Friday, February 22, 2008
Closing time
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sweaters
So I was looking for a video of her singing this song on YouTube -- instead, I found a friend of hers covering the song. I enjoyed it and thought you might too. If you want to hear her version, check out her MySpace page -- "Sweaters" is the first song in her player. I love the message of this song, which I take to mean that when you change yourself, you change the world. I believe I can change the world, just give me time . . .
Artist: Beth Waters
Song: Sweaters
Album: Beth Waters
Website: http://www.bethwaters.com/
This worn out sweater is slightly torn
Like the mouth of that old woman waiting for that phone
And I hear a little laughter from my own
Cause I see so many sweaters that refuse to be sewn
Well I finally threw my Valentine away
It was crumpled and faded
And as I kept it I had always thought the world would be that way
Until I opened up the drawer and it had changed
And it called to mind how I’d always felt like I’m
Just living in this life for a while
And how you get so far beneath yourself
It’s hard to see the journey with a smile
But I believe I can change the world just give me time
I believe I can change the world just give me time
I believe, I believe I can change the world
I believe I can change the world just give me time
Just give me time
Well I tried to start that journal once or twice
But I always end up writing notes on day-to-day life
And like all of us I’m just trying to hang on
In the middle of the carousel it’s much more calm
And it called to mind how I’d always felt like I’m
The last one to hear of things
I’m in the back of the room watching all of you
I go unnoticed but I notice everything
But I believe I can change the world just give me time
I believe I can change the world just give me time
I believe, I believe I can change the world
I believe I can change the world
Just give me time
Just give me time
Just give me time
Just give me time
Copyright © 2003 by Beth Waters and Mermaid Mafia Records/Publishing
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World
During a time of great stress (a.k.a. wedding planning while starting a new job and trying to go to grad school), it brought such a sense of calm over me, and still does every time I hear it. Take a few moments today to listen to this song, and relax into the peace and beauty it embodies. Mahalo.
Artist: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Song: Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World
Album: Facing Future
More Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Kamakawiwo'ole
(Okay, this one's for Gabby)
(Ooh ooh...)
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dream of
Once in a lullaby
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops that's where you'll find me
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to, oh why, oh why can't I?
Well I see trees of green and
Red roses too
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying I, I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top that's where you'll find me
Oh, somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I?
(Ooh ooh...)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
How Would It Be
Please, do yourself a favor, visit Ellis's website, listen to her music, find a venue where she's playing near you. Funny, honest, open, entertaining, deep, powerful--she is a true treasure. I saw her in Santa Cruz in December and I fell even more in love with her. And I can even forgive her for re-recording "How Would It Be," even though I thought the version on the EP was infinitely better than the version that ended up on the full album, because she's that awesome. So, how would you change your life if you learned that the ground was really sky? Would you stop walking and learn how to fly?
Artist: Ellis
Song: How Would It Be
Album: Break The Spell
Website: http://www.ellis-music.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Exkqp2FVo
V1: How would it be if everything that you thought you knew
Was turned upside down opposite from your point of view
How would you feel if the ground was really the sky and all of this
time you've been walkin' when you coulda been ...flying
V2: If you run a thousand miles a minute you can expect
to wear out a few pairs of shoes
If you forget how to love and take it for granted
You can expect to wear out people close to you
Ch: What if all the birds were flying just to show us
All the trees were really holdin' the sky up
And everything that you do matters somehow
What if heaven and hell was right now
V3. How would it be if you really created your life?
Stories you told, the good and bad, that they come alive
And how would it change if your words were like nails and wood?
You build your house, but you forget that it's just a house
You can rebuild it
Ch: What if all the birds were flying just to show us
All the trees were really holdin' the sky up
Everything that you do matters in the end
What if all of our mistakes are forgiven?
Br: What if love is a lot of listening
A little bit of time not pretending
We are caught up in a world of daydreams
What if loving what you have is everything?
Ch out: What if all the birds were flying just to show us
And all the trees were really holdin' the sky up
And everything that you do matters so much
How would you change your life?
