6/5 – 12/5/24 – May Pang, Son of Man & Starfish

Posted on May 13, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments
news on the march

Welcome to Monday’s News on the March – The week that was in my digital world.

Meeting May Pang
Blog article at PowerPop

Max at PowerPop has made it no secret his adoration and fascination with the Beatles over the years. It has been enjoyable to partake in part of that journey including reading some of his more slightly askew and personal stories including Meeting May Pang:

My son Bailey asked me if I wanted to go to an Art Gallery with him today to meet May Pang. Last year I saw a May Pang book at a yard sale and gave it to him. He enjoyed the book and then got her new book of photographs she took of John Lennon, Keith Moon, George Harrison, Elton John, Bowie, Ringo, Paul McCartney (John and Paul last one together), Harry Nilsson, and more that she met when John and she were together in 1973-1975.

John left Yoko in 1973 to start his 18-month “lost weekend” with May Pang. She had access to a new world. Pang has a documentary out right now on their relationship. It’s called “The Lost Weekend…A Love Story.” Lennon talked to May Pang up until he was murdered. From what others have said…John thought about staying with Pang.

Bailey had some questions for her so he talked to her and got a picture taken…she was extremely nice to us. We couldn’t take any pictures of the photos on display.

Anyway, it was pretty cool to be there. The only person I met who was connected with the Beatles was an actual ex-Beatle…Pete Best.

Here are a few of the pictures that were on display. They also had some with the rest of the Beatles, Nilsson, and a few others. Also…John’s hand-signing the document that dissolved The Beatles in 1974 at Disney World.

Professor Ali Ataie discusses the Son of Man: Who was he?
Video interview at Blogging Theology

For months now I have been listening to Theology presentations before going to bed. I have featured some of these here at News on the March including from John Hamer, James Tabor & Bart Ehrman. I find them settling and cathartic as a prelude to sleep, but just sometimes there are discussions which are just too ‘eyeopening’ and enriching that ‘rest’ could never be induced. This presentation from Blogging Theology is one such example. I cannot recommend it more highly for enthusiasts on Biblical History, in particular of the early Christian period and Biblical phraseology (and their historicity) such as ‘Son of Man‘:

(from 4:16) ‘So let’s talk about the Son of Man but before we look at the actual text of Daniel 7. Let’s first answer the question what does the Aramaic construct phrase or Son of Man even mean..it simply means a human being. A mortal, a man literally a son of a human. So this phrase also appears in hebrew in the tanakh as ben adam you’ll find it many times for example as you know in the book of Ezekiel and other books as well. We also find it in numerous hadith of the Prophet Muhammad….. 

Starfish – A Short Story!
Short story at Sharon’s Writers Tidbits

I was thrilled to read from my good friend Sharon that one of her poems has been published in Spillwords press. It will feature here in an upcoming News on the March edition. For now I would like to forward her latest short story Starfish which just like her previous entry here A Boy And A Horse – A Tale of Magic! is a captivating reading experience because it is so nuanced and gracefully worded. Without further ado I present to you Starfish:

The sand felt hot and grainy as Gareth and Eve walked along the beach.

‘Here?’ He chanced glancing at Eve.

‘Yes, this is fine,’ Eve replied before rolling out a large beach towel on the golden sand. Gareth followed suit, then gazed around admiringly.

‘This really is a good choice Eve, nice and secluded.’

‘Would you?’ Eve responded holding out a bottle of suntan lotion, ‘thanks!’

Gareth did as requested before smearing the lotion on his own arms and legs and then gestured for Eve to do his back. The sun was hot even in the shade of the large greying rocks behind them. It was a welcome break from the dreary overcast weather of London. Gareth sighed with contentment before turning his head to look at his fiance. His eyebrows shot up with bemusement.

‘Eve, what’s happening? What are you doing?’

‘This is my starfish impersonation.’

‘I see,’ Gareth replied solemnly. ‘Eve, what grown woman lies on a beach, arms and legs wide apart like that?’

