Your Songs

Your Songs
Cover to the Compact Disc edition of the album
Studio album by Harry Connick Jr.
Released	Vinyl: August 25, 2009 CD:September 22, 2009 (see release history)
Genre	Traditional pop, jazz, big band, vocal
Label	Columbia
Producer	Clive Davis (executive,) Tracey Freeman, Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Connick Jr. chronology
What a Night! A Christmas Album (2008) Your Songs (2009)
Alternative cover
Vinyl LP Album Cover
Singles from Your Songs
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" Released: August 25, 2009 "Just the Way You Are" Released: September 22, 2009

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Billboard	(favorable)[2]
Daily Music Guide	[3]
The Advocate	(favorable)[4]

Your Songs is a studio album by American multi-platinum selling recording artist Harry Connick Jr., released by Columbia Records. It was released first in the United States on a limited edition double vinyl LP on August 25, 2009,^[5] then released on CD on September 22.^[6]

The album is a collaboration with Connick and record producer Clive Davis.^[7]

Background

Most of the songs are chosen by record producer Clive Davis, who aimed towards classic, familiar songs, as contemporary as possible.

Davis had expressed an interest in working with Connick, who at first did not know what that meant, as he had never done such a collaboration before. Connick had an idea of bringing in a famous arranger for the album, but Davis suggested for Connick to do the arrangements himself, and he did. The finished arrangements however is influenced by Davis.

Since Davis is no longer heading up contemporary labels like arista and J Records, his focus as Chief Executive Officer of Creative, his focus has been on executive producing adult contemporary fare from the past for artists like Barry Manilow and Harry Connick Jr. to meager results

The song "Bésame Mucho" was suggested for the album by Connick's father, the previous district attorney of the Parish of Orleans, Harry Connick Sr.. Father and son has previously sung a duet on Sr.'s 1998 album release New Orleans...My Home Town, which also included songs which Jr. has recorded on his albums since.

The brothers Branford and Wynton Marsalis contribute to the album. Both are multiple Grammy winners, Branford on saxophone, and Wynton who has received nine Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize for Music, on trumpet. Both are childhood friends of Connick.^[7] Also Grammy nominated trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, and guitar player Bryan Sutton plays on the album.

Connick said in a radio interview, that track number thirteen, "Smile", is dedicated to a girl named Nicola. She and her mother attended one of Connick's shows in Paris, France, several years ago. Nicola was seven at the time, and Connick took her on a tour of Paris. They stood under the Eiffel tower, and even though she could not see where she was, as she was blind, she had the biggest smile on her face. They have remained friends since, and "Smile" is for her. The song includes a trumpet solo by Roger Ingram.^[8]

Promotion

On August 4, 2009, Connick had an album listening party in New York City, hosted by Sony Music chief creative executive Clive Davis. Amongst those in attendance were Alan Cumming, Bernadette Peters, Brian Williams, Kelli O'Hara, Rachael Ray, Mario Cantone, Rosie Perez, and David Hyde Pierce.^[9][10]

A number of public listening events were held, from August 24–30, 2009. Connick did not attend the exclusive vinyl listening events, which were held in cities such as Orlando, FL, Washington, DC, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, Oakland, CA, New Orleans, LA, West Babylon, NY, and Los Angeles, CA.^[11]

He made a number of TV appearances in September and October 2009. In September he appeared on Oprah on the 25th, then on Today (28th), The View (29th), and Late Show with David Letterman and Imus in the Morning on September 30. In October, he was a guest on the Today on the 1st, Rachael Ray in the week of October 5, and he set out to a week-long promotional tour in Australia from October 2 through to 9th, which included a visit to Hey Hey It's Saturday, and an appearance as a guest judge on Australian Idol on October 11, 2009.^[12]

Release

French First Lady Carla Bruni.

The album was released first in the United States on a limited edition double vinyl LP on August 25, 2009.^[5] The CD album was released on September 22.^[6]

The first single of the album was Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "(They Long to Be) Close to You", and it was released exclusively on Amazon.com on August 25, 2009.^[13][14]

After the U.S. release, Connick was in Paris, France in September 2009, to record a song with French First Lady Carla Bruni. She and Connick's wife, Jill Goodacre, both former supermodels, are long time friends. The duet is a French and Italian version of "And I love her", written by Lennon–McCartney.^[15] The duet is released as a bonus track on European editions of Your Songs.

