More Than Life (2004) – Hillsong

Posted on July 11, 2023 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

More Than Life is from the album For All You’ve Done released in July, 2004. This is another great worship song from this magnificent album and concert which I’ve written about often. I like one viewer’s comment about this album ‘This is still Hillsong’s best album‘. For All You’ve Done is indeed a great modern presentation of Christian music that doesn’t seem to grow old. I just presented Hillsong’s Mighty to Save on June 30th this year, so their music has been doing the rounds in these parts.

The problem with researching Christian music is it often difficult to ascertain information. I have no idea why that is. I would have thought above all music, Christian music would have been the most transparent. For example, who wrote this song and how was it developed etc. On the Wikipedia page of this song it just says ‘Morgan’ wrote it. Who is Morgan? Is that Reuben Morgan who I wrote about in my previous article?

Stand by everything You said
Stand by the promises we made
Let go of everything I ‘ve done
I’ll run into Your open arms
And all I know

Chorus:
I love You more than life
I love You more than life

Fall back on everything You’ve done
Fall back on everlasting arms
When all the world is swept away
You are all the things I need
You’re the air I breathe

How can it be
You were the one on the cross
Lifted for all our shame?
How can it be
The scars in Your hands are for me?
You are the king of all

Crosswalk wrote: Each year since 1992, Hillsong Christian Church in Sydney, Australia—under the direction of Darlene Zschech—releases a live worship album of the newest, original songs written for the church. Each of those albums has achieved gold (some even platinum!) status in sales worldwide.

Recorded in the Spring of 2004 at The Sydney Entertainment Centre with a 500-voice choir and a house packed with worshipers, For All You’ve Done captures again the unique talent and spirit of this church. This 2-CD set is a bold, celebrative cacophony of sound, ripe with lyrics that will infuse your life with praise and gratitude to God. There’s not a soul on earth that doesn’t need more of that. If live worship is your thing, let your fingers do the walking…

References:
1. In Review: Hillsongs’ For All You’ve Done – Crosswalk

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More Heart Than Me (2002) – My Friend the Chocolate Cake (David Bridie)

Posted on July 10, 2023 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Two songs in fairly quick succession from one of my all-time favourite Australian albums – Curious (image inset). Today’s song More Heart Than Me was the first song I ever heard from the group at a David Bridie and Archie Roach concert in Melbourne in 2002. Well, it was played solo by David Bridie on piano at that concert, but it sure made an indelible impression.

More Heart Than Me was the first song played at the event and I had never heard Bridie’s music before. So, we’re just sitting there, and I hear Bridie start with that incredible piano melody and he sings ‘She comes every morning at least 3 times‘ and I turned to my partner and said, ‘Who the f%&k is this guy‘? I was floored by it, and still am today. More Heart Than Me has 11 views on You Tube and yet it is one of my favourite Australian love ballads.

She comes every morning at least three times
I walk the dark side just for you
You know my fault lines all so well
Every look every word every thing I can imagine
With you I got the nerve for anything at all

By god I’m grateful for that’s how it be
She’s graceful, she’s forthright, she’s stronger than me
She’s a fighter, she’s headstrong, she’s got more heart than me

I change my flight path just for you
I copy strange behaviour if you want me to
So high up I may never land
So confused I don’t understand
With you I’ve got the nerve for anything at all

By god I’m grateful for that’s how it be
She’s graceful she’s forthright stronger than me
She’s a fighter, she’s a brainstorm, she’s got more heart than me

David Bridie who founded My Friend the Chocolate Cake has featured prominently here. You can find so much more about him and his group in my previous articles. Their first album was recorded with a budget of $800.

