Stage Fright (1976) – The Band (The Last Waltz)

Posted on November 16, 2024 by observationblogger — 11 Comments

Of all the songs from the The Last Waltz concert, Stage Fright was always the one that captivated my musical sensibilities the most. It’s such an unusual song and I mean that in the best possible way. As the title suggests, The Band drummer Levon Helm has written that the song is about “the terror of performing.”
Rick Danko’s vocal style is both raw and tender and fits the song’s themes of anxiety and self-doubt. His voice sounds like a man on the edge, wrestling with the pressures of fame and expectation. It’s not flawless but it is powerful and drenched in emotion and as a viewer you feel drawn to his plight. Originally Robertson intended it to be sung by Richard Manuel but it became clear that the song was better suited to Danko’s “nervous, tremulous voice.” Helm regarded the song as a “showpiece” for lead singer and bassist Rick Danko particularly in the use of a fretless bass, which according to Helm “gave the rhythm section a different feel.”

Also musically The Band brings a sense of tension and release that mirrors the song’s exploration of these themes, all while providing the perfect backdrop for Rick Danko’s vocals. Right from the opening notes, Garth Hudson’s swirling organ sets a nervous, almost restless atmosphere. Robbie Robertson’s guitar work is sharp yet restrained, with biting riffs that reflect the jittery edge of someone trying to keep it together under pressure.

Apart from the legendary The Last Waltz concert as seen below, a live performance of Stage Fright appears on Before the Flood, a live album of The Band’s 1974 tour with Bob Dylan which was my first ever Bob Dylan purchase. The song was originally released in 1971 as a single in Denmark of all places. It was re-released as the B-side of Dylan’s Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine) single in 1974.

[Verse 1]
Now deep in the heart of a lonely kid
Who suffered so much for what he did
They gave this ploughboy his fortune and fame
Since that day he ain’t been the same

[Chorus]
See the man with the stage fright
Just standin’ up there to give it all his might
And he got caught in the spotlight
But when we get to the end
He wants to start all over again

[Verse 2]
I’ve got fire water right on my breath
And the doctor warned me I might catch a death
Said, “You can make it in your disguise
Just never show the fear that’s in your eyes”

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Now if he says that he’s afraid
Take him at his word
And for the price that the poor boy has paid
He gets to sing just like a bird, oh, ooh ooh ooh

[Verse 4]
Your brow is sweatin’ and your mouth gets dry
Fancy people go driftin’ by
The moment of truth is right at hand
Just one more nightmare you can stand

[Chorus]

[Outro]
Hmm hmm
You wanna try it once again, hmm hmm
Please, don’t make him stop, hmm hmm
Let him take it from the top, hmm hmm
Let him start all over again

References:
1. Stage Fright (The Band Song) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, stage fright, the band, the last waltz
Posted in Music

Glory Days (1984) – Bruce Springsteen

Posted on November 15, 2024 by observationblogger — 15 Comments

Glory Days is the big rock stomping, jukebox hit on Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA album. It was the fifth single released from the record. As evident in its official music video, nowhere does Bruce Springsteen showcase and embrace this hometown, blue-collar image more than in this song. A cynic may now find it cheesy, but watching the video still brings a wide smile to my face. Glory Days and Dancing in the Dark were among the first songs I introduced to my kids from Bruce Springsteen’s vast catalogue, as I thought their catchy, upbeat appeal would be the perfect way to get someone so young interested in his music. I’ll admit my appreciation of the Born in the USA album has dissipated over the years in preference for other music from his lesser-known records, but I can’t help but sometimes think about….Glory Days!

