when they get the best of you...

Wave of You
Ari Gold

we can build this dream together...

Jefferson Starship, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now



Looking in your eyes, I see a paradise.
This world that I found is too good to be true.
Standing here beside you, I want so much to give you this love in my heart that im feeling for you
Let them say we're crazy.
I don't care about that.
Put your hand in my hand, baby, don't ever look back.
Let the world around us just fall apart.
Maybe we can make it if we're heart to heart.
And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
And if this world runs out of lovers we'll still have eachother.
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.
I'm so glad I found you, I'm not gonna lose you, whatever it takes to stay here with you.
Take it too the good times, see it through the bad times.
Whatever it takes is what I'm gonna do.
Let them say we're crazy.
What do they know?
Put your arms around me, baby, don't ever let go.
Let the world around us just fall apart.
Baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart.
Oh, all that I need is you.
All that I ever need.
All that I want to do is hold you forever, forever and ever.

And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
And if this world runs out of lovers we'll still have eachother.
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.

And we can build this thing together, stand in stone forever, nothing's gonna stop us now.
And if this world runs out of lovers we'll still have eachother.
Nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now.

i know it's been forever...

i've been busy, shall i say? i know. no excuses! well, to start this up again, below is probably the perfect song "Who wants to live forever" originally done by Queen. I'm going to do something different.

when I did tapes for some of the bars in Chicago many years ago, usually for cocktail hour, i really enjoyed mixing different versions of the same song by various artists. though i could seamlessly mix them, i don't have the expertise to do videos or on a website. so i will just post some videos of the song... if the video doesn't identify who is singing, try to guess for fun. enjoy...



















and, of course...




There's no time for us
There's no place for us
What is this thing that builds our dreams yet slips away
from us

Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever....?

There's no chance for us
It's all decided for us
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us

Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever?

Who dares to love forever?
When love must die

But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
And we can have forever
And we can love forever
Forever is our today
Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever?
Forever is our today

Who waits forever anyway?


the original is my favorite. but the third one with the two young children singing sent chills up my spine.

freddie would have been really proud of them...

i saw her today at a reception

A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man

No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
And if you try sometime you find
You get what you need




But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need, ah yes...

you with the sad eyes...

don't be discouraged
oh I realize
it's hard to take courage
in a world full of people
you can lose sight of it all
and the darkness inside you
can make you fell so small



wow!

this was recorded on March 19, 2007 on the view. an old favorite with a new sound...

not showing on mtv...

i guarantee that the following video is no where near mtv. it is a great song and the video is, uh, very provacative - to say the least.

it is a great example of the differences between europe and the united states. we are ruled by very puritanical* ideas while the rest of the world accepts what is as what is.

if you are offended by sex, especially between members of the same sex, make sure you watch this. or don't...


daniel zueras - no quiero enamorarme
[i don't want to fall in love]


*i use the word puritanical in its perceived definition by the christianists. seems that the puritans had a very healthy outlook on sex; they just didn't accept it outside of marriage. there are early puritan tracts written on the subject of sex that would make the christianists blush and call for another conservative on scotus...

You can pull all the stops out...

Till they call the cops out
Grind your behind till you bend.
But you gotta get a gimmick
If you wanna get a hand.
You can sacrifice your sacharo
Working in the back row.
Bump in a dump till you're dead.
Kid you gotta have a gimmick
If you wanna get ahead.
You can uh...You can uh...
You can uh...uh...uh...
That's how Burlesque was born.
So I uh...and I uh...
And I uh...uh...uh...
But I do it with a horn...
Once I was a Schleppa,
Now I'm Miss Mazzeppa,
With my revolution in dance.
You gotta have a gimmick
If you wanna have a chance!



stephen sondhiem is known for many, many musicals - sweeney todd, assassins, company.... what a lot of people forget is that he also wrote the lyrics for many other shows - west side story and gypsy being two of the biggies. the video above is from the movie gypsy. you gotta have a gimmick is my favorite song from it but there is a personal story that adds to my favoring it. back in the day, many, many many years ago, i tended bar in chicago. one evening chili pepper and a couple of the other performers from the baton came in. when i saw them i grabbed the gypsy disc and put you gotta have a gimmick on the turntable. chili came up to the bar and said, "michael, you're a bitch!" i said, "thank you" and bought them all cocktails. see... ya gotta have a gimmick...

o mio babbino caro...

mi piace, e bello bello,
vo andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l anello!
si, si ci voglio andare
e se l'amassi indarno
andrei sui Ponte Vecchio
ma per buttaarmi in Arno!
mi struggo e mi tormento!
o dio, vorrei morir!
babbo, pieta, pieta!
babbo, pieta, pieta!

