Tag Archives: Michael Seidel

♫ Take Me Home ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, History

I must admit that I stole the idea for tonight’s song from my friend, Michael Seidel, who featured it in his own post yesterday, though he posted a different, slightly longer version!  Thanks, Michael, for planting the seed in my head — Hugs ‘n cheers!

The only other time I have played this one was in 2019, when I had Phil Collins on my mind after hearing that …

Phil was performing at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, when he suddenly took a tumble.  That’s right, folks … fell down backward off the stool he was about to sit on.  But, as is the trademark of the true entertainer, “the show must go on”, and Phil barely missed a beat, got back up and continued to play and sing.

“I’m gonna be sitting down for a lot of tonight. But don’t be alarmed.  Getting old sucks. You know, back surgery, foot’s f—-d. It’s ugly. … But hey … I’m not dead yet.”

Take Me Home is often misconstrued to be about a man returning home, but Collins tells that the song’s lyrics refer to a patient in a mental institution, and that he was inspired by the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Sting and ex-Genesis band mate Peter Gabriel sang backup vocals. Also featured is former Culture Club backing singer Helen Terry.

This is one of Collins’ favorite songs in his catalogue. It has been in his setlist since the No Jacket Required tour, and is typically the last song he plays.

Take Me Home
Phil Collins

Take that look of worry
I’m an ordinary man
They don’t tell me nothing
So I find out what I can
There’s a fire that’s been burning
Right outside my door
I can’t see but I feel it
And it helps to keep me warm
So I
I don’t mind
No I
I don’t mind

Seems so long I’ve been waiting
Still don’t know what for
There’s no point escaping
I don’t worry anymore
I can’t come out to find you
I don’t like to go outside
They can’t turn off my feelings
Like they’re turning off a light
But I
I don’t mind
No I
I don’t mind
Oh I
I don’t mind
No I
I don’t mind

So take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
Oh Lord,
‘Cause I’ve been a prisoner all my life
And I can say to you

Take that look of worry
Mine’s an ordinary life
Working when it’s daylight
And sleeping when it’s night
I’ve got no far horizons
And I wish upon a star
They don’t think that I listen
Oh but I know who they are
And I, I don’t mind
No I, I don’t mind
Oh I, I don’t mind
No I, I don’t mind

So take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home, oh lord
Well I’ve been a prisoner all my life
And I can say to you

But I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember
Take, take me home
‘Cause I don’t remember

Songwriters: Phillip David Charles Collins
Take Me Home lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC

♫ Rocket Man ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

I must admit to a bit of thievery in today’s music post.  I have been lax in doing music posts for a few days, mainly because I just haven’t had a song in my heart or my head.  But then yesterday, my friend Michael Seidel posted Rocket Man by Elton John and … I immediately knew I had my song for today!  Thank you, Michael … I owe you one!

Released in 1972, around the time of the Apollo 16 mission, which sent men to the moon for the fifth time, it might be assumed that was the motivation behind the song, but according to the songwriter, Bernie Taupin, the inspiration was the short story The Rocket Man, written by Ray Bradbury. The sci-fi author’s tale is told from the perspective of a child, whose astronaut father has mixed feelings about leaving his family in order to do his job.

According to SongFacts …

Bradbury’s story was the basis for another song called “Rocket Man,” which was released by the folk group Pearls Before Swine (fronted by Tom Rapp) in 1970. Taupin says that song gave him the idea for his own “Rocket Man” (“It’s common knowledge that songwriters are great thieves, and this is a perfect example,” he said). In the Pearls Before Swine song, a child can no longer look at the stars after his astronaut father perishes in space.

The opening lyrics came to Bernie Taupin while he was driving near his parents’ house in Lincolnshire, England. Taupin has said that he has to write his ideas down as soon as they show up in his head, or they could disappear, so he drove though some back roads as fast as he could to get to the house where he could write down his thought: “She packed my bags last night, pre-flight. Zero hour, 9 a.m., and I’m gonna be high as a kite by then.”

From there he came up with the song about a man who is sent to live in space as part of a scientific experiment.