The song was written initially as a trilogy – a friend (1st verse), a girl (2nd verse) and a father (the “missing verse”). These were three persons that impacted him significantly and tied him to his hometown. The American songwriter reference below purports how Glory Days was inspired by a chance meeting with an old high school friend as depicted in the 1st verse:

The verse recounts an event that happened on the Jersey Shore in 1973. Springsteen was leaving the Headliner in Neptune when he crossed paths with an old friend from high school. They returned to the bar and reminisced about their earlier adventures playing baseball. They had been seatmates in seventh grade at St. Rose of Lima High School in Freehold. The speedballer in question was named Joe DePugh, and he played on the same Babe Ruth League baseball team. DePugh excelled on the mound, while Springsteen played right field and earned the nickname “Saddie.”

Springsteen had released his second album and recently opened an arena show for The Beach Boys. Springsteen’s group, who would go on to be named The E Street Band, was building a strong reputation from their live shows, and the duo stayed at the bar until it closed, looking back on their “glory days.”

…..His friend Scott Wright first heard “Glory Days” and recognized the situation from DePugh’s story. In 2011, DePugh told Kevin Coyne of The New York Times, “He told me, ‘Springsteen has a new album out, and there’s a song on there about you. It’s exactly the story you told me.’ DePugh didn’t believe him, so Wright requested the song on a Montpelier, Vermont radio station. “My wife starts bawling,” DePugh said. “That’s how I knew exactly that it was me.”

Bruce decided to emit the father verse (you can read it below) from the official version because he realized that it did not fit with the song’s storyline. Perhaps it strayed too far from the youth themes and that the ‘dead-end’ future sombered the tone. Also he had written about his Dad on other songs heard on the Darkness on the Edge of Town record.
Glory Days peaked at No 5 on the Billboard in the summer of 1985. It was the fifth of a record-tying seven Top 10 hit singles to be released from Born in the U.S.A.

[Verse 1]
I had a friend was a big baseball player
Back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool, boy
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar
I was walking in, he was walking out
We went back inside, sat down, had a few drinks
But all he kept talking about was

[Chorus]
Glory days
Well they’ll pass you by, glory days
In the wink of a young girl’s eye, glory days
Glory days (Alright)

[Verse 2]
Well, there’s a girl that lives up the block
Back in school, she could turn all the boys’ heads
Sometimes on a Friday, I’ll stop by and have a few drinks
After she put her kids to bed
Her and her husband, Bobby, well they split up
I guess it’s two years gone by now
We just sit around talking about the old times
She says when she feels like crying, she starts laughing, thinking ’bout

[Chorus]

[Missing Verse]
My old man worked twenty years on the line
And they let him go
Now everywhere he goes out looking for work
They just tell him that he’s too old
I was nine-years old and he was working
At the Metuchen Ford plant assembly line
Now he just sits on a stool down at the Legion Hall
But I can tell what’s on his mind

[Verse 3]
I think I’m going down to the well tonight
And I’m gonna drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it
But I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back, trying to recapture
A little of the glory, yeah
Well, time slips away and leaves you with nothing, mister
But boring stories of…

References:
1. Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen song) – Wikipedia
2. The Story Behind “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen – American Songwriter

Tagged with: Born in the usa, Bruce Springsteen, glory days
Posted in Music

Stabat Mater; Quando Corpus Morietur And Amen (1736) – Giovanni Battista Pergolesi

Posted on November 14, 2024 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

I first heard the Stabat Mater (translated from Latin: The Mother was Standing referring to the Holy Mother Mary) when I saw the movie Amadeus which still sits at No 1 on my 100 favourite movies list. More music has appeared here from that film’s soundtrack than any other. The scenes in which the Stabat Mater appears you can find here. It culminates in the death of Salieri’s father. A plot breakdown follows (ref: Wikipedia):

Salieri begins his confession by saying that he grew up hearing stories of Mozart the child prodigy. As a youth, Salieri offered God a deal: if He allowed Salieri to become a famous musician like Mozart, Salieri would—in return—promise his faithfulness, chastity, and diligence. Soon after, his unsupportive father chokes on his food and dies, which Salieri interprets as a sign that God has accepted his vow.