Maria Callas - O mio babbino caro

oh my dear daddy
i love him, he is so handsome
i want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring!
yes, yes, I mean it
and if my love were in vain
i would go to Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself in the Arno!
i fret and suffer torments!
oh god, I would rather die!
daddy, have pity, have pity!
daddy, have pity, have pity!

given the beauty of the aria and its forlornness, not exactly what you would think the aria is about...

this aria is from puccini's gianni schicchi, part of his il trittico, and may very well be the most famous of all arias, in spite of pavarotti's nessun dorma, also by puccini. it is very poignant, haunting and moving. gianni schicchi, however, is one of the most hilarious operas i've ever seen. it borders on slapstick.

i'm going to new york to see friends next weekend and i was able to get a ticket to see it at the metropolitan opera. besides il trittico, i'm also going to see puccini's turandot and handel's giulio cesare. i'm excited.

i can't believe that i haven't posted any maria callas yet. if there were an argument for the revival of the popularity of opera in the 20th century, i would say it was callas, la divina. her life, as well as her voice, enchanted everyone.

only you can hear my soul...

only you can hear my soul...

Luna tu
Quanti sono i canti che hai ascoltato gia
Desideri che attraverso i secoli
Han solcato il cielo per raggiungerti
Porto per poeti che non scrivono
E che il loro sennospesso perdono
Tu accogli i sospiri di chi spasima
E regali un sogno ad ogni anima
Luna che mi guardi adesso ascoltami



moon
how many songs you have listened to...
how many desires you have seen...
desires through the centuries...
a doorway for poets without words
pleading for forgiveness...
you hear the sighing of those who quiver
as they give a dream to their spirits...
you, moon, who watches me, now hear me

most people are familiar with josh groban, russell watson, andra bocelli, et al. alessandro safina has been around a little longer than them. he actually has performed with bocelli. besides a great voice he also writes most of his music. the song above, luna tu, is probably his most popular in europe. it's a haunting melody with words that match. the translation is mine as best i could. it doesn't do the original italian justice but i hope it at least conveys the meaning.

in the background at the end, the chorus is singing alba lux, diva mea, diva es silentissima - the dawn, divine dawn, divinely silent...

is love so fragile...

and the heart so hollow
Shatter with words...
impossible to follow
You're saying I'm fragile...I try not to be
I search only...for something I can't see




got the new stevie nicks cd today off of itunes -



crystal visions...
the very best of stevie nicks.

phenomenal. there are a couple of new things on it that are great.

i had a difficult time deciding on one song/video to post. i don't think that there is one she has done either solo or with fleetwood mac that i haven't liked. but leather and lace stands out more than any others she has done. i've always liked the story it tells, the longing and the need it portrays. add to that the metaphor of leather and lace...

My city or mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather
Take from me...my lace

i am what i am...

i am my own special creation
so come take a look, give me the hook or the ovation
it's my world that i want to have a little pride in
my world and it's not a place i have to hide in
life's not worth a damn 'til you can say, hey world
i am what i am

i am what i am is from the musical version of la cage au folles. this is the breakout song. the scene in the play is albin getting ready to perform and putting on his makeup/costume, hence, the opening explanation that john does here.

john barrowman is doing it from a bbc tv show called the sound of musicals that focused on, what else, musicals. he has also been seen in the new dr. who series, his own bbc show torchwood, london stage productions - sunset boulevard. the movies de-lovely and the producers, on broadway, in the nighttime soap opera central park, and many, many other venues.

