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 songs to things that happen, people i meet, and events that occur. a song can bring back a memory - good or bad. i connect music to every part of my life.
State of life, may I live, may I love coming out the sky, I name me a name coming out silver word for what it is it is very nature of the sound, the game
Siamese, Indonese, to Tibet treat the life as a game, if you please (hey) coming up Caribee such a freedom derives from a meditative state movin' on, believe that's it, call it magic third world, it is, I only guessed it
Shot to the soul the flame of Oroladian (the) essence of the word the state of independence
Sounds like a signal from you bring me to meet your sound and I will bring you to my heart
Love, like a signal you call touching my body, my soul bring to me, you to meet me here
Home, be the temple of your heart home, be the body of your love just like holy water to my lips (hey, hey)
Yes, I do know how I survive yes, I do know why I'm alive to love and be with you day by day by day by day
Time, time again, it is said we will hear, we will see see it all in His wisdom hear
His truth will abound the land this truth will abound the land this state of independence shall be this state of independence shall be
Say, yeah -e-yay, yeah-e-yo yeah-e-yay, yeah-e-yo... be the sound of higher love today yeah-e-yeah (hey, hey)
Time, time again, it is said we will hear, we will see see it all in His wisdom hear
His truth will abound the land this truth will abound the land this state of independence shall be this state of independence shall be this state of independence shall be this state of independence shall be this state of independence shall be...
this song is frequently in my head spinning around and around. it is one of my favorite songs. most people don't think of Donna Summer as doing anything but Disco, but she is a fabulous R&B and ballad performer. there is usually hints on jazz in a lot of her work also.
Tell automatic Slim Tell razor totin' Jim Tell butcher knife Toting Nanny Tell fast talking fanny We're gonna pitch a ball Down to the union hall
We're gonna romp And trump till midnight We're gonna fuss And fight till daylight We're gonna get your Wang dang doodle All night long All night long All night long All night long All night long
Tell cooda-crawling Ray To tell abyssinia Ned To tell old pistol Pete To tell everybody he meets Tonight we need no rest We're gonna really Throw a mess We're gonna knock down All the windows We're gonna kick down All the doors We're gonna get your Wang dang doodle All night long All night long All night long All night long All night long
Tell fats And washbone Sam Everybody gonna jam Tell shaking boxcar Joe We got Sawdust on the floor Now tell Peggy And Colin Die We're gonna have A heck of a time Now when the fish Scent fill the air There'll be Snuff juice everywhere We're gonna get your Wang dang doodle All night long All night long All night long All night long All night long All night long All night long All night long
Once I lived the life of a millionaire, spending my money, I didn't care I carried my friends out for a good time, buying bootleg liquor, champagne and wine Then I began to fall so low, I didn't have a friend, and no place to go So if I ever get my hand on a dollar again, I'm gonna hold on to it till them eagle's grin Nobody knows you when you're down and out In my pocket not one penny, and my friends I haven't any But If I ever get on my feet again, then I'll meet my long lost friend It's mighty strange, without a doubt Nobody knows you when you're down and out I mean when you down and out Mmmmm, when you're down and out, mmmmm, not one penny And my friends I haven't any, mmmmm, well I felt so low Nobody wants me round their door, mmmmm, without a doubt, No man can use you when you're down and out I mean when you down and out
thanks, Alex, for bringing this back into my memory...
Seguo il percorso del vento Toglie il respiro pensare un pò a te Che ancora a dispetto del tempo cammini con me Noi siamo stati 2 amanti 2 amici 2 complici 2 buone idee Navigatori 2 vele nell' eternità Vago nell' anima tua ma senza fermarmi perché vuoi cosi 'Non vuoi che rinunci alla mia soltanto perché tu sei qui Dimmi chi sei Che stradda farai So che è la stessa che m'inventerei per noi
Insieme a te giorno per giorno Camminerò estate e inverno Più non avrò sete nell' anima Perché tu sei d'acqua e di musica Di fuoco e d'estasi Di verità Di fantasia Senza rimpianti La via dei canti io seguirò
Sento il passagio del tempo e vivo contento di quello che ho Con gli occhi della memoria ti accarezzerò Ma tu sei futuro e radici e quello che dici mi mostra la via Il canto da il nome alla terra che percorrerò Dimmi chi sei E' come farò Per ritrovarmi quando non sarai con me
Insieme a te giorno per giorno Camminerò estate e inverno Più non avro sete nell' anima Perché tu sei d'acqua e di musica Di fuoco e d'estasi Di verità Di fantasia Di libertà E di poesia Imparerò Saprò chi sei Senza ripianti La via dei canti io seguirò
unfortunately, i cannot find a translation for this song. the title, Insieme a te means "Together with you". it is a sad song because he is singing about what was, not what is. the affair is over.
