Category: memories

Friday’s Theme Music

Today’s theme music choice emerged reflections on my dream. Written by Paul Simon over fifty years ago, it was used in a movie, The Graduate, as well as standing as a hit on its own. It came about in my stream today because of the reference to a baseball player, Joe DiMaggio.

From 1968, Simon & Garfunkel with “Mrs. Robinson”. Fascinating to listen to the lyrics again.

“We’d like to know a little bit about you for our files.

“We’d like to help you learn to help yourself.

“Look around and all you see are sympathetic eyes.

“Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home.”

 

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Walking with a sense of ennui yesterday, I noticed several blue cars. Teslas, Priuses, Subarus, Volkswagens, BMWs…it was an odd parade of mostly blue cars, with a few silver and green in the mix. All those blue cars brought home the 1996 song, “Counting Blue Cars” by Dishwalla.

I always identified this song with ennui. They’re counting cars and jumping over cracks, like children do, asking questions, like children do, like some people often do without end, searching for an answer, not knowing the question.

Yeah, Happy New Year.

 

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Hey, the twenties are almost upon us. This hasn’t gone unnoticed. Almost all of the NYE parties in our town have been inspired to throw a roaring twenties party.

My wife and I are not impressed that they’re paying homage to a decade that ended in the Great Depression. My parents weren’t yet born; her parents, who are deceased, were born in that decade. Nothing about it inspires me to want to party.

No, I’m a child of the rock era. For my theme music for 2019, I’m going with a Prince classic, “1999”, from, um, 1982.

Join my party, or pop up a song that you would like to carry you into a new year and decade. Happy New Year!

I was dreamin’ when I wrote this
So sue me if I go 2 fast
But life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant 2 last
War is all around us, my mind says prepare 2 fight
So if I gotta die I’m gonna listen 2 my body tonight

h/t to Metrolyrics.com, cuz cutting and pasting is easier.

Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Today’s theme choice began as I slapped my head and asked, “What am I thinking? Where is my mind?”

I was annoyed with myself for being distracted, feeling like I haven’t been remembering things as I should (and partially blaming writing because I was becoming more intense about it).

Then, “Where is my mind?” circled through again. Parts of a song were seen and heard like minnows flashing in and out of a creek’s shadows. I believed that I knew such a song. I thought, well, I can search for it on the net but I wanted to give myself the chance to remember it.

More song peeked out. I remembered, oh, a movie. Wait, is that right? Yes, yes, there was a movie, the song was used in a movie. I remembered that the movie was Fight Club, and then, like it was beamed into my brain, I recalled, oh, the Pixies, “Where Is My Mind?” That made me laugh. I wasn’t sure what year the song emerged and had to look that up (and also confirm that it’d been used in Fight Club). Yes, to the movie, and 1988.

Listening to this song always makes me smile. Don’t know why. Wow, where is my mind?

 

 

 

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Friday’s Theme Music

Out of an overheard apology as I passed a couple on the street came an overused phrase, “It was just the heat of the moment.” She said it in a dry monotone.

I wondered what’d been said before. Couldn’t say from glancing at the middle-aged couple, he, neatly bearded, in jeans and a silver puffy jacket, she with short blonde hair swept across her forehead, in a tight black jacket, matching tight leggings (don’t know what they’re really called now), and purple running shoes. Sunglasses dancing with reflections hid their eyes.

Here came the old (well, half a lifetime ago (1982) – over a lifetime ago, for some) Asia song, “Heat of the Moment”.

Cue the guitars (can you tell he was with Yes?).

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

For some reason, my mind pivoted through several holiday songs this morning. Then one — by the Scorpions, of course — what other group leaps to mind when you think holiday, right? — lodged in the stream.

It wasn’t so much as the holiday as it was the cold friggin’ air, air that felt it belonged up in Alaska, where a friend mentioned that it was twelve degrees. We weren’t nearly that low, hovering at just under 30 F, with clear skies and sunshine, but that sun was all light and no heat, ya know?

That’s where the Scorpions wiggled into the stream.

Let me take you far away
You’d like a holiday
Let me take you far away
You’d like a holiday
Exchange the cold days for the sun
A good time and fun

h/t Metrolyrics.com

So you see how it all worked out – holiday, cold, sun, heat, Scorpions, going away?

I thought you would. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Heavy traffic downtown in our town yesterday. Ah, holidays, I figured. School is out. Last minute shopping. Meeting for drinks and meals, doing holiday things under the weak sunshine in the forty-degree air.

Which kicked Lindsey Buckingham singing “Holiday Road” (1983). I know the song from that classic comedy, National Lampoon’s Vacation with Chevy Chase. We were on Okinawa when it came out (military), and saw it on video at home. The movie became a favorite.

“I found out long ago,
“it’s a long way down the Holiday Road.”

“Holiday Road” has a lot of energy but not many words, yet it conveys that whole sense of excitement of jumping into the Family Truckster and braving the Interstates for a family vacation.

I especially like the dog’s barking at the song’s end.

Hope your Holiday Road is a smooth and safe one this year. Let’s be safe out there.

 

Had to include something of National Lampoon’s Vacation, right?

 

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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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