‘In Wuhan, a steel-gray sky hung over the melancholy day of Li’s death. An impromptu memorial of flowers, a black-and-white photograph and singed cigarettes — a stand-in for joss sticks — formed at the entrance of the hospital where he had died.’
*Simple butt powerful though, Clicky… /Lights up… Ironic considering smokers are made to stand out… /drags… side…*
late 13c., “gum or other substance producing a sweet smell when burned,” from Old French encens (12c.), from Late Latin incensum“burnt incense,” literally “that which is burnt,” noun use of neuter past participle of Latin incendere“set on fire” (see incendiary). Meaning “smoke or perfume of incense” is from late 14c.
incense (v.1)
early 15c., encensen“to arouse, inspire,” from Old French incenser, from Latin incensare, frequentative of incendere“set on fire,” figuratively “incite, enrage, rouse” (see incendiary). From mid-15c. as “to provoke, anger.” Literal sense “to heat, make (something) hot” is from c. 1500 in English but is rare.
incense (v.2)
“to offer incense, perfume with incense, fumigate (something) with incense,” late 13c., encensen, incensen, from incense (n.) or from Old French encenser (11c.), or directly from Medieval Latin incensare.
This week, Dear Reader, I have been incensed. Why? Lots of reasons. I should have known from the start…
… and Elena left a strange request on Thursday’s MFM post whilst we were in the act of remote viewing The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen…
“My favourite French word is Particuliar, if you would care to think about that and tell me what you see.”
*Synonymous with lying… /flicks ash… Pah! Tickle ya! …/grins… The movie certainly tickled me, Clicky. That scene in particular… So many big names in small roles…*
… But we started on Tuesday when the choice of movie for remote viewing that evening – Twelve Monkeys – was triggered by the news that the infectious Coronavirus had arrived in Seattle, Washington from the East…
*More like a confluence of influence, Clicky… /rolls eyes… Cade’s choice of documentary to view before the movie had a bearing, as I told Frank on MEROVEE the next day.. /blows smoke rings…*
*/final drag… Could a ‘thin coat of paint’ be considered sumfin of a film? …/stubs butt… Good film, though despite the scary sync… /sighs…*
On Wednesday Terry Gilliam’s fellow Python, Terry Jones, died…
*/cocks head… A higher sync? …/shrugs… Brrr, it’s getting cold… /shivers… I’d better finish this shambles and get sumfin to eat. You get a Song, Clicky…*
*I know we remote viewed Time Bandits last night but I wasn’t intending to include it, Clicky…*
Welcome, Dear Reader to the final day of the LoL’s song challenge, embarked upon a month ago by myself and Cade Fon Apollyon, the Okie Devil of Text US…
*That’s right, Clicky. Not just Cade and me. Also Poppie Sweet Pea…*
*And Leggy… /flicks ash… ‘Panoptica’ is coming along nicely, Clicky…*
… For this last task, we will be presenting songs that remind us of ourselves…
*So is that me and you, me and Cade or Cade and you, Clicky?*
*I knew it!*
Enjoy! 😀
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Day 30: songs that reminds you of yourself
Cade’s first song pick…
This one is gonna be cake.
Everyone is invited for cake.
After 30 days of this, everyone is entitled to cake.
Put in the time = reap the rewards…of cake.
There will be no cake
^Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven (Official Video)^
Roob’s first song pick…
It wasn’t until very recently that it dawned on me that the initials of this song, spell out my name…
R.U.T.H. = Can be slow on the uptake
*Good fing I knock about with an Hillman eh, Clicky? …/blow smoke rings…*
Cade’s second song pick…
Before I get to the song that makes me think about me, prolly best for me to say thanks to Roob for enduring this. She’d had to jump through a lot of hoops over the past month, she was ill for a good portion of that time, I think part of her family was ill over the holidays, but she’s hung in there and gotten the job done. Also gotta make a note that it was great that others participated too. Always nice when others contribute, and good conversation is good. Ya’ll have submitted a lot of music that I’ve never heard before, and I likely never would have heard it had you not chimed in. From me, thanks.
❤
For those unaware, I’ve been writing for and with Roob for 3 years now. We celebrated (with zero fanfare) our 3 year anniversary back in December, and it’s been hella fun. I’ve learned a lot from her. Nod to Legiron and CynaraeStMary for their friendship and mentoring as well.
