Favorite Songs

Sheesh! I wrote this and kept saving it on Private while I was writing it and forgot until now to take it out of Private!

Ok, CS&S has challenged me to do my favorite songs list and reading what CQ wrote reminded me that I could use {as she did} my Most Often Played list on my iPod so that is what I am going to do. I am going to do this a little differently though and write a little bit about why these songs are important to me {because, if you dont already know, this diary is all about mememeME.} Oh, and I want to say the order is just as they occur to me not in favorite song order.

1. "Sand and Water" sung by Beth Neilson Chapman {although Elton John does a pretty good version, too.} I first heard this when it was used as background music on an episode of "ER", and, apparently I did as thousands did and looked it up on Google. I was very interested to read later that right after that episode of "ER" that Google recorded a very high spike in requests.. The song was written to and about her husband after he died from cancer.

"I will see you in the light of a thousand suns
I  will hear you in the sound of the waves
I will know you when I come –as we all shall come
Through that door beyond the  grave…"

And with what is going on with my sister right now, you can see why I am playing this so often…

2. "A Texas Girl at the Funeral of her Father" sung by the King’s Singers. I am not sure I would like this song as much if it was not for this version. If you do not know the King’s Singers and if you like a cappella music, look them up. They also do a great version of "M.L.K." with a soaring counter-tenor… I saw them first on some late-night television show and immediately loved them because I once {in college} belonged to an a cappella group and it was one of the best experiences of my life.

Sing a sad song for a good man
Sing a sad song for me.
A sad song for a sailor
A thousand miles from the sea.

3. "Teo Torriatte" sung by Queen.

"Let us cling together as the years go by
Oh, my love, my love
In the quiet of the night let our candle always burn
Let us never lose the lessons we have learned."

I first liked Queen because of "Bohemian Rhapsody".  I expect some of you remember it came back into popularity again later when it was part of the movie "Wayne’s World’, {I think} Anyway, I remember how much my seventh graders were impressed that I actually liked Queen and played some of their music in my classroom!

4.  "The Wind Beneath my Wings" sung by Bette Midler. I associate this song with my younger son and his promotion from the seventh to the eight grade. The school I taught in at that time sent students on to the high school in the eighth grade. {Later, the eight and nineth graders were moved into into middle school.} We, the teachers and the parents, always made a big thing about this ceremony  and the students always voted on the song they wanted to sing at this time. This song was chosen by his group and they were to think of an adult in their lives who was their hero and sing it to or for them. Jake chose to sing it for his grandfather who had died when he was in the first grade. Years later, when he was in high school, Jake wrote a touching tribute with his memories of this man who loved him very much. Jake was the last of 14 grandchildren and he came along 10 years after the then-youngest one. For the first couple of years of his life, Jake spent five days a week with his grandmother and grandfather and his Pappaw took him everywhere.

     "Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
      You’re everything I would want to be
      I can fly higher than an eagle
     You are the wind beneath my wings."

5.  "The Dance" sung by Garth Brooks.

"…..I could have missed the pain
But I’d ‘ve had to miss the dance.."

I am not much of a country-music fan but there are some songs that he sings that I really like. I chose this one for two reasons. I have a friend who was a life-line for me years and years ago. We used to spend hours and hours communicating with each other on line and one day, he quoted this phrase to me. Years later, my younger son came back from his Army hitch in Korea liking Garth Brooks and line-dancing. {When he saw the incredulous look on my face he told me there was nothing else to listen to to or do there!} Anyway, he bought me a best-of CD of Garth Brooks for Christmas and assured me that  there were some songs on there that he knew I would like . Now, when he was in high school he was pretty good at recommending songs to me because he knew what I liked pretty well, and I was  used  to giving his recommendations a fair try since he was correct more often than he was incorrect! The minute I heard this song, I recognized the quote and my mind immediately went back to my friend. Now,  I now always associate this song with him. {In case you are wondering, we are still friends twenty years later although we are no longer so close because I no longer need "rescuing." That is his forte –rescuing damsels in distress!}

6. Democracy" sung by Leonard Cohen {Surely you didn’t think I was going to do this without some mention of Cohen? }

As I did with the King’s Singers, I found Leonard Cohen by random flipping through television channels. This show was a concert on Austin City Limits {I think} and it began with the insistent drum beat that is behind this whole song. When this song was over, I was hooked. I went out the next day and bought every song of Cohen’s that  I could find. {including "I’m your Fan" a collection of Cohen’s songs sung by various people and "Famous Blue Raincoat" a collection of Cohen’s songs sung by Jennifer Warnes.}

"I’m sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country, but I can’t stand the scene
And I’m neither left or right
I ‘m just staying home tonight
Getting lost in this hopeless little screen.
But I’m stubborn as thosegarbage bags that time can not decay
I’m junk but I’m still holding up this little wild bouquet–
Democracy is coming to the USA."

 This has been fun. I could {and probably will} go on but not right now!

Until later…