When You Were Sweet Sixteen – The Fureys with Davey Arthur

Posted on August 12, 2026 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Today we feature yet another Irish song, but this one is by the Irish folk band The Fureys and is more of the traditional Celtic variety. More versions of this old 19th-century love ballad exist than you can poke a stick at. Head on over to the Wikipedia reference to see what I’m talking about.

When I was a wee lad, on a whim I bought the album by The Fureys called ‘When You Were Sweet Sixteen‘. The cover and title were appealing for obvious reasons. ‘Hello’! I listened and was charmed by these traditional Irish folk songs. Suffice to say, it was a good investment of the little money I had going at the time.

A lot of music from it has already appeared here, but today’s featured title track was just about as impactful and moving as anything else on the album upon first listen. A real clincher. It’s one of those songs that penetrates way deep, and once you’ve heard it, you’re unlikely to forget it anytime soon.

The Fureys earned attention for bringing Irish folk music to mainstream listeners and, lo’ and behold, When You Were Sweet Sixteen became their biggest hit, reaching No. 14 in the UK, No. 1 in Ireland and No. 9 in Australia. This and The Green Fields of France were their only hit singles, and yet, despite their modest commercial success, the group remain quite iconic in Irish folk music circles due to their musical legacy.

Formed by the Furey brothers in the 1970s, they became known for their heartfelt songs about love, loss, emigration and the Irish experience. Many of their songs have endured well beyond their original era, including When You Were Sweet Sixteen.

What drew me to The Fureys was that there was nothing overly polished about them. Instead, their authentic Celtic sound and vocal grit seem to be a big part of their appeal. Their songs feel as though they have been passed down rather than simply recorded.

When You Were Sweet Sixteen was written by Irish – American James Thornton and published in 1898. The song was inspired by Thornton’s wife, Bonnie, when she asked her husband if he still loved her. Thornton replied, “I love you like I did when you were sweet sixteen.”

Bonnie Thornton, a popular vaudeville singer who sang many of her husband’s compositions, introduced the song in her act and it quickly became a hit song in vaudeville.

Vaudeville in case you were wondering like me, was a popular theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada, dominant from the early 1870s until the early 1930s.

It featured a series of 10 to 15 unrelated acts on a common bill, including comedians, magicians, acrobats, singers, dancers, jugglers, and trained animals. Charlie Chaplin and The Marx Brothers got their big breaks there. The genre declined due to the Great Depression and the rise of radio and motion pictures.

When first I saw the love-light in your eyes
I dreamed the world held not but joy for me
And even though we drifted far apart
I never dream but what I dream of thee

I love you as I never loved before
Since first I met you on the village green
Come to me or my dream of love is or
I love you as I loved you, when you were sweet
When you were sweet sixteen

I love you as I never loved before
Since first I met you on the village green
Come to me or my dream of love is or . .
I love you as I loved you, when you were sweet
When you were sweet sixteen

References:
1. When You Were Sweet Sixteen – Wikipedia
2. The Fureys – Wikipedia

When Your Mind’s Made Up – Glen Hansard

Posted on August 11, 2026 by observationblogger — 7 Comments

When I read the news two weeks ago that Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard had tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident, I was confounded and aggrieved. At just 56 years of age, he was still so young, and yet he was one of those amazingly gifted, passionate and creative artists who you always thought had his best years still ahead of him. Also, to leave behind his beautiful wife and three-year-old boy, it would seem that he still had so much more to give.

My almost immediate response was to write a tribute article to this legend of Irish folk music, and I did briefly relay here a clip of a spectacularly bare-bones performance he gave in his typical ‘busker’ mode, with a hefty Celtic flavour, in the company of David Letterman, no less. But I felt I had to do something more significant to honour this man.

I then realised I had my favourite song/scene from his unforgettable indie, Oscar-winning movie Once forthcoming in my alphabetical listing of the Music Library Project, and here we are today. I have written here so much about that movie’s monumental impact. I remember that after just having seen it, I had the most vivid and poignant dreams about it which, to this day, I can’t recall having about any other film or music for that matter.

