Ode To My Family is the third song to appear here from The Cranberries after their previous entry Linger. It is about singer’s Dolorus O’Riordan’s yearning for her simple life as a child after having achieved success. Her heavy Irish accent and change in the form of words to express a special meaning and sincerity makes for a compelling listening experience. Ode To My Family song was released on the album No Need to Argue (image inset) which I listened to a great deal in my early twenties. The album contains other stand – out songs including:
Ode To My Family was a hit in Oceania and several European countries, topping the charts in Iceland, and reaching number four in France, number five in Australia, and number eight in New Zealand.
[Verse 1] Understand the things I say Don’t turn away from me Cause I’ve spent half my life out there You wouldn’t disagree
[Pre-Chorus] Do you see me, do you see? Do you like me Do you like me standing there? Do you notice, do you know Do you see me, do you see me? Does anyone care?
[Chorus] Unhappiness where’s when I was young And we didn’t give a damn Cause we were raised To see life as fun and take it if we can My mother, my mother She’d hold me She’d hold me when I was out there My father, my father He liked me, well he liked me Does anyone care?
The following are excerpts from the Wikipedia references below: No Need to Argue is the second studio album by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries, released on 3 October 1994. It is the band’s best-selling album and has sold 17 million copies worldwide as of 2014. The album’s mood is darker and harsher than that on their debut record – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? In some of the songs, the band decided to take on a rockier and heavier side, using distortion and increasing the volume.
Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.
Which Planet has a Longer Day than its Year?
Venus spins so slowly on its axis that one day on the planet lasts 243 earth days. Because it is closer to the sun than earth the planet has a 225-day year. It means on Venus you would see just two sunrises a year. For more information about Venus you can watch this fascinating documentary – Venus Death of a Planet.
Writing Model
Outline the 4-step writing model to change readers minds in a specific readership community.
Open with a problem the readership care about.
Reinforce how the problem causes instability in the readership community.
Cost / benefit. Discuss how the problem imposes a cost on readers but reveal how there is a benefit to resolving it.
Pose and argue the solution.
Amorphous(adj)
Amorphous: Without a clearly defined shape or form or lacking a clear structure or focus.
As I drink my first Colombian rich black coffee this morning (5:20 am) I notice the blinds shine a hazy orange. I open them up and see a Vanilla sky. I put today’s featured track on and realize right now, that there are few better ways to get my day started. I feel blessed put simply.
I will call upon Your name Keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours and You are mine
Oceans is the second song to feature here from Elenyi after their previous entry – Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Elenyi is a Mormon female singing group comprised of three talented teenage sisters (two of whom were born in Chile) – Seli, Desi, and Ari. They are bilingual and perform their music in both English and Spanish. A few years ago, a Venezuelan Mormon friend introduced me to Elenyi’s music, and I was floored by their angelic voices and harmony.
The original name of the group was “Shine,” but it was later changed to Elenyi. The name “Elenyi” is of Greek origin and means “sun ray.” On their official website, they state, “One of our main goals in singing is to be able to touch the lives of others for good. Music was made to help change the mood of people who might be having a bad day, or things just aren’t going right for them.”
You call me out upon the waters The great unknown where feet may fail And there I find You in the mystery In oceans deep My faith will stand
I will call upon Your name Keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters Your sovereign hand Will be my guide Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me You’ve never failed and You won’t start now
And I will call upon Your name Keep my eyes above the waves When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace For I am Yours and You are mine
Oceans by Elenyi is a Hillsong cover. The Australian worship group Hillsong music has featured here a bunch since I’m a big admirer of their music. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) was released by Hillsong in 2013. In the United States, the song spent a record 61 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 Christian song of the 2010s decade. The song was certified quadruple platinum in the United States.
It was decided during the writing process that the theme of the song should be about stepping into the unknown and Peter having blind trust to walk on water.
‘O’….Listen to how good that letter sounds….’O’….just think about it will you? ‘O’ is even very circular in how it sounds. Guess what? O Holy Night is the first ‘O’ song to feature here in the ‘O’ mighty Music Library Project. Hurrah! I’m very excited. Also, at the time of writing this post about my favourite Christmas Carol, there remains only 93 days until the big man will be ‘HO HO HO-ing’ down the chimney to give my kids lots of cool things, except for a Play Station or XBox. What better way to celebrate the anticipation of such a miraculous occasion than listening to ‘O Holy Night‘?
