Stevie Wonder played just as much Sam Cooke last night as he did Stevie Wonder, and, in doing so, he reminded me that Wonderful World is one of the two songs that I regard as my first musical loves.
The other is (Who Wrote) The Book of Love.
I remember both songs spinning quietly in Mom's record player, under the shelf, next to the refrigerator.Amazing how much fun stuff I've come across while making our latest mix of the month. Bummer how much of it I've had to cut from the mix. And sad to think how much I'll forget about and never listen to again.
This song will not fall into that "sad" group. Because blog posts are forever (or for-a-while, anyway).World's Smallest Violin is track 2 on A View of the Sky.
Why do I remember these pigeons as having French accents?
I scrolled through my iTunes early this morning, looking for instrumental music, and I came upon a playlist titled Tunes for James.
I remembered the first - and maybe only - time I'd listened to it. I had found an aging burned CD, loaded it onto my computer, and wondered, as I listened, who had given it to James. It was September 2008. I was at James's dad's house, a few days after James's funeral. iTunes calls this one Track 03.Giuls and I are trying to go see our friends at MCIJ on Christmas Eve.
Makes me think of this song.
Which makes me think of Axel.
And wandering through Beijing on Christmas Eve 2005. Bundled up. Fascinated by everything. And dancing to this song.
In my headphones. In the snow.
New Song (For the Morning) is track 9 on Hot Tuna. And Lost Train (Jim) is track 2 on Give It To Me Rusty, though apparently that album doesn't want me to find it on the internets.This doesn't work. FYI.
But maybe a blog post will...
I'm looking for a song. With lots of do do do dos. A woman sings it, a singer to whom I remember my mother listening sometimes. Not as much as she listened to Tracy Chapman or Cat Stevens or Sam Cooke. But sometimes, which is kind of a lot. The song doesn't have many rhymes. Maybe no rhymes at all, actually. That might be its thing: no rhymes. Which, if you happen to be writing a song for me, is probably a thing to avoid. I like rhymes. Another one of the song's things is that the singer kinda talks it as much as she sings it. Which is an ok thing by me. Much better, in general, than the no rhymes thing.The song also connects in my mind to In Liverpool. Maybe because Suzanne Vega sings them both. But maybe not. Also, through In Liverpool, the song lives in a box in my memory with Fee and No Woman, No Cry. All three were on the first mixtape anyone ever gave me. The do do do do song was not on that mixtape. Nor is this information relevant. I'm taking notes at this point. Notes about that first mixtape... Fee, I liked immediately and still adore.Why are there so many gypsies in rock and roll?
Or is this just my imagination?Of course, the only example my faulty memory can offer at the moment is Melissa by The Allman Brothers Band, and all my Eat a Peach tracks are scratchy and unpostworthy. All of which leads me to the conclusion that the internets need a catalog of all beautiful and brilliant and otherwise influential gypsy lyrics.