‘Stop being such a wet blanket,’ she retorted, ‘we are very secluded here besides.’

‘Sometimes I feel I don’t really know you,’ Gareth pressed on mildly troubled.

‘That’s nonsense!’ Eve replied squinting into the clear blue sky. In the far distance children were yelling and playing excitedly.

‘Hmm!’

‘Please allow me to think my thoughts on this gorgeous beach,’ Eve implored.

‘I’d give you a penny them, but I don’t have that kind of money!’

Eve sat up and peered at her fiance intensely before speaking. ‘You know everything about me. You know about Jason, and that we have been divorced for four years now. That’s over with.’

‘But sometimes I get the impression you still have feelings for him,’ Gareth said uncertainly. I mean, I know you’re still in touch with him.’

Eve shot him a cautionary look.

‘What’s that look for?’

‘Because if I want to be in touch with an old friend, I don’t see what could be wrong with that. You can’t expect a woman of thirty-seven to not have had a past,’ she continued in a brittle voice.

Gareth looked into the distance, calmed by the blueness of the sea, the frothy waves gently nudging the shore. He turned and felt dazzled despite himself as he looked at Eve. Thick brown hair tumbled down her back, golden after only a few days in the Algarve.

‘What I also want to know is, what’s your fascination with those starfish anyway?’ He enquired now.

Eve’s eyes snapped open. ‘I like them because they are mysterious and resilient creatures of the sea.’

‘Really! Is that so! They just look like giant creepy crawlies to me!’

Eve shook her head, ‘I can understand why you would say that but I see them differently, and when I’m in there,’ she nodded in the direction of the water, ‘I feel at one with nature.’

Looking at Eve’s long arms and legs Gareth didn’t doubt that for a moment. Sometimes he wondered if she originated from the sea, and was some sort of undiscovered marine creature!

This knowledge did nothing to sooth Gareth’s building concerns however, if anything it only seemed to deepen them.

‘Eve, we’re getting married next year and I just want to be sure of you, but sometimes your actions make that difficult.’

‘Actions?’ Eve arched a dark brown eyebrow.

In the distance families were drifting back to their hotel rooms as it was almost evening. Soon sunset would descend in all its pink and orange glory.

‘Take last night,’ Gareth pressed on in a lowered voice, ‘when we were intimate, I felt that I wasn’t reaching you and certainly not moving you.’ His voice caught in his throat at the last submission.

‘You know what I think?’ Eve said with the flicker of an arm, ‘You think too much. Or could this be your way of saying you are having doubts about next year and want to pin it on me?’

‘I am not saying that at all! I certainly want to marry you next June, but if you need more time to think about it, then please let me know, instead of shutting me out of here,’ Gareth pressed his heart region faintly.

‘Yes,’ I want to marry you, ‘ Eve replied lightly, ‘now let’s go for a swim,’ she added standing up quickly and taking hasty strides to the water. Gareth rose to his feet.

Gareth was amazed by Eve’s transformation. She, unlike him, was a strong swimmer and came alive in the water. Her arms and legs sliced through the water with such ease. The look of pure bliss on her face was captivating. Gareth flapped around clumsily for a short while before heading back to shore.

‘Don’t forget we have a table booked for 7.30,’ he hollowed over the din of the crashing sea.

‘What?!’

‘Dinner later!’

‘Oh that!’ Eve bellowed back. ‘If I’m not back by next June, don’t wait for me!’

With that Gareth collected his beach things and headed for the hotel. He turned around just as Eve plunged back underwater with a huge splash. In that moment he saw clearly why Eve had such a fascination with the sea and its creatures. She was one of them, elusive and mysterious. He also conceded, she was no good on dry land.

How could he have known you could never fully capture someone like that. With a final glance he walked heavily across the sand.