I had seen Glen Hansard perform in concert at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2007, both times opening for Bob Dylan. It’s serendipitous how I see Bob Dylan in Sydney 2001 the night before he received his Academy Award for Things Have Changed from the movie Wonder Boys and then I see Glen Hansard open for Bob in 2007 and soon thereafter he wins the same Academy Award for Falling Slowly in Once. So my personal connection with him and his music and the movie Once is something I will always cherish.

You can also find in the epilogue of his funeral the sending-off of his casket set to the interpretation by family and friends of Bob Dylan’s song Forever Young. It goes without saying how enormous Dylan was in the life of Glen Hansard. He spoke about Dylan’s impact on him in becoming a singer-songwriter. Basically, he locked himself away like a monk, alone with his uncle’s guitar and one of Dylan’s greatest-hits records at 13 years old, and learnt how to play the ‘thang’.

Now onto today’s featured song – When Your Mind’s Made Up. The scene of its recording appears in the film as the apex, ‘Rocky-esque’ shining musical moment in Once, as Glen Hansard’s character begins to see a possible path towards bigger and brighter prospects musically. And it really is, well, to me at least, one of the greatest film captures of a musical recording.

It appears as though you are watching a documentary rather than a fiction film, and in many ways, as we come to learn, it is Glen Hansard’s modest yet unforgettable arrival on the global musical stage in cinema form. The rawness of it, and how through such fundamental and crude yet arresting musicianship, the sum of the seemingly simplistic individual parts where the musicians gradually find each other to achieve this grandiose ‘whole’ in musical accomplishment, is quite something.

If there was ever a time capsule arranged now to encapsulate the greatest musical moments put to screen in the 2000s, then When Your Mind’s Made Up would have to sit high up on that selection list. Not just that, but it upholds what a simple, humble man can achieve through passion, innate talent and teamwork. Just like Glen Hansard himself, it shan’t be forgotten.

[Verse 1]
So, if you ever want something
And you call, call
Then I’ll come running
To fight, and I’ll be at your door
When there’s nothing
Worth running for

[Chorus]
When your mind’s made up
When your mind’s made up
There’s no point trying to change it
When your mind’s made up
When your mind’s made up
There’s no point trying to stop it

[Verse 2]
You see, you’re just like everyone
When the shit falls
All you want to do is run away
And hide all by yourself
When there’s far from
There’s nothing else

[Chorus]
When your mind’s made up
When your mind’s made up
There’s no point trying to change it
When your mind’s made up
When your mind’s made up
There’s no point even talking
When your mind’s made up
When your mind’s made up
There’s no point trying to fight it

[Post-Chorus]
When your mind’s—
Your mind’s—
Oh, woah, woah, ah
Oh, oh
There’s no point trying to change it
When your—
Oh, ah, oh
Hoo-oh, ah, ooh, woah, oh

[Outro]
So, if you ever want something
And you call, call
Then I’ll come running

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Once, When Your Mind's Made Up
Posted in Movies and TV, Music

When You Say Nothing At All – Alison Krauss & Ronan Keating Versions

Posted on August 11, 2026 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz must have done something right by writing a song which became a hit for four different performers, all within the space of just over a decade. There’s also a wonderful irony in its origin story: the song came about when they were trying to write their next song but were coming up empty. “As we tried to find another way to say nothing, we came up with the song,” Overstreet said.

Today’s article highlights two versions, one featuring the most angelic voice I’ve heard in country music – Alison Krauss – and the other by Ronan Keating. His was the first version I heard, and I was so swept up in it that I taught myself how to play it when I was learning guitar. I’m not as crazy about the song now as I once was, and I remain equally clueless about the guitar, but the song still tugs at those ol’ heartstrings whenever I happen to hear it.

The two other hit versions were Keith Whitley’s, who took it to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1988, seven years before Alison Krauss & Union Station’s version became a top-10 country hit in 1995. Then there was Irish singer Frances Black, whose 1996 version became her third Irish top-10 single, just before fellow Irish singer Ronan Keating did the same thing, taking it to the top of the Irish charts in 1999. His version also topped the charts in the UK and New Zealand.

Some readers may also remember seeing Ronan’s version appear in the romantic comedy film Notting Hill. That movie, while being a bit too saccharine and gushy for my tastes, has a few memorable scenes, like the one where Julia Roberts’ character, the mega-famous Anna Scott, meets the family of her new English chap, played by Hugh Grant, whom she literally bumped into on the street.