john was born in england and lives there now with his partner. he grew up in the joliet/plainfield, illinois area not that far from where i live. he returns to his high school alma mater to run summer workshops for students in theatre, film and music. in the interviews i've watched with him, he seems like quite a character. i would love to meet and get to know him. he always seems like he's having a great time. you'll see more of him here from time to time. i'm a great fan.

priceless...

i started out looking for cole porter music, got into elaine paige, ended up with john barrowman.

but... in looking at john barrowman performances, i came across this priceless blooper with carol burnett and john (he's in the deep red shirt). it's worth it. watch...



i'll have to do john barrowman next

come into these arms again...

and lay your body down
the rhythm of this trembling heart
it's beating like a drum
it beats for you,it bleeds for you
it knows not how it sounds
for it is the drum of drums
it is the song of songs

love song for a vampire is the theme song for the movie bram stoker's dracula directed by francis ford coppola. strange to have a love song in a horror film but, if you stop and think about this genre, there is always love involved in some way. if you check out the previous post, it says the same thing.

annie lenox is a genius with words and music. i've loved everything she's done.

he did it all for love...

one of my favorite films of all time is the creature from the black lagoon. it always amused and intrigued me from the first time i saw it as a kid. on the news today that the composer of the film's score, herman stein, died over the weekend at the age of 91, i just had to post this video of the trailer and one of the most famous scenes from the movie - the swimming sequence. it was also one on the first films in 3d. what a blast!

stein was not only known for setting the tone for science fiction movie music but also wrote for such tv shows as gunsmoke, lost in space and daniel boone. boy, am i dating myself...

and talk about beefcake...

trailer


swim sequence


do you think this may be where they came up with the idea for synchronized swimming?

J'habite seul avec maman...

Dans un très vieil appartement rue Sarasate
J'ai pour me tenir compagnie
Une tortue deux canaris et une chatte.
comme ils disent


i live alone with my mother
in a very old apartment on Rue Sarasate
for company i have
a turtle, two canaries and a cat.

this is a beautiful song by charles aznavour. i've had the pleasure of seeing him perform it in person a couple of times.

it is a very sad song but one that is filled with hope. it tells of a man who lives on the fringe but is part of the mainstream of boring existence. he is a drag queen.

he speaks of his life as both person and illusion. he deals with the drudgery and the commonness of lives. his lone bits of excitement are on stage when he is someone else and in his dreams -

I ask myself what I have got
Of what I am and what I'm not
What have I given
The answers come from those who make
The rules that some of us must break
Just to keep living
I know my life is not a crime
I'm just a victim of my time
I stand defenceless
Nobody has the right to be
The judge of what is right for me
Tell me if you can
What makes a man a man

i wonder if each of us may be drag queens/kings most of the time...?

click on the post's title to jump to the complete lyrics.

what good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret.

i couldn't find a video of liza minelli singing her signature song, liza with a z, but it might be better not to use it. she is probably better known for many others, especially from the movie cabaret. in cabaret there is really too much from which to choose. she was really great in all of the music in the movie.

but, finally, i would be remiss if i didn't post the title song, and finale in the movie, from cabaret. last week was liza's 60th birthday. she was born four days after i was.

happy birthday, liza...



and my favorite part of the lyric -

I used to have a girlfriend
known as Elsie
With whom I shared
Four sordid rooms in Chelsea

She wasn't what you'd call
A blushing flower...
As a matter of fact
She rented by the hour.

The day she died the neighbors
came to snicker:
"Well, thats what comes
from to much pills and liquor."

But when I saw her laid out like a Queen
She was the happiest...corpse...
I'd ever seen.

extremes...

a little voyage into what a lot of people may refer to as extremes in opera -

the first video is "Lascia Ch'io Pianga" an aria from handel's opera "rinaldo". it was first perfromed on 24 february 1711. It is noteworthy for being the first opera that handel composed for his extended stay in london. it was extremely popular at the time and was made even more notable as it starred two of the world's greatest castrati. yes, that is the italian for castrated. it was still pretty well unacceptable for women to perform on the stage or in operas. the castrati filled the bill. they were young boys, often bought from their parents for their beautiful soprano voices, castrated and then trained to sing the operas of the day.