The End

news on the march the end
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Posted in Reading, Movies and TV, News

Essence (2023) – Refeci (ft. Shimmer Johnson)

Posted on May 12, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

My blog doesn’t contain much electronic dance music, but I couldn’t let today’s song Essence fall through the cracks. Thanks to Jeff at Eclectic Music Lover, who has oftentimes been the source from which I have found wonderful new music, I was familiarised with this transcendental track by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Shimmer Johnson in collaboration with Danish electronic artist Refeci. He selected Essence as number 7 on his ‘100 best songs of 2023‘ list.

I will turn this post over to Jeff since I was unable to ascertain pertinent information about this song or these artists distinct from what Jeff has already published. Jeff is ‘in the know’ unlike yours truly. Also, such is his dedication to showcase new music he is often in contact with a lot of artists that he brings to the fore on his web site.

Refeci and Shimmer recently teamed up to create a captivating dance song “Essence“, released through the LOUDKLOUT label on February 17th. Refeci’s pulsating dance beats are overlain with hauntingly beautiful piano chords and gauzy atmospheric synths, creating a mesmerizing and sensuous soundscape for Shimmer’s enchanting ethereal vocals that transport us to a dreamy, faraway place. The simple lyrics speak to the importance of remaining true to oneself: “Don’t ever ever doubt your life. Make a wish and just believe. Find the path that’s right. It’s the essence of life.”

Refeci is a brilliant Danish DJ and electronic house music producer who’s been making music since his mid teens, both as a solo artist and a collaborator with numerous musicians and vocalists. Now 23 years old, he’s released an impressive amount of music since 2016, and five of his singles have garnered many millions of streams on Spotify alone.

Shimmer Johnson is a singer-songwriter and musician with the voice of an angel. Originally from Edmonton, Canada with professional ties to Los Angeles, Shimmer has an incredibly beautiful and resonant singing voice. In addition to her amazing vocal talents, she’s also a fine guitarist and pianist, and has collaborated with several songwriters and producers to create an impressive repertoire of outstanding songs over the past several years. She started out singing Country songs, but eventually branched out into adult contemporary pop, rock and dance music, all of which she manages to handle with ease. I’ve written about her numerous times on this blog, and one of the songs I’ve featured, her terrific dance single “Starts With You”, went all the way to on my Weekly Top 30.
– Jeff at Eclectic Music Lover (Fresh New Tracks, Vol. 24 – 9fm, Callum Pitt, Refeci ft. Shimmer Johnson)

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All That She Wants (1992) – Ace of Base

Posted on May 7, 2024 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

On the weekend we were talking about another Swedish Europop centric band Roxette when cursory flashbacks of today’s featured song popped into my head. Finally the group name came to me and a I breathed a sigh of relief because this song All That She Wants by Ace of Base should have been in my music project from the outset. I remember distinctly when, where and with whom I was when I first heard this song. The experience follows closely my encounter with Bob Marley’s Mr. Brown which I wrote about recently:
I was in recess from my studies at the Academy as a late teen, I visited friends who lived in Coogee, a beach side suburb in Sydney. When we driving in our friend’s car along the windy roads following the coast, Paul our charismatic sidekick put today’s song on. I loved it straight off the bat.

All That She Wants is another one of those countless pop songs (in similar vain to Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now) where I much prefer the verses over the saturating chorus. This song has just two verses; I wish it had at least another verse in place of a chorus. But what the heck do I know because All That She Wants went to number 1 in 12 countries and certified platinum with over 1 million sales. This reggae-inspired style of Europop is about a woman who looks for many different sexual partners instead of a romantic partner. You could have less interesting subject matter…. I thought initially “baby” was synonymous with her desiring to get “knocked-up” instead of meaning “boyfriend”.

