Hey Joe (1966) – Jimi Hendrix

Posted on February 19, 2024 by observationblogger — 9 Comments

Hey Joe is my favourite song by Jimi Hendrix. It was The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first single, released in 1966 and a UK top 10 hit. Most of content in this article has been cherry-picked from the Wikipedia reference below:

This song has become a rock-standard and been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The authorship of the song has been contested, and different recordings have credited its writing to either Billy Roberts or Dino Valenti, or have listed it as a traditional song. Some other performers including Pete Seeger recognised that it had been developed from Billy Robert’s girlfriend and later wife Niela Miller’s song Baby Don’t Go to Town.

When Jimi Hendrix was exploring a more rock-oriented sound in New York City in 1966 with his group Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, Hey Joe was one of the first songs he performed regularly. His arrangement used a slower tempo reminiscent of Tim Rose’s recent single version, which he had heard on a juke box. Looking for musical acts to produce, Chas Chandler, the ex-bassist for the Animals, checked out Hendrix. By chance, the first song Hendrix performed during Chandler’s visit was Hey Joe, a song Chandler was interested in promoting. As a result, Chandler decided to take Hendrix with him to England in September 1966, where he would subsequently turn the guitarist into a star.

[Verse 1]
Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand?
Hey Joe, I said, where you going with that gun in your hand?

[Verse 2]
I’m going down to shoot my old lady
You know, I caught her messing around with another man
I’m going down to shoot my old lady
You know, I caught her messing around with another man
And that ain’t too cool

[Verse 3]
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down
You shot her down, now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your old lady down
You shot her down to the ground

Released in the United Kingdom, December 1966, Hendrix’s version peaked at No. 6. The single was released in the United States on May 1, 1967, with the B-side “51st Anniversary”, but failed to chart.

Hey Joe was the last song Hendrix performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and as such, it was also the final song of the whole festival. The song was performed after the crowd, comprising the 80,000 who had not yet left the festival, cheered for an encore.

References:
1. Hey Joe — a song with murky origins gave rise to one of the great cover versions – Financial Times
2. Hey Joe – Wikipedia

Tagged with: hey Joe, jimi hendrix
Posted in Music

The AnkiDroid Collection (Part 53) – Macabre, Cacophony & Epidermis

Posted on February 15, 2024 by observationblogger — 3 Comments

Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.

Macabre

Macabre contains one of two pronunciations:

mə-käb′

mə-kä′brə

Macabre is having death as a subject : comprising or including a personalized representation of death. The origins of macabre can be traced back to the name of the Book of Maccabees, which is included in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons of the Old Testament and in the Protestant Apocrypha. Sections of this biblical text address both the deaths of faithful people asked to renounce their religion and the manner in which the dead should be properly commemorated. In medieval France, representations of these passages were performed as what became known as the “dance of death” or “dance Maccabee,” which was spelled in several different ways, including danse macabre. In English, macabre was originally used in reference to this “dance of death” and then gradually came to refer to anything grim or gruesome.
See Etymology special (Ankidroid edition) for more information is the history of linguistic form (such as a word) and tracing its earliest recorded meaning and its use over time.

Cacophony

kə-kŏf′ə-nē

Cacophony refers to the harshness in sound of words or phrases. Bad sound. (antonym of Symphony). It can also describe an incongruous or chaotic mixture.

Cacophony comes from a joining of the Greek prefix kak- (from kakos,meaning “bad”) with phōnē, so it essentially means “bad sound.”

Epidermis

ep.əˈdɝː.mɪs

The Epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin; the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water released from the body into the atmosphere.

Epidermis can also refer to the protective covering ie the hide, the shell, fur and the leather.

Tagged with: cacophony, epidermis, Macabre
Posted in Reading

Con te Partirò (1995) – Andrea Bocelli

Posted on February 13, 2024 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

A song that needs no introduction. This post will be short and sweet as there are no apt words to describe the magnificence and renascence of this piece.

Con te Partirò (I will leave with you) was first performed by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival and recorded on his album of the same year, Bocelli. The song’s original single release by Polydor Records was not commercially successful in Italy, and received little radio airplay there. Elsewhere it was a massive hit.

Readers may be more familiar with the Spanish (Por Te Volaré) and English version (Time to Say Goodbye). I have other performances I like to rewatch on occasion with my kids (apart from the original below):
1. Sesame Street: Andrea Bocelli’s Lullabye To Elmo
2. Will Ferrell Sings Por Ti Volare- Step Brothers

A second version of the song, sung partly in English, was released in 1996 as Time to Say Goodbye, paired Bocelli with British soprano Sarah Brightman, and achieved even greater success, topping charts all across Europe, including Germany, where it became the biggest-selling single in history.

