The Promised Land (1978) – Bruce Springsteen

Posted on July 3, 2025 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

Vintage Bruce coming right up… and it more than aptly takes the wheel from where yesterday’s slice of American dream realism – Jackson Browne’s The Pretender – left us.

If there’s one song which immediately transports back to my 15 year-old self accompanied with all hopes and dreams that stir inside, it’s The Promised Land. This song did something to me back then, and it never let go. To me, it’s Bruce’s quintessential coming-of-age song: Mister, I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man / And I believe in a promised land. It comes from Darkness on the Edge of Town, one of my favourite records growing up too. If Born in the U.S.A. is the high-performance machine built for the open highway, then Darkness is the raw, oil-slicked garage where the engine was forged—Working all day in my daddy’s garage / Driving all night chasing some mirage.

The idealism which the song pulses is captured right from the get-go, with Bruce’s iconic harmonica intro which exudes this gritty and defiant hope. And its quite the ride too as the piano sets a steady, soulful rhythm and the melody gets cracking. The track has a sense of motion – as if you the listener were being driven across the county line. Then you have Clarence’s superb saxophone solo which truly makes one soar. Also, the following passage is possibly one of the most uplifting and inspiring messages I’ve heard from Bruce – and at the time of writing this, I found very cathartic. It would also lead to one of his most underrated songs – With Every Wish from the maligned double album:

Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing
But lost and brokenhearted

Background (From Wikipedia)

The Promised Land originated through a trip to Utah and Nevada in 1977, with photographer Eric Meola (who shot the Born to Run cover) and guitarist Steven Van Zandt. The group set out towards Reno, Nevada, Meola looking for photo ops, Springsteen to see some of the places he envisioned in his dreams. He was also upset, because one of his heroes, Elvis Presley, had just died. Springsteen “wanted to take every single side road that we could in Nevada“, according to Meola…. Thirty days later, Springsteen came to the Record Plant with the words and music he had been working on since he left Nevada, for a song called “The Promised Land“…The song’s title pays homage to Chuck Berry’s song “Promised Land“. In Berry’s song, the singer leaves his Virginia home to go to the “promised land” of California. 

Different authors have different answers as to what the “promised land” represents. June Skinner Sawyers believes it means the American ideal or even America itself… Springsteen’s promised land is defined by what doesn’t happen there: “you aren’t ‘lost or broken hearted,’ your dreams don’t ‘tear you apart‘ and your blood doesn’t ‘run cold.’ Springsteen noted that elements of the song reflected his own situation when he wrote it. He was unable to record a new album due to a lawsuit, and felt weak, unable to do what he wanted and that he was letting down the other members of the band. The song reflects the sense of despair but also of resilience and determination and desire to transcend his limitations that he was feeling at the time.

[Verse 1]
On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving ‘cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on and I’m just killing time

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Working all day in my daddy’s garage
Driving all night chasing some mirage
Pretty soon, little girl, I’m gonna take charge

[Chorus]
The dogs on Main Street howl ’cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister, I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man
And I believe in a promised land

[Verse 2]
I’ve done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak, I just wanna explode

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Well, there’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground

[Pre-Chorus 3]
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing
But lost and brokenhearted

[Chorus]

References:
1. The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen song) – Wikipedia

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The Pretender (1976) – Jackson Browne

Posted on July 2, 2025 by observationblogger — 13 Comments

The Pretender is an epic song about the American dream and a person’s shifting place in it. It explores the tension between youthful ideals and the sobering realities of adult life – where dreams of love and purpose gradually give way to routine and responsibility. Browne closes the first two verses with a “Amen,” blessing those noble pursuits – but you wonder if he’s at the same time questioning whether they’re truly fulfilling or just the best option left.

In answering the question of who The Pretender is, Browne said – “…it’s not me exactly, although sometimes people applaud for me at that moment in the song as if I am, but in truth there is a bit of The Pretender in me, but it’s anybody that’s sort of lost sight of some of their dreams…and is going through the motions and trying to make a stab at a certain way of life that he sees other people succeeding at. So maybe it’s a lot of people of a certain generation who sort of embraced a very material lifestyle in place of dreams that they had that sort of disintegrated at some point.”

