A Christmas wish--I Wish You Christmas

We watched the Christmas concert from the Royal Albert Hall in London earlier this evening, hosted by Katherine Jenkins who is a wonderful operatic singer. She sang many of the songs during the one hour concert, accompanied by guest performers. One of the songs she sang toward the end was called I Wish You Christmas. The song is beautiful--the lyrics alone are also: 

I Wish You Christmas      (songwriter: John Rutter)

I wish you starlight on fields of snow,
The winter's morning light and evening's glow;
I wish you candles that shine from every tree,
So all the world can see
The light that there could be.

I wish you music, I wish you song,
With voices echoing, Joyous and strong;
I wish you church bells, ringing true and clear;
I wish you Christmas, a merry Christmas,
A merry Christmas to remember all the year.

Old friends smiling,
Thinking of times gone by;
Young friends laughing:
Christmas is here,
Spirits are bright,
And hopes are high.

I wish you loved ones around your fire;
May Christmas bring you all your heart's desire.
I wish you children to make the season new,
With dreams you help come true,
Just like it was for you.

I wish you blessings, I wish you love,
The sound of angel choirs from high above;
I wish you laughter, happiness and cheer:
I wish you Christmas, a merry Christmas,
And may its joy and peace be with you through the year.

I wish you music, I wish you song;
I wish you harmony your whole life long;
The warmth of memories that long remain:
I wish you Christmas, a merry Christmas,

And may God bless you till we all shall meet again.

'Maybe You'll Be There' sung by Diana Krall

Back in mid-September 2001 Diana Krall released her album The Look of Love, a collection of jazz, bossa nova and traditional pop songs that was hugely popular. It contains songs by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, Victor Young and Edward Heyman, Arthur Hamilton, Hoagy Carmichael and Jane Brown Thompson, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and Rube Bloom and Sammy Gallop. It quickly became one of my favorite albums. We were lucky to get a chance to see Diana Krall in concert at the annual jazz festival in the town of Kongsberg in 2003; it had to be one of the most popular concerts in their history.  

I was listening to her album tonight while I was making dinner, and it brought back memories as it always does when I listen to it--some sad and some happy. I bought the album the same year my mother died, so it always reminds me of her. It also reminds me of my own walks after dark (but not after midnight) during the autumn months of 2001. I had been sick for several months that year after my mother died in March, and when I finally got well all I wanted was to be outdoors and to walk. Each night I walked around one of the nearby parks and listened to this album, a memory I find oddly comforting. I think my mother would have liked Diana Krall's versions of many of the songs on this album because they were songs she grew up with. I can almost feel her presence as I listen to them. I have my favorites; one of them is Maybe You'll Be There by Rube Bloom and Sammy Gallop. The lyrics are really poetry, and the song itself is beautiful and melancholy. Enjoy Diana Krall's rendition of this beautiful song and the lyrics. 

Maybe You'll Be There

Each time I see a crowd of people
Just like a fool I stop and stare
It's really not the proper thing to do
But maybe you'll be there

I go out walking after midnight
Along the lonely thoroughfare
It's not the time or place
To look for you
But maybe you'll be there

You said your arms would always hold me
You said you lips were mine alone to kiss
Now after all those things you told me
How can it end like this

Someday if all my prayers are answered
I'll hear a footstep on the stair
With anxious heart
I'll hurry to the door
And maybe you'll
Be there

Songwriters: Bloom Rube / Gallop Sammy

Maybe You'll Be There lyrics © Wb Music Corp., Sammy Gallop Music Company

Web results

The Words by Dragonborn feat. Jacob Bellens - theme song of Dicte

This is the theme song to the Danish series Dicte that can be seen on Netflix. I've only watched a few episodes but will probably get more into it at some point. I love the theme song by Dragonborn. I'm including the lyrics to the song here:

