I’m Not Supposed to Care (1976) – Gordon Lightfoot

Posted on July 6, 2025 by observationblogger — 21 Comments

I came to this song hearing Bob Dylan’s live version (1998), which I thoroughly enjoyed although the recording quality isn’t top notch. When I heard Gordon Lightfoot’s original version I thought it was wonderful as well and here we are today. Gordon’s music has featured here once with If You Could Read My Mind, but the focus of that article was on Don William’s version. Apart from the aforementioned song, he had big hits with Sundown and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. You can see my blogger friend Max’s articles on those two. It would appear by accounts that Gordon Lightfoot was somewhat of a songwriter’s songwriter. He inspired peers such as Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Neil Young.

I’m Not Supposed to Care is from what some regard as Gordon Lightfoot’s strongest album, 1976’s Summertime Dream. This is one of his more reflective songs about lost love, told from the perspective of someone struggling to move on from a relationship that’s run its course. In lesser hands, it might have come off as overly sentimental, but Lightfoot’s nuanced delivery and emotional storytelling bring a tender, aching honesty that makes it resonate deeply.

Gordon Lightfoot was a Canadian singer-songwriter known for his poetic lyrics and distinctive voice, becoming one of folk and country music’s most respected figures as alluded to above. Born in Ontario in 1938, he rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s with the aforementioned songs. His music often reflected themes of love, loss, nature, and Canadian identity. Lightfoot earned international success, while remaining deeply tied to his Canadian roots. He continued performing and recording well into his later years, and by the time of his death in 2023, he was widely regarded as a national treasure and a master storyteller in song.

[Verse 1]
I think you had somebody waiting outside in the rain to take you away
You got places to go, you got people to see, still I’m gonna miss you
But anyway
I wish you good spaces in the far away places you go
If it rains or it snows may you be safe and warm and never grow old
And if you need somebody some time
You know I will always be there
I’ll do it although I’m not supposed to care

[Verse 2]
I’ll give you the keys to my flying machine if you’d like
I will show you the light and when you call
I’m gonna come to you
And when you find someone who loves you
I’ll know you would treat me the same
Just lie there, you’re not supposed to care

[Verse 3]
I think you had somebody waiting outside in the rain to take you away
That’s some kind of a game, still I’m glad it came down to the final round
But anyway
If you think you need someone who needs you
You know I will always be there
I’ll do it although I’m not supposed to care
I’ll do it although I’m not supposed to care

References:
1. Gordon Lightfooot – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, I'm Not Supposed to Care, summertime dream
Posted in Music

Portobello Belle (1979) – Dire Straits

Posted on July 5, 2025 by observationblogger — 11 Comments

I first heard the live version of today’s featured track on the above ‘Money For Nothing‘ greatest hits record (1988) which I purchased in my teens. It was a previously unreleased outtake from Alchemy: Dire Straits Live, 1984. Only 2 days ago did I hear for the first time the original acoustic version from the album Communiqué which I also enjoyed. Both versions are presented below. Portobello Belle always struck me as such an underrated and beautiful song in the Dire Straits collection. It’s sad, amusing, infectious, mysterious, accurate (according to accounts below), and uplifting at the same time. All in all, it’s just great songwriting and makes me smile whatever mood I’m in.

According to Song Meanings, Mark Knopfler wrote this song at Portobello Road London, in a pub called The Duke of Wellington. He was there often as a guest and wrote it for a pretty young lady who was the sister of the manager. The pub was often visited by the Dubliners, Donovan and Jimi Hendrix who celebrated his last night there. Also it’s said Adele signed her first contract at The Duke and it was also her hang out place before she became famous.

Described as an Irish reggae number it sees Mark exploring the streets of his adopted home Portobello Road. It’s also said the Irish and Jamaicans very much the low-status immigrants from the area in those days.

One contributor in Song Meanings said he worked as a street performer in the 80s in Portobello road. Here is what he wrote:
I recognise some of the people in the song. The “man on his back there escaping from a sack there” was a hard-drinking escapologist up at the top end near the Earl of Lonsdale who had one trick getting free of a chain he asked someone from the crowd to tighten, collect the money and down to the pub. He was miserable old bastard who had been there since the 50s I was told by some stallholders. He actually threatened me once cos I took his pitch and he was desperate for a drink. “The blind man singing Irish” was a blind busker on the corner further down the road. He collected his money in a kind of brass collection dish that organ grinders usually had. The song (he sang “about the long gone Irish girl” was “Molly Malone”, (She wheels her barrow through streets broad and narrow etc) , with which MK also hinted at the long-goneness of the Belle.

The following was extracted from the Wikipedia reference below:
Portobello Belle was released on Dire Straits‘ second album Communiqué in 1979. The album featured the single Lady Writer, which reached number 45 on the Billboard chart and number 51 in the UK. The album reached number one on album charts in Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and Sweden, number 11 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom.

