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 |  A blog about music from my unique perspective (also a spot for some poetry I’ve written) |
A simple music themed blog for Jeff’s "The Soundtrack of Your Life"  challenge, and also to dump my thoughts about the 48 Hour Media Challenges when I don’t feel like creating a story or poem from the provided material. I may also add random poetry in here if I feel like it doesn’t qualify for a separate item.![Merit Badge in WDC Media Prompt
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| My fifteenth track is Hold Me Now, from defunct band The Thompson Twins. Released in 1983, it's a "big eighties" song in the best sort of way. I've liked this song from pretty much the first I became aware of it, sometime in 2017. The emotional tone of the lyrics appealed to me, as the narrator deals gently with a confusing relationship. Whenever it crops up it's a bright spot in the creepiness of cheap eighties surface hits which are all one hears in public from the era. When I decided to add it to my offline playlist last April or thereabouts, I designed a special cover art for it (as I did with dozens of my chosen tracks) using my favorite generative AI app, Wombo Dream. I prompted the AI with the words "vintage retro eighties style filter photo of a teenage boy and girl happy memories" and it gave me an image of twins  It looks exactly like the opening words of the song. At the bottom I'll include the screenshot of my media player.The more I listen to Hold Me Now with increasingly better sound quality, the more I appreciate it. I love the slowly measured "bells and whistles" production, and the backing vocals which come in at the end to balance the gaps in the chorus. In order to write knowledgeably about the song, I read the Wikipedia page for The Thompson Twins, which I thought for sure I had looked at several times over the years. I was surprised to find the "real story" of the band: how they derived their name from The Adventures of Tintin, and how they changed it to Babble in the nineties to reflect a shift in musical style to something called "dub-influenced chill out…" don't ask me. I had no idea.Now that I do know the band's backstory, it makes the song more meaningful. I'm glad I chose to do this project, because I honestly thought The Thompson Twins was something like a brother and sister duo, similar to the image I created for the cover art  Words: 368.  |
My fourteenth track is from the late Tom Petty, released in 1989. Running Down a Dream has been a favorite of mine for a while. I remember when Mom would play it when I was a kid and I thought it was saying "right down the drain…"  The lines about "working on a mystery" always excited me, like it was a song from a movie or something.Finding it was from Tom Petty (during my musical "coming of age") seemed perfectly natural, because I'd known it already for so long. It's a good song to put on as you're driving, because the lyrics are about chasing the dream, adventure seeking, and quite literally driving down the highway enjoying life. The intricacies of the melody are fun to get lost in, and the beat is surprisingly rapid. I found the Wikipedia description of the song's composition to be enlightening, as much as is possible for me, lacking musical training.It embarrasses me sometimes, that I love to write about music yet I have no real understanding of music theory. I describe songs as best I can, having picked up the vocabulary from reading countless professional critiques and artist interviews, and I take it all with obsessive seriousness. Sometimes I wonder if I should become a musician. If I did, I'd be starting pretty late in a highly competitive field. My chances of being even a fraction as successful as the artists I admire are slim to none. If I did learn an instrument, it would be merely for my own personal enjoyment or perhaps to create something for a YouTube channel… Anyway, here's a classic for you  Words: 281. |
| My thirteenth track is another CCR, as a defunct band. I had a hard time deciding between this one and Looking Out My Back Door, as I have fond memories of and enjoy them both, but I settled on Down on the Corner, which was released in 1969 on their album Willie and the Poor Boys. It tells a folksy tale of a family street band… now that I think of it, John Fogarty may have been inspired by the old song "Johnny Morgan played the organ." Reading the Wikipedia page, I see he rather got the idea from Winnie the Pooh, which he declared to be his favorite character. Hey, Pooh Bear is mine as well  Mom played it often, and it became part of my childhood in Tennessee. I enjoyed it, despite not knowing most of the lyrics. As an adult, I find it to be the kind of song where the words don't matter so much as the music. I love getting lost in the flow of the melody. Down on the Corner became such an instantly recognizable American classic, that Walgreens sampled the music for a series of radio commercials they ran in 2012 or so, much to my youthful delight. It tied into their slogan: "on the corner of happy and healthy." The comments under the YouTube audio I chose are amusing… one person said "I'm thirty years old, a native English speaker, and I can only understand about thirty percent of the lyrics." I thought I was the only person who had no idea what John's saying. Another person remarked, "Walgreens ruined this song." Honestly, I didn't think anyone else noticed or remembered they used it. What can I say? It's a favorite of mine. Enjoy Words: 304. |