^benny benassi feat. channing – come fly away^
Roob’s second song pick…
Back in the middle of 2012, when I first created my online avatar ‘RooBeeDoo2’ in order to join I.S.I.S, I was working in Construction Logistics as a Logistician’s Logistican. Frank and fellow I.S.I.S members started to addressed me as ‘Roobee’. Understandable really; RooBeeDoo2 is a bit of a mouthful…
Roobee = Ruby = Creative & Constructive
*The smokers’ universe is definitely blue… /plumes smoke…*
Cade’s third song pick…
There’s nothing for me to plug here, I have nothing to gain by doing this, so I don’t feel entirely guilty for what I am about to do. However, music that makes me think about me, is music that I myself wrote and performed. Years were spent sitting alone in a room writing and playing music. I have a giant box filled with cassettes on which contain these efforts, hundred upon hundreds of songs and song ideas, and its unfortunate that many of the songs that I am thinking of right now I’ll not be able to share with you here. Just no way for me to share them at this time. However, I will share a something I don’t really expect anyone to listen to, but yeah…this shit right here, makes me, think about me.
BTW, if you have an urge to listen to what little I was able to transfer to digital from analog, there’s a playlist of various nonsense of mine from 1989-1992.
^Devil’s Work – Side: Fun – Tracks 1 & 2 (1991)^
Roob’s third song pick…
Back at the end of 2012, when I first started experiencing ‘syncs’, I started writing about them on MEROVEE. From the start, Frank and the fellow commentating Mero-VEEPs referred to me by the much simpler ‘Roob’…
^Legs & Co: Birdie Song / The Tweets (TOTP, 01 Oct 1981)^
Enjoy! ❤
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Day 29: songs remembered from childhood
Cade’s first song pick…
A lot of this is going to come from television. I can see no way around it. It’s either going to be television, church or school since that is the holy Trinitron™ of streams providing music to young ears in my time. I’ve already done a lot of stuff from my childhood, so in order to meet the criteria for today’s specific challenge, I guess we’ll go with television seeing as how church and school were pretty much still stuck in 19th century music when I was a kid. Not that television was that much different, but unlike church and school, television certainly was trying to figure out how to upgrade their musical models.
Weird that Cade chose to focus in on TV music from his childhood, as the one song I’d fixed upon including in this post – before even receiving his choices – was the theme tune for a sports show on TV…
*No, that’s not the one I’m specifically thinking of Clicky, though we did watch it at Sunday teatime…*
*Fuck! I’d forgotten just how much cricket I was subjected to as a kid…*
*I’ll admit, there was quite a lot of it I did like…/flicks ash… But that’s not it. Seriously, we could be here all fuckin’ day if you’re gonna keep on guessing, Clicky…*
*Close…*
^Classic UK TV Theme ~ Pot Black (Black And White Rag)^
Cade’s second song pick…
Loads of music came in via the idiot box. Mostly musical snippets and blurbs. Lots of fade-ins, lots of fade-outs, and lots of musical chunks that really didn’t belong to a tune, but rather just disconnected and otherwise disjointed musical sounds added for dramatic effect. A xylophone tapping out a cadence to let you know that the news was on. Or maybe a bar or two of some dramatic horns with kettle drums banging away in order to snap your attention away from whatever you were involved in whilst simultaneously raising your pulse rate. Television producers were some devious fucks way back. Loads of people graduating colleges with sociology, psychology, and marketing degrees, and you must put them to work in some capacity in order to prove the the educational system is A) working, and B) pays off in the long run. The practical side being, these young minds you are employing bring with them fresh perspectives on squeezing dollars out of the public, whilst simultaneously remaining malleable enough that they can likely be made to not make distinctions between light and dark. Afterall, they need their jobs. They gotta eat. So you cross some lines here and there…so what?
^Zoom opening credits – Season 3, Cast 2^
Roob’s second song pick…
*Kid shows full of kids. Yuck! Ironic, too, considering that one ran for decades… /blows smoke rings… Oh, I didn’t know Russell T Davies worked on that show…*
*Was it a case of ‘Why don’t you… regenerate Doctor Who?’ …/smirks…*
^We could have been anything – Bugsy Malone^
Cade’s third song pick…
The answers as to why samplers and sampling became so popular in music are right there, you possibly just aren’t looking at things as they really are. Everything got put on the clock at some point. Everything got condensed. The radio was still a bit fluid with respect to time, and also fluid with respect to their programming. But not television. Television was relentless. You have a block of time, in time, and that’s all the time you get. That means anything and everything is over-produced. No raw, no rare, everything is well-done. Rehearsed and practiced to perfection. Sequenced. Quantized. Sterilized. Clean. Machine like. Nothing left to chance. The art has been, and is still being, perfected.
Digress
You’ve got somewhere between 30 and 60 seconds to get your brand out there with a shiny and smiling face, and you gotta do so in such a way that people are gonna beat a path to your door. God only knows how much time, effort and resources went into producing that perfect commercial, but you can bet it was a lot. Pouring weeks or even months into a few seconds. Getting into people’s heads a few seconds at a time, and staying there. Yeah, I’m thinking that it caught on.