As rockets fly above me

I wonder why

There's no one else around here

The sun has gone and left a

Hole in the sky

as if inside a nightmare

Running towards you to make you understand

The words that make us fall apart

Cannot be taken back

You hold the line that holds my heart

Don't let go of that

The stars that keep on falling down

Will shine on us forever

We disappear without a sound

On wings of hopeless dreams

In comes the ones who dream of

Life after love

Along with those who believe

While this girl I know, this girl that

I'm thinking of

is singing a slow melody

About the silence that we'll never escape

The words that make us fall apart

Cannot be taken back

You hold the line that holds my heart

Don't let go of that

The stars that keep on falling down

Will shine on us forever

We'll disappear without a sound

On wings of hopeless dreams

The words that make us fall apart

Cannot be taken back

You hold the line that holds my heart

Don't let go of that

The stars that keep on falling down

Will shine on us forever

We'll disappear without a sound

On wings of hopeless dreams

Written by Jacob Bellens, Kristian Leth & Fridolin Nordsø

Street life-Randy Crawford

One more favorite from the Jackie Brown soundtrack......Street Life is the title track from The Crusaders album from 1979 featuring singer Randy Crawford. Love it!

Brothers Johnson - Stomp! (Official Video) (1980)

Not from the film Jackie Brown, but another song by the Brothers Johnson that I love and remembering dancing to.....

Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter #23 (1977)

One of the great songs from the soundtrack to the film Jackie Brown......I'm including the lyrics:

Hello my love, I heard a kiss from you

Red magic satin playing near, too

All through the morning rain I gaze, the sun doesn't shine

Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind

In the garden, I see

West purple shower bells and tea

Orange birds and river cousins

Dressed in green

Pretty music, I hear

So happy and loud

Blue flowers echo

From a cherry cloud

Feel sunshine sparkle pink and blue

Playgrounds will laugh

If you try to ask

"Is it cool?"

If you arrive and don't see me

I'm going to be with my baby

I am free, flying in her arms

Over the sea

Stained window, yellow candy screen

See speakers of kite

With velvet roses diggin'

Freedom flight

A present from you

Strawberry letter 22

The music plays

I sit in for a few

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

A present from you

Strawberry letter 22

The music plays

I sit in for a few

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Shuggie Otis

Strawberry Letter 23 lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc

One of my favorite films and soundtracks--Jackie Brown

I watched the film Jackie Brown again last night. I don't know how many times I've seen it, but it's one of those films worth seeing again, just to appreciate the acting (all of the actors and actresses are superb in their roles) and to fill in the small plot gaps that one may have missed the previous times. It also has a great soundtrack; I love listening to the songs--many are from my growing-up and young adult years. If you want to just get away for a few hours and enjoy watching (and listening) to a film, I recommend Jackie Brown. It came out in 1997, but I don't remember seeing it for the first time then. I think I may have avoided it because Quentin Tarantino was the director, and his films are so eclectic and violent that I was unsure how this film would be. It is violent, but not any more so than many other films in this genre. I've seen worse violence, to put it that way. 

Pam Grier is stewardess Jackie Brown--cool, composed, smart and calculating. I can't see anyone else playing this role; she is just so good in it. Jackie Brown is no fool, and has no qualms about setting up illegal weapons dealer Ordell Robbie (played by Samuel L. Jackson) in order to get him out of the way and to keep his money while playing the FBI as well. After all, Ordell doesn't care whether she goes to prison for smuggling his money into the USA from Mexico, it's about survival of the fittest. Ordell is also smart, but not as smart as Jackie. Robert Forster is also so good as Max Cherry, the bail bondsman who falls in love with Jackie Brown at first sight and decides to help her. His basic decency prevents him from taking any of the money she will possibly end up stealing, except for the regular fee he charges all those who request his services. 

Quentin Tarantino apparently revived the careers of both Pam Grier and Robert Forster by choosing them to be in this film. He had good instincts in choosing them, because they are excellent actors and perfect for their roles. Samuel L. Jackson is also quite good, Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton, and Bridget Fonda likewise. A very good movie ensemble. 

