Author Archives: Jim Fusco

About Jim Fusco

Jim Fusco is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and all-around musician. Learn all about him and his creative works at http://jimfusco.com!

“Go Back to Him” (Original song by Jim Fusco) – The Open Mic Sessions

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By Jim Fusco:

Here we are for another edition of The Open Mic Sessions with Jim Fusco!  Today is a song that I performed at Sam Ash music store in New Haven, CT.  With the help of my good friend Dana Camp manning the video camera, I’m able to bring you this week’s video!

“Go Back to Him” is the opening track off of my 2009 album, “Halfway There”.  When writing songs for that album, I took an amazing trip to Italy with another longtime friend, Dr. Alberto Distefano.  While at his uncle’s house in Sicily, we sat down with my newly-purchased classical guitar (you know, the one from my early Laptop Sessions cover song music videos) and were inspired to write a couple songs.  One was “Ruins” (pretty obvious, since we had just spent a week in mainland Italy looking at all the history) and the other was “Go Back To Him”.

This song is pretty straightforward- we’re basically saying, in kind of a sarcastic tone, to someone: hey, you’re impossible to convince otherwise, so just go back to that jerk that treats you like dirt.  I’m not exactly sure where the sentiment came from, but I can remember one thing- I wanted this to sound like a Beatles song.  In the studio version, which you can hear at http://jimfusco.com/albums/halfway-there.html, you can hear a clear Beatles influence.  I thought it would be a great start to the album, and I hope you agree!

So, enjoy today’s Open Mic Session and stay tuned for many more as I continue to perform my original songs for the world!


“Jingle Bell Rock” (Bobby Helms Christmas Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Part 4 of this four part Laptop Sessions extravaganza comes to you with another Christmas song!

This classic tune by Bobby Helms has been covered by almost every artist since the song came out. But, I figured the Laptop Sessions could use a jolt of a song everyone knows and can sing to.  But, you rarely hear an acoustic cover version of “Jingle Bell Rock”, though.  Most of the time, you’ll hear a country artist sing it or someone will try to turn it into a slow, crooning song.  Not me, though- I stay pretty true to the original song.  But, who says that you can’t rock out on acoustic guitar?  Of course, I’m using my nylon-stringed (or “gut” stringed) classical guitar that I bought while on vacation in Italy with one of my dearest friends.  I don’t think many people would associate a classical guitar with “Jingle Bell Rock”, but I like to make my acoustic cover videos have an intimate setting.  It allows me to sing at a nicer volume without having to worry about getting drowned out by my steel-stringed acoustic guitar.

As far as Christmas songs go, you can’t get more popular than “Jingle Bell Rock”.  Sure, some Christmas songs may be AS popular as this classic Bobby Helms tune, but this song is instantly recognizable.  Well, that’s kind of a given, seeing that you’ll probably hear it about a hundred times each Christmas.  A few years back, my free internet radio station, WCJM Internet Radio, did a Christmas show where we wanted to find out what the best original Christmas song was.  I chose the term “original song” because so many classic standards like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town are simply untouchable.  We at WCJM Internet Radio wanted to find out which Christmas song other than those standards was the best.  And, whatever song won would be “retired” as a classic itself.  Well, “Jingle Bell Rock” was very close to the top of the list.  Oh, you didn’t think I would just give the list of the Best Original Christmas Songs away here on the music blog, right?  You’re going to have to head over to WCJM Radio by clicking here to find out for yourself!  Remember, all WCJM Internet Radio programs are absolutely free to listen to online.  They’re hilarious and I know you’ll become an instant fan.

So, sit back and sing along to this Bobby Helms Christmas cover song music video- it’s another step on my journey to make your holiday season great!

“Disney Girls (1957)” by the Beach Boys Chords, Tabs, and How To Play: Ask the Musician

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By Jim Fusco:

Hello all, and welcome to another edition of “Ask the Musician” with me, Jim Fusco!