[Intro]
She leads a lonely life
She leads a lonely life

[Verse 1]
When she woke up late in the morning light
And the day had just begun
She opened up her eyes and thought
“Oh, what a morning”
It’s not a day for work
It’s a day for catching tan
Just lying on the beach and having fun
She’s going to get ya

[Chorus]
All that she wants is another baby
She’s gone tomorrow, boy
All that she wants is another baby, yeah
All that she wants is another baby
She’s gone tomorrow, boy
All that she wants is another baby, yeah

[Verse 2]
So, if you are in sight and the day is right
She’s the hunter, you’re the fox
The gentle voice that talks to you
Won’t talk forever
It is a night for passion
But the morning means goodbye
Beware of what is flashing in her eyes
She’s going to get ya

All That She Wants was released in Scandinavia in August 1992 as the second single from the group’s first studio album, Happy Nation (1992), and in the following year, it was released as the first single from the 1993 album The Sign in North America. I remarked to my son Jesus Mateo what a ‘looker‘ I thought the lead singer Malin Berggren was, which he was in concordance especially in their other big hit The Sign. Also she strikes some resemblance with one of the greatest Swedish singers in contemporary music Agnetha Fältskog during her apex years with ABBA.

References:
1. All That She Wants – Wikipedia

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Quiero (2001) – Jerry Rivera

Posted on May 5, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Quiero (Jerry Rivera song) - Wikipedia

Puerto Rican Jerry Rivera is back again, this time with his enticing hit Quiero (I Want). Unlike his previous entries here entailing ’emblematic’ romantic Salsa music, ‘Quiero‘ is a stand alone love ballad. I find it hard not to be carried away by the lure and charm of his voice and the music which conveys this light and happiness of someone ‘in love’. Quiero has become one of Jerry Rivera’s most popular and enduring songs, and it continues to resonate with fans especially here in Latin America.
Rivera was one of the first Latin music artists who I took an immediate liking to. To this day Jerry’s music runs amok on Colombian airwaves. I feel quite nostalgic towards Quiero because it is one of the first songs (amongst the other ones that have featured here) I can remember hearing after arriving in Colombia.

A crude English translation follows of a segment of Quiero)

If my world turns into a nightmare
Suddenly you come to light up my life
You are the light that illuminates my sky
You are the love that relieves my torment
And your kisses are like the dawn of dawn
Soft and sweet like honey

I want to get tangled again
In the tender heat of your being
I want to shout from the four winds
that I fell in love
I want to feed my soul
With the desire of your skin

I want to taste your body
Like the fruit of pleasure
I want to breathe the air
that passes through your being
I want to draw my dreams
With the soft brush
Of your love (Read the remainder here)

Geraldo Rivera Rodriguez was born on July 31, 1973. Jerry is originally from Humacao, Puerto Rico, but he grew up in Levittown, near Toa Baja on the central northern coast of the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Siblings include Saned, Edwin, Ito, and José, who all have careers in salsa (one of his brothers was with Puerto Rican Power). His parents, also musicians, inspired him to become a musician and as a child he would often accompany his mother Dominga, a singer, and father Edwin, a guitarist and director of Los Barones Trio, during their shows.

His favourite singers are Eddie Santiago (whose iconic salsa song Lluvia featured here) , Lalo Rodriguez and, in particular, Frankie Ruiz. When Jerry was 14, his father made a demo and presented it to the CBS music department. They signed Rivera. He has performed in Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, the United States, Spain and Japan. In 2001, he released his self-titled album Jerry Rivera, which would include ballad songs for the first time in his salsa career, and Quiero (I Want) would be the only hit.

References:
1. Jerry Rivera – Wikipedia

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Quiet Heart (1988) – The Go-Betweens

Posted on May 4, 2024 by observationblogger — 16 Comments

Not since February 2002 have I presented a song from my joint favourite Australian band The Go-Betweens. Today’s featured track Quiet Heart is the seventh song to appear here so far after the band’s previous entry Finding You. This song was recommended to me some years ago by my very dear New Zealand blogger friend Bruce at Weave a Web. Bruce recently ‘pulled up stumps’ (to use Australian and New Zealand cricket vernacular) after writing his 3000th short story. I will admit upon first listen I wasn’t overly fussed with Quiet Heart, but after multiple listens I have warmed so much to this subtle and introspective love song. Also keeping in line with a lot of their music output, the Go-Betweens lyrical prowess is once again on display:

Any song that starts with “The heater’s on/The windows are thin/I’m trying hard/To keep this warmth in” gets a big thumbs up from me. It’s the kind of song that you listen to quietly on a nondescript night as it slowly drizzles outside your window.

