I had only ever briefly heard of the group Traveling Wilburys, but a few nights ago Clive suggested a song by them so I thought I’d look into them a bit more, and I’m glad I did! A bit about the group first …
Based on the accomplishments of its members/founders, the group is indeed considered a ‘supergroup’ …
George Harrison (yes, THAT George Harrison, the ‘quiet’ Beatle)
Bob Dylan
Tom Petty
Jeff Lynne
Roy Orbison
The five came together when George Harrison needed a B-side for a single. He got his friend Jeff Lynne to work on it with him and Bob Dylan offered use of his garage studio. Tom Petty and Roy Orbison came along, so the five superstars found themselves together writing and recording the song on the spot: Handle With Care. They had such a good time making it and were so impressed with the results, they decided to form a band and include the song on a full album, which they recorded a month later.
The group only lasted three years, from 1988 to 1991, but during that time released three albums. Tonight’s song, End of the Line, was released in October 1988, just two months before the death of Roy Orbison from a heart attack. The song only charted at #63 in the U.S. and #52 in the UK. The album it was on, however, Volume 1, rising to #1 in Canada, #3 in the U.S. and #16 in the UK.
In February 1988, George Harrison was asked during an interview what his next plans were, and he replied …
“What I’d really like to do next is … to do an album with me and some of my mates … It’s this new group I got in mind: it’s called the Traveling Wilburys, I’d like to do an album with them and then later we can all do our own albums again.”
When Roy Orbison died in December 1988 the group put together a music video for End of the Line showing Orbison’s guitar rocking in a chair next to his photo when his vocals are heard.
The story of the Traveling Wilburys is fun and fascinating, and I encourage you to take a further look at SongFacts and Wikipedia. Meanwhile, let’s listen to the music and watch the video! Oh, and thank you, Clive, for pointing me in this direction!
End of the Line
Traveling Wilburys
Well it’s alright, riding around in the breeze
Well it’s alright, if you live the life you please
Well it’s alright, doing the best you can
Well it’s alright, as long as you lend a hand
You can sit around and wait for the phone to ring
(At the end of the line)
Waiting for someone to tell you everything
(At the end of the line)
Sit around and wonder what tomorrow brings
(At the end of the line)
Maybe a diamond ring
Well it’s alright, even if they say you’re wrong
Well it’s alright, sometimes you gotta be strong
Well it’s alright, as long as you got somewhere to lay
Well it’s alright, everyday is Judgment Day
Maybe somewhere down the road a ways
(At the end of the line)
You’ll think of me, and wonder where I am these days
(At the end of the line, end of the line)
Maybe somewhere down the road when somebody plays
(At the end of the line)
Purple haze
Well it’s alright, even when push comes to shove
Well it’s alright, if you got someone to love
Well it’s alright, everything’ll work out fine
Well it’s alright, we’re going to the end of the line
Don’t have to be ashamed of the car I drive
(At the end of the line)
I’m just glad to be here, happy to be alive
(At the end of the line, end of the line)
And it don’t matter if you’re by my side
(At the end of the line)
I’m satisfied
Well it’s alright, even if you’re old and gray
Well it’s alright, you still got something to say
Well it’s alright, remember to live and let live
Well it’s alright, the best you can do is forgive
Well it’s alright, riding around in the breeze
Well it’s alright, if you live the life you please
Well it’s alright, even if the sun don’t shine
Well it’s alright, we’re going to the end of the line
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: George Harrison / Roy Orbison / Thomas Earl Petty / Jeffrey Lynne / Robert Dylan
I last (and only) played this one three years ago, but it’s one of those songs like John Lennon’s Imagine that is timeless. The lyrics are a stream of consciousness list of more than 100 events that Joel felt his generation was not responsible for. Many of the references are to the Cold War (U.S. vs. Russia), a problem his generation inherited.
