1. Penny Arcade (3:09) - This is a slow-dance song, with instruments softly playing. Orchestral strings are common throughout this album. While walking, the narrator hears a tune; wondering where it comes from, he follows it and finds that the source is an arcade building. (Apparently, to play an arcade game cost just a penny in the 1950s.) Near the half-minute mark, I hear a brief piano solo representing the curious tune. When the lead singer sings the line where his character laughs at a gypsy fortuneteller's prediction, I like how the other guys laugh; later in that same verse the guys sing the word "crying," their voices shaking. The narrator warns his friends not to follow the tune leading to the arcade and the gypsy as he had.
2. The Beating Of My Heart (2:36) - This slow, 12/8 song opens with a 5-second bass drum solo representing a heartbeat. The narrator's heartbeat says that he and his girlfriend will never break up. His heart beats faster, louder and stronger as she gets closer to him.
3. Most Of All (2:25) - Here's another song with a slow 12/8 tempo. Of all the things the narrator wants, the narrator most wants the girl to whom he's singing--her embrace, her caress, her kiss. From the phrase "the way we used to kiss," I infer they had broken up sometime before and he wants her back.
4. You've Chosen Me (2:45) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, features a tambourine. The girl has chosen the narrator, and he has chosen her, for an eternal lover. He resolves to make her happy in any way we can. Some days won't be happy, but if they stick together they can weather those days.
5. Love Is A River (3:15) - Here's yet another slow, 12/8 song. "Love is a river rolling to the sea...flowing gently to me," says the lead singer's character. He also describes love as a rapture, a heartache, a shadow, and happiness in disguise. Sometimes he and his girlfriend have a quarrel, but then returns that special something that made them fall in love in the first place.
6. Sincerely (4:38) - From the title, you'd guess the narrator is writing a letter to the gal he loves. But the lyrics are open enough that he could even be calling her on the phone or talking to her in person. He genuinely loves her and would do anything for her; all he asks of her is to be his girlfriend. This song, for the first 43 seconds, is in 12/8 time but a bit faster than the previous one. After about 3/4 of a minute, the guys abruptly stop singing and start chattering among themselves. At 0:50 the drums lead a sort of Take 2 with a moderately fast tempo. Horns play in the left speaker while a saxophone plays in the right until the guys resume singing. From 3:12 to 3:23 the sax flutters from the right speaker to the left back and forth.
7. When I'm With You (2:51) - The tempo is slow. For the first 20 seconds, I hear soft "doo doo doo" backup scat singing and double-hat cymbal drums. I like how the guys take turns singing the word "spinning" after the lead singer sings the phrase "my head goes spinning," and similar rounds in other verses. In any case, a spinning head and an upside-down heart happen to the narrator when he's with his girlfriend. As time passes, he tells himself he's gotta be dreaming.
8. I Was Wrong (3:17) - This slow song features finger snaps on every other beat (for the first 15 seconds) and the soft rolling of a piano and cymbals. The narrator cries as he realizes how wrong he was treat his girlfriend the way he did. He begs her to return and forgive him.
9. I'll Stop Wanting You (2:47) - This slow, 12/8 song begins and ends with the guys singing the title a capella, very slowly. When the moon stops shining, when rivers stop flowing to seas, and the summer sun no longer exists and "when time stands still"--that's when the narrator will stop wanting the girl.
10. The 10 Commandments Of Love (4:15) - Here's yet another slow song with a 12/8 tempo; how fitting that a song with "Ten" in the title is track 10 on the disc. I like hearing Harvey speak. The song opens and closes with him reciting: "God created heaven and earth and all that's within, and also the Ten Commandments of Love." He also speaks every commandment after it's sung; the backup singers precede each commandment with its number. In the case of loving relationships, the commandments are (paraphrasing 1st 6): 1. Love only me. 2. Always stand by me. 3. Take the good with the bad. 4. Always smile. 5. Retain faith in me through all my words and actions. 6. Put your all into loving me until we die. 7. "Come to me when I am lonely." 8. "Kiss me when you hold me tight." These all make sense, but the 9th and 10th confuse me. The backup guys sing "9" before Harvey sings "Treat me sweet and gentle," then sing "10" before Harvey sings "...when we say goodnight." Those sound more like one sentence split into fragments. But it's a good song nevertheless. I also have a version by Little Anthony and the Imperials.
11. Don't Say Goodbye (Pratt/Twiggs/Wang) (2:39) - The tempo is slow. The narrator begs his girlfriend not to say goodbye because she is the only woman he dreams of. If she leaves him, he'll miss her kiss and her touch, which both mean the world to him. Starting at 1:20, I hear a piano playing in triplet beats.