[Verse 1]
It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word, you can light up the dark
Try as I may, I could never explain
What I hear when you don’t say a thing

[Chorus]
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There’s a truth in your eyes sayin’ you’ll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

[Verse 2]
All day long I can hear people talking aloud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What’s being said between your heart and mine

References:
1. When You Say Nothing at All – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Alison Krauss, Ronan Keating, When You Say Nothing At All
Posted in Music

When Will You Fall For Me – Vika & Linda Bull

Posted on August 10, 2026 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

I enjoy listening to few songs as much as I do this one by the Melbourne music duo Vika and Linda Bull. Interestingly, it’s one of those songs I have raved about to other people, but they haven’t shared my enthusiasm nearly as much. It also wasn’t exactly embraced by the wider Australian public, peaking at a modest No. 51 on the charts. Oh well, it was love at first listen for me at least, and I’m glad to present it to you today.

When Will You Fall For Me is a Power pop number with an infectious, groovy guitar. Older sister Vika’s voice is so spirited and soulful, and when they both sing in the chorus – When Will You Fall For Me? – it feels so playfully romantic. I fell for both of them. Also, don’t they sing one of the sweetest and most uplifting bridges here.

There is also an innocence to their bright and chirpy harmonies that makes the song difficult to resist. The song’s shine and charm have never worn off for me. Just great fun music, which is reflected in its slightly quirky and lighthearted music video.

The song was written by Mark Seymour, the frontman and songwriter of the Australian rock band Hunters & Collectors, who were very popular in the 1980s and 90s. I previously posted an article on their song Throw Your Arms Around Me, one of the most well-recognised contemporary love ballads in Australia.

Early in their career, the sisters came to prominence as backing vocalists for bands like The Black Sorrows in 1988. They left the group in 1994 to start their duo, releasing a self-titled album in June that year. The album was certified platinum, and today’s song appears on it.

They continued over the years working with a wide array of Australian groups and artists, including the Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly. He and the sisters sang together at the 2019 Australian Football grand final with Leaps and Bounds.

I remember that performance most fondly because my beloved Richmond Tigers won the final that day, and my family and I enjoyed watching a live transmission of it here in Colombia in the wee hours of the night.

Vika and Linda have also sung with the late great Australian Aboriginal singer Archie Roach, who regular readers of my blog will be familiar with.

Due to the sisters’ extensive and sustained collaborations with other groups and artists, and making regular appearances at nationally televised events, you will find few adult Australians who would not have heard of them or at least recognise them.

Snippets from Wikipedia:

Vika and Linda have received six ARIA Music Award nominations and were awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2022 in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the performing arts.
Vika Susan Bull was born in 1966 in Doncaster, Melbourne. Her sister, Linda Rose Bull is 18 months younger. Their mother, who was from Tonga, arrived in Australia in 1959 as a nursing student.

[Verse 1]
Who’s gonna save you darlin’?
Gonna save you when you fall?
Before they come to take you down
Take your picture off the wall

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Who’s gonna wait until you’re strong?
I hope it’s not too long
Let me know if you’re alone
Before I come to take you home

[Chorus]
When will you come to your senses?
When will you fall for me?

[Verse 2]
Oh yeah, the truth is in the telling, darlin’
Every lover’s got to learn
Oh, I remember every word you said
What’s left I will return

[Pre-Chorus 2]
If you tell me one more lie
My love will slowly die
Let me know if you’re alone
Before I come to take you home

[Chorus]
When will you come to your senses?
When will you fall for me?

[Verse 3]
Sooner or later, darlin’
Your eyes will open to the sun
You’re gonna have to face the morning
There’ll be nowhere else to run

[Pre-Chorus 3]
Let me wait until you’re strong
I hope it’s not too long
Let me know if you’re alone
Before I come to take you home

[Chorus]
When will you come to your senses?
When will you fall for me?
When will you come to your senses?
When will you fall for me?

[Bridge]
My love, you can’t deny it
You won’t know until you try it
Give it air, let it breathe
Let it burn like a fire
I can’t contain my desire
Give it air, let it breathe

[Chorus: Both]
When will you come to your senses?
When will you fall for me?

