Mony Mony [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Billy Idol

Mony Mony [Bitpop/Chiptune] was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 – 6 Channels

“Mony Mony” means nothing – literally nothing. In the late ’60s, Tommy James and the Shondells crafted the tune as a party song, with an emphasis on the beat and little thought given to the shout-along nonsense lyrics. Was “Mony” a girl? Was “Mony” a command? Was this a secret reference? Actually, none of the above. It was an acronym for the Mutual of New York Insurance Company (M-O-N-Y), whose illuminated sign gave James the idea for the title of the 1968 hit.

But to William Michael Albert Broad – better known as Billy Idol – “Mony Mony” always meant sex. That’s because when young William was 14, he lost his virginity in a public park via a tumble with a more experienced partner. He recalled in his autobiography, Dancing With Myself: “As we went at it, ‘Mony Mony’ by Tommy James and the Shondells was playing on someone’s transistor radio nearby…”

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Gavin

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I Am Australian [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to The Seekers

I Am Australian was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 8bit Home Computer (6 Channels)

Sometimes I have grand fits of patriotism. I guess this is one of those moments. I tried hard to really capture the harmonies between the male & female voices in this one. Sometimes when I stop thinking about it as a musician and just listen, I can almost your the sawtooth wave (male voice) and the square wave (female voice) express the lyrics.

I’ve shortened this version a little but this is for all you chose to live here both past and present. I don’t care where you’ve come from, this is our land together.

Made with ♥
Gavin

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I Dream of Jeannie [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Hugo Montenegro

I Dream of Jeannie was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 8bit home computer

Made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 – 6 Channels

Hugo was rather influential as an electronic musician but he also penned (or co-penned) some of the most iconic themes. To his credit are “The Partridge Family”, “Outcasts” and covers of “The Man With No Name” & “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”.

Once he added Moog Synths to his instruments, he help shape the musical landscape for future electronic musicians. His version of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is a classic example.

Another case on coincidental timing here as Bill Daily just passed away. He was an American actor and comedian known for his sitcom work as Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie and Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show.

Made with ♥
Gavin

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Hawaii Five-O [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Morton Stevens

Hawaii Five-O was made with the the sounds of the Commodore 64 8bit home computer from the 80s. 

Made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 – 6 Channels

Morton is probably best known for composing the theme music for Hawaii Five-O, a television series for which he won two Emmy Awards (in 1970 and 1974), and was nominated seven other times for work on television programs including Gunsmoke and Police Woman.

Yes, I’ve taken that from Wikipedia. I don’t know much about him but I really like this tune. 🙂

Made with ♥
Gavin

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Chariots of Fire [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Vangelis

Chariots of Fire was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 – 6 Channels

Made with the sounds of the Commodore 64 – 6 Channels

Another progressive synth artist favourite of mine. He’s done some awesome scores for movies over the years but my first run-in was the duo of Jon & Vangelis with the song “I’ll find my way home”. He’s still a favourite and he’s definitely a legend.

This interpretation is a bit heavy on effects but I wanted a full sound without extending into more sound channels.

Made with ♥
Gavin

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Calypso [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Jean Michel Jarre

Calypso – Tribute to Jean Michel Jarre was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64

The song, “Calypso 1” was the lead song off the album ‘En attendant Cousteau’ (English title: Waiting for Cousteau) is the tenth studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre. The album was dedicated to Jacques-Yves Cousteau and was released on his 80th birthday 11 June 1990. Allmusic described the album as “groundbreaking stuff”, due to its extreme stylistic differences from his other albums. The album reached Number 14 in the UK charts.

It may not be too well known but Jarre was a hero of mine when I was growing up and doing music on the C64. This album was different to anything else of his that I had previously heard and for that reason, it’s memorable.

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Gavin

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Mission Impossible [Bitpop/Chiptune] – Tribute to Lalo Schifrin

Mission Impossible was made with the sounds of the Commodore 64

The theme is written in a 5/4 time signature which Schifrin has jokingly explained as being “for people who have five legs”. However, a more likely explanation is that Schifrin started from the Morse Code for M.I. which is dah dah dit dit. If a dit is one beat and a dah is one and a half beats then this gives a bar of five beats exactly matching the underlying rhythm.

In 1996, the theme was remade by U2 members Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. for the soundtrack to the film.

Made with ♥
Gavin

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