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| Author, life coach, and motivational speaker Tony Robbins. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Listening to a motivational speaker is a great way to seriously start thinking about doing something. Now if only I could just get one of those guys to shut up and just show me what I need to do instead of telling me about it...
Need some motivation? Have you tried listening to motivational speakers? I've got success program recordings by Napoleon Hill, Tony Robbins, and a few others that I used to listen to when I was driving. Whether it was for my fifteen minute commute to and from work or some extended trip, I would listen to these tapes over and over and over. Now I don't have a cassette player in my vehicle so I don't listen to them.
At the time I supposed that listening to the content enough would make it stick with me and maybe it did. Probably so. Still, there are those times when I need a healthy dose of motivation, part of which is reassurance. The guy doing most of the talking these days is me talking to myself. If I'm not hearing something on the computer or seeing something on television that pushes me to action, then it's up to me to do the prodding. I know it's all worth it in the end. At least I think it is. I hope it is.
By the way, for those who are shilly-shallying about doing the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge--go head and do it. Push yourself. Give yourself a hearty pep talk. And if you want a theme song to go along with your kick in the pants, you can sing along with my song pick for....
Battle of the Bands
"I Believe in You"
As a first reaction to this song title you might have been expecting a Christian song--there are a few with this title. Or maybe that great song by Neil Young with the same title. You might even have thought of any number of other songs with the title "I Believe in You." In the case of this Battle I'm using the hit song from the 1961 Frank Loesser musical How to Succeed at Business without Really Trying,
This song popped into my conscious mind within the past couple of months--not sure how or why, but it just did. Since then it has been my obsession to use it in an upcoming Battle and today is the day. The message in the song is a motivational one: Have confidence in yourself if you want to succeed. That speaks to my own self perception of late. I guess that's why I've had the song on mental replay for several weeks now. When I'm leading up to a Battle, the song I'm going to use next tends to overtake my musical mind. This one has done so probably more than any song I've used so far.
I recall seeing the song performed by How to Succeed star Robert Morse on television back in the sixties and hearing versions by many other artists during that era. It's not a song I've heard in recent years although maybe I did hear it not so song ago and it planted the song seed then. For some reason I've been thinking about this great song and now you can think about it...
Frank Sinatra with Count Basie "I Believe in You" (1964)
Let's start this Battle off in a big way with the brash flashy sound of Count Basie and his orchestra and an energetic delivery by the legendary Frank Sinatra. Can any recorded version of this motivational song be bigger and better? Give it a listen to see if it gives you a wallop...
Bobby Darin "I Believe in You" (1966)
Can Sinatra and Basie be outdone? Or maybe you prefer the slowed down cool version by Bobby Darin. It's not the frantic sound like the previous version, but it's a showy version nevertheless and you can focus on the lyrics with a more meditative approach. This is a darn good version of "I Believe in You," but is it as good as Sinatra's. You be the judge...
Time to Vote!
Come readers! I believe in you. Please vote. What's your preference between these two choices? Which song version do you like best? You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.
Please vote on your favorites by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.
Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:
StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’
'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'
'Curious as a Cathy'
Sound of One Hand Typing
Angel's Bark
Jingle, Jangle, Jungle
Cherdo on the Flipside
Winner of this Battle Announced on Wednesday March 7th
Do come back next Wednesday to find out who won this Battle. That will also be the day of the Insecure Writer's Support Group so you might want to drop in for that post as well. If you have not yet completed the survey at the Blogging from A to Z Blog site, please visit and help us with your input. A to Z sign ups open on March 5th.
Do you need any particular motivation right now? Do you ever listen to motivational gurus? Have self-help books ever been helpful to you?
Lee,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this song before now, so I liked the introduction and I equally enjoyed both artists' versions. However, first thing in the morning and without my first up of coffee then ole Blue Eyes rendition is a bit too frantic for me. I believe the slower pace of Bobby Darin's cover is a purrfect suit for my ears at the moment. Maybe had I listened to these later in the day I might go the other way so I'm giving my vote to BOBBY DARRIN!
I don't think I need motivation right. I'm fully charged and getting ready for the April challenge. Unless something horrible happens, God forbid, come Monday I will sign up for my 5ht year. I rarely listen to motivational speakers and generally the only self-help books I've read have to do with health issues. Anytime you use natural means for self-healing then the results are slow so I can't always say it helped.
Pawsome March 1 BoTB and thanks for voting in my BoTB! I'll see ya on Monday at the sign up party, my friend!!
Cathy, glad you're feeling motivated. You certainly keep things going at your blog. 5th year doing the Challenge is great.
DeleteA vote for Bobby Darin.