This barbarism is no longer legal anywhere in the world as far as i know. this video features philippe jaroussky, a french countertenor. countertenors are the equivalent of the castrati of yesterday. the voice is very pleasant but does unnerve many people. i have had the great pleasure of hearing both david daniels and bejun mehta, the two leading countertenors perfroming today. it is a very haunting sound and extremely beautiful. you should recognize the aria once you hear it. it is probably one of the most memorable of handel's work.



now, to the extreme.

philip glass is considered one of the most famous and prolific postmodern composers of the 20th century. many people have heard his work and are not aware of it. he has done the scores for a number of recent movies. the hours is probably the most famous of them.

his work is quite different to many people. it is minimalist to say the least and most do not find it lyrical. his most famous work is probably the metamorphosis series - all piano works originally.

i remember a production of "satyagraha" that lyric opera of chicago did where you could see the conductor counting for the orchestra rather than conducting as we generally consider it.

the piece below is from glass' opera "einstein on the beach." it is not an actual opera performance but, rather, a performance piece and video by a german. after listening to the handel, it is really very different but, if you listen closely, you realize that it is very lyrical.



though i love all opera, i have a special affinity towards 20th century opera. the standard repertoire of verdi, puccini, donizetti, et al has its significant place, but it is important to me for people to move forward and expand just as the repertoire must. it has always amazed me that the limited number of musical notes that exist provide infinite combinations of sound...

your eyes tell me how you love me...

Can feel it in your heart beat
I know you like what you see
Hold me, I'll give that you need
Wrap your love around me
You're so excited, I can feel you
Getting hotter, oh baby
I'll take you down, I'll take you down
Where no one's ever gone before
And if you want more, if you want more
More, more, more

over the years, i've seen the pointer sisters a few times live. they were always a great show. this past week I spent a week on a cruise through atlantis that was a charter for the lgbt community. it was a ball. there were many t-dances, parties, shows, etc. each with a theme.

the most memorable was the classic disco t-dance. it was also the most popular. it was really interesting that all of the younger crowd instantly were dancing and having a ball.

people have put disco down for a long time. rock fans were at the heart of the movement against it. sadly, it all started right here in chicago with a buffoon radio jock by the name of steve dahl & his infamous "disco demolition" event in 1979 at white sox park. they burnt thousands of disco records and caused a near riot. but disco is still the dance music that gets 'em moving. and steve dahl is a two-bit, second rate radio has-been...

jump was the signature song of the t-dance on the cruise. comedienne shann carr literally choreographed all these guys by the pool and did an esther williams' calvacade getting them to jump into the pool on cue and in formation. it was hilarious. you've never seen 1800 people go absolutely nuts all at once having a good time.

i pray you'll be our eyes...

And help us to be wise in times when we dont know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace
To a place where well be safe la luce che tu hai
I pray well find your light
Nel cuore rest
And hold it in our hearts.
A ricordarci che
When stars go out each night,
Eterna stella sei

at work yesterday the conversation got around to american idol. i don't think i've ever watched the program. i've seen clips from the show on websites though.

the conversation wasn't about simon cowell. people were remarking that basically none of the winners have made it big after winning, but runners-up have. jennifer hudson being the #1 right now.

seems that the same thing happens with australian idol. the singer above, anthony callea, was a runner-up down-under and he has become one of the hottest performers there. his verstion of the prayer, seen above, was at #1 for weeks and he already has two cd's out.

great voice and i love hearing different versions of the same song. each performer has a unique interpretation. i like his.

he also was in the news yesterday for a very different reason. read about it here: the daily telegraph. people's private lives should belong to them even if they are in the spotlight by choice.

There's a party goin' on right here...

A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times, and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now

Celebration
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration
We gonna celebrate and have a good time

what are we celebrating?

my last day at work!

i'm retiring today...

long awaited darkness falls...

