Rain Dogs (1985) – Tom Waits

Posted on August 4, 2024 by observationblogger — 15 Comments

Can I preface by saying how difficult it is to write a post here in between watching Day 4 of the Athletics in Paris. I told my good friend Sharon a few days ago that I would boycott the Olympics after the disturbing ‘woke’ opening ceremony farce and their admittance of men into women’s boxing. So I broke my stance because I have adored Athletics ever since I was a wee tacker and I won’t let them take that away from me, just yet.
Now to resume normal programming……

When someone wrote in response to one of my Tom Waits’ posts that they were largely unfamiliar with his music, I recommended they listen to at least an hour of a wide range of his music from his extensive discography like the 19 songs (including today’s track) presented here so far. If they weren’t impressed after that hour, perhaps Tom wasn’t their’s to begin with. I’m not ashamed to say I’m a latecomer to his music, because well it’s Tom… and his music can be an acquired taste, but by golly have I been making up lost time.
When I was going on a bus ride with a friend here in Bogota many years ago, we put Tom’s music on for company and after one hour or so, we got caught: hook, line and sinker. We found ourselves chuckling over the bemusing semantics and instrumentation and felt gratified that it became an antidote for the shenanigans and hassle that Bogota’s traffic congestion can induce. Tom’s music acted like a portal into Alan Watt’s mindset; along the lines of: ‘No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen‘.

You might be asking what does the above rant have to do with today’s song Rain Dogs? Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and argue if you had to compress the aforementioned ‘one hour’ exposure of Tom to just ‘one song’ which best epitomised and encapsulated his artistry then it is Rain Dogs. It doesn’t infer if one doesn’t like Rain Dogs they won’t like Tom’s music; instead I would revert to my ‘one hour’ suggestion such is his rich and voluminous music output.

Rain Dogs is the titular track of Tom Waits’ 1985 album. It is no wonder Tom Waits was such a huge admirer (see here) of the polemical and counter-establishment writer Charles Bukowski because you can almost hear the world weary and gravelly voice of Bukowski in a lot of Tom’s material especially Rain Dogs. As a listener it feels like I am retaking a journey through guttered streets and bewildered souls, since I confess on having walked, crawled and ‘There but for the grace of God go I‘ escaped from that. Waits described the term ‘rain dogs‘ as representing people who, much like dogs lost in the rain, can no longer find their way home because the scent trail has been washed away. This poignant metaphor sets the stage for the song’s exploration of alienation and displacement.

Inside a broken clock
Splashing the wine
With all the rain dogs
Taxi, we’d rather walk
Huddle a doorway with the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too

Oh, how we danced and we swallowed the night
For it was all ripe for dreaming
Oh, how we danced away all of the lights
We’ve always been out of our minds

The rum pours strong and thin
Beat out the dustman with the rain dogs
Aboard a shipwreck train
Give my umbrella to the rain dogs
For I am a rain dog too

Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee
Her long hair black as a raven
Oh, how we danced and you whispered to me
You’ll never be going back home

Oh, how we danced with the Rose of Tralee
Her long hair black as a raven
Oh, how we danced and you whispered to me
You’ll never be going back home

The song features the marimba, accordion, and other percussion elements that add a layer of theatricality and exoticism. These choices reflect Waits’ interest in blending diverse musical traditions, creating a sound that’s both familiar and otherworldly. The mid-1980s was a period when Waits was transitioning from a piano-based balladeer to a more avant-garde performer. His live performances are known for their raw energy and improvisational flair. Despite not being a commercial juggernaut (peaking at number 29 on the UK charts and number 188 in the US), Rain Dogs has garnered a dedicated following and critical acclaim and is often cited as one of Waits’ finest works, praised for its innovative sound and lyrical depth.