"we were two lovers, two friends, two partners, two good ideas..."
on the sad news of a life well lived ending, i would be remiss in not posting my favorite Bea song - Bosom Buddies - from Mame.
i've previously posted the version of Bea singing it from the movie with Lucille Ball. here she is singing it with the person that made it famous with her - Angela Lansbury...
Mayor Richard J. Daley has announced that this Thursday, April 23, 2009, is 'Talk Like Shakespeare Day' in Chicago.
April 20, 2009 (CHICAGO) -- In honor of William Shakespeare's upcoming birthday, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has proclaimed "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" in the city.
Although Shakespeare's actual birth date is not known, many scholars believe it to have been on April 23, 1564, since the poet and playwright is known to have been baptized three days later.
This year, April 23 is Thursday.
In his recent proclamation, Daley urged Chicagoans to celebrate the occasion by bringing the spoken words of Shakespeare into their daily lives.
ABC7 Chicago News via the AP
so what's the big deal?
i tried to find a video of how Da Mayor normally speaks, but couldn't. he speaks soutside. that's not a typo. there is no /sh/ sound in soutside English. i should know; i speak it fluently.
well, not on a regular basis. with education you learn to speak differently, but i can slip right into it when i'm with friends or family. as a matter of fact, i just got of the phone with my cousin. "i's speakin' soutside wid'im" the entire time.
so, for Mayor Daley to proclaim this Thursday "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" is wonnerfull.
actually, it's also in conjunction with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater that is one of the greatest in the country. it won a national Tony Award a number of years ago for top regional theater. i've seen many incredible performances there over the years.
so, thou may speaketh on Thursday yon as if thy were with the Bard
but you may need to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" first...
The girls today in society Go for classical poetry, So to win their hearts one must quote with ease Aeschylus and Euripides. But the poet of them all Who will start 'em simply ravin' Is the poet people call The bard of Stratford-on-Avon.
Brush up your Shakespeare, Start quoting him now. Brush up your Shakespeare And the women you will wow. Just declaim a few lines from "Othella" And they think you're a heckuva fella. If your blonde won't respond when you flatter 'er Tell her what Tony told Cleopaterer, And if still, to be shocked, she pretends well, Just remind her that "All's Well That Ends Well." Brush up your Shakespeare And they'll all kowtow.
Brush up your Shakespeare, Start quoting him now. Brush up your Shakespeare And the women you will wow. If your goil is a Washington Heights dream Treat the kid to "A Midsummer Night Dream." If she fights when her clothes you are mussing, What are clothes? "Much Ado About Nussing." If she says your behavior is heinous Kick her right in the "Coriolanus." Brush up your Shakespeare And they'll all kowtow, And they'll all kowtow, And they'll all kowtow.
Brush up your Shakespeare, Start quoting him now. Brush up your Shakespeare And the women you will wow.
jazz is the great american music. along with the blues it is truly american. often misunderstood by many people it is an expressive music that deals with feelings and moods.
the legendary baseballer Yogi Berra is credited with an interview about jazz -
Interviewer: Can you explain jazz? Yogi: I can't, but I will. 90% of all jazz is half improvisation. The other half is the part people play while others are playing something they never played with anyone who played that part. So if you play the wrong part, its right. If you play the right part, it might be right if you play it wrong enough. But if you play it too right, it's wrong. Interviewer: I don't understand. Yogi: Anyone who understands jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it. Interviewer: Do you understand it? Yogi: No. That's why I can explain it. If I understood it, I wouldn't know anything about it. Interviewer: Are there any great jazz players alive today? Yogi: No. All the great jazz players alive today are dead. Except for the ones that are still alive. But so many of them are dead, that the ones that are still alive are dying to be like the ones that are dead. Some would kill for it. Interviewer: What is syncopation? Yogi: That's when the note that you should hear now happens either before or after you hear it. In jazz, you don't hear notes when they happen because that would be some other type of music. Other types of music can be jazz, but only if they're the same as something different from those other kinds. Interviewer: Now I really don't understand. Yogi: I haven't taught you enough for you to not understand jazz that well.
and what better example to not understand it than Wynton Marsalis and Willie Nelson singing "Ain't Nobody's Business" from their album Two Men with the Blues that was performed live on Jazz at Lincoln Center
There ain't nothing I can do, or nothing I can say, Some folks will criticize me. So I'm gonna do just what I want to anyway, And don't care if you all despise me.
