| The Joy of Living | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Recorded | 1959 | |||
| Studio | Capitol Records, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Traditional pop | |||
| Length | 34:01 [1] | |||
| Label | Capitol ST-1148 | |||
| Nelson Riddle chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Joy of Living is the sixth studio album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, released in 1959. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
William Ruhlmann reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that the arrangements "never get too lively or somber" and felt the casual, mid-tempo pieces were an assertion by Riddle of his stature with the popularity of Billy May and Gordon Jenkins. Ruhlmann felt the album was a precursor to Riddle's arrangements on Frank Sinatra's 1960 album Nice 'n' Easy as an "easygoing collection of small tonal joys". [1]
Gramophone magazine described The Joy of Living as an "outstanding Riddle collection" upon its 1998 reissue. [3]
Capitol Records released the title track "The Joy of Living" as a 45 rpm single, backed with a Nelson Riddle composition, "Somethin' Special." [4]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries" | Lew Brown, Nacio Herb Brown, Ray Henderson | 2:08 |
| 2. | "You Make Me Feel So Young" | Mack Gordon, Josef Myrow | 3:14 |
| 3. | "Makin' Whoopee" | Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Bye Bye Blues" | David Bennett, Chauncey Gray, Frederick Hamm, Bert Lown | 2:33 |
| 5. | "It's So Peaceful in the Country" | Alec Wilder | 2:50 |
| 6. | "The Joy of Living" | Philip J. Davis | 2:49 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's a Big Wide Wonderful World!" | John Rox | 2:13 |
| 2. | "June in January" | Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin | 2:13 |
| 3. | "Isn't This a Lovely Day" | Irving Berlin | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Indian Summer" | Al Dubin, Victor Herbert | 2:51 |
| 5. | "It's a Grand Night for Singing" | Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers | 2:49 |
| 6. | "I Got the Sun in the Morning" | Berlin | 2:43 |
Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Keely Smith. He scored and arranged music for many films and television shows, earning an Academy Award and three Grammy Awards. He found commercial and critical success with a new generation in the 1980s, in a trio of Platinum albums with Linda Ronstadt.
In the Wee Small Hours is the ninth studio album by Frank Sinatra. It was released in April 1955 by Capitol and produced by Voyle Gilmore with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. The album's songs deal with themes such as introspection, melancholy, lost love, failed relationships, depression and night life; as such, it has been called one of the first concept albums. The cover artwork reflects these themes, portraying Sinatra alone at night on an eerie and deserted city street awash in blue-tinged street lights.
"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946.
"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film Born to Dance in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year but lost out to "The Way You Look Tonight". Popular recordings in 1936 were by Ray Noble and his Orchestra and by Hal Kemp and his Orchestra.
Ella Swings Gently with Nelson is a 1962 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. This album is one of a pair, the other being Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson, that were released in 1962.
No One Cares is the seventeenth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on July 20, 1959. It is generally considered a sequel to Sinatra's 1957 album Where Are You?, and shares a similar sad and lonesome, gloomy theme and concept as In the Wee Small Hours and Only the Lonely.
Duets is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1993. Recorded near the end of Sinatra's career, it consists of electronically assembled duets between Sinatra and younger singers from various genres. The album was a commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard albums chart, reaching No. 5 in the UK, and selling over 3 million copies in the US. It is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification.
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and also her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful third and fourth English albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
"Mean to Me" is a popular song with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk, published in 1929. Hit versions that year were by Ruth Etting and by Helen Morgan. Ben Bernie and the Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra also recorded what might be the first male version in February 1929 with vocals by Scrappy Albert.
Lush Life is an album by American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1984 on Asylum Records as the second in a trilogy of jazz albums with bandleader/arranger Nelson Riddle. All three album covers were designed by John Kosh.
King of Pop is a compilation album by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, released in commemoration of his 50th birthday in 2008. The album title comes from the honorific title Jackson himself acquired approximately 20 years earlier.
Oscar Peterson and Nelson Riddle is a 1963 album by Oscar Peterson with orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. The album was produced by Jim Davis and released on Verve Records.
Live It Up! is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on December 11, 1961, by Columbia Records and was the second of two album collaborations with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle. The singer again eschewed ballads as he had on Swing Softly and selected a balance of new and established material.
Communication is a 1971 album by Nelson Riddle and his orchestra. It was Riddle's first album for German record label MPS, followed by Changing Colors in 1972.
Return to Paradise Islands is a long-playing vinyl album of Hawaiian themed songs recorded by Bing Crosby for Reprise Records (R-6106) at three separate sessions in 1963. The tracks were arranged by Nelson Riddle who also conducted the orchestra.
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is the soundtrack album to the 1970 American film of the same name. It was released by Columbia Records on July 1, 1970 and features singing by Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand, in addition to choral arrangements and live orchestration. No commercial singles were released from the soundtrack, but the reprise version of the title track was released as a promotional single on 7" vinyl by Columbia. Executively and solely produced by Wally Gold, the album's ten tracks were written by Alan Jay Lerner while the music was written by Burton Lane. The album was reissued on compact disc in 2008.
Magic Moments from "The Gay Life" is the twelfth studio album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, consisting of music from Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz's musical "The Gay Life".
Love Is a Game of Poker is the fourteenth studio album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, released in 1962.
Route 66 Theme and Other Great TV Themes is the thirteenth studio album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, named for Riddle's theme music from the television series "Route 66". The album was nominated at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards for the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Theme and the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
Sing a Song with Riddle is the seventh studio album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle, released in 1959. The album consists of arrangements for a vocalist but without a singer; a lyric sheet was supplied with the original album package for buyers to sing along with at home. The inspiration for the release was a series of albums for amateur instrumentalists called Music Minus One on Command Records.