From All Music:

The album Curious is littered with clever string arrangements by cellist Helen Mountfort and violinist Hope Csutoros, and the lush overtones of David Bridie’s piano and Wurlitzer round out the lead section nicely. Bridie handles the majority of the songwriting (sometimes sharing the credit with Mountfort and others not in the band) and proves a talent for composing engaging changes and insightful lyrics. A far cry from the goofy name and band photo, Curious is a sophisticated affair.…

References:
1. My Friend the Chocolate Cake – Wikipedia

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Avant Gardener (2013) – Courtney Barnett

Posted on July 9, 2023 by observationblogger — 2 Comments

Courtney Barnett (born 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics. The music video below of today’s featured track Avant Gardener is one of the most edgy and amusing I’ve seen, plus I love Tennis. Who’s watching Wimbledon? Combine all that with fantastic lyrics ala (“The paramedic thinks I’m clever ’cause I play guitar, I think she’s clever cause she stops people dying“) and an enticing Subterranean Homesick Blues type of rhythm and playfulness; then you have something special. Great songwriting. I wonder if the New Zealand band The Beths were partly inspired by her.

[Verse 1]
I sleep in late, another day
Oh, what a wonder, oh, what a waste
It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane
What exciting things will happen today?
The yard is full of hard rubbish, it’s a mess and
I guess the neighbours must think we run a meth lab
We should amend that,I pull the sheets back
It’s forty degrees and I feel like I’m dying
Life’s getting hard in here so I do some gardening
Anything to take my mind away from where it’s supposed to be
The nice lady next door talks of green beds
And all the nice things that she wants to plant in them
I wanna grow tomatoes on the front steps
Sunflowers, bean sprouts, sweet corn and radishes
I feel proactive, I pull out weeds
All of a sudden, I’m having trouble breathing in

[Chorus]
I’m having trouble breathing in
I’m having trouble breathing in
I’m having trouble breathing in

The following is taken from the wikipedia article below:

International interest came with the release of her EP The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in 2013 in which Avant Gardener was the lead single. While pursuing a music career, she worked as a pizza delivery driver. Barnett was nominated in eight categories at the ARIA Music Awards of 2015 and won four trophies: Breakthrough Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Independent Release and Best Cover Art for Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. On 21 May 2016, she was the musical guest on the season finale of Saturday Night Live’s 41st season.

Reference:
1. Courtney Barnett – Wikipedia

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Moonshiner (Studio Outtake – 1963) – Bob Dylan

Posted on July 8, 2023 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

Bob Dylan takes a classic traditional Irish drinking song here and inverts it, using tone and a few choice lyric changes to turn a celebratory ode to the moonshiner’s lifestyle into a brooding meditation on the essential emptiness of life as an alcoholic. One of Dylan’s first performances of Moonshiner was Live at The Gaslight 1962 which is a live album including ten songs from early Bob Dylan performances recorded in October 1962 at The Gaslight Cafe in New York City’s Greenwich Village. It was released in 2005 by Columbia Records.

In 1963, Bob Dylan recorded a studio version of Moonshiner, which was released on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961-1991 and is the version which appears below.

[Verse 1]
I’ve been a moonshiner
For seventeen long years
I’ve spent all my money
On whiskey and beer
I go to some hollow
And sit at my still
And if whiskey dont kill me
Then I dont know what will

[Verse 2]
I go to some bar room
And drink with my friends
Where the women can’t follow
And see what I spend
God bless them pretty women
I wish they was mine
Their breath is as sweet
The dew on the vine

[Verse 3]
Let me eat when I am hungry
Let me drink when I am dry
A dollar when I am hard up
Religion when I die
The whole world’s a bottle
And life’s but a dram
When the bottle gets empty
It sure ain’t worth a damn

The following is from the Wikipedia article below:

The Moonshiner is a folk song with disputed origins. Some believe that the song originated in America, then was later made famous in Ireland, while others claim that it was the other way around. The Clancy Brothers stated on their recording that the song is of Irish origin, but again, this is disputed. … Its first American appearance was recorded in Carl Sandberg’s 1927 The American Songbag, which credits the Combs family of Kentucky for the collection of the song going at least as far back as the turn of the century. 

