''Broken Blossom'' is the fourth studio album by American singer
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
, her second album release in 1977 and her fifth on the Atlantic Records label. Just as Midler's three previous studio albums ''Broken Blossom'' includes songs from a wide variety of genres, ranging from
Edith Piaf's signature tune "
La vie en rose
"La Vie en rose" (; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the US in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboar ...
",
Phil Spector-esque covers of
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...
's "
Say Goodbye to Hollywood
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is a song written and performed by Billy Joel, first released in 1976 on his album ''Turnstiles''. It was originally released in the United States as the B-side to "I've Loved These Days" before being re-released a mon ...
" and
Harry Nilsson's "Paradise" and hard rock like
Sammy Hagar's "Red", to a jazzy duet with
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
, "I Never Talk to Strangers", and a rendition of "
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" is a song written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for the Walt Disney film ''Cinderella'' (1950). In the song, Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods) encourages her animal friends to ...
", originally from
Walt Disney's 1950 film version of
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
. The album reached #51 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
s album chart.
The album was released on CD for the first time in 1993. A remastered version of the album was released by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...
/
Warner Music in 1995.
Track listing
Side A:
#"Make Yourself Comfortable" (
Bob Merrill
Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...
) - 3:59
#"
You Don't Know Me" (
Eddy Arnold,
Cindy Walker
Cindy Walker (July 20, 1918 – March 23, 2006) was an American songwriter, as well as a country music singer and dancer. She wrote many popular and enduring songs recorded by many artists.
She adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwr ...
) - 3:39
#"
Say Goodbye to Hollywood
"Say Goodbye to Hollywood" is a song written and performed by Billy Joel, first released in 1976 on his album ''Turnstiles''. It was originally released in the United States as the B-side to "I've Loved These Days" before being re-released a mon ...
" (
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...
) - 3:02
#"I Never Talk To Strangers" (duet with
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
) (Tom Waits) - 3:39
#"Daybreak (Storybook Children)" (David Pomeranz, Spencer Proffer) - 3:40
#"Red" (John Carter,
Sammy Hagar) - 3:17
Side B:
#"Empty Bed Blues" (J. C. Johnson) - 3:19
#"
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
"A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" is a song written and composed by Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for the Walt Disney film ''Cinderella'' (1950). In the song, Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods) encourages her animal friends to ...
" (
Mack David) - 3:09
#"Paradise" (
Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin Jr. (April 16, 1933 – January 18, 2021) was an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. The tune " Nadia's Theme", composed by Botkin and Barry De Vorzon, peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1976 and bec ...
, Gil Garfield,
Harry Nilsson) - 4:15
#"
Yellow Beach Umbrella
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the RG ...
" (
Craig Doerge
Craig Doerge (; born December 4, 1944) is an American keyboard player, session musician, songwriter, record producer, best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne.
Biography
He was born in Cle ...
,
Judy Henske
Judith Anne "Judy" Henske (December 20, 1936 – April 27, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter, dubbed "the Queen of the Beatniks" by producer Jack Nitzsche. Initially performing in folk clubs in the early 1960s, her performances and ...
) - 4:24
#"
La Vie en Rose
"La Vie en rose" (; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the US in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboar ...
" (Mack David,
Louiguy
Louis Guglielmi (3 April 1916 – 4 April 1991), known by his pen name Louiguy (), was a Spanish-born French musician of Italian descent. He wrote the melody for Édith Piaf's lyrics of "La Vie en Rose" and the Latin jazz composition "Ceri ...
,
Edith Piaf) - 2:59
Personnel
*
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
–
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...
all tracks,
background vocals tracks A3, B3, all background vocals track B4
*
Craig Doerge
Craig Doerge (; born December 4, 1944) is an American keyboard player, session musician, songwriter, record producer, best known for his keyboard work with Crosby Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Jackson Browne.
Biography
He was born in Cle ...
–
keyboards tracks A1, B4,
piano track A2
*
Russ Kunkel
Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Dan Fo ...
–
drums tracks A1, A2
* Alan Estes –
congas
The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...
track A1, percussion tracks A5, B3, B4
*
Lee Ritenour –
electric guitar tracks A1, A2, A3, B3
*
Leland Sklar
Leland Bruce Sklar (born May 28, 1947) is an American bassist and session musician. Sklar rose to prominence as a member of James Taylor's backing band, which coaleced into a group in its own right, The Section. This group of musicians so frequ ...
–
bass guitar tracks A1, A2
*
Jim Horn
James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician.
Biography
Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...
–
baritone sax
The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contrab ...
track A1
* Donny Gerrard – background vocals track A1
* Brian Russell – background vocals tracks A1, A3
* Chuck Higgins – background vocals track A1
*
Jimmie Haskell
Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Stee ...
