THESE ARE THE SONGS OF MY LIFE!

No. 7 - WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME by Diana Ross

In a previous incarnation this would have been my one and only wedding song. It makes me glow with joy every time I hear it, simply because it's so beautiful and personal. I'm not sure what happened to Diana Ross in North America: in Britain, she's a living legend who continues to have number one hits with new material. Not so on this continent. This ballad, the first single from 1991's The Force Behind The Power album, is something I could never get tired of. ("When You Tell Me That You Love Me" was only prevented from reaching the top of the UK charts by the death of Freddie Mercury and the subsequent re-release of "Bohemian Rhapsody.") I love the piano arrangement, the softness of the voice, the graceful lyrics, and the massive crescendo near the end. I remember pausing for one of those Wordsworthian "spots-of-time" when I first heard the song. Even now, embittered and satiated on realism, I still love it, foolish old man that I am. I guess I'm a romantic until my heart stops beating. Anyway, I used to sit and dream about my fantasy lover gazing into my eyes while we danced to this song under an incandescent spotlight. Thank heavens I grew up:

I want to call the stars down from the sky
I want to live a day that never dies
I want to change the world only for you
All the impossible I want to do
I want to hold you close under the rain
I want to kiss your smile and feel the pain
I know what's beautiful looking at you
In a world of lies you are the truth
And baby everytime you touch me
I become a hero
I'll make you safe no matter where you are
And bring you everything you ask for
Nothing is above me
I'm shining like a candle in the dark
When you tell me that you love me...

Today is the anniversary of my grandfather's passing. He too was a tremendous music lover. So, as a special treat in honour of Alec Smith, here is the world premiere of the song from the Royal Command Performance, 1991: