Hey brother! There's an endless road to rediscover
Hey sister! Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do
Artists have an immense amount of tools at their disposal to paint their mental picture of the world and convey it to their audience. Be it the colors of the rainbow and the texture of the brushstroke used to paint a picture, the words, syntax and possibly the rhyme to tell a story, the melody, the rhythm and instrument to perform music. A song can expand the palette of the artist by adding words.
Reflection by Pentangle to me is a perfect amalgam of words and music, voices and instruments. It is hard to believe that it dates back to 1971 – more than 45 years ago.
There are days when the music stage in my mind wants to play nothing but angry or sad songs. Sometimes that's just fine with me. Right now, however, considering the root of my anger and sadness, I seek a calming balm to ground myself again.
One song that has long had the ability to ease my mind is "Hymn", for tonight performed by Gregorian. The song was originally performed by Barclay James Harvest and released in 1977 in the album "Gone to Earth". Reading about it I was astonished to learn that "the song is primarily about the dangers of drug abuse, contrasting their illicit thrill with the spiritual 'high' of Christianity."
Hymn
Valley's deep and the mountain's so high
If you want to see God you've got to move on the other side
You stand up there with your head in the clouds
Don't try to fly you know you might not come down
Don't try to fly, dear God, you might not come down
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 …
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
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 ...
At first it was the rhythm that drew me in ~ as so often is the case. Then it was the haunting quality of Arnór Dan's voice, the searching, the reaching for something just out of grasp. So close, it seems, and jet so far. Ólafur Arnalds' music frequently has a drifting dreamlike quality to it that makes it perfect for a dreary time ...
