No one but no one could make a ballad pierce your soul like Ms Horn. Her phrasing is exquisite. She moves me in ways that no other singer ever has. This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Ms Horn of course, does it justice. A masterpiece.
I have this cd and I love every track on it. Rich and lush. Several of my favorite singers have tried to, but, just can't match Ms Horn or her special touch.
You are so right, "Urana" -- It escapes me why she wasn't better known, though she was better known on the east coast than the west where I'm from. I found her after she was gone, but RIP, Shirley, wherever you are -- we love you! (As a musician, I appreciate her soft, subdued, extreme talent and furthermore, she always looks as if she's enjoying herself!) Bravo, SH!
You can say that again, "Urana" -- a beautiful lady, in every way, on this number, she had just had foot surgery so wasn't playing the piano, in a way it is extraordinary to watch this, such a gifted talent, I never tire of her.
"Here's To Life" is a Masterpiece. Produced and arranged by the brilliant Johnny Mandel. One of my all time favorite recordings. :-))) Nobody sings this better than Shirley.
+michaelmachine Nobody...this is my favorite song by her... the orchestration is awesome. You will find our simple country folk version of it here on RU-vid my niece Sonia Harrison and my self Bobby Gonzales from Seguin, Texas.
I would have NEVER thought of this as a funeral song, but, it is a lesson for those left behind, to enjoy life and that's what I'm sure your grandma wanted for you!
Other singers who sing this ballad sound as if they really have to work hard to interpret this difficult song. Shirley Horn just sits there and sings her heart in the most effortless and elegant way. She's supremely talented. She knows exactly how to do a slow ballad like this one. Joe Williams with George Shearing version is marvellous but I listen to Shirley for her emotional honesty and sensibility.
I saw one of her last performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2005. She was in a wheelchair but still wonderful! She is missed dearly!
I am a devout Sarah Vaughan fan. But I heard this on a local jazz station last night and just had to look it up so I could hear it again. Perfect blend of music, vocals, and expression. Another great performance that has inspired me!
Shirley Horn was one of those rare singers who could bring lyrics to life. Here, she emotes ev’ry emotion of the lyrics with her intonation and inflection and pauses. I miss you, Ms. Horn. Here’s to life, here’s to you…wherever you are ❤️
OH this song...I was at my neighbor's memorial service last night and this song was on when I started my drive home. Here's to Life, because we never know when our time is up. Enjoy every day.
This Song, Here's To Life, is one of my All Time Favorites. The very first time I heard this song years ago I had to pull off the highway just to listen. I got the pleasure to see Shirley Horn perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Magnificent. I miss her too.
I was very ballsy and very lucky to sit with Ms. Horne when she was having dinner between sets at Jazz Alley in Seattle, back when anybody could sit down without being escorted away. She told me she had been a single mom and stopped singing until start singing until her daughter was grown. And here she was performing on the road, around this time frame. I was also a teacher and single mom and aspiring singer. She was very kind to share with me.
This song, "Here's to Life" was Shirley's signature song. BEAUTIFUL!! She is such a super-star, a treasure, and with the Boston Pops -- you can't get much better than this! Extraordinary! As a musician myself, I don't know why I didn't know about her earlier in my life, I guess because I'm West Coast and she was mostly East Coast and the world. She has a voice like NO OTHER! I'm completely infatuated with her! Great musician and gifted talent, that's for certain. "Here's to Life" must be one of the most beautiful songs ever, b/c the lyrics are so up-lifting, and Shirley sings it like no other can! I've never heard this song before, so I listened to others sing it; I'd say it belongs to Shirley! And we understand she was a great lady and beautiful person also.
Some you mentioned can almost equal Shirley, but definitely NOT all! Each for different reasons, but Shirley can top most of them, of those, Ella, Peggy, Nancy, Julie are great, Astrud is, but had few songs, Blossom is unusual unto herself, Sarah on some songs but not all, Etta James had the audience but not the voice unlike Etta Jones, who was clouded by Etta James but was the better singer, forget the rest, except maybe on ONE of their better songs. Anita O'Day has a voice, but DON'T watch her sing, that head-shaking is bad and distractive. A few of these women would have been better off without their drugs! I listened to Eartha Kitt sing this, she doesn't hold a candle to Shirley! Shirley Bassey's version is very nice, but doesn't equal Shirley's. This is, simply, Shirley Horn's song, and was her signature song, with reason!
Parents , introduce your children to music of yesterday, they'll be richer for the experience. This song by Shirley Horn and Joe Williams I would like to recommend.
Oh do I second that, Allan C.! Today's children NEED to hear good music like this, NOT what is out there today, which isn't really music, but screaming noise with a beat! Thank you for providing this for us, "Billylovesjazz!"
I love when a "live" performance is as good as the studio version. Shows what a true artist Shirley Horn was and what a great conductor John Williams was. A true collaboration of great musical talents. Not to mention the fact that this is a terrific song, well written and orchestrated.
