Torch song

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, where one party is either oblivious to the existence of the other, or where one party has moved on.^[1][2] Singers (predominantly female) of the Pop Vocal tradition are referred to as "torch singers" when their repertoire consists predominantly of such material. Torch singing is more of a niche than a genre, and can stray from the traditional jazz-influenced style of singing, although the American tradition of the torch song typically relies upon the melodic structure of the blues.^[3] A modern example of a torch singer is British Rhythm and Blues chanteuse Sade Adu.

The etymology comes from the saying "Carrying a torch for him/her"; which means to long for a lost lover. This coinage has existed in English since at least 1930, when a play by the same title was released.^[4]

[edit] Torch Singers

The following is an incomplete list of popular artists who were or are particularly known for their torch songs.

• Antony and the Johnsons
• Billie Holiday
• Diana Krall
• Dinah Shore
• Dora Gerson
• Dusty Springfield
• Édith Piaf
• Elvis Costello
• Ethel Merman
• Ethel Waters
• Fiona Apple
• Frank Sinatra
• Georgia Gibbs
• Jane Olivor
• Jeff Buckley
• Jeri Southern
• Joni Mitchell
• Judy Garland
• Julie London
• k.d. lang
• Laura Fygi
• Mariah Carey
• Marlene Dietrich
• Morrissey
• Neko Case
• Nina Simone
• Patti LuPone
• Peggy Lee
• Sade
• Ute Lemper

[edit] References

http://www.mrlucky.com/songbirds/html/oct99/9910_torch.html

1. ^ Smith, L: Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the Torch Song Tradition, page 9. Praeger Publishers, 2004
2. ^ Allan Forte, MR: Listening to Classic American Popular Songs, page 203. Yale University Press, 2001
3. ^ Ibid.
4. ^ Nicholson, K: Torch Song A Play in Prologue and Three Acts. S French Ltd., 1930

Shirley Bassey

Phyllis Hyman

[edit] See also

• Cabaret
• Torch Song, a 1953 film starring Joan Crawford.
• Torch Song Trilogy was a 1982 three-part play (later filmed) by Harvey Fierstein about a torch song singing Jewish drag queen.
• Torch Song was also a 1980s synthpop band featuring William Orbit.
• Torch Song was an essay written by Charles Bowden in 1999. It was used for "The Best American Essays 1999" book published by Houghton Mifflin.
• Torch is also a single by Soft Cell
• Torch Song is also a song by the band Be Careful Little Hands