Joel says he got the idea for the song after a conversation with his friend, Sean Lennon, son of Beatle John Lennon, on the event of Sean’s 21st birthday, . The conversation went like this:
Lennon:It’s a terrible time to be 21!
Joel:Yeah, I remember when I was 21 – I thought it was an awful time and we had Vietnam, and y’know, drug problems, and civil rights problems and everything seemed to be awful.
Lennon:Yeah, yeah, yeah, but it’s different for you. You were a kid in the fifties and everybody knows that nothing happened in the fifties.
Joel:Wait a minute, didn’t you hear of the Korean War or the Suez Canal Crisis?
According to Joel …
I had turned forty. It was 1989 and I said “Okay, what’s happened in my life?” I wrote down the year 1949. Okay, Harry Truman was president. Popular singer of the day, Doris Day. China went Communist. Another popular singer, Johnnie Ray. Big Broadway show, South Pacific. Journalist, Walter Winchell. Athlete, Joe DiMaggio. Then I went on to 1950 … It’s one of the worst melodies I’ve ever written. I kind of like the lyric though.
Musically, the song does leave something to be desired. Blender magazine rated this the 41st worst song ever in its 2004 article “Run for Your Life! It’s the 50 Worst Songs Ever!” Comparing it to “a term paper scribbled the night before it’s due.”
But the song carries a message, and that overrides the flaws in the composition, at least for me it does.
My thanks to Keith and Ellen for reminding me of this song and its message …
We Didn’t Start the Fire Billy Joel
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe
Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I” and “The Catcher in the Rye”
Eisenhower, vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu falls, “Rock Around the Clock”
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev
Princess Grace, “Peyton Place”, trouble in the Suez
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, “Bridge on the River Kwai”
Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide
Buddy Holly, “Ben Hur”, space monkey, Mafia
Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, “Psycho”, Belgians in the Congo
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Hemingway, Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
“Lawrence of Arabia”, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson
Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
“Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China’s under martial law
Rock and roller cola wars, I can’t take it anymore
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
A night or so ago, my friend Jerry suggested this song. I thought I had played it here a few times, but turns out I only played it once, back in 2019. So, here is tonight’s redux and I promise to try to come up with something I haven’t played before by the end of the week!
This song has a strange title, and an equally strange history, but I love, love, love the horns in it. Released in 1970, this song was written by Robert Lamm, who is a keyboard player and singer for Chicago. It’s about trying to write a song, with the title referring to the time of day: either 3:35 a.m. (25 to 4) or 3:34 a.m. (26 to 4). Confused yet? According to Lamm …
“I was living with a bunch of hippies up above Sunset Strip. One of the advantages of this particular house was that it was in the Hollywood Hills and I could look out over the city late at night. I wanted to try to describe the process of writing the song that I was writing. So, ‘waiting for the break of day, searching for something to say, flashing lights against the sky’ – there was a neon sign across the city. That song came from the fact that it was 25 or 6 to 4 a.m. in the morning when I looked at my watch – I was looking for a line to finish the chorus.
Most songs that were written, especially in the early days, whenever I got them to the band and we started rehearsing them, that’s when the songs took shape – once these guys got hold of them. There was definitely a lot of raw material, I thought it was a song when I wrote the words down, I wrote the changes down and I brought the charts to rehearsal, but it wasn’t really a song until they all played it.”
Chicago was previously known as Chicago Transit Authority, which was the name of their first album. They shortened their name after the actual Chicago transit authority objected, and began releasing albums with their name followed by a roman numeral (Chicago II, Chicago III, Chicago IV, etc.).
Peter Cetera is the lead singer on this version. After he left the band in 1985, Chicago recorded an updated version for their album Chicago 18 with Jason Scheff singing lead, but I much prefer the original.