How would you change your life?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
May I Suggest
I fell in love with Vance at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival back in 1997. Falcon Ridge is a music lover's dream, especially if you also love to dance. Vance Gilbert was such a treat to experience--funny and sweet, with an amazing voice that is both powerful and light. Vance and Ellis have been friends for a long time, so it seems natural they would release an album together. Side of the Road has many great songs on it, but "May I Suggest" has always been my favorite. Right now I find the lyrics especially fitting--this truly is the best time of my life--but I can understand how that still applies when appearances tell you something different. No matter which side of that coin you find yourself on today, may I suggest you live like it's a beautiful day, live like there's no tomorrow, live like you really mean it.
Artist: Ellis Paul & Vance Gilbert
Song: May I Suggest
Album: Side of the Road
Websites:
http://www.vancegilbert.com/
http://www.ellispaul.com/
More information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Gilbert
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Paul
May I suggest
May I suggest to you
May I suggest this is the best part of your life
May I suggest
This time is blessed for you
This time is blessed and shining almost blinding bright
Just turn your head
And you'll begin to see
The thousand reasons that were just beyond your sight
The reasons why
Why I suggest to you
Why I suggest this is the best part of your life
There is a world
That's been addressed to you
Addressed to you, intended only for your eyes
A secret world
Like a treasure chest to you
Of private scenes and brilliant dreams that mesmerise
A lover's trusting smile
A tiny baby's hands
The million stars that fill the turning sky at night
Oh I suggest
Oh I suggest to you
Oh I suggest this is the best part of your life
There is a hope
That's been expressed in you
The hope of seven generations, maybe more
And this is the faith
That they invest in you
It's that you'll do one better than was done before
Inside you know
Inside you understand
Inside you know what's yours to finally set right
And I suggest
And I suggest to you
And I suggest this is the best part of your life
This is a song
Comes from the west to you
Comes from the west, comes from the slowly setting sun
With a request
With a request of you
To see how very short the endless days will run
And when they're gone
And when the dark descends
Oh we'd give anything for one more hour of light
And I suggest this is the best part of your life
Copyright Susan Werner/Virago Music, BMI
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Little Wonders
I was struck tonight by the simplicity and the truth of its lyrics. "Our lives are made / In these small hours / These little wonders / These twists & turns of fate / Time falls away / But these small hours / These small hours still remain." In other words, our lives are now, our lives are in the little things, are lives are always happening, and while we're waiting for the big stuff to happen, our lives are really made up in the little wonders we usually deem inconsequential.
Wow, good stuff. Now from what I can tell, it's only on the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack, so iTunes may be your best bet. Then again, Rufus Wainwright is a lot of fun . . .
Song: Little Wonders
Artist: Rob Thomas
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT6EVIIcLLo
Website: http://www.robthomasmusic.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Thomas_(musician)
Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know
The hardest part is over
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
In the end
We will only just remember how it feels
Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain
Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine
Until you feel it all around you
And i don't mind
If it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by,
It's the heart that really matters in the end
Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders,
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours,
These small hours still remain
All of my regret
Will wash away some how
But I cannot forget
The way I feel right now
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists & turns of fate
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away, yeah, but these small hours
These small hours, still remain,
Still remain
These little wonders
These twists & turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
These little wonders still remain
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Far Far
My favorite phrases string together like poetry: There's a beautiful mess inside . . . Take a deep breath and dive . . . I guess I'll have to give it birth . . . Deeper than you ever dared . . .
So the only place I've been able to find her eponymous album is on iTunes. She does have a single import on Amazon. She's French-Israeli, and she recorded her latest album in France last year. Apparently she participated in the Yes, We Can video supporting Barrack Obama's campaign -- maybe she's the one singing in another language? And that would be the sum total of what I know.
Note, 2/7: Apparently this import is available on Amazon now so it's possible to pick up the actual CD.
Song: Far Far
Artist: Yael Naim
Album: Yael Naim
Website: http://www.yaelweb.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yael_Naim
Far, far, there's this little girl
She was praying for something to happen to her
Everyday she writes words and more words
Just to speak out the thoughts that keep floating inside
And she's strong when the dreams come cos' they
Take her, cover her, they are all over
The reality looks far now, but don't go
How can you stay outside?
There's a beautiful mess inside
How can you stay outside?
There's a beautiful mess inside
Oh oh oh oh
Far far, there's this little girl
She was praying for something good to happen to her
From time to time there are colors and shapes
Dazzling her eyes, tickling her hands
They invent her a new world with
Oil skies and aquarel rivers
But don't you run away already
Please don't go oh oh
How can you stay outside?
There's a beautiful mess inside
How can you stay outside?
There's a beautiful mess inside
Take a deep breath and dive
There's a beautiful mess inside
How can you stay outside?
There's a beautiful mess
Beautiful mess inside
Oh beautiful, beautiful
Far far there's this little girl
She was praying for something big to happen to her
Every night she hears beautiful strange music
It's everywhere there's nowhere to hide
But if it fades she begs
"Oh lord don't take it from me, don't take it," she says
I guess I'll have to give it birth
To give it birth
I guess, I guess, I guess I have to give it birth
I guess I have to, have to give it birth
There's a beautiful mess inside and it's everywhere
So shake it yourself now deep inside
Deeper than you ever dared
Deeper than you ever dared
There's a beautiful mess inside
Beautiful mess inside
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Sure-As-Not
The Afro Celt Sound System is really a lot like it sounds. Their first album, my personal favorite, was "the first fruit of a collaboration between a group of the finest African musicians, their counterparts from the Celtic communities of western Europe and several of Britain's most respected dance music producers," according to their website. It's a glorious noise, almost infectious, that gets inside of you and makes you want to move. It makes you wonder why the whole world isn't begging for an African-Celtic fusion in music, because it was obviously meant to be.
If you have a chance to pick up some Afro Celt Sound System, please do. You won't regret it. I promise.
Artist: Afro Celt Sound System
Song: Sure-As-Not
Part A: Sure-As-Not, Part B: Sure-As-Knot (Jungle Segue)
Album: Sound Magic
Website: http://realworldrecords.com/afrocelts/
Fan Site: http://www.afrocelts.org/
Monday, January 28, 2008
Dixie the Tiny Dog
So here are the lyrics to the KFOG version. Imagine a proud little dachshund clicking along your kitchen floor as you read them.
Artist: Peter Himmelman
Website: http://www.peterhimmelman.com/
Song: Dixie the Tiny Dog
Album: KFOG Acoustic Sunrise
I'm a tiny dog named Dixie,
I have small feet which pitter patter on the linoleum floor,
You can hear my toenails in the middle of the night.
My tag says I belong to the Johnsons, but they don't own me,
They just feed me, they just bought me one day.
No one owns me, I'm Dixie the tiny dog.
And in the middle of the day I sit in the sun
And I hear young children call me a weiner dog,
Perhaps that's what I am.
The Germanic term is dachshund, and I like that,
I'm thin and I'm proud and no one can make fun of me.
I can slip through the bars of a prison if I were ever incarcerated,
But I don't know what I would do wrong.
My body yield no evil inclinations.
I'm a pure weiner dog.
My name is Dixie and I go dancing 'cross the floor
In the evening of the Johnsons when everyone is sleeping.
Sometimes I look for a morsel of food, but they're so clean
They're almost anal-retentive in their cleanliness habits
And there's nothing for me.
But I don't despair
Because I know tomorrow my Gaines Burgers will be there
And they will unwrap the plastic from them
And then feed me this succulent dish, and I will eat.
And oh, I've watched the German Shepherds with their long necks,
Their graceful necks, dipping into the toilet to drink whenever they want
To have a drink of cool water in that well.
But I must plead, I must beg, I must whine
For Mr. Johnson to put out my bowl,
Or one of the Johnson boys to refill it after I drink it,
Because I'm Dixie the dog and I like water.
And in the middle of the night you can see me dancing
A small Fred Astaire tap dance, with my little toenails
They go click click click against the linoleum
And I run down the hall and I slide
And the back of me goes in front of me . . . slowly.
I'm long and I'm thin. I'm Dixie the tiny dog and I like it.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Learn to Fly
This concept speaks to me on at least two levels. One, it's about learning, growing, expanding. And two, it's about FLYING, not just surviving or being adequate--it's about being more. This in a nutshell is what I want my life to be about, not just today, but from here on out. There is always more to learn and there is always a space to expand into. Hear hear.
The song "Learn to Fly" is another one from 1999. I believe (although I might be mistaken, I'm definitely no expert) that it was the first big Foo Fighters hit here in the U.S. While I enjoyed it when it came out, it didn't make a huge mark on my landscape. It's one that over time, the more I've listened to it, the more I like it. Perhaps a little bit of nostalgia--songs that remind me of specific periods grow on me precisely because they are reminders--but I've also grown and changed a lot over the past decade. Whatever it is, I now think this song is a lot of fun, and 8+ years after it was released, I am now a proud owner of it. Thank you, iTunes.