– arranger
strings &
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various a ...
s track A2
*
Brenda Russell
Brenda Russell (née Gordon; born April 8, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and keyboardist. Russell has a diverse musical range which encompasses R&B, pop, soul, dance, and jazz. She has received five Grammy nominations.
Li ...
–
background vocals tracks A2, A3, A5
*
Clydie King
Clydie Mae King (August 21, 1943 – January 7, 2019) was an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist. King also recorded solo under her name. In the 1970s, she recorded as Brown Sugar, and her single "Loneliness ( ...
–
background vocals tracks A2, A3, A5
* Diane Brooks –
background vocals tracks A2, A3, A5
* Bobby Rozario –
musical arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestra ...
track A3
*
Artie Butler
Arthur Butler (born December 2, 1942) is an American composer, arranger, songwriter, and session musician. In a long career, he has been involved in numerous hit records and other recordings, and has been awarded over 60 gold and platinum album ...
– piano tracks A3, A5 B3, arranger tracks A5, B2, B3, arranger strings and horns track B4, arranger strings track B5
*
Jim Keltner – drums tracks A3, A5, A6, B1, B3, B4
* Jack Jennings -
percussion instruments track A3
*
Chuck Rainey
Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,0 ...
– bass track A3
* David Latman – background vocals track A3
*
Bob Alcivar
Bob Alcivar (born July 8, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American music producer, composer, conductor and keyboard player. He is the father of rock keyboard player Jim Alcivar ( Montrose, Gamma).
Discography
Film
*''Butterflies Are Free'' ...
– arranger track A4
*
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
– lead vocals, piano track A4
*
Frank Vicari
Frank Vicari (April 11, 1931 – October 20, 2006) was a jazz saxophonist.
Career
After serving in the Air Force from 1951–55, where he played in service bands, Vicari returned to New York City and played in bands until he joined Maynard Fergus ...
–
tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while t ...
solo track A4
* Jim Hughart – bass tracks A4, A5, B5
*
Shelly Manne – drums track A4
* Thom Rotella – guitar tracks A5, B3
* Ira Newborn – arranger tracks A6, B1, guitars track A6
*
Don Randi
Don Randi (born February 25, 1937) is an American keyboard player, bandleader, and songwriter who was a member of the Wrecking Crew.
Career
Randi was born February 25, 1937 in New York City. He was raised in the Catskill Mountains and studied c ...
– keyboards track A6, organ track B1
*
Fred Tackett – guitars tracks A6, B1
*
Jerry Scheff
Jerry Obern Scheff (born January 31, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for his work with Elvis Presley from 1969 to 1977 as a member of his TCB Band and on the Doors' ''L.A. Woman''.
Biography
Scheff grew up in Vallejo, California. After ...
– bass tracks A6, B1
*
Steve Porcaro –
synthesizers track A6
* John Barnes – piano track B1
* David Walker – electric guitars track B1
*
Steve Douglas –
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to ...
track B1
*
Plas Johnson – saxophone track B1
*
Don Menza
Don Menza (born April 22, 1936) is an American jazz saxophonist.
Career
Menza was born in Buffalo, New York. After serving in the U.S. Army, he was part of the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra from 1960 to 1962 and then briefly worked for Stan Kenton ...
– saxophone track B1
* Marshall Royal – saxophone track B1
* Gene Goe –
trumpet track B1
* Don Rader – trumpet track B1
* Bobby Shaw – trumpet track B1
* Lew McCreary – bones track B1
* Bill Watrous – bones track B1
*
David Hungate
William David Hungate (born August 5, 1948) is an American bass guitarist noted as a member of the Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2014 to 2015, and the son of judge William L. Hungate. Along with most of his T ...
– bass track B3
*
Ellie Greenwich – background vocals track B3
* Mikie Harris – background vocals track B3
* Howard Roberts – guitar and
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
track B4
*
Max Bennett – bass track B4
*
Mike Melvoin – arranger & piano track B5
Production
* Brooks Arthur -
record producer,
sound engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction ...
* Bob Merritt - sound engineer
* David Latman - assistant sound engineer
* Ivy Skoff - production coordinator
*
Bones Howe
Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born March 18, 1933) is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with The Turtles cover of Bob Dylan's " It ...
- producer track A4 for Mr. Bones Production
* Management: Aaron Russo, Hollywood, California
* Bob Defrin - cover design
* George Hurrell - photography:
* Primary recording location: The Record Plant, Los Angeles. Additional recording at Studio 55, Los Angeles.
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Bette Midler albums
1977 albums
Atlantic Records albums
Albums arranged by Jimmie Haskell
Albums produced by Brooks Arthur