It's quite amazing -and saddening- how quickly the warm, golden glow of Christmas fades into memoryland while the rush and hustle accompanying the preparation for the looming year's end takes over ... It's grey outside and the cold drizzle seems to seep into the bones and my mind keeps playing 'Streets of Philadelphia' by Bruce Springsteen ~ oh, well, just one of those days ...
Back in the ~ few but -oh- so memorable ~ days playing with a group, 'Dust in the Wind' by Kansas was among the songs I loved best. It's hard to pin down why, perhaps it's because there is a certain fragility transcending the lyrics, the guitar line, the violin's melody, the vocals ... and -to me- everything combines to a perfect whole. And it's a song befitting the peace and quiet tonight ...
Don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever, but the earth and sky
It's there always
And all your money won't another minute buy ...
Sometimes I run into a song and it strikes me: The song dates back to the 60ies ~ alas, it could have been written yesterday ... Farewell, Angelina written by Bod Dylan is one of those songs ~ I'm using the version by John Mellencamp here because that's the version I heard first ...
The machine guns are roaring
The puppets heave rocks
The fiends nail time bombs
To the hands of the clocks ...
Somebody follows a fake news story on the internet. Taking the story for real he becomes so wrought up that he dons his superman cape (my embellishment), grabs his firearm, and heads out to shoot some villain in righteous anger … or so he thinks. If it hadn’t been that the story fueling his ire was – now, how do I put this mildly – well, the story was a big pile of lies and, thus, our would be hero ends up being nothing more than just another gun-wielding ... moron? ...
Can you see the light
At the end of the dark passageway
Take me with you towards this light ...
My eyes want to overflow, my mind is filled with your songs, my heart is heavy. But most of all, I'm grateful for all that your music, your songs and your poetry have added to my life ...
Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Going through the online news today I ran into an article starting with the sentence "The people of Youngstown are fed up." Immediately, my mind went to playing Bruce Springsteen's 'Youngstown'. From the first time I heard the song it spoke to me ~ perhaps because I grew up in a coal-mining, steel-milling town, perhaps because the haunting lyrics and melody wormed their way into my mind, or perhaps because Bruce Springsteen's voice of velvet, rust and gravel just brings a lot of memories to life ... Whatever the reason, I'm sure the song will be playing on my mind for a while again ...
From the Monongaleh valley
To the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalacchia
The story's always the same
Andra Day's voice is simply marvelous, the song 'Rise Up' inspired ~ it doesn't matter what you may get out of the lyrics -or what you may read into them- I doubt anybody can remain untouched by this song ...
Rise Up
Andra Day
You're broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry go round
And you can't find the fighter
I have a distinct love/hate relationship to a large part of the music of the 60ies: It draws me in to listen but the more I listen to it the more I tend to ponder the fact that nothing really has changed since. Take "In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" by Zager and Evans for example: the song bemoans how humanity becomes more and more dependent on technologies. That was in 1968. Almost 50 years ago. And still, humanity becomes more and more dependent on technologies ...
But through eternal night
The twinkling of starlight
So very far away
Maybe it's only yesterday ~
In The Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)
Zager and Evans
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find
There are many times where music compelled me to investigate further into topics, history, or places. In rare cases, however, something I read led me to the music. Such was the case of Lord Franklin and his search of the Northwest Passage which I first encountered in Sten Nadolny's novel 'The Discovery of Slowness' (original German title: Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit). The recent rediscovery of the HMS Terror has reminded me of the ballad 'Lord Franklin' aka 'Lady Franklin's Lament' which recalls the loss of the expedition ...
It was homeward bound one night on the deep
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
I dreamed a dream and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew
I love listening to Tracy Chapman's songs, the intensity of her presentation and the rawness of her voice. And not to forget the lyrics which are worth to listen to carefully. Mountains o' Things was included in her debut album which was released more than 25 years ago ... and in all that time I've not grown tired of listening to it ~
The life I've always wanted
I guess I'll never have
I'll be working for somebody else
Until I'm in my grave
I'll be dreaming of a live of ease
And mountains Oh mountains o' things
As much as I love musicals, there are some that I will not attempt to view in a live performance. The likes of 'Cats' composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber for example. When listening to 'Memory' -an absolutely beautiful song, I think- I rarely make it to the line
Touch me ...
before my eyes dissolve ... Among the many great renditions of the song, Nicole Scherzinger's interpretation is one my favorites -
Memory
Cats
Midnight
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory?