If I should take a notion To jump into the ocean, It ain't nobody's business if I do.
If I go to church on Sunday And I shimmy down on Monday, It ain't nobody's business if I do.
And if my friend ain't got no money And I say, "All right, take all of mine honey," It ain't nobody's business if I do.
If I lend her my last nickel And it leaves me in a pickle, It ain't nobody's business if I do.
I would rather my gal would hit me Than to haul right up and quit me. It ain't nobody's business if I do.
I know that she won't call no copper If she gets beat up by her poppa. It ain't nobody's business if I do, Lord no. Well, it ain't nobody's business if I do
The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the murder of [Matthew] Shepard. The play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with inhabitants of the town, company members' own journal entries and published news reports. It is divided into three acts, and eight actors portray more than sixty characters in a series of short scenes. It was later adapted into a film of the same name.
if you are familiar with the history of the play and if you have been keeping up with the news for the last couple of weeks, you will know that it has been consistently targeted by Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church with hateful and unchristian taunts and protests at a lot of performances. Phelps and his daughter were barred from entering England last week and prevented from leading a protest at Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, Hampshire. though England has free speech laws, it also has laws that forbid inciting violence with hate speech.
"Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities.
"The Government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms.
"We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country.
in the United States we allow all groups to use their free speech right no matter how inciteful or hate-filled it is. that is a debate for another time.
a little over a month ago Dominican University discovered via the Westboro website [i will not provide a link] that the group is planning a protest the hour before today's performance. the latest communication i had from one of the manager's is that the daughter is scheduled to be part of the protest.
students at the University found out about the protest and have organized a counter-protest. they have, with great humility and conscience, decided to make it a silent counter-protest. it is the right thing to do. [IMHO]
below is a video of the song American Triangle that Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote about the murder of Matthew Shepard. the piece is powerful in itself. this version was put together with scenes from the film version of The Laramie Project. you will see some of the scenes that include the Phelps' group. the man playing Phelps eerily looks like the original. the signs they carry are exact replicas of the ones the group always carry.
besides productions of the play, for quite some time now Phelps and his crew have been doing these protests at the funerals of servicemembers killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq - with the exact same signs! one of the saddest things about the protesters is that they have always included their children, some as young as 5 or 6. the children use the same language as the adults.
i am going to post about what happens either when i get home this evening or tomorrow. i will also try to provide some photos, if possible. the University and the River Forest Police Department have prepared for this. they have set aside two areas - one for the students and one for them. i know all will go well. i will help, if need be. i may have to pull all of the Vietnam War protest techniques and experiences out of the back of my head. somehow i think it's going to be like riding a bicycle - once you've learned, you never forget.
and i did learn from some of the best...
please watch the video below. i have also included the lyric afterward.
and, please, send your good thoughts, feelings, prayers, vibes, novenas, or whatever your belief is to support the students of Dominican University.
American Triangle
Music by Elton John Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Seen him playing in his backyard Young boy just starting out So much history in this landscape So much confusion, so much doubt
Been there drinking on that front porch Angry kids, mean and dumb Looks like a painting, that blue skyline God hates fags where we come from
"Western skies" don't make it right "Home of the brave" don't make no sense I've seen a scarecrow wrapped in wire Left to die on a high ridge fence It's a cold, cold wind It's a cold, cold wind It's a cold wind blowing, Wyoming
See two coyotes run down a deer Hate what we don't understand You pioneers give us your children But it's your blood that stains their hands
"Western skies" don't make it right "Home of the brave" don't make no sense I've seen a scarecrow wrapped in wire Left to die on a high ridge fence It's a cold, cold wind It's a cold, cold wind It's a cold wind blowing, Wyoming
Somewhere that road forks up ahead To ignorance and innocence Three lives drift on different winds Two lives ruined, one life spent
"Western skies" don't make it right "Home of the brave" don't make no sense I've seen a scarecrow wrapped in wire Left to die on a high ridge fence It's a cold, cold wind It's a cold, cold wind It's a cold wind blowing, Wyoming
though my favorite song is Macarthur Park, Suzanne is absolutely close behind it - within millimeters. i find it to be a song about hope. written by Leonard Cohen, my favorite version is by Judy Collins, although she changed the first two lines of the last stanza. here is a version with both of them using original lyric for the last stanza.
