ONE for the trivia quiz: Can you name the 1965 movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton – in which she played an artist with a seaside garret and he was the headmaster of a private school?Answer: The Sandpiper.
The relevance to my Music for Seniors project comes from the movie's theme, one of the greatest melodies from the era.
The Shadow of Your Smile won an Academy award and, as wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandpiper) notes, has been recorded by a long list of top performers: Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Shirley Bassey, Andy Williams, Chris Montez, Percy Faith, Rita Reys, Al Martino, Perry Como, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, Astrud Gilberto, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jnr, Sarah Vaughan, Connie Francis and Trini Lopez. And the list on goes on and on: Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Rosemary Clooney, Brenda Lee, Marvin Gaye, Lou Rawls, Dean Martin, Matt Monro, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Jose Feliciano, Chris Montez, Kenny G ...
Wow. That shows the attraction of the magical mix of melody and lyrics, with a powerful combination of major and minor chords that convey deep emotion. I have found that seniors connect enthusiastically with my instrumental version of The Shadow of Your Smile, using short quotations of the melody and various inversions of the chords.
It always seems to bring warm applause whether the setting is a morning tea at a retirement village or informal interaction in a nursing home sitting room.
Some in the audiences will close their eyes and bathe in the song's harmonic glory; lips will move on the key phrases. It has been interesting to note that dementia patients also tend to connect with an instrumental arrangement without the prompt of lyrics.
The emotional drive, however, is plainly evident in Tony Bennett's 1966 rendition. Many songs can touch hearts but The Shadow of Your Smile is special. Image from Classic Movie Ramblings.
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