exploremusic

The new Ryan Gosling movie is called Blue Valentine and it has all the critics in a froth to the point where it’ll probably be nominated for an Oscar next week. 

There’s also a mystery about the film.  It centres on a doo-wop-y R&B song of indeterminate age in the movie that is thought to be called “You and Me.”  The director found it in a box labelled “Penny and the Quarters.” 

So far, it’s been tracked down to a songwriter named Penny Johnson.  The mystery is that no one knows who she is,  where she may be found or anything else about the song.  The music publishing company that owns the rights to the track somehow acquired them at some point over the years when it came as part of some catalogue they purchased.

They’ve been playing it for hundreds of people within the music industry and no one knows anything Penny and the original version of the song.  And if it becomes any kind of a hit, they have no idea where to send the cheques.

It’s a cool story, but it still  smells like a publicity thing concocted by a Hollywood publicist.  Then again, it could be a genuine puzzle and Penny (or her heirs) should get what’s coming to them. The songwriter royalties could be substantial.

If you want to hear the song and get in on the detective work, take a listen.

Penny And The Quarters – You and Me by HandsomeDan