Musically, The Pretender is built around long verses and long pre-choruses, each with fresh lyrics and shifting melodies, creating a sense of motion rather than repetition. So musically it flows just like its narrative. Also Browne’s voice here has a blend of warmth, intimacy, and emotional depth and perfectly suits the song’s loose, dreamy imagery.
This song is a bastion of classic Americana songwriting in my humble opinion. It’s no wonder Bruce Springsteen, during Browne’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, said of The Pretender and songs like it: “I wish I had written them myself.”

The Pretender was released in In November 1976, Browne’s fourth studio album. It was his first major album chart success reaching no. 5 on the Billboard, and was his first record to chart in the U.K., where it reached no. 26. The title track was the second single from the album and reached no. 58 on the Billboard.

According to Wikipedia: It gained substantial progressive rock radio and album-oriented rock airplay, and has since become a staple on many classic rock formats. It has been one of Browne’s most often performed songs during his concert tours. As a result, it is one of Browne’s best-known works. It also featured in the 1995 film Mr. Holland’s Opus.

[Verse 1]
I’m gonna rent myself a house
In the shade of the freeway
Gonna pack my lunch in the morning
And go to work each day
And when the evening rolls around
I’ll go on home and lay my body down
And when the morning light comes streaming in
I’ll get up and do it again
Amen
Say it again
Amen

[Verse 2]
I want to know what became of the changes
We waited for love to bring
Were they only the fitful dreams
Of some greater awakening?
I’ve been aware of the time going by
They say in the end it’s the wink of an eye
And when the morning light comes streaming in
You’ll get up and do it again
Amen

[Pre-Chorus]
Caught between the longing for love
And the struggle for the legal tender
Where the sirens sing
And the church bells ring
And the junkman pounds his fender
Where the veterans dream of the fight
Fast asleep at the traffic light
And the children solemnly wait
For the ice cream vendor

[Chorus]
Out into the cool of the evening
Strolls the pretender
He knows that all his hopes and dreams
Begin and end there

[Bridge]
Ah the laughter of the lovers
As they run through the night
Leaving nothing for the others
But to choose off and fight
And tear at the world with all their might
While the ships bearing their dreams
Sail out of sight

[Verse 3]
I’m going to find myself a girl
Who can show me what laughter means
And we’ll fill in the missing colors
In each other’s paint-by-number dreams
And then we’ll put our dark glasses on
And we’ll make love until our strength is gone
And when the morning light comes streaming in
We’ll get up and do it again
Get it up again

[Pre-Chorus]
I’m gonna be a happy idiot
And struggle for the legal tender
Where the ads take aim and lay their claim
To the heart and the soul of the spender
And believe in whatever may lie
In those things that money can buy
Though true love could have been a contender

[Chorus]
Are you there?
Say a prayer for the pretender
Who started out so young and strong
Only to surrender

[Outro]
Say a prayer for the pretender
Are you there for the pretender?
Say a prayer for the pretender
Oh, are you there for the pretender?
Are you prepared for the pretender?

References:
1. The Pretender (Jackson Browne song) – Wikipedia

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Rehab (2006) – Amy Winehouse

Posted on July 1, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Rehab was released on English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse’s second and final studio album Back to Black. While jazz, soul, and Motown isn’t usually my go-to, I did find what she did musically in her tragically brief career so engaging. She was a gifted lyricist also with a raw, unmistakable voice that cut straight through. Rehab and the title track brought her international fame. Amy’s story which was told in the compelling documentary Amy (2015) is one of music-history’s most aggravating yet heartbreaking.

Rehab never fails to give me chills – it’s a hauntingly candid reflection of the addiction that would ultimately claim her life at just 27. The lyrics are autobiographical and address Winehouse’s refusal to enter a rehabilitation clinic for alcohol. “They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, ‘No, no, no“. The song is referred to as her signature song. With her death, Amy joined the tragic ranks of the so-called “27 Club,” alongside the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain, all of whom died from overdose or suicide at that same young age.

Rehab was released as the lead single from Back to Black and it peaked at number 7 in the United Kingdom and number 9 in the United States on the Billboard, becoming Winehouse’s only top 10 hit in the US. The song won 3 Grammy awards at the 50th ceremony in 2008. Rehab appears at No. 194 on Rolling Stone’s updated list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Also, Billboard remarked that Winehouse’s vocals on the song were “Shirley Bassey-meets-Ella Fitzgerald“.