You can find more about Antonio Salieri’s ‘real life’ and not that which is portrayed in the film at my post:

Axur, re d’Ormus (1788) Finale – Antonio Salieri

The following information contains extracts from the Wikipedia article below:

Stabat Mater was composed by the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi in the final weeks of his life. The autograph manuscript of the work (image left) is preserved in the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino. The work was composed for a Neapolitan confraternity, the Cavalieri della Vergine dei Dolori di San Luigi al Palazzo. Pergolesi composed it during his final illness from tuberculosis in a Franciscan monastery in Pozzuoli, along with a Salve Regina setting, and finished it shortly before he died. It is scored for soprano and alto soloists, violin I and II, viola and basso continuo.

The Stabat Mater is one of Pergolesi’s most celebrated sacred works, achieving great popularity after the composer’s death. Jean-Jacques Rousseau showed appreciation for the work, praising the opening movement as “the most perfect and touching duet to come from the pen of any composer“.

A translation of the Stabat Mater is as follows:

1. Stabat Mater dolorosa Iuxta crucem lacrimosa Dum pendebat Filius.	1. The grieving Mother stood weeping beside the cross where her Son was hanging.
2. Cuius animam gementem Contristatam et dolentem Pertransivit gladius.	2. Through her weeping soul, compassionate and grieving, a sword passed.
3. O quam tristis et afflicta Fuit illa benedicta Mater unigeniti!	3. O how sad and afflicted was that blessed Mother of the only-begotten!
4. Quae moerebat et dolebat, Pia Mater, dum videbat Nati poenas incliti.	4. Who mourned and grieved, seeing and bearing the torment of her glorious child.
5. Quis est homo qui non fleret, Matrem Christi si videret In tanto supplicio?	5. Who is it that would not weep, seeing Christ’s Mother in such agony?
6. Vidit suum dulcem natum Moriendo desolatum Dum emisit spiritum.	6. She saw her sweet child die desolate, as he gave up His spirit.
7. Eja Mater, fons amoris Me sentire vim doloris Fac, ut tecum lugeam.	7. O Mother, fountain of love, make me feel the power of sorrow, that I may grieve with you.
8. Fac, ut ardeat cor meum In amando Christum Deum Ut sibi complaceam.	8. Grant that my heart may burn in the love of Christ my God, that I may greatly please Him.
9. Sancta Mater, istud agas, Crucifixi fige plagas cordi meo valide.	9. Holy Mother, may you do thus: place the wounds of the Crucified deep in my heart.
10. Fac ut portem Christi mortem, passionis fac consortem, et plagas recolere.	10. Make me to bear Christ’s death, sharing in His passion, and commemorate his wounds.
11. Inflammatus et accensus per te, Virgo, sim defensus in die iudicii.	11. Inflame and set on fire, may I be defended by you, Virgin, on the day of judgment.
Fac me cruce custodiri morte Christi praemuniri confoveri gratia.	Let me be guarded by the cross, armed by Christ’s death and His cherished by His grace.
12. Quando corpus morietur, fac ut animæ donetur Paradisi gloria. Amen.	12. When my body dies, grant that to my soul is given the glory of paradise. Amen.

References:
1. Amadeus (Film) – Wikipedia
2. Stabat Mater (Pergolesi) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Amadeus, Stabat Mater; Quando Corpus Morietur And Amen Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Posted in Music

Spring Rain (1986) – The Go-Betweens

Posted on November 13, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

“There’s a gentle lope and swing as much breezy ’60s pop as there is roots revival intensity”

– AllMusic

Spring Rain is the 10th song to appear here from my dual favourite Australian band The Go-Betweens after their previous entry Right Here. Their prominence is comparable in numbers to another stellar, but cruelly underrated Australian group – My Friend the Chocolate Cake. The Go-Betweens remain somewhat of an enigma in Australian contemporary music circles since they were, as the BBC put it – The 80s band that never conquered the world, but their enduring legacy and vast influence on the music industry cannot be understated.
I might sound like a broken record, but to my listening ears no other Australian band encapsulates more instinctively the quintessential Australian ‘sound’ than the The Go-Betweens, analogous to how the wordsmanship of Australian author Tim Winton reacquaints me with my island home when I dive into one of his books.