To my listening ears, no other Australian band encapsulates more instinctively the quintessential Australia ‘sound’ than The Go-Betweens. They seem to have the essence of Australia coursing through their music. Also it is so evident that Quiet Heart especially instrumentally (A mix of instruments: violin, harmonica, accoustic guitar) had a marked affect on my other favourite Australian band My Friend the Chocolate Cake whose founder David Bridie expressed gratitude for their impact on his musical career. The Go-Betweens remain one of the most influential bands in Australia despite their mediocre attention in the mainstream and modest success.

[Verse 1]
The heater’s on
The windows are thin
I’m trying hard
To keep this warmth in
I turn to her
She’s sound asleep
Someplace I don’t know
Doesn’t matter how far you come
You’ve always got further to go

[Chorus]
I tried to tell you
I can only say it when we’re apart
About this storm inside of me
And how I miss your quiet, quiet heart

[Verse 2]
Two hours on
My eyes are open
There’s bad blood between us
What did I say
That made you cry?
Our dream won’t die
Doesn’t matter how far you come
You’ve always got further to go

[Chorus]
I tried to tell you
Yeah, I can only say it when we’re apart
About this storm inside of me
And how I miss your quiet, quiet
Quiet heart

[Verse 3]
What is that light?
That small red light…
Scorpio rising
Doesn’t matter how far you come
You’ve always got further to go

Quiet Heart is the second song on The Go-Betweens‘ sixth studio album 16 Lovers Lane. Oh and isn’t that such a great album title? 16 Lovers Lane….This album was the final release from the original version of the band. They broke up in 1989 and would produce no other material until founders Grant McLennan and Robert Forster reformed the band, with a completely different line-up, in 2000.

The following information is cherry picked from the reference below:

The recording process for 16 Lovers Lane was different to previous releases. Between December 1987 and January 1988, McLennan and Forster began an intense songwriting process. They demoed all the songs in advance and then presented them to the producer and their bandmates, leaving less room for improvisation. McLennan stated: “this way was a completely different process and it was due to trying to get back to what started the band – closeness.“

McLennan said the band was also affected by moving back to Australia. “We’d spent five years in London—blackness, darkness, greyness and poverty—and suddenly for some reason we seemed to have more money in Sydney, and we all had places to live and being in a city where after five years we can go to the beach in ten minutes.” Forster agreed saying it brought on “a burst of energy, a burst of songs“

In 2010, 16 Lovers Lane was listed at No. 12 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums. The authors called the album “the band’s high-water mark“, commenting that “Forster and McLennan knew they’d nailed it” and that the songs were “their most direct, accessible and heartfelt ever“, with “Forster, particularly, having learnt a new restraint. Gone was the bravado and archness that had informed much of his earlier work and in its place was an openness and honesty.”

References:
1. 16 Lovers Lane – Wikipedia

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No Need To Argue (1994) – The Cranberries

Posted on May 3, 2024 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

I’m surprised to learn this is the fifth song by the Cranberries to appear here so far after their previous entry Dreaming My Dreams. At the inception of my Music Library Project I wouldn’t have considered their music to feature so often, which is testament to the understated legacy of their early 90’s music output.
Today’s song No Need to Argue is the title track of their second record which is the band’s best-selling – 17 million copies worldwide as of 2014. Today’s melancholic and reflective track befittingly closes this marvellous record. Also, in light of the late Dolores Mary Eileen O’Riordan tragic passing at a relatively young age, this song feels even more poignant and affecting.