Tour

A world wide concert tour began in January 2010.^[16]

Tour dates

^[16] North America (2010)

• January 23 – Fantasy Springs Casino – Indio, CA
• January 24 – Pechanga Resort & Casino – Temecula, CA
• January 26 – Arlington Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA
• January 27 – Table Mountain Casino – Friant, CA
• January 28 – Copley Symphony Hall – San Diego, CA
• February 11 – Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall – Fort Myers, FL
• February 12 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL
• February 13 – King Center for Performing Arts – Melbourne, FL
• February 14 – Florida Theatre – Jacksonville, FL
• February 16 – Durham Performing Arts Center – Durham, NC
• February 17 – The Clay Center – Charleston, WV
• February 18 – The Lyric Opera House – Baltimore, MD
• February 19 – Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, Virginia Beach, VA
• February 23 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
• February 25 – Von Braun Center – Huntsville, AL
• February 26 – Alabama Theatre – Birmingham, AL
• February 27 – Cannon Center – Memphis, TN
• February 28 – Murat Theatre – Indianapolis, IN

^[17] New Zealand (2010)

• March 13 – Civic Theatre – Auckland
• March 14 – Michael Fowler Centre – Wellington
• March 16 – Town Hall – Christchurch

^[18] Australia (2010)

• March 19 – Plenary – Melbourne
• March 20 – Her Majesty's Theatre – Adelaide
• March 22 – Opera House – Sydney
• March 25 – Convention Centre – Brisbane
• March 27 – Kings Park – Perth

Europe (2010)

• May 13 – Salle Pleyel – Paris, France
• May 14 – Salle Pleyel – Paris, France

Asia (2010)

• May 16 – Abu Dhabi Hall – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Europe (2010)

• May 18 – Istanbul Kongre Merkezi – Istanbul, Turkey
• May 21 – Mawazine Festival – Rabat, Morocco

North America (2010)

• June 9 – The View, New York, NY
• June 10 – Late Show with David Letterman, New York, NY
• June 11 – Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
• June 12 – PNC Pavilion, Cincinnati, OH
• June 13 – Charlottesville Pavilion, Charlottesville, VA
• June 15 – The Filene Center at Wolf Trap Vienna, VA
• June 16 – Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Charlotte, NC
• June 18 – Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Greenville, SC
• June 19 – Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta, GA
• June 21 – Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, IN
• June 22–23 – Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
• June 25 – Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Aspen, CO
• June 27 – Toronto Jazz Festival – Canon Theatre, Toronto, ON

Asia (2010)

• July 2 – USA Pavilion, National Day Gala Performance, Shanghai, China

North America (2010)

• July 15–31 Neil Simon Theatre, New York, NY
• August 13–14 – Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA
• September 17 – Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort Reno, NV
• September 18 – The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
• September 19 – Monterey Jazz Festival – Jimmy Lyons Stage, Monterey, CA
• September 21 – Wente Vineyards, Livermore, CA
• September 22 – Britt Pavilion, Jacksonville, OR
• September 24 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BC
• September 25 – Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA
• September 26 – Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, WA
• September 28 – Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR
• September 29 – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
• September 30 – The Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA

North America (2011)

• March 25 – WinStar World Casino, Thackerville, OK
• March 26 – Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin, TX
• March 28 – River Center, Baton Rouge, LA
• March 29 – Jones Hall, Houston, TX
• April 1 – IP Casino Resort & Spa, Biloxi, MS
• April 2 – IP Casino Resort & Spa, Biloxi, MS
• April 4 – Mahalia Jackson Theater, New Orleans, LA
• April 7 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, FL
• April 8 – Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
• April 9 – Mizner Park Amphitheater at Downtown Boca, Boca Raton, FL
• April 10 – Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, Orlando, FL
• April 11 – Philharmonic Center for the Arts, Naples, FL
• April 20 – Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
• April 21 – Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
• April 22 – MGM Grand Theater at MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT
• 04/26/2011 – 04/30/2011 The Colonial Theatre, Boston, MA

