Saturday, December 17, 2016

Joy to the World (and I don't mean the Three Dog Night version)




Not long ago I received a message from Facebook reminding me of a “memory”, a posting I’d written back in 2011.

In that posting I talked about a holiday special that was coming up – “ A Very Gaga Thanksgiving”.  

Here was my comment from 2011: I guess I'm showing my age but I fondly recall the Perry Como specials. It wasn't Thanksgiving without Mr. C singing “Bless this House”.

For those of you who loved those programs as well, here's Perry's version of “O Holy Night”. With all due respect to Lady Gaga (and I do like many of her songs) I can’t imagine her doing justice to “There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays”.





Five years later I still love the traditional tunes from “Up on the Housetop” and “We Need a Little Christmas” to  “God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen”. We used to sing these songs in school (again, I’m showing my age.)


But I also have come to love some of the new takes on old treasures. Who could resist Kermit the Frog belting out “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”?


Some newer songs and performers have joined my holiday playlist. I was blown away by Jordan Smith’s rendition of “Mary Did You Know” on The Voice last year. It literally gave me chills. Small wonder Jordan won the entire competition.




Perhaps my favorite of all time is a little known tune by Peter, Paul and Mary called “A ‘Soulin”. There’s just something about it that strikes a chord with me. Sorry for the poor video quality – simply close your eyes and listen.




You can find some lovely lyrics in holiday songs.  “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.” “Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow.”  “Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.”

And some dumb ones, like this line from “Little Saint Nick”: “Christmas comes this time each year.”


No matter what your musical tastes, we all have a favorite we long to hear every year.  What is your special song? Listen and enjoy because the season is short.


Have yourself a merry little Christmas.










Sunday, November 6, 2016

For What Its Worth




Decisions, decisions. We’re faced with them every day. What to eat for dinner.  Who to vote for. Red or white wine. Should I stay or should I go?
    
Many years ago, I was faced with a very difficult career decision. I had the choice of staying in a safe, comfortable writing job or taking a more challenging position where I’d either make a name for myself or be out on my ear very quickly.
          
That weekend, I couldn’t muster the confidence to make a final decision. Then, driving to work Monday morning, I happened to hear “Wasted On The Way”  by Crosby, Stills and Nash. The lyrics gave me the mental shove I needed.
                  Oh, when you were young
                  Did you question all the answers
                  Did you envy all the dancers
                  Who had all the nerve?
                  Look around you now                 
                  You must go for what you wanted
                  Look at all my friends who did
                  And got what they deserved. 
        
Unfortunately, the oldies don’t contain the answers to all of life’s mysteries. But if you listen closely, you might discover food for thought. There’s advice, social commentary, observations about life and living. Proverbs and truisms. Bright little gems you may have missed before.

So next time you’re looking for a little inspiration, common sense or unbiased guidance, don’t consult a shrink, Plato or tarot cards.
          
Just turn on the radio.





Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong.
                 
                  “For What It’s Worth”
                  Buffalo Springfield

  
You can’t please everyone
so you’ve got to please yourself.

“Garden Party”
 Rick Nelson


         










           No lover’s promise ever came with a maybe.
        
             “Stars”
                        Simply Red

           I took off my watch and found I had all the time in the world.

                  “Time for Living”
                  The Association

         Wake up and get your education
         So you can keep your family alive.
        Get away from negative situations.
        They will only bring you a lot of frustration.

                  “Only the Strong Survive”
                    Jerry Butler

       Why in the world are we here?
       Surely not to live in pain and fear.

                “Instant Karma”
                 John Lennon


       People say believe half of what you see,
       and none of what you hear.

         “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
         Marvin Gaye

      A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.

          “The Boxer”
          Simon and Garfunkel

       God grant me the serenity to remember who I am.

        “Games People Play”
         Joe South


When I’m 33, I’ll quit. That’s the time when a man has to do something else. I can’t say what it will definitely be. I couldn’t bear to end up as an Elvis Presley and sing in Las Vegas with all those housewives and old ladies coming in with their handbags. It’s really sick.

              -Mick Jagger, 1972


     What a drag it is getting old.

     “Mother’s Little Helper”
      The Rolling Stones


     Don’t hang on. Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.
     It slips away. And all your money won’t another minute buy.

    “Dust In The Wind” 
     Kansas


Young and beautiful,
someday your looks will be gone.

“Love Will Keep Us Together”    
         The Captain and Tennille


Lighten up while you still can.

         “Take It Easy”
         The Eagles



 Well it seems to me that you have seen
too much in too few years.