Spring Rain is the first single from the band’s fourth album Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express. It is written by Robert Forster who appears in the music video below. He said the song was written when he was in London in his late twenties, looking back on a time when he was in his late teens and living in Brisbane suburbia. The lyrics appear an inner monologue, with the singer contemplating his rather monotonous life, waiting for a change to come. He feels alienated by the people around him who rather look for material goals.

Forster says the title is an homage to the Creedence Clearwater Revival songs “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”, who also have the word ‘rain’ in it. In his memoir “Grant & I”, Forster writes:

‘Spring Rain’ was my second song – there are now four – with the word ‘rain’ in the title.

[Verse 1]
Dressed in a white shirt with my hair combed straight
Here in my black shoes and me without a date
Me without hindsight, me without
When will change come
Just like Spring Rain

[Chorus]
Falling down like sheets
(falling down like sheets)
Coming down like love
(coming down like love)
Falling at my feet
(falling just like)
Spring Rain

[Verse 2]
Standing on the lawn with cousins and child brides
Caught for the camera on their best sides
Being caught forewarned
Their best sides
When will change come
Just like Spring Rain

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Driving my first car
My elbows in the breeze
With all these people that I Never, never need
These people are excited by their cars
I want surprises
Just like Spring Rain

References:
1. Spring Rain – Genius Lyrics
2. Spring Rain (The Go-Betweens song) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, spring rain, the go-betweens
Posted in Music

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30 (1909) – Sergei Rachmaninoff

Posted on November 12, 2024 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

Below is a quote from the Australian movie Shine (1996) (which featured here at Friday’s Finest in 2021), referring to how today’s featured movement from Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rach 3) is a notoriously challenging piece:

Cecil Parkes: No one’s ever been mad enough to attempt the Rach Three.
David Helfgott: Am I mad enough, professor? Am I?

The Russian classical music composer Sergei Rachmaninoff is no stranger to this blog having featured here 5 times already. I was a relative latecomer to appreciating Rachmaninoff, but now I listen to him frequently. I first heard his music when academy award winner Geoffrey Rush wowed audiences playing David Helfgott in the Australian movie – Shine.

Most of the following was extracted and paraphrased in part from the Wikipedia reference below:

Piano Concerto No. 3 was composed during the summer of 1909 and made its debut on November 28 of the same year in New York City, with Rachmaninoff himself as the soloist. He was joined by the New York Symphony Society, conducted by Walter Damrosch. This concerto is widely regarded as one of the most demanding works in the classical piano repertoire, pushing even seasoned pianists to their technical limits. Josef Hofmann, the pianist to whom the work is dedicated, never publicly performed it, saying that it “wasn’t for” him.

Rachmaninoff, being a masterful pianist, tailored his compositions for the piano to match both his personal preferences and his unique abilities. Standing tall with long, nimble fingers, he possessed an impressive hand span. His pieces are notoriously demanding, especially for pianists with smaller hands, and even those with average reach may find his works particularly challenging to play.

Due to time constraints, Rachmaninoff could not practice the piece while in Russia. Instead, he practiced Piano Concerto No. 3 on a silent keyboard that he brought with him while en route to the United States.
Public opinion regarding the Third Concerto was mixed in the beginning, but by 1919 it turned more positive. The concerto soon became more popular in the United States than the Second Concerto, partially due to the fact that Rachmaninoff wrote the Third specifically for his American tour.
According to Rebecca Mitchell’s “In Search of Russia: Sergei Rakhmaninov and the Politics of Musical Memory after 1917”, Rachmaninoff became a symbol of an old, nationalistic identity of Russia; many believed he was among the last. The Third Concerto served the same purpose as the Second he “spoke directly to the Russian soul.”

