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THE CHA CHA CLUB

by Jane Mangini/Rick Berlin

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1.
THE CHA CHA CLUB 03:14 video
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THE CHA CHA CLUB At the cha cha club In yr shiny lapels Ya get anything ya want And the girls don’t talk At the cha cha club Ai ai ai ai ai ai Carumba At the cha cha club In yr cuban heels Ya get a blow up girl W a cherry mouth At the cha cha club Ai ai ai ai ai ai Carumba At the cha cha club The music is cool And the boy play cards And the fat man drools At the cha cha club Ai ai ai ai ai ai Carumba Phone at the table Drinks on the house Tony plays piano His nose like a mouse At the cha cha club In yr shiny lapels Ya get anything ya want And the girls don’t talk At the cha cha club Ai ai ai ai ai ai Ai ai ai ai ai ai Ai ai ai ai ai ai Carumba
2.
WISH YOU WAS HERE 03:17 video
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WISH YOU WAS HERE For anyone who misses or has lost someone Wish you was here Like the postcard says I can’t sleep And yr not in my bed Wish you was here Makin’ me laugh Wish you was here When i start t crash Wish you was here Breakin' my rules Wish you was here Killin’ the blues I saw yr phone number On a wall in the john Put there by some asshole A rubicon Yr a cynic And i love romance Yr a tough guy, dude But yr heart is dancin’ A waltz Wish you was here And not far away Wish you was here Making’ my day Fallin’ down Y’d get me back up Yd jump start my engine When i’d try t give up Yr a cynic And i love romance Yr a tough guy, dude But yr heart is dancin’ A waltz
3.
BEST FRIEND OF MY LIFE 02:48 video
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BEST FRIEND OF MY LIFE 123456 123456 Screen door bangin Ol’ man’s drinkin Two dogs barkin In the yard A baseball Hits a glove Real hard If yr lucky You can count on Jes’ 6 fingers All yll ever need You r the best friend Of my life You r 123456 123456 Flannel pajamas N pick up sticks A tree house n A nose t pick A lollipop A torn picket You can’t fix it Maybe i can If yr lucky You can count on Jes’ 6 fingers All yll ever need You r the best friend Of my life You r 123456 123456 Dirty knees n dirty pictures Sneakin’ out n burnin’ bridges Two boys runnin Under the stars A sputnik Like a scalpel Cuts a scar If yr lucky You can count on Jes’ 6 fingers All yll ever need You r the best friend Of my life
4.
MARTINIS 04:22 video
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MARTINIS I like the smoke I like the martinis AAt the stork club In the 40’s Before the war Killed a generation N tried t save a nation From itself I like the smoke I like the martinis Jean-paul & simone At a table in paree Before Hell broke loose N art really mattered The whole world was in tatters N insane Whistle a tune Kick a can down the road It’s not what ya know It’s what yr feeling I like the smoke I like the martinis The fast cars & the hot bars Before the bomb fell N Hiroshi ma looked like Mars N we just lost FDR N Hollywood was bizarre Whistle a tune Kick a can down the road It’s not what ya know It’s what yr feeling I like the smoke I like the martinis The haze of all things past A fiction that can’t last Much longer
5.
I LIE TO MYSELF 03:38 video
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I LIE TO MYSELF I lie To myself Should have left an hour ago Shoulda checked out last year Shoulda called r had one more drink What is it that keeps ya here I lie To myself Ya know it, dontcha When ya go too far When ya had too much When ya try too hard When love dries up N the one ya thought Ya couldn't live without I lie To myself Why Do i lie To myself Ya gut it out Ya live on fumes Ya fool yrself that yr baby's cool But ya shoulda walked when ya had the chance N not be a sucker I lie To myself Look in the mirror Look at yr face Look at the mess Ya made of yr life Did ya really need More space Ya doubt yrself N ya doubt yr baby N the world has lost it's heart N ya paint yr soul into a corner A suicidal spark So what d ya do Do ya see a shrink Do ya take whoever'll have you N the emptiness that ya feel at night Is like a cheap Lie I lie To myself I shoulda left an hour ago I shoulda checked out last year I shoulda called r had one more drink What is it that keeps ya here
6.
I WANNA PLAY THE MIDWAY 03:08 video