         “19th Nervous Breakdown”
         The Rolling Stones



 Old Cody, Junior took me over
Said “You’re gonna find the world is smoulderin.”
If you get lost come on home to Green River.

         “Green River”
         Creedence Clearwater Revival     


You can spend all your time making money,
you can spend all your love making time.

         “Take It To The Limit”
         The Eagles


And you, of the tender years
Can’t know the fears
That your elders grew by.

         “Teach Your Children”
         Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young



For you know that it’s a fool
who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder.

         “Hey Jude”
                  The Beatles



“There’s no time to lose,” I heard her say.
Catch your dreams before they slip away.

         “Ruby Tuesday”
         The Rolling Stones

They while away the hours
In their ivory towers
To be covered up with flowers
In the back of a black limosene.
          
       “Games People Play”
         Joe South


Don’t trust your soul
to no backwoods Southern lawyer.

         “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”
         Vicki Lawrence



All work and no play
has just cost me a wife.

         “Take A Letter Maria”
         R.B. Greaves

You shouldn’t let other people get your kicks for you.

        "Like a Rolling Stone"
          Bob Dylan
 

 We are but a moment’s sunlight
fading in the grass.

         “Get Together”
         The Youngbloods







No matter what you do,
You’ll never get away from you.

         “Kicks”
          Paul Revere and the Raiders



Where life’s river flows
No one really knows
‘Til someone’s there to show the way
To lasting love.

         “Everlasting Love”
         Carl Carlton




Without love, where would you be now?

         “Long Train Running”
         The Doobie Brothers



When you believe in things
that you don’t understand
then you suffer.
Superstition ain’t the way.

         “Superstition”
         Stevie Wonder


Oz never did give nothing to the Tinman that he didn’t already have.

         “Tinman”
         America


Love has a nasty habit of
disappearing overnight.

         “I’m Looking Through You”
         The Beatles


Your ever-lastin summer, you can see it fadin’ fast,
So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last.

         “Reelin’ In The Years”
         Steely Dan


You, always contemplating happiness,
in case it should find you—
Can’t you see that it’s all around you?

         “Pied Piper” 
         Crispian St. Peter


 A friend will always be there
if you’re wrong, or if you’re right.

         “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight?”
         Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart



But there never seems to be enough time
to do the things you want to do
once you find them.

         “Time In A Bottle”
         Jim Croce


Hey farmer, farmer,
put away the D.D.T now,
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and bees.

         “Big Yellow Taxi”
         Joni Mitchell

• The more I see, the less I know for sure. - John Lennon


When I was younger, so much younger than today
I never needed anybody’s help in anyway.
But now these days are gone, I’m not so self-assured.
Now I find I’ve changed my mind,
I’ve opened up the doors.

         “Help”
                  The Beatles


         Do you only care about the bleeding crowd,
         how about a needy friend?

                  “Easy To Be Hard”
                  Three Dog Night
        
        

         It’s a long, long road
         from which there is no return.
         While we’re on the way to there
         why not share?

                  “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”
                  The Hollies


        
         Life is too short to have sorrow.
         We may be here today and gone tomorrow.

                  “Tell It Like It Is”
                  Aaron Neville

        
        
         You see, war is not the answer
         for only love can conquer hate.

                  “What’s Going On”
                  Marvin Gaye


        
         It’s so easy to hurt others
         when you can’t feel pain.

                  “Rich Girl”
                  Hall and Oates

 Q. What’s the smartest thing you ever heard anybody in rock & roll say?
  A. Be-bop-a-lula, she’s my baby. - Paul Simon
        
         If I’d never loved
         I never would have cried.

                  “I Am A Rock”
                  Simon and Garfunkle
        

        
          

         Life is very short and there’s no time
         for fussing and fighting, my friend.

                  “We Can Work It Out”
                  The Beatles

        
         No one can tell what the future knows.

                  “This Is It”
                  Kenny Loggins


         You may say that I’m a dreamer.
         But I’m not the only one.

                  “Imagine”
                  John Lennon

        
        
         Now I’m not the kind
         to live in the past.
         The years run too short,
         and the days too fast.

                  “Time Passages”
                  Al Stewart



         You gotta make your own kind of music,
         sing your own special song.
         Even if nobody else sings along.

                  “Make Your Own Kind Of Music”
                  Mama Cass



        Yeah, city folk drivin in a black limousine,
        A lotta sad people thinkin' that's mighty keen.


                  Thank God I’m A Country Boy
                  John Denver

        
        
        
         And in the end,
         The love you take
         Is equal to
         The love you make.

                  “The End”
                  The Beatles