"TENDERNESS" VITAMIN STRING QUARTET (2012)

For the past 20 years, Vitamin String Quartet has been a culture sponge, throwing back its modern classical interpretations of the songs we love. The John Hughes films album is one of my favorites because those were the movies and the soundtracks that I grew up with. And I think “Tenderness” is the best cover by far, capturing the wide-eyed, euphoric aspect of the original while adding a peppy, rhythmic string arrangement.

"TO BUILD A HOME" THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA (2007)

This song was released the year I got married to my wife Carol. Many consider it to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Piano. Strings. Falsetto vocals. Every aspect of the composition reflects all the love, hope and perseverance that go into building a home. Every element delicately woven together at a dramatic, prodding tempo, daring you to cry your next cry.

“Out in the garden where we planted the seeds, there is a tree as old as me. Branches were sewn by the color of green. Ground had arose and passed its knees.”