References:
1. Con te partirò – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Andre Bocelli, Con te Partirò, Sarah Brightman
Posted in Music

Poor Poor Pitiful Me (1976) – Warren Zevon

Posted on February 12, 2024 by observationblogger — 13 Comments

Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Warren Zevon is an exuberant upbeat country – rock track. In terms of intensity, liveliness, and even in its impropriety this song reminds me of the penultimate song to feature here from Zevon called Excitable Boy. I believe both of these songs which have a macabre sense of humour were recommendations from my friend Max at PowerPop who is a big Zevon fan. Thanks in large part to Max, my estimation of Zevon’s output has risen markedly since I started this music library project in July, 2019.

I love this song. Not many songs deal with a failed suicide, domestic abuse, and a brush with sadomasochism. I’m a huge Warren Zevon fan. His songs tend to be on the dark side…and anyone who has listened to Excitable Boy will testify to that.

When I heard Zevon’s version of this song for the first time I was sold. I first heard the Linda Ronstadt version and I loved it. I’m a Linda Ronstadt fan but something about Zevon’s version draws me in. It’s raw and crude and I love the way he sings it.
– Max at PowerPop (Warren Zevon – Poor Poor Pitiful Me)

I have presented a live version of Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Zevon at the Capitol Theatre, NJ in 1982 below. His music talents not only as a songwriter, but as an effervescent entertainer seem to be marvellously showcased by this gold-standard version. Also the band are so solid. The version also transfigures unexpectedly into Bruce Springsteen’s Cadillac Ranch. It is said, Zevon never got the level of popular recognition he deserved, but ‘real’ musicians know how great he was.

[Verse 1]
I lay my head on the railroad tracks
And wait for the Double E
The railroad don’t run no more
Poor, poor pitiful me

[Chorus]
Poor, poor pitiful me
Poor, poor pitiful me
These young girls won’t let me be
Lord, have mercy on me
Woe is me

[Verse 2]
Well, I met a girl in West Hollywood
But I ain’t naming names
But she really worked me over good
She was just like Jesse James
She really worked me over good
She was a credit to her gender
She put me through some changes, Lord
Sort of like a Waring blender

[Verse 3]
I met a girl at the Rainbow Bar
She asked me if I’d beat her
She took me back to the Hyatt House
I don’t want to talk about it, hey

Zevon had early music industry successes as a session musician, jingle composer, songwriter, touring musician, musical coordinator, and bandleader. In 1975, Zevon toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player, band leader, and musical coordinator. Also, in this same year he returned to Los Angeles, where he roomed with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac). Despite all of that, Zevon struggled to break through in his solo career until his music was performed by Linda Ronstadt in 1976. There he collaborated with Jackson Browne, who produced and promoted Zevon’s self-titled major-label debut in 1976 in which today’s featured track appears.

Reference:
1. Poor Poor Pitiful Me – Wikipedia
2. Warren Zevon (album) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: poor poor pitiful me, warren Zevon
Posted in Music

Bittersweet (1993) – Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Posted on February 11, 2024 by observationblogger — 8 Comments

Time to head to the ’90s with a neat track by Big Head Todd and The Monsters, which is right up my alley and hopefully yours as well. This Colorado rock band was formed in 1986. After two albums in 1989 and 1990, they hit it big in February 1993 with Sister Sweetly, which went Platinum in the U.S. and remained on the Billboard 200 for more than a year, though curiously, it only peaked at no. 117. Off that album, here’s the lead single Bittersweet. Like all other songs on Sister Sweetly, it was solely penned by the band’s vocalist, guitarist and keyboarder Todd Park Mohr. Big Head Todd and The Monsters are active to this day and are currently touring, with Mohr remaining part of the current line-up. They also have a great new single out with a cool John Hiatt vibe.
– The Sunday Six – Christian’s Music Musings

I was introduced to today’s song Bittersweet from Christian’s Music Musings web site. The passion Christian exudes for music is palpable and I feel grateful to be able to converse with him about music. His blog contains a great cross section of music and I am learning to appreciate genres such as Jazz which I hadn’t heard much of in the past. I told Christian recently: ‘I just realised my music project will be elongated substantially listening to your recommendations over the next few years‘.