[Verse 1] O Holy night!The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth Long lay the world in sin and error pining ‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices! O night divine, O night when Christ was born O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
I’m such a fan of this hymn/carol. It is the fourth time I have referred to it in my blog. But today is the first time I have dedicated a post to it, which it truly deserves. So here goes…. I can even tell you how two of my blogger friends, namely Max (PowerPop) and Bruce at (Weave a Web) might receive this song. Just a hunch…Max could say that his favourite Christmas Carol is Silent Night and Bruce could tell us that his favourite version of O Holy Night was sung by his mother who will remain nameless for the rest of his blogging days.
I once made a feeble attempt to present Hobson’s version on my blog which was titled: ‘Confirmed by Mother no Less, David Hobson is the Greatest Singer at Australian Christmas Carols‘. I’m not even going to ‘link’ it, because it doesn’t do it the least bit of justice, although my mother did declare Hobson’s dominance as a Carols’ singer, which is saying something. Three other versions I really like of O Holy Night are the following:
Aled Jones – legendary Welsh Christian singer provides a spectacular version of O Holy Night when he was a teenage (prodigy) chorister and as a fully – grown adult.
Patti Smith’s introspective version – Live at the Vatican! The violin instrumental is sublime. Bruce is a fan of this one if I remember correctly.
The Wiggles – This version could make the Carol traditionalist cry in their weetbix, but what the heck, we were kids once too. As said in ‘All the President’s Men‘ – ‘Run that Baby‘.
The origin of O Holy Night from Wikipedia:
“O Holy Night” (original title: Cantique de Noël) is a sacred song for Christmas performance. Originally based on a French-language poem by poet Placide Cappeau, written in 1843, with the first line “Minuit, Chrétien, c’est l’heure solennelle” (Midnight, Christian, is the solemn hour) that composer Adolphe Adam set to music in 1847. The English version (with small changes to the initial melody) is by John Sullivan Dwight. The carol reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity’s redemption.
Australian tenor and composer David Hobson has lavished Australian households with his impeccable voice on Christmas eve in Melbourne for a long time now (such as that below). I agree with Mum that I haven’t heard his equal sing at Carols. He kills it. Class act. There are also versions of him singing The Holy City (Jerusalem) which astound me. What’s your favourite Christmas carol and performed by whom? Giddy-up!
This song is part of a collaboration with Grace (who showed me these incredible lyrics). It was really fun working on this project with her, which was a month in the making; and I’m lucky to call her a friend.
A dear blogger friend Sharon at Writers Tidbits referred me to this song Husband & Wife by Benjamin Grossman. Benjamin has been kind enough to respond to my comments about this song on his blog. I’ll point you also to his Publications page which contains mostly prose poems. He received his MFA in Creative Writing at Rosemont College. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Saint Joseph’s University, where he also earned a minor in philosophy and concentration in Theology.
Benjamin in his about page tells us a little bit more about himself:
I’m multiracial.
I have allergies to almost everything.
I suffer from chronic illness but won’t be defined by it
I believe the greatest minds are androgynous (Thank you, Samuel Coleridge and Virginia Woolf)
I’m a novice songwriter. ….and this is where Husband & Wife comes to us today.
[Verse 1] Don’t really want to think about you As much as I already do Don’t really want to like you Told myself all the reasons not to
[Pre-Chorus] My mom already knew the day we first met My best friend already placed a bet
[Chorus] But if I can’t open up to you I won’t need someone new And if you can’t be on my team My love will be your only dream I could settle for me all my life Could be my own husband and wife I could settle for me all my life Could be my own husband and wife
I’ve studied to be both a poet and novelist, a philosopher and theologian, a writer and scholar, and in the end, I can’t possibly ever separate any of these. If I had one word to describe myself, I might say: multifaceted. Hopefully you’ll leave this space with dreams in your head and stars in your eyes.
