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
