Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness. - Maya Angelou
When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest. - Henry David Thoreau
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The Innocence Mission - Now In This Hush
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsKM2B7lD1A
This song (or anything from Innocence Mission or Over the Rhine for that matter) reminds of every Fall/Autumn in the 90’s – around the time when I discovered their music. This song is a reminder to me that at times when I feel down or a little less than creative, that the power creativity goes on and on….and sometimes you have to step back and rest in the renewal of life.
“Where is color this hour? / Where is music this hour? / Are they still going on somewhere? / But where now, in this hush? / Where are words in this hush? / And what am I....?”
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3 Doors Down - Duck And Run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8IuzY0NSo0
This song reminds of a time in my life when it seemed like I was fighting for myself and having to fight for others in the process. At that time, and even now, I had to have some resolve; some way to overcome. This song was one of those “ways” that helped me.
“This world can turn me down but I Won't turn away / And I won't duck and run, cause / I'm not built that way / When everything is gone there is / Nothing there to fear / This world cannot bring me down / No cause I'm already here, oh no! / I am already here, / Down on my knees / I am already here, on no, I am / Already here / I must have told you a thousand times, /I am not running away / I won't duck and run..”
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The Smiths - Rubber Ring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpf6gJU3520
The lyrics always ring true, at least for this music fan.
But dont forget the songs / That made you cry / And the songs that saved your life / Yes, youre older now / And youre a clever swine / But they were the only ones who ever stood by you
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The Call - The Woods
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViVF_wkebnU
I cannot express enough how much The Call’s music has been an inspiration to me. Having seen them 3 times and with the passing of Michael Been back in 2010, it all seems so long ago when I first heard their music.
The Call’s sound is really for a mature, artistically and open-minded listener. This is not pop, this is not just commentary. This is about life and the struggle some face to move from the day to day but, with faith, move forward to the hope of a better tomorrow.
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Neil Diamond - I Am... I Said
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwircEDCss8
Now I know people may have an opinion about Neil Diamond but having grown up in Chicago and listening to just about every radio station on the FM dial, Neil Diamond ruled the easy listening/love song stations in the 80’s. He had plenty of songs being played and I remember buying his two-cassette greatest hits at a Coconuts in the early 90’s for my birthday. Every since then, when I think of music to play on this day, I think about Neil Diamond and how, though I knew of a few songs of his, was completely introduced to more on that collection. One thing’s for sure…Diamond could right a great love song/ballad….
“I Am…I Said” sums up a lot of the loneliness I felt during that time also. Yep, I was THAT artist guy listening to Neil Diamond Greatest Hits with my walkman on the “L” train of Chicago back then….
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Pink Floyd - Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYiahoYfPGk
OK…this one is obvious. Pink Floyd’s album Dark Side of The Moon was released in 1973, the year of my birth. As it gets older, I get older….
“Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time. / Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines / Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way / The time is gone, the song is over, / Thought I'd something more to say…..”
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Elton John - The One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LFJNYb6y5I
Say what you will about Elton John or his personal life, the guy is one of the last great singer-songwriters of the late 20th Century and I recently had a rediscovery of his music.
Songs like “Rocket Man” and “Your Song” were always favorites and his 80’s hits, I’ll always remember. In the 90’s, “The Last Song” will probably be my all time favorite. But I started listening to his other hits again and for some reason I connected to this song. Very inspirational and so many inspiring points made in the lyrics.
“And all I ever needed was the one / Like freedom fields where wild horses run / When stars collide like you and I / No shadows block the sun / You're all I've ever needed / Baby you're the one….”
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Jim Croce - Operator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RA4MykPm4s
One artist music that I can remember being played a lot on the radio was Jim Croce. “Time in a Bottle”, “I Got A Name” and “Operator” were played all the time.
Croce died 2 months after I was born and growing up with his music as a kid, I thought he was always there…
“Operator” was always funny, true and sad; all at the same time to me…
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John Williams – Superman Theme (Christopher Reeve Superman Tribute)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksevcw3dGfY
No my Birthday Playlist is complete without a theme song; especially a Superman movie theme song.
This one is quite special to me. After going to see Superman on my 5th birthday back in 1979, I’ve been a fan of comic books and superheroes ever since. Every time I see the opening credits I revert back to childhood.
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Vigilantes Of Love - Parting Shot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQkFb5SM1bI
I want to end with this song.
At one time, The Vigilantes of Love changed my life.
You may say, “You say that about every band/artist..” – That’s not entirely true.
There are only a handful of artists/groups that I feel that have had a deep impact on me and my life in general with their music and lyrics; That at different points in my life I would come to discover them at the right time, at a time I needed to hear what they had to say and continue to this day to have an influence on me and inspiration in my thinking and creativity.
There’s (so far) the following artists/groups:
U2, The Cure, Daniel Amos/Terry Scott Taylor, Morrissey/The Smiths, the 77s/Mike Roe, The Choir, Interpol, Arcade Fire, Marvin Gaye, New Order, Sade, Everything But The Girl, The Killers, Simply Red, Over The Rhine, Luther Vandross, The Call, Moby, The Beatles, Alicia Keys, Jeff Johnson and The Vigilantes of Love --- That at certain points in my existence here, these artists/groups have impacted me greatly; opening my eyes and mind to new perspectives. There may be thousands of songs or albums by different artists/groups that have been both an influence and inspiration but there are only a few artists/groups whose complete discography is both a constant influence and inspiration
Now, as far as this song “Parting Shot” goes…I think about what legacy we leave behind, what people think in terms of what we have done and how those things sometimes way heavy on our mind and hearts…
Lyrics:
Words of wisdom, quotable quotes,
Reader's Digest sayings for those losing hope,
Why do I feel so mocked by the hands of the clock?
Well, anchor me down to the solid rock,
I want to leave you with something, but I almost forgot,
Was it a closing statement or a parting shot?
Well, you lie on the flowers here in the wind,
I've twisted it all with original sin,
There's a knowledge I traded a long time ago,
Well, I bartered it off for these rags I call clothes,
But I learned how to fake it and remake it on cue,
And I swear I never stopped needing you.
There's a question forming, out here in the dark,
In the heavy air all around my heart, now laden with consequence, chain link fence, and shot through with all manner of lies I've been trapped in and caught,
And the world, like a tempest, in your ears doth roar,
And the flesh wants to dress up and play your whore,
And the devil wants to cast all manner of doubt on the real lover with the key, dying to let you out from the bars that you fashioned with your stolen clout.
Well, I may be confused, but I'll play my hunch,
Did it feel like a kiss or a counter-punch?
Evening is closing and the kid drones on and on, and on,
Well, get out your car keys, I hope this is his last song,
Wait, it's bigger than life; it is gracious and grand,
Something a child readily understands,
Hey, you know I sure could use a new suit of clothes,
See, I'm gone all threadbare and my shoes are worn,
Now the flowers are growing right out of these bones, and I hear the trumpet sounding like Louis Armstrong,
Like Louis Armstrong,
When the great divorce happens, hide me in your song, though I don't deserve it and I don't belong.
I want to leave you with something, will you take it to heart?
Are you a closing statement or a parting shot?
Or a parting shot?
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