References:
1. The Moonshiner – Wikipedia

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Moonlight Shadow (1983) – Mike Oldfield ft. Maggie Reilly

Posted on July 7, 2023 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

Some of you might listen to this and get a jolt from the past. Moonlight Shadow is not one of those 80’s songs you hear played often these days. I have always enjoyed listening to it; not just for nostalgic reasons, but because it has great vocals (Fleetwood Mac – like), a magnificent guitar solo and a fantastic melody with a Celtic allure. One of the few 80’s songs that I don’t get sick of hearing over and over. I have included the original studio version and the extended version below. The video is pretty neat, but I prefer listening to the extended version, so I don’t have to keep repeating the original.

[Verse 1]
The last that ever she saw him
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
He passed on, worried and warning
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Lost in a riddle that Saturday night
Far away on the other side
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
And she couldn’t find how to push through

[Verse 2]
The trees that whisper in the evening
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving
Carried away by a moonlight shadow
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun
Far away on the other side
He was shot six times by a man on the run
And she couldn’t find how to push through

[Chorus]
I stay, I pray
See you in Heaven, far away
I stay, I pray
See you in Heaven one day

The following sourced from the Wikipedia article below:

Moonlight Shadow is a song written and performed by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, released as a single in May 1983 and included on his eighth album, Crises, of the same year. The vocals were performed by Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly, who had collaborated with Mike Oldfield since 1980. It is Oldfield’s most successful single, reaching number one on numerous charts around Europe.

The single peaked at number four in the British charts, making it Oldfield’s second-highest ranked single after Portsmouth, which reached number three in 1976….it reached number one in many countries, including Italy, Austria, Switzerland for four weeks and Norway for six weeks. It spent four weeks at number two in West Germany, hit number six in Australia, and peaked at number three in New Zealand and France.

References:
1. Moonlight Shadow – Wikipedia

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Moon Boat (2018) – Kendra Smith, Dickon Hinchliffe (and The Magician’s Orchestra)

Posted on July 6, 2023 by observationblogger — Leave a comment

I first heard this song in the end credits of the above movie, Leave No Trace. It’s so atmospheric and mellow, but I love the ride it takes me on. The lyrics below are fantastic as well. My reflections and sentiments align with the following comments in the You Tube presentation below about the movie and song respectively:

@billyclifton5710:
(Leave No Trace) is a well-made, naturalistic, moving portrayal of a man and his daughter living off the grid in an Oregon park.

@edwinrolandoborrallos4193:
(Moon Boat) A very beautiful song rendition to complement a very lovely and emotional movie which really elevates ones mind to another level of consciousness especially due to its soft and mellow music and emotive lyrics.

I wandered this world green and wild
And the things in my mind are
Like a red sun go down.
Oh And I, I know you must go.
And I think I know why…
But I don’t know why.
Still I am thinking we both share a moon and a star.
May you be safe, may we both find a place with a heart.
Here, where treasures a-bound
In the things I have found, a leaf, a song come from above…
In the wood, where secrets crawl
The Earth so small, a place, a home, a dream my own…
There’ll be a tree that joins you and me from a-far.
And I am certain we all share a moon and a star

In 2018, Kendra Smith contributed this song Moon Boat to the soundtrack for the film Leave No Trace (her first solo recording since 1996). The film received universal critical acclaim, with praise for the performances of Foster and McKenzie, and it is the most reviewed film to hold an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

References:
1. Leave No Trace (film) – Wikipedia
2. Dickon Hinchliff Personal Web Page
3. Kendra Smith – Wikipedia

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Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One | The Biggest Stunt in Cinema History (Tom Cruise)

Posted on July 5, 2023 by observationblogger — 4 Comments
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Money For Nothing (1985) – Dire Straits

Posted on July 5, 2023 by observationblogger — 4 Comments

Today’s featured song Money For Nothing is the second track track from Dire Straits 1985 album Brothers in Arms. The title track of that album featured here way back in April 2020. Money For Nothing was the megahit from that album and seen by some to do more harm than good as it was criticized of reeking of mega bucks and sell out stadium concerts. But and that’s a big but!….. 