..Since I started listening in the mid-seventies, music has become my big passion. First came the radio, followed by my older sister’s vinyl records. Then I started buying my own records and spending endless hours taping stuff on music cassettes from other records and my favorite radio shows. From there it didn’t take long to get to the next level, which was learning the guitar and the electric bass, and playing the latter in two bands in my late teens and early twenties.

Fast-forward some 40 years until today. While I haven’t been an active hobby musician in close to 30 years, I’m still as crazy about music as back then. Nowadays, it’s primarily listening to music and for the past few years increasingly going to concerts – and, of course, writing this blog! Every now and then, when I grab my guitar or see some band perform live, I still feel the itch to resume playing music actively until reality sets in: my family, my job and mortgage, etc…
– Continue reading Christian’s ‘About‘ Page

A little light looks through her bedroom window
She dances and I dream, she’s not so far as she seems
Of brighter meadows, melting sunsets
Her hair blowing in the breeze
And she can’t see me watching
And I’m thinking love…
Love…
Love…
Love…

It’s bittersweet
More sweet than bitter
Bitter than sweet
It’s a bittersweet surrender

References:
1. Bittersweet (Big Head Todd and the Monsters song) – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Big Head and Todd and the Monsters, Bittersweet, Christian's Music Musings, Sister Sweetly
Posted in Music

Golden Brown (1982) – The Stranglers

Posted on February 10, 2024 by observationblogger — 23 Comments

I was reminded of how much I like this song when I was watching the 2000 film Snatch in which this song appeared. I always found the unconventional harpsichord sound in Golden Brown alluring, but at the same time slightly unsettling. Golden Brown was intentionally written ambiguously to get past the censors. Singer and lyricist Hugh Cornwell said in 2001: “It’s about heroin and also about a girl… both provided me with pleasurable times.” It is said Hugh Cornwell was loath to admit it to the public but acquiesced to the pressure after bassist J.J. Burnel revealed the meaning to the public at large.

Thanks to being chosen as BBC Radio 2’s record of the week, Golden Brown peaked at No 2 on the UK singles chart, a chart high for The Stranglers, and, it is probably the band’s most famous song.

[Verse 1]
Golden brown, texture like sun
Lays me down, with my mind she runs
Throughout the night, no need to fight
Never a frown with golden brown

[Verse 2]
Every time, just like the last
On her ship, tied to the mast
To distant lands, takes both my hands
Never a frown with golden brown

[Verse 3]
Golden brown, finer temptress
Through the ages, she’s heading west
From far away, stays for a day
Never a frown with golden brown

The basis for the tune came from an unused part of Second Coming, a track which featured on their previous album The Gospel According to the Meninblack. According to bassist JJ Burnel, the song’s atypical style was intended to defy expectations. He explained, “The whole thing about that song is it really represented us sticking our fingers up to our detractors‘. “We were written off by then,” Burnell admitted.”There was a new record company at the time that had taken us over because they have swallowed up our previous record company. They said punk was over and we were finished, and then we forced them to release that record‘.

..It wasn’t the lyrical content that inspired so many to purchase the record, but it was the seductiveness of the melody: Wet with atmosphere and rich in sonic experience, the song signalled a more mature outlet that showed that punk was as malleable as the author intended it to be.
– Far Out Magazine

References:
1. Golden Brown – Wikipedia
2. The literal meaning behind The Stranglers’ opus ‘Golden Brown’ – Far Out Magazine

Tagged with: golden brown, the stranglers
Posted in Music

Concrete Utopia (2023) – Um Tae-hwa (Friday’s Finest)

Posted on February 9, 2024 by observationblogger — 5 Comments

Concrete Utopia (Korean: 콘크리트 유토피아) is a 2023 South Korean disaster-thriller film which I had the good fortune to see at the cinema here in Bogota, Colombia. The premise was one of the best I had heard as far as disaster movies go, so my expectations were high going into it. Check this out:

Synopsis (wikipedia below):

Seoul is devastated overnight by a major earthquake. Everything has collapsed, and only one place remains intact: Imperial Palace Apartments. Residents begin to feel threatened as external survivors who have heard of this haven flock to the apartments. They unite for survival, and with a new resident leader, Yeong-tak, they create new rules for residents and prevent entry to outsiders. Thanks to this, unlike the hellish world outside, the utopian apartments remain safe and peaceful. In an endless crisis for survival, however, an unexpected conflict begins among them.

