Hopelessness?

Where once there seemed to be a bright, shining future now all seems dark.  This past week has been one of an inordinate amount of bad, sad, gloomy news.  

 First three icons have died.  Dick Clark’s death was the first announced.  American Bandstand lives in such fond memories of my childhood.  Not all of the new dances those kids in Philadelphia introduced on the show were all that easy for me to pick up.  My father, on the other hand, was a great dancer.  Not in the professional sense, but when he and my mother were young they used to go dancing to all of the Big Bands before “the War”, which was WWII.  I remember my dad teaching me how to do the stroll.  And then there were all of the stars Dick Clark brought on the show.  I fell head over heels in love with Frankie Avalon, Fabian and my personal favorite, James Darren.  Yeah, I really loved those Italian boys.  SWOON!

Next was Levon Helm, drummer and singer for The Band.  I really wasn’t a big fan of The Band, although I liked several of their most popular songs.  Way back when, I had purchased their Rock of Ages album.  I played it once and never played it again.  A few years ago I gave it to a young friend, who is a Bob Dylan devotee (not my taste) because I figured she would enjoy it. 

 

 

And then yesterday the death of Jonathan Frid was announced.  My mom always said, “they come in threes” when a celebrity death was first announced.  True?  I don’t know.  When you are looking for a pattern, you usually notice one.  Dark Shadows, after so many years, is back in the news because of the impending premiere of the Johnny Depp/Tim Burton movie release.  It is a remake of the late 60s, early 70s afternoon ABC Gothic soap opera of my youth.  I was mad crazy for Jonathan Frid’s vampire, Barnabas Collins.  Dark, brooding, troubled, sensitive and sad – what young girl wouldn’t fall in love?  If you read any of the tributes on the web or in the newspapers, apparently LOTS of young girls did fall in love with Frid/Barnabas and carried that flaming torch throughout their lives.  While it hadn’t occurred to me before reading the posts, many suggested that the character of Barnabas Collins ushered in a new type of vampire, leading the way for Louis from Interview With the Vampire, Angel (oh,my) of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (personally I’m a Spike aficionado) and Edward Cullen of The Twilight series.  I think the authors are correct.  Jonathan Frid’s portrayal of the vampire Barnabas Collins was a new perspective on the age old monsters that previously had only terrified us.  They became romantic figures.

Adding to these sad reports, April 20^th was the second anniversary of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.  Contrary to Oh, Happy Day! Commercials on TV, all is far from well in the Gulf of Mexico and the states which border it.  The dolphin and turtle deaths on the coasts have seen record numbers.  The nesting sites of most sea birds are either in decline or absent.  Deformed shrimp, fish and crabs are being caught in the Gulf waters.  The people aren’t doing well either, experiencing many health problems.  To read a compilation of the many stories, check out this link:  http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/04/guest-post-the-gulf-ecosystem-is-being-decimated.html  

As if that wasn’t enough to drag me to the depths over concern over the very survival of our planet and amazing wildlife who share it with us, I listened to Science Friday on Talk of the Nation.  You can listen to it here:  http://www.npr.org/2012/04/20/151047262/exploring-the-deepest-darkest-spots-on-earth   Hope, maybe.  Optimism, not much.

 

The final thing that brought me to full fledged tears this morning was totally unexpected.  I went on an Amazon buying spree about 2 weeks ago after listening to Terry Gross’ interview with Carole King (give it a listen here:

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/11/150418594/for-carole-king-songwriting-is-a-natural-talent ) .

Maybe I should listen to it again, because it was wonderful, delightful and just made me smile.  But, I digress.  One of the things I bought was The Definitive John Denver Greatest Hits.  Denver, the epitome of sunshine, rainbows and roses, right?  Well, I couldn’t wait for my absolute favorite John Denver song of all time to come on.  Calypso, a song he wrote because of his trip with Jacques Cousteau (the man who opened the world’s eyes to the wonders of the world’s oceans and marine life) onboard Cousteau’s ship, Calypso.  The ocean, John Denver and Jacques Cousteau, two of which are dead and the other dying at the hands of humans, not exactly where I had expected the song to take me.  So instead of feeling transported and uplifted, it was more like a stake in the heart.  The tears just flowed. 

