More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/great_american_songbook/once_upon_a_time.html
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Once Upon A Time is a lovely, heart-wrenching ballad that isn't that well-known, even though it has been sung by well-known singers like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. I'm singing to a karaoke arrangement based on Frank Sinatra's version of the song. The exquisitely beautiful orchestration is by master arranger, Gordon Jenkins.
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ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time 
A girl with moonlight in her eyes 
Put her hand in mine 
And said she loved me so 
But that was once upon a time 
Many years ago 

Once upon a hill 
We sat beneath a willow tree 
Counting all the stars
and waiting for the dawn 
But that was once upon a time 
Now the tree is gone 

How the breeze ruffled up her hair 
How we always laughed as though
tomorrow wasn't there 
We were young
and didn't have a care 
Where did it go? 

Once upon a time 
The world was sweeter than we knew 
Everything was ours 
How happy we were then 
But somehow once upon a time 
Never comes again.
Never comes again.
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
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Once Upon A Time

More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/90s-to-present/die_with_a_smile.html
For more songs, click my picture (left) or visit my website:
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My cover of the beautiful 2024 hit ballad, Die With a Smile, by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, which was nominated for the 2025 Grammy Award for Song of the Year. It's the third in my trilogy of Bruno Mars covers, along with APT. (2024) and Just The Way You Are (2010).

As of this moment, APT. and Die With A Smile also happen to be the two most popular songs in the world! — they are #1 and #2 on the Billboard Global 200 Chart (for the week of February 15, 2025).
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DIE WITH A SMILE

[VERSE]

Oooh

I
I just woke up from a dream
Where you and I had to say goodbye
And I don't know what it all means
But since I survived, I realized

[PRE-CHORUS]

Wherever you go,
that's where I'll follow
Nobody's promised tomorrow
So I'ma love you every night
like it's the last night
Like it's the last night

[CHORUS]

If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
If the party was over
and our time on Earth was through
I'd wanna hold you just for a while
and die with a smile
If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
Oooh

[VERSE]

Oh
lost
lost in the words that we scream
I don't even wanna do this anymore
'Cause you already know what you mean to me
And our love's the only war worth fighting for

[PRE-CHORUS]

Wherever you go,
that's where I'll follow
Nobody's promised tomorrow
So I'ma love you every night
like it's the last night
Like it's the last night

[CHORUS]

If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
If the party was over
and our time on Earth was through
I'd wanna hold you
just for a while
and die with a smile
If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
Right next to you
Next to you
Right next to you

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la

[CHORUS]

If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
If the party was over
and our time on Earth
was through
I'd wanna hold you
just for a while
and die with a smile
If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
If the world was ending,
I'd wanna be next to you
Oooh
I'd wanna be next to you
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/90s-to-present/die_with_a_smile.html
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Die With A Smile

Die With a Smile

More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/i_saw_the_light.html
For more songs, click my picture (left) or visit my website:
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My cover of one of my all-time favorite songs, Todd Rundgren's I Saw The Light. Every time I hear this sweet, happy song, the music touches my heart and uplifts me, so I knew I had to sing it at some point! The arrangement and harmonies for this song are unique and pure musical genius, and they drew out of me an energetic, heartfelt performance.
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I SAW THE LIGHT

[VERSE 1]

It was late last night
I was feeling something wasn't right
There was not another soul in sight
Only you
only you

[VERSE 2]

So we walked along
Though I knew that there was something wrong
And a feeling hit me, oh so strong
About you

[CHORUS 1]

Then you gazed up at me
And the answer was plain to see
'Cause I saw the light
In your eyes (In your eyes)
In your eyes (In your eyes)

[VERSE 3]

Though we had our fling (We had our fling)
I just never would suspect a thing (Suspect a thing)
'Til that little bell began to ring (Began to ring)
In my head
in my head

[VERSE 4]

But I tried to run (I tried to run)
Though I knew it wouldn't help me none (Not help me none)
'Cause I couldn't ever love no one
Or so I said

[CHORUS 2]

But my feelings for you
Were just something I never knew
'Til I saw the light
In your eyes (In your eyes)
In your eyes (In your eyes)

[INSTRUMENTAL (GUITAR SOLO)]

[VERSE 5]

But I love you best
It's not something that I say in jest
'Cause you're different, girl, from all the rest
In my eyes

[CHORUS 3]

And I ran out before
But I won't do it anymore
Can't you see the light
in my eyes (In my eyes)

[OUTRO]

In my eyes (In my eyes)
In my eyes (In my eyes)
In my eyes (In my eyes)
In my eyes (In my eyes)
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/i_saw_the_light.html
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I Saw The Light

This track was written by myself and my best friend, Ruth Anne Pollard who has a soundcloud channel of her own, https://soundcloud.com/ruth-anne-1. 

