Baptized

I love hymns. There is so much meat in them. For about a minute and a half praise bands were reinterpreting the old gems and doing it very well. I was surprised at the cross over into Catholic singing. Even "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" written by the original Protestant Martin Luther, makes itself at home. Of course there were many songs I didn't know, and they would catch me off-guard. "I Have Loved You," "You Are Mine," "Eye Has Not Seen," and "On Eagle's Wings," had me crying. I ordered a hymnal with my new hymns, but it was a different edition from the ones at church.

Recently, they replaced the hymnals with very nice purple ones, and I wondered what happened to the old ones. I didn't have time to pursue it. Our house needed a clean out and the bags of donate goods filled the back of the van. I had to get rid of them before I could shop at Sam's, so I dropped in at a nearby thrift store. I've been collecting copies of the books for next year's medieval lit class, so I hunted through the bookshelves. There didn't seem to be much until I spotted the familiar red spine. Gold letters on the front cover, it called out to me. Joyfully, I brought it home.

Now it is the queen of my collection, and a great source for new music and ideas. Thanks be to God.

Fat Tuesday

I'm thinking about giving up the Beatles for Lent. They were my first taste of cultural butter, and the purposes it serves. My life had been one recording of the Life Action Singers after another. Occasionally, Doug Oldham or someone like him would take some risks, but not very often. My sister, with her musical ear collected an impressive knowledge of popular music from elevators and grocery stores. I was more inclined to return home to the safety of the Gaithers. 

Susan came over and for the first time in my life I was left unsupervised in my own home. Susan's sanctity was never questioned, so I was surprised when she recommended we ransack the record collection for contraband. We found The Letterman and were quite pleased with them. They were nice, but musically little different from Life Action or the other groups. From then on, any chance to ransack the records was a naughty little pleasure. That probably would have been the end of things if we hadn't moved to a suburb of DC. 

The kids in my new world not only listened to current rock and roll, they had sex and experimented with drugs. I was so lost. I had my first diagnosis of depression, and Dad pulled out all the stops--he rented Help! Mother would have nothing to do with it. Her disapproval filled the house making it all the more exciting as Dad plugged it in. It was hilarious, and the music was so fresh to us. After that, whenever it was all too much we'd get Help!

I still love Help! I love the Beatles catalog. Giving them up for Lent might not seem like big deal to some, but maybe there's a circle coming my life. While I'm not interested in a return to Life Action, maybe it's time for dry toast because I can, because of Lent.

My Yoko Ono

I love the Beatles. The concert "The Night That Changed America was delicious. I want the album. I want it now. It's one of the ways I tell off Plato, and remember that I am an artist. 

Members of my family tend to be opinionated.  The Beatles are one of the best ways to stir up discord.  From Mother requiring that Dad get rid of all his Beatles albums to whether or not Julian Lennon's blog is interesting.  We have opinions. Since my sister takes the hard line on Yoko Ono, I have to take the moderate view. At first it was because as crazy as it all seemed from the outside, John Lennon was more fully human after it. He wasn't right about a lot of things, but I think his heart was. This stance was largely to give me some room to breathe when Karen starts telling it like it is, until I found my Yoko Ono--the picture that for me, sums it all up. I'm researching The Plaza for my novel, so I purchased At the Plaza, a pictorial history.  On page 151, there is a picture of the two of them a short while before John was shot having a quick snack.  I wish I could post it for you, but I can't find it anywhere on the net. She is smiling, clearly enjoying their time together, but he is gob-smacked that she is there. His joy  is so fresh, as if they had just met. I may not like how they got there, but I'm glad they did.

Aural Sedative

I heard this wonderful song on The Folk Sampler last night.  It is by Leslie Eliel, and the title is If Nobody Sees.  It is beautiful to listen to, as well.

I saw you this morning though we did not speak
I watched you ride by looking tired and weak
Your body was saying Can I really go on
And I thought to myself, feeling sadly

I know nothing about you, if you're hungry or fed
If you're living alone or sharing your bed
But I saw that your beauty was hidden by pain
And that no one was there at your side

You thought you were alone as you struggled and tried
Pulling all of your strength from somewhere inside
Though I could not, I wanted to call you by name
And to sing to your heart and your sorrow.