The most commonly misheard lyric in this song is “Rocket Man, burning out his fuse up here alone.” This was the centerpiece of a 2011 commercial for the Volkswagen Passat, where folks came up with all kinds of interpretations of the last few words: telephone, cheap cologne, motor home, provolone. A couple in a Passat can correctly interpret the words thanks to the car’s premium sound system, and all is well. This wasn’t the first time the song was used in a commercial; it was also featured in ads for AT&T.

The song charted at #2 in the UK, #6 in the U.S., and #8 in Canada.

Rocket Man

Elton John

She packed my bags last night pre-flight
Zero hour 9:00 a.m.
And I’m gonna be high
As a kite by then

I miss the Earth so much I miss my wife
It’s lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no
I’m a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no
I’m a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it’s cold as hell
And there’s no one there to raise them
If you did

And all this science
I don’t understand
It’s just my job five days a week
A rocket man
A rocket man

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no
I’m a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no
I’m a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
And I think it’s gonna be a-

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: קריבושי דוד / John,elton / Taupin,bernard J P

Rocket Man lyrics © Dick James Music Ltd.

♫ No Matter What ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

I played this one back in 2018, and again two years later.  I rather like it, so I’m playing it again tonight, for I’m too exhausted to go in search of something new.  Perhaps tomorrow …

This one is a little off the beaten path, so some may not remember it.  It never got above #5 on the UK charts, and #8 in the US.  It did better, however, in South Africa where it hit #1 for a brief time.  It’s one of those that I don’t think about often, but about twice a year, for no discernible reason, it pops into my head and stays for a day or two.  I like the rhythm, but as with most songs, just tonight I discovered that I had been singing the lyrics all wrong!  I’ve been singing “Down by the ol’ mill stream, be a part of it all”, when in fact it is “Knock down the old grey wall, and be a part of it all”.  Sigh.  deaf

The song was recorded by the band Badfinger in April 1970 at Abbey Road Studios under the Beatles’ label, Apple Records.  Some actually thought it was the Beatles when they first heard it, and Peter Ham actually used one of George Harrison’s Gibson guitars on this.

This song is also noted for its false ending, after the final chorus, where, after a short pause, the song repeats the last line twice before its final ending chord.

No Matter What
Badfinger

No matter what you are
I will always be with you
Doesn’t matter what you do girl, oh girl with you
No matter what you do
I will always be around

Won’t you tell me what you found girl, oh girl won’t you
Knock down the old grey wall, and be a part of it all
Nothing to say, nothing to see, nothing to do
If you would give me all, as I would give it to you
Nothing would be, nothing would be, nothing would be

No matter where you go
There will always be a place
Can’t you see in my face girl, oh girl don’t you
Knock down the old grey wall, and be a part of it all
Nothing to say, nothing to see, nothing to do
If you would give me all, as I would give it to you
Nothing would be, nothing would be, nothing would be

No matter what you are
I will always be with you
Doesn’t matter what you do girl, oh girl want you
Oh girl, you girl, want you
Oh girl, you girl, want you

Songwriters: Peter William Ham
No Matter What lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

Friday’s Theme Music

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, music, Re-blogs

In lieu of my own music post today, I give you my friend Michael’s “Friday Theme Music”. I’m not a big fan of Elvis — too much schmaltz & glitter, too much gyrating to suit me — but he did a few songs that I particularly like, and this is one of them. Thanks, Michael! Cheers!

Michael Seidel, writer

We’ve come to Friday. Full stop. What else needs said? Everyone has a Friday sense, a feel for what Friday means for them. We do that with every day, though, depending on schedules and activities, wants and needs, desires and confusion, determination and goals.

Rain is falling on this Oregon coast August 19th. The sun’s reappearance was dampened by clouds but still took place at 6:23 this morning. Turning away from Sol — which often invokes Pink Floyd and someone singing, “On the turning away” — takes place at 8:19 this evening. By that time, we’ll expect to be at 67 F, a small jump from our current 16 C. They say it feels like 60. Whatever, it’s loaded with soft salty fishy oceany fragrances sprinkled with dirt, sand, and asphalt, along with plant smells. Know that melange? It’s a relaxing scent to inhale, one that unfolds the soul and…

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Posted on by under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, History, Humour, music, Re-blogs

Since I didn’t do a music post this morning, and haven’t even given much thought to an afternoon post yet, I thought I’d share Michael’s great theme-music post with you … and you’ll have to laugh at his story about his fit-bit thingy! Thanks, Michael, for both the humour and the tune!