As I mentioned, the soundtrack is also a big part of the movie, with the following songs:

• "Across 110th Street" by Bobby Womack and Peace 
• "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson 
• "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?" by Bill Withers 
• "Tennessee Stud" by Johnny Cash 
• "Natural High" by Bloodstone 
• "Long Time Woman" by Pam Grier 
• "(Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm" by Foxy Brown 
• "Street Life" performed by Randy Crawford 
• "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" by The Delfonics 
• "Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots 
• "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton 
• "The Lions and the Cucumber" by The Vampire Sound Incorporation 
• "Monte Carlo Nights" by Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods 

My favorites are Across 110th Street, Strawberry Letter 23, Street Life, and Inside My Love. After I watched the film, I downloaded the soundtrack to the movie from iTunes. And that got me started on 1970s soul songs; I went searching for some of my favorites, and downloaded them too. Isaac Haye's Theme from Shaft, Betcha by Golly Wow by The Stylistics, Whatcha See is Whatcha Get by The Dramatics, Rock Your Baby by George McCrae, and Back Stabbers by The O'Jays. Listening to these songs is a total trip down memory lane, and a very pleasant one. 

Pink Floyd - Us and Them, from the album Dark Side of the Moon

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is probably my favorite album of all time. An amazing piece of work from start to finish, every song a masterpiece. The first time I heard it, it blew me away, and still does, all these years later. 

This song, Us and Them, is every bit as relevant now as it was back in 1973. I'm not sure what happened to music over the years, but there is very little music made today that even approaches the creativity found in this album. This music touches your soul; the lyrics are poetry. 

Us And Them

Us and them

And after all we're only ordinary men

Me and you

God only knows it's not what we would choose to do

"Forward!" he cried

From the rear

And the front rank died

And the general sat

And the lines on the map

Moved from side to side

Black and blue

And who knows which is which and who is who?

Up and down

And in the end it's only round and round and round

"Haven't you heard

It's a battle of words?"

The poster bearer cried.

"Listen, son,"

Said the man with the gun,

"There's room for you inside."

"Well, I mean, they're gonna kill ya, so like, if you give 'em a quick sh...short, sharp shock, they don't do it again.

Dig it? I mean he got off light, 'cause I could've given him a thrashin' but I only hit him once.

It's only the difference between right and wrong, innit? I mean good manners don't cost nothing, do they? Eh?"

Down and out

It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about

With, without

And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?

Out of the way

It's a busy day

I've got things on my mind

For want of the price

Of tea and a slice

The old man died

Raised by Wolves - Main Theme (OPENING TITLES) by Ben Frost and sung by Mariam Wallentin

You'll find the sci-fi series Raised By Wolves on HBO (Max in the USA, Nordic in Norway). I recommend it highly. It is creative, intriguing, exciting, and gripping. I'm glad to hear that it was renewed for a second season. I will write another post about the actual series soon. The theme song for the series is also haunting and emotionally-gripping and is sung by Mariam Wallentin, a Swedish musician (vocals, percussion, composer) who has done a lot of work in experimental jazz.

The lyrics, which are poetic and beautiful, are as follows: 

[Verse 1]

The door that finally opens

With light flooding in

Spilling out on the floor

The core that never was

Now it will be

The bones of what was there before

Every step, every beat

Every thought, every breath

Everything is longing

Every wind, every wave

Every sky, every cloud

Every grave is longing (2X)

Pulling you from the sky

Just like love will do

[Verse 2]

The door that finally opens

With light flooding in

Spilling out on the floor

The core that nevеr was

Now it will be

The bones of what was thеre before

Every step, every beat

Every thought, every breath

Everything is longing

Every wind, every wave

Every sky, every cloud

Every grave is longing (2X)

Pulling you from the sky

Just like love will do

Pulling you from the ground

Just like love will do

The intro music for Atlantic Crossing

This is the intro song (the first two stanzas) for the Norwegian series Atlantic Crossing, currently being shown on NRK. It is a beautiful song called When, written and sung by Norwegian singer and songwriter Susanne Sundfør. She has an amazing voice, crystal clear, that is absolutely riveting. Listening to her voice transports you out into the universe, at least that's the effect on me. She also wrote (together with Anthony Gonzalez) and sang the song Oblivion (music by the French band M83) for the Tom Cruise sci-fi film Oblivion, a favorite film of mine; the music is also excellent. 

