Is forever really attainable
I place my heart on my sleeve
Will you still remember me
Years after my unchosen
Time to leave
Tears may fall
But they will dry
While the clock continues to tick
Could we still connect after
The last goodbye
Feelings may change
As the seconds quickly
Change to days
They say time heals
I hope it’s just a delay.
I listen to a lot of music.
Now I have a way to justify that statement.
Spotify gives me a rundown of the year of listening.
That be mucho minutes.
It works out to about 9 hours a day….
Every day….
For 365 days a year.
I was kind of surprised with the Buddhist chant music as the number 1, but I’ve been working fairly diligently on my inner peace.
I listened to 2611 different artists within 101 different genres.
I listened to more music than 97% of the platform users in the United States.
Top 3%. That puts me on the medal platform…..
First place on the platform will be mine….even she can sense it!
Next year I’m coming for that 1st place envelope… better strap those pink rain boots on tight and be ready for my symphony of victory….
A talk with a lost loved one….through music.
Sometimes time doesn’t heal. It waits for you to meet again
During all my years of existence, which is quite a few. There has been one constant-
Music.
Through childhood, teen years, adulthood, marriage, divorce, depression, addiction, jail time, looney bin, sobriety, another marriage (this one for good), being a stepfather, and up to starting this blog, music has been there.
Much like writing I believe music serves a purpose.
I mean…that’s why we all do this…
To tell a story…ignite an emotion or 2..or just to get away from…..whatever you need to get away from.
That what blogging and music does…at least for me.
I have prepared a couple of selections that take me away-
This first one just tells the story of attempted redemption.
I’m a believer in video killed the radio star, so this is just audio.
I love the Spanish guitar in this song. Reminds me growing up in the west texas town of El Paso.
Next…a bit of the blues. I think if you Google the word cool this guys picture should show up. Regardless, he’s a freaking legend. .
Here is a a nod to a young Texas lady that has it all. The voice, the guitar work, and a great sound.
Let’s see…I got the country, blues. And acoustic covered. Time to hit with rhe heavy stuff.
I think this should be the biggest rock band in the world…just an opinion..
Music…it feeds the soul.
A special shout out to Pooja G at lifesfinewhine here on wordpress. She posted a music post and I decided to do the same. Check her blog out I’m sure she would appreciate it.
I ain’t as young as I once was….I ain’t as old as I’ll ever be.
Ageism – stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. This may be casual or systematic.
This word and definition is a basic description of what has happened to the music I grew up with…..although the terminology is not quite as direct.
The music I so fondly am referring to is not classified as a genre such as rock or rap.
It was at one time……
But that time was long ago and is long gone.
Now the proper way to reference it is a subtle…..
YET QUITE OBVIOUS
form of ageism.
It is systematically making me feel uncasual about my age.
I’m not getting old…..
I’m classic….
I’m old school…..
I’m clumped into a decade that has decayed.
The hair bands all have receding hair lines.
The gangsta rappers who fought the power are now media moguls and moviestars.
And, I’m here stuck with assless chaps, a big clock necklace, boombox, and enough spandex and aqua net to start a worthless revolution.
Yeah…well…we all want to change the world.
Being labeled is wrong.
I will not stand for it.
Besides….
It’s time for my afternoon nap.
Few artists have the bravo to come onto the scene, kicking in the doors of a genre that…by looks…they would never fit into.
And then came “The Beastie Boys”.
Originally a punk band…true…that made noise with an self released album named “Cooky Puss”.
They grasped hold of the hip hop scene with their huge album “License To Ill”, which when released had no images of the band.
They let the music do the talking.
The rest is music history.
For this week, I chose my favorite Beastie track off their album “Paul’s Boutique”. It brings the funk and pays homage to none other than “Saturday Night Fever” and the disco era.
The cover is quite entertaining as well. 2 guys, 1 guitar, a bucket and a cowbell.
Ain’t it funky, now!
The Beastie Boys…..you have been covered on Sunday.
He walked out of the bathroom of their small 1 bedroom apartment and out into the main room, where his girlfriend of over 6 years sat and filed her nails.
He knew it was time to finally ask her. He couldn’t take the what if’s that ran through his mind anymore.
He had to be straightforward and direct. Confidence was the key.
She looked up at him as he walked into the room and smiled.
He returned the smile and approached her as his hands began to sweat.
“Honey…I need to ask you something…” He began as he faced her.
“Ok.” She kindly replied.
He glanced at the floor, knelt down on one knee and placed what was in his hand on the floor next to him.
