I have met people who liked a Mort Shuman song or two but never met a hardcore fan of his overall work. He had a remarkable career. Wrote classic Brill Building songs with partner-in-crime Doc Pomus such as "Save The Last Dance For Me," and Elvis' "Surrender," "Little Sister" and "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame," among other iconic pop tunes. Shuman then moved to France, where he became a songwriter there during the height of the Yé-Yé decade, but more importantly, he discovered the songs of Jacques Brel. One can make a strong argument without Shuman's translations of Brel songs into English, there would be no Scott Walker recordings of Brel songs, nor obtaining the interest from David Bowie, regarding the world of Brel. Along with Eric Blau, Shuman wrote the book for the musical "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris" which is greatly responsible for the Brel presence in the English speaking world. And on top of that, he co-wrote one of my all-time favorite songs - "Little Children" recorded by Billy J. Kramer.
In 1969, Shuman recorded a very odd solo album "My Death," which is a combination of old school pop songwriting, but with strong traces of Bertolt Brecht, Charles Baudelaire, and of course, Jacques Brel. Perhaps a concept album about birth to death, but nevertheless, a very eccentric pop album, which of course makes it a masterpiece in my ears and brain.
My favorite songs on the album are the title cut, which is a Brel classic, and was recorded by Bowie, Scott, and even Rod McKuen. Shuman gives it a pop flair due to its arrangements, but it's a fantastic version of "My Death." The other fave on the album is "She's Gonna Give Me a Baby" which is a six-minute epic that ends tragically, but a beautiful melody does remain in the listeners' consciousness.
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