The Nullarbor Plain (Latin: nulla feminine of nullus, “no”, and arbor, “tree”) is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. At its widest point, it stretches about 1,100 kilometres (684 mi) from east to west across the border between South Australia and Western Australia. – Wikipedia
On the 13th of January 2023, my brother Jonathan wrote the following to me about his road trip across the Nullarbor Plain in Australia:
Well, I write to you from a little town in WA (Western Australia) called Norseman which is about 800Kms out of Perth. I just came from Border village which essentially is a ‘roadhouse’ with a small pub and accommodation (shacks) in SA. So, I can tick off the Nullarbor drive now which I can clearly say is no mean feat. I managed to download the Kasey Chambers song and listen to a couple of times on the cross. There is a line in the song which I can relate to which was reference to dingos. Earlier this morning as I was having a coffee and watching the sun rise I could hear a very strange crying noise which startled me at first until I realised it was a pack of dingoes howling – quite an incredible sound and I assume noting Kasey Chambers’ line is a common occurrence.
Nullarbor Song is my Desert Island Kasey Chambers song. It is one of the first songs I learnt on guitar. It’s one of the only songs I learnt on guitar.
When the fire burns out here It’s brighter than the city lights Warmer than a heart of gold And dingoes howl just to break the silence The sun comes up just to break the cold Last night I woke with the stars looking back at me Swallowing the sky I felt no anger, I felt no shame I felt no reason to cry
If I’m not here in the morning I’ll cry a river of tears I’ll learn to live in a new town But my heart is staying here
When it’s quiet out here a hundred miles away You can hear the train on the line The whistle blows just to break the silence I wave just to break the time I close my eyes, I think of runnin’ water I think of runnin’ away But the fire’s burned to ashes and it’s darker than before But I can see as clear as day
If I’m not here in the morning I’ll cry a river of tears I’ll learn to live in a new town But my heart is staying here I’ll learn to live in a new town But my heart is staying here
Kasey Chambers music has already featured here 6 times…. and expect more to come. Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country singer-songwriter and musician born in Mount Gambier. From July 1976 the Chambers family travelled around the Nullarbor Plain, where the parents hunted foxes and rabbits for pelts during seven or eight months a year, spanning nine years.
When I was a little girl I had the biggest backyard in the world It went on for miles and miles, was wide as it was high Down to the horizon, all the way up to the sky And every now and then I heard a vile tree cry my name When I was a little girl I had the biggest backyard in the world Covered up with red dirt as far as I could see I shared it with the railway and the Aborigines Southwest of Adelaide
I’ll conclude this post with the rest of my brother’s message about his road-trip across the Nullabor Plain:
As I said the trip especially in a small car is quite a challenge and you have to have your situational awareness on high alert. I had a road train pull off the road around one KM in front and the dust it produced put me in complete brown out where I had a car in front of me and could not see for a few seconds. This morning I got smashed by a locus swarm. I now have 100’s of dead locus all over my radiator and front car which I will have to deal with once I get to Rockingham. The 1000s of Km across from Brissy to Perth for a huge amount had no phone reception which was quite worrying as a car fault could really put you in a bad situation. I did have plenty of water and food but when it is 40 degrees outside it doesn’t take much to get in a bad way.
Below, I have presented Kasey performing Nullarbor Song live and as usual playing guitar beside her is her father, Bill Chambers. I hope you enjoy it.
What I admire most about Little Miss Sunshine is it pulls no punches. It flies in the face of modern day – ’emotionally correct’ Hollywood filmmaking. In some sense, the whole movie is a reflection of 7-year-old Olive Hoover’s outlook on life. She’s courageous and follows her passion of wanting to be a beauty queen despite the push – back from ‘society’ (the Super Ego), specifically her ‘suitability’ to contest; considering she doesn’t ‘seemingly’ possess or exude conventional beauty pageant traits.
As the movie unfolds; we witness how Olive’s drive and belief in herself challenges the adults around her; who all think (apart from the mother, wonderfully played by one of my favourite Australian actresses – Toni Collete) they are intelligent and have the formula on ‘life’. But in fact, compared to Olive – they are broken and teetering on the edge of their own precipices. Over time because of Olive’s courage, outlook and actions, the adults’ question and challenge their individual modus operandi and worldviews and their behaviours and perspectives on life change as a result. It’s kind of a form of indirect ‘Ontological Shock’.
