If I Didn’t Have Your Love (2016) – Leonard Cohen

Posted on September 22, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment
Mural of Leonard Cohen on the side of an apartment building in downtown Montreal

If I Didn’t Have Your Love is the first song to appear here from Leonard Cohen’s final album You Want It Darker. When this album came out, I was enchanted by it. I wrote in the Dylan forum Expecting Rain analyses of each song, which regrettably I no longer possess. The fusion in many songs between interpretations of theology Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism is on another level. I couldn’t recommend this record any more to fans of Leonard, contemporary spiritual music or poetry in general. This is Leonard at his confessional as death regrettably comes a’ knockin‘.

Today’s song If I Didn’t Have Your Love is analogous to a recent post I wrote – Some Observations about Space – Time which hypothesised if the earth stood still at midnight as well as everything else in the Universe then there would be no time to observe. Leonard seems to superimpose ‘Love‘ as the 5th dimensional vantage point of Space -Time in our current reality. The song seems to be in some form a reconciliation process between Science and Faith.

If the sun would lose its light
And we lived an endless night
And there was nothing left that you could feel
That’s how it would be
What my life would seem to me
If I didn’t have your love to make it real

If the stars were all unpinned
And a cold and bitter wind
Swallowed up the world without a trace
Ah, well that’s where I would be
What my life would seem to me
If I couldn’t lift the veil and see your face

You Want It Darker is Cohen’s 14th and final album released on October 21, 2016, 17 days before his passing. Most of the songs on the album will be presented here. I remember being so shook up by his death and I played his music for days on end and wrote about them in remembrance. The title track was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance in January 2018. You Want It Darker (album) was recorded in the living room of his home in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles and then sent by e-mail to his musical collaborators. His son, Adam Cohen recalled that “occasionally, in bouts of joy, he would even, through his pain, stand up in front of the speakers, and we’d repeat a song over and over like teenagers“.

References:
1. You Want It Darker – Wikipedia

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If I Could (Goin’ Fishin) 2003 – Kasey Chambers

Posted on September 21, 2022 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

If I Could appeared on the single of Kasey’s version of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours and peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Her rendition reached No. 76 on the End of Year Top 100 Singles for 2003 and was certified as a gold record. Kasey’s music has featured prominently here, and this rollicking amusing song drew me straight in. For sheer originality, this song gets bonus points from me. She is playing below live with her long-time guitarist who just happens to be her father Bill Chambers.

If I could make my livin’
Goin’ fishing
Then I would make my livin’
With a line and pole
Put food on the table
Give the money to the landlord
Buy some workin’ clothes
Cause I ain’t
Making money goin’ fishing
Like I’m paid in the factory

If I Could is a cover version of Tim Carroll’s original release in 1993. He was a long time ago a punk rocker in the Indiana group The Gizmos. He has a great deal of punk rock influence in his music, but you wouldn’t know it hearing Kasey’s version below. Carroll remembers when he first fell in love with guitar. He was about 7 and had never been around a real guitar before.
     “My dad came home from work one day and he had an acoustic guitar with him,” he recalls. “When I walked in the house, I saw this guitar and sort of raked my fingers across it, and I just thought it was magic. Since that moment, I’ve been hooked on guitar.”
This song has been covered by many artists, including John Prine, Kasey Chambers, Sunny Sweeny, & Sonny Burgess.

References:
1. Kasey Chambers – Wikipedia
2. Tim Carroll – Discogs

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“Idilio”(Improvising) en La Habana (Cuba) (2019) – Argentina Maria López Tristancho

Posted on September 20, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Idilio which is translated as ‘Romance‘ is by Tití Amadeo that Willie Colón popularized in 1993. The song is renowned as one of the greats of Salsa music but has been adopted to form more what’s called ‘Latin Jazz‘ and has mixed cultural roots. I regularly browse the songs performed on the streets / cafes of Cuba. I point you also to an article I wrote celebrating the music of Cuba – Buena Vista Social Club (1999) – Wim Wenders. The singer below of this version of Idilio is Argentina María López Tristancho known artistically for Argentina, ‘generation 84, born in Huelva – Andalusia – Spain.

A loose English translation of Idilio is as follows:

I am only encouraged by the divine desire to make you mine
But the uncertainty that I’m going through destroys me
It is that the cruel snow of the years cools my body
And I’m running out of patience waiting for you

And I’m running out of patience waiting for you
That with kisses I wake you up at daybreak
And that the idyll always lasts when the night comes
And when the dawn comes full of joy
Your soul and mine merge into one

The singer of the impromptu version below Argentina Maria wrote:
I share with you this magical moment recorded on May 12, 2019. It was unexpected and improvising at the “Restaurante La Vitrola” in Old Havana (Cuba) the song “Idilio” by Tití Amadeo that Willie Colón popularized among others. I have the pleasure of sharing in the video with Grupo Evolución who works in this restaurant regularly. Without rehearsing it, the music took over us. We were able to merge our flamenco and Cuban feelings in this beautiful work by maestro Colón. This came up and we filled our souls. Unforgettable and indescribable. We had a lot of fun…For me it is a document for history. I hope you like it.

References:
1. Argentina Maria web site

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12/09 – 18/09/22 – Excess Deaths, Climate Change, Trans & Social Justice

Posted on September 19, 2022 by observationblogger — Leave a comment
news on the march

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

Record Excess Deaths in Europe
Video presentation at Dr. John Campbell

Excess deaths are a phenomenon all over the world. The European Union has just published data showing that excess deaths is 16% higher than we would expect (highest 2022 value so far) – 37% more for Spain than expected. And the vast majority of these are not COVID deaths, so we have got a great increase in non-COVID deaths. (View video presentation here)

Are We Being Told the Truth on Climate Change? – Patrick Moore
Video podcast interview at Triggernometry

Patrick Moore is an ecologist, author and former president of Greenpeace. (Watch video podcast interview here)

Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality – Helen Joyce
Video podcast interview at Jordan P Peterson

The Trans movement surges across western civilization, necessitating the ego-centric fantasies of gender-dysphoric youths over what once was known commonly as indisputable reality. Helen Joyce and Dr Jordan B Peterson discuss the depths of this truly cultural battle, the dangers of a quickly growing transhumanist ideology, and the unbridled narcissism lurking at the heart of the conflict.

Helen Joyce is an Irish novelist and journalist, acting as the executive editor for events and business at the Economist in London…(Watch video interview here)

How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World – Andrew Doyle
Video interview at Skeptic

Shermer and Doyle discuss: terminology of: PC, identity politics, woken, social justice, antifa, BLM, TERF, intersectionality • Critical Social Justice as a witch craze • Satanic Panic (1980s) • Recovered Memory Movement (1990s) • How widespread is the problem: minor skirmishes on social media or mainstream? • Hill-Harris 2021 poll: 32% voters ID as woke and 31% said they don’t know what the term means • new puritanism as a secular religion • Whiteness and White fragility • Implicit Association Test • Postmodernism • Neo-Marxism • Cancel Culture • hate speech • J.K. Rowling • pluralistic ignorance.

Andrew Doyle is a writer, satirist and political commentator. (Watch entire video interview here)

news on the march the end
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Ich ruf zu dir Herr Jesu Christ (I Call to You, Lord Jesus Christ), BWV 639 – Johann Sebastian Bach 

Posted on September 18, 2022 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

I Call to You, Lord Jesus Christ is the first composition presented here from Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750). This is such a quaint, but beautiful piece of music. I haven’t ever had a more difficult time looking up information about a piece of music than this one. Although it’s stated Ich ruf zu dir is amongst the most popular chorale preludes in Bach’s collection. These preludes were intended to be used in church services and an introduction to congregational singing. To give you a sense of Bach’s composition depth, Wikipedia published (as referenced below) an article of ‘Bach Works Catalogue‘ 1 to 1126! This piece is No. 639.

Bach was a German composer, and his compositions include secular and sacred music. In the 18th century he was valued primarily as an organist. Since the 19th-century Bach revival he has been generally regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music. Felix Mendelssohn is often credited as an important figure in reviving music from the past. He conducted a famous performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion on 11 March 1829. The concert is cited as one of the most significant events in the early music revival, although the performance used contemporary instruments and the work was condensed.

References:
1. BWV 639 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ – Wikipedia
2. Never Before Was Jesus Called Upon So Movingly – Bach Society

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I Try (1999) – Macy Gray

Posted on September 17, 2022 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

I’m a big fan of this song. What really impressed me apart from the awesome melody was her distinctive voice. It’s a truly unique and gifted voice. The video of the song below is excellent, and it seems to suggest Gray was dreaming / imagining the whole time from her hotel bed of seeing her love. It is Gray’s most successful single to date, peaking at number five in the United States and number one in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. It won the best female vocal performance at the 2001 Grammy awards.

I try to say goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it’s clear
My world crumbles when you are not near
Goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it’s clear
My world crumbles when you are not near

Natalie Renée McIntyre was born on September 6, 1967, and known by her stage name Macy Gray. She is known for her raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday. Gray has released ten studio albums, and received five Grammy Award nominations, winning one. She has appeared in a number of films, including Training Day and Spider-Man. In August 2001, Gray was booed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibition game after forgetting the lyrics to the American national anthem.

Gray received backlash over comments made during her 2022 appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, which some audiences took as discriminatory towards transgender women. In the interview, Gray was asked how she would define a woman, to which she answered, “boobs and a vagina“. She went on to state that she did not support the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, adding that “Just because you go change your parts, doesn’t make you a woman“, although she pointed out that she would call someone what they would like to be called.

References:
1. I Try – Wikipedia
2. Macy Gray – Wikipedia

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I Will Love You Ev’ry Time (1982) – The Fureys

Posted on September 16, 2022 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

This is the second song to appear from the Furey’s 1981 album ‘When You Were Sweet Sixteen‘. I wrote in my first post of their song Belfast Mill how I bought this album as a preadolescent on a whim based on the cover and was charmed by these traditional Irish folk songs. It was a good investment of the little money I had going. Today’s featured song I Will Love You Ev‘ry Time was the leading track from the album that made a great impression on me as most of the other tracks did. The title track of the album When You were Sweet Sixteen became a worldwide hit.