Artist: Foo Fighters
Website: http://www.foofighters.com/home
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_Fighters
Song: Learn to Fly
Album: There Is Nothing Left to Lose
Run and tell all of the angels
This could take all night
Think I need a devil to help me get things right
Hook me up a new revolution
Cause this one is a lie
We sat around laughing and watched the last one die
I'm looking to the sky to save me
Looking for a sign of life
Looking for something to help me burn out bright
I'm looking for complication
Looking cause I'm tired of trying
Make my way back home when I learn to fly
I can wait one night
I'd give it all away if you give me one last try
We'll live happily ever trapped if you just save my life
Run and tell the angels that everything is alright...
Fly along with me, I can't quite make it alone
Try and make this life my own
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Californication
We met in 1999, the same year that Californication came out. I'd been a huge fan of Blood Sugar Sex Magik and was disappointed in their 1995 release One Hot Minute (who wasn't). Californication was a piece of college nostalgia dressed in new clothes. Sean would get up most Saturday mornings and put the CD on -- if you weren't awake yet, "Around the World" would do it for you. (Around the world / I feel dutiful / Take a wife / cause life is beautiful.)
The album moves through a wide variety of musical styles, which is probably why I enjoy it so much as a full album. The first four tracks are a wonderful ride, growing progressively mellower as we move from "Around the World" to "Parallel Universe" to "Scar Tissue" to "Otherside," my favorite from the album. You can see the video here. (I heard your voice through a photograph / I thought it up it brought up the past / Once you know you can never go back / I’ve got to take it on the otherside.) "Californication" and "Road Trippin'" are also good ones to call attention to, and by now we've singled out half the album.
While I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers now are ghosts of their 90's selves, it's always a good reminder that they were living large there for a while, and such a pleasure to ride along with.
Road trippin' with my two favorite allies
Fully loaded we got snacks and supplies
Its time to leave this town
Its time to steal away
Lets go get lost
Anywhere in the U.S.A.
Lets go get lost
Lets go get lost...
RHCP website: http://www.redhotchilipeppers.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hot_chili_peppers
Monday, January 21, 2008
All Too Much
In the year and a half since, Gomez has taken over the world, or so it seems from my perspective. Almost without fail, any time I heard a new song on the radio that I liked it would end up being a Gomez song. I've bought enough of the album How We Operate from iTunes that by now it probably would have made a lot more sense to just have bought the whole album ages ago. "All Too Much" is a fairly new love of mine. It's a rockin' song, it makes me want to sing along, to groove. I honestly have no idea what the song is about (even after reading the lyrics) and I don't care. It's catchy and fun and highly addictive, the kind of song you can get stuck in your head -- like I did today, incidentally -- and you really don't mind. So Gomez, tell us, what's your secret? You make it look so easy, like you don't even try.
Artist: Gomez
Website: http://www.gomeztheband.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomez_%28band%29
Song: All Too Much
Album: How We Operate
You can make up a list
Of the things you want
...Could be anything.
When you've crossed them all off,
And there's nothing left,
To start again.
The occasional milestone on your path,
Shows how far you've come.
But the record will show,
And it's all too much,
And not enough.
So step right up,
Everything's just fine.
I'm only here to do what's right.
If it cannot be slowed,
And it's too late to change,
Just cover up
Keep it spinning around out of control,
Til it's hard to stop
Like a moth to the flame, you can't resist
You have to get involved.
Why did you get involved?
So step right up,
Everything's just fine.
I'm only here to do what's right
Don't worry about it
Tell us what's your secret?
How come it works every time?
You make it look so easy,
Like you don't even try.
Tell us what's your secret?
Have you got something to hide?
If giving up so easy,
Why do you even try?
And the record will show
You were falling fast,
It was all too much,
And you weren't fast enough
So step right up,
Everything's just fine.
I'm only here to do what's right
Don't worry about it
Tell us what's the secret?
How come it works every time?
You make it look so easy,
Like you don't even try.
Tell us what's your secret?
Have you got something to hide?
If giving up so easy,
Why do you even try?
It's like you don't even try.
It's never all too much
Yeah, and not enough
It's like you don't even try.