Lee
Frank's has more energy to it and gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteAlex, it's not heavy metal, but it's some big music.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra
Lee
My vote goes to Sinatra too. His voice, his upbeat sound, I just love it!
ReplyDeleteI also listen to motivational speakers. Right now one of my favorite people is Brene' Brown. She has some great Ted Talks.
Elsie
Elsie, I'm not familiar with Brene Brown, but I've heard some very good Ted Talks.
DeleteAnother vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
I( wasn't familiar with the song, but if you're going to sing a song like that, youmight as well go all the way with it, and Sinatra's version definitely does that.
ReplyDeleteHarry, Frank certainly went "All the Way" with this song.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
Hokey-Smoke! Terrific Battle, LEE! I actually listened to both songs but couldn't decide. So I went to MMQE's Battle and have now returned and listened to both of these recordings a second time (in reverse order).
ReplyDeleteI really dig BOTH of these.
As is usually the case with Sinatra, it's his backing musicians that mostly interest me. Whether it's Count Basie or the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, 7 out of 10 times I'm left thinking: I wish I could hear this as an instrumental. Yeah, yeah, Sinatra could certainly sing, but I think he was somewhat overrated. Without his backing (I mean the Mafia, not Basie or Riddle), I wonder if he'd have ever been so popular.
Bobby Darin, on the other hand... there was some indefinable quality in his voice that wows me. In the whole history of music there are really only two "crooners" I genuinely love, and Bobby Darin is one of them. (Johnny Mathis the other.)
Darin always had tremendous instrumentalists on his recordings as well, even if most of us don't know their names because they were pro studio musicians.
Whew! In this Battle, I like Sinatra's singing and I LOVE Count Basie's orchestra. I also dig the uptempo approach. But then there's that *thing* in Darin's God-given gift of a voice!!
Seriously, I could very happily vote either way on this Battle. But I guess I'll go with my main man, BOBBY DARIN, since he will probably need all the help he can get. Just the name "Sinatra" (like Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington) pretty much assures victory for him. Plus, in BOTB, uptempo usually prevails, so Sinatra has all the advantages here.
I'll support BOBBY, and without a smidgen of guilt. (Sorry, Mister Basie. I'm sure you understand.)
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'
STMcC, yeah, this is a tough match in my view, but I definitely hear what you're saying.
DeleteA vote for Bobby Darin.
Lee
I really love "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." I've seen the movie several times and also the musical live. It is a silly premise, but the thing is just plain fun.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny that you would somehow get this number stuck in your head, but it prompted a good battle and may have encouraged you to continue believing in yourself!
I have occasionally read self-help books, but they have been specific to an area I want to improve, rather than general "rah-rah" books assuring me of my worth, etc. Now, my DAD read or listened to that sort of thing all the time and he felt it improved his success selling advertising. As we learned in "How to Succeed..." - NEVER get put in charge of the advertising department!
For the songs: both good, Frank better. Bobby's showcases the best of his voice, but Frank's pace is better.
SBoy6, I'm going to have to see this movie. I've added it to my Netflix queue. Hope my wife likes it--she usually doesn't care for musicals.
DeleteI don't know how much the self-help genre really helps, but I don't think it could hurt.
A vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
I've read all of Napoleon Hill's books. He's a dynamo.
ReplyDeleteSinatra's is better.
L.Diane, he's one of the pioneers of the recent self-help era. On his tapes I know he gives a lot of good advice, but now I can't remember anything specific.
DeleteLee
Oh, and a vote for....
DeleteFrank Sinatra
Lee
Well, a hard choice for me - when I think of Bobby Darin I think of his 18 Yellow Roses - a song I really loved back when - in fact I may just get it up on youtube in a moment ... But Sinatra and Count Basie get my vote for this song, sorry Bobby -
ReplyDeleteI liked the rev in an earlier mail re the upcoming A-Z and yours here too Lee - I'm still thinking - am cutting down a bit on things.
Susan, hope you'll decide to join us for A to Z. You don't have to strive for any great undertaking. Just have fun.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
They are both good but I am actually going with Frank who is not my favourite normally. It is a bit more Jazzy and fun. If you want to watch this film since it stars Kevin Spacey, he directed and stars in a bio about Bobby Darin and he sings all the songs. It is quite good but Spacey is not in the good books for obvious reasons. I need some motivation right now since I lost my mom, cracked up the car and the bathroom going kerplunk but I never listen to those tapes. I find them irritating but i have read a couple of books that I found helpful.
ReplyDeleteBirgit, I haven't seen Beyond the Sea but I'd like to. I'm not put off by the whoever is the outcast de jour. The recorded talks aren't for everyone and not all of them are that enjoyable to listen to.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
"How To Succeed..." is a great play. My brother was in a high school production of it (he played the old guy in the mailroom) and maybe for the first time in my life I was impresed by something he did. The whole show was great.