She is smiling alone
If there's a mention of 'wings' or 'flying' my ears tune in - happens all ... the ... time!
Of course the song 'On Silent Wings', performed by Tina Turner and Sting and released in 1996, has nothing to do with flying but rather with the slow demise of a relationship. Amazingly, this song conveys a quiet acceptance of the changes brought on by time - and even a sense of peace ... At least that's my take - feel free to disagree ...
To me, 'Diamonds and Rust' by Joan Baez is one of those songs that does not sound its age, and the unmistakable voice of Joan Baez is one that doesn't grow old. Of course to me it has little to do with Bob Dylan -the one Joan Baez talks about in her song - but rather with the incredible chance which had me hear this song on the radio after a similar "here comes your ghost again ... you happened to call" moment ...
Well I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall
When I grew up I could just make out the train tracks beyond the fields and the creek lined by brush and small trees. At night, after the 'lights out' had been called by my parents, I would kneel on my bed, arms rested on the window sill, nose pressed to the glass, waiting for the trains to pass by - no more than a line of lights on the horizon, like a string of golden pearls rolling across the black velvet of the darkness. Hearing the whistle call out through the night across the expanse signaled all is well and lulled me to sleep filled with dreams of boarding a train and seeing the world beyond.
I guess that's at the root of my fascination with trains and my loving songs which resonate with that fascination. One of those songs is '500 Miles' - performed by 'The Hooters' (also here) and so many others ... Perhaps Paul Simon has it right when singing:
If you miss the train I'm on
You will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow
A hundred miles
A hundred miles, a hundred miles
A hundred miles, a hundred miles
You can hear the whistle blow
A hundred miles
Today I learned that Marianne Ihlen has died last week. Marianne Ihlen is the 'Marianne' addressed by Leonard Cohen in his song 'So long, Marianne'. One of the articles reporting of her passing also mentioned that 'Bird on the Wire' was among her favorite songs. Here's to you, Marianne - Rest in Peace ...
Bird on the Wire
Leonard Cohen
Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a fish on a hook
Like a knight in some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee
If I had a penchant for betting I'd bet that the name Shirley Bassey brings to mind the theme songs to the James Bond films 'Goldfinger', 'Diamonds Are Forever', and 'Moonraker' in the '60s and '70s and little -if anything- else. No question, great songs brought to life by her unmistakable voice, but to me, the song "History Repeating" written by Propellerheads' Alex Gifford beats those by miles and hands down :-)
History Repeating
The word is about, there´s something evolving,
whatever may come, the world keeps revolving...
They say the next big thing is here,
that the revolution´s near,
But to me it seems quite clear
that it´s all just a little bit of history repeating.
Sometimes I hear a song and I get goose bumps because the lyrics, or at least parts of them, seem to address me, talk to me, and call me out. "One And The Same" written and performed by Gareth Dunlop and Kim Richey falls into that category and, somehow, has been on my mind for some time now. The video comes with the lyrics but I've added a copy anyway. I just think they are worth contemplating ...
... what's rolling around in your head - it's too hard to say so you leave it unsaid ...
One And The Same
I know what's rolling, around in your head
It's too hard to say so, you leave it unsaid
It's easier to turn, and walk away instead
Paul Simon's album "The Rhythm of the Saints" accompanied me on one of my first road trips in the U.S. By the end of the trip I knew all of the songs by heart. Of course, by the end of the trip sadness began casting a shadow over the sunny days - the care free time was running short, the 'normal life' and its hectic and constraints began looming ~ and the closer I go to the end of the road, the more I turned to "The Cool, Cool River" ...
[Ed. 24.07.16] Another city, another coward spilling blood ... "sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears" ...
The Cool, Cool River
Moves like a fist through traffic
Anger and no one can heal it
Shoves a little bump into the momentum
It's just a little lump but you feel it
In the creases and the shadows
With a rattling deep emotion
The cool, cool river
Sweeps the wild, white ocean
To me, music is all about emotions. When I close my eyes and listen to "Shadow Dancer" by Lokua Kanza I'm carried away to dancing away a warm summer night under a star-lit sky away from the hassle of the city ~ perhaps on a beach or on the shores of a lake (I love open water so, yeah, an ocean, lake or river has to be there) ...