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I WANNA PLAY THE MIDWAY I wanna I wanna I wanna I wanna play the midway On a Saturday I gotta call jay…hey Where all the hot shots Give my career a jump start A fernet shot Playin’ punk rock…hey, hey It used t be the rat Where all the bands wr bangin On the east coast Where da hooker grls were high N the neighborhoods Were killin’ it Oi oi oi oi Oi oi oi oi I wanna I wanna I wanna I wanna play the midway On a Saturday I gotta call jay…hey Where all the hot shots Give my career a jump start A fernet shot Playin’ punk rock…hey, hey But the rat is dead n all we got Today is jes the fuckin’ midway W all the chicks r hangin Will we get paid I better ask jay Oi oi oi oi Oi oi oi oi I wanna I wanna I wanna I wanna play the midway On a Saturday I gotta call jay…hey Where all the hot shots Give my career a jump start A fernet shot Playin’ punk rock…hey, hey I wanna I wanna I wanna I wanna play the midway On a Saturday I gotta call jay…hey Where all the hot shots Give my career a jump start A fernet shot Playin’ punk rock…hey, hey Oi oi oi oi Oi oi oi oi
7.
ALL THE GIRLS I KNOW 02:21 video
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ALL THE GIRLS I KNOW She can be quiet But she gets super loud She smiles when she has your back She is wild She’s smarter than you’re ready for She has a quick laugh But boy she can snap She ain’t born perfect But she got real class If ya want something real Ya just have to ask She gives as good as she gets She stands on solid ground Do not under-estimate this girl She’s so tough She grew up w brothers She grew up rough If you are honest She’ll meet you half way Don’t fake your intentions She’ll have the last say She will carry you
8.
IF I WAS LOU REED 04:08 video
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IF I WAS LOU REED He sang this song in my ear At the end of the bar It wasn't his song But it should o' been It should o' been It was a sad sad song A real dark song The only song he could play For his girl Drivin' cross the USA If i was lou reed If i was lou reed If i was lou reed I’d know what t do w this I’d know what t do His voice was true His feelings strong A girl just 2 drinks gone His smile like a mirror He didn't bother t look Jes’ like he was readin' a book If i was lou reed If i was lou reed If i was lou reed I’d know what t do w this I’d know what t do He said he had a hard choice t make He had t make it alone Between this girl he loved so dearly N this bar he called home Go for the girl I say N you’ll find our fast Easy for me t talk Jes’ simple words Over a glass He took his time N then he said Home is where my heart breaks Home is where my heart breaks Home is where my heart breaks N right now That’s all over the place If i was lou reed If i was lou reed If i was lou reed I’d know what t do w this I’d know what t do If i was lou reed If i was lou reed If i was lou reed I’d know what t do w this I’d know what t do Home is where my heart breaks Tearin’ my shirt off Tearin’ my heart out Home is where my heart breaks
9.
MY HEART IS HALLUCINATING 05:18 video
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MY HEART IS HALLUCINATING It’s happening again It’s happening again It’s happening again It’s happening again I see what i wanna see I feel what i wanna feel I believe what i wanna believe My heart is hallucinating My heart is hallucinating It’s happening again It’s happening again I see what i wanna see I feel what i wanna feel I believe what i wanna believe My heart is hallucinating My heart is hallucinating Do ya really think about me When i am not Around Is there A movie In yr head Are we both laughing Are we in love I see what i wanna see I feel what i wanna feel I believe what i wanna believe It’s happening again It’s happening again It’s happening again It’s happening again
10.
NOBODY LISTENZ 02:37 video
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NOBODY LISTENZ Nobody listenz They got too much t say They're scared if they stop talking That you Might go Away Tik tik tik...tok Talkin in the hallway In the bathroom Talkin on the phone Talkin when they smoke outside Jes trying Not t be Alone Tik tik tik...tok Nobody listenz Shut up They got too much t say Injustice collectors Having A real Shut up Bad day You would not believe Tik tik tik...tok Could they be quiet N listen t someone else Long enough t know them N forget About Themselves Tik tik tik...tok Nobody listenz Nobody They got too much t say They're scared if they stop talking That you It’s all about you Might just go Away Tik tik tik...tok Tik tik tik...tok Tik tik tik...tok Can I borrow 5 bucks