References:
1. Rain Dogs – Wikipedia

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Born to Run (1975) – Bruce Springsteen

Posted on August 3, 2024 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

Born to Run, the title track is a frenzied anthem about the idealism and escapism of youth, similar to the spirit and message of another song on the record called Backstreets which I presented here in 2019. I was so awestruck by Born to Run (the album) I wrote a lyrics booklet in my youth of the whole album; complete with a little nice string to thread the pages together. Lyrics weren’t so accessible back then so I transcribed what I thought he sung. I felt like a devoted scribe of a great musical sermon. This album remains one of my favourites of all time. Today’s featured song, Born to Run (the title track) is easily his most recognisable from the record, and arguably one of the most celebrated and landmark songs of his entire career.

I’m not as enamoured by this song as I once was, since I prefer to listen to other songs from the record including the opener Thunder Road, She’s the One, Night and Backstreets. But there’s no disputing the legacy and immensity of the title track as a ‘timeless’ piece of American music which resonates with listeners across different generations. The song became a desperate call for freedom and a search for a better life.

Springsteen and the E Street Band spent six months in the studio perfecting the song, with Springsteen obsessing over every detail. He was determined to create something that would catapult him into rock stardom, and he wanted the song to sound like “Roy Orbison singing Bob Dylan, produced by Phil Spector“. The result is a wall of sound, a dense and powerful mix that captures the urgency and grandeur of the song’s themes. Upon release, music critic Robert Christgau took note of its wall of sound influence and called it “the fulfillment of everything Be My Baby was about and lots more“. The soaring saxophone solo by Clarence Clemons, the intricate guitar work, and the anthemic chorus all contribute to the song’s epic feel.

[Verse 1]
In the day, we sweat it out on the streets
Of a runaway American dream
At night, we ride through mansions of glory
In suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on Highway 9
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin’ out over the line
Oh, baby this town rips the bones from your back
It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we’re young
‘Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
Yes, girl, we were

[Verse 2]
Wendy let me in, I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs ’round these velvet rims
And strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
We’ll run ’til we drop, baby we’ll never go back
Oh, will you walk with me out on the wire?
‘Cause baby I’m just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta know how it feels
I want to know if love is wild, babe
I want to know if love is real
Oh, can you show me?

[Saxophone Solo]

[Bridge]
Beyond the palace, hemi-powered drones
Scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you, Wendy, on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss
Huh

[Instrumental Break]
(One, two, three, four)

[Verse 3]
The highways jammed with broken heroes
On a last chance power drive
Everybody’s out on the run tonight
But there’s no place left to hide
Together, Wendy, we can live with the sadness
I’ll love you with all the madness in my soul
Oh, someday girl, I don’t know when
We’re gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go, and we’ll walk in the sun
But ’til then, tramps like us
Baby, we were born to run

[Outro]

Born to Run was Springsteen’s first worldwide single release, although it achieved little initial success outside of the United States. Within the U.S., however, it received extensive airplay on progressive or album-oriented rock radio stations. The single was also Springsteen’s first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No 23. It was ranked number 27 on Rolling Stone’s 2021 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time“, the highest placement for a song by Springsteen.
It is unsurprisingly his most-performed song live. Most of the time the house lights are turned fully on and fans consistently sing along with Springsteen’s signature wordless vocalizations throughout the song’s performance.

References:
1. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen

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Hold On, Hold On (2006) – Neko Case

Posted on August 1, 2024 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Singer-songwriter Neko Case began her career in the mid-’90s, playing drums in various, mostly punk-oriented bands before launching a country-influenced solo project, Neko Case & Her Boyfriends, who debuted in 1997 with the album The Virginian. That same year, she also became part of indie rock collective The New Pornographers and remains a member to this day. She also continued solo work and in March 2006 released her fourth album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I decided to pick the captivating Hold On, Hold On.
– Chris & Max Pick …songs from 2006 – Christian’s Music Musings

This fantastic song Hold On, Hold On reminded me of Vika and Linda Bull’s When Will You Fall For Me, but with a country vibe. That’s what I told Christian when he relayed this song on his music blog. I’m so grateful for it because I love listening to few songs as much I do that one by those Melbourne Girls.
Neko Case’s Hold On, Hold On is a relative short song, and it begins unassuming almost like a head cowering beneath the covers (and a woman so jaded about relationships). Then just like a train getting going the horn begins to bellow and the guitar spins on an axis to take us on something out of an alt-rock western. The song evolves and morphs into different wave patterns and stories. It’s in a superposition of sorts and it’s not until you pause it, does it collapse. This is pure music – art. There is too much my ears love about it. I just wish it was longer. So you know the story – I will put it on repeat.

