Finals Week (Pt 1)

I'm pleased to write that I have enough material for two posts. Let's get right to it.

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon and Garfunkel - I suppose the medical events of the week reminded me of this haunting toon. (Thomas Williams).

Not much to add other this is one of those songs that, to me, sounds timeless. It could the gospel-influenced piano lines, the "large" orchestral arrangement, and, of course, Art Garfunkel's angelic voice. In the midst of the Vietnam conflict and all the craziness in the world at the time, this song was balm.
(RBK)

"God's Plan" - Drake - “God’s Plan” is about Drake’s life-the story so far in the music industry-which he acclaims to be the god’s plan. He says he has a lot of haters and people who would love to see him go down. But thanks to the Almighty, he has been able to withstand all the negative influences. Feedback has come from various types of people including religious leaders. (Joe Gaffney)

Here is a critique from Eddie Stern, Director of the Brooklyn Ganesh Temple, Brooklyn, NY:

"As for God’s actual plan, who knows what that plan may be? Giving away money to people in need and to programs that will help kids is certainly a good use of money, whether you have a lot of it, or a little of it. On the one hand, people might say that it is a bit self-serving of Drake to film and flaunt his charitable acts. However, one would hope that other people watching his video will be inspired to do the same. It’s good to be inspired by people we admire to think beyond ourselves, and to reach out to those in need. Most religious and spiritual traditions hold that true happiness is found in connecting with the people and world around us, because it is a shared happiness, a shared joy, and not just the pursuit of our own, individual happiness. Shared joy is much more fulfilling. Fulfillment in life is not just having enough money, or having a lot of stuff, it’s about actually fulfilling our souls with shared joy, and shared goodness.”

"Drugs" - Adam Jensen - My song submission this week is Drugs my Adam Jensen. I find it to be a fun (and somewhat comical) song that also touches on the important issue of drug abuse. I think what I like about it most is how distinctive the instrumental melody of the song is.

"Fanfare for the Common Man" - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - One of the "super groups" of the 1970s and 80s, this trio made a lot of sound for three men, each one a superlative musician.  Here, they tackle a classic work from American compose Aaron Copland (1900 - 1990) that was originally "was inspired in part by a famous speech made earlier in the same year; in that speech, the vice president of the United States of America, Henry A. Wallace, proclaimed the dawning of the "Century of the Common Man". Here, the band rocks out in an empty stadium surrounded by snow and, as you can see, quite cold. Daniele Dugre-Martin suggested this song and was there at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, CA later that evening after the roof was closed and the snow removed. (RBK)

"People Take Pictures of Each Other" - The Kinks - As I played this song (from the brilliant 1968 Lp "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society", I remembered our trip to England and all the people taking pictures standing in front of the famous places one could visit: pictures would be snapped and then people would walk away. I wondered "did they ever go in"? I'm a strong believer that Ray Davies, the head of The Kinks, was one of the great songwriters of the 1960s once he got over his "teen" music phase ("You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of The Night") and started composing pithy portraits of English society. (RBK)