References:
1. When Will You Fall for Me – Wikipedia
2. Vika and Linda – Wikipedia

Tagged with: archie roach, Black Sorrows, paul kelly, Vika & Linda Bull, When Will You Fall For Me
Posted in Music

When We Were Kings – Brian McKnight & Diana King

Posted on August 9, 2026 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

Today we have a double-billing of sorts, featuring both the sporting documentary When We Were Kings and the song of the same name featured in the film.

I have mentioned the film and Muhammad Ali’s colossal feat on other occasions, but it’s nice to now have a dedicated post to the documentary, including the beautifully inspiring song and video attached to it.

When We Were Kings is centred around the “Rumble in the Jungle“, the heavyweight championship boxing match held on October 30, 1974, in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) between reigning world heavyweight champion George Foreman and Muhammad Ali.

It remains one of my favourite documentaries and, for sporting enthusiasts, is about as close as you are going to get to obligatory viewing. It focuses on one of the most significant sporting achievements ever, which took place in a country few people would have associated with hosting such event.

For film purists, however, it is much more than a film about a boxing match. It is also a fascinating cultural portrait of Zaire and its people, capturing the atmosphere, politics, music and extraordinary sense of occasion surrounding the fight.

The film was released in 1996 and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 1997 Oscars. It is also widely regarded as one of the finest boxing documentaries ever made.

The film ends with today’s featured song, accompanied by a spectacular montage of images from Muhammad Ali’s career. I can’t really think of another song put to film that is quite as impactful, rousing and moving as this one, particularly because it is so closely tied to the heart of the film. You can’t really separate the song from the film; such is their unison in feeling and context. I never grow tired of hearing it, even after more than perhaps a hundred listens over the years. People do say I exaggerate a million times ;-P

As someone commented beneath the video:
“This song does something so few songs have accomplished. It captures the essence and power of an individual creating a lasting legacy for all that were there and for those who were not.”

It’s a shame that the duet “When We Were Kings“, performed by American R&B singer Brian McKnight and Jamaican reggae-pop artist Diana King, doesn’t have a dedicated page containing more information about its creation and recording. Of all the songs that deserve some background about their realisation, this is certainly one of them.

The Rumble in the Jungle

Below are some extracts from other articles where I have referred to this legendary documentary and fight:

Most journalists in the lead-up to the Rumble in the Jungle thought Ali was toast. Some even suggested that Ali might die in the ring. If I had seen Foreman hitting the heavy bag at the gym in Zaire, leaving concave fist imprints, I might have thought the same.

Ali’s fight against Foreman remains one of the greatest sporting comebacks in history. Ali entered the fight as a 4–1 underdog against the unbeaten and devastatingly powerful Foreman.

Ali did what almost no-one thought he could do: withstand Foreman’s relentless attack, employ what became known as the “rope-a-dope” strategy and allow the younger champion to exhaust himself. In the eighth round, Ali knocked Foreman down and reclaimed the heavyweight championship of the world.

Muhammad Ali had this amazing glare in his eyes between one of the rounds realising he was getting pummelled and had to do something. It’s a surreal moment of concentration, composure, determination and creativity. It’s now or never. The scene was perfectly captured in the film here, where an astute boxing journalist covering the event said the following:

Ali went back to the corner. The nightmare he’d been awaiting in the ring had finally come to visit him. He was in the ring with a man he could not dominate. He was stronger than him. Who was not afraid of him. Who was going to try to knock him out and punched harder than Ali could punch. This man was determined and unstoppable. And Ali had a look on his face that I’ll never forget. It’s the only time I saw fear in Ali’s eyes. Ali looked as if he looked into himself…’Alright this is the moment.This is what you’ve been waiting for. This is that hour. Do you have the guts?’ He kind of nodded to himself. Like, got to get it together boy. Really got to get it together and you are going to get it together. He nodded some more as if he was looking into the eyes of his maker. And then he turned to the crowd and yelled ‘Ali boma ye‘ and a hundred thousand yelled back ‘ Ali boma ye‘.

After losing the title to Ali, Foreman entered a long period away from boxing and experienced a profound personal crisis. He eventually returned to the ring in 1987, more than a decade after his defeat.

Then, remarkably, at the age of 45, Foreman defeated Michael Moorer in 1994 to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history. There is a wonderful short documentary about this remarkable comeback called How Big George Foreman Took Back His Title (20 Years After Ali).