To set the scene for the video below from Shine which features Piano Concerto No. 3:

David Helfgott (Noah Taylor) who is now a star student at the Royal College of Music in London, and one of the candidates for the Concerto Medal. He proposes performing Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Concerto for Piano for his competition piece. His teacher, Professor Cecil Parkes (John Gielgud) begins the task of preparing him for a piece that he describes as ‘a monster’. Parkes warns him that it’s dangerous. Below is the result.

References:
1. Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30, Sergei Rachmaninoff, shine
Posted in Music

4/11 – 10/11/24 – Wedding Song, Roman Conquest & The Matterhorn

Posted on November 11, 2024 by observationblogger — 3 Comments

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

Something (1969) – The Beatles
Commentary by Nancy (The Elephant’s Trunk) at Observation Blogger

My modest readership includes a few Beatles devotees, so I wasn’t surprised to see the beautifully George Harrison-penned song Something become a popular topic of discussion. One comment that stood out came from my friend and fellow blogger, Nancy, whose blog, The Elephant’s Trunk, I read almost daily. In response to the song Something Nancy shared that it was her wedding song. That certainly got my attention and I responded, “I can’t even begin to fathom the deep emotional connection you must have with this song.” Below is Nancy’s beautiful account of how Something was used at her wedding, which she graciously allowed me to share with all of you:

Nothing but sweet memories whenever I hear this song, which we both agreed on. However, my dad was very old school and insisted we have a live band instead of a DJ for the reception. The band was not a professional wedding band, just a bunch of older guys from the post office where dad worked who got together and jammed. When I heard their cover of Something, I nearly cried and threw one of my very rare hissy fits. This happened days before the wedding so we had time. I told my dad we could hire his friends for the reception with one exception: we had to play the actual recording of the Beatles doing Something for my wedding dance. Dad didn’t like it but knew better than to argue. We compromised and everyone was happy in the end. If I hadn’t stuck to my guns, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.

The Roman Conquest of Britain | Julius Caesar’s Invasion | Part 1
Video discussion at The Rest is History

While recently listening to Brown University professor Glenn Lowry’s podcast with fellow cohort John McWhorter who teaches at Colombia University, the latter spoke about his proclivity to listen to The Rest is History podcast presented by historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook (see image left). So I checked it out and was impressed to say the least. I have since delved into many of their presentations; two series in particular one about Martin Luther: The Man Who Changed the World and the second – today’s featured topic The Roman Conquest of Europe. I don’t foresee my enjoyment of their podcasts waning any time soon.

Julius Caesar saw the Britons as brutal savages. Yet the Romans romanticised their lack of civilisation, deeming them as untainted by Mediterranean luxury. In 55 BC, after sending scouts along the Kentish coast, Caesar launched an invasion of the island as part of his Gallic Wars campaign. After a disastrous first attempt marred by storms, the “menacing horde of barbarians” of the English Home Counties asked Caesar for help and he returned with a bigger, stronger army to support their prince. Will this campaign succeed?

The Matterhorn // The Most Recognizable Mountain in the World
Video presentation at Mediocre Amateur

Apart from history presentations I have also been devouring high-end adventure ones about ultra-marathon running and mountain climbing in particular. My latest foray here was this video about ‘free-climbing with Alex Honnold’ which was insane. Now on to today’s latest adventure – The Matterhorn (image left) located in Switzerland one of the best-known mountains in the Alps. This video had me on the edge as well.

When I was young some of the first mountains I heard about were Everest, K2, and the Matterhorn. I think I recognized the Matterhorn before I knew the name of most my local mountains. I only recently looked into climbing the Matterhorn. Up until a few years ago I thought it’s pointy summit was unobtainable. Crowds, costs and technical skills made the peak seem out of reach. I had heard that long lines up the Hörnli Route could turn a day out into a horrible 20 hour nightmare. People I spoke with who had climbed it claimed that route finding after the Hörnlihütte was impossible without a guide….