Of course that's just me and the emotions evoked in somebody else may be completely different :)
Shadow Dancer
(Ray St John/Lokua Kanza)
Angel of the night
Come into my life
Answer every prayer
And stay
It's been quite a while since we visited Morocco. Nonetheless, the memories are never far as the souvenirs included a beautiful rug which graces the floor of the living room and a brass tea table sitting in front of my favorite perch. We roamed the country for three weeks, from Tangier to Casablanca to Marrakesh, along the Atlantic Ocean, across the Atlas Mountains, and into the Moroccan Sahara. Remarkable towns, inviting villages, breathtaking landscapes and people, friendly and happy to invite us to share stories over a glass or two of their traditional peppermint tea. So many things could have gone wrong (miraculously, we managed to outrun a flash flood by a scant hour, we nearly got our car permanently stuck in the soft sands edging a lake, we managed to almost get lost in the desert at night ~ but those are stories for another day ...) and always, when things got dicey, there were people happy to lend a helping hand.
And then there's the music of Oum and the video which gives glimpses of the beauty of the country and its people ~ enjoy ...
Imagine: Sailing through the night, out in the bay. The sky is clear, sprinkled with stars, the moon is almost full and reflects in the choppy water. The breeze is just enough to keep our sails filled and propel us southward. In the distance the big container ships cling to the shipping channel - lit up like Christmas trees. They are far enough away so the rumble of their enormous engines does not reach us. Only the boat's radio, tuned in to their communication frequency, lets us hear their voices from time to time. It's the wind murmuring in the sails, the creaking of the boat, the water splashing against the hull ~ nothing matters but staying the course and watching the water to avoid any objects floating along with us which could damage the hull ... and, of course, enjoying the moment!
When I first heard "Into the Mystic" by Sir Van Morrison it brought back the memory of that sailing trip and in particular that night out on the bay. Such a soothing, peaceful night - such a soothing, peaceful song ~
More often than not it's a melody or a rhythm that gets stuck in my mind and replays over and over. But occasionally, it's the lyrics ~ a line or two ~ that draw me in and won't let go. The latter is what happened when I heard "How Bad We Need Each Other" by Mark Scibilia for the first time ...
Through the end of winter there was this eager anticipation of better, sunny days to come and of spring to claim the land. As happens every year I'd totally forgotten that springtime promises include the promises of allergies. So with the eyes and nose dripping there's all the more reason to find some music that soothes the soul. ...
For today, that music is the phenomenal mastery of the piano by Keith Jarrett. Essentially, any of his piano pieces would do, but my all time favorite is the Koln Concert (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) ~ if you have the time and the inclination take a listen, it's worth it, I promise. For now and for this blog it's his interpretation of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" - enjoy!
The mind is such a wondrous thing ~ unwilling to be subjugated by the attacks against innocents it seeks out words / songs of hope and light. There are many of those, new and old alike, but somehow my mind tends to seek out the "Ghost Dance" by Robbie Robertson which says it all:
You don't stand a chance against my prayers. You don't stand a chance against my love. [...] we shall live again, we shall live again ...
The song "Fragile" has a way of burrowing underneath your skin with its rather soft melody. Even the picture of rain falling like tears from a star balances beauty and sadness. And again, only looking closer at the words brings home the message:
Perhaps this final act was meant To clinch a lifetime's argument That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
I'd have a hard time to pin down which one song by Sting is my favorite but Fragile definitely is right up there.
The Zulu word Shosholoza means go forward or make way for the next man, and is also reminiscent of the sound made by the steam train (stimela) described in the song. "Shosholoza" is a Ndebele folk song that originated in what is now Zimbabwe but was popularized in South Africa. The song is a traditional South African folk song that was sung by Ndebele all-male migrant workers that were working in the South African mines in a call and response style. The song is so popular in South African culture that it is often referred to as South Africa's second national anthem.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a South African male choral group that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube. They rose to worldwide prominence as a result of singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album Graceland, and have won multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards. They were formed by Joseph Shabalala in 1960 and later became one of South Africa's most prolific recording artists, with their releases receiving gold and platinum disc honors. The group has now become a mobile academy, teaching people about South Africa and its culture.