[Verse 1]
There’s no need to argue anymore
I gave all I could, but it left me so sore
And the thing that makes me mad
Is the one thing that I had

[Chorus]
I knew, I knew, I’d lose you
You’ll always be special to me
Special to me, to me

[Verse 2]
And I remember all the things we once shared
Watching TV, movies on the living room armchair
But they say it will work out fine
Was it all a waste of time

[Chorus]
Cause I knew, I knew, I’d lose you
You’ll always be special to me
Special to me, to me

[Verse 3]
Will I forget in time, ah
You said I was on your mind?
There’s no need to argue
No need to argue anymore
There’s no need to argue anymore

No Need To Argue is a smooth and intimate capella song where Dolores comes to term with the end of a special relationship. She has one of the most recognisable voices in rock in the 1990s, where she was known for her lilting mezzo-soprano voice, signature yodel, emphasized use of keening, and strong Limerick accent.

Death (according to the Wikipedia article below)

On 15 January 2018, (day and month of my birthday ’74) Dolores was found unresponsive in the bathroom of her London hotel room. An inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court held on 6 September, ruled that she died as a result of accidental drowning in a bath following sedation by alcohol intoxication. Empty bottles were found in O’Riordan’s room (five miniature bottles and a champagne bottle) as well as some prescription drugs.

References:
1. No Need to Argue – Wikipedia
2. Dolores O’Riordan – Wikipedia

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A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall (1962) – Bob Dylan

Posted on May 1, 2024 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

The key works of Dylan’s canon have invited debate for decades but there is a consensus that ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall‘ represents the first full blossom of Dylan as poet. The song’s “lines of terror” aren’t the finger-pointing literal ballads of the folk movement, but the cascade of symbolist/surrealist images that would later introduce listeners to Mr. Tambourine Man and the bleak Desolation Row. Such ambitious writing came as a shock to those expecting the second-coming of Woody Guthrie: “nothing in Dylan’s canon leads up to this example of wild mercury poetry … he abandoned any pretence that he was just a worried man with a worried mind and grabbed hold of word that has haunted him ever since – poet“. (Clinton Heylin)

– Sotheby’s Auction page

This typescript (see image left), which was probably written above the legendary Gaslight Folk Club in August-September 1962 is a highly important early working draft of the song that first revealed Dylan’s poetic ambitions as a songwriter. It was sold by Sotheby’s in 2014 for $400,000.

More cherry – picked from Sotheby’s page:

The folksinger Tom Paxton recalls the origins of the ‘Hard Rain‘:

“There was a hide-out room above The Gaslight where we could hang out. Once Dylan was banging out this long poem on Wavy Gravy’s typewriter. He showed me the poem and I asked, ‘Is this a song?’ He said, ‘No, it’s a poem.’ I said, ‘All this work and you’re not going to add a melody?‘”
Wavy Gravy was Hugh Romney who was helping to run The Gaslight as its poetry director.

Dylan’s template for ‘Hard Rain‘ was a traditional British folk-ballad, Lord Randal, from which the song takes its basic question and answer structure and also something of its tone: “The song, like the predecessor ballad, takes poison, and it knows what impends: hell” – Christopher Ricks, Dylan’s Visions of Sin (2001).

[Verse 1]
Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?
And where have you been, my darling young one?
I’ve stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I’ve walked and I crawled on six crooked highways
I’ve stepped in the middle of seven sad forests
I’ve been out in front of a dozen dead oceans
I’ve been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard

[Refrain]
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall

[Verse 2]
Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?
And what did you see, my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
I saw a black branch with blood that kept dripping
I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleeding
I saw a white ladder all covered with water
I saw ten-thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken
I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children

[Refrain]
And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall (Read the remainder here)

There has naturally been much discussion of what ‘Hard Rain‘ portends. Dylan himself has given typically inconsistent answers. He has claimed (and also denied) that it was written in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it was performed at Carnegie Hall on 22 September 1962, some weeks before the crisis erupted, and was almost certainly sung at the Gas Light at an even earlier date. This draft, which surely precedes the Carnegie Hall performance, shows once and for all that the structure and theme were in place before nuclear war was suddenly an imminent possibility. 