Concrete Utopia lived up to and exceeded my expectations. I normally don’t touch ‘Disaster’ movies with a ten foot pole, but I was lured by the following:

The above story line intrigued me,
Concrete Utopia is a foreign film, which means it doesn’t have the Rock in it and that can only be a good thing,
Concrete Utopia has excellent reviews.. so exceptional in fact it currently sits at 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and
Concrete Utopia was the official submission of South Korea for the ‘Best International Feature Film‘ category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.

It Is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise. It presents a disturbing picture of humanity that dribbles into the absolute worst when the social structure is dismembered and survival becomes the only need of the hour.

I agree with one critic’s appraisal that the film was “more creepy than most horror movies“. Concrete Utopia is a unique and intriguing disaster movie that skilfully blends black comedy, horror and psychological thriller. It’s confidently paced and craftily directed. Anna Miller, with Next Best Picture, graded the film 8/10 and wrote:

“Concrete Utopia is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation.”

Concrete Utopia was pre-sold in 152 countries in Europe, Asia, and South America. It is said the film was be released in North America through Viki in the first quarter of 2024.

References:
1. Concrete Utopia – Wikipedia
2. Concrete Utopia – IMDB

Tagged with: concrete utopia, south korea, Tae-hwa Eom
Posted in Movies and TV

Political World (1989) – Bob Dylan

Posted on February 8, 2024 by observationblogger — 6 Comments

“One night when everyone was asleep and I was sitting at the kitchen table, nothing on the hillside but a shiny bed of lights – all that changed. I wrote about twenty verses for a song called ‘Political World’ and this was about the first of twenty songs I would write in the next month or so…With the song I thought I might have broken through to something. It was like you wake up from a deep and drugged slumber and somebody strikes a little silver gong and you come to your senses”.
– Bob Dylan from Chronicles: Volume One

It was written in the eighties but it explains what we are living in right now. The images in the video below could be mistaken for an Epstein Island. Political World is the second song to be presented from Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy record after the previous entry Most of the Time. It is an uptempo folk rock song which was released as the opening track on his 1989 album.

Oh Mercy which was produced by Daniel Lanois and seen by critics as a comeback to form for Dylan after disappointing sales with Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove. Daniel Lanois would produce Dylan’s Time Out of Mind 8 years later which won three Grammy awards. Here is Daniel Lanois speaking about the making of Oh Mercy.

[Verse 1]
We live in a political world
Love don’t have any place
We’re living in times where men commit crimes
And crime don’t have a face

[Verse 2]
We live in a political world
Icicles hanging down
Wedding bells ring and angels sing
Clouds cover up the ground

[Verse 3]
We live in a political world
Wisdom is thrown into jail
It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell
Leaving no one to pick up a trail

[Verse 4]
We live in a political world
Where mercy walks the plank
Life is in mirrors, death disappears
Up the steps into the nearest bank

[Verse 5]
We live in a political world
Where courage is a thing of the past
Houses are haunted, children are unwanted
The next day could be your last

[Verse 6]
We live in a political world
The one we can see and can feel
But there’s no one to check, it’s all a stacked deck
We all know for sure that it’s real

[Verse 7]
We live in a political world
In the cities of lonesome fear
Little by little you turn in the middle
But you’re never sure why you’re here

[Verse 8]
We live in a political world
Under the microscope
You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there
You always got more than enough rope

[Verse 9]
We live in a political world
Turning and a-thrashing about
As soon as you’re awake, you’re trained to take
What looks like the easy way out

[Verse 10]
We live in a political world
Where peace is not welcome at all
It’s turned away from the door to wander some more
Or put up against the wall

[Verse 11]
We live in a political world
Everything is hers or his
Climb into the frame and shout God’s name
But you’re never sure what it is

In their book Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon note how Daniel Lanois’ atmospheric production plunges listeners “into a dreamy, heavy, menacing but definitely original vibe. The fade-in subtly introduces the drum part, supported by an excellent bassline by Tony Hall. He puts an irresistible pulse to the piece on his four string. Dylan has finally found his producer“.

The phrase “You climb into the frame” from the final verse is taken from the 1970 song “Love Calls You By Your Name” by Dylan’s friend Leonard Cohen.

References:
1. Political World – Wikipedia
2. Oh Mercy – Wikipedia

Tagged with: Bob Dylan, daniel lanois, oh mercy, political world
Posted in Music

The AnkiDroid Collection (Part 52) – Ephemeral, Autophagy & Masochism

Posted on February 7, 2024 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.

Ephermeral (adjective)

It’s temporary, its transitory. Examples:

The ephemeral beauty of a sunset.
We all think of the life as a butterfly as ephemeral. Most of them live for a month but some of them can live up to a year.
The ephemeral pleasures of life.

