In case you hadn’t heard, an eclipse is coming.
I am more than well aware of this fact because here in western North
Carolina, you simply can’t get away from it.
Virtually every business from the local spice shop to dog groomers are selling
“official” eclipse glasses. And every store already has t-shirts for sale that
announce: “I saw the Eclipse in ____" (You fill in the blank.)
Apparently everyone from Asheville and Hendersonville to Highlands will be
able to see this rare event. And they can buy a t-shirt to prove it to the
unlucky folks who aren’t in the direct path!
Here’s what NASA has to say: On Monday, August 21, 2017, all of North
America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the path of
totality can see one of nature’s most awe inspiring sights - a total solar
eclipse. This path, where the moon will completely cover the sun and the sun's
tenuous atmosphere - the corona - can be seen, will stretch from Salem, Oregon
to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a
partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk.
National
Public Radio reminds us that during the event, “many astronomers and
citizen-scientist volunteers will gaze up towards the sun and join a long line
of eclipse scholars that includes Plutarch, the Babylonians, ancient imperial
astronomers in China, and even Thomas Edison.”
Sunshine Superman Thomas Edison |
To
be honest, I’m not all that excited. But for the folks who are, I will pray it
doesn’t rain.
In
the meantime, I thought it would be fun to look back on some great oldies that
“revolve” around the sun. Here are a few
of the all-time most popular songs as determined by voters on the website,
Ranker.
“Here
Comes the Sun” by the Beatles.
George
Harrison wrote the song in Eric Clapton’s garden using one of Clapton’s
acoustic guitars. In a documentary called The
Material World, Eric talked about writing the song with Harrison. “It was
one of those beautiful spring mornings. I think it was April, we were just
walking around the garden with our guitars. He (George) was just a magical
guy... we sat down at the bottom of the garden, looking out, … and he began to
sing the opening lines and I just watched this thing come to life."
“Sunny
Afternoon” by The Kinks
“Warmth
of the Sun” by the Beach Boys
“I’ll
Follow the Sun” by the Beatles
“Don’t
Let the Sun Catch you Crying” by Gerry and the Pacemakers
“Lucky
Old Sun” by Ray Charles
“Summer
in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful
(Which
interestingly, does not contain the word “sun”.)
“The
Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” by the Walker Brothers.
Of
course there are dozens, maybe hundreds of songs about some phase of the sun.
Do you have a favorite?
The
approach of the eclipse made me think about the song “Blinded by the Light”,
written by Bruce Springsteen and performed by the Manfred Mann Earth Band. Towards
the end of the song we hear:
“Mama
always told me not to look into the eye’s of the sun.
But
Mama, that’s where the fun is.”
I was also thinking about one of my favorite songs “Red Rubber Ball” by the Cyrkle.
Lead singer Don Dannemon explained that the character in the song learns his lesson after falling for a cheating woman, overcomes
heartbreak and faces a bright future. "He's had enough and is totally over it."
"And I think it's gonna be alright
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball”
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' like a red rubber ball”
Thank goodness for the Cyrkle and songwriter Paul Simon,
there was no eclipse scheduled for that day.