Tears For Fears - Sowing The Seeds Of Love

Another favorite that inspires me everytime I hear it. Enjoy!

Tears For Fears - Shout (Official Music Video)

I call this the primal scream song. At least that's how it was for me when I first heard it in 1984. There was so much turmoil in my life at that time. I would often just drive around the area where I grew up and if this song came on the car radio, I'd turn up the volume and just sing at the top of my lungs. 

Tears for Fears remains one of my all-time favorite bands. There are so many catchy riffs in their songs that draw you in and never let go. Even now, forty years later, I'm still hooked on their songs. Next one up (in the next post) is Sowing the Seeds of Love, another favorite. 

Rush - Tom Sawyer

Just had to hear some Rush......What a great band. This song from 1981 brings back some really good driving memories. They don't make music like this anymore. And when you read the lyrics, you just know we need more Tom Sawyers in the world today. 

Lyrics

A modern-day warrior
Mean, mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer
Mean, mean pride

Though his mind is not for rent
Don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve, a quiet defense
Riding out the day's events
The river

What you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the mist, catch the myth
Catch the mystery, catch the drift

The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide
Today's Tom Sawyer, he gets high on you
And the space he invades, he gets by on you

No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren't permanent
But change is

And what you say about his company
Is what you say about society
Catch the witness, catch the wit
Catch the spirit, catch the spit

The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his eyes are wide

Exit the warrior
Today's Tom Sawyer
He gets high on you
And the energy you trade
He gets right on to
The friction of the day

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Alexandar Zivojinovich / Geddy Lee Weinrib / Neil Elwood Peart / Paul Phillip Woods

Tom Sawyer lyrics © Anthem Entertainment

Oh Christmas tree

At Christmastime, we usually buy 'edelgran' (noble fir in English) trees, and this year, the tree is an exceptionally healthy one. It's still drinking about a liter of water each day. So we'll keep the tree up until it stops drinking water. I can't picture Christmas without a tree; I know some younger people who don't put up a tree, mostly because they travel home to family during the holidays and there's no one to give the tree water. But if that were the case for me, I'd put up an artificial tree instead. When I was single and living on my own in New Jersey, I did just that. Like my mother, I love pretty much everything about the Christmas season.

For as long as we've lived in our apartment, the Christmas tree always has been a holiday fixture in the dining room area, which also has a sitting area with a comfy couch. When it gets dark out and the tree's lights are on, I like to stretch out on the couch and just look at the tree. It's peaceful, calming, and meditative. Sometimes I turn on the flameless candle on the table near the couch, and the combination of both is very soothing. Puts me right to sleep. One of the nicest things I know of is waking up after a short nap to see the tree standing there, with its lights and decorations. A constant in a world of inconstants. A reminder that all is right with the world if we choose to look at it that way. Of course, I'm not naive, I know the world is drowning in problems. But I can't focus just on them. Before Christmas, I was rather despondent due to the lack of peace and all of the problems in the world. But when I traveled to Dresden and met my friend there, I got back some of my Christmas spirit. When I get a bit depressed or sad, I try to remember what it was like when I was younger and going through troubled times. I had faith that life would change, and it did. I hold out the same hope for the world, because I don't know how much worse it can get. 

Many people before me have had the same thoughts about their Christmas trees. I'm including the lyrics to Oh Christmas Tree, a traditional carol (written by German organist and composer Ernst Anschütz who called the song Oh Tannenbaum which means Oh Fir Tree) that we sang as children. You can read more about it on Wikipedia. I still love hearing the song now. 

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
Not only green in summer’s heat,
But also winter’s snow and sleet.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely;
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely.
Each year you bring to us delight
With brightly shining Christmas light!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Of all the trees most lovely.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
We learn from all your beauty;
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
We learn from all your beauty.
Your bright green leaves with festive cheer,
Give hope and strength throughout the year.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
We learn from all your beauty.

-------------------------------------

Rare Earth - I Just Want to Celebrate

The previous post made me think of this song from 1971 by Rare Earth--I Just Want to Celebrate. I'm including the lyrics as I always do. Enjoy. 