Broadway

He held a series of concerts, called Harry Connick Jr. in Concert on Broadway, at the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway, from July 15 to July 31, 2010.^[19] The concerts on July 30 and 31 were filmed live,^[20] and aired on PBS on March 2, 2011 for a "Great Performances" special on the concerts.^[21] These were also released on video, CD/DVD and album in March 2011, as Harry Connick Jr.: In Concert on Broadway.^[22]

Harry Connick Jr. won an Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Music Direction for Harry Connick Jr. In Concert on Broadway.^[23]

The In Concert on Broadway album is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Track listing

^[24][25]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All the Way (featuring Branford Marsalis)"	Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn	3:33
2.	"Just the Way You Are"	Billy Joel	3:48
3.	"Can't Help Falling in Love With You (featuring Wynton Marsalis)"	George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore	3:15
4.	"And I Love Her"	Lennon–McCartney	3:12
5.	"(They Long to Be) Close to You (featuring Leroy Jones)"	Burt Bacharach, Hal David	3:16
6.	"Bésame Mucho"	Consuelo Velázquez	4:11
7.	"The Way You Look Tonight"	Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields	3:45
8.	"First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"	Ewan MacColl	3:23
9.	"Your Song"	Elton John, Bernie Taupin	3:35
10.	"Some Enchanted Evening"	Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers	4:07
11.	"And I Love You So"	Don McLean	3:30
12.	"Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)"	Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley	3:52
13.	"Smile"	Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons	3:11
14.	"Mona Lisa"	Jay Livingston, Ray Evans	3:08

Barnes & Noble Exclusive Version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Killing Me Softly"	Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel	03:24

iTunes

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"All the Way music video"	Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn

European Editions

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"And I Love Her (featuring Carla Bruni)"	Lennon–McCartney

Japan Edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Killing Me Softly"	Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel	03:24
16.	"Who's Sorry Now"	Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
17.	"Answer Me My Love"	Gerhard Winkler, Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman

Deluxe Limited Edition CD/DVD package

• US only. Available through hconnickjr.com.
• DVD includes behind the scenes footage, and the "(They Long To Be) Close To You" music video

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"Who's Sorry Now"	Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby
16.	"Answer Me My Love"	Gerhard Winkler, Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman

Personnel

^[14]

• Harry Connick Jr. – vocals, conductor, orchestrations, arrangements
• Branford Marsalis – saxophone (track # 1)
• Wynton Marsalis – trumpet (track # 3)
• Leroy Jones – trumpet (track # 5)
• Bryan Sutton – ^[26][27]
• Roger Ingram – trumpet^[28]
• Wayne Bergeron – trumpet
• Warren Lunning – trumpet
• John Fumo – trumpet
• Big band
• String orchestra

Release history

Country	Date	Label	Format
United States	August 25, 2009	Columbia Records	LP
	September 22, 2009		CD, digital download
Canada	September 22, 2009	Sony Music
Australia[29]	September 25, 2009
United Kingdom[30]	October 26, 2009	Columbia Records
Denmark[31]	October 26, 2009	Sony Music
France[32][32]	October 26, 2009	Columbia, Sony Music
Norway[33]	October 26, 2009	Sony Music
Finland[34]	October 28, 2009
Netherlands[35]	October 28, 2009
Germany[36]	October 30, 2009
Japan[37]	November 11, 2009	Sony Music Japan	CD

Chart positions

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[38]	9
Belgian Wallonia Chart[39]	71
Canadian Albums Chart[40]	11
French Albums Chart [41]	51
Irish Albums Chart [41]	40
New Zealand Top Albums [41]	10
UK Albums Chart[41]	28
U.S. Billboard 200[42]	8
U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums[40]	1

Awards and nominations

Your Songs was nominated for a Grammy Award, in the category Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. This was announced on Wednesday, December 2, 2009. The 52nd Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles.^[43] The award went to Michael Bublé for his Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden.

