MUSIC

MUSIC

MUSIC

MUSIC

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THE ROCKAPELLA SHOP (MERCH & CDs) →
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Let It Be [single]

Our 2024 signature take on the Beatles classic!

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Lost in Love

Our 2023 version of the iconic "yacht rock" title track, plus previously unreleased original "I Hear You Sing" & a parody of Ariana Grande's "7 Rings"

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Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? EP

The 2020 re-recording of the iconic theme song, plus 5 previously released originals from the "Jams" albums.

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7″ Vinyl EP – Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Limited edition 7" vinyl release of our new recording of the iconic Carmen Sandiego theme song, plus 3 previously released studio tracks.

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CHRISTMAS LIVE

2019 live holiday album

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JAMS, VOL. 2

2018 album of covers and originals

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HOW BOUT NOW? [single]

Single release from our 2018 album, Jams Vol.2

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JAMS, VOL. 1

2017 album of covers and originals

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WORKIN MY WAY TO YOU [single]

2016 single release appearing on our 2017 album, Jams Vol.1

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BETTER 2GETHER [single]

2016 single release appearing on our 2017 album, Jams Vol.1

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SING 13: SUPERSTITION

2016 compilation featuring our "Sir GotALot" from Jams Vol.1

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SIR GOTALOT [single]

The 2016 single appearing later on the 2017 album, Jams Vol.1

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CANDY MAN [single]

The 2016 single, appearing later on the 2017 album, Jams Vol.1

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ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK/TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD [single]

The 2015 standalone single and video

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MOTOWN & MORE

2013 Motown and Motown-inspired covers plus "Pretty Much You" original song

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A ROCKAPELLA HOLIDAY

2011 holiday album

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BANG

2010 all-originals album

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HOKIE NATION: AN A CAPPELLA TRIBUTE

A compilation featuring one of our tracks, released following the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007

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LIVE AT DUO MUSIC EXCHANGE

2005 Japan-only live album, from a concert video recorded on tour in Japan.

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LIVE IN JAPAN

2004 album recorded live on tour in Japan

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IN CONCERT

Japan release of our 2001 live concert album, with different cover art.

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COMFORT & JOY

2002 holiday album

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20 CHRISTMAS STARS: VOL. IV

Compilation featuring our track, "Merry Christmas Darling", from our holiday album, Comfort & Joy

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SMILIN’

2002 summer-fun themed studio album

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MORE THAN EVER

A Japan-only combination of all tracks from our releases "Don't Tell Me You Do" and "2", with fresh photos & artwork

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BEST A CAPPELLA

A second compilation released many years later by our old Japan-only label.

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CHRISTMAS

The Japan edition of our 2000 album - same tracks, different cover.

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IN CONCERT

The 2001 companion soundtrack to the PBS (and VHS/DVD) televised live concert. Currently out of print.

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CHRISTMAS

Our 2000 first US-label holiday album

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2

Our 1999 second US label release, featuring all originals and "Tempted" by Squeeze. Two songs achieved chart success

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DON’T TELL ME YOU DO

The 1997 label edition of our '96 self-titled independent album. Featuring several longtime fan favorites in their ultimate studio form.

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ROCKAPELLA

1997 Self-titled original indie release of "Don't Tell Me You Do" album tracks. Often referred to as the "Devil Baby" album.

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LUCKY SEVEN

The 1996 US edition, appearing simultaneously in Japan with different cover art, track order, and a bonus track

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LAND OF A THOUSAND DANCES [single]

1996 Single from the Japan release of the album "Lucky 7"

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LUCKY SEVEN

Our 1996 Japan release, appearing simultaneously in the USA as an indie CD with a different cover, track order, and one less track

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BEST FEST

Japan-only compilation, plus "Always You" new song

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PRIMER

Our first US album after Carmen Sandiego - limited edition live-in-studio.

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OUT COLD

The 5th Japan-only album, featuring a "winter romance" (aka partial-holiday) theme

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VOCOBEAT

The 4th Japan-only album, and one of the first all-original-music all-acappella albums ever! Featuring the album debut of Jeff Thacher on vocal percussion throughout.

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CARMEN SANDIEGO: OUT OF THIS WORLD

The 2nd Carmen Sandiego TV soundtrack album, featuring us on "Big Wet Rag"

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MUPPET BEACH PARTY

As The Giant Clams, singing "Papa Oom Mow Mow"

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BASH

The third Japan-only album, featuring famous classic and original holiday songs

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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?

1991 Original Soundtrack to the PBS TV show, featuring us on six original songs, plus other music stars. Out of print.

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MODERN A CAPPELLA

2006 Rhino Records compilation featuring us on "Zombie Jamboree"

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FROM NY

Our 1992 second Japan-only album.