In every heart there is a drum that beats
Steady and strong, it does not know defeat
I feel it pound and know the sound of true beliefs
In every soul, there is a memory
Of standing tall, the proudest we could be
I cannot fall, for I recall we were born in majesty
And when the long fight
Has been fought and won
We’ll stand in the sun
And we will raise out hands, and we will touch the sky
Together we will dance in robes of gold
And we will leave the world remembering
When we were kings, when we were kings
Now is the time, here is the mountain top
When one man climbs, the rest are lifted up
With every step we’re closer yet to a higher destiny
And when we reach out
To claim the thrown
Every man will know
And we will raise out hands, and we will touch the sky
Together we will dance in robes of gold
And we will leave the world remembering
When we were kings, when we were kings
Do you remember when we were kings?
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
And when the long fight
Has been fought and won
We’ll stand in the sun
And we will raise out hands, and we will touch the sky
Together we will dance in robes of gold
And we will leave the world remembering
When we were kings, when we were kings

References:
1. When We Were Kings – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Brian McKnight, Diana King, George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, When we were kings, Zaire
Posted in Movies and TV, Music

When the Ship Comes In – Bob Dylan

Posted on August 8, 2026 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

When I hear When the Ship Comes In, I feel cast back to a centuries-old traditional English song, perhaps something Dylan might have covered on his 1992 record Good As I Been to You. No, instead he wrote this in August 1963 at just 22 years of age. Quite astonishing, since it evokes such elaborate allegory and images of seafaring that seem to come from the memory of someone old and distinguished, recalling tales from their days at sea.

What’s even stranger is that, according to Joan Baez in the 2005 documentary No Direction Home, Dylan’s inspiration came from the most unlikely of scenarios. He had been refused entry to a hotel by a clerk because of his unkempt appearance, and it was only after Baez vouched for him that he was allowed inside.

The song has been linked by biographer Clinton Heylin to Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s Pirate Jenny in which an oppressed woman imagines a mysterious ship arriving and destroying those who have mistreated her. That makes the transformation from hotel insult to grand ship allegory seem rather less random.

Wikipedia:
Dylan’s former girlfriend Suze Rotolo recalls that her “interest in Brecht was certainly an influence on him. I was working for the Circle in the Square Theater and he came to listen all the time. He was very affected by the song that Lotte Lenya’s known for, ‘Pirate Jenny’.“

The glorious moment in Dylan’s song when the ship comes in is so illustrious and grand that even “the fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path / And the seagulls, they’ll be a-smilin’. The fervent and prophetic atmosphere and setting feel most like an Odyssey-like homecoming, where everything seems to stand still, even the seas and winds, evoking images of an epic journey and triumphant return.

Even its foes submit and are conquered, with the grandiosity and scale taking on biblical proportions – “And like Pharaoh’s tribe, they’ll be drowned in the tide / And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered. The ship becomes a symbol of liberation and the arrival of a new order, embodying all that it has overcome as it comes into shore. The images are so vividly etched and have such a grainy, coarse quality that it’s almost like watching a painting come alive.

[Verse 1]
Oh, the time will come up when the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin’
Like the stillness in the wind before the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in

[Chorus]
And the sea will split and the ships will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound and the waves will pound
And the mornin’ will be a-breakin’

[Verse 2]
The fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path
And the seagulls, they’ll be a-smilin’
And the rocks on the sand will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in

[Chorus]
And the words that are used for to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they’re spoken
For the chains of the sea will have busted in the night
And be buried on the bottom of the ocean

[Verse 3]
A song will lift as the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts onto the shoreline
And the sun will respect every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in

[Chorus]
And the sands will roll out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin’
And the ship’s wise men will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin’

[Verse 4]
Oh, the foes will rise with the sleep still in their eyes
And they’ll jerk from their beds and think they’re dreamin’
But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal and they’ll know that it’s for real
The hour that the ship comes in

[Chorus]
And they’ll raise their hands sayin’, “We’ll meet all your demands”
But we’ll shout from the bow, “Your days are numbered”
And like Pharoah’s tribe, they’ll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered

References:
1. When the Ship Comes In – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Times They Are a Changin, when the ship comes in
Posted in Music

When I Come Around – Green Day

Posted on August 8, 2026 by observationblogger — 12 Comments

It’s uncanny that we have two heavily guitar-driven 1990s alternative rock tracks appearing back-to-back in the Music Library Project. Yesterday it was R.E.M.’s What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? and today it’s When I Come Around by Green Day. It’s one of those happy quirks of the alphabetical sequence that occasionally throws up these cool double features.

