Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship.[1][2] The term comes from the saying, "to carry a torch for someone", or to keep aflame the light of an unrequited love.
Torch singing is more of a niche than a genre, and can stray from the traditional jazz-influenced style of singing, although the American tradition of the torch song typically relies upon the melodic structure of the blues.[2] Some examples of torch songs are "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (1927), "Lili Marlene" (of Marlene Dietrich), "One for My Baby" (1943), "The Man That Got Away" (1954),[3] "Ne me quitte pas" (1959), "And I am Telling You" (1982) and "My Heart Will Go On" (1997).
[edit] Torch singers
Female singers of the pop vocal tradition are referred to as torch singers when their repertoire consists predominantly of material of that nature. Though torch songs were usually previously associated with female singers, in present years the term has also been applied to male singers.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Smith, L: Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the Torch Song Tradition, page 9. Praeger Publishers, 2004
- ^ a b Allan Forte, MR: Listening to Classic American Popular Songs, page 203. Yale University Press, 2001
- ^ Listening to classic American popular songs, Allen Forte, Richard Lalli, Gary Chapman, 2001, p.24, web: Books-Google-51.