Michael Seidel, writer

The Neurons stuck “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago into the morning mental music stream. I think the group may have been the Chicago Transit Authority when the song was recorded. It’s from 1970, when I was fourteen, instilling thoughts about what year it is and how old I am. The song was delivered when I looked to my wrist to check my Fitbit for the time. ‘Lo, it wasn’t there. Apparently, the FB faked me into believing all was well. Then its symptoms returned. I charged it and charged it again but had to remove it from my wrist because it was going off every three seconds — notification — which becomes v — notification — intrusive to m — notification — processes.

Yes, the Fitbit is no more. I thought about searching for DIY repairs. Had done that tentatively. Maybe later. Maybe I’ll purchase…

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Rewriting History

Posted on by under education, Environmental Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Re-blogs, religion, Social commentary

So, considering history … if we determine to no longer teach about slavery, about Jim Crow … what will we replace it with? We cannot simply ignore the fact that Black people existed. Young people aren’t stupid … don’t you think they will ask questions? And what about books and movies like “Gone with the Wind” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”??? Will we destroy all copies of those? What do we replace the now-illegal facts of history with? Our friend Michael Seidel has written an excellent, thought-provoking post … thank you, Michael!!!

Michael Seidel, writer

In the Smithsonian Magazine’s excerpt of Narrative Tension, Inc.. From the forthcoming book Making History: The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past by Richard Cohen to be published by Simon & Schuster, Inc. Printed by permission, Richard Cohen writes this:

‘Around the same time, between 1934 and 1936, the Politburo, or policy-making body, of the Russian Communist Party focused on national history textbooks, and Stalin set scholars to writing a new standard history. The state became the nation’s only publisher. Orwell had it right in Nineteen Eighty-Four, where the Records Department is charged with rewriting the past to fit whomever Oceania is currently fighting. The ruling party of Big Brother “could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death.”’

He is writing about the old U.S.S.R., the Soviet Union, and how…

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♫ No Matter What ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under music

Tonight’s song is again a repeat from September 2018.  There is a reason it came to my mind, though, and just begged to be played.  My friend Michael Seidel posted this song on his “Friday’s Theme Music” post yesterday, and I fully agree with his reasoning … well, take a look yourself, and I think most of you will agree:  Friday’s Theme Music by Michael Seidel.

This one is a little off the beaten path, so some may not remember it.  It never got above #5 on the UK charts, and #8 in the US.  It did better, however, in South Africa where it hit #1 for a brief time.  It’s one of those that I don’t think about often, but about twice a year, for no discernible reason, it pops into my head and stays for a day or two.  I like the rhythm, but as with most songs, just tonight I discovered that I had been singing the lyrics all wrong!  I’ve been singing “Down by the ol’ mill stream, be a part of it all”, when in fact it is “Knock down the old grey wall, and be a part of it all”.  Sigh.  deaf

The song was recorded by the band Badfinger in April 1970 at Abbey Road Studios under the Beatles’ label, Apple Records.  Some actually thought it was the Beatles when they first heard it, and Peter Ham actually used one of George Harrison’s Gibson guitars on this.

This song is also noted for its false ending, after the final chorus, where, after a short pause, the song repeats the last line twice before its final ending chord.

No Matter What
Badfinger

No matter what you are
I will always be with you
Doesn’t matter what you do girl, oh girl with you
No matter what you do
I will always be around

Won’t you tell me what you found girl, oh girl won’t you
Knock down the old brick wall, and be a part of it all
Nothing to say, nothing to see, nothing to do
If you would give me all, as I would give it to you
Nothing would be, nothing would be, nothing would be

No matter where you go
There will always be a place
Can’t you see in my face girl, oh girl don’t you
Knock down the old brick wall, and be a part of it all
Nothing to say, nothing to see, nothing to do
If you would give me all, as I would give it to you
Nothing would be, nothing would be, nothing would be

No matter what you are
I will always be with you
Doesn’t matter what you do girl, oh girl want you
Oh girl, you girl, want you
Oh girl, you girl, want you

Songwriters: Peter William Ham
No Matter What lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc