I had no idea what I was going to do, then I remembered that yesterday was the feast of St. Blaise. Legend had it that someone brought a child to him with a fishbone caught in its throat, and Blaise, in a moment of divine inspiration, held two blesssed candles under the kid’s neck, the bone popped out, and the kid’s life was saved. That got me thinking about candles, and specifically songs with "candle" in the title. I came up with five; let’s see what you can do.
-
Tiffany, "That One Blue Candle": Tiffany Darwish, who went by the mononym Tiffany, got her start singing in shopping malls to bands of marauding teen girls. "That One Blue Candle" is from her 1993 album Dreams Never Die. Wanna feel old? She’s 50…
-
Waylon Jennings, "Roman Candles": From the 1982 album WWII, which also featured Willie Nelson.
-
Elton John, "Candle In The Wind": Originally featured on the 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It became quite popular when Sir Elton altered the lyrics to honor the late Princess Diana. This is the original.
-
Melanie, "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)": From 1970. Sung with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, who had a hit single, "O Happy Day," the year before.
-
The Crests, "16 Candles": The first song I thought of when I came up with this idea, so naturally the last song I’m listing.
As long as I have your attention, I have a Battle of the Bands going on right now, with Wes Montgomery matching licks with Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete on the song "Days Of Wine And Roses." If you get a chance, and want to help me out, would you go here, listen to the two versions, and choose which one you like better, some time before Tuesday at noon? I’d really appreciate it!
That’s Five For Friday for February 4, 2022.
The Sound of One Hand Typing 
Excellent choices here and I had no idea how many songs hand Candle in the title. I do love the Norma jean song even when he sings it dressed as Louis the 14th
LikeLike
Is that who je is? I thought he was Mozart…
LikeLike
Maybe he was Mozart but…I don’t think so. He dressed for a costume party all draped up and claimed he dressed like the Sun King but I could be wrong.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are all good songs, John! Wow, 16 Candles goes way back! I also like Elton John’s Candle in the Wind.
LikeLike
I like the original “Candle In The Wind,” no offense to Princess Diana…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, me too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The one that immediately came into my mind is from one of the best albums ever! By the Zombies from Odyssey and Oracle
LikeLike
I think I remember going to church on the Feast of St. Blaze when I was in grammar school to get the blessing of the throat. Of course, going to Catholic School, any excuse was a good one to make you go to church, right?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right. First Fridays and Holy Thursday were the big Mass days, plus you had Stations of the Cross on Fridays in Lent and Benediction the rest of the year. And, if you were an Altar Boy, you had to do a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament sometime on Good Friday or Holy Saturday. And let’s not forget Ash Wednesday…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Love that Melanie song, which I had forgotten about until you posted it!
LikeLike
I think I owned the single. Always a great song when Melanie does it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
John Great tunes. For this week’s 5 on Friday, I used your last Battle of The Bands 5 Artists One Tune Days of Wine and Roses!
LikeLike
That Ella Fitzgerald-Joe Pass version is great! They all are (it’s a beauty of a song)….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those are some good ones, John.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person