Neko Case told Uncut in 2015: “I still think it might be one of the best songs I’ve written. It’s not so much about being a lone wolf as it is, ‘I don’t want that like that.’ But it doesn’t go on to tell you how you need it.“
Case added “the song is actually about me. It’s not metaphorical about other people. It’s not little pieces of my life made into a story about someone else or someone fictitious.”

The writing in this is fantastic. Her use of the Echo chorus singing “Hold on” is interesting to say the least.  For me, the way Neko sings it indicates that someone is telling her to hold on—keep waiting—something great will come your way.  It has this sort of “put the past behind, I know times are tough, but you’ve got to hold on” sentiment to it.  And hopeless Neko declares this statement as a lie.  “That echo chorus lied to me with its ‘Hold on’”.  She feels so discouraged, so hopeless.
It reminds me of a line I once wrote in a poem: ‘you popped in to say ‘hi’, your echo drew me here‘. That echo felt like my ‘Hold On‘ on as well, but it was just my past and false dreams manifesting themselves in the present. Much disillusionment.

The most tender place in my heart is for strangers
I know it’s unkind but my own blood is much too dangerous
Hangin’ round the ceiling half the time
Hangin’ round the ceiling half the time

Compared to some I’ve been around
But I really tried so hard
That echo chorus lied to me with its
“Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on”
In the end I was the mean girl
Or somebody’s in-between girl
Now it’s the devil I love
And that’s as funny as real love

I leave the party at 3 A.M
Alone, thank God
With a valium from the bride
It’s the devil I love
It’s the devil I love
And that’s as funny as real love
And that’s as real as true love

That echo chorus lied to me with its
“Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on”
That echo chorus lied to me with its
“Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on”

Hold On, Hold On was released on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood – March 7, 2006. The album was recorded primarily in Tucson, over the course of two years as Case worked on the live The Tigers Have Spoken and continued to play with the New Pornographers. Critics hailed the record not only for Case’s trademark vocals but also her use of stark imagery and non-standard song structures. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood wound up on many “Best of 2006” lists, such as No.1 on the Amazon.com music editors’ picks and No. 2 on NPR’s All Songs Considered. 

References:
1. Neko Case – Wikipedia

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Absolutely, Positively Friends (1993) – Kenny Marks

Posted on July 31, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

He is best remembered for helping to implement a style that he calls ‘horizontal music with a vertical connection’: songs that may be informed by a spiritual orientation but are not overtly about spiritual things.
– Kenny Marks: Remembering the CCM star of the ’80s and ’90s

Christian Music singer Kenny Marx who featured here only a month ago with Running on Love has returned with the title track from his 1993 ‘greatest hits collection’ album Absolutely, Positively Friends. I like to sometimes go back to listening to the music I grew up and played a hundred times. A friend of mine ‘Eric’ lent me his cassette tapes of Kenny in school. I found the songs catchy and inspiring. I thought they had plenty of feeling and great meanings. Kenny’s voice is made in the Bryan Adams / Journey pathos style. His songs could be considered too sanguine, sentimental and ‘rote by numbers’ by modern tastes and a cynical world, but I won’t shy away from the music which was an integral part of forming my identity and place in the world. So that’s that, for better or worse.

On 31st October 2018 Kenny Marks died of a heart attack at 67 years of age. Although his name may not be known to a younger generation of Christian music aficionados but he was (as purported in the references below), at his height in the ’80s and ’90s; a true CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) star with a string of US Christian radio hits. Kenny continued to release albums up ’til 1995, exploring a more melodic ballad driven sound. It’s a shame that over the last couple of generations his music which once shone so bright has faded into such obscurity. His lyrics to today’s featured track Absolutely, Positively Friends cannot even be found, nor can information about the record.