Knopfler himself concluded “the old rockschool restraints and the undeniably attractive smell of the winning formula seem to block out any such experimental work and what you end up with is something very like the same old story.”
That seems the intention of the band all along. The song’s lyrics are written from the point of view of two working-class men watching music videos and commenting on what they see.

[Verse 1]
Now look at them yo-yos, that’s the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain’t working, that’s the way you do it
Money for nothing and your chicks for free
Now that ain’t working, that’s the way you do it
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain’t dumb
Maybe get a blister on your little finger
Maybe get a blister on your thumb

[Chorus]
We got to install microwave ovens
Custom kitchen deliveries
We got to move these refrigerators
We got to move these colour TVs

[Verse 2]
See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup?
Yeah buddy, that’s his own hair
That little faggot got his own jet airplane
That little faggot, he’s a millionaire

Sometimes when I hear Dire Straits, I assume they are a US rock band since songs like today’s Money For Nothing possess a commercial American sound, context and production pomposity, but of course that appears what they were targeting all along due to the music that was being promoted.

Money for nothin’
Chicks for free
Get your money for nothin’
And your chicks for free

Dire Straits are a British rock band. I still enjoy listening to Money For Nothing from time to time. Not as much I enjoy listening to a lot of their other tracks. The song features a guest appearance by Sting singing background vocals, providing both the signature falsetto introduction and backing chorus of “I want my MTV“.
It won’t surprise many that it was Dire Straits’ most commercially successful single, peaking at number 1 for three weeks on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Top Rock Tracks chart.

References:
1. Money for Nothing (song) – Wikipedia

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Climbing with Alex Honnold…Insane experience – Part 2 of Free Soloing (Special Edition)

Posted on July 4, 2023 by observationblogger — 11 Comments
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Modern Love (1983) – David Bowie

Posted on July 4, 2023 by observationblogger — 18 Comments

It’s taken me years to warm to and appreciate the music of David Bowie. I now realize why he is held in such high regard. I saw an interview-documentary on him recently on the Film and Arts channel. It was my second viewing of it and his interpretation of his ‘own’ artistry and delivery style was captivating. He’s a very eloquent speaker and someone who sounds as fascinating in interview format as they do on stage. There are few singer-songwriters who I value listening to interpreting their own music, but David Bowie is definitely one of the exceptions.

Modern Love was released as the opening track on his 1983 record Let’s Dance. It is a rock song that contains elements of new wave music. It was recorded at the Power Station in Manhattan and was one of the first tracks recorded for the album.

[Intro]
I know when to go out
Know when to stay in
Get things done

[Verse 1]
I catch the paper boy
But things don’t really change
I’m standing in the wind
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try

[Verse 2]
There’s no sign of life
It’s just the power to charm
I’m lying in the rain
But I never wave bye-bye
But I try
I try

[Chorus]
Never going to fall for
(Modern love) Walks beside me
(Modern love) Walks on by
(Modern love) Gets me to the church on time
(Church on time) Terrifies me
(Church on time) Makes me party
(Church on time) Puts my trust in God and man
(God and man) No confessions
(God and man) No religion
(God and man) Don’t believe in modern love

From Wikipedia: Since its release, “Modern Love” has received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised Bowie’s songwriting, its production, and its power as an opening track. It is generally considered one of the best songs on Let’s Dance, along with “China Girl” and the title track, and has since been called one of Bowie’s greatest songs….Modern Love was named as one of Bowie’s greatest songs by numerous publications. Rolling Stone listed it as one of Bowie’s 30 essential songs, writing “[the song] reveals Bowie at his catchiest and most nihilistic‘.

References:
1. Modern Love (song) – Wikipedia

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