Would You Change?

Every now and again, a song hits me for it's lyrics. Usually, I pay no mind to the words but rather it's the tune that draws me in. I guess it's where I am in my life that I'm actually liking a Tracy Chapman song. I can't say that I never enjoyed her music, but typically I couldn't relate to the lyrics or I wasn't sucked in by the catchiness of the melody. Below is an exception. Think of this as a "thought for the day" - if you feel like reading on. (photo of Tracy courtesy of Divastation.com).

"Change" By Tracy Chapman:

If you knew that you would die today,
Saw the face of god and love,
Would you change?

If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?

How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?

If you knew that you would be alone,
Knowing right, being wrong,
Would you change?

If you knew that you would find a truth
That brings up pain that can't be soothed
Would you change?

Are you so upright you can't be bent?
If it comes to blows are you so sure you won't be crawling?
If not for the good,
why risk falling?

If everything you think you know,
Makes your life unbearable,
Would you change?

If you'd broken every rule and vow,
And hard times come to bring you down,
Would you change?

If you knew that you would die today,
If you saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?

http://www.absolutelyrics.com/lyrics/view/tracy_chapman/change/

A Wonderful Life

It's this time of year when the owner of the rights to the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" will allow it to be shown on television at least once. But I don't need to watch it because I have my own wonderful life. And it's at Thanksgiving time when I think about this most. Hmmmm...I think I'll change that this year and move it out of the back of my mind and into the front on an everyday basis...

Thanksgiving was wonderful for me this year. My exceptionally cool parents made the trip from Michigan with a stop in Nashville where they spent the night on a "sleep number bed". They arrived in Atlanta on Wednesday, along with the lawn edger I requested they bring, but had no idea was the size of a small aircraft. They helped Doc B. and me prepare for the following day's binging and imbibing activities. I told my mom she would only have to help make the gravy and my dad he would only have to carve the turkey (with the electric knife they brought at my prompting, of course). They both did a great job and so did Doc B. of course. I think my mom, with a degree in home economics from Michigan State University, enjoyed and approved of the meal we prepared thanks to Alton Brown's recipe for brining the Turkey http://altonbrown.com/. Our friends Holly and Kristen were kind enough to accept our invitation to join us for the Thanksgiving meal. They brought some superb homemade desserts, wonderful stories to tell and a bottle of wine decorated with some of Kristen's original metal artwork (www.hickyjig.com). I missed being together with my whole family, but I knew they were off doing things they enjoy. My baby sister and her husband were working on the remodel of their kitchen, my brother and his wife and kids were at their home in New Jersey with my sister-in-law's mom, and my middle sister was in Florida with her husband and kids. My day was a fun-filled time with friends and family that made me want to keep that thankful feeling going throughout the year.

Actually, hanging out with my parents always brings that out in me and this visit was no exception. I have always felt lucky to have parents who continually work to better themselves and better understand/appreciate their children. The have never discouraged me from doing what makes me happy. Thanks mom and dad!

And what was even more moving was having my parents meet Doc B.'s parents for the very first time. We all drove to Doc B.'s parent's home on Sunday and spent the afternoon sharing lunch and conversation. It was, without a doubt, one of the best Thanksgiving's on record (and by the way, we saw the movie "Walk the Line" - excellent - don't miss it).

I hope everyone who reads this will join me in keeping "thanks" in the forefront each day...

Enough sappy stuff for this moment. I'm back from a computer holiday break and promise to publish at least a posting per week if not more (for those of you chomping at the bit to read more of my rambling about this, that, and my mother...)!

Now and then, the past 20 years...

I’m finding that these past 20 years of music are a bit more difficult to write about. The first 20 years were really all about fun and positive memories related to music while these past 20 years have more heartache attached. Since my intention is not to let myself be too vulnerable on this web log, I’m focusing on the positive memories or just songs that I simply like for no specific reason. Wouldn’t want to get too deep and ruin my reputation or something. But as I reflect, it’s really about looking at my CD collection and realizing there are some artists that have been with me for a very long time…

My after college days began in 1985 with my first real job as an after-school program coordinator for a Hispanic Community Center in Lansing, MI. In order to be cool, I had to pretend to like the music the kids were playing on the boom box – cassette tapes of course. While I know there were many songs from that day, the one that I still occasionally hear is “Secret Lover” by Atlantic Starr.

I left that job in 1986 to move to Battle Creek where I accepted a job in a 28-day drug and alcohol treatment center (yes, I worked there; I was not a resident, contrary to popular belief). Most of the patients were listening to U2, Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel and George Michael. In fact, that reminds me of a synchronicity. Doc B. and I were listening to Dish Network’s Sirius music a few months back. Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” came on. I said to Doc. B, “This is one of my all time favorite songs”. I then proceeded to start a list of the songs that came into my head that would be on that all time favorites list. The first song I wrote down was Heart’s “Dog and Butterfly”. If you’ve been reading this Blog, I don’t need to tell you what song played next on the Dish Network!