More than anything, 7-year-old Olive Hoover wants to be a beauty queen. When she qualifies for the prestigious Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest, the entire family embarks on a long road trip from Albuquerque to California in their 1978 Volkswagen Station Wagon Type 2. However, the journey is anything but smooth. As Sheryl, Olive’s overworked mother, struggles to be the voice of reason, Richard, her unsuccessful husband, tries to promote his self-help program. To further complicate matters, Dwayne, Sheryl’s son from a previous marriage, has decided not to utter a word until he joins the Air Force Academy. At least, troubled Uncle Frank just tags along. And on the road to success, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. What has the future in store for Olive? Does she stand a chance of fulfilling her dream?
Anyone who hasn’t seen Little Miss Sunshine but wants a small taste of its approach and method, I have presented a clip below from the dinner scene. When I watched this scene again while preparing this article; what impressed me so much was its attention to detail, especially the mannerisms / nuances in each performance and the impact of uncomfortable pauses / silences. Check out how Greg Kinnear’s character receives Frank and consider the pause here: ‘Good…. (pause) to see you‘. Do you really think his character is happy to see Frank? The choice of shots in editing are standouts here as well. For example, something so seemingly inconsequential like when Steve Carell’s character picks up the ‘McDonalds glass’. You don’t have to be told what he’s thinking – you know it as he is looking at it and pondering the ‘whole meaning – thing’. Silent reflection can be more impactful than words. This movie treats its characters and audience with a lot of respect and that can only be a good thing.
The following are excerpts from the Wikipedia reference below: Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American tragicomedyroad film and the feature film directorial debut of the husband–wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Little Miss Sunshine was a box office success, earning $101 million, and was praised mainly for the performances, direction, screenplay and humor. The film garnered four nominations at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Michael Arndt and Alan Arkin won Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
Sonata quasi una fantasia – Title page of the first edition of the score, published on 2 August 1802 in Vienna
This Piano Sonata commonly known as ‘Moonlight Sonata‘ is one of Beethoven’s most recognised pieces. It was even a popular favourite in his own day. It was originally titled ‘Quazi una fantasia’ (Nearly a Fantasy), but the name Moonlight Sonata grew popular later, likely after Beethoven’s death. The subtitle reminds listeners that the piece, although technically a sonata, is suggestive of a free-flowing, improvised fantasia. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Julie “Giulietta” Guicciardi. You imagine having this dedicated you? ‘Oh gee, shucks the Van – you didn’t have to…‘
Moonlight Sonata is one of the first pieces I heard by Beethoven and made quite the impression, like it has on millions of people. After having heard it more than 100 times, there are other lesser-known Beethoven classics I prefer to listen to these days. But even still, as I listen to it again for this article, it makes me shudder in awe of its immense beauty.
(Most of the information presented in this article was sourced from the Wikipedia reference below)
Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata in his early thirties, after he had finished with some commissioned work; there is no evidence that he was commissioned to write this sonata. This sonata is considered one of the earliest pieces of the Romantic era. Many sources say that the nickname Moonlight Sonata arose after the German music critic and poet Ludwig Rellstab likened the effect of the first movement to that of moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne. This comes from the musicologist Wilhelm von Lenz, who wrote in 1852: “Rellstab compares this work to a boat, visiting, by moonlight, the remote parts of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland…”.
In his book Beethoven’s pianoforte sonatas, the renowned pianist Edwin Fischer suggests that the first movement of this sonata (Adagio sostenuto) is based on Mozart’s “Ah Soccorso! Son Tradito” of his opera Don Giovanni, which comes just after the Commendatore’s murder. Upon listening to that piece in Act 1 from Don Giovanni I can see why Fischer makes that argument. Fischer claims to have found, in the archives of the Wiener Musikverein, a sketch in Beethoven’s handwriting of a few lines of Mozart’s music (which bears the same characteristic triplet figuration) transposed to C♯ minor, the key of the sonata. Also, in 1787 when Don Giovani was written, a 16-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven came to Vienna and wanted to take lessons from Haydn and Mozart. This would not eventuate as Beethoven’s mother fatally fell ill and he had to return to Bonn.