The series Atlantic Crossing is well-worth watching; it is the story of how Crown Princess Martha of Norway and her children left for the safety of America during World War II, and of her friendship with Franklin D and Eleanor Roosevelt. Supposedly her friendship with Franklin influenced him to sign the Lend-Lease Act, which allowed the USA to supply military aid to its foreign allies during World War II while still remaining officially neutral. 

Atlantic Crossing is supposed to be shown on PBS Masterpiece during the spring of 2021, from what I've read. Here is the song and the lyrics:

When    by Susanne Sundfør 

https://youtu.be/5Pw1KasvFQE

When can I see you again?

I've been waiting out here for so long and I

Don't seem to find a reason

To keep building these castles out of snow

They only melt away

When spring is arriving and you won't be here

Waiting to drag me down into your pond

You bury me slowly, you bury me slowly

Take what you can

Give what you don't need

Still I'll let it be known in every parish

You are loved, you are loved

When can I see you again?

I've been waiting out here for so long and I

Don't seem to find a reason

To keep building these castles out of snow

They only melt away

When spring is arriving and you won't be here

Waiting to drag me down into your pond

You bury me slowly, you bury me slowly

Take what you can

Give what you don't need

Still I'll let it be known in every parish

You are loved, you are loved

You are loved, you are loved

You are loved, you are loved

Reflections on what was and what can no longer be, and how important it is to remain awake

I was on Twitter the other day; I have an account from back in the days when I was working for the science library at the University of Oslo. Twitter is dominated these days by political tweets, most of them having to do with the upcoming presidential election. Both sides are at it, furiously attacking and condemning the other side. One of the tweeters is Rob Reiner, the actor who played Michael Stivic in the sitcom All in the Family that ran from 1971-79 on American television. Reiner is rabidly anti-Trump, and it struck me the other day how his character Michael and Archie Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor) would probably have been at each other's throats over Trump's presidency had the sitcom appeared now. One thing always leads to another; I googled the show's theme song Those Were the Days to read the lyrics, and realized that the America presented in the lyrics is perhaps the America that Trump supporters want a return to. Unlikely? I don't think so the more I think about it. But there is no returning to what was, ever. Since 1979, the world has seen the rise of the digital age, cell phones, internet, and social media. The way we live our lives is completely different than how we did growing up in the 1960s and 70s. Television is not even what it once was. It is no longer a medium for social change; it merely reflects the vacuity of modern society with the majority of its programming. If we're busy watching mindless television like reality-TV programs, then we won't be paying attention to what goes on around us, or to the power-grabbers and would-be dictators. Google 'Bread and Circuses' to read about how easily people can be pacified (lulled into a stupor) with food and entertainment, whether it be from their government or from societal institutions/businesses whose sole goal is to create addicts who won't and don't think in the name of greed. And if not greed, you could wonder what the goal is. If we readily give up our free will and ability to think for ourselves, we will find that it will not be easy to get them back, especially if our country moves toward autocracy. 

The world waits for no one, and change is the only constant in life, whether or not you like it. You can be a reactionary; it won't matter because the world will not wait for you anyway. You can work to create the type of world you'd like, but I'm not sure we'd want an Archie Bunker world as our reality. Women and minorities would be most affected (subjugated) by it.

Here are the lyrics to Those Were the Days; you can judge for yourself whether this is the America that Trump supporters want a return to. As always--my opinion. Others are entitled to their opinions, because that is the basis for our democracy. Let's hope the USA remains one. 