References

1. Collar, Matt. Your Songs at AllMusic
2. "Billboard CD reviews: Jay-Z, Harry Connick, Pearl Jam". Billboard, Nielsen Business Media, Inc (Reuters, & Yahoo!7 News). 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
3. Salvo, Natalie. Your Songs Album Review.
4. CD reviews for Oct. 2, 2009, The Advocate, October 2, 2009
5. Harry Connick Jr. – Your Songs, previewnewmusic.com
6. On the Radar: Harry Connick Jr., directcurrentmusic.com, July 27, 2009
7. Harry Connick Jr. Announces New Album Produced by Clive Davis, vintageguitar.com, July 30, 2009
8. Radio interview: Harry Connick Jr. Album tracks played (mp3 & download) at JAZZ.FM91
9. Harry Connick Jr. "Your Songs" Listening Event With Clive Davis, Getty Images, August 4, 2009
10. Harry Connick Jr. "Your Songs" Listening Event With Clive Davis, Wireimage, August 4, 2009
11. Music >> All Shows for Harry Connick Jr., Harry Connick Jr.'s Official MySpace site, August 20, 2009
12. Idol: Harry Connick Jr., tvtonight.com, September 25, 2009
13. (They Long To Be) Close To You: Harry Connick, Jr.: MP3 Downloads, Amazon.com
14. Harry Connick Jr. collaborated with Clive Davis on forthcoming album of standards, The Times Picayune, July 30, 2009
15. Le duo de Carla et Harry Connick Jr (French), parismatch.com, September 26, 2009
16. "Tour". The Official Harry Connick Jr. Site. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
17. Harry Connick Jr to tour NZ, stuff.co.nz, January 21, 2010
18. Harry Connick Jr Touring in March, undercover.com.au, January 21, 2010
19. , Internet Broadway Database
20. Harry Connick Jr. In Concert on Broadway Ends Limited Run July 31, Playbill.com, July 31, 2010
21. PBS 'Great Performances' to feature Harry Connick Jr., The Times-Picayune, December 3, 2010
22. Harry Connick Jr store, Sony Music
23. Primetime Emmy Music Nominations Announced, filmmusicsociety.org, July 14, 2011
24. Harry Connick Jr. takes on Elvis and the Beatles, CNN: The Marquee Blog, July 30, 2009
25. Your Songs Barnes & Noble Exclusive, Allmusic
26. New Harry Connick will be released on vinyl first, blogs.knoxnews.com, July 29, 2009
27. His guitar speaks many languages, newsobserver.com, May 8, 2009
28. News: Harry Connick Jr. – April 3, 2009, fumosonic.com, August 2, 2009
29. Harry Connick Jr is back with a new album "Your Songs", Koffee, September 8, 2009
30. Your Songs: Jr. Harry Connick, Amazon.co.uk
31. Connick Harry Jr: Your songs (Danish), Sony Columbia France on MySpace
32. Harry Connick Jr – Nouvel album « Your Songs » – Sortie le 26 octobre (French), Sony Columbia France on MySpace
33. Kommende utgivelser fra Sony Music (Norwegian), Sony Music Norway
34. Sony Music Entertainment Finland – Uudet julkaisut (Finnish, Sony Music Entertainment Finland
35. Your Songs, Connick, Harry -Jr-, bol.com
36. Your Songs, Harry Jr. Connick, Amazon.de
37. Harry Connick Jr – 恋人たちのラブソング (Japanese), sonymusicshop.jp
38. Top 50 Albums Chart – australian-charts.com. ARIACharts.com. Retrieved on October 11, 2009.
39. Your Songs – Harry Connick Jr., ultratop.be
40. Your Songs – Harry Connick Jr., Billboard
41. "Harry Connick Jr. – Your Songs – Music Charts". aCharts. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
42. Pearl Jam tops the albums chart, Entertainment Weekly, September 30, 2009
43. Hair, Harry Connick Jr., Liza Minnelli, et al. Nominated for Grammy Awards, theatermania, December 2, 2009

External links

• HarryConnickJr.com — Harry Connick Jr. official website
• Harry Connick Jr. online interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2009
• Video interview: Harry Connick Jr. and Clive Davis Talks About the Album at Access Hollywood
• Radio interview: Harry Connick Jr. Album tracks played (mp3 & download) at JAZZ.FM91
• Music video: Harry Connick Jr. – "Close to You"