I'm partial to whales (who would have thunk ~ considering the avatar :o) so getting the album "Crying of the Whales" by Abrax (or here) was a no-brainer. It was a good decision: the longer I listen the more I want to hear. "Journey's End" is the track that most reminds me of a memorable and fascinating encounter I had with those gentle giants of the sea ...
Some weeks want to end on a low note and they seem to put all energy and effort in to get their way. Little do such weeks know that they stand a snowballs chance in hell to succeed as long as there's the right musical antidote at hand. Take "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" from Monty Python's "Life of Brian" for example ~
Ladysmith Black Mambazo is among the groups that I can listen to for hours and doing so always leaves me feeling better. Then, there's the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Some nights my mother would sing it to get her brood to sleep ~ leaving me with dreams of foreign countries just waiting to be explored. I'm awestruck to learn that the roots of this song go as far back as the 1920s ...
I think that every season has its own melody, every mood has its own rhythm or rhyme, and that some artists create music which fits some days or moods, whereas others create music for every mood and season. To me, Leo Kottke is a musician for any time, any season ~
Reinvention – what a thought! To be able to shed one’s public persona like a snake sheds its skin, and to be able to don a sparkling new, custom-made persona. Ample room for rambling thoughts … and then – of course – there’s Syntax with Pride ~
Pride
by Syntax
It's made up of lonely moments
There was always a moment there when I knew
A friend of mine wrote "Strings" - a summary of an ordinary day in the life of ... There are days when I feel like that puppet, however fast I'm going I'm always half a step behind and unable to get caught up.
Strings
The hands of the clock clench to fists as it rings Which urgently jerk on invisible strings Affixed to a puppet and haul on its limbs The puppet may fight, yet the clock always wins
It's wondrous how moments and music can get so intimately entwined that a few bars of a song are enough to carry you back to the moment that song was playing. "Breathe (2 AM)" by Anna Nalick is one such song for me. I was doing 36 hour days and the nights alone at work were the worse. I kept the radio playing so as to not get swallowed by the darkness and silence. At one time, long into the night, "Breath" came on and 'breath, just breath' became my mantra, the refrain my credo:
'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
and life's like an hourglass glued to the table,
No one can find the rewind button girl
So just cradle your head in your hands. ...
It got me through more than one night. The 36 hour shifts are long behind me but still, the reminder to 'breath, just breath' remains helpful when the tracks pass through rough terrain ~
Can't help it, but to me this song is totally tongue in cheek ~ Hugs and Kisses (XO), indeed ... It does have a catchy rhythm and melody, though, and once it plays on the little mental stage it just "won't let go, Ex's & Oh's" (Elle King)
I had me a boy, turned him into a man
I showed him all the things that he didn't understand
Whoa, and then I let him go
What more can one ask for? The inspired guitar wielded by Carlos Santana, the unique voice of Chad Kroeger that has just enough rasp to raise goose bumps while slipping under your skin, a driving rhythm and an invitation to dance ~ all rolled up into one in "Into the Night." Perfect! IMHO just the right song for the carnival season ...
Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell
It was love from above, like it saved me from hell
If a certain rodent in a little town in Pennsylvania is to be trusted, winter will make an early exit and will give way to spring without much of a fight. And just to give the rodent's prediction a boost, there's carnival festivities spread across the globe ~ ok, not really spread, more like sprinkled ~ to chase winter away. Well, we've not had more than 3 days of winder here, but I'm ready to follow Faun and step through the gate (das Tor) onto the meadow with flowers abloom ...
"Waiting in Green Velvet" is another song that made it onto my mind's stage by playing on the radio alarm in the morning ~ it's also the song that brought Joshua Kadison to my attention. He's such a gifted story-teller, painting pictures in your mind while drawing you in with the piano or rhythm. It was sad to discover that his facebook page does not have an entry since 2013 ...
Waiting in green velvet with a suitcase in her hand
Standing down, away from the bus stop sign
If you would, take 10 minutes to sit back and relax and let Nils Frahm's "Says" wrap around you. Sometimes music says it all. This piece certainly doesn't need words ~ simply beautiful ...
A little dose of sunshine before I succumb to hibernating ... Paco de Lucía, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin ~ each one a guitar genius of his own right. Together - simply breathtaking!
