Programme Notes

Together in Electric Dreams 

Music & Lyrics: Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder; Arranger: Giancarlo Galliani Pecchia 

The Human League’s Phil Oakey teamed up with electronic master Giorgio Moroder for this  classic ‘80s tune. Moroder is best known for his production work and is often called the  ‘Father of Disco’. He notably produced singles for Donna Summer including Love to Love  You Baby, I Feel Love and Hot Stuff. This song was written for the film Electric Dreams, a  sci-fi rom-com that followed a love triangle between a man, a woman and a personal  computer! The film was not a critical or commercial success, and the song quickly  overshadowed it becoming a worldwide hit in its own right. Oakey later said that it was ironic  that a song that took about ten minutes to record would become a worldwide hit, while some  of his (synth-pop band) Human League tracks that took over a year to record did not. In  2019 Together in Electric Dreams was the focus of a new Strongbow UK TV advert, but  performed in an acoustic folk style by duo Rob & Chris. 

Corner of the Sky 

Music & Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz; Arranger: Rice Majors / Michael Derrick 

Written by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked), Corner of the Sky is from the musical  Pippin which is set in France during the 8th century, Pippin, son of the Emperor  Charlemagne, is searching for his purpose in life and, although certain that he wants to be  extraordinary, he finds it difficult to assert his individuality. 

This song at the start of the show introduces the audience to Pippin; he is telling his father  and his teachers that he has to venture forth into the world and find the place where he most  belongs, his ‘corner of the sky’. Schwartz’s lyrics perfectly encapsulate those feelings of  frustration and longing one feels as a teenager, when the world outside your door feels so  fresh and inviting. And they continue to resonate with a lot of people because it is basically  everybody’s life story. This arrangement was first done for the Pinkies in 1994 by Rice  Majors, an American who was studying in the UK at the time and for whom the song had a  special meaning. 

December will be Magic Again 

Music & Lyrics: Kate Bush; Arranger: Simon Pearson 

This underrated (certainly underplayed) festive themed song by Kate Bush was released in  1980 but only reached number 29 on the UK singles chart. It has grown in status since then  with Elton John including it on his 2006 Christmas album, Elton John’s Christmas Party.  Always the literature-obsessed enigma, Kate pays tribute in the song to her hero, Oscar  Wilde, who died in Paris eighty years earlier – the same month as the single was released.  Old Saint Nick and Bing Crosby also get a mention. The best lyrics in tonight’s show?  “December will be magic again, Don’t miss the brightest star, Kiss under mistletoe, I want to  hear you laugh, Don’t let the mystery go now.” 

What About Us? 

Music & Lyrics: Alecia Moore, Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid; Arranger: Ian Faulkner;  Soloists: Simon Harrison, Charly Milton-Doyle 

What About Us was the lead single from American singer Pink’s seventh studio album,  Beautiful Trauma released in 2017. It topped charts in Australia, South Africa, Latvia, the  Netherlands, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland, and was nominated for  Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018. At face value, the  lyrics read from the perspective of someone in a turbulent relationship, but they can be just  as easily interpreted as a plea for guidance in this confusing political climate as it asks the  poignant questions, “What about us? What about all the times you said you had the  answers?” Pink has done political songs before, notably 2006’s Dear Mr. President which we  sang in our Diva’s concert last summer. Pink’s real name is Alecia Moore. Alecia’s childhood  nickname was ‘Pink,’ as she was easily embarrassed, which caused her to turn bright pink. It  then became her trademark hair color, and her artist name. Of course, she is one of many  great Pink Singers! 

Human 

Music & Lyrics: Jamie Hartman and Rory Graham; Arranger: Simon Pearson 

Human is a song by British singer/songwriter Rory Graham (who performs under the name  Rag’n’Bone Man) co-written with Jamie Hartman, former lead singer of the indie-pop band  Ben’s Brother. Heavily influenced by gospel music and the blues, Human reached number  

one in the record charts in the USA, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and  Switzerland. In Germany, it remained on top of the charts for over three months. It was later  used as the theme song for the American television series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. The  non-deplume Rag’n’Bone Man was born out of Rory Grahams’ obsession with the BBC  sitcom about two rag-and-bone men, Steptoe and Son. Jack Whitehall has called him a man  with “the voice of an angel and the beard of a wizard”! 

All of Me 

Music & Lyrics: John Legend and Toby Gadd; Arranger: Zoë Burdo 

All of Me was written in 2013 and was among the biggest hits of the decade and cemented  American singer JohnLegend as one of the most admired singer-songwriters of his  generation. The song is a passionate love letter to his then-fiancé model Chrissy Teigen,  praising their relationship, even during the ups and downs. This was the first number one  single of John Legend’s career topping the pop charts in the USA, Australia, Canada, The  Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden and reaching number two in the UK charts. In 2014 John  Legend told US magazine that he eats half a rotisserie chicken before every performance.  The Pinkies have chickened out of doing the same! 