Boy, the way Glenn Miller played

songs that made the hit parade
Guys like me we had it made
Those were the days

Didn't need no welfare state
ev'rybody pulled his weight
gee our old LaSalle ran great
Those were the days

And you knew who you were then
girls were girls and men were men
Mister we could use a man like Herbert Hoover again

People seemed to be content

fifty dollars paid the rent
freaks were in a circus tent
Those were the days

Take a little Sunday spin

go to watch the Dodgers win
Have yourself a dandy day
that cost you under a fin

Hair was short and skirts were long
Kate Smith really sold a song
I don't know just what went wrong
those were the days

Songwriters: Charles Strouse / Lee Adams

Love this song--J. Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy - UN DIA (ONE DAY)

 Beautiful song and lyrics........

UN DIA (ONE DAY)

Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, ...

You know that sometimes
I think about us now and then
But I never wanna fall again, ah-ah-ah
Yo no te quisiera olvidar (eh-eh)
Pero contigo es todo o na' (eh-eh)
Yeah-yeah

You're deep in the water, yeah, you're drownin' us
You question my love like it's not enough
But I hate that you know, you know, you know
You got me tied up
You regret it now, but it's your mistake
What makes you think that my mind will change?
And you hate that you know, you know, you know
You know you messed up

One day you'll love me again
One day you'll love me for sure
One day you'll wake up feelin' how I've been feelin'
Baby, you'll knock at my door
One day you'll love me again
Hug me again 'til the end
One day you'll beg me to try
One day you'll realize I'm more than your lover
I'm more than your lover, I'm your friend

Acércate un poquito nomá'
Que yo quiero que te quedes conmigo
Deja a tus amiga' allá atrás
Que no' vamos en un viaje escondido'
No' vamo' pa' Turks and Caicos
Y ahí calmamo' las ganas
Suéltate conmigo, mamá
Que ya no hay marcha atrás
Una noche sin ti
No es tan fácil, baby
Que yo soy pa' ti
Y tú eres pa' mí

Nunca me dejes de querer
Oh, na-na-na
Contigo por siempre, baby
No quiero dejarte esta vez

One day you'll love me again
One day you'll love me for sure
One day you'll wake up feelin' how I've been feelin'
Baby, you'll knock at my door
One day you'll love me again
Hug me again 'til the end
One day you'll beg me to try
One day you'll realize I'm more than your lover (yeah, yeah, yeah)
I'm more than your lover, I'm your friend

Yo sé que estoy en tu corazón, quizás en el fondo
Otra baby me escribe, nunca le respondo (no)
La vida da vuelta' y el mundo es redondo
Y yo voy a que te beso de nuevo en London
O si no en Marbella (wuh)
Encima de la arena viendo las estrella'
Yo sé que ni la' ola' han borrao' mi huella (yeh)
Pero tu pichaera es lo que me atropella
Sol, playa y en la arena, vamo' allá (wuh)
Baby, no te quedes callá'
Yo sé que tú quiere' guayar conmigo
Otra vez me tienes en depresión
Fumando en la habitación, eh
Pero yo sé que

One day you'll love me again (wuh)
One day you'll love me for sure
One day you'll wake up feelin' how I've been feelin'
Baby, you'll knock at my door
One day you'll love me again
Hug me again 'til the end
One day you'll beg me to try
One day you'll realize I'm more than your lover
I'm more than your lover, I'm your friend

Baby (ay-ay-ay-aye)
One day you'll love me again
One day you'll realize I'm more than your lover
I'm more than your lover, I'm your friend
J Balvin, man
Bad Bunny, baby
Tainy
Latino Gang (yeah)
La Familia

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Alejandro Borrero / Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio / Clarence Coffee / Daystar Peterson / Dua Lipa / Ivanni Rodríguez / José Álvaro Osorio Balvin / Marcos Efraín Masis

UN DIA (ONE DAY) lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Black Pumas - Colors (Official Live Session)

Black Pumas - Fire (Official Live Session)

Black Pumas. They are described as 'an American psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada' (Wikipedia). Psychedelic soul--I like the sound of that. Wikipedia again: 'Psychedelic soul (sometimes called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a music genre that emerged in the late 1960s that saw black soul musicians embrace elements of psychedelic rock, including its production techniques, instrumentation, effects units (wah-wah pedal, phaser, etc.) and drug influences'. 