| My twelfth track is a cover from… guess who… yes, Imagine Dragons. Though ID has never officially released any covers, they've done quite a few live ones, as probably most big bands have over the years. 500 Miles (I'm Gonna Be) is originally by the Scottish duo The Proclaimers, from 1988. I remember hearing the original and looking it up somewhere between 2015 and 2017, and being mildly impressed by the lyrics. Then later on YouTube I watched ID playing it at a live show in Scotland, and because of ID it became a song I grew fond of. I think it was ID's first ever Scottish show, or their first time at the one called T in the Park, in 2014, because lead singer Dan Reynolds spoke about how grateful he was to be there and how he'd never imagined he would be so successful in his career as a musician. The Dragons handled all parts of 500 Miles quite well, from Dan's imitation of the Scottish accent and the "tra-la-la," to the beats and guitars. I've added their cover to my offline playlist, though sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to go with the original and cut the ad-libs. But I think I smile more with this cover. Dan and his bandmates and the crowd all really poured their hearts into it. At the time Dan had not yet publicized his diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis; he was most likely in rather a lot of pain here. But you'd never know. Words: 260. |
| My eleventh track is from a defunct band, Love Power by one-hit wonders The Sandpebbles. Released in 1967, it became their only notable Billboard chart before they faded into oblivion. Mom played this song for years, and occasionally still does. I never particularly cared for it myself. She told me how she used to say that someone should cover it and bring it back into the spotlight. Eventually Luther Vandross did, mashing it up with Power of Love in 1991, and she was like "see? I knew it would be a hit." The theme is one of holding your head high because even if you're poor, you still have love, and that's a powerful thing. I like knowing it exists, simply because few people do. I never thought of adding it to my own playlist until now, though. It never really meant that much to me. I've squirrelled around on YouTube and found a good clear mono copy of it; the only stereo (binaural) is an extended remake someone made, and I don't like how they messed with the drumroll, pacing and backing vocals. As I've given it a proper listen, I find it's well produced, with intriguing rhythms and good all-around talent. It's a classic bit of 60's soul. Words: 214. |
| My tenth track is an old favorite from the late Johnny Cash. Originally released in 1956 I Walk the Line has been recorded several times, and a remastered version direct from the vintage Sun Studios label is available on YouTube, along with several live performance videos and movie cuts. This is one of the only Johnny Cash songs I enjoy. I generally find him to be a dreary lyricist, who wrote and sang dusty Americana style ballads about gritty subjects I'd rather not think of. His voice is a distinctive deeper one, which I do admire. The first time I ever heard I Walk the Line was kind of funny. Does anyone remember the days when Walmart would have a "jukebox" somewhere around the candle section? It was a display of CDs with "atmospheric" music, and there would be a soundbox with buttons you push to hear samples of each CD. They took those out a long time ago. One day when I was a kid, Mom and I were looking at the selection of music. She pushed one button, and the soulful words of I Walk the Line came out. I found the pretty green cover of an Irish CD more interesting, and pushed that button, expecting to hear a Celtic instrumental. Instead, I Walk the Line was interrupted by a beer flavored bar doggerel belting out, much to Mom's dismay. Afterwards, she fetched I Walk the Line on the computer, and it became an instant classic in my book, with simple words sung in a comprehensible way. It was one of the only songs I memorized and wrote down the lyrics to, in the same notebook where I kept all my favorite poetry I'd gathered over the years. When Mom and I read about Johnny Cash's personal life, she said it was bad for him to have divorced his first wife (who he wrote the song for) to marry June Carter. I wasn't sure if I should pass judgment on him, because he seemed to be very happy with his second wife and stayed with her for the rest of his life. I asked myself if maybe sometimes a person could marry the "wrong" spouse and then find the one they were "meant" to have, and would it be such a bad thing to let the first one go if they felt they were better suited for the second one? But a person might do that over and over again, and be mistaken every time, or find someone else they feel is "just right…" Hold on while I overthink this…  At any rate, I Walk the Line is a song no one can argue with. While reading the Wikipedia page on it, I learned about the "chicka chicka boom boom" phenomenon. I'd never given any thought to the goofy phrase; indeed, I couldn't have told you where I heard it before (a brand of popcorn, maybe?)I remember when we watched a live TV performance from the 50's, the backing bass note was carried by a double bass (a giant standing violin) alongside Johnny. I did not know about the paper folded into his guitar to produce the other sound, which I now recognize as the onomatopoeic equivalent of that phrase. Becoming aware of key shifts and why he hums through the song makes me listen to I Walk the Line more carefully, even though I know nothing substantial about music theory. This is a classic song I'm happy to have on my playlist. Words: 604. |
| My ninth track is a cover: I Heard It Through the Grapevine, by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Released in 1970 after having become a stage song of theirs, it features an extended jam session and John Fogarty's unique vocals. I only know about this through my mom, who became enamored of it at some point during the pandemic (alongside Creeque Alley) and declared it far better than the more well-known and popular Marvin Gaye version. I didn't really think much of the rather pathetic theme in those days. As I built my own playlist later on, however, I added it as part of my CCR collection. Once I put on my good earbuds, I knew what Mom was so impressed with: the eerie, Voodoo-esque drums, combined with John's anguished voice, definitely hits differently from anything else I've ever heard. It becomes almost hypnotic. The funny thing is, neither of us listened to the full eleven-minute version. It was always the just-under-four-minute mono version, and that's what I have saved on my old phone. To write a proper blog post, I sat down this evening and played the "real thing." I don't think I've ever listened to an oldies band jamming together before, certainly not with proper binaural sound. (Dolby Atmos on my budget Galaxy, YouTube, with a $5 pair of truly wireless earbuds. It doesn't take much to have good audio quality these days.) Wow. What an experience. I haven't the faintest understanding of the music theory behind the improvised composite sound, but I know it's the kind of thing I could indulge my sensory sensitivities in, with layers of John's guitar, Clifford's drums, and goodness knows who on bass, all working in amazing synchronicity. It's easy to tell the band members were "in the zone" when they recorded this. In the comments below the full version, people were chiming in with praise and memories: some trite, speaking about where they were when it hit them hardest; some more intellectual, marveling at the sheer skill of John's guitar licks and how much of a bond the band must have had to be able to improvise so well. I'm glad I got a chance to experience CCR's complete I Heard It Through the Grapevine tonight—on the edge of a hurricane, no less, as I'm preparing these posts ahead of time. Words: 394. |
| My eighth track is from a defunct band, Peter Paul and Mary. They released If I Had a Hammer in 1962, but it has a history which stretches back thirteen years past this folksy trio. Originally written by preacher Lee Hays in 1949 and set to music by Pete Seeger, it was viewed with distrust by others, as a progressive rallying cry by an artist with Communist ties. With this understanding, the song was squelched and kept mostly under wraps during the "Red Scare," until Peter Paul and Mary reworked the melody and made it a hit among sixties hippies. The original author, Hays, only had "brothers" in the lyrics; when women complained it should be more inclusive, he balked and said it didn't flow as well with "brothers and sisters." But Seeger accepted the modification, making it an inseparable part of the song which was then taken up by the trio. It was rather hard to find the full backstory on this song; I ended up reading an interview with Pete Seeger from the Washington Post all the way back from 1983 to get fascinating firsthand scoop. Link here, but it's behind a paywall and you'll have to visit it in Incognito mode and quickly hit the x-shaped "stop loading" button on your browser toolbar to freeze the page so you can read it. Such is the result of a capitalist society…My mom introduced me to If I Had a Hammer a few years ago. I like it; easy to remember, simple to understand, and a piece of American history from a time of division and unrest. I chose this as having a deeper, more hopeful and more socially aware theme than the other popular Peter Paul and Mary song Puff the Magic Dragon, which made me feel like crying the few times I heard it. If I Had a Hammer, on the other hand, is encouraging and thoughtful. Words: 325. |