That is all. Thank you for reading.

Tagged with: mediocre amateur, Nancy, something, the beatles, the elephant's trunk, the matterhorn, the rest is history, The Roman Conquest of Britain, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook
Posted in Music, News, Sport and Adventure

Spoonman (1994) – Soundgarden

Posted on November 10, 2024 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Spoonman is one of the most emblematic pieces of the grunge movement in the early 90’s. The band led charismatically by the late Chris Cornell was characterised by its heavy sound and introspective lyrics. Spoonman in particular combines a powerful guitar riff with a lyric that pays homage to an actual street musician whose real name was Artis the Spoonman who played the spoons as a musical instrument in Seattle, the home city of the band. The repeated call for the Spoonman to ‘come together with your hands‘ and ‘save me‘ is like a plea to enable the healing and unifying power of music and restore its community.

I remember when we heard this song come on in my early adulthood, my mate Mal would produce his pair of spoons and try to replicate their usage in the song. There is a drum solo using pots and pans which I always considered the crowning jewel of musicianship in Spoonman. I never get tired of them beats. The rhythm throughout is driving and relentless, powered by a syncopated groove that mirrors the percussive clatter of spoons, giving the song a raw, primal energy capturing the essence of the Spoonman’s artistry. The intensity culminates by the repeated lines ‘come on while I get off‘ which may suggest a release of energy or emotion through the act of musical performance.

[Verse 1]
Feel the rhythm with your hands
(Steal the rhythm while you can)
Spoonman
Speak the rhythm on your own
(Speak the rhythm all alone)
Spoonman

[Chorus]
Spoonman, come together with your hands
Save me, I’m together with your plan
Save me, yeah
Save, oh

[Verse 2]
All my friends are Indians
(All my friends are brown and red)
Spoonman
And all my friends are skeletons
(And beat the rhythm with their bones)
Spoonman, ohoh, mmm

[Chorus]
Spoonman, come together with your hands
Save me, I’m together with your plan
Save me
Save, save me
Save me, yeah
Save

The following information contain extracts from the Wikipedia reference below:

Written by the band’s frontman, Chris Cornell, Spoonman was released on February 14, 1994, as the first single from the band’s fourth studio album Superunknown. Spoonman is credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden’s career into the mainstream. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.

Spoonman was originally written for the soundtrack to the 1992 film Singles. At that time, Soundgarden, along with Pearl Jam, were working on the soundtrack for the film. Pearl Jam’s bass guitarist, Jeff Ament, had been put in charge of creating the name for a fictional band that would appear in the film. Before finally choosing Citizen Dick for its name, Ament had compiled a list of potential names, which included the name Spoonman.

Soundgarden’s vocalist and songwriter, Chris Cornell, eventually used the names on the list to create songs for the film. Spoonman was among these, and an acoustic version was created from it. This early version of the song is played during a scene in the film in which a poster advertising a Citizen Dick show is stapled to a lightpost. Rather than just leave the song on the film’s soundtrack, Soundgarden began working on an electric version of Spoonman.

The song’s inspiration, Artis the Spoonman, played a prominent role in the song. The final version of the song featured Artis the Spoonman playing his spoons as part of the song’s bridge. Drummer Matt Cameron also plays pots and pans on the song. The music video features Artis prominently, making him the focus of the video instead of the band, who are shown only in black-and-white still photographs.

References:
1. Spoonman – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, spoonman, superunknown
Posted in Music

Space Oddity (1969) – David Bowie

Posted on November 9, 2024 by observationblogger — 10 Comments

Space Oddity is a song by the late-great English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released on 11 July 1969 as the opening track of his second studio album, David Bowie. It is widely considered among the finest work (and most recognisable) of Bowie’s career and appeared on numerous best-of lists and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.