Kenny said in an interview, “Music is one of the best ways to reach people. I love the passion in rock and want to use it for good. I use this powerful art form to communicate hope to people right where they are. I want my lyrics to touch hearts. Years of tours and travels all over the world have shaped my music, but I definitely retain a Christian perspective.”
– Kenny Marks: Remembering the CCM star of the ’80s and ’90s

References:
1. Kenny Marks – Wikipedia
2. Kenny Marks Dies at 67 – GMA
3. Kenny Marks: Remembering the CCM star of the ’80s and ’90s – Cross Rhythms

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Be My Baby (1963) – The Ronettes

Posted on July 30, 2024 by observationblogger — 12 Comments

Be My Baby was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich at Spector’s office in Los Angeles. Early in 1963, Spector auditioned a vocal group trio – composed of sisters Veronica (also known as “Ronnie“) and Estelle Bennett with their cousin Nedra Talley – who were performing under the names “Ronnie and the Relatives” and “the Ronettes“. Spector, who had been struggling with marital issues, developed a romantic fixation on Ronnie at this time..Biographer Mick Brown surmised that Spector may have “intended Be My Baby as an explicit declaration of his growing feelings for Ronnie“, and that the song, in retrospect, served as a foreshadowing of their marriage, which lasted from the late 1960s through the early 1970s.
– extracts from the Wikipedia reference below

I was reminded of this monumental 60’s song from Max’s post last year in his PowerPop blog. Be My Baby produced by Phil Spector using a full orchestra and employing his Wall of Sound technique is renowned by some as one of the greatest 60’s musical achievements. The song was the Ronettes‘ biggest hit, reaching number 2 in the U.S. and number 4 in the UK. In 2006, the Library of Congress inducted the Ronettes’ Be My Baby into the United States National Recording Registry.

The song has influenced many artists, most notably the Beach Boys‘ Brian Wilson. It had amazed and inspired Wilson, who wrote in response the 1964 hit Don’t Worry Baby which featured here back in 2021. Brian Wilson even declared Don’t Worry Baby as one of The Beach Boys finest records opining: ‘It has about the best proportion of our voices and ranges‘. Wilson even considered having his song be recorded by the Ronettes instead of the Beach Boys.

[Verse 1]
The night we met I knew I needed you so
And if I had the chance I’d never let you go
So won’t you say you love me?
I’ll make you so proud of me
We’ll make ’em turn their heads every place we go

[Chorus]
So won’t you, please (Be my, be my baby)
Be my little baby? (My one and only baby)
Say you’ll be my darlin’ (Be my, be my baby)
Be my baby now (My one and only baby)
Whoa-oh-oh-oh

[Verse 2]
I’ll make you happy, baby, just wait and see
For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three
Oh, since the day I saw you
I have been waiting for you
You know I will adore you ’til eternity

[Chorus]

[Cello Bridge]

[Chorus repeat]

Ronnie remembered, “I was so shy that I’d do all my vocal rehearsals in the studio’s ladies’ room, because I loved the sound I got in there. People talk about how great the echo chamber was at Gold Star, but they never heard the sound in that ladies’ room … That’s where all the little ‘whoa-ohs’ and ‘oh-oh-oh-ohs’ you hear on my records were born.” She said that when she sang the song at the session, “the band went nuts. I was 18 years old, 3,000 miles from home, and had all these guys saying I was the next Billie Holiday.”

References:
1. Be My Baby – Wikipedia

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Santa Fé (1967) – Bob Dylan

Posted on July 29, 2024 by observationblogger — 3 Comments

Santa Fé is a playful, improvisational and rollicking song recorded by Bob Dylan and the Band in 1967 in the summer or fall of 1967 in West Saugerties, New York (at a home of some of the Band members, known as Big Pink – see image inset). Decades later it was released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991 which is how I first heard it. Interestingly, this intriguing, lesser known piece was copyrighted in 1973 with lyrics that differ noticeably from those on the recording itself.