^SPEED RACER 1967 Cartoon Intro^
Roob’s third song pick…
The one song that completely captivated me during my childhood, was also encountered via the telly. When my school put the play on for Christmas, I practiced and practiced singing it before the afternoon of auditions in the school gym. I was so excited to be asked to stay on once Mr Ford, the teacher/director, had made his shortlist of candidates for the leading role. That excitement was matched by my complete and utter disappointment to discover that I was only there to help stack the gym benches back along the wall once the auditions were over…
*/shrugs… Yeah… /stubs butt… I got two speaking parts and simulated the tornado sound, so I actually ended up with 3 roles in the play, Clicky…*
^Somewhere Over the Rainbow – The Wizard of Oz ((1/8) Movie CLIP (1939) HD^
The final word to Cade…
My intent today was not to be morose or glum and gloomy. I had no idea what I was being fed at the time. Just someone born into the world when I was, and have spent a good portion of the rest of the time trying to make some kind of sense of it all. And, I honestly don’t remember much outside of television with respect to music other than a lot of the ground I’ve already covered in both this 30-day thingie, plus a lot of the writing I’ve done over the past few years. I guess I make distinctions between television and radio music because music on the radio seemed to be more about giving, whereas stuff on television was all about taking. Music on the radio willingly opened a door and gave freely, whereas the stuff on television was more akin to sticking a crowbar in the door to break in or maybe picking the locks. So yeah, the music I remember from “my childhood” is a lot of bits and pieces of nonsense. A chaotic scramble of nonsensical noise created for the express purpose of getting inside my head, and staying there. Consumer 4 Life.
^The Mamas & The Papas – Monday Monday^
*******
We reach the end of the song challenge tomorrow and the final task…
*And Cade and Poppy and Legs, Clicky… /pats snout… And you…*
… When we’ll be suggesting songs that remind us our ourselves. If there’s a song that reminds you of yourself, Dear Reader, pop it into the comments, below, and we’ll include it in the grand finale 😀
Until then, have a Song 😉
^Fade Away And Radiate – Blondie (1978) FLAC Remaster 1080p^
Today’s challenge, Dear Reader, is to present you with songs from artists whose voices Cade and I love…
*Fox has been trending on Twitter all day today, Clicky… /lights up… I dunno… /drags… Disney seem fair that you can be dismissed purely ‘cos of your skin colour… /plumes smoke…*
^Lea Salonga – On My Own (Les Misérables) [720p]^
Enjoy! ❤
*******
Day 28: songs by artists who’s voice we love
Cade’s first song pick…
Last night, I had a dream. In the dream, there was some vaporous, quasi-hidden fucker hiding in the shadows whilst darting around telling me that I needed to select music(s) that were representative of various things. In one instance, I was tasked with selecting a song that would be representative of the overall vibe of the 1970s. In my dream, the song that I selected was an instrumental. More than that, this song wasn’t released until the late 1970s. Although there is no singing on this track, the vocalist for this particular group likely has one of the most unique, identifiable, and iconic singing voices in rock music. However, when I woke, I had nothing but questions. Made no sense to me at all upon waking that I had chosen this particular song in my dream to be representative of the 1970s that I personally know. Prolly lingering guilt over not choosing a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers song on the “songs that break your heart” day.
Ironic that whilst pondering all this crap about love and death, I personally cannot escape…dreams. Pretty sure I never owned the album ‘Hemispheres‘, and also pretty sure that I would never consciously select this song as being an all-encompassing representative of my time spent in the 1970s. Moreover, after I woke this morning, did some reading on this song, and was shocked to discover that it is about…dreams. Nightmares, to be more specific. I can only wonder as to why my subconscious would select a song with no vocals to be representative of a time that contained all kinds of vocal expression.
^Rush – La Villa Strangiato^
Roob’s first song pick…
Seeing as Cade has kicked us off with his dreams, I have to include Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries, and a song from one of my all time favourite movies…
Kinda weird that in a dream, there are many things that make sense within the context of the dream. However, once that dream has ended and you are awake, all of that clarity fades to confusion. You can almost feel it in your being that this dream and the things in it made sense whilst you were dreaming. But now that you are back in this realm and lucid, you can’t help but giggle a bit at the absurdity of it all. No fucking way any of that craziness made sense. And if it did? I’ll be goddamned if I can remember what it was that made it make sense. None of it makes sense anymore.
^Cocteau Twins – “Ribbed and Veined”^
Roob’s second song pick…
As Cade is still on the subject of dreams, I shall continue with another voice I love from an all time favourite movie of mine. This time Roy Orbison…
^Roy Orbison’s Dream From You’ve Got Mail^
Cade’s third song pick…
Dreamy. Dreamy, dreamy, dreamy. Some sounds are like a barrier between eternal peace and eternal war. Voices don’t exist here in the more traditional sense(s). They’re here, they just…operate a little differently. Almost like contempt and respect existing in the same space, and doing so without being hateful or spiteful, and even without being loving or adoring. I love you, and I hate you, and I do both of these at the same time, without really doing either. Almost like looking backwards. Or looking forwards. Looking anywhere and everywhere but here.