Casting shadows on the walls
In the twilight hour I am alone
Sitting near the fireplace, dying embers warm my face
In this peaceful solitude
All the outside world subdued
Everything comes back to me again
In the gloom
Like an angel passing through my room

Nina Hagen Like A Angel...

ever feel this way?

there are people who love to be alone. my life doesn't have that luxury very often. i have spent my days with 700+ kids and 70 staff members all wanting a piece of my time. when i get home at night i just totally crash. for amusement i spend time on the internet catching up on the news and what's going on in the world. i'm looking forward to quality time with myself - it begins tomorrow! it's my last day at work after 38 years. seems hard to fathom at this point.

the video is a little strange but the song is my favorite by the group abba. i could not find a version with abba performing. nina hagen can be a little strange at times but i like her a lot and her rendition of this song is earthy.

well I'll be damned...

Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full

and today is a full moon. imagine that...

there has been a controversy about carly simon's song you're so vain and just who she is singing about. the most accepted theory is that it refers to warren beatty. no one really knows. she never has said.

diamonds and rust, on the other hand, not only leaves little to the imagination, but joan baez said to whom the song refers - bob dylan. she had a relationship with him and there are some subtle and some not-so-subtle references in the lyrics.

the above version is from a live performance in 1975. i previewed more recent ones but they all seem filled with the wisdom of having age. i like this one because it comes across more to joan baez's possible state of mind at the time.

It's all come back
too clearly
Yes I loved you dearly
And if you're
offering me diamonds and rust
I've already paid

And now, the end is here...

And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

i'm in a strange place right now. in one week i retire after 37 years of doing something i truly, truly love - working with kids. i know it is the right decision. my friends have told me over and over how it is the right decision for me, but it is really very scary.

i have gone through all of the stages of grief, at least i thought i had, since i made the decision, but you never can be certain of anything, really.

i always had a special place in my heart and life for the song my way. i think that i know why better now than at any other time in the past.

i really like this version by robbie williams. there is a spot towards the end where you look at his face and he is ready to cry. i feel that way right now. it is the first time i felt like crying, maybe because it is one-week my life completely changes.

the one thing that i can say is that the most important thing in living my life is having done it my way. i never compromised on that, and i had parents that allowed me to do it. i am very fortunate...

more than anyone can know

i've also posted this on my main site - no matter what

hey folks here's the story 'bout minnie the moocher...

she was a lowdown hoochie coocher
she was the roughest toughest frail
but minnie had a heart as big as a whale

think that mtv & music videos are an invention of the 80's? think again. they've been around since al jolson!

if you like old cartoons and great blues, you'll love this one. especially if you adore betty boop...


Online Videos by Veoh.com

love the word hoochie coocher. it's still a favorite and oft used word in the black culture. i hear it all the time at work...

the day the music died...

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."

don maclean's song has been going round-n-round in my head all week. yesterday, while i was at the grocery store it was played on the speakers. i decided that i better post it since it's been so prominent for me the last several days.

the video below brought up many, many memories and emotions while i watched it. what got me is that they weren't just photos. i had seen each one as it was originally seen at the time it was live. the one that got me the most? the picture from the kent state killings. that picture literally shook my world. it cemented my belief as a pacifist. human life is the most, if not the only, important thing that exists. no one has a right to it - except you & me.

more than just music died that day...

oh what a world...

we live in.



great song. it's also one of those that gets stuck in your head.

every day is halloween if you really think about it. people just don't wear outrageous costumes all the time. they hide their fabulousness behind a shroud of secrecy.

Why am I always on a plane or a fast train

Oh what a world my parents gave me

Always

Travelin' but not in love



Still I think I'm doin' fine

Wouldn't it be a lovely headline

Life is

Beautiful on a New York Times

in my life...

i loved them all.




this is one of the beatles' songs that sounds better sung by someone else. many have done it - bette midler, judy collins, renee fleming. they are all beautifully done.

though i don't want any kind of memorial service or anything when i die, i've always thought that, if i did, this would be the song that should be played.

a life belongs to one person - the person living it. the community that we create as we live it defines its parameters, joys, sadnesses, hopes, dreams, and loves. this song celebrates a life...

life passes...

in a taxi cab ride.

being in high school and college for the span of the 1960's, i was part of the dawning of the age of aquarius. the decade was tumultuous to put it mildly. it was wrought with revolutionary idea after revolutionary idea. it was, i would like to think, a time when democracy was taken to a level that would include everyone no matter their race, religion, orientation, ethnicity, color, gender.... sometimes, i wonder what happened to all of the lofty ideas and promises. there was lots of promise.

