The eight songs Tennessee Williams couldn’t live without
The work of Tennesse Williams has been the backdrop of America for decades. Even though he may not be as well known as the massive rock stars of his day, his impressive run of scripts on and off the stage has brought people together to hear theatrical slices of life. While he may be known for making the kind of arrangements that can get any average audience to shed tears, Williams has been indebted to the music of his contemporaries.
Known for his brilliant stage work in musicals like A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Williams always knew the power of bringing the right lyrics and melody together. Williams singled out Harry Belafonte’s version of the standard ‘Danny Boy’ as one of his all-time favourites when talking about those timeless songs that he was raised on.
While the traditional song has been passed down from one generation to the next and sung by legends like Johnny Cash, Belafonte’s version is far more poignant than any other. Opening up with a solo vocal, you can practically hear the aching in Belafonte’s voice as he sings every line before the rest of the orchestral backing track comes soaring in behind him.
Since he earned his living in the theatre, Williams also gravitated towards some of the biggest heavy hitters of the stage, including Judy Garland’s show-stopping performance of ‘Me and My Shadow’, originally written by Al Jolson. Then again, for anyone who knows the stage, the greatest extension of theatre comes on the big screen.
Outside of the music that had been passed along for generations, Williams was an avid fan of the music he heard in various musicals, including ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’. Though the song has been covered by many different artists, including superstar Tony Bennett, Williams had a special place in his heart for Sarah Vaughan’s version, who brings a cinematic take on the track with help from future production legend Quincy Jones.
While not every musical was meant to receive major radio play in its time, it was only a matter of time before the radio hits started to make their way onto the big screen. In the wake of Elvis Presley becoming one of the biggest stars in the world, ‘Love Me Tender’ hit Williams like a ton of bricks when he heard it.
Although most rock had relied on the 12-bar blues format, Presley approaches the song closer to an opera singer throughout the piece, pleading for his lover to reciprocate his feelings whenever she can. Presley may have had the entire world wrapped around his finger with songs like this, but four lads out of Liverpool ended up taking his brand of ballad one step further.
After freeing themselves from the silver screen, The Beatles began creating the kind of songs that transcended normal pop music, including John Lennon writing one of his great love songs, ‘In My Life’. While not connected with any storyline in any way, the entire song feels like an individual scene from Lennon’s life, as he promises his lover that he will love her no matter what earthly circumstance stands in his way.
Despite the massive style switches between each of Williams’s picks, his eclectic taste is a reminder of how little genre labels seem to matter to true musicians. For them, good music is anything that ends up sounding good, and with the right melody tying everything together, anything is possible.
Tennessee Williams’ favourite songs:
- ‘Danny Boy’ – Harry Belafonte
- ‘Oh That We Two Were Maying’ – Alma Gluck, Louis Homer
- ‘If I Didn’t Care’ – The Ink Spots
- ‘In My Life’ – The Beatles
- ‘Love Me Tender’ – Elvis Presley
- ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’ – Sarah Vaughan
- ‘Quiereme Mucho’ – Tito Schipa
- ‘Me and My Shadow’ – Judy Garland