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TOKYO YO-YO [single]

Original song from 1991 "To NY" Japan-only album

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TO NY

Rockapella's first Japan-only album, featuring our versions of Japanese hits.

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ZAPPA’S UNIVERSE

Live album of all-star Zappa tribute show. Featured on "Heavenly Bank Account" and "Elvis Has Just Left the Building"

 

 

 

 

 

ORIGINAL SONG LYRICS:

Linked alphabetically below.
Please exclude “The” and spell any numbers.

A Change In My Life
All That Comes To Mind
Always You
Babygirl
Bang
Bed Of Nails
Better 2gether
Big Wet Rag
Blah Blah Blah
Bodyboard
Bored & Stroked
Bring Some Love
California Sad-Eyed Girl
Capital
Christmas Ceasefire
Christmas Love
Christmas Without You
Come My Way
Daisy Simone
Don’t Tell Me You Do
Doorman Of My Heart
Everything to Me
Falling Over You
Fat Jack & Bonefish Joe
1st Night
Flamingo Sing
Flat Tire
Flip-Top Twister
Folgers “Forest Morning” Holiday ad
Folgers “Rockin’ Morning” ad
Follow Me to Heaven
For The Love
4U4Now4Life
Give
Hard Time
Have a Little Faith
Hold Out for Christmas
Holiday Groove
The Hope We Hold
How Bout Now?
Hula Holiday
I Am Your Man
I Found Sugar
I Like You Very Much
I Walk With You
I’ll Hear Your Voice
Indiana
Is It In You?
Jenny Come Away
Kingdom of Shy
Lift Up
Little Mary Snowflake
Lisa, I Love You
Love and the Lights
Malibu Grand-Prix
Millennial Lady
Moments of You
My Home
No Doubt At All
No Pressure
Nowhere
Nuthin’ But
NYC Summa
NYC Winter
Off My Mind
On The Last Night
One Day After Day
Peace On Earth
Peanut Shell
People Change
Presents
Pretty Much You
Quiet Sensation
Rock River
Secret Santa
77
Shemibos
The Shortest Path
Sir GotALot
Smile In My Heart
Snowstar
So Much Better
Song 9
Sunburnt Sucker
Tell Me What You Want
That’s The Way
This Christmas Day
This Isn’t Love
Tokyo Yo-Yo
Tonight
Too Much
Tornado Man
U Beat Me Up
We Got A Happy Holiday
When You Came
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Where Would We Be?
Why
Workin My Way to You
You’re my Christmas

Arrangements by Scott Leonard

“INGENIOUS…”

– Reno Gazette

Scott Leonard’s one-of-a-kind arrangements have helped to make Rockapella one of the most groundbreaking vocal groups of all time.
Now you can go behind the scenes of four of Scott’s favorite cover arrangements;
Andy Williams’ “Moon River”, The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction“, a Prince mashup, “Little Red Wild Thing“, and a Bill Haley/Chaka Khan mashup, “Rock Around Somethin’ Good“.


SATISFACTION

“It’s hard to do vocal arrangements of songs based on instrumental hooks without sounding silly, so I don’t usually try. Pretending I’m a solo guitar grows old fast. If you wanna be funny, maybe ok. It’s sometimes sweet to add incidental moments of guitar-ish chords or trumpet sounds, but solos make me smirk.

But for our HITS show, you gotta have Stones.
Wasn’t a follower, but feels like some of their songs make for cool Rockapella.
The simplicity of structure & open chords with the catchiness of Keith Richard’s guitar hooks & the flavor of Mick Jagger’s vocals give room for play.

“Satisfaction” is all about that Keith Richards guitar riff. Tried it in the bass. Reminds you it’s there without trying to sound like Keith Richards.
The open voicing of the Stones serves Rockapella well, with only 4 notes to play with. Love chords without 1-3-5 all the time. Having only 2 notes for backups sounds Stones-y. Love odd intervals.

Wouldn’t be Rockapella without referential riffs. When I was a kid, loved that funky part of Stones’ MISS YOU when Mick starts to like rap about Central Park and Puerto Rican girls “just dyin’ ta meet choo”, so I placed my favorite Stones moment – “what’s a-matter wit choo boy?” in a pivotal spot. Ryan does it justice.
On our last Japan tour, George took it to a George place leaving me cowering, delighted.

Sometimes I go for the epic, but this one feels like the rock in Rockapella.
And of course, in the live version, we pay tribute to the Bay City Rollers.”

