Tag: r&b

Sunday’s Theme Music

Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good day, and good night.

Today is Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021, the ninety-fourth day of the year. Sol stepped up at 6:49 AM in Ashland. We expect her to do a fade at 7:40 PM. The hours in between those times are expected to be brimming with sunshine that warms us to the seventy degree F mark. We’re at 54 now, but it doesn’t feel that warm as a cold mountain breeze with a wintry grudge scraps the edge off the sun’s heat.

Today’s music choice is an old Spinners song with Dionne Warwick. “Then Came You” was released in 1974 (hey, my high school senior year) and reached number one. Infused with a little disco vibe into its R&B structure, it stayed popular in dance clubs for several years. As to clues about why it’s in my head this morning…there are none. The little neurons responsible for orchestrating recollection of this tune are staying incognito.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, and get the vax. Cheers, all.

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Friday’s Theme Music

Friday, February 26, 2021, doesn’t look like a happy day. A flat pale gray blanket stretching to every corner covers the sky this morning. Temperature is 42 degrees F, so that’s not bad. Sunrise stole in with little ceremony at 6:51 AM. Sunset is due at 5:57 PM.

The Wayback Machine was fully activated, triggered by a Zoom call. I wasn’t on it, but lurking in the other room. The call was my wife’s dance class. One member said that the people on the call looked like the start of “The Brady Bunch”. Another suggested “Hollywood Squares”. A third mentioned “Laugh-In”.

The “Laugh-In” comment popped “sock it to me” into my head. Remember that phrase? Good possibility that you answered a resounding, “No.” Well, “sock it to me” was a popular humorous catchphrase in the late sixties. Seriously. It was like, “can’t touch this”, “where’s the beef”, and “whassup” in another decade, or “who let the dogs out?” The phrase was everywhere, in every context, and this was pre-net, pre-text, pre-video existence. At least three songs with the phrase climbed out of the Wayback Machine for my mental streaming pleasure. One had to the legs to keep my brain engaged.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask, and get vaccinated. Now, please enjoy Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels with their 1967 hit, “Sock It To Me-Baby”.

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Monday’s Theme Music

Good morning. Welcome to another Monday. Today is February 15, 2021. It’s 39 degrees F outside. An unrelenting sky whispers, “No sun for you.” Today’s sunrise was at 7:07 AM. Sunset is expected at 5:43 PM.

We’re harvesting rain water this week. After collecting it in bowls, we strain and drain into gallon jugs. Rain water is wonderful for rinsing hair after shampooing/conditioning.

Raindrops chilled my skin and dampened my hair while I was out there. Words came along.

Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

After returning to the house, I noodled through those words in search of more, i.e., when, where, who. Then other activities pushed it aside for a while. Remembering the words morning, I searched and was rewarded. These are words to Natasha Bedingfield’s song “Unwritten”. As I went through an, oh, yeah, moment, I read the other lyrics.

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

h/t to Metrolyrics.com

Head-scratching, oh, yeah. Feeling rain on my skin drew the song out from some inner folds. Thought this mellow sound works well for this rain-zone day. Here it is, fresh from 2003. Wear a mask. Stay positive, test negative, and get vaccinated. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

After a series of tremendously affirming dreams, I awoke with “You’re All I Need to Get By” (1968) by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It’s a softly melodic song, gentle, tranquil, a good rainy Sunday song. Please remember, stay positive, test negative, and wear a mask. Cheers

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Sunday’s Theme Music

I’ve done this song before, but it’s a throwback, optimistic song. “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke was inspired by his life experiences. He released it in 1964.

It’s a good, reflective song about trying and being. The chorus is the best part (from Genius.com):

It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come
Oh, yes it will

Change has come today, the same changes as every day, every year: the weather, the shadows, the temperature, the month, the date. We’re looking for more permanent changes in other ways, to the way that people act and treat one another. We need changes to the erroneous supposition that same deserve less freedom, less equality, less opportunity, because of their skin, their religion, their sexual orientation or gender, or their heritage.