I guess I could talk about Johann Sebastian Bach and his works, or about Ian Anderson during and after his time with Jethro Tull. But tonight I just feel like listening to - and drowning in - Ian Anderson's rendition of J. S. Bach's "Bourée"
The first time I heard Kiri Te Kanawa was when she sang Handel’s “Let the bright Seraphim” at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Since I wasn’t much of an opera fan at the time that might have been it, but I remembered her name years later when I saw notice of a documentary about the recording of Leonard Bernstein conducting the West Side Story starring, among others, Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras. Simply awesome! Then she released an album with Maori Songs. I was hooked! - that was it: the joy, the rhythm, the melody, the voice, all came together.
A hard and heavy, steady rhythm pushing the melody and the lyrics forward throughout the song. But that’s just one of the reasons why I like it so much. There’s also Adele ’s voice which draws you in and wraps around you, and then there’s the lyrics which are so utterly “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and wore it to rags …”
The weather forecast promises snow – finally. There’s been the occasional flake forecast around ten days out for the last two months but the closer the date came the forecast tuned to warmer temperatures and rain or to colder days with sunshine. I’ve decided to put my trust in the two days of snow forecast and have started stocking up on music – starting with George Winston, quoted by Wikipedia as having stated
Every song I've ever heard, that has gone in and stayed in me, has always reminded me of a season. A picture and a place, maybe, but always a season.
This page is about music, certainly not politics. But then, sometimes, music touches on politics and there’s no getting around scraping the issue.
Not that I believe all I hear on the news, but this sounds just wrong enough to be true: Donald Trump is playing Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” at his rallies as a swipe at his co-contender Ted Cruz. … What’s wrong with this picture? Anybody? Anything?
To me, the song is anything but glorious or patriotic.
The radio alarm went off at the usual much too early hour. It normally takes about 30 minutes before my brain is lucid enough to process the need to get up and prepare for the new day. Not that time, though. The song playing on the radio grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. I didn’t know the voice that was singing or the song but the “Here I am, on the road again …” stayed with me throughout the day.
In the evening I went to pick up my friend Carry, we were planning to meet up with her husband David and some other friends for a movie night. “Here I am, on the road again …” was still playing in my mind and the first thing I asked her was whether she knew the song.
I never even attempted to translate the lyrics. To me this song is all about the rhythm, the progression and the melody - not to forget about the piano and Paolo Conte's voice. I just wished it would go on longer ...
Max era Max
Più tranquillo che mai,
La sua lucidità
Smettila, Max,
La tua facilità
Non semplifica, Max.
Max
Non si spiega,
Fammi scendere, Max
Vedo un segreto
Avvicinarsi qui, Max
The first working day of the new year has progressed and the evening hours call for quiet time. Adiemus by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins just hits the spot: music to sit back, relax and refuel for the week to come.
My parents weren’t big on letting their pre-teen kids watch TV, and bedtimes were adamantly set and to be observed. Of course, any exception such as allowing us to watch ‘adult’ TV on occasion made those TV programs extra special. One of those exceptions was “The Silk Road: The Rise and Fall of Civilizations” which aired way past my then bedtime.
I have to admit that I don’t recall too much of the documentary (I’ll have to search the web – I sure would love to see it again). What I do recall is the amazing soundtrack (composed by Kitaro) and breathtaking pictures of sweeping foreign landscapes beckoning to be explored ...
Two songs in one day? Certainly not going to be the rule, but today ... Oh well, it's the first of the new year and weird stuff is to be expected. Like a call from a past so long ago that it was all but forgotten. Until that call, that is. As is so often the case with stirred up memories a song bursts forth from the recesses of my mind and starts playing. ...
I had the opportunity to see/hear a life performance of Vaya Con Dios (the band, not the song of the same name).
... "these are the roots of rhythm and the roots of rhythm remain" ...
Paul Simon is a wonderful storyteller, and I've been following his music for quite a while. To get to know one of his songs has become a three stage process for me. Firstly, focusing on the lyrics until I feel well acquainted with the story; secondly, letting myself get caught in the melody and rhythm of the song; and lastly, bringing it all together: the words, the melody, and the rhythm, painting beautiful pictures for my mind's eye to enjoy.