May you always sleep well in a comfortable bed
May you have what you need of money and bread
And may you always have at least one loyal friend
Or a lover who knows when to hold you

May you always feel safe and at peace in your home
May the tears that you share be not always your own
And if you have young children may you always have time
To be with them, or alone, as you want to

And when your time is done on this earth here below
May your body and mind choose the same time to go
May you leave satisfied, knowing you did your best
And if nobody sees that, well I did.

Music to Speed Us on Our Way

A playlist is a very personal thing, but we are really loving the mix of music from family history that is providing the soundtrack for our journey.  There is something for everyone, from baby songs to romantic tunes.  The miles are sliding by.  I'm still grinning about singing My Love with my two oldest girls.  Take a peek.

Let There Be Peace.                      African Children's Choir

Fish Heads.                                    Barnes and Barnes

Morning Has Broken.                     Art Garfunkel/Diane Krall

Help.                                              Beatles

Paperback Writer

The River of Dreams.                      Billy Joel
Let Me Call You Sweetheart.  (2)        Bing Crosby

Do You Want to Dance?                 Bobby Freeman

The Ugly Bug Ball.                          Burl Ives

On the Front Porch 

Bad Day.                                         Daniel Powter

Volare.                                            Dean Martin

Everybody Loves Somebody (3)

Don't Bring Me Down.                     Electric Light Orchestra

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?     Elton John

Next to Me.                                     Emeli Sande
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. (4)        Foster and Allen

Pumped Up Kicks.                          Foster the People

Straighten Up and Fly Right.            Linda Ronstadt

I've Got a Crush On You

I Love you For Sentimental Reasons

U Can't Touch This.                         M.C. Hammer

A-You're Adorable.       (1)                  Perry Como

You'll Be in My Heart.                      Phil Collins

My Love.                                         Petula Clark

Only You (and You Alone).   (5)            The Platters

Crazy Little Thing Called Love.        Queen

Stand.                                              REM

Bless the Broken Road.                   Rascal Flatts

That Where I Am...                           Rich Mullens

You Send Me.    (6)                              Sam Cooke

Skinamarink.                                    Sara Newman

You're Still the One.                         Shania Twain

The 59th St. Bridge Song.                Simon/Garfunkel 

Scarborough Fair

The Wind.                                        Zac Brown Band

Toes

Zig Zag Dance.                                 Sesame Street

Nearly Missed

Just Happy to Be Me

Caribbean Amphibian

One Small Voice

Take Me Home, Country Roads.       John Denver

Thank God, I'm a Country Boy.

Tennessee Waltz.                              Patti Page

Born to Be Wild.                                Steppenwolf

Living on a Prayer.                             Bon Jovi

Pocketful of Sunshine.                       Natasha Bedingfield

Radioactive.                                      Imagine Dragons

You Got It.                                         Roy Orbison

taking a spin through my life

CD's are telling. What you listen to says a lot about who you are. So, what's playing? It depends on where you are in the house. Here in my office I'm listening to Songs from the Neighborhood. I've always felt Mr. Roger's songs were special, but the new settings done by current artists proves me right. The treadmill is in here too, and I need the reminder that it's me he likes, not the clothes I wear. In the classroom, we are alternating between Leonard Bernstein's version of Peter and the Wolf and a dreadful ditty that promises to help us all memorize a timeline of American History. Upstairs on the family CD changer we have the variety pack. First, there is a Dean Martin's greatest hits I bought to celebrate the anniversary of our engagement. I only wanted Volare because it was playing when my husband took a knee, but I've grown attached to it's breezy love songs. Next up is a James Galway CD featuring Pachbel's Canon. Something about this disk is very helpful to my cognitive process, as his fingers flitter through the music my minds flitters through the day and puts everything back in order. Jarring my consciousness with a strong reminder that there are five little people whose whereabouts need to be a little higher priority is Elmopalooza. The kids and I hold mini dance-a-thons in the living room to that one. The soundtrack for Sister Act 2 made the cut when I realized I was watching the movie over and over just for the choir. The CD saves me from having to watch it anymore. I have been delivered! Halleujah! Finally, a collection of Bach's greatest hits provides background music when I just don't feel like thinking about anything. Travel with me out to the van and I've got the sound track to The Fellowship of the Ring. I like to think that it gives my journey to the market an epic quality. That's my spin, what's playing at your house?