Earth Day, the 42^nd anniversary, is April 22^nd.  Has ANYONE been listening?  Right now, it certainly doesn’t seem like it.  It isn't just about US or our needs and our greed  - it is about ALL life on Earth.  

The future is up to you and me.

Celebrating Female Vocalists

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of male singers and all male groups that I really, really like.  However, throughout the years I’ve found that most of my go to music, my all time favorites are female singers.  Most of them you have, no doubt, heard of.  Some, however, might be unknown to you.  

Minnie Ripperton

Far and away,  Minnie Ripperton is my favorite singer.  Her vocal range was amazing, spanning five and a half octaves.  On some songs you would swear it was actually a musical instrument and not her voice.  A high school friend introduced me to The Rotary Connection and Minnie was the lead singer.  She came out of retirement in 1973 with the album Perfect Angel, which had a number 1 hit, Lovin’ You.  She had two children, one of whom is Maya Rudolph of SNL fame.  I was fortunate enough to see Minnie perform in person at the Jai Lai Fronton in Casselberry in the 70s.  She was the opening act for England Dan & John Ford Coley.  She lost her life to breast cancer at the age of 32 in 1979.  You can watch Minnie at this link:

Lovin' You by Minnie Ripperton 

Billie Holiday

Another woman whose voice was simply incredible was Billie Holiday.  I only discovered her after seeing the Diana Ross film, Lady Sings the Blues.  I loved the film and the music and I proceeded to buy every Billie Holiday album that I could find.  I have never heard anyone make me feel a song like she does.  I’ve found myself crying while listening to her sing a blues song. Here's Billie singing Strange Fruit:  Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit

Once again a film introduced me to nother woman who could transmit true emotions in her music.  The film was Sweet Dreams and the singer was Patsy Cline.  I developed an appreciation for her great gift and incredible music. 

Laura Nyro

My best friend in college, Sandi Whidden, introduced me to Laura Nyro.  Her name may not be familiar to you, but her songs probably are, if you’re 40 or older.  Some of the songs she wrote that became hits for other singers include:  And When I Die, Stoned Soul Picnic, Stoney End, Wedding Bell Blues and  Eli’s Comin’.  Laura died of ovarian cancer at the age of 49. Here's a video of Laura singing Save the Country: Laura Nyro 

Carole King

Few writers and performers have written as many hit songs as Carole King.  She had her first hit at the age of 18 and is still writing and performing today at the age of 70.  Her album, Tapestry, is considered by many as one of the all time greatest albums.  I have worn out both my album and CD of Tapestry…..and need to get a new copy!  Every song on that album is wonderful.   So many of her songs have been number 1 hits for a variety of artists from James Taylor to Aretha Franklin.  That first hit was Will You Love Me Tomorrow, sung by The Shirelles (one of my favorite girl groups growing up). 

Some of my other personal favorite female vocalists and song writers include: Bonnie Raitt, Barbra Streisand, Lesley Gore, Mavis Staples, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Gladys Knight, Karen Carpenter, Janis Joplin, Natalie Mains (of The Dixie Chicks), Roberta Flack and Bette Midler (Boogie, Woogie Bugle Boy originally made famous by The Andrews Sisters – love, love, love them). 

Who are some of your favorites? 

Celebrate Women’s History Month by listening to some great music performed and/or written by women.

Old music is the best music

I grew up in the 50s & 60s.  I think most people always appreciate the music that first touched their lives, no matter how much music changes over time.  Each generation has their own type of music and mine are those of the 50s & 60s. 

Today on NPR's The Changing World the story is The Greatest Songs of The World.  The first they covered was Stand By Me, by Ben E. King.  The story itself is incredible.  You can listen to the show here:
The Greatest Songs of the World

I was surprised to learn that John Lennon covered Stand by Me.  Here's the official video from You Tube: John Lennon's version   And here is Ben E. King singing Stand by Me:  Ben E. King

And this version, which I saw on Bill Moyers' Journal is also on You Tube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

The next song covered is The Lion Sleeps Tonight.  Here is a video of The Tokens singing this song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LBmUwi6mEo

Of course now whenever I hear this song I think of Brian Orser, the incredible Canadian ice skater, doing a routine to this song.  I must say it's my favorite of all of his performances.  The one time I preferred him over Brian Boitano. 

Hope these songs make you feel as good as they make me feel.