That’s one of my favorite songs in the universe and each time she sings it, I cry. I sang it at my best friend’s funeral. Shirley Horn sings it so beautifully.
been listening to this swan album since the mid 90's....you know something? with each passing year, something happens...or doesn't happen... that places me back in front of shirley as a reminder to hope for the best. here i am once again. thank you Lady. "may all your storms be weathered and all that's good get better..."
I have listened to other renditions of this song, but the only one that inevitably brings tears to my eyes is Shirley Horn's. The quintessence of feeling in singing.
That french horn solo with the mordant up to high concert G - - gets my every time. Johnny Mandel arrangement. Rockin' arrangement, rockin' players on it. And John Williams conducting!! Bravo to all! Shirley Horn and this song got me through some rough times.
This truly is a hidden masterpiece that I feel never got mainstream? I've been around this kind of music my whole life and until last year, never knew this beautiful recording existed. I agree with the others that no one sings this like Shirley, No One. This is my theme song of Life and I listen to it daily....
Ah life!! I received the "best" of everything so far!! I am certain i have not seen the truly "best" that is waiting for me! My three children are the "best" I have experienced in my 81 years!!!
Wow, my father was a great jazz artist and I thought I heard all the great artist of that generation but never hearing her until a year ago? I'm taken away by her song, "Here's to Life" my favorite all time version of a great song.. We all relate to the words and her Voice just magnifies its beauty!! Wow...
"Here's to Life" a kind of pharmakon, a real balm in her voice that I learned to admire over the years. Shirley Horn and the magnificent song, lyric 'poetry' of stunning simplicity.
So cinematic. A story told, the listener allowed it peer into the life of the singer but for a moment. My absolute favorite song and arrangement, ever!
...Some words, if I may, regarding a singularly unique Human Being...This piece of music, from any reasonable perspective, is perfect...There are times when humans attain perfection...not often...This is certainly one of those lovely times...The lyrics and arrangement can leave one breathless...Then the voice of this majestic lady reaches you...As if an angel had walked into the room...The voice calms, awakens, suggests, comforts and gives hope...She excudes the experience of Life...One can intuitively sense that she has had her share (if there is such a partitution) of happiness, sadness, joy, misery and enchantment...Simply from this aspect, the ear, heart and mind reach out to her voice...My respect knows no limit...I readily admit my sadness in her absence...Yet...Her voice remains...What she would be doing today is only speculation...Nevertheless...It would, I am certain, be dauntingly beautiful...I was blessed with her presence...And I am at a loss with her absence...Sail on Lovely Lady..."...Sometimes I need only to stand...Wherever I am...To be blessed..." James Patrick Casey/1LT./Infantry/United States Army(Ret.)/Vietnam Combat Veteran/Badly Wounded In Action/Late Spring '68/Quang Tin Province/I Corps/RVN...
She emanates a sincere love and care that you can feel when she sings this song. Its like being held close by a loved one. Thank you Ms. Horn for being and sharing yourself through music.
At the time she was suffering from a severe form of arthiritis and yet the way she sings this song is simply amazing, Nowawadays no one can write such meaningful lyrics and can perform like SH.
I used to see Shirley in small clubs in DC back in the 1980s, when I was in college. I didn't know much about her at the time, but I was instantly drawn to her music. I was so happy to see her gain the kind of major recognition and accolades she deserved in the years that followed. I saw her one final time in 2004, when she was no longer able to accompany herself on the piano. It was a little sad, but much of the magic was still there, and her version of "May the Music Never End" packed a huge emotional wallop.
I have listened to this album and specifically this song many times over the years and if there is a single song that speaks to the ethos that life should be a celebration of existence, this song is it. The lyric are full of so much imagery and evokes memories of both joyful ( “ . . . .as long I’m in the game I want to play ) and possibly not-so-joyful (“ . . . .may all your storms be weathered”) times in one’s life all to the rhythm and tempo of Shirley voice that is beautifully haunting and inspiring in singing about the virtues of living life to the fullest. Shirley sang many tunes but I will always remember her for this one. . . . .
I found Ms. Horn's CD in 1994 in the early days following a heart break. This song will always hold a special place as it spoke directly to how I was feeling and offered hope. Glorious.
What a marvelous performance wonderful music even better lyrics and Shirley Horn is magnificent in this rendition of this incomparable piece. I have heard other version of this song, but this is the best version I have ever heard of it.
Twenty Five years of enjoying this American Treasure. The masterpiece that is the album "Here's To Life ". I have to accept how this ages me specifically, discovering this album and every single beautifully presented and produced track when it arrived. It made me obsess over her decades long purely artistic catalogue. People if you're not aware, discover this preeminent Vocalist/Pianist 's body of work and familiarize yourself. Thank you Shirley. ❤️
For me, Miss Horns' way of interpreting a song--the way she lets the notes of a song breathe through her if only now through recordings is therapy(dare I say, cure) for my addiction to the expedient pace of humanity especially in America.
I lived in the same community as Shirley Horn and never knew it until my mother told me that she lived around the corner from where we lived I was in shock about that but you see that little area of the world created so many interesting people who are the leaders of today in Washington DC