I Just Want to Celebrate

One, two, three, four

I just want to celebrate another day of livin'

I just want to celebrate another day of life

I put my faith in the people

But the people let me down

So, I turned the other way

And I carry on, anyhow

That's why I'm telling you

I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah

Another day of living, yeah

I just want to celebrate another day of life

Had my hand on the dollar bill

And the dollar bill flew away

But the sun is shining down on me

And it's here to stay

That's why I'm telling you

I just want to celebrate, yeah, yeah

Another day of living, yeah

I just want to celebrate another day of livin'

I just want to celebrate another day of life

Don't let it all get you down, no, no

Don't let it turn you around

And around and around and around and around

Well, I can't be bothered with sorrow

And I can't be bothered with hate, no, no

I'm using up the time but feeling fine, every day

That's why I'm telling you I just want to celebrate

Oh, yeah

I just want to celebrate another day

Oh, I just want to celebrate another day of livin'

I just want to celebrate another day of life

Don't let it all get you down, no, no

Don't let it turn you around

And around and around and around and around

Round, round, round

Round, round, round, round, round

Don't go round

I just want to celebrate

I just want to celebrate

I just want to celebrate

Said I just want to celebrate (celebrate)

I just want to celebrate (I want to celebrate)

I just want to celebrate (I got to celebrate)

I just want to celebrate

I just want to celebrate

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Dino Fekaris / Nick Zesses

Silent Night - Mannheim Steamroller (Official Music Video - 1984)

My brother Ray, who passed away almost nine years ago, introduced me to Mannheim Steamroller back in the 1980s. My sister recently reminded me that he really liked this song. It's a beautiful and touching rendition of Silent Night. I can't listen to it without tearing up. 

Seven Devils--Florence + The Machine

Another song that I heard for the first time tonight. Interesting lyrics, not what you'd automatically think they were about according to the songwriter(s), who has spoken about them online. I really like the imagery. 

Lyrics

Holy water cannot help you now

Thousand armies couldn't keep me out

I don't want your money

I don't want your crown

See, I've come to burn your kingdom down

Holy water cannot help you now

See, I've come to burn your kingdom down

And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out

I'm gonna raise the stakes

I'm gonna smoke you out

Seven devils all around me

Seven devils in my house

See, they were there when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done

Seven devils all around you

Seven devils in your house

See, I was dead when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done

Before the day is done

And now all your love will be exorcised

And we will find you saying it's to be better now

And it's an even sum

It's a melody

It's a battle cry

It's a symphony

Seven devils all around me

Seven devils in my house

See, they were there when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done

Seven devils all around you

Seven devils in your house

See, I was dead when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done

Before the day is done

Before the day is done

Before the day is done

They can keep me out

'Til I tear the walls

'Til I save your heart

And to take your soul

And what has been done

Cannot be undone

In the evil's heart

In the evil's soul

Seven devils all around you

Seven devils in your house

See, I was dead when I woke up this morning

I'll be dead before the day is done

Before the day is done

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Paul Epworth / Florence Welch

Seven Devils lyrics © Florence And The Machine Ltd., Emi Music Publishing Ltd

Band of Horses - Casual Party

I like the song, which I heard for the first time tonight, and the video is perfect for a Halloween party. 

It's A Long Way There (Remastered 2022) by the Little River Band

We heard this song recently and I thought maybe it was a CSNY song mostly due to the wonderful harmony and guitar work, but it's not. It was released in 1976 by the Australian band Little River Band. 

It's A Long Way There

Hey, everybody, yeah, don't you feel that there's something

People on their own are getting nowhere

I'm on the road to see

If anything is anywhere or waiting, just for me

Every night I walk around the city

Seems like I'll never know

That feeling of being together when I go

And it's a long way there

It's a long way to where I'm going

And it's a long way there

It's a long way to where I'm going

Hey, everybody, don't you feel that there's something

But you know in a moment it is gone

I live for the day when I can hear people saying

That they know and they care for everyone

But I feel like I've been here for the whole of my life

Never knowing home

It's a long way, it's a long, long, long way there

I'm gonna keep on tryin', I'm gonna keep on tryin', yeah

I'm gonna keep on tryin', keep on tryin'