Today’s featured track was my first introduction to the Californian punk rock band Green Day, and it remains my favourite song by them. I remember owning the single and playing it to death in my early twenties. Hearing it today takes me straight back to those years. Also, many of you will recall that this is the same group that sent off Seinfeld in its closing with Time of Your Life. Oh, it’s hard not to reminisce fondly about the 90s. Great decade!

The guitar absolutely rips here, sounding gritty, raw and full of energy. Then the drums kick in, giving the song its driving, cyclical rhythm. The deceptively simple guitar riff runs throughout, yet it never feels repetitive or laboured. All simple but perfect technique for creating a slacker punk sound.

Vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong has that slightly faux-British punk accent which suits the song perfectly. It’s simply a mega-cool track that appeals to punk, alternative rock and pop fans alike thanks to its catchy groove and unmistakable 1990s sound. At a time when grunge dominated the charts, Green Day helped bring a brighter, more playful and melodic style of alt-rock into the mainstream.

Inspired by his long-distance relationship with his future wife, Adrienne Armstrong, When I Come Around captures Billie Joe Armstrong’s youthful insecurity and fear that constant touring might place too much strain on their romance. Rather than portraying himself as unworthy, he expresses the uncertainty and emotional vulnerability of a young man hoping the relationship will survive. In hindsight, the song has a happy ending, as the couple, who met in Minnesota in 1990, married in 1994.

When I Come Around comes from the group’s third studio album, Dookie. Released as the album’s fourth single, it became Green Day’s breakthrough hit on American radio, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard. Internationally, it reached the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, Iceland and New Zealand. Dookie went on to sell more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it the band’s biggest-selling album.

[Verse 1]
Well, I heard you crying loud
All the way across town
You’ve been searching for that someone and it’s me out on the prowl
As you sit around feeling sorry for yourself
Well, don’t get lonely now
And dry your whining eyes
I’m just roamin’ for the moment, sleazin’ my backyard, so don’t get
So uptight, you been thinking about ditching me

[Chorus]
No time to search the world around
‘Cause you know where I’ll be found
When I come around

[Verse 2]
Oh, I heard it all before
So don’t knock down my door
I’m a loser and a user, so I don’t need no accuser
To try and slag me down because I know you’re right
So go do what you like
Make sure you do it wise
You may find out that your self-doubt means nothing was ever there
You can’t go forcing something if it’s just not right

[Chorus]
No time to search the world around
‘Cause you know where I’ll be found
When I come around
Hoo

[Chorus]
No time to search the world around
‘Cause you know where I’ll be found
When I come around

[Outro]
A-when I come around
When I come around
When I come around

References:
1. When I Come Around – Wikipedia
2. “When I Come Around” Meaning by Green Day Explained – ALT77

Tagged with: Billie Joe Armstrong, dookie, Green Day, when I come around
Posted in Music

What’s The Frequency, Kenneth – R.E.M.

Posted on August 7, 2026 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? is quite simply one of the best guitar-driven alternative rock songs I’ve ever heard. There is something hypnotic about its sustained guitar sound and bursts of reverb. It almost feels like an engine idling throughout the entire track. To me, it captures exactly what a great guitar tone should sound like. The volume is never loud enough for this song.

I can’t get enough of it. It’s easily my favourite R.E.M. song. I can happily play it on repeat for ages, and I certainly have on more than one occasion. It’s a masterclass in restraint, taste, and atmosphere, proving that a band doesn’t need to overplay to create something powerful.

R.E.M. rightly earned enormous respect for their influence on alternative rock. By the early 1990s, bands such as Nirvana, the Pixies, and Pavement had acknowledged them as pioneers of the genre. They disbanded amicably in 2011 after selling more than 90 million records worldwide, leaving behind one of the most influential catalogues in modern rock.