We wrote this song as a dedication to ourselves and to many others out there who have put much of our own feelings aside in order to be there for the ones around us who are less empathetic and less likely to reciprocate. These unrecognized feelings that we struggle to speak about can start to build up within us and come to the surface, causing those around us to question who we are because we have essentially been forced to wear a mask for so long.

Musically this song was inspired by Chariots of Fire by Vangelis, particularly in the verses 

Nobody knows the things we do
For the ones we love
Nobody knows

Nobody cares
But we keep on trying not to lose hope 
Nobody knows

When you're dying to release
What no one will let you speak
And you choose words carefully
Nobody knows

Nobody knows my defenses died, falling from me
Now all I need is you to want me to be fine
Nobody knows how I've lived this lie, buried beneath
Knowing the truth can be worse sometimes

Nobody hears, nobody listens
When you're trying to tell them who you are

They pay you no mind
When you try to be open 
And It's clear all the time
You never receive anything you provide

When you're dying to release
What no one will let you speak
And you choose words carefully
Nobody knows 

Nobody knows my defenses died, falling from me
Now all I need is you to want me to be fine
Nobody knows how I've lived this lie, buried beneath
Knowing the truth can be worse sometimes

Nobody knows my defenses died, falling from me
Now all I need is you to want me to be fine
Nobody knows how I've lived this lie, buried beneath
Knowing the truth can be worse sometimes

Nobody Knows

More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/she/index.html
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I began writing She when I was 23, but never finished it. But just for fun, I picked up this song again in 2020 on my birthday, and worked until I completed it. My completed lyrics bring the song's story into today's complex world (of pandemic, Zoom, etc.): Two people who live on opposite sides of the world fall in love through computer screens. They are not able to get on a plane and meet. Still. . . love will find a way.
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SHE

She
came along. . .
And before I knew it,
my head was spinning,
my heart beginning
to feel the way that I

feel
when I'm in love.
It's a way of knowing,
a way of healing,
a way of growing.
My senses are reeling
in her.
And before I knew it,
my heart belonged to her.

Lisa is the one
who smiles like the sun
and melts my heart.
She makes me complete.
Though we may not meet,
we're not apart.
Reaching round the world,
I sing to the girl
I've only seen
on a screen. . .
What can it mean?
Virtual play.
Her night, my day.
Still. . .
Love will find
a way.

She
fills my heart.
And the night was long,
and the stars were bright,
as our souls took flight,
and we finally met
in our dreams.
And in soul adventures,
my heart was joined to hers.

Lisa is the one
who smiles like the sun
and melts my heart.
She makes me complete.
We smile when we meet:
we're not apart.
Every night at three,
our souls meet for tea
at the Eiffel Tower.
Astral power. . .
The witching hour. . .
Bodies asleep.
Souls in deep.
Yes!
Love has found
a way.

She. . .
She's my song.
She's the song I dance to,
the song I sing with,
the song I live by
in all of my seasons
with her.
And for all my sweet life,
my heart belongs to
her.
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/she/index.html
For more songs, visit my website:
https://www.christongmusic.com
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/marys_song/index.html
For more songs, click my picture (left) or visit my website:
https://www.christongmusic.com
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Mary's Song was one of the first songs I wrote. I was 18. The "Mary" in the song didn't yet exist in my life, so I put the song "in my closet", without playing it for anyone. I would have to wait many years for Mary to finally appear! And since then... "We've been together every day, and each day I've loved you more."
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MARY’S SONG

When I was small, I used to dream
that I would become a king.
Then I grew up and it came to seem
that dreams didn't mean a thing.
But. . .

Last year, the neighbors moved away
and fairy tales do come true —
'cause the day you came,
I heard your name,
and I named my song for you.
And the day you came,
someone spoke your name,
and I named this song for you.

Mary, my Mary,
our spring has returned once again.
Green grass is growing —
let's hope it will never end.
Softly. . . sing softly. . .
of castles beyond the sea.
There's no time to cry —
time keeps flowing by. . .
sail across it with me.

