Author Archives: Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Let’s Take A Moment Day 476

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

If the only thing you know about Marc Cohn is that he wrote & sang today’s song, that is enough. What a gift this track is. Forget the fact that it a fabulous tune and that he sings the heck out of it. It is a wonderful musical history lesson on the “land of the Delta blues”.

There is a reference to the self-appointed “Father of The Blues”, W.C. Handy (he wrote “Saint Louis Blues” amongst other notables songs) who was one of the first musicians to use folk music as the basis for his blues compositions. There are also nods to one of the city’s most famous roads known for its music-Beale Street-along with its most famous resident, Elvis Presley.

Cohn also mentioned his stop at the city’s Hollywood Cafe (“Now Muriel plays piano every Friday at the Hollywood”), one of the city’s best loved musical genres (gospel), soul singer Al Green’s church & a famous Carl Perkins song recorded at Sun Records Studio (“Put on my blue suede shoes…..”). Cohn visited the city in the 1980’s and turned the experience into a Top 20 hit in 1991.

Cohn was born July 5, 1959 in Ohio, making today birthday #62. I saw him at Jones Beach several years ago when he was touring as Stevie Nicks’ special guest. It was probably twenty years after today’s song was released and he sounded as great as he did on the record. He is wonderful live performer & a very talented musician. Here’s to 100 more birthdays for Marc Cohn.

“They’ve got catfish on the table
They’ve got gospel in the air
And Reverend Green be glad to see you
When you haven’t got a prayer“.

Marc

Marc Cohn circa 1991. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Marc Cohn: “Walking In Memphis” (1991, written by Marc Cohn).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 475

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

4th of July

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Happy 245th birthday, America.

“Free
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream“.

Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond circa 2000. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Neil Diamond: “America” (1980, written by Neil Diamond).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 474

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Fifty years. Today marks 50 years since the beautiful talented sexy swaggering poet & front man of The Doors died at age 27. Jim Morrison left this world on July 3, 1971. His death devastated his band, the music industry and those who he reached with his words. They affect me in the same profound way Marvin Gaye’s voice does. Gaye has my soul, Springsteen has my heart, Morrison has my mind. And music is my life.

James Douglas Morrison was born December 8, 1943 in Melbourne, Florida and died less than three decades later. But his years with The Doors revolutionized music & helped put the focus back on American bands after three years of The British Invasion. From 1967 to 1971-five unimaginably short years-The Doors conquered the world & left an indelible mark on it.

But I do not wonder “what if” after their story ended with Morrison’s death. I realized a long time ago that as much as I may hate it, some people were not meant to have long lives in this world. And he was one of them. But five decades later, his music, his words, his legacy & his presence are still so incredibly powerful. That is the stuff legends are made of. And to me, he was one in every sense of the word. And probably the best front man to ever swagger on to a stage. Jim Morrison was everything.

“Well, I just got into town about an hour ago
Took a look around, see which way the wind blow
Where the little girls in their Hollywood bungalows
Are you a lucky little lady in the city of light“.

jim-morrison-6

The Doors

Top: Jim Morrison circa 1967. Bottom: The Doors circa 1964 (L-R): John Densmore, Ray Manzarek, Morrison and Robby Krieger. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Doors: “L.A. Woman” (1971, written by The Doors: John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 473

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On June 17, 1972 The Rolling Stones had the #1 album in the United States with Exile On Main Street. It was released a month earlier and reached the top spot with some help from today’s song. It was the record’s first single released in April of the same year which became a #7 hit for the band.

Linda Ronstadt did an excellent cover of this tune on her 1977 album Simple Dreams. Her version was featured as part of her concert footage for the 1978 movie “FM”. It has more of a pop/country feel where The Stones original track possesses a soulful edge courtesy of three fabulous female R&B singers on backing vocals.

“Honey got no money
I’m all sixes and sevens and nines
Say now baby, I’m the rank outsider
You can be my partner in crime”.

exile on main

Rolling Stones, Jagger, Mick & Richards, Mick

Top:  The Rolling Stones’ 1972 album, Exile On Main Street.  Bottom:  Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on stage at MSG, NYC. July 24, 1972. © Bob Gruen / http://www.bobgruen.com   (Images found online.  Original sources unknown).  

The Rolling Stones: “Tumbling Dice” (1972, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 472

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On September 23, 1978 Blondie released their breakthrough album, Parallel Lines. It contained the hits “Heart Of Glass”, “One Way Or Another” and today’s song, which was a cover track originally recorded by the band, The Nerves. But Debbie Harry & the boys made it their own. She was born July 1, 1945 in Florida. Happy birthday to one of the coolest rock chicks ever. Here’s to 100 more.

“.I had to interrupt and stop this conversation
Your voice across the line gives me a strange sensation
I’d like to talk when I can show you my affection
Oh I can’t control myself“.

Blondie

Blondie’s 1978 album. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Blondie: “Hanging On The Telephone” (1978, written by Jack Lee),

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 471

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Time for a mid-week Motown break. Last month marked the 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s landmark album What’s Going On (Day 431), which showcased his intelligent socially conscious mind. Two years later, he released another record that revealed an additional side of this brilliant multi-dimensional artist: his romantic sensual side. Today’s song, the album’s title track, was released June 15, 1973. By September of that year, it was a #1 song for two non-consecutive weeks. It became his most successful record with the Motown label.

It turned Gaye into a sex symbol, as did another track from the album, “Distant Lover”. He continued in that role nine years later on his 1982 release, Midnight Love. That record’s first single, “Sexual Healing” was a massive hit & earned him the only two Grammy Awards of his career. It was also the last studio album he ever made.