There’s an insect we call the Mayfly and this has an ephemeral life which lasts only a few hours. The brief lives of mayfly adults have been noted by naturalists and enciclopedistas since Aristotle and Pliny the Elder in classical antiquity. The German engraver Albrecht Dürer included a mayfly in his 1495 engraving The Holy Family with the Mayfly to suggest a link between heaven and earth. These aquatic insects even belong to the class of family called Ephemeroptera. It’s even in the name.

Autophagy

Autophagy refers to the process of the natural regulated mechanism of the cell that disassembles unnecessary or dysfunctional components.

I discussed autophagy in an article about the video presentation From Cells to Cities Part 2 – Life Span (Geoffrey West):

What is the system that is keeping us alive?

Our metabolic system has built into it dissipating forces. For want of a better word, wear and tear. There is continued damage being done by the flow of blood through the circulatory system. The blood flowing through your capillaries can be quite destructive. It’s like pushing fluid through very thin tubes and there is a great deal of resistance such as scraping between the blood and the walls. So this scraping is really what’s called entropy (2nd law of thermodynamics) which in turn leads to cellular damage. So as already discussed we have the scaling laws theory and you can calculate that the maximal lifespan should scale with 1/4 power scaling and hence gives us a rough estimate of longevity. Essentially the parameters associated with lifespan point to metabolism; not surprisingly because metabolism is that which keeps you alive. However, we also have the physical deterioration of material (wear and tear) which is occurring at the molecular level. And even something outside of that which is the process of repair; that we repair damage. Where does that repair come from? It has its origins in metabolism as well, because you have to supply metabolic energy to clean out damaged cells and regenerate new ones (Autophagy) and avoid premature death.

Masochism

Masochism is the tendency to derive sexual gratification from one’s own pain or humiliation. It is related to the concept of BDSM, which stands for bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism.

Masochists often enjoy activities such as being spanked, whipped, or humiliated. They may also enjoy being in submissive roles and giving up control over others. It can also be used in the context of talking about someone who seems to love self-destructing or someone who’s their “own worst enemy.”

Tagged with: autophagy, ephemeral, masochism
Posted in Reading

Dream (2008) – Priscilla Ahn (Alex and Jo Music)

Posted on February 6, 2024 by observationblogger — 7 Comments

Hi! Here’s our new cover of wonderful song I Had a Dream by Priscilla Ahn. This song means so much to us and holds special place in our hearts. When we listen to it we always come back to nostalgic childhood memories of being carefree and young. It reminds us of silly dreams that we thought would come true, when we thought we could be anything in the world before world told us what we have to be. Sometimes adulthood restrict us from using our imagination that we had when we were little, we sometimes forget that it’s okay to go back to that special place and dream a little more 🙂 It perfectly sums up the way we feel about a lot of things. Hope you like our cover of this masterpiece!
– Alex and Jo Music

Serbian twins Alex (Alexandra) and Jo (Joanna) are no strangers to this music blog. Today’s featured track Dream by Priscilla Ahn (pictured inset) is their 5th music cover to appear here after:

I am enchanted by all their versions and in awe of their harmony. Also they have been kind enough to communicate with me on their videos. Alex and Jo released over Christmas (2023) their remarkable version of I’ll Be Home For Christmas which you can rest assured will make an appearance here next Christmas (2024).

[Verse 1]
I was a little girl alone in my little world
Who dreamed of a little home for me
I played pretend between the trees
And fed my houseguests, bark and leaves
And laughed in my pretty bed of green

[Pre-Chorus]
I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest swing
I had a dream

[Verse 2]
Long walks in the dark
Through woods grown behind the park
I asked God who I’m supposed to be
The stars smiled down on me
God answered in silent reverie
I said a prayer and fell asleep

Priscilla Ahn (born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft; March 9, 1984) is an American singer -songwriter (image inset). She released her single Dream from her debut album, A Good Day. After growing up in Pennsylvania and graduating from high school, Ahn moved to Los Angeles, California, adopted her mother’s Korean maiden name, and began to pursue a music career.

Ahn’s songs have appeared on television shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Knight Rider and Ghost Whisperer. Ahn married actor Michael Weston in May 2010. They have 3 children.
Below are presented Alex & Jo’s cover of Dream and the original by Priscilla Ahn.

References:
1. Priscilla Ahn – Wikipedia

Tagged with: A Good Day, Alex & Jo Music, dream, Priscilla Ahn
Posted in Music