Snippets from Wikipedia:

“What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” is from their ninth studio album, Monster (1994). The song’s title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986 in which two assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather while repeating “Kenneth, what is the frequency?”

The song was the first single taken from the album and was released by Warner Bros. Records on September 5, 1994. It peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard. Internationally, the song reached number two in Canada, number four in New Zealand, and number nine on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was one of the band’s most-played songs at live gigs, and was played at every show on their 2008 Accelerate tour.

[Verse 1]
“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed
I thought I’d pegged you an idiot’s dream
Tunnel vision from the outsider’s screen

[Chorus]
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh

[Verse 2]
I’d studied your cartoons, radio, music, TV, movies, magazines
Richard said, “Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy”
A smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth

[Chorus]
You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh

[Verse 3]
“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh
Butterfly decal, rear-view mirror, dogging the scene
You smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth

[Chorus]
You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh
I couldn’t understand
You said that irony was the shackles of youth, uh-huh
I couldn’t understand
You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh
I couldn’t understand
I never understood, don’t fuck with me, uh-huh

References:
1. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? – Wikipedia

Tagged with: monster, R.E.M, What's The Frequency Kenneth
Posted in Music

Anne of Green Gables – Kevin Sullivan

Posted on August 6, 2026 by observationblogger — 7 Comments

I revisited this 1985 Canadian made-for-television drama two weekends ago with my daughter Katherine. It was one of the most watched movies in our family while I was growing up, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I hadn’t seen it in almost four decades, so I was excited to share it with my 10-year-old daughter, who is about the same age I was when I first watched it.

This coming-of-age story about the orphan Anne Shirley is one of the finest examples of storytelling I have ever seen put to screen. I’m no stranger to getting glassy-eyed and shedding a tear during a movie, but I think I set a personal record with this one. There are so many genuine and heartfelt moments that I couldn’t help but be deeply moved seeing it all again, especially through the eyes of my daughter.

IMDB Storyline:
At the turn of the century on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla decide to take on an orphan boy as help for their farm. But they get an unexpected jolt when they’re mistakenly sent a girl instead: Anne Shirley. Anne’s a dreamer with an unusual point of view, far removed from Marilla’s pragmatic ways, and it’s only on trial that Marilla agrees to keep Anne…if Anne can keep out of trouble, only Anne has a positive genius for it. As Anne falls into a series of scrapes (and off a roof), makes a bosom friend, searches (and finds) several kindred spirits, Matthew and Marilla discover that their lives have become a great deal richer, now that Anne is at Green Gables.

Anne of Green Gables shares such wonderful old-fashioned morals and values through the relatable scrapes Anne finds herself in. You can’t help but wish that more young people today could experience these lessons in such an entertaining and heartfelt way. Originally named simply “Ann”, she insists her name be spelled “Anne” with an “e”, believing it gives her name a little more distinction.

Anne is exceptionally well read, has an imagination that knows no bounds, and is wonderfully curious, sometimes to her own detriment. As the storyline above describes, she often finds herself in the most unlikely predicaments, causing no shortage of worry for her elderly guardians.

But what’s so revealing, and ingeniously counter-intuitive, is that while Anne is surrounded by deeply religious, conservative, and often rigid townsfolk who constantly try to guide her along the straight and narrow, they themselves are gradually transformed by the exuberance of her youth and her vivacious spirit.

Anne speaks her mind, has an enormous heart, and possesses a delightful wit. Through her kindness, affection, and strength of character, many of the older, more reserved townsfolk find themselves learning just as much from her as she learns from them.

As the story unfolds, you gradually see Anne changing the hearts of those around her. The townsfolk become warmer, more expressive, and more compassionate in the way they treat one another. Who would have thought that one spirited orphan girl could have such a profound effect on an entire community?

Although many people simply refer to it as a film, it originally aired as a two-part television mini-series and was later followed by sequels. It is exquisitely photographed on Prince Edward Island. To give you some idea of just how beautiful the cinematography is, I’ve included below the wonderful buggy ride from Bright River Railway Station to Green Gables with Anne Shirley and Matthew Cuthbert.

When Matthew says ‘Green Gables, yonder’; you know you are witnessing ‘greatness’.

