Category Archives: Music

Let’s Take A Moment Day 540

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?

blog Sept 2021

(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.

Today’s song was released in January 1959. A month later on February 3, 1959 the singer was killed in a plane crash at the age of 22. Charles Hardin “Buddy” Holley was born on September 7, 1936 making today his 85th birth anniversary.

The Prince of Rock & Roll from Lubbock, TX left behind a legacy that included his contribution to the foundation of the genre along with his affect on the most influential band of all time, The Beatles. And of course, Holly is forever linked in history with the two musicians who died in the crash with him, J.P. Richardson (a/k/a “The Big Bopper”) and Ritchie Valens, who would have celebrated a milestone birthday himself this year-his 80th on May 15 (see Day 425).

The track I chose to commemorate this landmark date was a Top 20 hit for Holly in 1959. I love his version as well as Linda Ronstadt’s cover from 1974. However, it was not until I researched it for this post that I discovered it was written by Paul Anka. He wrote the song specifically for Holly after the two men met touring Australia together in 1958. Anka also relinquished his royalties to the song to Holly’s widow after his death. Despite a second marriage in which she had three children Maria Elena Holly, 88, continues to keep her first husband’s music alive through The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. Long live rock & roll.

“Do you remember baby last September
How you held me tight each and every night
Well oops-a-daisy how you drove me crazy
But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore“.

holly

wedding

Top: Buddy Holly circa 1957. Bottom: Holly & his wife, María Elena, on their wedding day in 1958. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Buddy Holly: “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” (1959, written by Paul Anka).

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 539

Posted in Holidays, 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?

labor day

(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 4, 1964 a group from the UK, The Animals, made their American concert debut when they played a show at The Paramount Theatre in New York City. The next day, they hit the top of the US charts for the first of three weeks with “The House Of The Rising Sun”.

The following year, they had a Top 20 hit in the country with today’s song. On a day where we salute the laborer, I think this track is more fitting. Many of us may work from home now given the pandemic, but work is work, so the premise still holds true. For those days when it all gets to be too much, this one is for you.

Happy Labor Day, everyone.

“Watch my daddy in bed a-dyin’
Watched his hair been turnin’ grey, yeah
He’s been workin’ and slavin’ his life away
I know he’s been workin’ so hard“.

Animals

The Animals circa 1965. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Animals: “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” (1965, written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil).

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 538

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?

blog Sept 2021

(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.

Today marks the 75th birth anniversary for Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946 in Zanzibar (off the coast of Africa), the band formed in 1970 and released their debut album three years later. Mercury was one of the principal songwriters along with guitarist Brian May. It was the band’s fourth album, A Night at the Opera, released in 1975 that broke them through in a big way with the suite “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

I liked their music enough to listen to it when it came on the radio, especially “You’re My Best Friend” but they were another band that stayed on my periphery while my heart & soul focused on singer-songwriters, Motown and R&B music. But I rediscovered Queen when they reformed in 2006 with one of my favorite lead singers ever, Paul Rodgers

This November will mark 30 years since Mercury passed away, but Queen’s music is still part of the mainstream. “We Will Rock You” is a sports arena/stadium staple as is “We Are The Champions” to signify a winning team’s victory. The group even became part of the Disney landscape in 2006 when today’s song was featured in “Happy Feet”. Freddie Mercury’s unique operatic music helped Queen become one of the most successful groups in rock history.

“I work hard (he works hard) every day of my life
I work ’til I ache in my bones
At the end (at the end of the day)
I take home my hard earned pay all on my own“.

Queen 1975

Queen circa 1975 (L-R): Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Queen: “Somebody To Love” (1976, written by Freddie Mercury).

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 537

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?

blog Sept 2021

(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.

The first record Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks made with Fleetwood Mac was the band’s 1975 self-titled LP. It was released in July 1975 but it was not until September 4, 1976 that it became the top selling album in the country for one week. Christine McVie’s “Over My Head” (Day 508) was the first single released in America and today’s song was the second.

It was my first introduction to this incredible band and to the singer & songwriter behind it, Stevie Nicks. I absolutely love this track from the lyrics to the music to the vocal. It is my favorite song of all the ones she did with the group. I cannot believe it has taken me over 500 days to feature it.

“She rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn’t you love to love her
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover“

fleetwood mac

The back cover of Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 self-titled album. (L-R): Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and John McVie. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Fleetwood Mac: “Rhiannon” (1975, written by Stevie Nicks).

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 536

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?

blog Sept 2021

(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 really enjoy finding out about childhood friends who both loved music and turned those passions into successful careers. One of my favorites involves Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller. The two young guitarists & singers met as students attending the same prep school in Texas. In 1959 a 15 year old Scaggs became the lead singer of Miller’s band, The Marksmen.

The two men attended the same college together in Wisconsin before Scaggs left to go to London to explore the music culture there. When he returned to the States in 1967 he joined The Steve Miller Band and played on the group’s first two albums before he signed with Atlantic Records as a solo artist a year later. By 1971 He moved to the Columbia label.

