Dept. of Memes

[kaffy_r]

Music Meme, Day 23

A song with a color in the title:

I knew almost immediately what song I wanted to share to fulfill this requirement. Cassandra Wilson's "Blue Lights 'til Dawn." Her lovely, throaty contralto makes this song particularly sensual. The loping rhythm is just right and the band backing her does her proud. 

Watch on YouTube

As is usually the case with me, I remembered another song with a different type of fascination: REM's "Green Grow the Rushes," from their amazing album "Maps and Legends." I've heard that the band had a complicated, somewhat ambivalent relationship with the album, although I can't find what I recall was the story where I read that. Perhaps it's just a fable ... anyhow, I used to play the entire album almost every day on my way to work. I was hypnotized by the single "Maps and Legends" and sometimes played it on repeat. "Green Grow the Rushes" was another song that felt like the world Stipe wrote and sang about was taking a breath, getting ready for the rest of this Southern Gothic masterpiece of an album. 

So here in its hypnotically resplendent Southern Gothic glory is "Green Grow the Rushes."

Watch on YouTube

 

Here is a link to my last post, which in turn holds links to previous entries. 

Comments

[maruad]

Maybe it is because it is supper time, but I immediately thought of Crowbar's version of House Of Blue Lights.

[kaffy_r]

And, as you often do, you introduce me to a musician or musical group that I need to listen to.

(By the way, I can't remember whether I mentioned this in previous conversations, but Roscoe, KPop and general music reactor, whose community I'm part of, is an incredible fan of Faouzia. He reacted to one of more recent pieces (at least I think it's fairly recent) and he and the rest of us listening on his stream, adored the piece. I wish I could remember the title of the song.)

[maruad]

It is my pleasure to share music I have learned to enjoy.

There are a lot of Faouzia videos of her live concerts as part of Singer 2024. She is doing covers of various artists as part of the rigged competition. Rigged or not, watching her in it is amazing.

She has a lot of new songs on her latest album that are quite interesting.

Worse come to worse, you can watch her live version of "Fur Elise". It is her twist on the classic.

I see Roscoe reacted to a couple of Faouzia's tunes a year ago, as well some more recently. There is a lot of growth between her early works and her more recent stuff.

[kaffy_r]

It is my pleasure to share music I have learned to enjoy.

We're on the same wavelength, since this music meme has allowed me to share music that I've enjoyed. I hope you've explored at least one or two of them.

Roscoe reacted to a couple of Faouzia's tunes a year ago, as well some more recently.

I think the one I remembered was a version of "You Don't Even Know Me," but not the original MV; it was her playing piano and singing unaccompanied.

[pameladean]

"Little Red Corvette," "Raspberry Beret," and "The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes" are all jostling in my brain now.

Your choice of song is really gorgeous.

P.

[kaffy_r]

Your choices would fit the bill most enjoyably - and I love the Minneapolitan flavor of the first two. When you mentioned Elvis Costello's "Red Shoes," I was thrown back a number of years to the Minicons Bob and I, and occasionally our beloved bass player Dr. Gonzo, attended and took part in music parties. That was one of our favorite pieces to cover, and we also played it on stage when we were guests of honor. So many memories ....

Thank you for what you said about my choice of music. There are so many wonderful songs with colors in the title, but these two leapt to mind so quickly I had to use them.

[pameladean]

Your performances of Red Shoes were my introduction to the song. I had no other context for it, and was amused when, years later, my partner Cam introduced me to Elvis Costello and there it was. Similarly, it took me years to get that "Pale Blue Eyes" (speaking of songs with a color on the title), which Nate and Kara performed, was a Velvet Underground song. Being underedcated can produce lovely moments.

I've been playing your choices obsessively, so it's I who should thank you.

[kaffy_r]

Oh my goodness - I had no idea we were your introduction to Red Shoes, nor that Pale Blue Eyes was your introduction to the Velvet Underground. You're right about being unknowing can produce lovely moments. (I wouldn't call it undereducated; you'd simply not had the chance to run into those artists yourself.

The Cassandra Wilson and REM pieces do seem to elicit that kind of response. Heh.

[pameladean]

I'm fond of REM, but I didn't know about that album!

Your take on my musical education or lack thereof is very kind. C.S. Lewis in one of his less badly-dated moments remarks that it doesn't matter where you step into the great stream of literature. You can start with Matthew Arnold's poem about some event in Homer and read Homer later and realize, "Hey, that Arnold poem is from here!" and it's just as great as the other way around. I've found this true of most fields of knowledge. But many people want you to come across things in a particular order.

I once asked the assembled readers of Minneapa, "Who is Kenny Stabler?" (NFL quarterback who clobbered the Minnesota Vikings in the 1976 Superbowl. I didn't even live in Minnesota them, but not knowing in 1978 was very funny to Minneapa.)

P.

[kaffy_r]

I'm glad to hear about one of C.S. Lewis' "less badly-dated moments." I grew up loving the Narnia series, and feeling like I'd discovered a secret when I connected dots in "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" to the Christian story of Jesus' self-sacrifice. (Be patient with me; I was about 11 at the time."

So I've always had a positive relationship with Clive Staples - even though I disagreed with him about "battles are ugly when women fight." As I got older I found more and more to disagree with him about, particularly and most especially his attitude about women, and yet I loved his writing because he could turn some gorgeous phrases.

And yes, he could be wise, and the quote you shared is one of those gems of wisdom.

I wouldn't have known who Kenny Stabler was at that point, or at any point thereafter. Heh.