[Chorus]
They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said, “No, no, no”
Yes, I’ve been black, but when I come back, you’ll know, know, know
I ain’t got the time and if my daddy thinks I’m fine
He’s tried to make me go to rehab, but I won’t go, go, go

[Verse 1]
I’d rather be at home with Ray
I ain’t got seventy days
‘Cause there’s nothing, there’s nothing you can teach me
That I can’t learn from Mr. Hathaway

[Pre-Chorus]
I didn’t get a lot in class
But I know it don’t come in a shot glass

[Verse 2]
The man said “Why do you think you here?”
I said, “I got no idea”
I’m gonna, I’m gonna lose my baby
So I always keep a bottle near

[Pre-Chorus]
He said, “I just think you’re depressed”
This, me: “Yeah, baby, and the rest”

[Verse 3]
I don’t ever wanna drink again
I just, ooh, I just need a friend
I’m not gonna spend ten weeks
Have everyone think I’m on the mend

[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not just my pride
It’s just till these tears have dried

References:
1. Rehab (Amy Winehouse song) – Wikipedia

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The Partisan (1969) – Leonard Cohen

Posted on June 30, 2025 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

The Partisan is an anti-fascist anthem about the French Resistance in World War II. From the plodding bass line commencement of Leonard Cohen’s haunting and affecting The Partison – you can just imagine the resistance fighter trudging the green fields of France as he evades detection from the Germans, leading a dangerous life on the run. The song was composed in 1943 by Russian-born Anna Marly, with lyrics by French Resistance leader Emmanuel d’Astier de La Vigerie, and originally titled “La Complainte du partisan” (English: “The lament of the partisan“).

The Partisan was translated into English by Hy Zaret in 1944. He was a Tin Pan Alley lyricist and best known for writing Unchained Melody. Cohen first learned “La Complainte du partisan” from The People’s Songbook as a fifteen-year-old boy at summer-camp in 1950. Using Zaret’s predominantly English adaptation to record the song, with the title The Partisan, left Cohen dissatisfied, and he suggested to Johnston that French voices were needed on the track. That was eventually arranged with a trio of female singers in Paris and an accordian player and then overdubbed onto the track. So the first five verses are sung from Zaret’s English, followed by verses six, seven and eight being sung in French, and the final verse nine being a repeat of the English verse five.

The Partison was Cohen’s first commercial recording of a song he did not write. Also it was a rare excursion for Leonard to enter into political territory. The recording of The Partisan utilized only a classical guitar, double bass, and accordion along with vocals by Cohen and female voices. The melody and chord structure is quite different from the aforementioned French original. You can hear Anna Marly’s exquisite version here accompanied by her gorgeous whistling. Leonard’s The Partisan was released on his second record Songs From a Room. It was also released the track in Europe as a 7-inch single with another one of my favourite early career songs by Leonard – Bird on the Wire.

While there are notable differences between the original French lyrics and Zaret’s English adaptation, Leonard Cohen’s “The Partisan” is largely based on Zaret’s version. However, Cohen retains some original French verses, which include references to France and Germany – elements that are neutralized in the English sections. Take for example:

Cohen’s English verses (written by Hy Zaret)
But I have many friends / And some of them are with me

Cohen’s French verses (original version)
But I have so many friends / I have the whole of France

Also in the English Zaret version there is significant difference in the last stanza is, which is much more positive:

Freedom soon will come / Then we’ll come from the shadows.

Where as in the original French version – the last stanza is translated to:
Everyone will forget us / We will return to the shadows

[Verse 1]
When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender
This I could not do
I took my gun and vanished

[Verse 2]
I have changed my name so often
I’ve lost my wife and children
But I have many friends
And some of them are with me

[Verse 3]
An old woman gave us shelter
Kept us hidden in the garret
Then the soldiers came
She died without a whisper

[Verse 4]
There were three of us this morning
I’m the only one this evening
But I must go on
The frontiers are my prison

[Verse 5]
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the graves the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then we’ll come from the shadows

[Verse 6]
Les Allemands étaient chez moi
Ils me dirent, “Resigne-toi,”
Mais je n’ai pas pu
J’ai repris mon arme

[Verse 7]
J’ai changé cent fois de nom
J’ai perdu femme et enfants
Mais j’ai tant d’amis
J’ai la France entière