In Chronicles Dylan recalls that he took as his inspiration for the song an earlier, weirder, but just as harrowing, America of the 19th century. While poring over microfiche newspapers in the New York Public Library he found a world of slavery, religious movements, riots and anti-immigration violence until, “After a while you become aware of nothing but a culture of feeling, of black days, of schism, evil for evil, the common destiny of the human being getting thrown off course. It’s all one long funeral song…”

As with any great work of art, ‘Hard Rain‘ transcends its inspiration whatever that may have been. It sings of the dreadful allure of the promise of the end of days. Yet the song ends with an act of resilience, as the singer promises to continue with his song, “to tell it, and speak it, and think it, and breathe it“. 

I watched on television live Patti Smith perform Bob Dylan’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony 2016. Patti forgot the lines and said “Sorry, I’m so nervous”. After humbly apologizing, she started again.

I always had a penchant for the orchestral version (see below) when Dylan performed at Nara, Japan, May 22, 1994 with the Tokyo New Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen.

References:
1. The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan – Wikipedia
2. A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall – Wikipedia
3. Sotheby’s ‘It’s A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall’, revised typescript

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Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore) (1996) – Shania Twain

Posted on April 30, 2024 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

If foundations made of stone can turn to dust
Then the hardest hearts of steel can turn to rust

Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore) is my Desert Island Shania Twain song. My music appreciation for this song is so steeped and unwavering. I wouldn’t flinch putting this song in my favourite 10 Country songs of all time. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard it, but it’s a lot. And every time I hear it, I fall in love with it all over again. This song makes you feel heartbroken even if your heart hasn’t been broken. To me lyrically and instrumentally Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is drips this pure ‘Country’ essence. And can we just talk about harmonies!? It really is a privilege to hear this calibre of music and if someone like Shania upsets the country ‘puritan’ apple cart by going commercial afterwards, I don’t really care because anyone who can pull this off deserves to do whatever the hell they want to do.

I might be in a small club in my lofty estimation of this song since it was the seventh single from Twain’s album The Woman In Me and the first to not reach the top 20 on the country chart, but I make no apologies for my unflappable adoration of it. It will always remain a masterpiece to me and demonstrate Shania at the pinnacle of her country music powers.

[Verse 1]
He knew how to reach me deep inside
And he found a part of me I could not hide
And we’d walk and talk and touch tenderly
Then he’d lay me down and make love to me

[Verse 2]
We built a love so strong it couldn’t break
There was not a road we were afraid to take
And we’d kiss all the way from Arkansas to Rome
‘Cause in each other’s arms, we were home sweet home

[Pre-Chorus 1]
But he don’t feel the same
Since our lives became
Years of bills, babies and chains

[Chorus]
Oh, home ain’t where his heart is anymore
He may hang his hat behind our bedroom door
But he don’t lay his head down to love me like before
Home ain’t where his heart is anymore (read the remainder here)

Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is was written by Twain and her then-husband Robert John “Mutt” Lange. It also serves as the opening track to The Woman in Me. Billboard reviewed the song favorably, calling it a “powerfully affecting ballad” and praising Twain’s “sensitive treatment.”

Shania Twain has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the best-selling female artist in country music history.

References:
1. Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore) – Wikipedia

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Atlantic City (1982) – Bruce Springsteen

Posted on April 29, 2024 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

The first line, “They blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night,” was taken from a newspaper article about a mob hit in Atlantic City. The “Chicken Man” was Phil Testa, number two man in the Philadelphia Mob under Angelo Bruno.