Interestingly, the song was banned in Singapore in 1970 due to “alleged allusions to drugs”; the ban extended to entire albums including the song, such as Chicago 18. In 1993, the ban on this song was lifted, along with long-time bans on songs by other artists such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
25 or 6 to 4 Chicago
Waiting for the break of day
Searching for something to say
Dancing lights againnst the sky
Giving up I close my eyes
Sitting cross-legged on the floor
25 or 6 to 4
Staring blindly into space
Getting up to splash my face
Wanting just to stay awake
Wondering how much I can take
Should have tried to do some more
25 or 6 to 4
Feeling like I ought to sleep
Spinning room is sinking deep
Searching for something to say
Waiting for the break of day
25 or 6 to 4
25 or 6 to 4
I know I’ve been reduxing a lot lately, but I’ve just not had the energy at the end of the day to delve into new material. Please bear with me … I promise to do better soon! I’ve only played this one once, about a year-and-a-half ago, so I’m hoping you won’t mind listening again today!
According to Wikipedia …
Like many classic folk ballads, ‘The House of the Rising Sun’ is of uncertain authorship. Musicologists say that it is based on the tradition of broadside ballads, and thematically it has some resemblance to the 16th-century ballad “The Unfortunate Rake”, yet there is no evidence suggesting that there is any direct relation. According to Alan Lomax, “Rising Sun” was the name of a bawdy house in two traditional English songs, and it was also a name for English pubs.[5] He further suggested that the melody might be related to a 17th-century folk song, “Lord Barnard and Little Musgrave”, also known as “Matty Groves”, but a survey by Bertrand Bronson showed no clear relationship between the two songs. Lomax proposed that the location of the house was then relocated from England to New Orleans by White Southern performers. However, folklorist Vance Randolph proposed an alternative French origin, the “rising sun” referring to the decorative use of the sunburst insignia dating to the time of Louis XIV, which was brought to North America by French immigrants.
“House of Rising Sun” was said to have been known by miners in 1905.[6] The oldest published version of the lyrics is that printed by Robert Winslow Gordon in 1925, in a column “Old Songs That Men Have Sung” in Adventure magazine. The lyrics of that version begin:
There is a house in New Orleans, it’s called the Rising Sun It’s been the ruin of many poor girl Great God, and I for one.
The oldest known recording of the song, under the title “Rising Sun Blues”, is by Appalachian artists Clarence “Tom” Ashley and Gwen Foster, who recorded it on September 6, 1933 on the Vocalion label (02576). Ashley said he had learned it from his grandfather, Enoch Ashley. Roy Acuff, an “early-day friend and apprentice” of Ashley’s, learned it from him and recorded it as “Rising Sun” on November 3, 1938. Several older blues recordings of songs with similar titles are unrelated, for example, “Rising Sun Blues” by Ivy Smith (1927) and “The Risin’ Sun” by Texas Alexander (1928). There is a common perception that prior to The Animals the song was about and from the perspective of a woman. This is incorrect, as the narrative of the lyrics has been continually whipped back and forth from a female to a male cautionary tale. The earliest known printed version from Gordon’s column is about a woman’s warning. The earliest known recording of the song by Ashley is about a rounder, a male character. The lyrics of that version begin:
There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun Where many poor boys to destruction has gone And me, oh God, are one.
This song has been recorded by Woody Guthrie, Glenn Yarbrough, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan, to name a few, but the most famous version remains that of The Animals. According to The Animals’ drummer John Steel …
“We Played Liverpool on May 17, 1964 and then drove to London where Mickie had booked a studio for ITV’s Ready Steady Go! Because of the reaction we were getting to ‘Rising Sun,’ we asked to record it and he said, ‘Okay we’ll do it at the same session.’ We set up for balance, played a few bars for the engineer – it was mono with no overdubs – and we only did one take. We listened to it and Mickie said, ‘That’s it, it’s a single.’ The engineer said it was too long, but instead of chopping out a bit, Mickie had the courage to say, ‘We’re in a microgroove world now, we will release it.’ A few weeks later it was #1 all over the world. When we knocked The Beatles off the top in America, they sent us a telegram which read, ‘Congratulations from The Beatles (a group)’.”
