Bap - Kristallnaach

The song 'Kristallnaach' (Kristallnacht) by BAP was released in 1982 and the title refers to the events that took place in the night of 9./10. September 1938. The song is written in the dialect of Cologne and the band's official website graciously offers not only the lyrics but also a 'High German' translation both of which are reproduced below. Additionally, I tried my hand (and mind) at cobbling together an English translation - it's not necessarily literal but to the best of my understanding should bring the point across. Of course, any corrections, comments and revisions are very welcome and greatly appreciated ~

... no Cavalry to save the day,
No Zorro is there to take care
That one just pees a "Z" in the snow
And -babbling nonchalantly- topples over
"So what?"- Kristallnacht!

Hope you opt to listen and to have a look at the lyrics -

Kristallnaach
BAP

1) Et kütt vüür, dat ich mein, dat jet klirrt,
dat sich irjendjet en mich verirrt,
e Jeräusch, nit ens laut,
manchmol klirrt et vertraut,
selden su, dat mer et direk durchschaut.

Roger Waters - Amused To Death

Strolling through the magical forests of the internet I stumbled over an article by Rina Marie Doctor in Tech Times which contemplated establishing a new geological epoch marked by the impact of human activity, the Anthropocene.

Fascinating! Have humanity’s footprints on our planet become so big that the instigated environmental changes exceed the natural development? I’m not a geologist so I’m uncomfortable to comment one way or another on the concept. It just made me wonder –again- about the carbon dioxide emissions which are increased thanks to humanity, and the eventual demise of our world: being swallowed by the sun when it is in its red giant stage.

Humanity will have left the stage long before that time and, perhaps, some alien anthropologists will have had the opportunity to investigate the remnants of our cultures …

Amused to Death
Roger Waters

Doctor Doctor what is wrong with me
This supermarket life is getting long
What is the heart life of a colour TV
What is the shelf life of a teenage queen

Joe Cocker - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Some songs never grow old; some voices get better the longer you listen ... It's hard to believe that "Don't let me be misunderstood" was originally released in 1964 (!!!) by the unforgettable, incomparable Nina Simone. So many groups and artists have covered the song and made it theirs in one way or another. It's hard to put a finger to the why ~ perhaps it is because I had the privilege of seeing/hearing him perform it live ~ Joe Cocker's version remains my favorite ...

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Fault Line

A voice, a guitar, and a harmonica - sometimes that's all it takes. It certainly is when it comes to 'Fault Line' by 'Black Rebel Motorcycle Club' or 'BRMC'...

Fault Line

I've been waiting on the fault line
Living evil take me on
I'll be standing with my dying bed
If you care to come along

Bruce Springsteen The Ghost of Tom Joad live in Studio

Every year I take a road trip to clear my mind and reset my equilibrium ~ for me, there's nothing better, nothing more relaxing than driving some off-the-beaten-path road and listening to music. One such trip included driving through the night on some forgotten street, and in the early hours of the new day -long before the sun would make its appearance- 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' by Bruce Spingsteen started playing on the radio ...

Well the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes ...

It wasn't a highway, and the street wasn't alive that night, but -as strange as that may sound- the song dispelled some of the lonely feeling that I hadn't been able to shake ~

The Ghost of Tom Joad
Bruce Springsteen

Men walking 'long the railroad tracks
Going someplace, there's no going back
Highway patrol choppers coming up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge

Rag'n'Bone Man - Human

When I wake up to a song that I don't know, my mind tends to latch on to words that are repeated. In the case of 'human' by 'Rag'n'Bone Man' ~ obviously ~ it were the words

I'm only human after all
Don't put your blame on me

Growing up my parents taught us that it's never about putting the blame somewhere (and they would attest to the fact that my siblings and I were world champions at placing the blame in spite of their unrelenting urging to the contrary). According to my parents, it was all about recognizing the problem and trying to find a solution so that the problem was avoided in the future, or at least remidiated. Before that background, of course, I had to hunt down the song, and the artist, and the lyrics ... and I'm so glad I did ~

Human
Rag'n'Bone Man

I'm only human
I'm only, I'm only
I'm only human, human

Maybe I'm foolish
Maybe I'm blind
Thinking I can see through this
And see what's behind

Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day - Jethro Tull (HD)

YAY \ö/ ~ the weekend's here. And it's brought snowflakes along 😊 It just feels right to go 'Skating Away' with Jethro Tull. Admittedly, the song is not quite that exuberant when you look at the lyrics. 

And as you cross the circle line, the ice-wall creaks behind
You're a rabbit on the run. ...

Perhaps it's because of the deeper contemplation that I keep playing it in my mind ~

Skating Away (On The Thin Ice Of The New Day)
Jethro Tull

Meanwhile back in the year One, when you belonged to no-one
You didn't stand a chance son, if your pants were undone.

Kansas - Dust in the Wind

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 ...

Dust in the Wind
Kansas

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone

Bruce Springsteen - Youngstown

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

Youngstown
Bruce Springsteen

Here in north east Ohio
Back in eighteen-o-three
James and Danny Heaton
Found the ore that was linin' yellow creek

Andra Day - Rise Up

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

Nicole Scherzinger - Memory

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

Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust

"Well I'll be damned ..." indeed!

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 ...

Diamonds and Rust
Joan Baez

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

Leonard Cohen - Bird on the Wire

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

Van Morrison - Into The Mystic

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 ~

Papa Wemba - Show me the way

Papa Wemba has left us but his music lives on ... may he rest in peace ~

Merle Haggard - If I Could Fly Away

Here's to hoping you are flying free now ~

If I Could Only Fly

By Merle Haggard

Marc Scibilia - How Bad We Need Each Other

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 ...

How Bad We Need Each Other

By Marc Scibilia

Stevie Wonder and Sting - Fragile (Live)

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.

Adele - Rumor Has It

BAM BAM BAM BADAM BAM BAM BAM BADAM 

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 …”

Bruce Springsteen - Born In The U.S.A.

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.