In the middle of the 1970’s I went to college. And like countless other freshmen, I went to orientation, found my dorm, and explored the campus. It was academically exciting to me. For a little while at least. But the idyllic luster faded pretty fast. And I needed an outlet for my frustration with “higher learning.” Fortunately, that outlet took the form of study … Read the rest…
Category Archives: Words and Music
Journey with me, back to a time when masks weren’t required to…well…just about anything. Except maybe to rob a bank of convenience store. Back to a time when music and fire fused together for a hit song. And I didn’t care about it nearly as much as a particular objet du désir; or objeto del deseo. Or for those of you still wandering around in … Read the rest…
Dobie Gray sang “Drift Away.” And it was a big hit for him back in 1973. I remember I liked the song, a lot, from the very first time I heard it. And I think it was Conway Twitty who did a country version of the song. But I disliked that one from the very first time I heard it. Sorry, but his voice … Read the rest…
Yesterday I mentioned a song written by Pete Seeger that was based on words from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. And I remember thinking how unusual that was. And how it would be even more unusual these days. Unless, of course, the songwriter or band is mocking God. But another unusual song for the Billboard charts was Amazing Grace. Yeah, that one. … Read the rest…
To everything there is a season. And apparently there was even a time for a songwriter to get inspiration for a song from the Bible. And a time for that song to be played on the radio. But the songwriter turned the words and the message into lyrics. And it didn’t work, for the rhythm and melody, to just say “To everything there is … Read the rest…
December 3rd has been the date for some pretty interesting and cool things, through the years, in the world of popular music. It must be the weather. Not quite winter. But not quite fall. And here’s a short list of some of those December 3rd moments. First, an obscure rock-n-roll singer released his first song(s) on his new record label, RCA Victor. His name … Read the rest…
It was July of 1975. And I was a fairly new piano player. Because I had started teaching myself the way around the keys about a year and a half before. So, as the scales and chord combinations started to make sense I naturally wanted to put some of my large catalogue of lyrics to music. And one of those songs was Performance for … Read the rest…