FMS-Blog : The Wildly Whimsical, Mostly Musical WebLog
Thursday, April 27, 2006
A Unique Voice Remembered
I should admit that when the news broke about Gene Pitney's untimely death on Wednesday April 5th of this year I was surprisingly shocked and upset about the loss. Not that I was close to him personally or, indeed, had ever actually met him (although I did see him singing live in Sheffield some years ago) but it almost felt like losing a distant relative.. a great uncle or 2nd cousin removed perhaps, who'd always just, ya' know, been there... Certainly, the name of Gene Pitney will remain with me for life, if only because my mother has been such a fan since her teens and throughout her own life, passing on to me some part of her enthusiasm for this singer, his songs and his unique voice.
And I'm not alone with my feelings about his death : considering that this is a man whose career peaked 40 years ago, the response from the public was quite remarkable. One of the reasons for this, I think, is because Pitney always tried to give a personal flavour to his show, for example by spending time at his concerts reading out letters and cards from well-wishers and making sure that he stayed around for backstage pass holders after gigs. These are pretty small gestures but ones that stay with people who witnessed them, especially those who contacted or chatted to him personally.
But, when all is said and done, it will be Gene Pitney's musical voice that people remember. He sang with an instantly recognisable timbre - a thin but strong tone that was ornamented with glottal stops at sensuous or dramatic moments in the music. Equally noteable was his songwriting : he penned many well-known melodies for other singers, such as Hello Mary Lou and Rubber Ball, and co-wrote some of the songs that made him famous around the world.
Perhaps the name Gene Pitney will be most associated with his song Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart as it was a hit for him twice, most recently released as a duet in 1989 with Marc Almond (of Soft Cell). But over the years Pitney hit that charts with a number of songs that I feel were more interesting in their arrangements and subject content, not least 24 Hours from Tulsa - about a guy who ditches his wife / lover having fallen for a girl he met on his way home! - and Town Without Pity (also, as it happens, the last song Pitney was ever to sing in his 50 year long musical career).
The official Gene Pitney website - http://www.gene-pitney.com/ - is down at the moment for understandably urgent modifications but promises to be worth a visit in the near future.
Born on 17th February 1941, Gene Pitney died in Cardiff on 5th April 2006, aged 65.
And I'm not alone with my feelings about his death : considering that this is a man whose career peaked 40 years ago, the response from the public was quite remarkable. One of the reasons for this, I think, is because Pitney always tried to give a personal flavour to his show, for example by spending time at his concerts reading out letters and cards from well-wishers and making sure that he stayed around for backstage pass holders after gigs. These are pretty small gestures but ones that stay with people who witnessed them, especially those who contacted or chatted to him personally.
But, when all is said and done, it will be Gene Pitney's musical voice that people remember. He sang with an instantly recognisable timbre - a thin but strong tone that was ornamented with glottal stops at sensuous or dramatic moments in the music. Equally noteable was his songwriting : he penned many well-known melodies for other singers, such as Hello Mary Lou and Rubber Ball, and co-wrote some of the songs that made him famous around the world.
Perhaps the name Gene Pitney will be most associated with his song Something's Gotten Hold of my Heart as it was a hit for him twice, most recently released as a duet in 1989 with Marc Almond (of Soft Cell). But over the years Pitney hit that charts with a number of songs that I feel were more interesting in their arrangements and subject content, not least 24 Hours from Tulsa - about a guy who ditches his wife / lover having fallen for a girl he met on his way home! - and Town Without Pity (also, as it happens, the last song Pitney was ever to sing in his 50 year long musical career).
The official Gene Pitney website - http://www.gene-pitney.com/ - is down at the moment for understandably urgent modifications but promises to be worth a visit in the near future.
Born on 17th February 1941, Gene Pitney died in Cardiff on 5th April 2006, aged 65.