He looked up at her lovingly, paused, smiled and began,
“Eve…would you…”
Her heart began to race before he could finish. She jumped up and exclaimed,
“YES YES OF COURSE I WILL MARRY YOU!…I need to call my Mother…she doesn’t think you are good enough for me….never has…..but it doesn’t matter now…we are getting married!! I need a dress….we need to start making plans…O….M…..G…bridesmaids…how many? What color for their dresses…we need to learn a cool dance like those ones on the youtube! Wait…wait.,,.before I do anything.. I need the ring….where’s the ring?….PUT IT ON MY FINGER!!”
She said as she stuck her left hand out while continuing her happy dance.
He looked at her bewildered, stood up from his kneeling position and replied,
“I…I…I don’t have a ring…”
“No ring? What do you mean no ring? Don’t you know the rules of engagement? I NEED A RING!” She answered.
“I wasn’t asking you to marry me….” He began as he knelt down and picked up what he had placed next to himself and cautiously continued,
“I was gonna ask….would you please remember to put the cap back on the toothpaste after you use it….it gets all crusty and then SHOOTS out without warning.”
As he spoke he handed her the tube with the crusty top.
She looked at it and replied,
“Toothpaste crust? Then why did you get down on one knee?”
He looked down and pointed as he replied,
“My shoelace is untied.”
I must not have been doing a good job at choosing this weeks selection, because every song I picked, my lovely wife started preaching to me at how awful they were.
“I have never listened to anything that bad”
“Please….TURN THAT OFF!”
Ugh.
So I did, what I believe, any other frustrated husband would do….
“If my picks are so bad, then why don’t you pick a song and I will find a suitable cover for it.”
Only my wife would be able to pick a song, by an iconic artist, none the less, that really has has very few covers that are….original.
“Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna
First off….Madonna does not bring out my inner child.
Second off….there is no second….I just couldn’t write first off without a second.
The popular covers I found were by Kelli Osbourne, the cast from GLEE, and Celine Dion.
Ugh times 3.
Others were decent but all attempted to sound like Madonna….and that’s not what I do here.
So… I settled on this violin version. She is easy on the eyes and her version is easy on the ears.
I give you a Madonna cover by someone with a name I can’t pronounce much less write.
Enjoy.
Just to prove I am still in charge, here is a bonus DEATH METAL version. If you can make it all the way through without cringing….treat yourself to a blow pop.
By request of my wife….
Madonna….by request of my wife….
You have been covered on Sunday.
Longevity in the music business is harder to accomplish than trying to staple jello to a tree……it’s a rare feat.
But it happens.
It is even harder to stick around when your music is rarely heard on the radio or garnishes attention from the “critics” who make their living deciding what is worth listening to.
But it happens.
One band has been together since 1975……that is almost 4 decades.
As of 2010- over 85 MILLION records sold and have played well over 2000 live shows.
They have survived disco, punk, new wave, hair metal, grunge, bubblegum pop, hip hop, rap…..in 40 years you can pretty much surpass whoever you want.
Iron Maiden.
The greatest 3 guitarist band on the globe.
They are troopers.
Here they are…live, playing “The Trooper”
You would think that all I could find would be heavy metal covers for this song….
Oh contrare monfrare.
This band is respected across the spectrum.
For cover 1, I decided to add some freaking culture to your Sunday. I will quit harping about it and just give ya the goods-
For cover 2, we go all backwoods on ya with Steve ‘n Seagulls-
IRON MAIDEN…..you have been covered on Sunday…..twice.
Canada is known as “the great white north”….at least that’s what the Mackenzie brothers told me.
They are known for more than back bacon, hockey, second city, RUSH, and Bryan Adams.
But,
tragically, Canada gets the short end of the stick for really hip bands…
Or do they?
They are home to one great band that, in my mind, has never achieved the worldwide recognition they deserve.
The Tragically Hip
Back in my days of living on the border…..the other border….down south…you know, Mexico…
I used to bartend at a downtown hotel bar. Once in a while, out of town bands would stay there.
It was there, that I met and was introduced to The Tragically Hip. We talked a while. They even gave me tickets to the show.
Being a hotel bar, we closed at 11 on slow nights, which gave me a chance to make the show.
I have been a fan ever since.
Here is their most well known song, eh.
From “That Night In Toronto” I give you….
“New Orleans Is Sinking”
As far as covers go, they were pretty difficult to come by.
Like I said earlier, not a very well known band outside of Canada.
But,
I found one I that does it justice and is quite hip in its own way.
The band- Nikita’s Reason.
With an acoustic version…2 guitars…one voice.
Her reason…..cuz the song kicks ass.
I hope to one day take the trip up north to enjoy all things Canadian. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the music and the blogs that reside beyond the northern border.
The Tragically Hip…..you have been covered on Sunday.
Good2begone 