^Daniel Lanois – Jimmy Was^
Roob’s third song pick…
Harry Nilsson has appeared a couple of times already during this song challenge…
*Drink & Drugs! on Christmas Day… /final drag… And Sad! on Day 10… /stubs butt… I do love his voice, Clicky…*
… And wouldn’t you know it, he also has a song about dreams, one that plays over the opening credits of one of my all time favourite movies…
^The Puppy Song – Harry Nilsson^
The final word to Cade…
It’s not really unusual that certain things “make sense” within a certain context, but outside of that context…no, no sense made. Putting on a concert in the middle of a field prolly doesn’t make much sense. God almighty…that was over 50 years ago. Made no sense then, makes no sense now, and yet, people are still talking about it.
Q: Does Woodstock have anything more than commercial value?
A: ??
What is “Woodstock” anyway? I’m not trying to plan the 100th anniversary or anything, but I do wonder what value this concert/event will have in the year 2069. Will it make sense. Yeah, the one from 1969…will it make sense in 2069, and if so, to whom, and under what auspices, pretenses, terms and conditions will it make sense? Will DMT be a staple of the water supplies of the future much like Fluoride is a staple of the water supplies of today, and everyone will be “tripping-balls” 24/7? Which, I think I’ve pretty much decided that Fluoride is added to water to keep the pipes and infrastructure clean, and it being added for the benefit of people’s teeth or other human health concerns is pure horseshit. ‘Cept for of course the fact that drinking water supplied via filthy pipes is indeed a health concern. There are some weird loops in life.
Does it make sense to you that I have had the requirements of today’s challenge on my mind the entire time that I’ve been writing, yet have primarily used songs with no vocals?
Welp, I have
Guess you’ll just have to read between the lines a bit. I hear all kinds of voices in the music that I’ve included. Some voices I like, some voices I love, some voices…not so much. Woulda been great to see this final song performed live at the time tho. Strange how voices speak to us, and when.
^SHA NA NA WOODSTOCK 1969 DUKE OF EARL^
*******
Woo Hoo! Penultimate day of the 30-Day Challenge tomorrow, and Cade and I will be tasked with choosing songs remembered from our childhoods…
*’Cos I felt like it… /lights up and smokes… I didn’t half feel shattered last night…*
*Yeah, I had to cook and iron. How come you never help me with any of that stuff, Clicky?*
…Anyhoo, the ‘songs to break your heart’ challenge follows. Enjoy! ❤
*******
Day 27: songs that break your heart
Cade’s first song pick…
As I best as my 33 & 1/3cc brain can deduce, today is (at a minimum) a combination of days 4, 9 and 10. This whole challenge thingie has wafted in and out of the tangible and intangible realms, and now it has gone and gotten downright personal. It now wants to know about tunes that may make me happy and/or sad, and it also wants to know how to conjure things in me that might be best left undisturbed. Moreover, it want’s to know how to achieve all of these things in a single swipe. Lastly, why is this particular challenge coming on Day 27?
I dunno if there is a significance of this particular challenge coming on Day 27. That said, I’m quite sure that I’m suspicious of anyone who wants to know what kinds of music breaks my heart. Especially coming on the heels of Day 26 which wanted to know about stuff that makes me want to fall in love.
^deadmau5 – Errors in my head^
Roob’s first song pick…
I don’t know that my first song choice breaks my heart as such. It is about heartbreak – spending the first night of your honeymoon in separate rooms is as cruel fuck. Or not, as the case may be, but singing along loudly with the song is kinda cathartic. Try it… Free da pain!
^Freda Payne – Band of Gold – Lyrics^
Cade’s second song pick…
Any paranoia I may have displayed in my previous block of text is…yeah, not really there. But it also kinda is. Kinda weird that someone out there in the world would want to know specific songs that break my heart. But, misery is said to love company, so maybe its a matter of maybe not feeling so alone. Knowing not only that your heart is broken, and what broke it, but why, as well as an assurance of “ME TOO!”, so that one does not feel so isolated and outcast. I mean, hell, the Ode To Joy movement from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony can break hearts, it just breaks hearts in a way that others can more readily identify with and will likely more openly admit. The tears in their eyes are usually a dead giveaway.
Digress
What got me off into “paranoid” types of thinking was a matter of this day’s requirements having less “overlap” and being more…pointy. That got me to thinking about all of the data collection methods used online anymore. I mean, you can’t go to a website that has a Numerology name calculator anymore. If you enter your name, the website is likely to keep it/store it, and use it in some way to make money. You do read a website’s “Privacy” page…right?
