hung by a spider who stood on her head,
while listening hard (as best she could)
to the cry of a lonely loon.
The cats they took a pot of tea
and a bag of cinnamon scones,
along with a jar of marmalade,
cloth designed with fine brocade,
a knife, a spoon, a sugar cube,
and a pair of dried up bones.
When they arrived, they all set out
to see what they could see.
Leaping, pouncing, twisting, twirling,
suddenly still, then suddenly whirling,
having a party is oodles of fun
if there isn’t much gravity.
Proceeding this way, it didn’t take long
to enter a cratery gloom.
A great many things of varying size
appeared before their dazzled eyes.
They couldn’t believe it and started to laugh
on the other side of the moon.
They could see
a thousan’ toy boats torn loose from their docks,
a million stray sheep too far from their flocks,
a billion sad keys all missing their locks,
a trillion or so mismatched dirty socks.
Tattered teddy bears that once were so loved
‘till into a corner they were carelessly shoved.
Buttons and ribbons and earrings galore
that had fallen through the cracks in many a floor.
Pencils and paper clips in countless array,
tons of rusty fishing hooks from the Bay of Biscay.
Plenty of homework that never went to school
‘cause it fell off the table, rolled under a stool.
All had disappeared without any trace.
So it was thought, Your Honor, Your Grace.
But now the cats had found the place
where the many lost things of the human race
must make their way through outer space
to the other side of the moon.
Those daring three cats from New Orleans
danced on through the long lunar night.
They drank their tea and nibbled their scones
while rhythmic’ly banging the dried up bones.
One played with the bears, one chased the sheep
and one leapt away from a meteorite.
Till by and by, they felt themselves
begin to stretch and yawn.
It was time to go home, as good cats do,
before the crack of dawn.
They scampered back down to dear old Earth
on the ladder made of gossamer thread,
hung by a spider who stood on her head.
They were more than ready to go to bed.
So they softly crept, with nary a sound,
to the darkness of their room,
lapped their milk from a golden spoon,
far from the cry of the lonely loon,
purring with plans for returning quite soon ...
to the other side of the moon!
© 1998, revised 2010 Hallmark Music Co.
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I’M SEEING MY CHILDREN FOR CHRISTMAS
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
Fragile balls all wrapped in tinsel,
strings of tangled, colored lights.
Silver angels, rocking horses,
things I love to see.
Candy canes and one stray gnome,
brought out from their closet home.
Soon my kids will hang them on the tree.
I’m picking up my children at the airport tomorrow.
They visit me for two weeks at Christmas time each year.
I wish they didn’t have to live so far away,
but then they do.
I wish I could be more than Father Christmas/Missus Santa
for a week or two,
following the plan that mandates
how long they’re allowed to leave their Mom/Dad
and travel here.
But that’s what we worked out:
my ex-wife and her lawyer,
my lawyer and myself,
the judge, the mediator too,
with much advice from
friends and our relations,
the neighbors and our shrinks,
even someone at the Bronx Zoo.
Everyone was patient and sincere.
I’m seeing my children for Christmas.
In a week on Christmas Eve,
I’ll make a special dinner.
I hope I can remember
not to burn the roast.
My mother will be coming,
with her second husband.
I think he’ll want to bring his
daughter from the coast.
Of course, my brother must be here,
with his charming boyfriend.
We’ll talk about the B and B
they opened in the South End.
When it’s dark, we’ll take a drive
just to look at houses,
hung with rows of blinking lights
and some boughs of mistletoe.
Back at home I’ll get my kids
ready for their bedtime.
They like to hear me read an Oz book.
I hope we’ll have more snow.
I’m picking up my children at the airport tomorrow.
They visit me for two weeks at Christmas time each year.
Although the world seems deranged
and my family has changed
in ways I scarcely dared to contemplate before,
my love for them will outlast
any problems from the past.
What matters most is that they’re coming back once more.
I’m seeing my children for Christmas.
© 1999 Hallmark Music Co.
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EVERY TIME I LOOK AT YOU, I FALL IN LOVE AGAIN
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
Every time I look at you,
I fall in love again,
like the first night we went walking
on the banks along the Seine.
I know that sounds exactly like
a greeting card cliche,
but it’s simply how I feel day by day.
Of course, it hasn’t all been perfect through the years,
we’ve had our share of petty arguments and angry tears.
But in the end, you help me understand
that love does not endure all by itself,
we have to work to make a marriage turn out right.
I’ve got to give my full attention,
listen to your needs.
I know you take your coffee black,
you know I buy spring seeds.
You share the burdens that I bear
which no one else can hear.
I do my best to further your career.
Of course, for true romance, there’s nothing that can beat
just having Paris at our feet,
but when we come back home
and married life begins again,
I find that courtship never ends.
We do the boring little chores
that knit our lives in subtle ways.