House Of The Rising Sun The Animals
There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy Dear God, I know I was one
My mother was a tailor She sewed my new blue jeans And my father was a gamblin’ man Way down in New Orleans
And the only thing a gambler needs Is a suitcase in the trunk And the only time he’s satisfied Is when he’s on a drunk
Oh mother, tell your children Not to do what I have done Don’t spend your life in sin and misery In the House of the Rising Sun
I got one foot on the platform And another on the train And I’m goin’ back to New Orleans To wear that ball and chain
There is a house in New Orleans They call the Rising Sun And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy Dear God, I know I was one Dear God, I know I was the one
Tonight I am tired and hot because the air-conditioning went south, and I have to be up early to greet the maintenance dude when he shows up to (hopefully) repair the air! So, I am reduxing one that I played two years ago and hope you’ll enjoy it!
Group leader John Fogerty wrote this song. Released in 1970, the song is often interpreted as a protest of the Vietnam War (like Fortunate Son), but when he performed it at the Arizona state fair in 2012, Fogerty told the crowd that he had been at Woodstock, watching the rain come down. He watched the festival goers dance in the rain, muddy, naked, cold, huddling together, and it just kept raining. So when he got back home after that weekend, he sat down and wrote Who’ll Stop the Rain, making it not a Vietnam protest at all, but a recounting of his Woodstock experience.
The line, “I went down Virginia, seekin’ shelter from the storm” gave Bob Dylan the idea for the title of his 1975 song Shelter From The Storm.
The song was a concert staple for Bruce Springsteen during 1980-81’s River Tour, as well as on the summer 2003 leg of the Rising Tour. Springsteen and the E Street Band opened with Who’ll Stop the Rain whenever it was raining. When Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, Springsteen performed the song with John Fogerty.
Who’ll Stop the Rain Creedence Clearwater Revival
Long as I remember the rain been coming down.
Clouds of myst’ry pouring confusion on the ground.
Good men through the ages, trying to find the sun;
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain.
I went down Virginia, seeking shelter from the storm.
Caught up in the fable, I watched the tower grow.
Five year plans and new deals, wrapped in golden chains.
And I wonder, still I wonder who’ll stop the rain.
Heard the singers playing, how we cheered for more.
The crowd had rushed together, trying to keep warm.
Still the rain kept pouring, falling on my ears.
And I wonder, still I wonder who’ll stop the rain.
I have reduxed this one every year since I first played it in … I think 2018. It carries a message that we all need to hear from time to time. Right now, all over the world, troubles abound. Thinking of Ukraine and Ukrainians at the moment, with their struggles to save their country from an evil wanna-be emperor. Climate change is bringing disastrous effects to people around the globe, to food and water supplies, and the list goes on. Here in the U.S., we are grieving for the lives lost over the past month in multiple mass shootings, especially the lives of 19 children lost in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Our politicians are playing the already massive divide, further dividing us and some are attempting to subjugate the people of the U.S. to a dictatorial leader. People all over the globe are suffering in one way or another, and so tonight I play this one for everyone, to remind us that … we all share this planet, that we must come together, find ways to mend our fences, to overcome our differences.
One of the times I played this, our friend John Howell provided a tidbit that I wasn’t aware of at the time …
“I loved the Michael Jackson comment to all the stars that were in studio for the “We are the World” recording session. He said that egos were to be left at the door and that anyone who had a problem with that would be driven home…by Stevie Wonder.”
I don’t imagine too many egos were on display after that!!!
This song … it is what we need today … and every day. Please listen and enjoy.
Hello my friends. With a heavy heart tonight, I was not going to do a music post, but two special people convinced me, without realizing that they had a thing to do with it, to do one … and this one in particular. I shall explain …
A few nights ago, I was chatting via email with our friend Ellen, and she noted that while sometimes one doesn’t feel that they have a song in their heart, they should … sing anyway! Tonight, I felt as if I had no song in my heart, and really, I just wanted to go to bed. But, somewhere in my head, I heard Ellen saying, “C’mon, Filosofa … sing anyway!”