12. Sincerely (Reprise) (3:37) - The first version faded out and this one fades in. Again I hear that fluttering sax solo, starting at 2:11. This version fades out just like the first, with the guys singing "All you gotta do is be mine," with the word "mine" several times straight.
1. When I'm With You (Medley) (with Sylvia Robinson) (4:18) - The tempo is moderately fast, with handclaps on the third beat of every measure. When the singing begins, "Honey, oh baby, oh sugar," the second phrase sounds, in the shaky way it's sung, like "gotta have you back." Besides "When I'm With You" and "Sincerely," this medley alludes to the Mickey and Sylvia tune "Love Is Strange." Now Harvey is the one asking Sylvia how she'd call her lover boy. After she sings "baby, oh baby" in a breathy voice, Harvey quips that times have changed and she's gotta be more serious.
2. Touch Talk (3:23) - This moderate-speed song opens with a 7-second drum solo. Other instruments include a saxophone and a piano. "People of today have forgotten what the touch is about," Harvey observes. They prefer to talk to their husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, but often, talk alone can't yield understanding. "Let your touch talk" is Harvey's way of telling us that actions speak louder than words.
3. Old Fashioned Love Affair (with Etta James) (3:10) - This song has the same tempo as the previous one. That buzzing instrument I hear especially during the first 15 seconds sounds interesting. Harvey and Etta portray a couple who want something antique and simple, not modern and fancy. They've observed other people take each other for granted and just "take, take, take" in general. Etta's lines "Simple trust and understanding, neither one of us is too demanding" are my favorite parts of the song. As the song fades out, they give examples of what would be antique and simple: "Take a walk in the park, go to the show and ride."
4. Miss Unbelievable (4:06) - Chimes softly open this song; every now and then I hear them again, gently rolling. The measures count at a speed somewhat faster than moderate. Harvey uses his bass speaking voice in this album also: "Honey, I love you; I've always needed you; you've always been right there." The narrator finds it incredible that he has a woman who's true to him and embodies everything he could want. Alluding to a Nat King Cole song, he tells her she's "unforgettable."
5. Kiss Me Baby (2:23) - This fast song features horns, female backup vocals, and a guitar lick every now and then. The narrator and the girl could live only on love. He promises to buy her a few fancy cars, but first she's gotta kiss him. The song ends with two kissing sounds.
6. Hello Stranger (4:31) - Chimes, a percussion sound similar to a finger snap, a piano, a guitar, and orchestral strings all play softly. Harvey starts this slow song with a brief speech; his character apparently is a divorced dad who, while shopping, spots his ex-wife whom he had not seen in a long time. He wonders how her life has been lately, whether she feels sad and misses him. Fearing he'll start crying, he leaves the shop with one plea: to tell their children he still loves them, that the divorce was due to "a misunderstanding."
7. The Wonder Of Your Love (3:44) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include chimes and a tick-tock percussion. The narrator searched the whole world for love. Then one day he met the girl to whom he's singing. During the line "Lightning flashed o'er the thunder that roared," I hear sound effects of such weather. Here's some more actions-speak-louder theme: "Darlin', don't talk; just love me," Harvey quotes the girl as saying.
8. Any Way You Wanna, Lupe Lu (4:41) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, sounds reminiscent of the disco era, and also of the Righteous Brothers tune "Little Latin Lupe Lu." The main feature is the "funky funky" backup vocals. Also notable is the opening exclamation "Ah shucks!" Harvey sings little other than the title over and over. At 2:37 the backup singers shout, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil!" The dancer Lupe Lu apparently can have her dance any way she wants it.
9. Blue Skies (Irving Berlin) (3:20) - This moderate-speed song opens with rolling chimes. The narrator sees the sun shining brighter than he has ever seen it shine. "Nothing but blue skies from now on" is what the narrator will see now that he is in love. During the part about the birds singing, a flute rolls gently. I also have a version of this song by Willie Nelson.
10. The Tracks Of My Tears (with Smokey Robinson) (Robinson/Moore/Tarplin) (3:44) - This is a moderately fast version of Smokey's old hit with the Miracles, with handclaps on the third beat of every measure. Harvey sings the first verse, Smokey the second; the rest of the time they swap lines and phrases.
11. Overlooked Generation (4:33) - This song is slower than the previous one, again with handclaps on each measure's third beat. Here's yet more of Harvey's soothing speech; this time it's about visiting an elderly lady friend who sits lonely in a rocking chair. The narrator's touch on the old lady's shoulder brings relief to her. Sadly, her family no longer visits her. The elderly, many of whom live in nursing homes, are indeed an "overlooked generation." This is Harvey's plea for us to maintain contact with our aging parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents; years from now we'll be the generation of which he sings.