Closer To Fine 

Music & Lyrics: Emily Saliers; Arranger: Naomi Berwin 

Soloists: Jen Edge, Zoë Johannes, Holly Pennick, Annie Ring, Charlotte Rushworth, Charly  Milton-Doyle, Zoë Burdo, Kirsten Pulley, Ali Milton-Doyle, Karin Read, Keri Seymour 

This was the first hit song for American duo The Indigo Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers.  They had been friends since elementary school in Atlanta, Georgia, playing punk clubs and  community pubs. Walking the musical line between R.E.M. and Tracy Chapman got them  signed to Epic Records, which led to the release of their self-titled album which won the  1989 Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. Closer To Fine was written by  Saliers on a porch in Vermont while vacationing with her family. She had just graduated from  college and was ruminating on a world of academia that seems fraught with seemingly sure footed answers that often fail to be full. The song’s lyrical resolution “The less I seek my  source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine” is a testament to the notion that we each  have all the truth and wisdom we need right inside of us and the more we look for it outside  ourselves the further we get from it. Or as Rolling Stone magazine put it “joy, hope, and  validation set to music.” 

Rolling In The Deep 

Music & Lyrics: Adele Atkins and Paul Epworth; Arranger: Nicki Wakefield 

Rolling In The Deep was the first single from English R&B singer-songwriter Adele’s second  album 21, her age at the time the songs were written. Adele described the song to Spin  magazine as a kiss-off to an unfaithful former boyfriend, “It was my reaction to being told my  life was going to be lonely and boring and rubbish, and that I was a weak person if I didn’t  stay in the relationship.” She composed it in a single afternoon inspired by the slang phrase  ‘rolling deep’ which means that if you are ever in trouble you have always got someone  who’s going to help you fight it. Rolling Stone named the song as the best single of 2011  describing it as the “breakup scorcher to beat all breakup scorchers.” 

Rainy Days and Mondays 

Music & Lyrics: Paul Williams and Roger Nichols; Arranger: Simon Pearson 

This song was made famous by arguably the defining performers of that much-reviled genre  Easy Listening, siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter, aka the Carpenters. The duo was one  of the best-selling recording acts of the 1970s and ten of their singles sold a million copies or  

more. Rainy Days and Mondays was a huge hit in the US in 1971 but failed to chart in the  UK until it was re-released in 1993. 

The song was written for composer Paul Williams’ mother. He says “When you dare to share  your most private thoughts about loneliness or love you may be happily surprised by the  number of people who identify with your emotions and find comfort in knowing they’re not  alone”. 

Much to be Done 

Music: Iain Bell; Text: Mark Campbell 

Much to be Done is from the opera Stonewall which was commissioned by New York City  Opera for their Pride Initiative and to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall  Uprising. The opera received its first performance on 21st June 2018 at New York’s Lincoln  Centre. 

This choral arrangement was commissioned by the Pink Singers and we are honoured and  delighted to premiere it tonight. 

Iain Bell has forged an enviable reputation as one of the most gifted British composers of his  generation, with an output that is predominantly vocal and to date includes five operas,  including Jack the Ripper: The Women of Whitechapel which was performed at the English  National Opera last year. In addition, he has collaborated with many of the current leading  song recitalists and accompanists, producing several notable song-cycles. 

Mark Campbell is a New York-based librettist and lyricist whose operas have received both a  Pulitzer Prize in Music and a Grammy Award. Stonewall is the story of a cross-section of  disparate characters who are participants in the riots at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich  Village, New York in 1969 which are widely considered to constitute the most important  event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights. The  chorale finale Much To Be Done is sung on the morning following the riots. 

Define Me 

Music & Lyrics: Ryan Amador; Arranger: Chris Chambers; Soloists: Clive Raynes, Ben  Thorner 

This song by Ryan Amador, a singer/songwriter based in Brooklyn New York, challenges the  traditional notions of identity. Define Me was written in 2012 for an LGBT+ youth conference  and is about removing the labels that divide us. Amador has donated the royalties from the  song to organizations supporting diversity and equality. 

His video of the song in a duet with fellow singer Jo Lampert has reached over 700,000  views on YouTube. 

The line, “If I’m defined by what I do, then what am I supposed to call you?” rings true not  just for LGBT+ people but everyone who has ever been put down or insulted. 

The Show Must Go On 

Music & Lyrics: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor; Arranger:  Chris Chambers; Soloists: Claire Hogg, Sally-Anne Smith, Ben Thorner, Shauna Laurel  Jones, Keri Seymour 

The Show Must Go On is a song by the British rock band Queen from their 1991 album  Innuendo. It’s a song about accepting the challenges that you face but not letting them  conquer or define you. Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was living with HIV / AIDS when he  recorded the song and despite being gravely ill delivered one of his strongest vocals.  Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved  entertainers on the planet. He died of AIDS on November 24th 1991 at age 45, the day after  announcing he had the disease. He had kept the show on the road up to the very last  moment, a true artist who would not bow out before the final curtain falls. 

Proud 

Music & lyrics: Heather Small and Peter-John Vettesse; 

Arranger: Simon Pearson 

Proud was written by singer Heather Small and her producer Peter-John Vettesse and was  released in May 2000 as her first solo single, becoming a worldwide hit. In 2005, the song  was adopted as the official theme for the London 2012 Olympic bid. It has gone on to  become the soundtrack synonymous with a whole host of sporting events including, of  course, London’s 2012 Olympics, England’s victory at the Rugby World Cup and many  more. Heather first found fame as the lead singer of the band M People who formed in 1990  and had chart success with top ten hits including Moving on Up, One Night in Heaven and  Search for the Hero. Heather has sung this song at many Pride events in the UK and says “I  grew up in 70’s Britain and I know what it feels like to feel like an outsider and to try and be  accepted for who and what you are”.