This was a benefit single for victims of famine in Africa. It raised over $60 Million, which was distributed to Ethiopia, Sudan, and other impoverished countries.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote this song, and Quincy Jones produced it. This talented trio was perfect for the job: Quincy Jones was the hottest producer around, and his Rolodex (what would now be a contact list) was filled with the biggest names in music; Richie had written songs that went to #1 on the Hot 100 each of the previous seven years (“We Are The World” made it eight); Michael Jackson had the biggest album of 1984 with Thriller (produced by Jones) and was the biggest star in the world.
The USA For Africa project began as an idea calypso singer Harry Belafonte had for a benefit concert featuring black musicians. In late December 1984, looking for artists to participate, Belafonte called Ken Kragen, who managed an impressive roster of talent, including Lionel Richie. Kragen convinced Belafonte that they could raise more money and make a bigger impact with an original song; Belafonte agreed and Richie came on board to help.
Kragen asked Quincy Jones to produce, and Jones enlisted Michael Jackson. Richie got Stevie Wonder involved, and from there, word got out and many members of the music industry signed on to help. The project from conception to recording took about a month.
This all-star charity single was inspired by Band Aid, the British group Bob Geldof put together the year before to record Do They Know It’s Christmas?. Band Aid, which included Bono, Phil Collins, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Sting, served as a template, showing how a disparate group of famous artists could come together in one day to record a song.
The stars who sang solos were, in order, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Michael Jackson (again), Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes. Bob Dylan and Ray Charles were also featured on the song and given close-ups in the video.
Harry Belafonte, who had the original idea for the project, was in the chorus but didn’t get a solo, joining Bette Midler, Smokey Robinson, The Pointer Sisters, LaToya Jackson, Bob Geldof, Sheila E., and Waylon Jennings as backing singers.
Quincy Jones was responsible for managing the egos of all the stars. It went very smoothly considering some very famous people did not get to sing a line. Most of the singers knew Jones personally and respected his wishes that they check their egos at the door.
Just goes to show what we can accomplish when people of all sorts come together for a common cause. I think … though the cause is different … this song has just as much meaning for our world today as it did when it was released in 1985, some 34 years ago, don’t you?
We Are the World U.S.A. for Africa
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can’t go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We’re all a part of God’s great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
Oh, there’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
When you’re down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there’s no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day, so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There is a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, let me hear you!
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (said we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, yeah
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
And we’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world, we are the world (are the world)
We are the children, yes sir (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!
We are the world (dear God) (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let’s start giving (all right, can you hear what I’m saying?)
There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives
I play this one about once a year, for it carries a message that we all need to hear from time to time. Right now, all over the world, troubles abound. In Haiti, Cuba, South Africa, protests are rocking the nations. In much of the world, the new variants of the coronavirus pandemic are causing renewed surges, people are dying and there aren’t enough vaccines in many countries, economies are in trouble, climate change is bringing disastrous effects to people around the globe, to food and water supplies, and the list goes on. Here in the U.S., we have such a political divide that families are being torn apart and white supremacy is threatening us all. So tonight I play this one for everyone, to remind us that … we all share this planet, that we must come together, find ways to mend our fences, to overcome our differences.
When I played this just over a year ago, our friend John Howell provided a tidbit that I wasn’t aware of at the time …
“I loved the Michael Jackson comment to all the stars that were in studio for the “We are the World” recording session. He said that egos were to be left at the door and that anyone who had a problem with that would be driven home…by Stevie Wonder.”
I don’t imagine too many egos were on display after that!!!
This song … it is what we need today … and every day. Please listen and enjoy.