Santa Fé was recorded during the sessions that would in 1975 be released on The Basement Tapes but was not included on that album. I do wish it had been fleshed out and given the proper studio treatment because its potential is really something. These music sessions by Bob Dylan and the Band in 1967 took place in three phases throughout the year, at a trio of houses, and Santa Fé was likely put on tape in the second of these. The song is whimsical and somewhat enigmatic, with Dylan’s lyrics painting a surreal and almost nonsensical picture. Lines like “Dear, dear, dear, dear, Santa Fe, / My woman needs it every day” suggest a mix of spontaneity and humor. It’s as if Dylan is less concerned with crafting a polished narrative and more interested in the joy of creation and collaboration.

In the decades following this collaboration, the over 100 tracks recorded at these sessions were at different stages obtained by collectors and released on bootlegs. The first batch of these leaked to the public beginning in the late 1960s; the second in 1986; the third, which included Santa Fé , in the early 1990s; and a fourth batch of Basement Tape tracks became public in 2014. Dylan biographer Sid Griffin has noted that, because no written records were kept of these 1967 recording sessions, “the world will have to live with the fact that it will never know exactly which Basement Tapes tune was recorded when and where“.

[Verse 1]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
My woman needs it everyday
She promised this a-lad she’d stay
She’s rolling up a lotta bread to toss away

[Verse 2]
She’s in Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
Now she’s opened up an old maid’s home
She’s proud, but she needs to roam
She’s gonna write herself a roadside poem about Santa Fe

[Verse 3]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
Since I’m never gonna cease to roam
I’m never, ever far from home
But I’ll build a geodesic dome and sail away

[Verse 4]
Don’t feel bad, no, no, no, no, don’t feel bad
It’s the best food I’ve ever had
Makes me feel so glad
That she’s cooking in a homemade pad
She never caught a cold so bad when I’m away

[Verse 4]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
My shrimp boat’s in the bay
I won’t have my nature this way
And I’m leaning on the wheel each day to drift away from

[Verse 5]
Santa Fe, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear Santa Fe
My sister looks good at home
She’s licking on an ice cream cone
She’s packin’ her big white comb
What does it weigh?

References:
1. Santa-Fe (Bob Dylan song) – Wikipedia

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Sana Sana (2020) – Nathy Peluso

Posted on July 27, 2024 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Such is my excitement for this song and Nathy Peluso in general, I have forwarded this ‘polemical primeval act’ ahead of time and will let it roll on tomorrow. Her other song Puro Veneno released here in April this year received about more ‘likes’ than any other song I posted despite the inherent language barrier. She’s so across different genres of music – it’s crazy! Assuredly ‘Sana Sana‘ won’t sit well with all n’ sundry, but by golly is it remarkable according to my limited musical appreciation. I can’t help but be drawn to her.

Sana Sana (Heal Heal) was the third and final single released from Nathy’s third album, Calambre, and became an instant hit, with its powerful rhythm and cheeky rap verses. In this song, Nathy once again shows herself as a symbol of empowerment, something she frequently does, as in songs like Puro Veneno or Nasty Girl. On this occasion, with Sana Sana she talks about the power she has over other people, highlighting each of her abilities. At the same time, Nathy plays with symbols of Argentine culture, such as the singer Mercedes Sosa or the children’s song “sana que sana, colita de rana, sino sana hoy sanará mañana.” (Heal, heal, little frog tail, if not healed today, it will heal tomorrow). The irony is in her interviews she appears the polar opposite as the evocative and aggressive character she plays in many of her songs.

Argentina born Nathy Peluso seems a divisive artist in Latin America because of her audacity and uninhibited presentation and content. I consider her an iconic figure in the music industry today. I have always admired her theatricality and transparency especially in performances like here with Sana Sana and those aforementioned songs. I never grow tired listening to her and seeing her perform. Her attention to detail, innate lucidity juxtaposed with the preciseness of her movements and brash facial expressions in time with the rhythm is something to behold. You can’t teach this.
I’m hooked on lots of her music despite not being a fan of hip hop or rap genre. Her latest album Grasa also includes unforgettable artistry that will be forthcoming.

Her performance in collaboration with a Colors Show below went viral and turned the song into one of Nathy Peluso’s most famous.