It is the last album to feature David Knopfler, who departed from the band during the making of their following album, and the last with the original lineup. He left over creative differences with his brother during the recording of their third album in August 1980.

[Verse 1]
Bella donna’s on the high street
Her breasts upon the off beat
And the stalls are just the side shows
Victoriana’s old clothes
And yes, her jeans are tight now
She got to travel light now
She got to turn up all her roots now
She got to turn up for the boots now

[Chorus]
She thinks she’s tough
She ain’t no English rose
Ah, but the blind singer
He’s seen enough and he knows
Yes, and he do a song about a long-gone Irish girl
Ah, but I got one for you, Portobello Belle

[Verse 2]
She sees a man upon his back there
Escaping from a sack there
And bella donna lingers
Her gloves ain’t got no fingers
Yeah, the blind man sing in Irish
He get his money in a tin dish
Just a corner serenader
Upon a time he could have made her, made her

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Yes, and the barrow boys are hawking
And the parakeet’s squawking
Upon a truck there is a rhino
She get the crying of a wino
And then she hear the reggae rumble
Bella donna’s in the jungle
But she is no garden flower
There is no distress in the tower

[Outro]
Bella donna walks
Bella donna taking a stroll
She don’t care about your window box or your buttonhole
Yes, and she sing a song about a long-gone Irish girl
Ah, but I got one for you, Portobello Belle

References:
1. Song Meanings – Portobello Belle
2. Communiqué (Dire Straits album) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Communiqué, Dire Straits, Portobello Belle
Posted in Music

Push the Sky Away (2013) – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Posted on July 4, 2025 by observationblogger — 7 Comments

One of Australia’s most successful musical exports in Alternative – Indie music is back again, this time with the title track to his 15th studio album – Push The Sky Away. Nick Cave’s career spans over 4 decades working not only as a musician, but also as a writer, actor and director. He has amassed quite the cult following over that time. Anyone who’s listened to the wide range of his songs featured here and followed his lyrical journey would understand he shouldn’t be boxed in as just ‘that goth rock guy.’

As is evident in the live performance below, Push the Sky Away takes a minimal approach to the Bad Seeds signature sound. In the early days Cave seemed obsessed with the themes of Love, death, religion and dark fantasies, and Push the Sky Away is consistent with theses themes as well; however, the narratives have become more obtuse. The sound here is uncharacteristically weightless and eerily atmospheric. The song is less narratively focussed, and more stream-of-consciousness haze. It’s just another understated yet telling piece in the mosaic of Cave’s creative arc.

Push the Sky Away is the second song to feature here from his 2013 record after the previous entry – Jubilee Street. It was recorded at La Fabrique in southern France and was the Bad Seeds first album not to include founding member Mick Harvey, following his departure from the group in January 2009. The songs on the album were written over the course of twelve months and “took form in a modest notebook” kept by Cave. The cover image (see above) shows Cave opening a window shutter to illuminate his naked wife, Susie Bick in the couple’s own bedroom. The process of the recording was documented in the documentary, 20,000 Days on Earth, which I thoroughly enjoyed viewing.

Push the Sky Away went to No 1 in Australia, which was a first for the group. It also reached number one in six other countries. It also got a career high peak at No. 3 in the UK and No. 29 in the US. It was their first album to reach the top 50 in the US. It was acclaimed by music critics where at Metacritic, the album received an average score of 81.

In the video below, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis perform a rendition of Push the Sky Away recorded at their Film Music concert in December 2019 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

[Verse 1]
I was riding, I was riding home
The sun, the sun, the sun was rising from the field

[Verse 2]
I got a feeling I just can’t shake
I got a feeling that just won’t go away

[Chorus]
You’ve got to just keep on pushing it
Keep on pushing it
Push the sky away

[Verse 3]
And if your friends think that you should do it different
And if they think that you should do it the same

[Chorus]

[Verse 4]
And if you feel you got everything you came for
If you got everything and you don’t want no more

[Chorus]

[Verse 5]
And some people say it’s just rock and roll
Ah but it gets you right down to your soul

[Chorus]

References:
1. Push the Sky Away – Wikipedia

Tagged with: nick cave and the bad seeds, push the sky away
Posted in Music

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

Tagged with: Bruce Springsteen, darkness on the edge of town, promised land
Posted in Music

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

Tagged with: Jackson Browne, the pretender
Posted in Music

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

Tagged with: amy winehouse, back to black, rehab
Posted in Music

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

Tagged with: Anna Marly, Emmanuel d'Astier de La Vigeri, leonard cohen, Songs from a room, the partisan
Posted in Music

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

Tagged with: blonde on blonde, Bob Dylan, just like a woman, lay lady lay
Posted in Music

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.

Latin	English
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

Tagged with: advent, catholic, Gregorian Chant, Rorate Caeli
Posted in Music

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

Tagged with: a view to a kill, duran duran, james bond
Posted in Music

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