about

JANE MANGINI & RICK BERLIN
longstanding friends, bandmates and laughing fools have collaborated (what took so long?)

THE CHA CHA CLUB

Goes like this:

Rick had to have a tooth pulled in New Jersey, not far from the Poconos where Jane and Travis live. Time to visit.

We wine and dine and float on a pontoon around their gorgeous lake. Jane and I head down a path to her Moose Lodge Studio to hear her self-created ‘calliope’ tracks for a Nickel & Dime song (CARNIVAL) at an explosive volume. (Both our ears are shot.)

A lightbulb flash.

‘Jane. We should learn a bunch of my tunes and play out at least once as a duo.’

‘As long as I can pick the songs.’ (Lakeland drawl.)

‘You pick, I’ll sing.’

We left it at that til I got home and realized we should make a record. For the band, Jane will come up with her parts and ‘flies’ them to TJ to blend into the band’s tracks. (No need to contaminate ourselves in a live studio environment.) For THE CHA CHA CLUB Jane did the same, but this time, ALL the tracks and sent ‘em to me to sing over.

TA DA! An ancient drag queen smashed a bottle of nasty Brut on The Great Ship Cha Cha (actually a row boat) and we set sail.

I sent her 29 demos to choose from - songs the band would never learn (The Cha Cha Club the only one I nudged her on and the first she recorded).

Here’s the thing: JANE PLAYS EVERYTHING! I mean it. A one-woman musical decathlon. Drums, percussion, bass, guitar, trumpet, tuba, trombone, sax, organ, stand- up bass, harmonica….you name it, she plays it. Samples that don’t sound sampled. A vocal here ‘n there. Incredible varied tracks built up for the 10 songs she chose.

I wrote ‘em, but in the same way Nickel & Dime rehearses my songs, Jane translated them into her own masterful musical planetarium. (I’d use the ‘G’ word here but she’d be embarrassed.) She has faultless musical taste. Each song treated genre specific and vibe appropriate. I sang ‘em here at home via GarageBand. Jane wove what I did into the mix (although I spent some time at Bitch Kitty with TJ re-eq-uing a bit to make them, well, less GarageBandy).

I’ve edited 8 of the 10 as music videos which we’ll post gradually up on our YouTube Channel - CHA CHA NOIR.

credits

released April 14, 2021

Recorded & Mixed @
Moose Lodge Studio
by Jane Mangini
vocals adjusted @
Bitch Kitty Studio
by TJ Wenzl

Mastered @
Zippah Recording Studios
by Brian Charles

Songs by
Rick Berlin
ASCAP
Lobsterland Publishing

berlinrick.com
janemangini.com

Individual song cover art:
Jake Walker

Design by
Rick Berlin

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Rick Berlin (now playing w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND) image

Rick Berlin (now playing w/ THE NICKEL & DIME BAND) Jamaica Plain

A giant on the Boston music scene. His colorful songwriting + strong stage presence have influenced countless other artists since the early 1970s. He continues to make music w/ intelligence + integrity, building an international reputation around his knotty, singular piano playing, straight-from-the-heart singing and a style of character-based songwriting that's drawn comparisons to Waits + Cohen ... more

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