Category: childhood

Monday’s Theme Music

Yesterday was such a brooding day, darkly petulant clouds sulking on the horizons, unsure if they’d rain or snow, ruling as sunshine said, “Screw it, I’m outta here.” Temperatures were in the mid-forties but we all swore that snowfall was imminent.

Here are blue skies this morning, as if the weather’s dark mood has lifted. Here comes sunshine. Opening blinds, I told the cats, let the sunshine, a trigger phrase for the 5th Dimension’s 1969 song, “Let the Sunshine In”. Of course, that one must be accompanied by “Aquarius”.

You know ’bout the Age of Aquarius?

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the minds true liberation
Aquarius, Aquarius

h/t to Lyricsmode.com

Don’t think we’re there right now. Not in the United States, nor many places I read of in the news. But for now, let the sunshine in. You got to feel it.

 

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Sunday’s Theme Music

We invited friends to our house to celebrate solstice, an annual tradition. Besides eating, that involves writing wishes and hopes for the future on small scrips of paper, tying them to a Yule log, and burning them.

The food is always simple, bread and soup, along with a veggie and cheese plate, and crackers. This year was lentil soup and spinach tortellini soup, both satisfying and tasty. Spice Wassail, spiked with rum or brandy, and wine, was available.

During the log burning in the backyard, someone requested Jethro Tull, “Ring Out Solstice Bells”, so that was played. The iPad shuffled into a Greg Lake concert after that. Soon we were listening to “From the Beginning”.

It was Lake’s composition, originally done when he was part of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1972). I thought that would be a good song for the day after solstice, so here be Lake in concert, doing “From the Beginning”.

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Saturday’s Theme Music

I was outside, watching light seep out of the day. Purples and grays stole in, and then darkness. Solstice – the longest night for us northern dwellers – was almost here. And as I watched, thinking about the fading daylight and growing night, I remembered a song.

Several groups made “(I know) I’m Losing You”, but it was the Rare Earth’s version from 1970 (when I became fourteen years old) that sprang to mind. “Your love is fading. I feel it fade.”

No, it wasn’t love fading; just the light, and it’s going to be coming back soon.

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Friday’s Theme Music

This song popped up from the memory banks into the active stream yesterday as I was hurrying along. I have to get this done so that I can get home and get that done, I thought. Better get running. (It’s a mode that I dislike – run and get things done – anathema to my general philosophy.) A second later, JoJo Gunn’s 1972 song, “Run, Run, Run” was there.

Not much to the song, really. Some pleasant slide work, a fast beat, lyrics about running.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

I don’t know what’s going on with my subconscious these days (it’s like it’s keeping me in the dark) but it pulled out a couple more unusual songs for my streaming enjoyment this morning.

First was an old show staple, “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”, which I know from the movie, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (with Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, and a bunch of male actors), which came out three years before I was born (yeah, I know Carol Channing song it before that, and I think Mom might have had it on a record). I know the movie (and song) from the miracle of modern television and shows like “Sunday Afternoon at the Movies”. Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” (1984) then leaped into the stream. As I was processing those songs, the stream switched to Adam Ant’s “Goody Two Shoes” (1982).

That’s where it’s now stopped.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

I had to look up who did this song. It had wormed into my stream and was totally fixed. A fine song, to be sure, but I don’t know why it’s in my head this morning.

From my head to yours, here are the Contours with a song that you may’ve heard before (if you be old enough), “Do You Love Me”, from 1962. Meanwhile, I’m gonna continue to ruminate on why I was singing this song to myself this morning when I got out of bed.

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Monday’s Theme Music

Today’s song came out of yesterday’s apres writing session. Striding along, thinking about what had been written and what was to be, a conservation was struck up between a character and her aunt. Her aunt told the younger character, “Oh, honey, your mother won’t dance. No anymore.” Which implied to the young one, something had happened to her mother, or her had changed, because of how it was expressed (but the aunt wasn’t saying anything else).

From that, though, came a song from my childhood, Loggins and Messina with “Your Mama Don’t Dance), a lively 1972 song with a throwback sound. Most people probably know it because it’s been around close to fifty years.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

A mellow tune for today, one that I thought of while looking at the mountains across the way. Cold and clear, we were in the shadows on a mountain on the northern side. Over on the southern mountains, sunshine looked warm and inviting. It seemed like two worlds.

I wondered what could bring those worlds together, knowing that those “two worlds” that I saw were one, divided by who was in the shadow. It seemed a proper metaphor for life. People live in the shadow of the information and myths – and sometimes, disinformation and lies – that dominate our world. Amazing how the shadows can affect it.

From that came thoughts of songs about people coming together. There’s a bunch of them that were made in the 1960s, a time when trying to come together seemed important to many artists. Out of the pool, “Get Together” by the Youngbloods (1967) rose to the top and took over the stream.

 

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Harry Nilsson was a tremendously talented songwriter and an entertaining rock star. I don’t know what prompted “Jump Into the Fire” (1972) to jump into my head yesterday afternoon. It’d been another wonderful day of writing. The day was windy and drizzly but pleasant, and I was thinking about how fortunate I was in so many ways. Out of that and into my stream came this song. He was young, of course, when he died, 52, but we still have his music.

Let’s jump into the fire and make each other happy.

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Thursday Theme Music

I was fortunate by when and where I was born. Pop music with all of its manifestations and variations had started booming, a boom that has continued. Being able to hear marvelous talents demonstrating their talents and skills via a turn of knob, the push of a button, the click of a link was and is amazing.

The Beatles were a huge part of that development. Their breakup…well, it happened, like a favorite couple being divorced. But they continued as individuals, adding to the musical treasure.

Ringo Starr was the Beatles’ drummer. I always thought of his song, “It Don’t Come Easy” by Ringo Starr (1971) as almost like an anthem. For a few lucky folks, things come easy. But for the rest of us, this is an enduring theme song.

Cheers

 

 

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