[Verse 8]
Un vieil homme dans un grenier
Pour la nuit nous a caché
Les Allemands l’ont pris
Il est mort sans surprise

References:
1. The Partisan – Wikipedia

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Just Like a Woman (1966) – Bob Dylan

Posted on June 29, 2025 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

“There’s never a moment in the song, despite the little digs and the confessions of pain, when you can’t hear the love in his voice”

– Paul Williams, in his book Bob Dylan: Performing Artist, Book One 1960–1973

I posit that today’s featured song Just Like a Woman and its companion of sorts, Lay Lady Lay (posted here 13 months ago), are not only two of Dylan’s most popular and accessible tracks, but also among his most sumptuous and romantic. While they differ in musical style and vocal delivery – both exude an unmistakable sensuality. This stems largely from their lush arrangements and the intimate, yearning quality of their lyrics. Each song enjoyed notable commercial success too, charting at No. 33 (Just Like a Woman, 1966) and No. 7 (Lay Lady Lay, 1969) on the US Billboard.

Just Like a Woman comes from one of, if not Dylan’s most highly recognised and celebrated albums – Blonde on Blonde. He described the record as ‘That Thin, Wild Mercury Sound‘.  He recorded the song at Columbia Studio A, Nashville, Tennessee where he did seven complete takes, and multiple rehearsals and partial takes were recorded. Take 18, the last of the session, was used on the album. It is arguably the most “radio-friendly” track on the album apart from perhaps I Want You.
The single wasn’t given a release in the UK, but Manfred Man scored a hit (like they did with Dylan’s The Mighty Quinn) with their version reaching No. 10 in the UK and No 1 in Sweden.

Some critics have suggested that the song was inspired by Edie Sedgwick (“fog, amphetamine and pearls“), while others consider that it refers to Dylan’s relationship with fellow folk singer Joan Baez (Please don’t let on that you knew me when/I was hungry and it was your world). Some allege there is some sexism in the lyrics and you can read more about it in the Wikipedia reference below including the counter-arguments.

According to his official website, Dylan played the song live in concert 871 times from 1966 to 2010. In his 1966 tour performances, Dylan chose to play the song solo rather than with the band that accompanied him on the tour.

[Verse 1]
Nobody feels any pain
Tonight as I stand inside the rain
Everybody knows that baby’s got new clothes
But lately I see her ribbons and her bows
Have fallen from her curls

[Chorus]
She takes just like a woman, yeah she does
She makes love just like a woman, yeah she does
And she aches just like a woman
But she breaks just like a little girl

[Verse 2]
Queen Mary, she’s my friend
Yes, I believe I’ll go see her again
Nobody has to guess that baby can’t be blessed
‘Til she finally sees that she’s like all the rest
With her fog, her amphetamine and her pearls

[Bridge]
Yeah, it was raining from the first
And I was dying there of thirst
So I came in here
And your long-time curse hurts
But what’s worse
Is this pain in here
I can’t stay in here

[Verse 3]
Ain’t it clear that I just can’t fit
Yes, I believe it’s time for us to quit
But when we meet again, introduced as friends
Please don’t let on that you knew me when
I was hungry and it was your world

References:
1. Just Like a Woman – Wikipedia

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Rorate caeli (1673) – Gregorian Chant

Posted on June 28, 2025 by observationblogger — 3 Comments
Medieval manuscript of the Gregorian chant “Rorate caeli”

My friend Bruce (from Weave a Web) recommended this chant a few years ago. I’m the least bit familiar with Catholic hymns especially one’s sung in Latin, but I like the tranquil state this beautiful devotional piece puts me in. It is so peaceful and relaxing. The chant is traditionally sung in a form called plainsong, a simple and meditative musical style. It’s interesting this article arrives on a Saturday morning since this is when it is sung during Advent.

Rorate caeli (“Drop down, ye heavens”) is a centuries-old Advent chant from the Christian liturgical tradition. Sung during the season leading up to Christmas, it expresses deep yearning for spiritual renewal and the coming of the Messiah. The chant has become especially associated with a unique candlelit service known as the Rorate Mass, typically celebrated early in the morning during Advent.

One of the most beautiful traditions associated with this chant is it is often celebrated before sunrise in a darkened church lit only by candles. This powerful atmosphere reflects both the darkness of the world awaiting redemption and the light of hope through Mary and Christ. While especially observed on Saturdays during Advent, in some regions it is held daily.