I really like both of the songs, Fire and Colors, that I'm posting today. Black Pumas is a relatively new band, but I wasn't aware of them until today. I heard the song Fire and loved it. And then I listened to Colors and loved that one too. This is the music I grew up with and loved. Listening to these songs takes me right back to that time. Sly and the Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Undisputed Truth, Edwin Starr, and so many others wrote songs that fell under this genre. I liked psychedelic soul without knowing that this is what I was listening to.

 

Why Can't We Live Together by Timmy Thomas

Why Can't We Live Together

Timmy Thomas

Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why
Why can't we live together
Tell me why, tell me why
Why can't we live together

Everybody wants to live together
Why can't we be together

No more war, no more war, no more war
Just a little peace
No more war, no more war
All we want is some peace in this world

Everybody wants to live together
Why can't we be together

No matter, no matter what color
You are still my brother
I said no matter, no matter what color
You are still my brother

Everybody wants to live together
Why can't we be together

Everybody wants to live
Everybody's got to be together

Everybody wants to live
Everybody's going to be…

Supalonely by Benee ft. Gus Dapperton

Loved this song from the first time I heard it.....

It's getting some airplay now during these quarantine times--Supalonely.

My Brilliant Friend is a brilliant HBO series

We're in the midst of a corona virus pandemic and lockdown, which I'm contemplating writing about at some point. I probably will in future posts; right now it feels like overload--everywhere you turn, there's more news and info about the virus. I've been trying to adjust to working at home five days a week, to going out very little except to shop for groceries and to take an occasional walk, and to stopping myself from freaking out every time I turn on the news. I do less and less of the latter, because it causes me such anxiety. All of us are watching videos about how to wash your hands properly, how to disinfect all items that come into your home, and how to practice social distancing and self-isolation. I'm not having major problems with the latter; stay home and flatten the goddamn curve. Keep the healthcare professionals healthy by doing so. Stop complaining that your life has been curtailed if you are complaining--no one wants to hear it. We're all in the same boat. And it doesn't help the rest of us who want to try to help the doctors and nurses stay well.

So, in these strange and apocalyptic times, what have I been doing for enjoyment? Once my work is done for the day, I watch the brilliant, moving, riveting Italian series on HBO--My Brilliant Friend. I wrote a long post in February 2019 about this series of four books, the Neapolitan quadrilogy, by Elena Ferrante: https://paulamdeangelis.blogspot.com/search?q=elena+ferrante . They haunt me to this day, and the HBO series will haunt me for the rest of my life--it is that perfect. Never before have I experienced a film or series that captures so perfectly the books on which they are based. I watch the series (so far books 1 and 2--My Brilliant Friend and The Story of a New Name--have been filmed) and it feels so real--this is what it must have been like to grow up in Lila and Elena's small neighbourhood in Naples in the 1950s. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the HBO series a 10. Like the books, it evokes something so utterly visceral and primal in me; it is phenomenally well-acted. I feel like I am right there with the characters--in their homes, on the dusty streets of the neighbourhood, at school, hanging out with friends in the neighbourhood or at the beach on Ischia, and experiencing the angst and pain of first love and rejection. All the actors and actresses are superlative; the two young girls who play the preteen Lila and Elena (Ludovica Nasti and Elisa del Genio) are incredible, as are the actresses who play the teenage Lila and Elena (Gaia Girace and Margherita Mazzucco). I cannot imagine the actresses themselves not being affected by the parts they play. It would be interesting to hear their thoughts on the series. I hope there will be a season 3 and 4 so that all the books are covered. It will only get more interesting from hereon in. I know it takes time to produce the series; season 1 came out in 2018 and season 2 in 2020; if all goes according to plan, perhaps season 3 will show up in 2022 and season 4 in 2024. I hope the current pandemic doesn't delay the filming for too long, I read yesterday that the virus is now rampaging through the south of Italy. We'll see what the future brings. In any case, I can wholeheartedly recommend this series, and the music soundtrack by Max Richter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W14_WJatKSE