Following is a crude English translation of a segment of the song:
(Warning Content: The lyrics contain explicit messages which could offend some readers).

[Intro]
(It’s the champion sound)
Ladies!

[Refrain]
I have the strength to break open the head
Bring me the sharp knife
Argentine as Mercedes Sosa
You already know that I am dangerous
I know how to talk to my bitch
I know how to cut my hashish
If I show you, the police will come
If I squat, you can feel my cl——

[Pre-Chorus]
Look, how elegant, I wear Prada with roller
Pouring gasoline to make the leather catch fire
If you want to lie to me, study it first
Grab me here, come, learn, you son of a bitch

[Chorus]
And if the IMF messes with mе
If they think they’re going to еat from my pot
Hip, with the hip, with the hip-hip-hopa
Hip, with the hip, with the hip-hip-hopa

[Post-Chorus]
Heal-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing
Heal-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing
Heal-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing
Heal-ing-ing-ing-ing-ing

[Bridge]
It’s the champion sound
It’s the champion sound (Ladies)
It’s the champion sound (Bitch)
It’s the champion sound

References:
1. Nathy Peluso – Wikipedia

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Mayonaise (1993) – Smashing Pumpkins

Posted on July 27, 2024 by observationblogger — 45 Comments

In the advent of alternative rock’s mainstream breakthrough, Mayonaise was released on the Smashing Pumpkins‘ second studio album Siamese Dream (image inset) in 1993. There are a whole host of other pioneering grunge / alt-rock groups who have featured here that arose in the early 1990’s and coursed a new path for music, but today it’s the Smashing Pumpkins’ turn to shine. I listened a lot to their breakout record Siamese Dream and two tracks always remained close to me, namely Mayonaise and Today, and from their follow-up record Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Tonight, Tonight. Despite a tumultuous recording process, the album received acclaim and is regarded as one of the best albums in the genre. 

The following are extracts from the Wikipedia article below:
In 2012, Rolling Stone readers voted Mayonaise as their favourite song in the band’s catalogue. Despite having garnered considerable radio play and remaining a fan favorite, Mayonaise was never an officially released single. According to Billy Corgan (founder, lead singer & primary songwriter), the whistling sound (feedback) heard in Mayonaise came from a cheap guitar he bought, which, whenever he stopped playing it, created the whistling sound. This sound was then incorporated into the song. Corgan apparently got the title for the song after he looked “in [his] refrigerator“. Later, he stated in an interview with a Colombian radio station that the name stands for the phonetics of “My Own Eyes“.

The track is a delicate balance of raw emotion and intricate musicianship, encapsulating the band’s ethos. Despite its whimsical name, the song is deeply introspective. Its lyrics delve into themes of self-doubt, longing, and the search for identity.

[Verse 1]
Fool enough to almost be it
Cool enough to not quite see it
Doomed
Pick your pocket, full of sorrow
And run away with me tomorrow
June

[Bridge]
We’ll try and ease the pain
But somehow, we’ll feel the same
Well, no one knows
Where our secrets go

[Verse 2]
I send a heart to all my dearies
When your life is so, so dreary
Dream
I’m rumored to the straight and narrow
While the harlots of my perils
Scream

[Chorus 1]
And I fail
But when I can, I will
Try to understand
That when I can, I will

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 3]
Mother, weep the years I’m missing
All our time can’t be given
Back
Shut my mouth and strike the demons
That cursed you and your reasons
Out of hand and out of season
Out of love and out of feeling

[Chorus 2]
So bad
When I can, I will
Words defy the plans
When I can, I will

[Verse 4]
Fool enough to almost be it
And cool enough to not quite see it
And old enough to always feel this
Always old, I’ll always feel this
No more promise, no more sorrow
No longer will I follow
Can anybody hear me?
I just want to be me

References:
1. Mayonaise (song) – Wikipedia

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The Bothersome Man (2006) – Jens Lien (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on July 26, 2024 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

A city without problems
without memories
without death
without pain
But there’s always someone who is a troublemaker

This week’s featured movie The Bothersome Man (Norwegian: Den brysomme mannen) like last week’s Vivarium find the protagonists trapped in dystopian worlds where they attempt to escape. The world in Vivarium is set in a surreal, maze-like nightmare where as The Bothersome Man is a outwardly perfect, yet empty and unfulfilling dystopia. There are many parallels between this dystopia and the happiness and painless concentration camps explored in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Unlike last week’s Vivarium which had a poor reception, this film was well received by critics and audience alike. I agree this is the better movie despite Vivarium‘s continued encroachment on my psyche.