Hello my friends. With a heavy heart tonight, I was not going to do a music post, but two special people convinced me, without realizing that they had a thing to do with it, to do one … and this one in particular. I shall explain …
A few nights ago, I was chatting via email with our friend Ellen, and she noted that while sometimes one doesn’t feel that they have a song in their heart, they should … sing anyway! Tonight, I felt as if I had no song in my heart, and really, I just wanted to go to bed. But, somewhere in my head, I heard Ellen saying, “C’mon, Filosofa … sing anyway!”
This was a benefit single for victims of famine in Africa. It raised over $60 Million, which was distributed to Ethiopia, Sudan, and other impoverished countries.
Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote this song, and Quincy Jones produced it. This talented trio was perfect for the job: Quincy Jones was the hottest producer around, and his Rolodex (what would now be a contact list) was filled with the biggest names in music; Richie had written songs that went to #1 on the Hot 100 each of the previous seven years (“We Are The World” made it eight); Michael Jackson had the biggest album of 1984 with Thriller (produced by Jones) and was the biggest star in the world.
The USA For Africa project began as an idea calypso singer Harry Belafonte had for a benefit concert featuring black musicians. In late December 1984, looking for artists to participate, Belafonte called Ken Kragen, who managed an impressive roster of talent, including Lionel Richie. Kragen convinced Belafonte that they could raise more money and make a bigger impact with an original song; Belafonte agreed and Richie came on board to help.
Kragen asked Quincy Jones to produce, and Jones enlisted Michael Jackson. Richie got Stevie Wonder involved, and from there, word got out and many members of the music industry signed on to help. The project from conception to recording took about a month.
This all-star charity single was inspired by Band Aid, the British group Bob Geldof put together the year before to record Do They Know It’s Christmas?. Band Aid, which included Bono, Phil Collins, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Sting, served as a template, showing how a disparate group of famous artists could come together in one day to record a song.
The stars who sang solos were, in order, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Billy Joel, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Michael Jackson (again), Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes. Bob Dylan and Ray Charles were also featured on the song and given close-ups in the video.
Harry Belafonte, who had the original idea for the project, was in the chorus but didn’t get a solo, joining Bette Midler, Smokey Robinson, The Pointer Sisters, LaToya Jackson, Bob Geldof, Sheila E., and Waylon Jennings as backing singers.
Quincy Jones was responsible for managing the egos of all the stars. It went very smoothly considering some very famous people did not get to sing a line. Most of the singers knew Jones personally and respected his wishes that they check their egos at the door.
Just goes to show what we can accomplish when people of all sorts come together for a common cause. I think … though the cause is different … this song has just as much meaning for our world today as it did when it was released in 1985, some 34 years ago, don’t you?
We Are the World U.S.A. for Africa
There comes a time
When we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
Oh, and it’s time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can’t go on
Pretending day-by-day
That someone, somewhere soon make a change
We’re all a part of God’s great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, send them your heart
So they know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
Oh, there’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
When you’re down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there’s no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize
Oh, that a change can only come
When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let’s start giving
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day, so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There is a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
Oh, let me hear you!
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (said we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, yeah
We are the world (we are the world)
We are the children (we are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
And we’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones who’ll make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me
We are the world, we are the world (are the world)
We are the children, yes sir (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let’s start giving (so let’s start giving)
There’s a choice we’re making
We’re saving our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!
We are the world (dear God) (are the world)
We are the children (are the children)
We are the ones that make a brighter day so let’s start giving (all right, can you hear what I’m saying?)
There’s a choice we’re making, we’re saving our own lives
Last night my friend Carolyn over at Nuggets of Gold wrote a post … she’s a storyteller, and a damn fine one at that. Her post was titled “Forever Young” and naturally this song by Rod Stewart came into all our minds. I don’t know about Tippy, Jim and Jason (her most prolific commentors), but the song stayed in my head all evening! Begging for release, it was (Carolyn, I owe you one, my friend!) and so I really had no choice but to play it here tonight. I really can’t complain, though, for I do like the song and the video is rather interesting.
