Song of the Day: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by The Mystic Moods Orchestra

Brian mostly writes about movies and TV, but he’s contributed some music commentary over the years. This week, I’m revisiting seven of his song reviews and recommendations.

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by The Mystic Moods Orchestra — From “Mix This: Rainy Day Songs” (2014)

Maybe “mood music” is a little too hippy-dippy for your tastes. All I know is, this album, released in 1993, is one of the first I can remember listening to frequently. Throughout much of first and second grade, I often listened to “Stormy Nights” as I fell asleep. The album combines rain and other atmospheric sounds with slow, peaceful orchestral arrangements of popular melodies. My favorite track has always been “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You,” which I first heard on this album, and which just happens to be the one Dan selected for the Spotify playlist. We’re sympatico, us Earn This writers.

Dan’s take:

It’s not often, as an editor, you get a personal shoutout mid-text. But it always makes my day.

I’ve had a new appreciation for soft-jazz/atmospheric covers of standards since I had my baby daughter eight months ago. Sometimes you juts need something pleasant in the background to pacify your little one, and you want a familiar tune. Spotify is chock full of them. (Alas, this one specific song has been taken off the service, though the rest of the album remains.)

In addition, I have an increased appreciation the way this album integrates in “white noise” as part of its timbre. Our baby sleeps to white noise every night, and building it into an otherwise pleasant number makes for a perfect rock-the-baby tune. This was more prevalent her first three months when she would nap in my arms, not the crib, most of the time, but is still nice to have on tap.

Now whenever I hear “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” I think of this song and Brian. This happens fairly frequently: Wikipedia cites more than 50 notable covers of the song. Something about the sweeping, swooning tune really sounds like falling love. A recent favorite version is various Broadway stars singing the song in James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke.

Good stuff.