''A L'' is an EP by French singer

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 18 June or 18 November 1939 or 1941 or 1946 or 1950) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s and went on ...

released in 1985 by Italian label Five Records.

Background

''A L'' was released by minor Italian label Five Records, closely related to

Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a ...

, when Lear was at the peak of her television career in Italy. The EP featured four

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of classic songs from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s: " As Time Goes By" from movie ''

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

'', the German language "Bel Ami" (originally titled "Du hast Glück bei den Frau'n, Bel Ami") from

Willi Forst Willi Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs (7 April 1903 – 11 August 1980) was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer. As a debonair actor he was a darling of the German language, German-speaking film audiences, as ...

's 1939 film by the same name, "Bye Bye Baby", originally performed by

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

in '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' in 1953, and "

Magic Moments "Magic Moments" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach and written by Hal David, being one of the first songwriting collaborations by that duo. This song was recorded by Perry Como and released in 1957 as the B-side of his " Catch a Falli ...

" by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

, a 1958 hit for

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

. No singles were released to promote the album, but all four songs were performed at popular Italian TV show ''W le donne'' which Amanda hosted at that time, starting with "As Time Goes By" in March 1985. ''A L'' was never released on CD in its entirety, but "As Time Goes By" and "Bye Bye Baby" were included on the 2005 compilation '' Forever Glam!''.

Track listing

;Side A #" As Time Goes By" (

Herman Hupfeld Herman Hupfeld (February 1, 1894June 8, 1951) was an American songwriter, whose most notable composition was the lyrics and music of " As Time Goes By". Life and career Hupfeld was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of Fredericka (Rader), ...

) – 3:21 #"Bel Ami" (

Theo Mackeben Relief from Mackeben's tombstone Theo Mackeben, born 5 January 1897 in Preußisch Stargard, Westpreußen, died 10 January 1953 in Berlin, was a German pianist, conductor, and composer, particularly of film music.Lamb A. ''Theo Mackeben.'' In: ''T ...

, McVivianir) – 2:06 ;Side B #"Bye Bye Baby" (

Jule Styne Jule Styne ( ; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer widely known for a series of Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre, musicals, including several famous frequ ...

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1895 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song " Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shi ...

) – 3:00 #"

" (

) – 2:40

Personnel

–

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 the ...

Alberta Ferretti Alberta Ferretti (; ) is an Italian fashion designer and dressmaker. She designed for her namesake brand Alberta Ferretti from its foundation in 1981 to 2024, and designed for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti until 2014. Her showroom is in Milan, It ...

– dress *Gianfranco Intra –

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

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 orchestratio ...

*Roberto Rocchi – photography *Carlo Zini – artwork design

Release history

References

External links

''A L''
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

''A L''
at

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online encyclopedia of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also features comm ...

{{Amanda Lear 1985 EPs Amanda Lear albums Covers EPs