IMDB Storyline:

Forty-year-old Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how he got there. He is presented with a job, an apartment – even a wife. But before long, Andreas notices that something is wrong. Andreas makes an attempt to escape the city, but he discovers there’s no way out. Andreas meets Hugo, who has found a crack in a wall in his cellar. Beautiful music streams out from the crack. Maybe it leads to “the other side”? A new plan for escape is hatched.

The Bothersome Man is a darkly humorous film because it contains so many awkward conversational interactions between the Andreas the inquisitive protagonist and the relatively sedated population. This is a little like the crop of comic serious surreal movies in the last twenty years where you part laugh and part are gasping in appreciation for the reality invented. I’m thinking Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Being John Malkovich, but I probably enjoyed The Bothersome Man more.

Andreas finds himself in a place in the society that gives him access to “happiness” and ‘material abundance’: – an apartment – a convertible – friends from the work place – a girl, who has only interest for kitchens. Andreas has other values, is sensitive and want to make choices: warm chocolate and children.  
What impressed me throughout and I hadn’t seen it in a movie before were the continued closeups and extended shots of the protagonist’s face which exhibits great nuance, sensibility and feel. Big props to the actor Trond Fausa Aurvåg and the director who took great risk to overextend the shots, but never feel overdone, on the contrary, they only enhance the sense of his state of despair.

If anyone would like to experience this in real person I invite you to visit Cedritos, Bogota Colombia or Oslo as described below in Norway.

I saw this movie yesterday and can’t stop thinking about it. I moved to Norway four months ago, and have tried ever since to find the origin of the strange emptiness I felt. When I saw this film I was struck with the brilliant snapshot of this society. Yes, this is all true!!! I too found a great job with a great pay, and I live with my Norwegian boyfriend in a nice apartment downtown. But, so far everyone I have met have left me with that tasteless, empty feeling I had never had before – this is what this movie is about. Dinner parties with nothing to say to each other but emotionless comments, long silences, no stress, a creepy calm, and frozen smiles of niceness. This Scandinavian nightmare is perfectly rendered in Den Brysomme mannen. See this movie!!!
– Canadian in Norway

References:
1. Den brysomme mannen – IMDB
2. The Bothersome Man – Wikipedia

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Posted in Movies and TV

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie

Posted on July 25, 2024 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

San Francisco is the quintessential zeitgeist song for the Summer of Love movement in the 1960’s. It is so palpable upon listen you can almost smell the ‘flowers in their hair’. The song emerged in 1967, written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, and performed by Scott McKenzie. Phillips penned the lyrics as an invitation to the Monterey Pop Festival festival, trying to capture the essence of the burgeoning counterculture movement. It embodies the spirit of peace, love, and communal harmony that characterized the Summer of Love. The simplicity of the arrangement, with its gentle guitar strumming and orchestral flourishes, allowed the poignant message to resonate clearly.

The song’s live debut at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 was a pivotal moment. This festival was one of the first major rock festivals and featured iconic performances from artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Who. McKenzie’s performance of San Francisco became an anthem for the event, encapsulating the festival’s ethos of peace and music.

Upon its release, San Francisco quickly soared to the top of the charts, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in the UK and several other countries.

[Verse 1]
If you’re going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you’re going to San Francisco
You’re gonna meet some gentle people there

[Verse 2]
For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair

[Bridge]
All across the nation such a strange vibration
People in motion
There’s a whole generation with a new explanation
People in motion, people in motion

[Verse 3]
For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there

[Outro]
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there

References:
1. San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) – Wikipedia

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Posted in Music

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