Rod Stewart wrote this song with his guitarist Jim Cregan and his keyboard player Kevin Savigar. Rod considers it one of the songs he’s most proud of, saying …
“I love ‘Forever Young,’ because that was a real heartfelt song about my kids. I suddenly realized I’d missed a good five years of Sean and Kimberley’s life because I was so busy touring all the time. With these kids now I don’t make that mistake – I take them on tour with me, so I can watch them grow up. So that’s another favourite. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a big hit in England, but it’s like a national anthem here (America).”
Andy Taylor of Duran Duran produced the album with Stewart and performed the guitar solo on this song. Released in 1988, the song went to #9 in Canada, #12 in the U.S., and initially only reached #57 in the UK. However, it returned to the UK singles chart in 2013 after it was featured in the Tesco 2013 Christmas advertising campaign. This time it peaked at #55, improving by two whole places!
The structure of the lyrics in this song is very similar to a Bob Dylan song of the same title. After its completion, the song was then sent to Dylan, asking whether he had a problem with it. The two men agreed to participate in the ownership of the song and share Stewart’s royalties. Wow … no lawsuits, no arguments, just the spirit of cooperation to provide good music.
In January 1989, immediately following the broadcast of Super Bowl XXIII, NBC Sports used “Forever Young” as the soundtrack for a year-in-review montage showcasing highlights from the 1988 Summer Olympics, the 1988 World Series, the 1989 Fiesta Bowl, and Super Bowl XXIII. All four events had been broadcast by NBC.
This video was filmed on Potrero Road in Hidden Valley, Ventura County, California.
Forever Young Rod Stewart
May the good Lord be with you down every road you roam.
And may sunshine and happiness surround you when you’re far from home.
And my you grow to be proud, dignified and true.
And do unto others as you’d have done to you.
Be courageous and be brave.
And in my heart you’ll always stay
May good fortune be with you, may your guiding light be strong,
Build a stairway to heaven with a prince or a vagabond.
And may you never love in vain.
And in my heart you will remain
And when you fin’lly fly away, I’ll be hoping that I served you well.
For all the wisdom of a lifetime, no one can ever tell.
But whatever road you choose, I’m right behind you win or lose,
Forever young. (Forever young)
Forever young. (Forever young)
Forever young. Forever young
For forever young
This has been a week, hasn’t it? I feel like I’ve been on a roller coaster ride that lasted … well, for a week. We all knew the election would be … contentious, to say the least, but to have the highest office in the land soiled as it has been these last two weeks is demoralizing. So, in picking tonight’s song, I chose one that reflects a character who “changes despair into joy and chaos into rest …” I don’t know about you guys, but I could use some joy and also some rest.
This was written by Bob Dylan, but British rock group Manfred Mann was the first to record it. It was rare for Dylan to let anyone record one of his songs before he did, but Quinn The Eskimo was an exception. Mike D’Abo of Manfred Mann explains …
“We met in a publisher’s house as Bob Dylan was making some new material available to other artists. We heard about 10 songs and I thought ‘This Wheel’s On Fire’ would be the one to do, but Manfred liked The Mighty Quinn, which was called ‘Quinn The Eskimo’ then. It was sung in a rambling monotone but Manfred had recognized its potential. He sold me on the idea of doing this song, but I had to make up some of the words as I couldn’t make out everything he was saying. It was like learning a song phonetically in a foreign language. I have never had the first idea what the song is about except that it seems to be ‘Hey, gang, gather round, something exciting is going to happen ’cause the big man’s coming.’ As to who the big man is and why he is an Eskimo, I don’t know.”
Typical of Bob Dylan, the lyric is vivid but vague, telling the story of the eagerly anticipated Quinn the Eskimo. It’s possible that Dylan came up with the idea after seeing the 1959 Nicholas Ray movie The Savage Innocents. In that movie, Anthony Quinn plays an Eskimo named Inuk. The film is also notable as the first screen appearance of Peter O’Toole, who demanded that his name be removed from the film as all of his dialog was dubbed by another actor.