The Latin words Rorate caeli are taken from Isaiah 45:8, as translated in the Vulgate, the Latin Bible used by the Western Church for much of its history. The phrase reflects a call for divine mercy and hope:

“Drop down dew, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down the Just One.”

This verse, and the chant built around it, captures the spirit of longing that defines Advent – the anticipation of Christ’s coming, not only in celebration of His birth but also in spiritual renewal.

In the 17th century, the chant evolved into a fuller hymn by incorporating additional passages from Scripture related to Advent themes. The earliest known version of this extended hymn form appears in the Oratorian Officia Propria (1673), a liturgical book used by the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri.

LatinEnglish
Roráte caéli désuper,
et núbes plúant jústum.		Drop down, ye heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness.
Ne irascáris Dómine,
ne ultra memíneris iniquitátis:
ecce cívitas Sáncti fácta est desérta:
Síon desérta fácta est, Jerúsalem desoláta est:
dómus sanctificatiónis túæ et glóriæ túæ,
ubi laudavérunt te pátres nóstri.		Be not wroth very sore, O Lord,
neither remember iniquity for ever:
thy holy city is a wilderness,
Sion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation:
our holy and our beautiful house,
where our fathers praised thee.
Peccávimus, et fácti súmus tamquam immúndus nos,
et cecídimus quasi fólium univérsi:
et iniquitátes nóstræ quasi véntus abstulérunt nos:
abscondísti faciem túam a nóbis,
et allisísti nos in mánu iniquitátis nóstræ.		We have sinned, and are as an unclean thing,
and we all do fade as a leaf:
and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away:
thou hast hid thy face from us:
and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Víde Dómine afflictiónem pópuli túi,
et mítte quem missúrus es:
emítte Agnum dominatórem térræ,
de Pétra desérti ad móntem fíliæ Síon:
ut áuferat ípse júgum captivitátis nóstræ.		Behold, O Lord, the affliction of thy people,
and send forth him whom thou wilt send;
send forth the Lamb, the ruler of the earth,
from Petra of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Sion:
that he may take away the yoke of our captivity.
Vos testes mei, dicit Dóminus,
et servus meus quem elégi;
ut sciátis, et credátis mihi:
ego sum, ego sum Dóminus, et non est absque me salvátor:
et non est qui de manu mea éruat.		Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord,
and my servant whom I have chosen;
that ye may know me and believe me:
I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Saviour:
and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
Consolámini, consolámini, pópule méus:
cito véniet sálus túa:
quare mæróre consúmeris,
quia innovávit te dólor?
Salvábo te, nóli timére,
égo enim sum Dóminus Déus túus,
Sánctus Israël, Redémptor túus.		Comfort ye, comfort ye my people;
my salvation shall not tarry:
why wilt thou waste away in sadness?
why hath sorrow seized thee?
Fear not, for I will save thee:
For I am the Lord thy God,
the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer.

References:
1. Rorate Caeli – Wikipedia

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A View To a Kill (1985) – Duran Duran

Posted on June 27, 2025 by observationblogger — 32 Comments

View to a Kill is not the typical song I would present here, but I have always had a guilty pleasure for it. Sure, it reeks of brutal 80’s synths, however it still has swagger and some heavy power unlike some other Bond themes songs. I also liked it because it was the theme song from Roger Moore’s last James Bond movie. I had a penchant for his portrayals since that is Bond I grew up on and I don’t care who knows it. My personal connection is fleshed-out in another James Bond theme song – Sheena Easton’s For Your Eyes Only.

View to a Kill is the only James Bond theme song to have reached number one on the US Billboard; it also made it to number two for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart. The song was one of the band’s biggest hits. It was also the last song recorded by the English pop group before their split, until their reunion in 2001. The song was recorded at Maison Rouge Studio and CTS Studio in London with a 60-piece orchestra.

So the story goes – Duran Duran were chosen to do the song after bassist John Taylor (a lifelong Bond fan) approached producer Cubby Broccoli at a party and somewhat drunkenly asked, “If I give you a fiver, can I write a theme tune please.” The band was then introduced to Bond composer John Barry and they collaborated together rather harmoniously with Duran Duran left to the songwriting duties and Barry the final arrangement and orchestral parts.