Major Tom is a fictional character created by David Bowie for this song. It was partly inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Bowie’s feelings of alienation at that point in his career and his break-up with the dancer Hermione Farthingale.

“I went stoned out of my mind to see the movie and it really freaked me out, especially the trip passage“.

– David Bowie

Rush-released as a single to capitalise on the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Space Oddity received critical praise and was used by the BBC as background music during its coverage of the event. It initially sold poorly but soon reached number five in the UK. Bowie did not have another hit after it until the release of Starman in 1972. Space Oddity was a mainstay during Bowie’s concerts until 1990, after which it was played sporadically until 2002.

Characterised as psychedelic folk, the song is a “lost in space” story, which generated later more songs and sequels about the character by David Bowie (Ashes to Ashes and Hallo Spaceboy).

[Intro]
Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
(Ten) Ground Control (Nine) to Major Tom (Eight, seven)
(Six) Commencing (Five) countdown, engines on
(Four, three, two)
Check ignition (One) and may God’s love (Lift off) be with you

This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You’ve really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear
Now it’s time to leave the capsule if you dare
This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today

For here, am I sitting in a tin can
Far, above the world
Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do

Though I’m past one hundred thousand miles
I’m feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go
Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows

[Bridge]
Ground Control to Major Tom
Your circuit’s dead, there’s something wrong
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you hear me, Major Tom?
Can you-

From Wikipedia:

One of the first people to hear Space Oddity was Calvin Mark Lee, the head of A&R at Mercury Records in London. Lee considered the song “otherworldly” and knew it was Bowie’s ticket to be signed by the label.The head of Mercury, Lou Reizner, was unimpressed with Bowie’s output and was unwilling to sign him. Eager to sign Bowie, Lee, without Reizner’s knowledge, financed a demo session for Space Oddity. Lee later told Spitz: “We had to do it all behind Lou’s back. But it was such a good record.”

Nicholas Pegg and Doggett compare the song’s style, structure, lyrics and arrangement to those of the Bee Gees’ 1967 single “New York Mining Disaster 1941“, which has similar minor chords and chorus. Hutchinson later stated: “Space Oddity was a Bee Gees type song. David knew it, and he said so at the time … the way he sang it, it’s a Bee Gees thing.”

References:
1. Space Oddity – Wikipedia

Tagged with: david bowie, space oddity
Posted in Music

Soon After Midnight (2012) – Bob Dylan

Posted on November 7, 2024 by observationblogger — 1 Comment

Soon After Midnight is track 2 on Bob Dylan’s 2012 album Tempest and the third track to appear here from the album after his previous entry Pay in Blood. Like much of Dylan’s 21st-century output, he produced the album himself using the pseudonym Jack Frost. I have always loved the murder – ballad Soon After Midnight as I do the whole first half of his 35th studio album. The album was recorded at Jackson Browne’s Groove Masters Studios in Santa Monica, California and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200.

Soon After Midnight drifts between love and violence, set against the backdrop of a gritty, shadowy underworld. Dylan creates an atmosphere of subtle menace, especially when he sings lines like, “Two-timing Slim, who’s ever heard of him? / I’ll drag his corpse through the mud.” This vivid image injects a sly hint of violence into the song’s otherwise tender tone, blurring the line between sweetness and threat—a hallmark of noir. In the noir style, innocence often hides danger, much like an anti-hero who embodies both romantic allure and peril. For a more detailed and nuanced exploration, check out David Weir’s insightful analysis. Weir, a philosophy tutor and former English teacher, offers a compelling breakdown of the song’s themes and layers.

Like the Rolling Stone article I would also place Soon After Midnight in my “The 25 Best Bob Dylan Songs of the 21st Century“. Between 2012 and 2021, Dylan played the song live over 470 times.