After Bruno was murdered in his car, Testa was blown up by a bomb placed under his front porch. These hits were orchestrated by Nicky Scarfo, who took over the Philly boys so he could control the new Atlantic City gambling rackets. He made such a mess of things that he and most of his crew were either murdered or in jail within a few years.
– Bruce Springsteen – Atlantic City (Max at PowerPop)

Atlantic City is one of those Springsteen songs which I hesitate to play because it’s kind of dour just like the whole record Nebraska where it resides, but once I do play it I’m always relieved because I end up enjoying it. It’s an understated sound, but feels atmospheric and haunting. I like his intermittent hollowing in the background too. I’m thankful I was reunited with this song via Max’s blog at PowerPop and surprised to read The Nebraska album attained so much success peaking at No 3 in the Billboard 100, No 3 in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand in 1982.

According to Genius Lyrics:

Atlantic City depicts a young couple’s romantic escape to the New Jersey seaside resort of Atlantic City, where the man in the relationship intends to take a job in organized crime upon arriving in the city.

The song wrestles with the inevitability of death and the hope of rebirth in various ways, especially in life and in the actual city of Atlantic City, which was going through an attempted mob takeover while the state government was trying to implement casino gambling within the city.

Atlantic City started as a demo recorded in early 1981 at Springsteen’s home studio at Colts Neck, NJ called “Fistfull of Dollars” (for the Clint Eastwood movie). He changed the title and the chorus to “Atlantic City” later that year, and on January 3. 1982, recorded 4 takes, along with other “Nebraska” demos that later made up the album of the same name. Take 2 was the one chosen for the album, released in fall 1982.

[Verse 1]
Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
Now they blew up his house, too
Down on the boardwalk, they’re getting ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do

[Verse 2]
Now there’s trouble busing in from out of state
And the D.A. can’t get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gambling commission’s hanging on by the skin of its teeth

[Chorus]
Well now, everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

[Verse 3]
Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus

The Band covered this song in 1993, years after Robbie Robertson left. I like this version just as well as Bruce’s original. Levon Helm does a great job on the vocals.
– Read Max’s article on The Band’s version of Atlantic City

References:
1. Atlantic City (song) – Wikipedia

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Piano Concerto No. 2 II. Larghetto (1829) – Frederic Chopin (Ft. Arthur Rubinstein)

Posted on April 28, 2024 by observationblogger — 5 Comments
Chopin in 1829

Piano Concerto No. 2 is the fourth composition from Chopin to be presented here after the last entry – Nocturne Op.9 No.2. I first heard this exquisite piece in a documentary about Polish – American pianist Arthur Rubinstein (see image inset). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest pianists of all time and also many cite him as one of the greatest Chopin interpreters of his time. He played in public for eight decades and he plays Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in the video presented at the end of this article.

The following I translated from my daughter’s book on Chopin (see image inset):
Son of a Frenchman and Polish woman, Chopin was born 22 de February, 1810. Before he could learn to read he wanted to compose melodies. When he was 8-years old he played for large audiences and at 15 he was considered the finest pianist in Warsaw. Chopin wanted tranquility but in Warsaw large marching bands and the yells from angry people annoyed him. So, he decided to move to Paris where he discovered fame, luxury and high fashion. In Paris everyone celebrated the arrival of Chopin. He was renowned as the ‘Prince of Pianists‘. Chopin died in Paris at age 39. His last wishes were that they play Mozart at his funeral and let his heart rest forever in the Warsaw Cathedral.

Chopin composed the piece before he had finished his formal education, at around 20 years of age. It was first performed on 17 March 1830, in Warsaw, Poland with the composer as soloist. It was the second of his piano concertos to be published after the Piano Concerto No. 1 (See The Truman Show soundtrack), and so was designated as “No. 2“, even though it was written first.

Melinda Erickson in her ‘A Formal Analysis of Four Selected Piano Concertos of the Romantic Era‘ wrote that Piano Concerto No 2 was work of “undescribable beauty“. This nocturnal movement is said to have been inspired by Chopin’s distant idolization of Konstancja Gładkowska or of Tytus Woyciechowski.

References:
1. Piano Concerto No. 2 (Chopin) – Wikipedia
2. Arthur Rubinstein – Wikipedia

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