If you scroll down to the “How information of user collected” section, then read under “Online Forms”, you will notice that they say you can enter your name safely on any of their forms because they will not collect it. However…do you trust them? How would you know if they were collecting your information. More than that, what could you do about it. The English on that Privacy Policy ain’t that great which raises some legal questions, not to mention that the site owner is located in India. What does any of this have to do with music/songs that break my heart?
I dunno
^Mumford and Sons – Little Lion Man^
Roob’s second song pick…
My second song choice is about a whole life of heartbreak…
*Fucking ‘ell, Clicky… /flicks ash… You don’t see adventure playgrounds like that anymore…*
^I’m Still Waiting^
Cade’s third song pick…
Have spent a lot of time over the past few years upending anecdotes and cliches. Such as…
“Can an infinitely powerful being create a weight so heavy, that even they cannot lift it?”
My answer was…
”Yes. But what about when they eventually can lift this weight?”
Today is not indicative of tomorrow, so what is the point of such a question other than to silence debate and/or dissent? Point being, I’m wondering here if there a difference between a song that has broken my heart, and a song that will break my heart. More than that, is there potentially a song that has broken my heart in the past, still breaks my heart now, and this song will always break my heart in the future. Do I build up a resistance. Do I grow calloused. Will the scars from where the cracks appeared eventually fade or will they always be there.
Today’s challenge, Dear Reader, is particularly difficult for me. For one thing, there are no broken up bands that I wish were still together and for another, I don’t wish…
*That’s stupid, Clicky… /lights up and smokes… Punk rockers didn’t wear flowers in their hair. Product? Yeah, and lots of it…*
*Hmm… /holds out tress… my hair’s long enough to do that now…*
*Never wish, Clicky… /flicks ash… you may get exactly what you ask for…*
Broken up Oasis said it best…
But please don’t put your life in the hands
Of a Rock n Roll band
Who’ll throw it all away
… However, we’ll do our best for you, Dear Reader. Enjoy! ❤
^Oasis | Don’t look back in anger | Canon in D | Lyrics^
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Day 24: songs from bands we wish were still together
Cade’s first song pick…
This is kinda ghoulish. I’m picturing resurrecting people from the dead, and then commanding them to make music. Or worse, cramming people who are still living back together with band mates they may hate. Both great ideas, eh? Prolly will result in some fan-fucking-tastic new music.
Now, are there some bands that I could have seen live in concert, but didn’t, that I wish I would have seen? Sure. But really not even that scenario works here because I personally never was much of a concert person. I used to like to go see live music at local venues featuring local bands, but never was that big on concerts. The bigger the venue, the less it interested me. But maybe that’s because the first concert I ever went to had over 60,000 people in attendance, and it kinda sucked standing outside in the December cold for around 12 hours straight.
^Resurrection spell^
Roob’s first song pick…
The thing about bands is that they never seem to break up and stay broken anymore. Their original fan base grew up, joined the adult world, have disposable income enough to try recapture some of their youth, and so the lucrative reunion tour is born…
^Bon Jovi – Reunion^
Cade’s second song pick…
To actively participate in today’s challenge, I even did some research since I can’t think of any bands I’d like to see back together at my own behest. Rolling Stone magazine has a list of the Top 100 artists of all time, I went through all100, and nothing grabbed me. That list appears to be compiled in such a way to generate controversy and inspire anger, but the list is full of the usual suspects so yeah…nothing.
Are there bands that it would have been cool to see stick around for a bit longer? Sure. Are there bands that it would have been great if they had made more music? Yep. But things didn’t work out that way. I mean, I hated the fact that Pixies broke up rather quickly, but when they got back together it was kinda…meh. Yes, it was very cool they got back together, but it was also kinda…
meh
^The Princess Bride (8/12) Movie CLIP – Miracle Max (1987) HD^
Roob’s second song pick…
*No, not always true, Clicky… /deep drag… hangovers can be a bitch…*
*Exactly…*
Cade’s third song pick…
It could be said that I’ve simply gotten too old to give a fuck. Maybe even that I’m bitter. But in thinking about it now, maybe its that I’ve spent the past several years making peace with a lot of stuff in my life. Things I did that I regret doing. Things I didn’t do that I regret not doing. Who I am, why I am the way that I am, how to be better, flowery crap like that. Haven’t really worked to let things go as much as make peace with a lot of things that have ground my gut for long periods of time. I’m not actively trying to bury things, nor am I actively trying to dig shit up, just taking it as it comes. Maybe that’s why I’m having trouble raising the dead for my own personal satisfaction.