Tonight, I’m answering a question I’ve gotten a lot: “What are the chords to the Beach Boys’ “Disney Girls (1957)”?  One of our readers, Albert, left a nice message on my cover version of this song here on the blog, so I wanted to thank him by posting the chords so he can play it himself!

If you want to see the song played solo and acoustically, CLICK HERE to read my blog post and see the music video!

“Disney Girls (1957)”

Bruce Johnston

Capo on the first fret.

Intro: F / / Fmaj7 / / Gm7/F / / F F/G F/A Bb / / Dm/A / / Gm7/C / C7

F                                Am/E                      Gm7/D              Gm7
Clearing skies and drying eyes now I see your smile
Gm7/C                      C7                          Fmaj7               F.Bb  /   F.Fdim
Darkness goes and softness shows a changing style
F                    Am/E                               Gm7/D                Gm7
Just in time words that rhyme well bless your soul
Gm7/C                        C7                 Fmaj7             F6
Now I’ll fill your hands with kisses and a Tootsie Roll
Eb               Bb/D                     F/C                       F7
Oh reality, it’s not for me and it makes me laugh
Eb7                          Bb/D                   F/C                 F  /  Fdim  /  C7  /  Gm7  /  D  /  C7  /  E
Oh, fantasy world and Disney girls I’m coming back

Patti Page and summer days on old Cape Cod
Happy times making wine in my garage
Country shade and lemonade guess I’m slowing down
It’s a turned back world with a local girl in a smaller town
Open cars and clearer stars that’s what I’ve lacked

Eb7                          Bb/D                   F/C                    A7
But fantasy world and Disney girls I’m coming back

Dm                                                                Gm7
Love…Hi Rick and Dave Hi Pop…good morning mom
C7                                                                        Fmaj7          F6
Love…get up guess what I’m in love with a girl I found
Bb                  C7/Bb                          Gdim/A            A7                  D7+5         D7        Fdim/G  /   G7  /   C7+5  /  C7   /   Gm7/C   /    C7
She’s really swell ’cause she likes Church, bingo chances and old time dances

All my life I spent the night with dreams of you
And the warmth I missed and for the things I wished they’re all coming true
I’ve got my love to give and a place to live guess I’m gonna stay
It’d be a peaceful life with a forever wife and a kid someday
It’s early nights and pillow fights and your soft laugh

Eb7……………………….Bb/D………………..F/C
Fantasy world and Disney girls I’m coming back

New Web Series: The Open Mic Sessions with Jim Fusco!

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By Jim Fusco:

Hello everyone- It’s been quite a while since I’ve gotten to sit down and record more Laptop  Sessions cover song music videos for you.  I have a bunch of great ideas saved-up, but my focus lately has been more on my original music.  I have a newfound passion for guitar tone, so I’ve learned to rewire my collection of electric guitars and put new pickups in almost all of them.  I want to get as many great sounds as possible for the recording of my next batch of songs.

I also realized that I have more than 250 videos on YouTube- mostly cover songs from bands like the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Moody Blues, the Monkees, and many, many more.  Instead of increasing that number even more, I’ll be promoting all of my older videos to give them new life!

While I’m doing that, I’ll be driving around Connecticut playing at various Open Mic Nights.  I have my great Seagull acoustic-electric Entourage Rustic guitar, and I’ll even bring my electric guitars (and future small tube-amps) around with me.  My goal is to record videos of a different original song each time I go out.  I’ve already done a few.

Sure, the quality is so-so (iPhone video), the crowds are small and/or non-existent, and some of the videos are only part of the song (for instance, when my phone ran out of storage space on “Halfway There” a couple weeks ago).  But, I think these videos will be a valuable addition to the work I’ve done here for the Laptop Sessions music blog.  After all, we recorded all of these cover song videos in an attempt to make people curious about our original music, too.  So, now it’s finally time to implement phase two!

So, stay tuned in the coming weeks, as I’ll debut new videos as I record them.  I’ll put them on the music blog on Wednesdays, like our old “Original Wednesday” posts from back in the cover-song-heyday.  I hoe you enjoy the videos and will share them with your friends!