ReplyDeleteWhen we still had cable, TCM ran the 1967 movie with Robert Morse, Michelle Lee, and Rudy Vallee. It was late on a Saturday night, and as much as I wanted to turn off the TV and go to bed, I couldn't: I was having too much fun. It's a great show. So, when I saw what the song was, I had to go listen to Robert Morse's original for comparison. Then I realized, you really can't compare the original to the covers. Where the covers sound like they're being sung to someone else, the original was the singer singing it to himself. There's a whole different perspective.
Anyway, on to the business at hand:
Both of these are very well done, as you'd expect them to be, and that makes it difficult to pick. Sinatra's has one huge advantage: Count Basie. The other thing I like is that, rather than fading off at the end, you have Basie's ending, where the orchestra music stops, he plays his three chords, and the horns blast away. That always gets me. I choose Sinatra and Basie.
John, I looked to see if TCM has the film on their schedule, but I didn't see it listed anywhere. I'll have to watch for it and set it to record if it does come on.
DeleteContext is so important. In the film there are two versions of the song that each convey a different perspective.
A good case for a Frank Sinatra vote.
Lee
Hi Lee!
ReplyDeleteBrash flashy. I just tried to say that out loud and tied up my tongue ;-) Great analogy!
I would have gone for Bobby but for Basie. So, Sinatra gets my vote this time.
I am motivated for the A-Z challenge! Now if I could just decide on a theme...
Have a great week!
Diedre, I like word gimmickry.
DeleteI'm not sure about my A to Z theme yet either. I keep changing my mind.
Another vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
From my cousin Tom on Facebook a vote for...
ReplyDeleteBobby Darin
Lee
Whew! This is a tough one! I've listened to both versions three times and still having a difficult time trying to decide. Both have appealing qualities, but I am leaning toward Bobby Darin at the moment, so I'm just going to go ahead and give him my vote. But honestly, I could vote either way and be happy.
ReplyDeleteA Vote for Bobby Darin
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Mary, this is one of those Battles where one version is essentially as good as the other. But personal preference rules.
DeleteBobby Darin.
Lee
I have to force myself to be motivated every day and it's so exhausting. But if I slack off, it makes my life worse in the long run. I love the idea of the motivational speaker and self help books but it's one thing to listen/read and another to make the changes suggested. But you have to stick to it and that's where I have trouble.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, for me too the excitement of the moment after listening to a motivational speaker dissipates after a short while. Ultimately we have to motivate ourselves.
DeleteLee
I gotta go with Basie and Sinatra. I hung on that version, and slid off of BDs for some reason.
ReplyDeleteCW, fair enough...
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
I could certainly do with some motivation at present Lee as our weather here is terrible.
ReplyDeleteI vote for Bobby Darin, loved all his songs.
Yvonne.
Yvonne, today it's rainy with a chill in the air. Hopefully I'll get some stuff done indoors.
DeleteA vote for Bobby Darin.
Lee
My heart will forever belong to Frank Sinatra.
ReplyDeleteLoni, again the heart wins out.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
Bobby Darin sounds more like a motivational interpretation to me. I could see me listening to it at night before bed, Sinatra not so much. I listen to/read motivational stuff ALL the time. Andy Andrews is one of my favorites. Looking forward to the A to Z!
ReplyDeleteJanet, Andrews is a new name to me, but there are so many of these speakers out there!
DeleteBobby Darin.
Lee
I missed the A-Z last year for the first time. There was just so much going on here I couldn't commit. Hoping to get back to it this year as my calendar is a little less nuts. Thanks for the encouraging push to do it! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteJoyce, hope you can manage and if you don't do the Challenge I hope you'll at least visit those who are and encourage them onward.
DeleteLee
Sinatra wins hands down for me.
ReplyDeleteThose motivational speakers make me want to beat my head against the wall. All they say is common sense. Pffft. But then common sense isn't too common soo...
Pat, sometimes a good speaker can convey a message that an audience wants to hear and makes it entertaining. It is mostly common sense though.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
They're both good, but I have to go with Sinatra. No doubt.
ReplyDeleteShannon, sounds like a confirmation...
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
I think I'll just play all of those songs one after the other today and see if I can kickstart some motivation. I'll probably play Frank a few times. He's my go-to singer on this round.
ReplyDeleteC.Lee, I've been trying to make this a theme song for myself.
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee
I like the rendition by Frank Sinatra with Count Basie.
ReplyDeleteHR, you've got it!
DeleteA vote for Frank Sinatra.
Lee