/shrug
^The Judy’s ‘Wilma A Go Go’^
Roob’s third song pick…
Okay, so if I have to choose, there is a band that broke up…
*Yeah, I guess a theme tune does start an episode, Clicky… /blows smoke rings… That one’s perfect… /thinks… A Sandy Pearlman and a Schwimmer? Weird…*
Enjoy! ❤
*******
Day 22: songs that move you forwards
Cade’s first song pick…
Songs that move me…forward. Fuck! I’m not trying to make this more complex than it needs to be, but what if I’m standing facing a corner? Forward is the last place I wanna go, and moving backwards may be the only way to move forward. What if a meteor is about to hit me? Moving left or right may be…forward. I’m just curious as to the qualifier in today’s challenge with respect to movement. This is some Willy Wonka “gotta go forward to get back” levels of mind-fuckery we got going on right here. Fuck it, let’s start off with my second song first, and go with ‘It Moves Me’ by Neal Rosengarden. This is a great song with some awesome guitar picking, some excellent percussive elements, and some damn uplifting lyrics being delivered by some great vocals. Only problem is, I have not a clue how to find this song other than by this clip below from the movie ‘Gizmo!‘. Which, if you haven’t seen it, it is WELL worth a viddy.
Q: Is there a reason I can’t get to my WordPress dashboard?
A: !¿WTF?!
First I couldn’t like WordPress comments, now I can’t even get to my own blog. Kinda difficult to move forward when you can’t get access to the tools that are going to propel you in that direction. Sorry Roob, but we’re gonna have to go backwards for the time being in order to proceed.
😦
^Vintage – Inventions, Gadgets & Ideas^
Roob’s first song pick…
My first serious boyfriend was a chap called Paul. We met at a pub called Bloomers near the entrance to the Rotherhithe Tunnel in Bermondsey, on Halloween 1985. I was dressed as a nun, he was dressed as a vicar; it was meant be 😉 I still have the mixed tape he later made for me with music from that night, and this song kicks it off…
^Total Contrast – Takes A Little Time (12 inch US Remix) HQsound^
Cade’s second song pick…
This next song is actually my third pick btw. I have a song buzzing around in my head regarding movement, but I went to pee earlier and forgot what song it was I meant to look up when I got back to my computer. Anyway, since I have no idea what “forward” means in this current day’s context, let’s muddy the waters even more, and we’ll do so using a magical invention devised for delivering sonic clarity in an otherwise busy and potentially muddy audio environment.
^Moving in Stereo^
Roob’s second song pick…
Regardless of direction, this next song not only gets you moving, but it slows you right down before getting you moving again. Genius!
^Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank (HQ audio)^
Cade’s third song pick…
First song of mine was actually ‘Move!‘ by Public Enemy, but I’m not gonna use it as my first pick. That song has propelled me for several decades now, and I appreciate that. However, this last one is another one of those songs that found its way onto my radar a few years back, and boy, did it ever appear just when I needed it to. This is another song that got me through a lot of long and lonely times. So yeah, moved me forward? Yep, this song did that. Helped to get me here anyway. I’m thankful for that. I haven’t a clue where I am, but glad to be here.
I have many promises to keep…
And miles to go before I sleep.
Miles to go before I sleep.
^Grouplove – “Ways to Go” [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]^
Roob’s third song pick…
My third song is infused with four word motion…
*Yes that’s rolling on a river…/stubs butt… not exactly what I meant though, Clicky…*
^Ike & Tina Turner – Proud Mary 1973^
The final word to Cade…
I’m not trying to always get “the last” word…
honest I'm not
I just recalled my original first pick. I can’t recall the other song that I was thinking about, but this one, yes. Pretty sure this one is the first ever really difficult piece that my uncle who taught me the drums put on the turn table, and said to me “give this one a try”. Man, talk about a kid wearing greased ice skates trying to skate uphill…I was fucking overwhelmed. Over time, I got to where I could hang in for certain parts, but other than that, I had to improvise. All that was in my 13 year old head was “none of my friends play stuff like this! Who in the hell am I going to play music with? I wanna be a rock drummer!”
Looking back, taking the time to learn stuff like this could have potentially made me a much better drummer/percussionist. But, I didn’t. I stuck with AC/DC and Judas Priest and Saxon and the like, and concentrated on being a good time-keeper. Again, little did I know then that learning stuff like Billy Cobham could have helped immensely in that regard. But again, I didn’t. As to which direction this song moved me? No idea.