Miller’s band first achieved commercial success in 1973 with the album The Joker while Scaggs’ broke through in 1976 with the album, Silk Degrees. It has always been one of my favorites.

“Lido be runnin’ havin’ great big fun
Until he got the note
Saying ‘Tow the line or blow it’
And that was all she wrote“.

scaggs 1967

Silk degrees

Top: Steve Miller (L) and Boz Scaggs (R) circa 1967. Bottom: Scaggs’ 1976 album, Silk Degrees. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Boz Scaggs: “Lido Shuffle” (1976, written by David Patch & Boz Scaggs).

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 535

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?

blog Sept 2021

(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 2005 I heard a new artist who reminded me why I love singer-songwriters as much as I do. The introspective story telling through simple eloquent lyrics combined with the elegance of a less is more acoustic approach gets me every time. And Amos Lee is one of the best ones to come along in the last 20 years. Today’s song is one example of his incredible talent.

“I know we all
All got our faults
We get locked in our vaults
And we stay“.

Amos_Lee_album

Amos Lee’s self-titled debut album released in 2005. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Amos Lee: “Colors” (2005, written by Amos 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 534

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?

blog Sept 2021

(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.

Forty years ago on September 1, 1981 Daryl Hall and John Oates released their tenth album, Private Eyes. The title track was the first single and today’s song was the second, released two months later. It hit the #1 spot in the country for one week on January 30, 1982 and it is one of my all time favorites by this incredible duo.

“Easy, ready, willing, overtime
Where does it stop
Where do you dare me
To draw the line“.

hall__oates_1981

Hall_&_Oates circa 2010

Top: Daryl Hall (L) and John Oates (R) circa 1981. Bottom: The duo circa 2010. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Hall & Oates: “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” (1981, written by Sara Allen, Daryl Hall and John Oates).

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 533

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?

Aug 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.

We close out this month with another musical birthday. Today Van “The Man” Morrison turns 76 years young. Born August 31, 1945 in Northern Ireland, he gained his love of music from his parents. His mother was a singer and his father’s record collection educated his son in all genres of music. But it was the blues that resonated most with him. His father bought Morrison a guitar when he was 11 leading him to form his first band a year later. By the age of 17 he was touring Europe with another band but his breakthrough came in 1964 when he joined the group Them.

They charted three times including their most well known song, “Gloria”. That brought Morrison to America for the first time in 1966 on a tour that included several shows at Los Angeles’ acclaimed Whiskey A-Go-Go where he met & performed with The Doors. By 1967 Them disbanded leading to Morrison’s relocation to the US and the start of his solo career. After his song, “Brown Eyed Girl” became a Top Ten hit in the country, Van The Man was on his way.

I am such a fan of his beautiful songs & his unique interpretations of the lyrics. His evocative tone tells a story all its own separate and apart from his sublime poetry. As much as I adore his ballads, Morrison’s take-no-prisoners approach to his faster tempo songs envelopes me into each and every note. Today’s track is no exception. Happy birthday, Sir George Ivan Morrison. May you see 100 more.

“And when you walk
Across the room
It makes my heart go
Boom boom boom“.

Van

Van Morrison’s sixth studio album released in 1972. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Van Morrison: “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” (1972, written by Van 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 532

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?

Aug 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 August 1970 James Taylor released today’s song as a single from his second album, Sweet Baby James. By Halloween the track reached the #3 spot in the country. He wrote it when he was just 21 years old in response to the death of a friend & other life events. It was one of those songs where the lyrics led to rumors and conjecture.

For instance, many people believed the friend referenced in the song-Suzanne-died in a plane crash because of the line “sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground”. In reality she died by suicide and The Flying Machine was the name of Taylor’s band that broke up. I absolutely adore the eloquence and imagery of the lyrics and the title he chose. And his vocal is just the perfect mix of somber and reflective. It is just a great record.

Over the next fifty years Taylor would establish himself as one of the most popular, prolific & beloved artists of his time. But it was this track that would get him noticed as an emerging singer/songwriter in a decade where they became invaluable contributors to music’s diverse & masterful landscape.

“Been walking my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows, when the cold wind blows
It’ll turn your head around“.

JT

James Taylor’s second album released in February 1970. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

James Taylor: “Fire & Rain” (1970, written by James Taylor).

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 531

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?

Aug 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.

On August 25, 1970 a young up and coming singer from England made his debut in America when he played his first show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA. It was such a success that within 14 months he had released four studio albums including 1971’s Mad Men Across The Water. It was the first of many incredibly successful years in Elton John’s monumental career.

“Levon sells cartoon balloons in town
His family business thrives
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch swing watching them fly“.

elton and bernie

Left: Elton John (L) and Bernie Taupin (R) circa 1971. Right: Taupin (L) and John (R) circa 2016. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Elton John: “Levon” (1971, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin).

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

Stay well.