Feeling imprisoned, feeling free

This past Monday was one of those days when I felt as though I was imprisoned and needed to get out of jail fast. It was a work day, and it wasn't as though anything negative in particular happened to get the better of me. It's just that I reached the point of having had 'enough'. Enough of emails, enough of being stuck indoors, enough of sitting in a sterile office. Enough. It was a lovely day outside, the sun was shining, and temperatures were mild, so around 3 pm I decided to walk home. I plugged in my earbuds, found my playlist of favorite songs, and walked briskly home to the music. I love those days when I can do that. Those days when my body is in sync with the music, when walking is a pleasure (no pain anywhere), when I am singing along to the songs, when my mind soars and carries me back to good times years ago when I first listened to those songs. Born to be Wild, White Room, Badge, Dreadlock Holiday, I'm Not in Love, Get Ready, Out in the Country, Easy to be Hard, Steppin' Out, Winds of Change, Fig Tree Bay, In God's Country, Dream On, Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, and so many others. Those are just some the songs I listened to when I was writing my term paper for my college Spanish class about the poet Antonio Machado, driving along the highway in a white Trans-am with Jean, skating on the Tarrytown Lakes during winter all those years ago, sitting in my bedroom at home in Tappan Landing, playing chess with my friend's brother, getting ready to go dancing at a club in Manhattan, or talking to my sister about her boyfriend. I remember the feelings generated by those songs, and all I know is that they made me feel free, feel complete. Free to feel, free to love, free to be happy or sad, free to be myself. It sounds cliched, but it's not. It's a truly deep feeling of expansion; I think it is the soul's bid for expression in a world that drowns out all attempts at expression.  

Music transports me to those parts of my heart and soul that are often locked or at least inaccessible on a daily basis. They're hard to reach without music. It's as though the memories are always there, truly real, just waiting for the key in the door to open onto them again. It's as though they exist in a parallel time, which brings me back to one of my many reflections about time. Is it really linear? Sometimes it seems so, other times it seems as though it's circular, or curved here and there. Or that it exists in multiple places, or that time itself exists as multiple past and present moments simultaneously and that we are surrounded by that multiplicity. I don't know. No one does. But I do know that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and music allows us to expand and soar toward that world.

Another good one (song)

Another favorite these days......

Touches a nerve--this song

Something about this song and Billie Eilish who sings it--hard to believe she's only eighteen years old. Such a good song. Makes me feel the same way as I did when I first heard Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey. Touches a nerve.....





And the lyrics:

everything i wanted

Billie Eilish

I had a dream
I got everything I wanted
Not what you'd think
And if I'm being honest

It might've been a nightmare
To anyone who might care
Thought I could fly (fly)
So I stepped off the golden, mm
Nobody cried (cried, cried, cried, cried)
Nobody even noticed
I saw them standing right there
Kinda thought they might care (might care, might care)

I had a dream
I got everything I wanted
But when I wake up, I see
You with me

And you say, "As long as I'm here
No one can hurt you
Don't wanna lie here
But you can learn to
If I could change
The way that you see yourself
You wouldn't wonder why you're here
They don't deserve you"

I tried to scream
But my head was underwater
They called me weak
Like I'm not just somebody's daughter

It could've been a nightmare
But it felt like they were right there
And it feels like yesterday was a year ago
But I don't wanna let anybody know
'Cause everybody wants something from me now
And I don't wanna let 'em down

I had a dream
I got everything I wanted
But when I wake up, I see
You with me

And you say, "As long as I'm here
No one can hurt you
Don't wanna lie here
But you can learn to
If I could change
The way that you see yourself
You wouldn't wonder why you're here
They don't deserve you"

If I knew it all then would I do it again?
Would I do it again?
If they knew what they said would go straight to my head
What would they say instead?
If I knew it all then would I do it again?
Would I do it again?
If they knew what they said would go straight to my head
What would they say instead?

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Billie Eilish O'Connell / Finneas Baird O'Connell