Below is the full performance (3 movements) of Moonlight Sonata by pianist Valentina Lisitsa. She wrote:
‘Hello all. This is the original complete recording of the Sonata the way it was meant to be. Back in those days there was a 10 minutes file limit and therefore I had to split performance in 2 parts. The 3rd movement went viral while the first file did not. Playlist does not work in the opposite way and there are hundreds of channels that stole my recording and rebroadcast it in full. So I should have it published as it was played. Enjoy! I think when performed complete the concept of the performance is different.‘
Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.
The First Earth Eon
The Hadean Era is between 4.54 and 4 billion years ago. There was no air; the earth was besieged by Lava floods, magma and volcanos, resembling the apocryphal ‘hell’ of Hades (God of the underworld – land of the dead) from Greek mythology.
The blood-red moon appeared 15 times bigger than it is now and located just 20,000 miles away. The earth’s spin grew slower over time and the days and nights became longer. The moon drifts away from Earth 4cm a year.
In Greek Mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Hades, god of the underworld (her uncle twice over) fell in love with Persephone when he saw her picking flowers in a meadow. He carried her off to live with him in the Underworld, (or perhaps abducted is the better word) and married her.
Persephone was initially distraught, but Hades was kind to her and showered her with gifts. He put Persephone’s throne right next to his and allowed her equal rule alongside him. She became Queen of the underworld. The marriage of Hades and Persephone symbolized the relationship between life and death.
Her temporary return to the surface represented the embodiment of Spring and vegetation.
As silent as my husband, Hades himself, who sits all day in his library reading scrolls lost to the world above us. “Why did you bring me to this stagnant country,” I ask him, “if not to talk? To sit and brood in a chair made out of bones, or stare out the window at the unchanging garden, in which only yew trees grow, and never speak? Why abduct the daughter of Demeter?
I first heard Canadian country music artist Terri Clark’s Now That I Found You on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio and procured her record How I Feel. I listened to it a bunch and cherished the first half. I hadn’t listened to it in ages until today’s featured song appeared in my collection. After sifting through the tracks on How I Feel I realised that I should have added two more songs from it: Everytime I Cry and I’m Alright. Canada has produced other fine female country music artists whose music I have enjoyed, including Anne Murray and Shania Twain.
Now That I Found You is a song written by Paul Begaud, Vanessa Corish and J.D. Martin and recorded by Terri Clark. It was the first single released from the album How I Feel. It reached number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart in July 1998 and number 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. How I Feel, the third studio album by Terri Clark achieved two top 10 places on the US Billboard Country Charts including today’s song. The album was certified platinum in both Canada and the US.
How can I believe That my heart would find someone like you You see me, the real me No in bewteens, I had nowhere to hide You took away the walls around me Made me feel safe to share my truth
I see the heavens open, a heart that once was broken Is holding nothing back Now that I found you You hold me like a prayer, you touch me everywhere A lifetime just ain’t enough to love you true Now that I found you Now that I found you
I do believe we’re meant to be Our chemistry will last forever And through the years We’ll see some tears We’ll conquer fears And together we will grow Looking in your eyes They tell me I no longer have to feel alone
Below are excerpts from Wikipedia beow:
Terri Lynn Sauson, known professionally as Terri Clark was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 5, 1968. Clark’s grandparents, Ray and Betty Gauthier, were both noted Canadian country musicians, having opened for artists such as George Jones and Johnny Cash. By high school, Clark had grown to love country music and worked at a local Chinese restaurant to save money to move to Nashville, Tennessee. After graduating from High School in 1987, she moved to Nashville where she got her start playing at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, a honky-tonk bar across the alley from Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium. At that time, country music executives were largely uninterested in traditional country, but record producer and singer Keith Stegall gave Clark advice and encouragement to not give up. In 1994, Stegall became an executive at PolyGram/Mercury Records in Nashville and promptly signed Clark to a record deal.
Clark’s albums have accounted for more than twenty singles, including six Number Ones. In 2004, Clark gained one of country music’s crowning achievements when she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. She was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018 and will become a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
Observation Blogger 