Ever since my college days when I was in the musical Carousel, I always chuckle when June comes around. This song floods my brain and I dance around singing; June is BUSTING out all OVER. And I most definitely receive strange looks. Rodgers and Hammerstein were a fantastic duo and provided us with so many beautiful melodies, songs, full on orchestrations. Y’all probably don’t even realize how good we have it today because of them.
I was recently reminded that there was yet another band I really didn’t spend much time with in the 90s (but honestly, there were a TON and I was busy trying to master hacky sack. Not really). Today I listened to the Lemonheads album, ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’, and I was surprised on how many of their songs I remembered, and well! The intro of ‘Allison’s Starting to Happen’ sounds similar to the intro of ‘Modern Love’ (though slightly different timing), another fabulous song by one of the most missed, David Bowie. Check it out and then listen to the rest of this album. In other tracks throughout the album, they were bringing in pedal steel (!!!) which I think was gutsy being they were a somewhat heavy alternative band. The whole thing rules! And cheers to 2 minute long songs.
And because I brought it up, Bowie’s intro.
I recently saw Lucinda when she came to town. I had never seen her before and admit I am a fairly new fan. I accidentally purchased the best seat in the house; first balcony on the second level. I saw her lip quiver and eye lashes bat as she stared at her music book. I am blown away at the amount of stories that live in her mouth and just fly out with each breath. I hope to be as great of a songwriter as she is some day. Until then, I can listen to her and feel as though I do.
My memories of car rides are mostly comforting and I am pretty sure it’s because of the radio. When I was able to persuade my parents a break from MPR and listen to KOOl 108, I was in heaven. I would stare out the window watching the grass blend in with the cement, the people, construction cones. The buildings were supervising and at night, the street lights would bleed when the music moved me to tears (often). Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons was a band that had a very familiar sound to me even though I was born some 20 years later. This is the sound that was a big part of my growing up years.
“There’s a place, where I can go, when I feel low when, I feel blue. And it’s my mind, and there’s no time, when I’m alone.”
A huge part of my upbringing was the Red and Blue albums. Why was this song not on there? (Or why didn’t I throw on Rubber Soul or Please, Please Me?) I was in my mid 20s when I first heard this song…
The ruffled-like construction and duo phrasing and stacking of the McCartney and Lenon voice is alone a heart wrencher.