[Verse 1]
Meeting you with a view to a kill
Face to face in secret places, feel the chill

Nightfall covers me, but you know the plans I’m making
Still overseas, could it be the whole Earth opening wide
A sacred why, a mystery gaping inside
A week is why, until we…

[Chorus]
Dance into the fire
That fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire
To fatal sounds of broken dreams
Dance into the fire
That fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire

[Verse 2]
The choice for you is the view to a kill
Between the shades assassination standing still

The first crystal tears fall as snowflakes on your body
First time in years to drench your skin in lover’s rosy stain
A chance to find the phoenix for the flame
A chance to die, but can we…

References:
1. A View to a Kill (song) – Wikipedia

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The Painter (2005) – Neil Young

Posted on June 26, 2025 by observationblogger — 3 Comments
Neil Young with the full entourage of the Prairie Wind concert at the Grand Ole Opry House

I was first introduced to Neil’s album Prairie Wind when I heard it played in the Heart of Gold documentary directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia). In the documentary Neil Young performed Prairie Wind at the famous Ryman Auditorium also known as Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. The first half of the concert consists entirely of songs from Prairie Wind, and the second half consists of acoustic songs from throughout Young’s career.

The concert was Neil Young’s comeback performance after brain surgery. So the songs and the Demme documentary find Young reminiscing about his youth, reflecting on the passing of time, and considering his own mortality in light of his father’s illness and his own health scare. I couldn’t stop watching this documentary when I first procured it and the songs still resonate as strongly with me today as they did back then. For someone who hadn’t previously been very familiar with Neil Young’s career, I found the Prairie Wind concert / documentary a great introduction to Neil Young’s music.

Today’s featured track The Painter opened the concert as well as the album. It is said the original inspiration (The Painter) is Neil’s daughter Amber Jean. She earned a Master’s degree at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting. You can read more about Amber here.
It’s a reflective song about embracing the present and the creative spirit and while dreams are important, staying grounded and true to yourself is key. I love the production and the sound quality, so open and airy but warm at the same time.

Young recorded the album’s songs on a guitar owned by Hank Williams. Prairie Wind features an acoustic-based sound reminiscent of his earlier commercially successful albums like Heart of Gold and Harvest Moon. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at number 11. The Painter received a nomination at the 2006 Grammy Awards – Best Rock Solo Performance.

[Verse 1]
The painter stood before her work
She looked around everywhere
She saw the pictures and she painted them
She picked the colors from the air

[Verse 2]
Green to green, red to red
Yellow to yellow in the light
Black to black when the evening comes
Blue to blue in the night

[Chorus]
It’s a long road behind me
It’s a long road ahead
If you follow every dream, you might get lost
If you follow every dream, you might get lost

[Verse 3]
She towed the line, she held her end up
She did the work of two men
But in the end, she fell down
Before she got up again

[Verse 4]
I keep my friends eternally
We leave our tracks in the sound
Some of them are with me now
Some of them can’t be found

[Chorus]
It’s a long road behind me
And I miss you now
If you follow every dream, you might get lost
If you follow every dream, you might get lost

References:
1. Prairie Wind – Wikipedia

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The Only Heartbreaker (2021) – Mitski

Posted on June 25, 2025 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

I really like the vibe and retro sound of this modern hit song The Only Heartbreaker. It is Mitski’s most successful in the US reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart. Mitski is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter and has been recording and releasing music since 2012. For the recording she programmed synths and keyboards and her longtime producer Patrick Hyland played guitar and percussion. It’s a call-back to the exuberant synth-pop of the 1980s.

The song implicates herself in the inevitable unraveling of a toxic relationship. Mitski said that the song depicts “the person always messing up in the relationship, the designated Bad Guy who gets the blame It could simply be about that, but I also wanted to depict something sadder beneath the surface, that maybe the reason you’re always the one making mistakes is because you’re the only one trying.”

