Fly Me to the Moon

"There is that wonderful moment in a song between the verse and the release...You listen to the verse and you're saying - "what IS that...", "where is this GOING..." and then the song releases and everything in you releases with it --"

"That's what happened to me the day I heard Tony Bennett sing this song."

Song of Bernadette

L. Cohen - J. Warnes - B. Elliott

"A certain school of thought believes that all illness is caused by resentment and lack of forgiveness.  Whatever your belief, these are extremely uncomfortable states of mind to find yourself constantly absorbed in.  The beauty of this song softened me and my own mind-state the first time I heard it...looking at forgiveness through the child Bernadette and her vision."

On a Clear Day
(You Can See Forever)

From the Musical
On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)

Music by A.J. Lerner
Lyrics by B. Lane

"'Clear day' came about in a traffic jam between 33rd and 34th Street in Manhattan.  Marty just started beating rhythms out on the steering wheel of the car and the rhythms and arrangement of the song as it is on my recording just came about in 30 minutes.  We said, 'We've got to have a couple of 'up' tunes, you know!'"

Harry's Dreams

Music and Lyrics by Joel Higgins

"Joel Higgins wrote 'Harry's Dreams' for his friend Hap quite a few years ago....Hap recently died of cancer, a young man with young kids.  I met him a few times, didn't know him well, but I wanted to sing his dream, his song.

Love is Good

Music by Martin Silvestri
Lyrics by T. Tanner
French Lyrics by I. Balto - N. Brucker - L. Cahill

"Marty originally wrote this for an off-Broadway show some time ago.  The first time I heard it, I heard French --everywhere--!  We were putting together a concert for the White House, a really elegant and private affair for a very sophisticated crowd--French was a good idea--Years later, I used this song for my 'Pimpernel' audition for the very French Marguerite St. Just--again, it was a very good idea and kept me busy for a year on Broadway."

"It also sounded like a beautiful title for an album..."

Love Don't Need a Reason

P. Allen - M. Callen - M. Malamet

"I met Peter Allen working with him in 'Legs Diamond' in 1989.  What a great songwriter and entertainer...what a great guy.  I never found out the real story behind this song, but I'm told it was written for his lover before his death, the message being, 'I'm staying whether you like it or not.  There is no time in our lives right now for remorse or guilt, forget about it.  I'm here for you'.  It's a very special love song.'

Pirate

Music and Lyrics by S. Keister and A. Keister

"Marty found 'Pirate' somewhere in Nashville.  It's kind of surreal.   I can just see the video: A woman in a long, black dress walking around her widows walk high atop her house on the New England coast at turn of the century, looking out at the stormy grey sea.   She's waiting for her man to come home, he never does..."

"I know, I know,...too many gothic novels...I love that stuff."

Cover Me

Featuring Joel Higgins

Music by Martin Silvestri
Lyrics by Joel Higgins

"Joel and Marty wrote 'Cover Me' and it was just a unique way of looking at romantic partnerships.  It says, 'cover me, take care of me, when I'm a little out of it I know you're going to be there to help me through it'.  It wasn't like 'save me' - that's different.  I don't do "I'm nothing - save me" songs - I can't stand those songs.  But 'Cover Me' is different.  It says,  'I'm just feeling a little depleated right now, so help me get back on track'.  I love that idea and I loved singing with Joel.  He was great."

The Moon's a Harsh Mistress

Music and Lyrics by J. Webb

"Jim Webb is a wondrous writer and I consider this a poem set to music, full of images and symbols.  I understand it to mean that woman is a mystery even to herself.  We are essentially intuitive and don't always understand what we do or why."

Storybook

From the Musical The Scarlet Pimpernel

Music by Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics by Nan Knighton

"'Storybook' truly speaks for itself.  I was playing Marguerite in The Scarlet Pimpernel and Frank Wildhorn allowed me to include this song on my album before the cast album was even begun.  Harold Wheeler and Marty arranged it a bit differently, but it's the same exuberant waltz."

All My Tomorrows

Music by S. Cahn
Lyrics by J. Van Heusen

"One of Sammy's great songs.  I worked with Sammy Cahn in a musical called 'Words and Music', my first Broadway show.  Sammy was a real character and adored singing and playing his own music.  I could sing a hundred versions of this sentiment if I could find them--'times get tough, but together we'll always find our way and move on.'"

Some Enchanted Evening/
Younger than Springtime

From the Musical South Pacific

Featuring Joel Higgins

Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein

"Sometimes you can put a song or songs in a fresh context and it wakes you up to the song again - You hear the lyrics' intent and the beauty of the musical line anew - with all its integrity."

And So It Goes

Music and Lyrics by Billy Joel

With Martin Silvestri on Piano

"The first time I heard Billy Joel sing this song I sat very still for a long time.  His voice came from a place so deep within himself, it was one of the most private readings of a song I had ever heard, like Kristofferson's eulogy to Janice Joplin, 'Why Was She Born So Black and Blue'.  I aim to be the kind of singer whose voice changes with the intent of the song.  To let the song color me."

"Marty and I recorded this album at Angel Studios in London...it's an old church, and we sat in the hollowed out belly of this old church together and recorded this song in one take...it was an exquisite experience.   This album, for me, was an exquisite experience and I long to do it again."