These are lessons that I’ve learned
to take into my heart,
always trying to remember well that
loving is an art.
As long as I have all my strength to live
I’ll say with surprise now and then:
Every time I look at you,
I fall in love again.
© 1999 Hallmark Music Co
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AN ORDINARY DAY
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
The early morning’s mist
enfolds a blade of grass.
Three joggers huff around the pond
as students rush to class.
The hum of passing cars.
The flutter of a wing.
A child’s laughter tumbles down
from high up on a swing.
The fabric of an ordinary day.
The café up the street
puts tables out for lunch.
Some tickets for the lottery
await a player’s hunch.
Two boys out after school,
ride skateboards down a ramp.
A girl in a department store
demands a goose neck lamp.
The making of an ordinary day.
The only life we’re given is the one we now enjoy.
But we get so distracted by the things that can destroy
any sense of the miracles that are so rife,
the commonplace miracles
of everyday life.
People watch the sunset putting on
a first rate picture show,
while a bossa nova beat blares out
from a woman’s radio.
Dusk … commuters pack the trains.
Light … shines out from windowpanes.
A bed and food in a place called home.
A friend talking on the phone.
Clothes in disarray.
One star reflects in the evening sky
the flash of a firefly.
Twilight fades away.
May all the world
be able to receive
the extraordinary gift of an
absolutely ordinary day.
©2001 Hallmark Music Co.
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PUTTIN’ ON SOME FEATHERS
Words & Music by Dennis Livingston
When times have left you troubled.
If sorrow strikes.
Tell yourself a different story.
Maybe things will turn around.
Searchin’ out a new path.
Lookin’ for a way.
Set off to the unknown
of a newborn day.
Farewell false assumptions.
Fears that hold you back.
If a headwind stops your voyage,
take another tack.
You gotta be:
Puttin’ on some feathers.
Tryin’ out some wings.
You never know at nighttime
what tomorrow brings.
Everything is changin.’
Gotta move along.
Whatever you encounter.
Life will still go on.
Plannin’ for the future.
Reach for help you need.
Always with the knowledge
nothin’s guaranteed.
Sometimes you will stumble.
Sometimes you will fall.
Rise up and go forward
it’s your story after all.
Oh yeah. [start at the same time other voices in next chorus do "Puttin' on some feathers", holding "yeah through "wings"]
You gotta be:
Puttin’ on some feathers.
Tryin’ out some wings.
You never know at nighttime
what tomorrow brings.
Everything is changin.’
Gotta move along.
Whatever you encounter.
Life will still go on.
You gotta be:
Puttin’ on some feathers.
Tryin’ out some wings.
You never know at nighttime
what tomorrow brings.
Everything is changin.’
Gotta move along.
Whatever you encounter.
Life will still go on.
Whatever you encounter.
Life will still go on.
© 2012 Hallmark Music Co.
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ABOUT THIS ALBUM
THE STORIES IN MY MIND presents the cabaret and jazz songs of Boston composer-lyricist Dennis Livingston, recorded live at a revue in New York’s Metropolitan Room. Performers included prominent cabaret vocalists Julie Reyburn, Scott Coulter (Director), Kenneth Gartman (Music Director/Pianist), Christina Connors and Alex Goley, along with Matt Scharfglass on bass and guitar.
The CD retains the order in which songs appeared in the show, where the director selected pieces that could be woven into a simple storyline about the evolution of relationships between two couples, framed by the opening and closing numbers devoted to the importance of stories in our lives.
One sequence runs from the romance that blossoms between a guy with “Too Many Books!” (Scott) who meets Julie in a bookstore in “It’s Time For Roses,” leading to a marriage proposal in “When You Smile At Me,” putting the children to bed with “The Other Side Of The Moon,” ending in the prospects for Scott of new family arrangements after a divorce in “I’m Seeing My Children For Christmas.”
A second sequence follows another couple (Christina and Alex) who meet in a park in “My Lucky Day,” segueing to Alex and his friends talking about life in Boston, then Alex’s frustrated attempts to get in touch with Christina more often in “Why Haven’t I Heard From You?”, to the breakup that occurs in “We’re Just Better Off Apart.” In time, Christina establishes a more long-lasting relationship with Kenneth, expressed in “Every Time I Look At You, I Fall In Love Again” and “The Path To My Kingdom,” a lullaby for their child.
Videos of this production can be seen at
www.youtube.com/user/denislivingstonsongs
Lyrics to each song are included at each respective individual song page.
Piano-vocal sheet music in PDF format is available by request, at no cost, for any song from dennis@dennislivingston.com.