It's never all too much
Yeah, and not enough.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Amaze Me
Every now and again I'll be sitting at my desk with some music on in the background, or listening to my iPod on my way home from the city, or in my car running errands listening to a mix I've made, and I'll just get struck with a deep upwelling of emotion, tears in my eyes for what appears to be no reason and a yearning to be out on the open road. Inevitably, it's because the song "Amaze Me" by Girlyman has come on, and I've just been struck anew by the power of their harmonies, their melodies, and their lyrics. While some music makes me wish I was a singer-songwriter, other music makes me wish I was in a position to support singer-songwriters just getting started so that their music can be spread throughout the world. Girlyman's music definitely brings out the latter instinct in me, and back when I had a job, I'd have these overwhelming urges to quit my job to go work towards getting them, and others like them, more famous. More recently, you're likely to find me allowing those tears to come, allowing myself to feel the emotion their songs bring out in me, and just kick back and enjoy, feeling blessed to be able to experience it.
The most striking thing about this song for me is the haunting quality its melody takes on when done in three-party harmony. Knocks my socks off every time. The second thing is that it feels written for me (sheepish grin) when they talk about " From Decatur, Georgia To California," i.e. from where I was born to where I live now. The third thing is that I am transient by nature, I love to travel and to take road trips and to see our country in all its glory. I can remember on a road trip from Chicago to Breckinridge, I was driving through Nebraska and everyone else in the car was asleep. I was struck by how beautiful the landscape was on a rainy, March afternoon, and I didn't have anyone to share it with. This song reminds me of moments like that.
Artist: Girlyman
Website: http://www.girlyman.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girlyman
Song: Amaze Me
Album: Remember Who I Am
Amaze Me
by Ty Greenstein
(© 2001)
The flat land of Nebraska
From Decatur, Georgia
To California
Let's dig up the map and
Let's leave while we're happy
I wanna see Tucson
Before it's all gone
Chorus:
Amaze me, America
Save me from armageddon, high road to heaven
Eight hours at the airport
Wanna hightail to Gulfport
Wanna sit on the back porch
And stare at the stars
From the chemical water
Of new york's dirty harbor
To the rock of gibraltar
At the end of the world
Chorus
Let's dive to Atlantis
Let's hear what they'd tell us
From the bottom of the ocean
I really want to know them
Chorus
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Sweet Mistakes
That's what happened to me with Sweet Mistakes. I loved the song instantly but it took time for me to figure out why. Its chorus talks about one of the keys to life -- learning from our mistakes, being grateful for the opportunities to make them, because it is through them that we grow and change. The mistakes we've made may have hurt when they were happening, but time heals all wounds, and they are part of what makes you who you are today.
But there's a larger meaning to this song too. It's about living your life *your* way, being Who You Really Are, and how the world just laps it up and asks for more. It's about the power of faith. And it's about peace and gratitude, too. It packs quite a lot of punch, and it's fun to sing along with to boot. :)
Artist: Ellis Paul
Website: http://www.ellispaul.com/
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Paul
Song: Sweet Mistakes
Albums: Sweet Mistakes; The Speed of Trees; Essentials
Pop the cork, a champagne glass
Raise to the future, drink to the past
Thank the Lord for the friends he cast,
In the play he wrote for you.
And if you love the girl, man, light up a torch
Blaze a trail to her front porch
Kiss her till your lips are scorched
Till the rain comes down on you
[chorus]
Bless your sweet mistakes,
That crumbled you down to your knees.
That brought you to this place
Changing you by degrees...
When change was just what you needed...
What you needed...
So if you live your life in a three piece suit,
In a cocktail dress, or combat boots
You pick your path, you walk your truth
And the world will come round to you.
It's a long strange ride, I can't tell you why
But there's a place in your pocket where peace can abide
You pull it out, it's a compass, a guide
And it will put a little soul on you.
[repeat chorus]
[bridge]
And in this wild blue world
There is a soul weavin' fine feelin' girl
You've got to walk in paradise to find a pearl
If you only believe,
You'll get what you need...
What you needed...
Conquer your fear and you'll master the game,
Life is always and never the same.
Use a little faith to light the flame
And I know you'll connect to you.
[repeat chorus]
Pop the cork, a champagne glass
Raise to the future, drink to the past
Thank the Lord for the friends he cast,
In the play he wrote for you.
Copyright Ellis Paul Publishing SESAC