Been away from home for such a long time

And got to know this town

But I don't seem to matter much to anyone who's around

Is there anybody around

Every night I walk around the city

Seems like I'll never know

The feeling of being together when I go

And it's a long way there

It's a long way to where I'm going

And it's a long way there

It's a long way to where I'm going

Everybody knows it's a long way there

Oh, everybody knows it's a long way there

Mmm, it's a long way

Driving around's kind of getting me down and I know, and I know

It's a long long way there

It's such a long long way, long way

Hey, everybody, yeah, don't you feel that there's something

Feel it, feel it

Hey, everybody, yeah, don't you feel that there's something

Navigators - Wall of Stone

Good song that was released in 2010 by the Norwegian band Navigators. Unfortunately they disbanded not long after. I'm including the lyrics:

Wall of Stone by Navigators 

You can find a new reason
to do the things you do
it's the end of the season
ain't nothing here for you
it's just a misunderstanding
another hole in the ground
the things you lost are all around you

another walk in the gutter
another weightless fall
another face in the mirror
it's just an endless crawl
and now you're stuck in the corner
ain't no easy way out

you're digging too deep
my friend
you're digging too deep

why don't you leave her all alone
you make a mess for everyone
why don't you leave her all alone
can't you see this wall of stone

and you can't go on much longer
it's just a question of time
it's just a misunderstanding
another downward climb
the circles keep getting smaller
and you go round and round

ain't nowhere left to turn
you're going underground

why don't you leave her all alone
you make a mess for everyone
why don't you leave her all alone
stuck behind your wall of stone

it really ain't no point in trying your wall without
sayin
goodbye to someone
you're holding on to all your fears
and all the things you'll never share with no one

in the night when he longs for the light he's gonna be
alright

why don't you leave her all alone
cause the road you're walking on
will never lead you home
why don't you leave her all alone
alone, alone
why don't you leave her all alone
you make a mess for everyone
why don't you leave her all alone
can't you see this wall of stone

you're digging too deep
my friend
you're digging too deep

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot

I grew up listening to this heartbreaking (and fantastic) song and never knew at the time it came out that it was based on a true event. Or if I heard about it, it didn't make the same impression as it did now. On November 10, 1975 the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, and all 29 crew members died. Lake Superior is one of the Great Lakes, known for their storms. Lake Superior has been the site of many shipwrecks over the years; according to one website more than 550 ships lie on the bottom of this lake. Gordon Lightfoot released this incredible ballad in 1976 as a tribute to the shipwrecked crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It's a beautiful and haunting song. Here are the lyrics: 

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald · Gordon Lightfoot
℗ 1976 Reprise Records, a division of Warner Records Inc.
Writer: Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
T'was the witch of November come stealin'
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'
"Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At seven PM, a main hatchway caved in, he said
"Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams
The islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the maritime sailors' cathedral
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Gordon Lightfoot
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Beth Rowley - I Walk Beside You (from the BBC series C.B. Strike)

One more song by Gilberto Gil--Andar com fé (Walk with Faith)

Another song by Gilberto Gil that I love--Andar com fé (Walk with Faith) from his album: Um Banda Um. 

Toda Menina Baiana by Gilberto Gil

Toda Menina Baiana (Every Bahia Girl) is a great song by one of my favorite Brazilian artists--Gilberto Gil. I first discovered Gil in the mid-1980s in the world music section of Tower Records in Manhattan. I used to stop there often on my way home from work, and usually left with a new album or two. I fell in love with most of Gil's music and spent some time trying to learn to pronounce the lyrics (in Portuguese) when I sang the songs. I had no idea what I was singing about, but it didn't matter. The music was captivating and made me happy, which was a welcome change for my life at that time. This song was released in 1979 but I didn't hear it for the first time until the mid-1980s. 

As fate (God) would have it, a young Brazilian scientist (Juli) started working at my research institute in 2006, and we got to talking. I mentioned that I loved Gilberto Gil, and lo and behold, where do you think she came from? Bahia. The area of Brazil that Gil comes from and sings about. Coincidence? I don't think so. She too loved Gil and she gave me a CD with some of his music. Over the years we've become good friends and in 2009 we attended the World Music Festival here in Oslo where Gilberto Gil was performing. His concert was wonderful; people didn't want it to end and kept clapping so that he would continue singing. I would love to see him again in concert, but I wonder if he still tours (he's 80 years old now). Every time I hear Toda Menina Baiana I think of my friend, the Bahia girl. She lives permanently in Norway now and doesn't get back to Brazil very often. I've never traveled to Brazil but I'd love to visit the country at some point, and Bahia will be on my list of places to visit. 