His life was short and his death was a Shakespearean tragedy. But his years in music were epic as he defined the sound of Motown for an entire generation. Many great singers came out of The Motor City, but to me Marvin Gaye was The Monarch of that label. Nobody grabbed my soul the way he did & continues to do. My heart aches every day over his loss.

“We’re all sensitive people
With so much to give
Understand me, sugar
Since we’ve got to be here
Let’s live I love you“.

the-rake-marvin-gaye-04

Marvin Gaye circa 1973. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Marvin Gaye: “Let’s Get It On” (1973, written by Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 470

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Most people like or at least know a lot of music from what their parents listened to. I am no different. Mine introduced me to a lot and the majority of it I still listen to today. But one of the genres my dad really liked was one I never got into. Every Sunday night when we were driving home from visiting family, he would put on WCBS-FM 101.1 to listen to “Don K. Reed’s Doo-Wop Shop”. I admired the talent & harmony of the vocal groups but that was about it. The music just did not reach me.

However, what I did enjoy each week were the songs the station played prior to Reed’s show. Because it was an oldies channel, I would hear anyone from Chuck Berry to Little Richard to Buddy Holly or even The Beatles’ early hits. But every now and then I would hear today’s song & I just melted. It was such a sad slow tale of a guy who left a happy situation for a new love interest.

The affair basically destroyed him as the new woman left him soon after they got together. The singer sounded so despondent yet very different from the voices I normally heard on that station. It just got to me. The song was originally a big band standard in 1945. But nearly 20 years later, it hit the #4 spot in the country at the end of 1963. It was the biggest hit singer Lenny Welch ever had. And I think it is wonderful.

“You love me
Then you snub me
But what can I do
I’m still in love with you“.

lenny-welch-feature

Lenny Welch circa 1962. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Lenny Welch: “Since I Fell For You” (1963, written by Buddy Johnson).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 469

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

I have been lucky enough to see Ringo Starr twice in my life. The last time was at Jones Beach (Wantagh, NY) about a decade ago. One of the musicians in his “All Starr Band” that night was Todd Rundgren, who was born June 22, 1948 in Pennsylvania.

He started out playing in bands when he was 17 but his real success came as a solo artist & producer in the 1970’s. His hits include “Hello, It’s Me” (Day 388), “I Saw The Light” & today’s song. He has also made a name for himself as a producer of albums such as We’re An American Band by Grand Funk Railroad, War Babies by Hall & Oates and Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf,

Rundgren will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame’s Class Of 2021 later this year. Several artists have covered today’s track, but his original version still resonates with me.

“It’s a strange sad affair
Sometimes seems like we just don’t care
Don’t waste time feeling hurt
We’ve been through hell together“.

SONY DSC

Todd Rundgren on stage in Ringo Starr’s “All Starr Band” at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY on June 22, 2012.  (Credit:  Me.) 

Todd Rundgren: “Can We Still Be Friends” (1978, written by Todd Rundgren).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 468

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

In 1973 while John Lennon & Yoko Ono were living in NYC, their marriage hit a rough spot. They separated for 18 months & he relocated across the country to California. Ono often referred to that time as Lennon’s “lost weekend”. But despite the state of his marriage, Lennon was incredibly busy making music during those months. He recorded two solo albums-1974’s Walls And Bridges and 1975’s Rock & Roll. He also worked with Elton John on his cover of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” & Lennon’s song, “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” (Day 246). He & Ono reconnected backstage at John’s concert in November 1974, but Lennon was not done making great music.

He collaborated with David Bowie on a cover of “Across The Universe” and today’s song. Lennon co-wrote the track, played guitar & did the backing vocals as well. It was released on June 28, 1975 and by September of that year it hit the top spot in the country for two different weeks. It was Bowie’s first #1 hit in the United States.

In October 1975 Lennon turned 35 and became a father for the second time. The following year, he received his green card after years of fighting with the U.S. government for it. He finally became a permanent resident of NYC, where Bowie had moved to the year before. They remained friends until Lennon’s death in 1980.

“Fame what you like is in the limo
Fame what you get is no tomorrow
Fame what you need you have to borrow
Fame”.

Bowie Lennon

L-R: David Bowie, Yoko Ono & John Lennon backstage at the Grammys in 1975. Photo by @kwamebphoto. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

David Bowie (featuring John Lennon): “Fame” (1975, written by Carlos Alomar, David Bowie and John Lennon).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 467

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

I am a huge fan of anything weird and quirky, warm and funny, strange and cool. That is precisely why I fell head over heels in love with Showtime’s “The Chris Isaak Show” which ran from 2001-2004. I was already a fan of his music & his simply adorable dimpled face. And I always enjoyed seeing him on the late night talk show circuit because he was always so funny & entertaining. But he raised the bar even higher on his own show.

Isaak was born June 26, 1956 in Stockton, California. He formed his first band after he graduated from college. In 1985 he signed a deal with Warner Brothers Records & released his critically acclaimed debut album, Silvertone. Today’s song is from his breakthrough album, Heart Shaped World, released June 13, 1989. It has been featured in countless movies & TV shows, but if you are a “Friends” fan, you will remember it playing the night of Ross & Rachel’s first official date. Before they were on a break.

Isaak has done some acting as well, including a guest spot on “Friends” and in the movies “Silence Of The Lambs”, “From The Earth To The Moon” and “That Thing You Do”, amongst others. Happy birthday, Chris Isaak. May you see 100 more.

“The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
Strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I’d love somebody like you
And I never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you“.

Chris Isaak1990

Chris Isaak circa 1990. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Chris Isaak: “Wicked Game” (1989, written by Chris Isaak).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.