VA - The Flame That Never Fades, A Century of Torch Songs (A Butterboy Compilation) (3 x CDs)

TORCH SONGS

VA - The Flame That Never Fades, A Century of Torch Songs (A Butterboy Compilation) (3 x CDs)

A torch song is a sentimental ballad, typically centered around unrequited love, heartbreak, or emotional longing. The term comes from the phrase “to carry a torch for someone,” meaning to continue loving someone who doesn’t return that affection. Torch songs are defined more by lyrical themes than by musical genre. While many are rooted in jazz, blues, or Broadway, the style has expanded into pop, soul, and even indie music. What unites them is their emotional intensity often slow, moody, and performed with dramatic flair.

The Flame That Never Fades, A Century of Torch Songs is a captivating 3-CD compilation that traces the torch song’s evolution from its earliest recordings in 1927 through to modern interpretations in the 21st century. With 60 tracks spread across CD1, CD2, and CD3, the set offers a sweeping view of romantic longing, heartbreak, and emotional vulnerability, the defining traits of the genre.

The collection opens with vintage gems like Helen Morgan’s “Bill” and Frances Langford’s “I’m in the Mood for Love,” setting the tone with their wistful delivery and orchestral charm. As the discs progress, listeners encounter mid-century classics from Billie Holiday, Jo Stafford, Sarah Vaughan, and Peggy Lee, whose voices helped shape the genre’s golden age. These tracks blend jazz, blues, and pop stylings, often backed by lush arrangements that heighten their emotional impact.

What makes this compilation especially compelling is the inclusion of 20 rare torch songs, lesser-known recordings by artists such as Teddi King, Sylvia Syms, Roberta Sherwood, Barbara Mason, and Rickie Lee Jones. These selections offer a deeper dive into the genre’s emotional range, showcasing performances that are often overlooked in mainstream retrospectives but carry just as much weight and nuance.

The CD brings the torch song into contemporary territory, featuring introspective ballads from Amy Winehouse, Adele, Celeste, and Weyes Blood. These modern voices continue the tradition with fresh production and lyrical intimacy, proving that torch songs remain a vital form of expression.

Altogether, The Flame That Never Fades is a century-spanning narrative of love, loss, and longing. Thoughtfully sequenced by time, this collection becomes an emotional diary of love’s many shades that is emotionally resonant, it’s a rich listening experience for anyone drawn to the timeless ache of a well-sung torch song. 

Torch songs never chase trends; they burn slowly. And by elevating both icons and obscurities, this compilation ensures their glow is preserved (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Helen Morgan - Bill 4:04 1927

02 Frances Langford - I'm in The Mood for Love 2:47 1935

03 Helen Forrest & Harry James & His Orchestra - I Had the Craziest Dream 3:25 1942

04 Margaret Whiting - Moonlight in Vermont 3:13 1944

05 Billie Holiday - Solitude 3:29 1952

06 Jo Stafford - You Belong to Me 3:11 1952

07 Lavern Baker - Soul on Fire 3:05 1953

08 Helen Merrill - You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To 4:19 1954

09 Julie London - Cry Me A River 2:59 1955

10 Toni Arden & The Percy Faith Orchestra - I'm Yours 2:24 1955

11 Sarah Vaughan - Black Coffee 3:19 1956

12 Roberta Sherwood - Lazy River 2:22 1956

13 Rosemary Clooney - Love Letters 2:29 1956

14 Teddi King - The Touch of Your Lips 3:18 1956

15 Sylvia Syms - I Didn't Know About You 4:02 1956

16 Dakota Staton - Misty 2:33 1957

17 Carmen McRae - Guess Who I Saw Today 3:36 1957

18 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - The Man I Love 3:50 1957

19 Anita O'Day - Angel Eyes 3:39 1957

20 Peggy Lee - Fever 3:20 1958

CD2

21 Marilyn Monroe - I Wanna Be Loved By You 2:58 1958

22 Keely Smith - All The Way 3:03 1959

23 Dinah Washington - What A Difference A Day Makes 2:29 1959

24 Dinah Shore - Our Love is Here to Stay 3:08 1959

25 Nina Simone - I Loves You Porgy 4:08 1959

26 Ann Richards - Bewitched 4:03 1959

27 Ruth Brown - Willow Weep for Me 4:23 1959

28 Brenda Lee - I'm Sorry 2:38 1960

29 Timi Yuro - Hurt 2:23 1961

30 Ketty Lester - Love Letters 2:36 1962

31 Nancy Wilson - I Left My Heart in San Francisco 2:23 1963

32 Shirley Bassey - I (Who Have Nothing) 2:39 1963

33 Gloria Lynne - I Wish You Love 3:40 1964

34 Esther Phillips - And I Love Him 2:39 1965

35 Barbara Lewis - Baby, I'm Yours 2:28 1965

36 Barbara Mason - Yes, I'm Ready 3:05 1965

37 Barbra Streisand - My Man 3:00 1965

38 Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me 2:49 1966

39 Lena Horne - 06. Softly as I Leave You 3:41 1966

40 Vikki Carr - It Must Be Him 2:52 1967

CD3

41 Roberta Flack - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 4:17 1969

42 Bettye Swann - Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye 3:47 1969

43 Yvonne Elliman - I Don't Know How to Love Him 3:36 1971

44 Melissa Manchester - Midnight Blue 3:57 1975

45 Kate Bush - The Man With the Child in His Eyes 2:41 1976

46 RICKIE LEE JONES - Company 4:52 1978

47 Linda Ronstadt - What's New 3:58 1983

48 Anita Baker - Giving You The Best That I Got 4:17 1988

49 k.d. lang - trail of broken hearts 3:25 1989

50 Patti LaBelle - Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) 4:07 1994

51 k.d. lang - The Air That I Breathe 6:14 1997

52 Diana Krall - Body and Soul 5:35 1999

53 Norah Jones - The Nearness of You 3:04 2002

54 Madeleine Peyroux - I’ll Look Around 4:48 2004

55 Amy Winehouse - Love is A Losing Game 2:35 2006

56 Adele - Someone Like You 4:47 2011

57 Celeste - 102 - Strange 3:18 2020

58 Billie Eilish - Your Power 4:05 2021

59 Faye Webster - In a Good Way 3:44 2021

60 Weyes Blood - God Turn Me Into a Flower 6:25 2022

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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