On My iPod Today

Day 8

Late Night Grande Hotel
Written by Nanci Griffin

I'm working on a morning flight to anywhere but here
I'm watching this evening fire burn away my tears
All my life I've left My troubles by the door
Leaving is all I've ever known before

Chorus
It's not the way you hold me
When the sun goes down
It's not the way you call my name that left me stranded on the ground
It's not the way you say you hear my heart when the music ends
I am just learning how to fly away again
It's not the way you say you hear my heart when the music ends
I am just learning how to fly away again

And maybe you were thinkin'
That you thought you knew me well
But, no one ever knows the heart of anyone else
I feel like Garbo in this late night grand hotel
Cause living alone is all I've ever done well

Chorus
It's not the way you hold me
When the sun goes down
It's not the way you call my name that left me stranded on the ground
It's not the way you say you hear my heart when the music ends
I am just learning how to fly away again
It's not the way you say you hear my heart when the music ends
I am just learning how to fly away again

Name That Tune

We were rolling through the Rockies

We were up above the clouds

When a station out of Jackson played that song

And it seemed to fit the moment

And the moment seemed to freeze

When we turned the music up and sang along

The Song Remembers When/Trisha Yearwood

Have you ever had a moment when you were having such a great time or something important was happening to you and the music on the radio fit the moment so well that you knew you would always remember that blip in time? And now every time you hear that song, you automatically think of that moment, no matter how long ago it was? I love this Trisha Yearwood song because it captures those times so well. I have a handful of landmark songs from my younger days. I purposefully keep them out of my iPod, because I don’t want them at my fingertips. I’m afraid if I play them too often they won’t seem so special. I like stumbling across them on the radio when I least expect it. I hadn’t stumbled across one in a long time until this past Saturday. I was channeling through the stations on my way to the grocery store when I happened upon the Turtles and suddenly I was seventeen again and Happy Together with my friends.

May, 1982. A week after prom and two weeks before graduation. The die was cast, our grades were totaled, and we were all racing towards the finish line of our high school education. I, along with all of my buds, was suffering from senior-itis. We were done with the big tests. We had ordered our caps and gowns, and we were giddy with the anticipation of our last summer together before college scattered us to different corners of the country. We were bent on having a good time, and I was certainly having a good time on that particular Sunday afternoon. It was sunny and warm, perfect convertible weather. My friends, J. and G., had picked me up in a green Carmen Gia convertible, and we were cruising through the streets of my little hometown with the top down and the radio turned up. J. and G. were the kind of friends you have a good time with no matter what you’re doing. The kind of friends who never make you mad and always make you belly laugh when you’re together. The kind of friends who embrace your flaws and defend you even if you’re wrong. The kind of friends who are hard to find when you’re an adult. The three of us were in rare form that day, laughing and singing and soaking up the sun. Happy Together came on the radio and we automatically started singing it…together…loudly. We sang the whole song, and when it was over we were silent for a minute or two. All of us were deep in thought, no doubt reflecting on how perfect the moment was. I knew then that I would always remember that moment.

We were so innocent then. We had no idea how quickly our worlds would change. Within two years J. would be having her first baby and abandoning her basketball scholarship and college plans. Within eight years G. would be dead of AIDS. He was gay when it wasn’t cool to be gay in a small rural town. He suffered a lot of ridicule as he struggled with his sexuality. In fact, a year after our rendition of Happy Together he was beaten up by a group of rednecks as we left a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They didn’t like his Frank N. Furter costume.

The three of us drifted apart while J. and I were at different colleges and G. was trying to find his way. I haven’t seen J. in 23 years. I miss her. I miss G.. But I could hear them with me in the car last Saturday, singing with The Turtles as I sat in the parking lot of the Food Giant. The song really does remember when, doesn’t it?

Coastal Confessions

If you recall I was tagged earlier this week by Swampy for a meme. See the rules in Tuesday’s post below. I opted to use song title and lyrics. I love a well written song. I’m an old rock n’ roller, but I like artists who pen a well turned phrase, even if I don’t care for their voice or their musical style. I have an appreciation for folks like Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Alan Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones and Neil Young. Lordy, those folks can write good music. While most people tend to get lost in melodies, I lose myself in the lyrics. There is no denying I have a love affair with words.

I wrote a song last year and had a friend write the music for me. I loved hearing it come together and performed for me. One of my fantasies is to write a song and have it recorded by someone who sings professionally. Someday, maybe. So it was no surprise that song titles came to mind first when contemplating my approach to this meme. Since I’m a fan of Jimmy Buffett and all things tropical, I decided to go with a JB theme. After all, he’s one of the kings of songwriting. While many of his songs seem kind of silly at first, you’ll often find deep thoughts within the verses. The man is not just about cheeseburgers and cocktails. I’ve used one of Jimmy’s song titles for each category and some lyrics from that song to reflect something about me. I’m hopelessly, recklessly in love with his lyrics because they speak to my flip flop tappin’ feet and my Caribbean soul. So, sit back, grab a margarita and learn eight random things about me. Cue the steel drums, please.

1. Visual-Spatial-“A Pirate Looks at Forty”
Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters
since I was three feet tall.
You’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all.
Have you figured out yet that I love the ocean and yearn to be near it more often?

2. Verbal-Linguistic-“Coastal Confessions”
They say that time is like a river
and stories are the key to the past
but now I’m stuck in between
here at my typing machine
tryin’ to come up with some words that will last.
I’d like to write a book one day. For now I’ll scribble on these pages.

3. Musical-Rhythmical-“They Don’t Dance Like Carmen No More”
She had a big hat. My, it was high
Had bananas and mangos all piled to the sky
And how she could balance them, I wouldn’t dare
‘Cause they don’t dance like Carmen nowhere.
This is one of my favorite Halloween costumes.

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic-“Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On”
According to my watch the time is now
Past is dead and gone
Don’t try to shake it just nod your head
Breathe in, Breathe out, move on.
My thoughts exactly. Shake it off and move forward.

5. Interpersonal-“The Wino and I Know”
Cause I’m livin’ on things that excite me,
Be they pastries or lobsters or love;
I’m just tryin’ to get by being quiet and shy,
In a world full of pushin’ and shove.
Well, I’m not quiet or shy, but I do search for quiet. I try to keep the pace easy in this hustle bustle world, while squeezing in a lot of excitement.

6. Intrapersonal-“Desperation Samba”
Don’t know where I’m going
Don’t like where I’ve been
There may be no exit
But hell I’m going in.
Life is too short to be afraid of trying new things, brothers and sisters. Join me in jumping in with both feet. For the list of things I have left to do, see my Bucket List.

7. Naturalistic-“Scarlet Begonias”
She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes
and I knew without askin’ she was into the blues.
She wore scarlet begonias trucked into her curls.
I knew right away she was not like other girls, other girls.
I’m generally not like other girls, and at this stage in life, I’m content with my uniqueness. I just don’t care if people like me because I like myself, and that’s enough.

8. Logical-Mathematical-“Changes in Latitudes”
Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder,
So I can’t look back for too long.
There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me,
And I know that I just can’t go wrong.
There’s so much I want to see and so little time. I try not to waste my time swimming in waters that are underneath the bridge.