Shirley Bassey - Apartment (2009)

2009 (Rufas Wainwright wrote this song for Shirley Bassey, which was recorded on her 2009 CD titled, 'The Performance'. Shirley performs this upbeat POP number live on the Paul O'Grady TV Show)

This song was recorded and released on Shirley's 2009 CD titled, 'Shirley Bassey - The Performance'.

LYRICS:
I'm runnin´ away from Cinderella
don't want to go to Rapunzel´s hairdresser
Get me outta this
This, this here fairytale
According to me dreams are hell

I don't wanna kiss that faggot froggy
don't want to fall in love
With the beast or the beauty
Get me outta this
This, this here fairytale
According to me dreams are hell

All I want is an Apartment

All I need is an Apartment
If you've any leads on an Apartment
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
Tell me please
Cause I'm runnin´ away from Cinderella

I don't wanna fly on a dragon
God knows I've had so many drags,
So many of them
Get me outta this
This, this here fairytale
According to me real life is swell

All I need is an Apartment
All I want is an Apartment
If you've any leads on an Apartment
Tell me please
Cause I'm runnin´ away
I'm runnin´ away
I'm runnin´ away from Cinderella

ABOUT the CD, 'The Performance':
The Performance is an album by singer Shirley Bassey, released on 9 November 2009. It is her first studio album of original compositions in three decades. English film composer David Arnold co-produced the entire album with Mike Dixon.

David Arnold initially contacted Bassey about recording an album together following her successful appearance at Glastonbury festival in 2007. Having entered semi-retirement and not toured for a few years, Bassey was unsure until she heard that a number of famous songwriters were keen to contribute to the album. With artists such as Manic Street Preachers, Gary Barlow and Pet Shop Boys involved, Bassey felt honoured by the contributions and agreed to do the album. The first song ready for the album was the Rufus Wainwright composition, "Apartment". The recording took place during 2009 with the orchestral arrangements taking place some time before the vocals were laid down - a process Bassey was unfamiliar with. The vocal sessions took place in Grouse Lodge Studios, Westmeath, Ireland.

The recording of the album became the subject of a BBC documentary titled The Girl from Tiger Bay named after the song written by James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers for the project. Of the songs, Bassey commented that they were very different from anything she had recorded before, with songs such as "After the Rain" being in a much lower key than she would normally use, while the Arnold composition "As God is My Witness" was almost scrapped due to a disagreement about the arrangement. Gary Barlow said that he had a struggle to complete his song, "This Time", and as Bassey found it lyrically too long, some sections were abandoned. Barlow came into the studio to play it to them, having been unable to record a demo in time. The only female writer, KT Tunstall revealed that her song "Nice Men" was originally titled "Nice Boys", but thought that a 72-year-old woman referring to 'boys' was perhaps distasteful. Of the Pet Shop Boys composition, "The Performance of My Life", Bassey remarked that the lyrics hit close to home and moved her to tears during recording. Songwriter Neil Tennant said that it was about a diva, who lived her life on stage, but was not specifically about Bassey. At the end of recording, Bassey said that the experience was both "frustrating, but exhilarating". Of the finished album, she has said to be "ecstatic".

The album spent 8 weeks on the UK albums chart, peaking at No.20.

ABOUT 'Apartment' by Rufas Wainwright:
The Performance, Dame Shirley Bassey's first studio album of new songs in two decades, features eleven tracks each written by a different songwriter. This romp about a woman tired of fairy-tale romance was penned by Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. "It's a relief, with all the tepid voices we have these days, to not worry if the artist can handle it," Wainwright told The Daily Telegraph October 28, 2009. "With Shirley, you've got to think about finales, climaxes, strong opening lines: there's nothing subtle about the process."
Producer David Arnold agreed. "She loves the big note," he said. "My job was almost like trying to make the journey interesting."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Shirley Bassey
• Rufas Wainwright
• Paul O'Grady
• The Performance

[RPauly1]

My favourite sing-a-long track from the last album. Love it, love it! Rufus is a great songwriter, though, so it's not surprising.