For further information:
Website:
www.dennislivingston.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/dennislivingstonsongwriter
Email:
dennis@dennislivingston.com
TRACK SINGERS, DESCRIPTIONS & INDIVIDUAL VIDEOS
1. The Stories In My Mind: Kenneth Gartman & Company
All kids imagine themselves having adventures, but making up stories in your mind can be a survival tactic if you’re particularly shy and bookish – until you discover others with whom to share your tales.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/PQ72fY1xi-4
2. Too Many Books!: Company
An uptempo, jazzy comic number about the perils of collecting more books than can be crammed into too small a living space; the chorus veers into opera parody.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/iImRcTuagKM
3. It’s Time For Roses: Julie Reyburn
A lyrical, sensuous ballad narrated from the point of view of a shy, bookish individual, finally driven to make a commitment – almost in spite of him or herself - to someone who cannot be lost.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/p-_SfVmXVPs
4. My Lucky Day: Alex Goley
An upbeat comic, patter song about a person who wonders just how lucky he or she has to be to meet someone special. An increasingly bizarre series of circumstances points the way.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/RV3lVSAvRpI
5. Springtime In Boston: Kenneth Gartman, Scott Coulter, Alex Goley
Boston gets a musical tribute in this song set to uptempo Latin rhythms and witty local references about why it’s worth enduring winter for a short, but glorious, spring.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/1217gpptIs8
6. When You Smile At Me: Julie Reyburn, Scott Coulter
Lyrics by Bob Levy
In this sweet and simple rumba, one person in a couple proposes marriage, in effect, to the other over the course of the song
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/3T21J41j1ss
7. Why Haven’t I Heard From You?: Alex Goley
Lyrics by Bob Levy
A dark tango about problems of modern communications. So many ways to get in touch – but what if the person on the other end doesn’t want your attention?
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/eMHrgHTmq24
8. We’re Just Better Off Apart: Christina Connors
A classic blues number that applies a contemporary bite to dealing with an affair that’s reached a dead end.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/WzzlspqYV8o
9. The Path To My Kingdom: Christina Connors, Kenneth Gartman
Lyrics adapted from words placed on a 19th century Shaker “spirit” drawing are set to a lilting, hymn-like original melody treated here as a lullaby.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/pvtchJutRNI
10. The Other Side Of The Moon: Julie Reyburn
A sly children’s bedtime story, set to a marching beat and bossa nova chorus, about three cats who climb up a spider’s web to have a picnic on the side of the moon we never see, where they find a grand surprise.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/4DgmLEpuuS4
11. I’m Seeing My Children For Christmas: Scott Coulter
Midtempo storysong about a divorced parent at Christmas time - funny, sad, serious and nothing but the truth about what goes in many "blended" families during the holidays.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/OWm3s-Caxt0
12. Every Time I Look At You, I Fall In Love Again: Christina Connors
An uptempo, knowing love song presented from the perspective of a married man or woman about what it really takes to make a long-term relationship of any genders work over the years.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/IhiQxK9wmp0
13. An Ordinary Day: Company
Written in response to 9/11, the song is a reminder of the commonplace miracles of everyday life that we habitually take for granted in the expectation that each day will be “ordinary” – until it isn’t.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/5Bf4yFtRMMM
14. Puttin’ On Some Feathers: Company
A soaring gospel song about the need to make your life anew when challenged by a world of rapid and often devastating change. You never know what tomorrow will bring.
Watch a performance of this song from the original Stories revue at
youtu.be/nBFneCmBgF4
DENNIS LIVINGSTON BIO
Rooted in the sophisticated lyrics and story-telling tradition of American Songbook standards, my songs are known for their clever rhymes, theatrical flare, vivid imagery and singable melodies. A touch of the blues here, a deeply felt ballad there, the sudden breakout of a samba or tango, a chorus that echoes the 19th century art song – you never know what’s around the corner in these musical tales of life in our time.
My work has been performed by leading cabaret and jazz singers throughout the country and abroad, as well as in showcases held by ASCAP, the American Popular Song Society, Theater Resources Unlimited, the Washington, DC, Cabaret Network and the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists. Commercial albums that have featured by songs include releases by Chris Coleman (IT’S TIME FOR ROSES), Lua Hadar (IT’S ABOUT TIME), Dane Vannatter (ME & MY BEST FRIENDS: THE SONGS OF BOB LEVY), Robyn Spangler (ON A LIQUID AFTERNOON) and Nancy Stearns (A WISH).
In addition to my songwriting, I currently perform on flute with The Alchemists, a group of Boston-area jazz musicians devoted to the art of improvised music. We released our first CD, Potions, in 2015, available at Bandcamp -
thealchemists1.bandcamp.com.
released November 13, 2016
Producer: Dennis Livingston
First performed at the Metropolitan Room, New York, NY
Ensemble vocal arrangements: Scott Coulter & Kenneth Gartman
Recording: Jean-Pierre Perraux
Mixing & mastering: Doug Hammer, Dreamworld Productions, Lynn, MA
Graphic Design: Hector Coris
Photographs: Karen Moss