Every time I hear a sweet bird singing
I think of you and I my love, I think of
You and I
And when I hear the evening bells a ringing
I hang my head and cry my love, I hang my
Head and cry

I Will Love You Ev‘ry Time is an Irish musical treasure. The banjo feels like it’s being played on heart strings. The Fureys‘ music despite their fame when this record was released are now little known or remembered, but their music lives on in few circles like this one. Many seem to reminisce their lost ones when listening to this song and that’s understandable. So many memories can be conjured from it. This Irish band make spectacular use of traditional instruments and raw beauty of their voices.

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I Threw It All Away (1969) – Bob Dylan

Posted on September 15, 2022 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

This is the first song to appear from Bob Dylan’s 1969 record – Nashville Skyline. It’s a gorgeous ballad and I always enjoyed listening to his live recording on the Johnny Cash show. Dylan is singing about the end of a love affair being all his fault and he sings it in a calm and mellow way. Maybe the motorcycle accident which caused the hiatus in his writing then produced this new, more reflective approach. And musically there is a real link between Lay Lady Lay and I Threw it all Away. It works with a very simple accompaniment, guitar, percussion, bass and organ.  And indeed, for this level of self-blame and longing about lost love, you certainly don’t need any more.

I once held her in my arms
She said she would always stay
But I was cruel, I treated her like a fool
I threw it all away

Once I had mountains in the palm of my hand
And rivers that ran through every day
I must have been mad, I never knew what I had
Until I threw it all away

The author at Untold Dylan wrote the following: I think it is fair to say that “I Threw It All Away” would not have emerged in this style, or maybe not emerged at all, if Dylan hadn’t first written the songs of John Wesley Harding, which allowed him to explore this new more gentle, more simple approach.

It is a perfectly crafted piece in its own format – and indeed is more than that because it goes beyond what country music normally does.   While the nearest most country songs get to a change of key is that sudden jerk up a semitone is a desperate attempt to give the fourth tragic verse a slight edge on the third tragic verse, this throws us around the harmonic department and brings us in one piece out the other side.  As I say, it is clever and it sure does work.

… but the music makes it meaningful. The message is simple to the edge of being trite, and it has been said a billion times before, but that doesn’t make this song any less worth hearing, or, if you have a mind to do it, singing.   “Denied” takes us to the edge of the cliff but instead of jumping off, “Take a trip” takes us back down the gentle slopes and onto firmer ground.

References:
1. Untold Dylan – I Threw It All Away

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I Want You (1966) – Bob Dylan

Posted on September 14, 2022 by observationblogger — 16 Comments

When I was playing Pool with friends in Canberra back in 1994, we would replay this song to death on the jukebox. That’s when bars had jukeboxes where you entered coin change, perhaps they still do. I don’t know. Our avuncular companion Keith (who I have written about before in the Puccini – E Lucevan Le Stelle article) brought his harmonica to replicate the harmonica playing in today’s featured song. He was proud of his efforts as we were. The lyrics, instrumentals and Dylan’s delivery of I Want You encapsulate why Blonde on Blonde is so admired. Dylan described the record as ‘That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound‘.

The guilty undertaker sighs
The lonesome organ grinder cries
The silver saxophones say I should refuse you
The cracked bells and washed-out horns
Blow into my face with scorn
But it’s not that way
I wasn’t born to lose you

I want you, I want you
I want you, so bad
Honey, I want you

When I read his lyrics, even today, I remain in awe and perplexed how Dylan achieved that level of sophistication in his poetry. If you could not understand the language, you might distill the song as just a catchy, groovy love song, but what sets I Want You apart from those songs are the words and how everything coalesces as aforementioned to form a stupendous piece of great art. As Dylan said in a 66 interview: “It’s not just pretty words to a tune or putting tunes to words.”
To me Dylan is brimming at the edge with creative / nervous / explosive energy. It boggles my mind, and it never grows old. This is one of Dylan’s most animated songs on the surface.

I Want You was recorded in the early morning hours of March 10, 1966, and the song was the last one recorded for Dylan’s double-album Blonde on Blonde. Obviously, many songs will appear from Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde – so stay tuned. Thank you for reading.

References:
1. I Want You (Bob Dylan Song) – Wikipedia

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4th of July (1987) – X

Posted on September 14, 2022 by observationblogger — 9 Comments

This song was posted by Max at his PowerPop blog page on 4th of July, 2021 and I was impressed by it. You can find his page by clicking on the image of his page below.

She’s waiting for me
When I get home from work
Oh, but things just ain’t the same
She turns out the lights
And cries in the dark
And she won’t answer when I call her name

On the stairs I smoke a
Cigarette alone
Mexican kids are shooting
Fireworks below
And hey, baby, it’s the Fourth of July
Hey, baby, it’s the Fourth of July

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