Listen to the original "Satisfaction" demo by Scott:
The final product:


Moon River

“After playing Sammy’s Showroom (Sammy Davis Jr.) at Harrah’s in Reno, and dedicating an arrangement of Candyman, I thought it only fair we pay tribute to Andy Williams when playing his theater in Branson.

I grew up on that red Andy Williams Christmas album, and would start playing it in September every year. Side 1 of that album is one of the greatest sides of an album I know of. It had “Most Wonderful Time…”, “Holiday Season”, a great “White Christmas” and “12 Days…” (a song I usually find really boring), and ended with “Kay Thompson’s Jingle Bells”. That Jingle Bells is epic. Kay Thompson was a real trailblazer, and had a singular, remarkably varied career.

If we’d been playing his theater in December, clearly one of those songs would’ve been ripe. The song for the rest of the year, however, has gotta be Moon River. It’s the classic showcase for Andy’s beautiful and uniquely pleasing voice, and it is just a masterpiece marriage of Henry Mancini music and Johnny Mercer lyrics. I love the lyrics of Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Lorenz Hart and others from the standards era, but Johnny Mercer managed to be just as clever and insightful, while doing so in the everyman vernacular of 20th century America. When you see Breakfast At Tiffany’s, you appreciate the simple way he finds the depth of feeling behind the song’s story.

Of course, it needed to have an original approach to be worthy of the Sun Brothers or Rockapella. I love the samba/bossa nova feeling of Basia (and producer Danny White), and if I was forced to listen to only one record for the rest of my days, it would be one of hers. That vibe just landed on me while contemplating Moon River, and oo it make a me feel sooo nice. The song is so sublime that, to do one of our signature middle section departures would be overkill. 2 times through with Calvin caressing it once, then the group playing around it the 2nd time treats it right. Finally, a nod to Andy’s greatest Christmas hit ends it with a smile.”

Listen to the original "Moon River" demo by Scott:
The final product:


ROCK AROUND SOMETHIN’ GOOD

“Most Rockapella arrangements arise out of what I think the live show needs. For Rockapella’s Hits show, I thought “Rock Around The Clock” made sense as an opener since I think of that as the 1st big rock/pop hit.

I need to have some original vibe on a cover song to give the arrangement the right to exist. I started feeling the groove, then, singing that count-off (1, 2, 3 o’clock 4 o’clock rock…), started drifting to that Feist song (1, 2, 3, 4 – tell me that you love me more…), and I must’ve thought that was enough to build on.

At some point, when it felt right to go back to the “tell me that you love me more”, started feelin that Rufus vibe “tell me that you love me” from “Tell Me Somethin’ Good”. That made me so happy cuz that 45 was probably my most favorite of all time. Wish it could be a little slower & funky like Rufus, but this way serves the energy at the top of the show.”

Listen to the original "Rock Around/Tell Me Something Good" demo by Scott:
The final product:


LITTLE RED WILD THING

“For Rockapella’s Hits show, it seemed like the 1980’s were underrepresented. Prince was my guy in the ’80’s, and we’d recently done a few Michael Jackson songs, so I went for Prince. Thought maybe Purple Rain or When Doves Cry or Kiss were songs most people – even non-Prince people would know.

Always looking for an original approach to a song people know well,

I started hearing sort of a retro/standard/swingy vibe for Little Red Corvette.

Thought something like that could fill that vibe we get when we do Mills Brothers stuff in the regular Rockapella show. Thought it would be funny to mix that vibe with such a sex-ish song.

Started in on a Mills-ian vibe for the vamp. Like to keep the Rockapella vibe away from too much raunch, so Rockapellish backups w/words can be a good way to counter the raunch & kind of poke fun at it (Trojans – giddy-up horsey).

Had to make the hook – “Little Red Corvette” – hook-worthy, so having the bass join in for 4-note chords on that phrase makes it stand out. With melody, bass line, and only 4 guys singing, we don’t usually get to do the jazzy Take 6-ish chords, so we savor those moments. And the chorus has tasty moments to feature bass man Ryan.

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to slip in other Prince songs, but nothing was making my boat float. Then I was thinking maybe another car song would be good. I was just kind of letting it ruminate – for days, thinking something would eventually feel good, when, sitting at my computer in my Reno hotel room with the TV on, they start talking about the movie Easy Rider on an Oscar special, and that song Born To Be Wild starts playing – “Get cher motor runnin’, Head out on the highway…”. I’m like – oh baby – and we were off.”

Listen to the original "Little Red Corvette/Born to be Wild" demo by Scott:


Browse clips via players below

Recent CDs & downloads also available now on our online shop!



HOLIDAY ALBUMS


Browse clips via players below

Recent CDs & downloads also available now on our online shop!



HOLIDAY ALBUMS