of course, today, we have gone somewhat backward. it's all right to say you hate a specific group on the radio with thousands listening. it's common place to watch men and women bleeding from roadside bombs on the television. it's de rigeur to have your thoughts and beliefs questioned, categorized and put down. i guess the world just wasn't ready yet.

besides rock music, one of the bigger musical genres was folk. joan baez, judy collins, pete seeger, fairport convention, peter, paul and mary all were mainstays of the day. i was drawn to folk music because of its storytelling nature. i love songs that tell stories.

one of the great stroytellers was harry chapin. i know that people rue his untimely death and wonder what music would be like if he hadn't died in that crash, but it's what happened and it doesn't really make any difference. he had the ability to take a very insignifacant occurrence and to turn it into a great song. after dance band on the titanic, taxi is my favorite harry chapin.



there is a second part to the story entitled sequel.

when i listen to taxi, i almost feel like i'm in the taxi with him...

children, always remember...

not quite a song, but great fun and an all time favorite. sarah cyntha sylvia stout would not take the garbage out... by shel silverstein. the video is actually shel reciting the poem from his book where the sidewalk ends. i love his stuff and so do kids. he talks directly to them. he also wrote two very famous songs - the unicorn made famous by the irish rovers and a boy named sue that just may have made johnny cash a household name. amazing.

sarah cynthia sylvia stout is my favorite. the guy who created this video did a great job. my other favorite is ma and god

Ma and God

God gave us fingers—Ma says, “Use your fork.”

God gave us voices—Ma says, “Don’t scream.”

Ma says eat broccoli, cereal and carrots.

But God gave us tasteys for maple ice cream.



God gave us fingers—Ma says, “Use your hanky.”

God gave us puddles—Ma says, “Don’t splash.”

Ma says, “Be quiet, your father is sleeping.”

But God gave us garbage can covers to crash.



God gave us fingers—Ma says “Put your gloves on.”

God gave us raindrops—Ma says, “Don’t get wet.”

Ma says be careful, and don’t get too near to

Those strange lovely dogs that God gave us to pet.



God gave us fingers—Ma says, “Go wash ‘em.”

But God gave us coal bins and nice dirty bodies.

And I ain’t too smart, but there’s one thing for certain—

Either Ma’s wrong or else God is.

to be at the top...

etre à la hauteur is from a french musical Le Roi Soleil about louis xiv. i know. only the french would do a musical about the sun king. well, maybe. maybe not. this song was also one of the top hits in france the year it premiered with thanks to the young man singing the song - emmanuel moire. besides, i like the song.

Emmanuel Moire - Etre à la hauteur

so what's it like to be at the top? lonely...

sins of the flesh...

the history of the world, my dear, is who gets eaten and who gets to eat...



we'll serve anyone, and to anyone, at all...........

try a little priest!

faerie tales...

though i prefer the original version with bernadette peters, i really like the message that barbra gives with her rendition. my life has been surrounded by children. i see in them the hope of everything. they are going to be what i will miss the most when i retire in march.

sam, i thought i told you never to play...

the tension is instant in the scene on what is repeatedly cited as the most popular love song of all time by movie experts and film lovers from around the world. the american film institute lists it as the #2 movie song in 100 years of music. their number one song is over the rainbow. but, that's not a love song.

a legend began with as time goes by from the movie casablanca. the legend is that the line ilsa uses in the movie is play it again, sam. nothing is farther from the truth. woody allen only made it worse by naming a movie with the phrase.

what ilsa actually says is:

play it once, sam....
for old-times sake....
play it, sam.
play...
as time goes by .

la di, de di de dum, la di de de de dum...

sing it, sam.