The track was co-written with Semisonic frontman Dan Wilson, marking the first time Mitski has ever teamed up with another songwriter. Dan Wilson has a long history of working with musicians like Adele, Taylor Swift, and the Chicks (back when they were going by Dixie). In a new interview with Apple Music, Mitski talked about that collaborative process:

This is the first song in my entire discography of however many albums I’ve made where I have a co-writer, and it’s because this song was this puzzle that I couldn’t solve. And I was just sitting on it forever. I have so many iterations of it. Nothing felt right. And right when I was stewing over it, I was actually in LA, doing co-write sessions for other artists. And we had this one day, or I had this one day with Dan Wilson. I had every intention to write for somebody else, but then I just sat down at his piano, and I was like, he’s one of the best, smartest songwriters in the world. Maybe he can help me with this song. And so I brought the song to him, and it turned out he’s really good. He helped me solve so many of the problems and kind of lead me out of the labyrinth of it. And yeah, I’m really glad that I took that chance with him.

The official video below shows Mitski dancing through a forest and reeling in despair as she realizes that she’s unintentionally killing everything she comes into contact with. Personally, I much prefer to enjoy the song as an audio stand-alone, as I often find that these image-saturated, heavily produced videos can distract from the pure listening experience and hinder full immersion in the music.
Interestingly, the former US president Barack Obama included The Only Heartbreaker in his list of top songs of 2021.

[Verse 1]
If you would just make one mistake
What a relief that would be
But I think for as long as we’re together
I’ll be the only heartbreaker

[Chorus]
I’ll be the only heartbreaker
I’ll be the only heartbreaker

[Verse 2]
So I’ll be the loser in this game
I’ll be the bad guy in the play
I’ll be the water main that’s burst and flooding
You’ll be by the window, only watching

[Bridge]
(I apologize)
(You forgive me)
(I apologize)
(You forgive me)

References:
1. The Only Heartbreaker – Wikipedia

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Livin’ Thing (1976) – Electric Light Orchestra

Posted on June 24, 2025 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

ELO are renowned for having catchy records and Livin’ Thing is one shining example. It that has all the vocal and instrumental hooks to keep you listening. The song just radiates as it modulates upwards into a falsetto Jeff Lynne vocal and combined with the soulful backing vocals added and a powerful group string section. I think Record World nailed it when they described the song as having “a savoury rock sound“. The official video below shows the ensemble of instruments and how they individually prod the song to become this flourishing sound.

Been loving this tune since I was kid and certainly takes me back to when I sat around the turntable in front of the fireplace and put the needle down on this record. It still sends chills down my spine as Lynn launches into the chorus with Higher and higher, baby. ELO have definitely got their own sound and there won’t be another like them.

Livin’ Thing was written by Jeff Lynne and appears on ELO’s 1976 album A New World Record. The song reached No. 4 in the UK, No. 13 on the US Billboard and No. 2 in Australia. It’s the second song to be presented here from the record after Telephone Line. Jeff Lynne, of course has featured here multiple times not just with ELO but with his involvement in the 80’s super group The Traveling Wilburys.

Reflecting on the 1970s, Lynn told Rolling Stone magazine:
“I was reluctant to become a real rock star. I was shy and was always told to not get a big head. And my favourite thing in the world was to work 14 hours a day in the studio. Everything else was peripheral to me, like having the record out and promoting it. I did have a big house, but I didn’t do rock-star things. I never saw myself like that. I was a songwriter, singer and producer. Rock stars are different. They dress all flashy and hang out in nightclubs. That just wasn’t my priority. I liked to spend my spare moments at the pub.”

ELO are regarded by many as the best live Classical Rock Band and are still touring. In 2019, Jeff Lynne launched a new album, called From Out of Nowhere and it went to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. Lynne was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to music

[Verse 1]
Sailin’ away on the crest of a wave
It’s like magic
Oh, rollin’ and ridin’ and slippin’ and slidin’
It’s magic

[Pre-Chorus]
And you, and your sweet desire
You took me, oh
Higher and higher, baby

[Chorus]
It’s a livin’ thing
It’s a terrible thing to lose
It’s a given thing
What a terrible thing to lose

[Post-Chorus]
(I’m takin’ a dive)
(Dive)

[Verse 2]
Making believe this is what you conceived
From your worst day (I’m takin’ a dive)
Oh, moving in line, then you look back in time
To the first day (I’m takin’, I’m takin’)

[Verse 3]
Takin’ a dive ’cause you can’t halt the slide
Floating downstream (I’m takin’ a dive)
Oh, so let her go, don’t start spoiling the show
It’s a bad dream (I’m takin’, I’m takin’)

References:
1. Livin’ Thing – Wikipedia

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