The casting also deserves special praise. I honestly can’t imagine a better group of actors bringing these much-loved characters to life. The production is based on the 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, and many readers believe this adaptation comes remarkably close to capturing the spirit of the book. I’ve even read several IMDb user reviews suggesting that, rare as it is, this may be one of those occasions where the screen adaptation rivals the original novel.

The mini-series first aired on CBC Television on 1 and 2 December 1985, with both parts becoming two of the highest-rated television broadcasts ever shown on a Canadian network at the time.

I couldn’t recommend it more highly to anyone who has yet to see it. And for those who have, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

References:
1. Anne of Green Gables (1985 film) – Wikipedia
2. Anne of Green Gables – IMDB

Tagged with: anne of green gables, kevin Sullivan, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Megan Follows
Posted in Movies and TV

What’ll I Do – Bob Dylan

Posted on August 5, 2026 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

‘I don’t see myself as covering these songs in any way. They’ve been covered enough. Buried, as a matter a fact. What me and my band are basically doing is uncovering them. Lifting them out of the grave and bringing them into the light of day‘.
– Bob Dylan

Today I present to you one of my favourite latter-day Bob Dylan songs, the beautifully romantic Irving Berlin composition What’ll I Do. It comes from his 2015 record Shadows in the Night, which consists of traditional pop standards associated with Frank Sinatra, chosen by Dylan. It was recorded in 2014 at Capitol Studios in Studio B, where Sinatra often recorded.

When it was announced he was doing what was essentially a traditional crooner standards record, I had to admit I was very sceptical he could pull it off. These songs had been sung by some of the most well-regarded vocalists in contemporary music history. Not only that, but Bob Dylan, at the age of 73, would have to make the extraordinary leap into the world of traditional pop and the Great American Songbook, a genre that up to that point had been so far outside his musical wheelhouse that it made me giddy just contemplating it.

So how did Bob do on Shadows in the Night? Well, I like to recall this quote from The Irish Times, which mirrors my own reaction when I first heard it:

“Those who complain that Dylan can’t sing are treated to a masterclass in timing, phrasing, nuance and interpretation. Even the cracks in his voice leave a poignant trail.”

His renditions of songs like What’ll I Do, Autumn Leaves, Stay With Me, Some Enchanted Evening and the album’s closer, That Lucky Old Sun, were the highlights for me from this wonderful record and contained some of his best work of the 2000s, in my opinion. I was staggered, to put it mildly, and whenever these songs come on my music player I know I’m going to be treated to a masterclass in vocal technique and instrumental subtlety.

On that point, the finesse and nuance of his vocal technique are something to behold. It’s this intimate, almost whispering-in-your-ear delivery, where every intake and exhale of breath makes us think he is singing to each of us individually. Literally so, because if you listen closely enough you can hear his breathing between the lines; now if that isn’t cool! Bob is like an elderly storyteller here, quietly inhabiting the songs rather than simply performing them.

Also, the band’s stunning musicianship could not have suited Bob’s voice any better. Musically, Dylan avoids Sinatra’s lush orchestras. Instead, he uses a small band with pedal steel guitar, upright bass, restrained guitar, and only occasional horns. The result is a cosy, late-night atmosphere that feels almost chamber-like.

The songs were recorded live, with Dylan singing and his five-man touring band performing together in the same room without headphones. The album’s recording engineer, Al Schmitt, stated: “He would listen to the songs over and over and get Sinatra’s intention on what he was doing with the song. Then he would only do two or three takes on each tune, but he would make it his own. It had nothing to do with Sinatra.”

I consider Shadows in the Night a modern masterpiece from Bob – certainly a top-tier album in his catalogue. I think What’ll I Do goes a long way towards demonstrating, in just one song, what is so endearing and timeless about it.

What’ll I do
When you are far away
And I am blue?
What’ll I do?

What’ll I do
When I am wondering who
Is kissing you?
What’ll I do?

What’ll I do with just a photograph
To tell my troubles to?

When I’m alone
With only dreams of you
That won’t come true
What’ll I do?

What’ll I do with just a photograph
To tell my troubles to?

When I’m alone
With only dreams of you
That won’t come true
What’ll I do?

References:
1. What’ll I Do – Wikipedia
2. Shadows in the Night – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, irving berlin, Shadows in the Night, what'll I do
Posted in Music

Thank you for your response. ✨