Dylan released his version in 1970 on his album Self Portrait. While the Manfred Mann version was titled Mighty Quinn, Dylan’s was Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn). It also appears on his 1972 album More Greatest Hits. Ron Cornelius was Dylan’s guitarist for the Self Portrait sessions. According to Cornelius …
“There’s everybody and his brother flying into Nashville to play on that thing. If you look at the credits, it’s amazing how many people were delighted to come and play on it. Out of everybody I’ve worked with, I don’t know of anyone who’s been any nicer than Bob Dylan.”
The song was featured in a 1989 movie with the same name starring Denzel Washington as a police officer named Xavier Quinn. The song is performed in the movie by Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Nearly two decades after the song’s 1967 release, The Grateful Dead started playing The Mighty Quinn in concert in 1985. It became a favorite encore among the Grateful Dead’s fans, and remained so to the end of their career.
Mighty Quinn topped the charts at #1 in the UK, #3 in Canada, and #10 in the U.S.
Mighty Quinn Manfred Mann
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Everybody’s building
Ships and boats
Some are building monuments
Others dummy pound notes
Everybody’s in dispair
Every girl and boy
But when Quinn the eskimo gets here
Everybody’s gonna jump for joy
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
I like to go just like the rest
I like my sugar sweet
But jumping queues and making haste
Just ain’t my cup of meat
Everyone’s beneath the trees
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the eskimo gets here
All the pigeons gonna run to him
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Let me do what I wanna do
I can’t decide on my own
Just tell me where to put ’em
And I’ll tell you who to call
Nobody can get no sleep
Cause there’s someone on everyones toes
But when Quinn the eskimo gets here
Everybody’s gonna wanna doze
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Come on without
Come on within
You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
This one was never a #1 hit, maybe some of you have never even heard it before, but in light of the recent murder by police of George Floyd and the blatant racism we see by our own elected officials, I felt this was a very appropriate song to share. I do hope you will spend the 3 minutes to listen … it is poignant, moving.
The song was inspired by various personal events in Cooke’s life, most prominently an event in which he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana. Cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him, and that pertained to the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans.
On October 8, 1963, en route to Shreveport, Louisiana, Cooke called ahead to the Holiday Inn North to make reservations for his wife, Barbara, and himself, but when he and his group arrived, the desk clerk glanced nervously and explained there were no vacancies. While his brother Charles protested, Sam was fuming, yelling to see the manager and refusing to leave until he received an answer. His wife nudged him, attempting to calm him down, telling him, “They’ll kill you,” to which he responded, “They ain’t gonna kill me, because I’m Sam Cooke.” When they eventually persuaded Cooke to leave, the group drove away calling out insults and blaring their horns. When they arrived at the Castle Motel on Sprague Street downtown, the police were waiting for them, arresting them for disturbing the peace.
Upon hearing Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” in 1963, Cooke was greatly moved that such a poignant song about racism in America could come from someone who was not black, and was also ashamed he had not yet written something like that himself. However, his image and fears of losing his largely white fan base prevented him from doing so. Cooke loved the song so much it was immediately incorporated into his repertoire.
Many others, including Aaron Neville and Patti LaBelle have recorded this song, but … well, it belongs to Sam Cooke, so without further ado …
A Change Is Gonna Come Sam Cook
I was born by the river in a little tent
Oh and just like the river I’ve been running ev’r since
It’s been a long time, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die
‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there, beyond the sky
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
I go to the movie and I go downtown
Somebody keep tellin’ me don’t hang around
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin’ me
Back down on my knees, oh
There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long
But now I think I’m able to carry on
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will
This one was never a #1 hit, maybe some of you have never even heard it before, but in light of the recent murder by police of George Floyd and the blatant racism we see by our own elected officials, I felt this was a very appropriate song to share. I do hope you will spend the 3 minutes to listen … it is poignant, moving.
Filosofa's Word 