^Billy Cobham – Spectrum^
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Tomorrow Cade and I will be suggesting songs everyone should listen to…
*I know! I thought we’d been doing that for these past 22 days…*
*/coughs and wheezes… I’m feelin’ as rough as fuck today, Kicky… /blows doze… I can’t belieb I’m gun back innu work tomorrow full of da lurg…*
^David Bowie – We Are The Dead (HQ Audio)^
*Fanks, Kicky. Can you, can you? …/sneezes loudly… Ugh! You know my song choices…*
^Bob Marley – Everything’s Gonna Be Alright^
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Day 19: songs that make you think about life
Cade’s first song pick…
If you’re one of the few that has endured the challenges of reading my writing, you’ll know that one of the topics that I explore quite frequently is the act of speaking with God and/or the gods/goddesses. Its something that I think about often, but I have always gotten the impression that others don’t think about it much. And in this context I mean “speaking with”…not some inquisitional, interrogative or confrontational something. Speaking with, as in, talking to them as you would anyone else. I get the feeling that most would think this a disrespectful mode of communication for a human to engage with the Almighty(s), and perhaps even irreverent, profane, sacrilegious, or blasphemous. I find this strange considering it appears to be A-OK to pray to God and ask for forgiveness for your embezzling money for the company you work for, ask for forgiveness for fucking half of the women in your congregation, or maybe even pray to ask God to kill one of your enemies.
First heard this song only recently, and it got me to again thinking about the confrontational nature of most earthly communications directed towards the heavenly realms and the ethereal residents who occupy these otherly places. We want our independence…until the shit hits the fan anyway. It is at this point in which we request an intervention from those with the power. No one wants God nor gods/goddesses as their next door neighbor or even as a friend. Too risky. Too potentially demanding. Too much faith required. You never know when they may need a favor from you. Next thing you know, you’re in the belly of a whale, or your gf is turning into a pillar of salt, or you’re leading millions on a wandering mission to nowhere, or your deity neighbor has decided to go on a walkabout and wants you to drop everything, give up all your possessions, and aimlessly follow them around for a few years.
Needless to say, I’m a tad skeptical when someone tells me that my asking God “Sup y0! How’s things? Did you see that sky last night?” is a disrespectful act on my part.
^Highasakite – Golden Ticket [Lyrics]^
Roob’s first song pick…
A quick reminder.
If Iran ruled the world – and yes, they want to, you wouldn't be reading this. You'd be in the mosque five times a day or in prison – somewhere around the 14th century.
^Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World^
Cade’s second song pick…
This song doesn’t have a single word. Yeah, there’s some vocals, but I have no idea what they are saying, or if they are even saying anything. ‘Tis a great tune that kinda leads you away to some mystical somewhere of everything and nothing. Lets you think about life. And if you watch the video of course, it’s loaded with life. Lots to think about.
The choice is quite simple here…A) Heaven, or B) Las Vegas.
Select your destination
Choice “A” is steeped in neither choice nor chance, and “B” is steeped in both choice and chance. A provides freedom from choice, B provides freedom to choose. A = security, B = freedom. And don’t ask me what the lyrics are because I don’t know. I only know that this song has been a staple in my musical catalogue for a very long time, and every single time she says “But is it Heaven or Las Vegas?”…I get chills…
every time
Later in the song, she says “Must be why I’m thinking of Las Vegas”, and again, chills. What in the hell is she singing about? Truth is, I don’t want to know. The song title and the theme is enough for me, and it gives me all kinds of freedom to let my mind wander and wonder what in the hell she’s singing about. What in life, could possibly inspire someone to write a song about an inability to determine if you were in Heaven or Las Vegas? OH! And speaking of Las Vegas, I watched a video the other day on the 10 most corrupt cities in the USA. Guess what? Las Vegas was indeed in the top 10, but it was not #1. That distinction fell to…
Washington D.C.
Makes me wonder why so many scramble to get to DC. Why would people climb over each other to get to the biggest cesspool in the nation? Surely not a desire to clean things up. Every wealthy and powerful motherfucker that lives there has maids, butlers and nannies, so it can’t be a desire to clean.
Tomorrow will be Day 20 of the Song Challenge, Dear Reader, so we’ll be two thirds of the way through. The task at hand for Cade and myself will be to offer a collection of songs that have multiple meanings to us. It could get punny… Have a Song… 😉
…So let us take you back to 1967, Dear Reader. Enjoy! 😀
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Day 18: Songs from the year you were born
Cade’s first song pick…
Hey…Roob…could you be a shade more…vague? Three songs each from 1967? Am I to deduce that we are supposed to be thinking of songs from the year we were hatched? Or…conceived. Cause like…your parents musta been getting freaky in 1966 cause you were born in May of 1967. Me? I’m straight up 1967, cause I was born in November of 1967. Irrespective of the specifics, it’s not like I was listening to the radio as soon as I was born. So…what in the FUCK does music from 1967 mean to me?
I wonder what was going on, 15 November 1967. Anything interesting? I was already aware that MJ Adams died on that day piloting an X-15 aircraft, but anything else interesting going on? Especially in no-fucking-where Oklahoma where some tubby 9 pound 11 ounce kid was born in the wee hours of the morning?