Moving to Atlanta was a bit of a change in music for me only because of what is rarely heard on the radio here in the south. No more Bob Segar, no more John Cougar Mellencamp (or did he drop the “Cougar”?), and no more of that good Midwestern stuff.

More recently, Doc B. and I have made it a practice to purchase a CD on the vacation trips we take. If we play the CD’s during the trip, we then have a memorable association each time we hear the tunes. For example on a trip to Cape Cod, we bought a Carole King CD. On a trip out west we bought Tori Amos and The Thorns (with Shawn Mullins).

Some adult family memories must be added in here too. Like my baby sister who, for a time, had her CD alarm clock set to wake her to the tune of “Who’s That Lady” by the Isley Brothers. Or both of my sisters and I driving along in the car and “breaking”into a chorus of Joe Jackson’s “Breakin’ us in Two”… or was it “Steppin’ Out”? Either way it was fun.

And the artists that have been with me for virtually my whole adult life, in no particular order, include: Joni Mitchell, U2, Michael Jackson, Seal, Madonna, Heart, The Indigo Girls, k.d. Lang, REM, Sarah McLachlan, and Celine Dion. Pretty interesting how music is such a part of our lives, eh?

Synchronicity Break...

(Photo courtesy of the official Ingrid Bergman web site)

Have no fear, I’m still working on the past 20 years of music in my life but I wanted to interrupt the flow with a fun synchronicity.

I was exchanging e-mails with one of my neighbors last week and one of her responses was that I was trying to “gaslight” her. I had no idea what she was talking about so she reported that “Gaslight” was a 1944 movie in which a husband (Charles Boyer) attempts to drive his wife (Ingrid Bergman) insane. I had never heard of the movie and while I laughed at the reference, I didn’t think about it again.

After a long day of work this past Saturday (yes, I was doing some overtime), I came home to plop myself in front of the TV for the evening. As I was channel surfing, guess what movie was on Turner Classics and set to begin in one minute? You guessed it, “Gaslight”. So that was how I spent my Saturday evening – and it was a great movie nonetheless! Watch it if you get a chance!

"Now and Then" - my first 20 years of music

Now And Then, Carpenters

1. Sing
2. This Masquerade
3. Heather
4. Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
5. I Can't Make Music
6. Yesterday Once More
7. Fun, Fun, Fun
8. The End Of The World
9. Da Doo Ron Ron
10. Deadmen's Curve
11. Johnny Angel
12. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
13. Our Day Will Come
14. One Fine Day
15. Yesterday Once More (Reprise)

A&M Records Inc. 9 May 1973

The Carpenters 1973 album entitled “Now and Then” was the first music I ever bought for myself. It was with the birthday money I received in 1974 on my 10th birthday when I was in 5th grade at Stone School Elementary in Ann Arbor, MI. This is the same birthday on which my dad woke me up early and told me I really needed to take a bath. This was back when taking a bath was not a good thing and I couldn’t understand why he was making me get up early on my birthday to take one. But boy was I glad when I pulled back the shower curtain to find a brand new red Schwinn 5-speed bike with curly handlebars! As usual, I digress. But it was in 5th grade when music really became an enjoyable part of my life. I do recall having music in our home before then. Like my mom playing Christmas songs on the piano or playing my parents’ Johnny Mathis or Peter, Paul and Mary albums (my dad went to college with Paul). Or playing "Praise the Lord and Pass the Amunition" on the Victrola at my grandparent's cottage in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. But the Carpenters album was mine, all mine.

By 6th grade, Mary Johnston (or was it Kathy Barry?) brought Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody" to school on free day. And later that year, Kenny Bishop wowed us all with his rendition of Elton John’s "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" during the school talent show. I think this may have also been the year mom and dad bought our family a juke box and we started buying 45’s like crazy! We also stocked the basement fridge with Town Club soda pop of various flavors.

Later I would go on to Tappan Junior High where Bob Segar also went to school. I recall going to Toronto on an MYF church trip and listening to Electric Light Orchestra virtually the whole trip thanks to Richard Klevgard and Suzie Dunn. I also recall listening to and trading music with my relatives. My oldest cousin introduced me to Foghat and the Doobie Brothers. My uncle introduced me to The Allman Brothers and Kansas (not to mention Cheech and Chong). My step-cousin traded me a Boz Scaggs album for an Eddie Money album.

Then we moved to Marshall and my brother went through his Van Halen stage. And when he was learning to play guitar, he taught me Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven of course. During basketball season, the Albion girls' team introduced me to my first rap song, "Rapper’s Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang. They knew all of the words. And it was also in Marshall that I was first introduced to musicals. The locals put on wonderful versions of all the classics including one of my all time favorites, Fiddler on the Roof.

I didn’t start going to concerts until I was in college. My first concert was REO Speedwagon at Michigan State University and my second was Diana Ross at Cobo Hall in Detroit. I think she changed outfits at least 10 times during the show.

So you can see how much music played a part of the first 20 years of my life. Stay tuned while I finish collecting my thoughts about the most recent 20 years…