Written by Goffin with Phil Spector protege Russ Titelman, it was direct ("He holds me when I'm crying to show me it's alright"), simplicity itself and sung tearfully by the Cookies Margaret Rosss.
I could have just sung about some bird or something, you know?
But when you and the production get it right – when your words are sung and your scenes and characters engage an audience and move them to tears and laughter – it's the most exhilarating experience a dramatist can enjoy.
But to defuse any possible tensions, the authorities had decided that the teams should mix together as they lined up and that the Marseillaise should be sung by Lââm, a young R&B singer of Franco-Tunisian extraction.
Though sung by Pharrell Williams, it's about everyone listening to it; he's a vessel rather than a star.
His agent said to me, "What's it like singing with Ray Charles for the second time?" and I said, "What, I've sung with him before?" It's easy to lose track.
Lit by candlelight, surrounded by incense and sung in Gregorian chant, it was like witnessing living history.
Over three hours, the liturgy was almost entirely in Latin, as were the hymns sung by a choir of monks accompanied by a nun on an electric organ.
It's a great example of what it is and the meaninglessness of the lyrics doesn't bother me now because they are just sung in a brilliant way.
I've never sung the national anthem whether I've played for Ireland or England," he said.
It was a dress rehearsal, and the part of young Marenka was sung by a 48-year-old, very beautifully".