This is a cover by Brian Owens with his father. I enjoyed it, and thought that you might enjoy it, too.

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Saturday’s Theme Music

I watched Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Tarentino always makes it interesting and watching it for memories of that era was a delight for us Boomers.

Circling around an actor and his stunt double and friend (Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt) and Charlie Manson’s family, the movie offered some fond side trips down pop culture lane. Our American television diet was prominent, because this film’s story was about TV and movie stars.

But pop music was in there, too. And in the background of one scene was an old Vanilla Fudge favorite from 1967, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”. Loved the song by the Supremes, but the VF’s more psychedelic version spoke to this eleven-year-old lad. My older sister had an older guy interested in her. To win her over, he tried winning me over by loaning me his Vanilla Fudge album, so I played it enough that the notes and I were familiars.

The movie entertained me with its what-if premise. I always enjoy what-if, but the attention to details really impressed. Even period piece can openers were used.

Our favorite character? Brandy.

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Saturday’s Theme Music

After reading the news updates yesterday, I mourned the patterns, the things we keep doing and won’t change. Haven’t we seen this show before? Assassinating leaders and promoting greater violence while claiming to be de-escalating. We’ve changed centuries; shouldn’t we change our tactics and strategy. No; they continue to fight the last war and run the last political campaign. Of course, there are some that lap it up and beg for more. 

The timing was impeccable for this murder. Australia burning, glaciers melting, people fleeing wars and droughts as other nations turn refugees away, but hey, let’s de-escalate by killing others.

Out of that, I started singing Steve Winwood’s “Freedom Overspill” (1986).

Keep on talking all you want
Well you don’t waste a minute of time
Who cares, who knows what’s true
Coffee and tears the whole night through
Burning up on midnight oil
And it’s come right back on you

Freedom Overspill
Freedom Overspill

Force of habit, you could say
The way they talk you’re talking away
Who cares, who knows what’s true
Your wounded pride is burning you up
Burning up on midnight oil
And it’s come right back on you

h/t to Metrolyrics.com cuz’ cutting and pasting song lyrics is easier.

That ‘Force of habit’ line is what hooked me. Nations, like people, fall into habits, especially as leadership and thinking diminishes. Like marketing, they think, well, this worked before. Press drumbeats follow soon. We’ve seen it happen so many times already in this young century.

It takes strength and awareness to change. Does anyone out there have it?

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Saturday’s Theme Music

I came across my house panther stretched out by the fire last night. His fur’s warm silkiness prompted me to tell him, “Aren’t you hot? You’re almost on fire.” He responded with a purring toe stretch before squeezing his eyes shut again. That kicked me to sing to him (softy, so as to not disturb the precious one), “This cat is on fire,” to the Alicia Keyes song “Girl On Fire” (2012). Speaking with the cat this morning, I remembered the song and thought it a fine theme song for our area, where a hard frost coats the ground with delicate white icing.

Cheers

 

 

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Good morning (from my point of view — good afternoon, good day, etc, addressing yours), world.

Today’s music is due to an earworm. Lizzo has exploded on the scene. Her music is everywhere. I think as much as the interesting lyrics, her attitude draws attention and admiration. I know I’m an admirer.

But, because she’s become so popular (speaking of my tiny world niche), I’m hearing her over and over. Now her song, “Good As Hell” (2016), is stuck in my stream. I need to move it out. Best way to accomplish that is to share it.

Feel free to sing along with her (as I do) to that rousing chorus.

I do my hair toss, check my nails
Baby, how you feelin’? (Feelin’ good as hell)
Hair toss, check my nails
Baby, how you feelin’? (Feelin’ good as hell)
(Feeling good as hell)
Baby, how you feelin’? (Feelin’ good as hell)

h/t to Genius.com

Here she is on SNL last week. Hope you’re doing good as hell. Cheers

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