We've been together every day,
and each day I've loved you more.
Searching the world for the perfect girl,
I fell in love with the girl next door.
Funny it may seem. . . please don't laugh.
I sing it from me to you:
but I love you so
I think you should know
I would spend my life with you.
And I love you so
I think you should know
I will spend my life with you.

Mary, my Mary,
our spring has returned once again.
Green grass is growing —
let's hope it will never end.
Softly. . . sing softly. . .
of castles beyond the sea.
There's no time to cry —
time keeps flowing by. . .
sail across it with me.
There's no time to cry —
time keeps flowing by. . .
sail beyond time with me.
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/marys_song/index.html
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https://www.christongmusic.com


Mary’s Song

More streaming and download options & more about this song:
www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/annies_song.html
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One of my very favorite songs. . . My cover of John Denver's beautiful, heartfelt love song and prayer, Annie's Song. I've composed a new choral arrangement for the Instrumental Bridge. This song has a spiritual significance for me, and I sing it in the manner of a prayer.
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ANNIE’S SONG

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again

[INSTRUMENTAL WITH CHORAL ARRANGEMENT]

Come let me love you
Come love me again

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/annies_song.html
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Annie’s Song

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www.christongmusic.com/others/easter_parade.html
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Happy Easter, everyone!

My friend, Jackie Hogan, and I accompany Irving Berlin’s 1933 classic — Jackie playing ragtime piano, and me singing in my best “Fred Astaire” style.
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EASTER PARADE

In your Easter bonnet,
with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady
in the Easter Parade.

I'll be all in clover
and when they look you over,
I'll be the proudest fellow
in the Easter Parade.

On the avenue,
Fifth Avenue,
the photographers will snap us,
And you'll find that you're
in the rotogravure.

Oh, I could write a sonnet
about your Easter bonnet,
And of the girl I'm taking
to the Easter Parade.
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
www.christongmusic.com/others/easter_parade.html
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www.christongmusic.com

EasterParade

More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/a_matter_of_trust.html
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My cover of A Matter of Trust, one of my favorite songs from Billy Joel. Most of Billy Joel's songs are piano-based soft rock. But this song is guitar-based, and the hard rock accompaniment presents a particular vocal challenge that I enjoyed: I have to sing with enough force that my voice is not drowned out by the loud electric guitars that are playing at the same time as I am singing!
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A MATTER OF TRUST

Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will, it's just a question of when

I've lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned
But that won't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust

I know you're an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
Now I can't offer you proof
But you're gonna face a moment of truth

It's hard when you're always afraid
You've just recovered when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart, if you must
It's a matter of trust

You can't go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God's sake, don't shut me out

This time you've got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it, whatever you choose
I won't hold back anything
And I'll walk a way a fool or a king

Some love is just a lie of the mind
It's make-believe until it's only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust.

[INSTRUMENTAL]

I'm sure you're aware, love
We've both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong

Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you've heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why

Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began with a passionate start
But that can't happen to us
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust

It's a matter of trust
It's always been a matter of trust
It's a matter of trust
'Cause it's always been a matter of trust
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/a_matter_of_trust.html
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A Matter of Trust

More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/have_i_told_you_lately.html
For more songs, click my picture (left) or visit my website:
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My cover of a very beautiful song, Have I Told You Lately, from Van Morrison. A love song often played at weddings, Have I Told You Lately was originally written as a prayer to the Divine, and that's how I sing it.
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HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY

[INTRODUCTION: INSTRUMENTAL]

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

For the morning sun in all it's glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
You fill my life with laughter
Somehow you make it better
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

There's a love that's Divine
And it's yours and it's mine
Like the sun.
At the end of the day
Let us give thanks and pray
To the One
The Great One

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Ah, have I told you lately that there's no one else above you?
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do

[INSTRUMENTAL]

There's a love that's Divine
And it's yours and it's mine
And it shines like the sun
At the end of the day
Let us give thanks and pray
To the One
To the Great One

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Oh, have I told you lately that there's no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do
Fill my life with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do
Fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my troubles, that's what you do
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More streaming and download options & more about this song:
https://www.christongmusic.com/60s_70s_80s/have_i_told_you_lately.html
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https://www.christongmusic.com

Annie’s Song

Chris Tong

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