[Verse 1]
I’m searching for phrases to sing your praises
I need to tell someone
It’s soon after midnight
And my day has just begun

[Verse 2]
A gal named Honey took my money
She was passing by
It’s soon after midnight
And the moon is in my eye

[Verse 3]
My heart is cheerful, it’s never fearful
I’ve been down on the killing floors
I’m in no great hurry, I’m not afraid of your fury
I’ve faced stronger walls than yours

[Verse 4]
Charlotte’s a harlot, dresses in scarlet
Mary dresses in green
It’s soon after midnight
And I’ve got a date with the fairy queen

[Verse 5]
They chirp and they chatter, what does it matter?
They’re lying there dying in their blood
Two-timing Slim, who’s ever heard of him?
I’ll drag his corpse through the mud

[Verse 6]
It’s now or never, more than ever
When I met you I didn’t think you would do
It’s soon after midnight
And I don’t want nobody but you

The following was extracted from the first Wikipedia reference below:

The title is a reference to “fairy time” in William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also the line “I’ve got a date with the fairy queen” is referred to in the same play where the character Bottom has an encounter with Titania, the fairy queen, shortly after midnight.

In their book Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon note that the song’s intro owes a debt to A New Shade of Blue by The Bobby Fuller Four and discuss how Dylan’s vocal is “sweet and gentle”, taking on a “new patina that makes it less aggressive” than on other recent songs. They also praise the “excellent” playing of the band, “especially Donnie Herron’s steel guitar solo, doubled by a six-string guitar”.

References:
1. Soon After Midnight – Wikipedia
2. Tempest (Bob Dylan album) – Wikpedia
3. Soon After Midnight – Bob Dylan Song Analysis

Tagged with: A Midsummer Night's Dream, a new shade of blue, Bob Dylan, David weir, song analysis, soon after midnight, tempest, the bobby fuller four, William Shakespeare
Posted in Music

Songbird (Fleetwood Mac song) 1997- Eva Cassidy

Posted on November 5, 2024 by observationblogger — 9 Comments

Songbird is the third Eva Cassidy song to appear here after her previous entry Over the Rainbow. Her version of the Christine McVie-penned track from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours was added to her posthumous albums. It was released on her first solo studio album Eva By Heart in 1997 one year after her death and then released again as the title track of a compilation album (see image above) in 1998. The compilation album was certified Platinum in 2008 for shipments in excess of one million copies.

I always considered Eva Cassidy’s voice one of the most angelic and purest I have heard in contemporary modern music yet she tragically passed away without finding commercial success in her lifetime. She died of melanoma in 1996 at the age of 33 and was virtually unknown outside of her native Washington D.C. Fortunately we are blessed to have many live and studio recordings of her songs.

[Verse 1]
For you, there’ll be no crying
For you, the sun will be shining
‘Cause I feel that when I’m with you
It’s alright
I know it’s right

[Chorus]
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before

[Verse 2]
To you, I would give the world
To you, I’d never be cold
‘Cause I feel that when I’m with you
It’s alright
I know it’s right

[Chorus]
And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before
Like never before
Like never before

The following information was extracted from the second reference below:

The original song appeared on Fleetwood Mac‘s 1977 album Rumours and was released as the B-side of the single Dreams. It is one of four songs written solely by the English musician and singer-songwriter Christine McVie on the album. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of the band.

McVie wrote Songbird in half an hour around midnight, but didn’t have anyone around to record it. To ensure she did not forget the chord structure and melody, McVie remained awake the entire night. The next day, McVie played the song and producer Ken Caillat loved the track and suggested she record it alone in a concert style approach.

McVie frequently sang the song at the end of Fleetwood Mac concerts. Her former husband, John McVie, recalled that “When Christine played “Songbird”, grown men would weep.”

References:
1. Songbird (Eva Cassidy album) – Wikipedia
2. Songbird (Fleetwood Mac song) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Christine McVie, eva cassidy, fleetwood mac, songbird
Posted in Music

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