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river You can hear the boats go by You can spend the night beside her And you know that she's half crazy But that's why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges That come all the way from China And just when you mean to tell her That you have no love to give her Then she gets you on her wavelength And she lets the river answer That you've always been her lover And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that she will trust you For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
And Jesus was a sailor When he walked upon the water And he spent a long time watching From his lonely wooden tower And when he knew for certain Only drowning men could see him He said "All men will be sailors then Until the sea shall free them" But he himself was broken Long before the sky would open Forsaken, almost human He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone And you want to travel with him And you want to travel blind And you think maybe you'll trust him For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.
Now Suzanne takes your hand And she leads you to the river She is wearing rags and feathers From Salvation Army counters And the sun pours down like honey On our lady of the harbour And she shows you where to look Among the garbage and the flowers There are heroes in the seaweed There are children in the morning They are leaning out for love And they will lean that way forever While Suzanne holds the mirror And you want to travel with her And you want to travel blind And you know that you can trust her For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.
i've seen Judy Collins almost every time she's performed in Chicago all the way back to the days of the Gate of Horn - that was quite a while ago.
Leonard Cohen did a tour of Europe and Australia last year and has announced a U.S. tour this summer. he's 74 years young. i do believe i will be buying tickets if Chicago is included...
she would have been 100 today. she's a hoot and always will be. this is my favorite of all the extant footage of her. yes... it's so gay!
The Lady In The Tutti Frutti Hat Sung by Carmen Miranda Written for: The Gang's All Here (1943) Lyric: Leo Robin Music: Harry Warren
I wonder why does ev'rybody look at me And then begin to talk about a Christmas tree? I hope that means that ev'ryone is glad to see The lady in the tutti-frutti hat. The gentlemen, they want to make me say, "Si, si, " But I don't tell them that, I tell them, "Yes, sir-ee!" And maybe that is why they come for dates to me, The lady in the tutti-frutti hat. Some people say I dress too gay, But ev'ry day, I feel so gay; And when I'm gay, I dress that way, Is something wrong with that? Americanos tell me that my hat is high, Because I will not take it off to kiss a guy; But if I ever start to take it off, ay, ay! I do that once for Johnny Smith And he is very happy with The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.
You hear a lot of people shouting, "There she goes! " You see a señorita dressed in flashy clothes, In Rio de Janeiro, ev'rybody knows The lady in the tutti-frutti hat. When she begins to sing a song in Portuguese, The temp'rature goes up a hundred more degrees; Although they're freezing prices, they would never freeze The lady in the tutti-frutti hat. It isn't any wonder that She likes her native habitat, 'Cause when she has to pick a hat, She picks it off the trees. She always has a half a dozen Romeos, And when they come to sing a serenade, she throws A lemon or banana like you throw a rose, But Casanovas still prefer That hep and happy character, The lady in the tutti-frutti hat.
they were really dirty lyrics back then... not to mention the bananas... i wonder what they were really thinking???
silly me...
Some people say I dress too gay, But ev'ry day, I feel so gay; And when I'm gay, I dress that way, Is something wrong with that?
I'll be damned Here comes your ghost again But that's not unusual It's just that the moon is full And you happened to call And here I sit Hand on the telephone Hearing a voice I'd known A couple of light years ago Heading straight for a fall
As I remember your eyes Were bluer than robin's eggs My poetry was lousy you said Where are you calling from? A booth in the midwest Ten years ago I bought you some cufflinks You brought me something We both know what memories can bring They bring diamonds and rust
Well you burst on the scene Already a legend The unwashed phenomenon The original vagabond You strayed into my arms And there you stayed Temporarily lost at sea The Madonna was yours for free Yes the girl on the half-shell Would keep you unharmed
Now I see you standing With brown leaves falling around And snow in your hair Now you're smiling out the window Of that crummy hotel Over Washington Square Our breath comes out white clouds Mingles and hangs in the air Speaking strictly for me We both could have died then and there
Now you're telling me You're not nostalgic Then give me another word for it You who are so good with words And at keeping things vague Because I need some of that vagueness now 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
if you're not aware, Joan Baez wrote this song after her breakup with Bob Dylan