| My seventh track is a cover, Fast Car by Jonas Blue with Dakota singing. It's an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) cover, released in 2015 of the Tracy Chapman original from 1988. I'm sure most people here remember Fast Car from the July 2024 Rhythms and Writing contest prompt. I happened to win first place with "Silent Witness" …  The contest was by no means my first exposure to the song, however. I've been quite familiar with it for years. The first I became aware of Fast Car was somewhere between 2015 and 2017, when I noticed a song going around with surprising frequency at the grocery stores, that seemed to ramble on endlessly. I was puzzled by it because I couldn't tell if the voice was male or female. So I looked up the only words I could hear clearly, "somebody's gotta take care of him," and found the original Fast Car. I brushed it aside at first as not being anything I was interested in. Then a few years later I checked back on it and found it to be a rather interesting, socially aware story, of a woman finding herself and becoming brave enough to kick out the man repeating the cycle of what brought her to him in the first place. I remember the day I discovered the Jonas Blue version. It came on at a clothing store I shop at frequently, and I was delighted to find it. I thought his melodic loop was the cat's pajamas. On Genius I read his verified commentary, where he explained how Fast Car was his mom's favorite song and how as an EDM producer he'd always dreamed of creating his own version honoring it.Seeing his backstory gave me a deeper appreciation for the original, as I listened to them both and studied Chapman's guitar line which he had carefully reinvented. Possibly the most striking thing about the Jonas Blue version is that the final, more somber part of the story is missing. Instead of detailing how the relationship goes downhill and the woman tells him to "take your fast car and get out," it leaves off on the optimistic note of freedom in love and finding oneself in someone else. This hopefulness is suitable for a dance type of song and gives a fresh perspective on the lyrics. Perhaps in a perfect world, one can escape their past for the safety of a new relationship and pursue their dreams without fear of loss and heartbreak. Words: 437. |
| My sixth track is from a defunct band, Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fortunate Son was released in 1969, quickly becoming an antiwar protest song among the hippies of the day, amidst drafting for the Vietnam war. I've been aware of John Fogarty and CCR since my childhood; Mom greatly enjoys some of their songs and played them frequently when I was growing up. Sometimes she would tell me about John's bandmates stealing his work, but I was too young to understand. Now that I'm older and making my own music choices, I find CCR to be one of my favorite "oldies." John Fogarty put a great deal of effort into composing the band's music, and I've learned to spot his distinctive voice in a crowd. I remember one night we were in the car driving through the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee, and Mom turned on the radio and this was playing. She let it run all the way through, but didn't say anything about it. The edginess of the melody piqued my interest, so I googled the chorus and found Fortunate Son. The unmistakable rock riffing and John's angsty voice sound especially three-dimensional and engaging with high-quality binaural headphones. I assume I've downloaded a remastered track, but I wasn't aware of such distinctions last year and have no idea. While researching Fortunate Son for this post, I found U2 covered it as the B-side of their single Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,, which I quite enjoyed last year (though for some reason it seems to have lost its charm for me lately…) I couldn't resist downloading their Fortunate Son cover so I can give you my two cents about it. Result: Ugh. Bono's voice is electronically adjusted, and whatever made the CCR original special is melted down. It comes across more as a weak parody than anything else. I don't know why U2 ruined the vocals; Bono knows how to sound edgy naturally. (example: "Wire, by U2" )Whatever. We'll end with the CCR original and best Words: 340. |
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