1 + 9 + 6 + 7 = 23
2 + 3 = 5
One…five
Hrm
^Happy Together – Turtles^
Roob’s first song pick…
*Ah, the anthem of ‘The Summer of Love’, Clicky… /blows smoke rings… Incidentally, I Haight ASH and would love to see them buried… /flicks ash…*
On the 25th May 1967, Procol Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ entered the UK charts for the first time. It didn’t get to No.1 until it dislodged the song that was topping the charts on the day of my birth…
*And what was No.1 on Cade’s birthday, Clicky?*
^Baby Now That I’ve Found You – The Foundations -1967^
Cade’s second song pick…
Turtles, eh? Kinda weird considering that I have two “power animals”…the donkey, and the turtle. That’s some fucked up power animals for someone to have, eh? Yeah, the scorpion is also a power animal of mine, but that goes without saying because I was born in November. Which, speaking of, did you know that Scorpio is a water sign?
Me neither
Just got an urge to look up songs from 1967 that dealt with “water”, and holy smokes…one caught my eye. Mainly because I wrote a song once where the lyrics were…
Another silly question…from the mouth of babes…you point me to… One more empty portal…on a sinking ship…not much to do… Pull my chain…and drag me…but don’t call my name.
Wrote another song where the lyrics were…
Left hand…right hand…whadda ya gonna do… Got an empty soul…like a hole in my shoe.
Do you think maybe that “resonance” is a thing? Portal(s)? Water(s)? Syncing(s)? As far as I know, I’ve never heard this song in my life. Not until now anyway.
^HOLE IN MY SHOE (1967) by Traffic (incredible stereo mix)^
Roob’s second song pick…
Hey Cade… ‘Hole In My Shoe’ got to No.2 of the UK charts in 1967 and again in the eighties with Neil from the ‘Young Ones’…
*If I’d been born a boy, I’d have been called Neil… /sigh…1984. Again. I swear, I’m being stalked by that year, Clicky… /thinks… I wonder if it’s ‘cos I lost my virginity during the first couple of hours of 1984. I was drunk…*
^The Supremes – The Happening^
Cade’s third song pick…
OK…um…hrm. Just blasted through the top 30 songs of 1967, and a few of them tickled my fancy. The Monkees ‘I’m A Believer‘ charted in 1967, and it grabbed me because I almost used ‘Last Train To Clarksville‘ and ‘Hey Hey We’re The Monkees‘ in the previous post. ‘Soul Man‘ by Sam & Dave also grabbed me, but primarily because of The Blues Brothers. Aretha Franklin’s “Respect‘ appears to have charted in 1967, and she had an appearance in the Blues Brothers movie singing ‘Think‘. ‘Incense And Peppermints‘ by Strawberry Alarm Clock also rang some bells, and ‘Windy‘ by The Association was another song I was quite familiar with.
All that said, this one actually means a special something to me because I listened to it on vinyl a lot as a kid. Completely perplexing song for a young mind. I didn’t “get it”. Could not understand it. Why, in the hell, would someone …EVER… jump off a bridge?
^Bobbie Gentry, 1967: Ode to Billie Joe – Original Capitol 45 rpm Disc^
Roob’s third song pick…
*Agreed, Clicky. These Song Challenge posts are a bit missive-ish… /stubs butt…*
The final word from Cade…
After I finished writing last night, it occurred to me that it had gone past midnight, and was now January 4th. The significance? My daughter was born on this day in 2000. My daughter turns 20 in 2020. Weird.
Digress
Considering the subject matter, loads of memories came flooding back. Music and movies of the time, things that were going on in the world, things that were going on in my own life, they were some strange times. The new millennium, the arguments over when the new millennium actually started, the Internet was moving into the mainstream, the Y2K Bug didn’t kill us all 4 days ago, the “DOT COM” bubble, the mortgage refinance boom was flagging, not to mention that 9/11, Freedom Fries, The Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and a shitload of war was right around the corner…although we didn’t know it yet. Or did we?
Did some digging for songs that were released on 4 January of 2000, and stumbled across an interesting footnote type of thing from that date…an album released called ‘Before The Buildings Fell‘ by Black Tape For A Blue Girl. It appears that the album was originally released in 1986, but was re-released on “enhanced CD” in 2000. Anyone remember “enhanced CDs“? Another weird curiosity from the time. And speaking of curiosities, it looks like someone uploaded the whole CD to YouTube about a month ago. Good timing, eh?
HBD Kiddo
❤
^07-Black Tape For A Blue Girl’-Before the Buildings Fell^
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I’m back to work on Monday, Dear Reader, but tomorrow Cade and I will be presenting songs that make us think about life…
*Unless you read the description enclosed, Clicky…*
Library of Libraries 