Science fiction, fantasy, mystery and what-not
Streaming from my childhood once again. I enjoy this song for its organ solo. Because of that, I prefer the long version. Thinking about the words, there aren’t many verses in the song. Most of us know the title lines: “Hold your head up.”
Here’s Argent, with Rod Argent (formerly of The Zombies, which must count for something) on keyboards.
I’ve always enjoyed this song’s beginning. A chorus, a softly strumming acoustic guitar, and then a gentle French horn, each remarkable by themselves but coming together to set you up in an introspective mood.
When I first heard it, I thought, “Is that a French horn? Who is playing it?” Because a French horn isn’t part of the Rolling Stones’ typical composition. Later, there’s organ and piano, and wondered, “Who is on those?” I learned it was Al Kooper on them, along with the French horn. Pretty cool.
The song is, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” a well-known Rolling Stones song from that terrific album, Let It Bleed. I like the song’s story-telling style, how it touches on different political and social elements of that period, rising rises from a reflection on a female addict into a rousing anthem for rebellion and struggle.
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need
It’s a stirring rallying cry: try, and you might find that you get what you need, and it may not be what you thought it was.
So much is written about money, right? About needing it, hating it, not having it, and wanting it. It’s the root of all evil, yet churches are on net, television, and radio, begging for it. It’s not the money, though, right? As Marie (Bernadette Peters) said in The Jerk, “I don’t care about losing the money. It’s losing all the stuff.”
Today’s song is one of my all-time favorites. Why? I like the clashing drums, screaming guitars, and scathing lyrics. “Money. Get back. Keep your hands off my stack.”
Here’s Pink Floyd with “Money” from waaayyy back when I was young.
Getting old
Getting gray
Getting ripped off
underpaid
Getting sold
Second hand
AC/DC rocked us through the lessons of being in a rock band in their song, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).” For most of us, short of being some amazingly talented person or born to wealth, it’s a long way to the top no matter what we’re trying to do.
Gotta love the bagpipes.
Today’s music is feline inspired. I swear I could hear my cat singing this when I went through my morning rituals. As I went from room to room and activity to activity, he tagged along. Sometimes he would lean against my leg when I stopped, but he also sat on my foot, or stopped and peeked around the corner. When I moved, he moved, following me around.
Here it is, courtesy of Tucker’s inspiration, Little Peggy March (which I had to look up) with “I Will Follow Him” from 1963.
Today’s theme music comes by way of yesterday’s choir performance. The Rogue Valley Peace Choir performed as part of an afternoon called one voice. Participating with RVPC were four peace choirs from Portland and Eugene, Oregon, and California. It was an enjoyable afternoon. One of the songs presented is the well-known “La Bamba.”
An old Mexican folk song, I learned of it from Ritchie Valens release. It came out two years after I was born. He was dead by then, so part of my maturing process was hearing about this song (and his other music), learning about why Richie Valens didn’t perform any more, and learning about the plane crash in which Valens, Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson, and the pilot, Roger Peterson, were killed.
Though Valens died two years into my life, a movie of his life, “La Bamba,” starring Lou Diamond Philips, was released in 1987. Los Lobos performed “La Bamba” for the movie, sparking a new appreciation for the song and Richie Valens.
Turn it up and sing along. Happy Monday.
Many of you know this song because it’s one of those ubiquitous tunes that started during one era, and gets pulled out and employed to make a point.
The song is “The Beat Goes On,” originally by Sonny and Cher. Sung in a flat, almost monotonous style, it features words and stanzas that reflect superficial changes even as certain defining trends of an era continue. “Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain.” “Cars keep going faster all the time. Bums keep asking, hey, buddy, do you have a dime?”
Yes, cars are getting faster. We don’t call them bums, hobos, or panhandlers any longer, but there are still people out there asking for money, usually more than a dime, because a dime just doesn’t buy much in these times.
Here it is, from 1967.
I’ve always like the elemental approach of this song. This was one of those songs that Mom said, “What are they singing?” She also disparaged the singing. “That’s not singing. That’s…I don’t know what that is.”
No, it’s not very smooth. One generation always struggles with the next generation’s interpretation of what they’re passing. But when the band sing, “I’ve been waiting so long,” I can relate. Seems like I’m always waiting so long, somewhere, sometime, to check in, check out, get in, get out, get on, get by, although yesterday’s shopping went very fast. We only waited to check out in one line out of three.
Here’s Cream with “Sunshine of Your Love,”
In 1971, I was fifteen years old, and entering high school. Richard Nixon was president. The Vietnam War continued, and the Pentagon Papers were printed while the U.S and U.S.S.R. continued their arms race. Protesters marched against the war and the bomb. Although it was a new decade, we hadn’t turned the page socially. The summer of love, Watts riots, and Chicago ’68, among many events, all still resonated through our awareness.
Peace was a major topic. From it came songs, like this one, “Peace Train.” Cat Stevens wrote and released it. He’d soon add to the national conversation by becoming a Muslim and changing his name to Yusuf Islam after almost drowning.
He’s an interesting, talented person.
Michael Seidel, writer 