Barbara Acklin - Am I the Same Girl from 1968

I don't remember this song from growing up, probably because it was a bit before my time. I heard it recently as background music on, of all things, a garden program about a Swedish couple who had built their dream garden in the backyard of the house they had purchased in Sicily. When construction was finished, they had a party, and this song was playing in the background. So I just had to know what song it was......I love it. Swing Out Sister did a very good version of it in 1992; you can find it here: Swing Out Sister "Am I The Same Girl" 1992 - YouTube

Drake--Flight's Booked

Drake's new song--Flight's Booked 👍👍from his Honestly, Nevermind house music album. A great dance song.....

Pat Metheny - You Are (Official Audio)

I bought Pat Metheny's album From This Place in 2020, during the pandemic. I didn't begin to really listen to it until yesterday; listening to it made me realize why I've loved Pat Metheny's music for the past forty years. There are many songs that stand out on the album, but this one, this one, brought me into a world where my brother was still alive, and we were listening to it together. He was a fan too and we went to Pat Metheny concerts several times during the mid-1980s. I haven't been able to cry since he died in 2015, but last night when I went to bed, I lay awake and listened to this song over and over. I don't think I've cried so much in years. It seemed like the emotions came out of nowhere, but of course they didn't. They've been welling up inside me for years and I only needed the right trigger. Because I've wanted to cry and simply couldn't these past seven years. Perhaps another trigger was eating dinner with two friends who asked me about my niece and nephew (his children) and how they're doing. I think of my brother often; we were good friends and even though our lives went in different directions when we both married, we had a bond that couldn't be broken. I don't pretend to understand what God wants of us, why there is so much pain and suffering in the world, personal and otherwise. All I know is that they exist and sometimes it feels as though we're being torn apart emotionally. I'm grateful and always will be for my memories of my brother and for this song that managed to do something that nothing else has for the past seven years--put me in touch with him and the feelings that I've been suppressing for years (why I've done so, I've no idea). 

Minnie Riperton- Inside My Love

I stumbled on this song when I was listening to the Jackie Brown film soundtrack. It's a beautiful and sensual love song with fairly explicit lyrics (amazingly allowed in 1975), and what a song it is, sung by an incredible singer. Minnie Riperton's voice lifts it into the ether; it's not hard to imagine her and her husband Richard Rudolph writing it together when they were first in love. I love it. 

Inside My Love

Two people, just meeting, barely touching each other
Two spirits, greeting, tryna carry each further
You are one, and I am another
We should be, one inside each other

You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love
You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love

My love, my love, my love
My love, my love, my love

Two strangers, not strangers
Only lacking the knowing
So willing, feeling
Infinite growing
While we're here, the whole world is turning
We should be, one, fulfilling the yearning

You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love
You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love
You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love

Say that you'll ride, inside this love with me
Come ride, inside this love with me

You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love
You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love

You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love
You can see inside me, will you come inside me
Do you wanna ride, inside my love

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Leon Ware / Minnie Riperton / Richard Rudolph

Inside My Love lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Voodoo by Chungking

Another favorite of mine--Voodoo by Chungking from 2005, with lyrics. The vocalist is Jessie Banks, and she's got a great voice. 

Voodoo

I feel strange
Dancing again
Next to you
It's your voodoo
I won't let my eyes well up with tears
Seems like yesterday
It's been a hundred years
How you doin', what's been goin' on?
Can't believe I've been away for so long
And I feel if I let ya
Something good's gonna get ya
So I gotta decide
And I'm telling ya somethings
Always better than nothing
Go on give it a try
Never mind lookin' stupid
'Cause there's always a new kid
And you're just gettin' old
Gonna be who I used to
'Cause I don't wanna lose you
And tonight's gettin' cold
Oh, shouldn't be by myself
Oh, don't wanna be myself
I feel strange
Laughing again
Feel brand new
It's your voodoo
I can see what you're saying
'Bout the game that we're playing
No one said it was cool
And I'm tagging along
I don't know where we belong
It used to be next to you
Are you looking at her?
Tell me, would you prefer to be with somebody else?
Come on, give me something
'Cause I'm waiting for loving
Shouldn't be by myself
Oh, shouldn't be by myself
Oh, don't wanna be myself
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, shouldn't be by myself
Oh, don't wanna be myself
Oh, shouldn't be by myself
(fade)

'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

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