Music worth keeping -- or discovering
My previous posts in this series (here and here) showed videos which were well-known back in their day -- for most readers they were things remembered rather than something new. Here are some which, as best I can remember, weren't as widely known, but which for me are equally evocative. See what you think.
I don't think there was ever a real video of this one. I recorded it off the radio at the time and listened to it that way.
I've heard that this one was inspired by Chernobyl. At the time it always made me think of nuclear war.
Popular music's most unique singer uses the greatest language:
Some might take this one as violating my "no love songs" rule, but to me it never registered that way. It evoked the theme of a life that took a wrong turn and went down the wrong path, far too long ago to be retrievable -- something that could be applied to many aspects of life.
I don't think there was ever a real video of this one. I recorded it off the radio at the time and listened to it that way.
I've heard that this one was inspired by Chernobyl. At the time it always made me think of nuclear war.
Popular music's most unique singer uses the greatest language:
Some might take this one as violating my "no love songs" rule, but to me it never registered that way. It evoked the theme of a life that took a wrong turn and went down the wrong path, far too long ago to be retrievable -- something that could be applied to many aspects of life.
posted by Infidel753 at 12:09 AM
10 Comments:
The second video is unavailable for me. Just thought I'd let you know. Dunno why.
What you say about Enya is... interesting. "Most unique" is possibly, in the context of pop-singers, incredibly difficult to quantify*. It's probably one of the single most provative statements I've ever heard from you. She's certainly unusual. It's got me thinking about people in other fields that could be called "unique".
*Yeah, I know. Does quantifying uniqueness even make sense.
Drat. I don't know why YouTube limits some videos to certain countries. The song is called "Pump" by the band "He Said". Hopefully that will enable you to find a UK-available version. Of course there's no way for me to tell whether a given video is unavailable in a particular country outside the US.
On things which are obviously matters of opinion, assertion of personal assessment is commonplace on personal blogs. The preface "in my opinion....." can be assumed in such cases and need not be explicitly stated, especially since the repetition of it would become tiresome.
Well, that was fun! I didn't recognize the first 3 songs but you're right that they're worthy contributions to that era. I owned that Enya CD and I love "Your Wildest Dreams". I have to admit to being tone deaf to lyrics so I rarely pay attention to them unless prompted to do so. Thus, I didn't think of it as a love song.
Last week, my family was vacationing and we put together a playlist where each person contributed 15 songs. I hadn't seen any of your posts in this series and maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I find it surprising that I added Enya's Wild Child (from the same CD) to the list and the only reason I didn't add Your Wildest Dreams is because I've had both my daughters listen to that song a few times in the last month.
Thanks for the listening pleasure.
Some of the rules are I think deliberately obscure for... reasons
For sure I appreciate your opinion on Enya is yours. What it got me thinking about is not that we all have personal opinions but... I guess the effect of the internet. Almost everything can be voted for out of 5 and that is weird compared to personal opinions. It's not something I'd really thought about before.
BTW. I do kinda like Enya.
My late husband's favorite band was The Moody Blues so I've heard quite a bit of them. I still can't listen to them without getting sad yet though. I've always like Enya.
I thought the Enya piece was wonderful, though I was prepared to hear a song fully in Latin(!) I understand the title is based on something that Marilyn Monroe wrote on her front doorstep--an interesting bit of new knowledge. Cursum Perficio suggests both positive and negative interpretations to me.
Though I won't ask you why you refrain from love songs, I did feel that the last video could have referred to any number of lost opportunities. I thought it was poignant.
I didn't find He Said's "Pump" appealing; not sure why.
Interesting. Thanks, Infidel.
CAS: Glad you liked it! And that the first three songs introduced you to something new.
My experience is that Enya fans crop up everywhere. For all the claims that people merely imprint on whatever music was popular in their own early adult period, many people do recognize quality and unique art when they hear it. I'm sure more of her music will be appearing in these posts in the future.
Interesting that your daughters apparently liked "Your Wildest Dreams" even though they must be far younger than I am. It's not just a matter of what generation you're from.
NickM: YouTube doesn't seem to operate by rules but by complaints from busybodies. They'll remove a video entirely at the slightest provocation. Unfortunately they're so dominant on the internet that it's hard to really work around them.
The rules on this blog, at least, are crystal clear -- they are whatever I say they are. :-)
And while my view of Enya as "the most unique" is obviously a personal opinion, of course the reference to Latin as "the greatest language" is objective fact and beyond question. :-)
Mary K: It's an understandable reaction. I still react the same way to some of my mother's favorite bands.
Glad that so many readers also like Enya!
Annie: I've always loved that song myself -- her style is mesmerizing.
My recollection is that Monroe had Cursum perficio ("I have finished my journey") carved on her tombstone, which makes the implication somewhat clearer. She led a sadder and more exploited life than most people at the time realized.
I decided not to include love songs in these posts because I find them mostly clichéd and formulaic, even if the music itself is good. And there were so many other options. The very fact that the music of decades ago covered a wider range of themes is, I think, a further indicator of its superiority.
"Pump" always had a kind of morbid quality to me. However, at the time I was listening to it a lot, that kind of thing appealed to me more than it does now. It still evokes memories for me.
I'm glad you liked the post.
You have excellent taste, sir, and I learned a couple things here
I actually saw the moody Blues in the early 80s. They were spectacular.
Funny that the Moody Blues has a scene featuring "In Search of the Lost Chord". My Dad brought that home in 1968 and my siblings and I loved it. This song is good but that old Moody Blues is epic. In fact I just listened to it the other day. Wow - it is still great and no love songs!
Reaganite: Thank you! Glad to provide something of interest.
Lady M: Unfortunately I don't have a broad knowledge of music, just a scattering of individual songs I like. I'm not actually familiar with the rest of the Moody Blues's music.
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