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

the acting is all in the faces. watch sam, ilsa and rick. the emotions flash quickly from just their expressions. if you've never seen the film, you will not miss 85 minutes from your life. the movie is well worth it.

chanteuse...

i love most everything french. i am a tried and true francophile and i'm unashamed of that. i love paris. i love the food. i love the art. i love the music. well, except for french opera. yeah, i know, i'm what would be considered an opera nut, but french opera is really musically boring to me. most, not all.

don't worry, i'm not doing any french opera in this post. i'm going to post my favorite french chanteuse. no, not piaf, though i do love her music and voice. my favorite is very contemporary - patricia kaas.

she is probably the most successful french singer in the world today, at least the most listened and purchased. she is from moselle on the franco-german border and speaks both french and german fluently. she has a number of songs in german included on her discography.

i discovered her on one of my trips to paris at the fnc store on le place de la bastille. i was looking for new cd's by jean-jacques goldman, my favorite french chanteur and found patricia instead. she, or rather her music, quickly became an obsession.

her voice is very distinctive. throaty. gravelly at times, very sexy most of the time. her one foray into movies was and now, ladies and gentlemen... with jeremy irons in which she played, of course, a chanteuse. it's not a very noteworthy film, but her voice is stupendous.

this is my current favorite. from her debut album entitled mademoiselle chante le bleus - the lady sings the blues. this is a rather laidback version. there's a concert version that rocks.

enjoy...

Patricia Kaas-Mlle Chante le Blues
Uploaded by djoik

memories that never leave you...

pete and i had gone to grammar school together but weren't actually friends. we went to different high schools. he chose a catholic school and me my first foray into a public high school. we hooked up again in college and became friends. april was the catalyst for this happening. they were dating, eventually became engaged and married. later, they divorced. we've lost touch as happens in the journey of life.

sitting on the back porch of the rectory at the newman center in college one evening, pete and i were studying. april was strumming on her guitar and humming. it was just a typical thing for the three of us to do. we were inseparable for a long period of time. father mcginn, the pastor of the newman center, was a brilliant man, a cartesian scholar, but had problems with the simple things in life. he was down to earth and caring and he loved to hear april sing.

on this evening he came in after dinner and, ahem, a couple of his favorite manhattans, heard april on her guitar and got instantly excited. "

april, april. play that song i really like. you know the one. both sides at the same time...

we couldn't hold it in. we were always laughing at and with this dear, dear man. he ignored us because he knew we loved him. april always knew what he was talking about. she played it for him all the time. he even let her play it at mass, i believe.

if you aren't familiar with the song, it's actually joni mitchell's both sides now. great song with lots of meanings and an explanation of what it's all about.

judy collins' version is my favorite. pay attention to the sound coming out of that twelve-string guitar. she's magic. enjoy...



my thanks to nicole belle over at crooksandliars.com for bringing this back into my life...

maturity...

i thought that richard strauss was a sellout after abandoning music like elektra and salome for going back to very lyrical and romantic opera with der rosenkavelier. my friend, jimmy, said that i would come to appreciate it later. i wouldn't agree with him. he also said something else about it. "it's the old queen's opera.

how true. how true. i saw it for the first time this past year. i did appreciate it very much. the lush music, the phenomenal orchestration and the message in the libretto are remarkable. i saw/heard in it something that was only fleeting in listening to it before this. it suddenly had a meaning both in music and words that i couldn't see when i was younger.

if you're not familiar with the libretto, it is about the marschallin who is realizing that she has gotten older and dalliances with younger men are not as exciting as they once were. she matures. it isn't sad; it's more bittersweet. a realization that life isn't passing you by. you don't have to fight it. you have to be part of it.

as far as the old queen comment jimmy made? he was right. the only thing was that he was 5 months younger than me! and as my friend drew used to say, you can only be a queen if your mother is dead. until then, you're just another princess...!

i now fit into both categories. i love it.

this is a video with renee fleming as the marschallin, frederika von stade as octavian and kathleen battle as sophie. fleming is well noted for her portrayal. a classic soprano who is well loved for playing the marschallin is elizabeth schwartzkopf. enjoy...

if the doors of perception...

were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through' narrow chinks of his cavern."
William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
by way of Aldous Huxley's book, The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell.

jim morrison could quote from Huxley's book chapter and verse. i first fell in love with jim morrison's words in high school. the music only enhanced his words for me. light my fire was an anomaly in my mind. it was a pop song that everyone was dancing to. noone listened to the words.

