Winter Song

Winter is approaching and this beautiful song has begun a heavy rotation in my music library. Listen, relax, and be moved...

Covers

One of the most important qualities of a great song is its relatability. For song to truly be great, it has to transcend differences and be able to touch and move the listener. Most great songs therefore have been covered by artists who are not the original author. These covers often are different in style and approach as well as portraying a different meaning according to the performers experience. Here are some of my favorite covers.

What are some of your favorite covers?

Forever Young

Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I figured I would pick a song that rings true to me around this time of year. The song that came to mind is Forever Young by Bob Dylan. The song is not only the theme song on one of my favorite shows Parenthood, but it is also a great example of a set of lyrics that is about family and friends. The song is simply a list of wishes that a person has for another person. All of these wishes are hopes that another person will live up to their greatest potential in life. I have posted the lyrics below.

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.

Television Opening Sequences

I've been watching a lot of the terrific television dramedy Parenthood lately. The show has one of the best opening credit sequences on television which never fails to excite me for the hour to come. Here are some of my favorite opening credits and the great songs/lyrics that help make them so great. 

Singer-Songwriters

Throughout the last couple of years I have come to the realization that singer-songwriters create the most thoroughly moving and effective live performances. Due to their complete devotion to the material, a singer-songwriter is able to bring out the core meaning of the song. No matter how great a song is, it is never more greatly communicated than when performed by it's author. Songs are created out of personal need and no matter how great the interpreter, I argue that the author nine times out of ten will put forward the most emotional truth in the song. Here are some examples of great songs performed by their authors (they all happen to be women but I will post men at a later date).

Heartbreak in Song

Because of the crazy October snow that is currently reeking havoc in the northeast, I've been forced to spend this Saturday at home relaxing (poor me). Because of the extra time that I have on my hands, I decided to go through my Itunes and listen to some of my favorite songs. As I browsed through my music library, I began to realize that many of my favorite songs have to do with heartbreak. Why do many of the best songs ever written have to do with heartbreak? It is because it is such a strong emotional feeling? Because humans feel the most artistic when they are vulnerable? I'm not sure but I just thought it was nice food for thought.  

The Trapeze Swinger

I recently came across the nine and a half minute epic song The Trapeze Swinger by Iron & Wine at home during a rainy day. I had been told by a friend that in terms of the use of poetry in a song, this modern day classic was perfection. I trust this friend and his taste in music immensely so I opened up Spotify and took a listen.

On first listen, The Trapeze Swinger left me completely cold. The song simply came off as a long winded musical piece with an incredibly repetitive melodic structure. I knew however that there was something great that was hidden in the lyrics. As I listened to the verses (there is no chorus), I realized that the piece was simply too long and poetic to truly comprehend on first listen. This is when the idea of pulling up the lyrics on my computer came to me. I had a hunch that if I looked at the song as a poem, I could find the true beauty in it.

My suspicions turned out to be true and I can now say that I find The Trapeze Swinger to be one of the most moving and haunting songs I have ever heard. Though the song is nearly impossibly to truly grasp, my interpretation is that it tells the story of a man who is dying. He is on his death bed and is recounting a relationship he had with a woman in his past. This woman was the love of his life but for whatever reason, the relationship did not last. Each stanza beings with the phrase “Please, remember me” followed by a story from the past or a statement on the present/future.

While I believe that this song should be read as a poem, here are two of my favorite lines...

But please, remember me fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then they went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti

My dear, but if I make the pearly gates
I'll do my best to make a drawing
Of God and Lucifer, a boy and girl
An angel kissing on a sinner

The full lyrics are below followed as always by a performance of the song.

Lyrics

Performance