This blog's title is a line from "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by the late, great, Chuck Berry and it is apropos for this semester as we have two weeks before Thanksgiving break two weeks after we return, and, then, a week for exams and final papers - in other words, the final third of the Fall semester.
Now that that's out of the way, here's some music!
Photo: Elliot Landy
The Band - "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - I’m not a fan of The Band, but I listen to a lot of ‘70s music on my satellite radio and after this song played
earlier this week it’s been in my head. I wondered about the lyrics and what it said about us then, about life in 1969 and now.
I wondered whether it was right to continue playing it or whether it was a reminder of our real past.
I don’t think the song glorifies anything - in fact I think it’s a haunting reminder that war has a steep cost.
It’s a complex topic that defies tidying up.
Here’s a Harvard University Press essay on the subject…it might offer a bit of perspective.
(Editor's note: In interviews that I have read with The Band's main composer Robbie Robertson, this song is written from the Confederate viewpoint....and it's haunting.)
Here's a "live" version from The Band's final concert, filmed by Martin Scorcese and released in the movie "The Last Waltz."
Billy Joel- "I’m in a New York State of Mind" - I was visiting NYC frequently when this song came out. It
seemed like all of us knew the lyrics. It’s a song that reminds me of
having lunch at Katz’s Deli, sitting in the lobby of the Waldorf people
watching and taking the Circle Line around
Miss Liberty. (B. Rosenbaum)
(Editor's note - Written when Joel was in Los Angeles, CA, trying to become a pop music star, this song is quite a blues tune. Te composer sings the heck out of it on this track, the original version.)
Queen - "Another One Bites The Dust" - Just saw "Bohemian Rhapsody" and so I nominate “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen. As my wife points out, it’s such an iconic song that you
can recognize it within three bass notes. And, the song resonated with
the generation it was written
for, but still holds up as a fantastic song. (C Hakala)
(Editor's Note - Sure sounds like the quartet has great fun recording this tune and, Lord, it is funky!)
Hippo Campus - "Bambi" - My
song submission this week is Bambi by Hippo Campus. This group was in
New Haven recently so I went to watch them live and had a really good
time. They have been around since 2013, but I only have known about them
for maybe a year, and didn't really listen to more of their stuff until I was invited to see them live. (M. Winslow)
(Editor's Note - Don't know much about this band but I do know that they're from St. Paul, Minnesota. This is a real "ear worm", just like the other tunes that have been posted already.)
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Phil Collins - "Both Sides of the Story" - This is a song
performed by Phil Collins and was released in 1993 as the lead single from his
fifth album Both Sides released that same year. The fact is, in life
there are many sides to most stories: Republicans, Democrats, Independents; Red
Sox – Yankees; bosses and subordinates; man and woman. At times it may be
easier to see things through one’s own lens and not consider both sides of the
story. This song keeps things simple by
presenting only 2 sides or points of view to a few identified issues/topics,
but its message can be expanded. We must be curious and investigate deeper
information on the messy problems that we face…we must endeavor to see both
sides of the story. (J. Gaffney)
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The Band - "Life Is A Carnival" - My turn! I really loved The Band's second album just titled "The Band." Saw the group live in 1970 as they toured that album and they were pretty impressive. As they got more popular, the quintet started to fall apart. But "Life Is a Carnival", from their 4th studio album "Cahoots" is among my favorites of their tunes for all kinds of reasons. Here's a few: 1) - the guitar work and solo; 2) - the amazing blend of voices; 3) - the funky rhythm pushed forward by drummer Levon Helm and bassist Rick Danko and 4) - the wonderful horn arrangement by Allen Toussaint. This remastered version really makes the song sparkle! (RBK)
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