We tripped the wall, we scaled the graveyard
Ancient shapes were all around us.
The wet dew felt fresh beside the fog.

the illusion is vast. the words tripped off his tungue. the sexual overtones were blatant. the meaning was couched in acid.

jim morrison's other poetry was more important in my mind. they were probably my intitial foray into existentialism before i ever knew what the word meant.

in trying to decide the door's song that would be my favorite, i can't. my least favorite, of course, is light my fire. i would be hard pressed to decide between alabama song, by kurt weill, and the end which was actually the beginning for me. they are so opposite of each other.

but, i have to give you a different door's song - riders on the storm. why? it would be the thing to do considering the incongruity of jim morrison...

who knows where the time goes...

this song, written by sandy denny and sung by judy collins, is my depression song.

what i mean by that is if i'm feeling funky and not knowing exactly what my state of mind is really at the moment, i'll put this on the cd player or ipod. if i start to cry or am on the verge of crying, i know i'm depressed. listening to the song helps get me out of the funk.

listen closely to the words. the two lines that have special meaning for me are I do not count the time and I do not fear the time. time is the bandit that steals our lives. there is nothing we can do about the passage of time. it is the one constant in the world. kind of strange calling it a constant. there is nothing constant about it. it is ruled by change. i recently heard a line that the only people who like change are wet babies. the rest of us resist it.

how sad.

judy collins is one of my all time favorite performers and song writers. her music is story telling. i like songs that tell stories. this song, who knows where the time goes, is used in the video above as the opening of the movie the subject was roses. it's a great movie with patricia neal at her finest. and, yes, it is a bit depressing. but it also is filled with hope.

as the adage from the hopi indians goes, when hope is gone, life is over...

you'd think i'd crumble. you'd think i'd lay down and die...

i love this version, as short as it is. i used it at a professional development workship to my teachers as the opening activity of the year to show them that, though it was the beginning of the year, we would still all be there at the end of the school year. they loved it. as a matter of fact, other schools heard about it and borrowed it. as i did from victor navone. he went on to work for pixar. checkout his stuff here: vnog blog.

i will survive is the ultimate breakup song. especially, when you get to the anger part of the loss. you want to throw it in their face to tell them you can live without them. problem is, they already are living without you.

oh, well. here's a version i think you'll have fun with...

is everybody gay? is this the Twilight Zone?

i would be remiss...

if i didn't post this as the second entry of this new blog, given that the title of my main weblog is no matter what. the lyrics have special meaning and, if you were ever treated badly, bullied or felt like an outsider, this song addresses what it's like to be different and that it doesn't matter. be who you are...



the lyric

No matter what they tell US
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach US
What we believe is true

No matter what they call us
However they attack
No matter where they take us
We'll find our own way back

I can't deny what I believe
I can't be what I'm not (I know I'm not)
I know I'll love, forever (I know)
I know no matter what

If only tears were laughter
If only night was day
If only prayers were answered (hear my prayers)
Then we would hear God say

No matter what they tell US
No matter what they do
No matter what they teach US
What we believe is true

And I will keep you safe and strong
And shelter from the storm (no matter where)
No matter where it's barren (a dream)
A dream is being born

No matter who they follow
No matter where they lead
No matter how they judge us
I'll be everyone you need

No matter if the sun don't shine (the sun don't shine)
Or if the skies are blue (skies are blue)
No matter what the ending (my life)
My life began with you

I can't deny what I believe (what I believe)
I can't be what I'm not (I know I'm not)
I know this love's forever
That's all that matters now, no matter what

the video above is from a live performance honoring Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber, who wrote the song. the program was for his 50th birthday, i believe. you can find the original video on youtube.com. it's visually stunning, but i like the simplicity of the one above. not to mention the icandy. oops...

this is my all-time favorite song. why? i view it as totally existential. it makes no sense and it makes great sense. it's memorable. it's hummable. it reminds me of my first great love, all be it unrequited.

music is probably the most important thing in our lives, at least in mine. i wake each morning with a song playing in my head. i connect it to things that happen, people i meet, and events that happen. a song will bring back a memory - good or bad. i connect music to every part of my life.