Seals and selkies and silkies
I was going to use this video for one of my open threads: But after I watched it, I suddenly felt a strong urge to find some clips from the 1994 movie The Secret of Roan Inish. I hadn’t thought … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Music
RIP Sinead O’Connor
The singer has died at the age of 56: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56, her family has announced. In a statement, the singer’s family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the … Continue reading →
Desperation, love, cars, and song
[NOTE: I wrote about the “Fast Car” brouhaha involving the Luke Combs cover version two days ago. That sparked further thoughts – thus, this post.] The strength of the song “Fast Car” is due in no small part to its … Continue reading →
RIP Tony Bennett
He had a long run: 96 years. He kept singing to the end, although he gave up performing in 2021 due to slowly advancing Alzheimer’s. From his Wiki page, I learned that Bennett was also a lifelong artist. You can … Continue reading →
The revisionist history of the song “Fast Car”
It’s come to this: One recollection that I can confirm with the aid of historical evidence is that [in 1988] ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman was everywhere. I heard it in seedy gay bars, at civil-service leaving dos, at family … Continue reading →
Open thread 6/30/23
When I was watching this video, I thought about a Bee Gees comparison before Fil made the same point. Were the Bee Gees the male Andrews sisters? Sort of. But I have one disagreement with Fil here – which is … Continue reading →
Songs of friendship and comfort
It’s a genre, and a rather large one. Here are just a few examples – heavy on the Bee Gees, of course. I always liked Ringo’s quirky voice: Early-ish Bee Gees: Got to include this one. And she’s got my … Continue reading →
A song for Memorial Day
I’ve posted this song before, but I think it bears repeating, especially on Memorial Day. It’s Tim McGraw’s extraordinarily moving song “If You’re Reading This“: If you’re readin’ this My momma’s sittin’ there Looks like I only got a one … Continue reading →
Looking back with the Moody Blues
The Moody Blues were big in the late 60s. But for reasons I never could quite articulate, their music creeped me out at the time. It didn’t make sense that I disliked their songs, because they had many elements I … Continue reading →
Songs of love lost
Love is the biggest topic in pop songs. Love gained, love lost, love betrayed, love regained, love yearned for, love rejected. But did you ever notice that there’s a dearth of popular songs about the death of a loved person? … Continue reading →
The Bee Gees’ song “Tragedy” is about anticipation
I’ve been feeling pretty weary lately about the news. So much of it is bad. I don’t know about you, but I need a refresher. “Tragedy” is an odd title for a refresher. But like so many Bee Gees’ songs, … Continue reading →
Watching “Petrouchka”
Michel Fokine’s ballet “Petrouchka,” created in 1911, is one I’ve seen many times. But perhaps I’ll never see it again, because I have a feeling it’s pretty much banned now. I’m virtually certain that one of its puppet characters, the … Continue reading →