Saturday Music: One Bright Star

This song comes from Vince Gill's 1993 Christmas CD LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH. I was reminded of it a few weeks ago when I learned that Sis was tapped to direct the kids' Christmas play at her church and had cast the Princess in the lead role. The Princess said (proudly, I thought), "I'm the star."

"Hey, that's cool!" I enthused.

"No, I mean LITERALLY I'm the star. The Star of Bethlehem."

OH-kay. . .

Sis confided later that the main reason she had cast the Princess as the Star had nothing to do with nepotism. True, the role is the largest in the play--but, she added pragmatically, "With her, I knew for certain I could bully her into learning the lines."

Imagine me trying not to ROFLMAO--

Okay, the graphics in this video are moderately weird. But Gill's sweet tenor and the gorgeous harmony vocals overcome the graphics and make a lyrically commonplace song about the Star of Bethlehem into a rare treasure. Hope you like!

Winter Waltzes

The cold of approaching winter has finally sneaked into the knobs. Yesterday afternoon my brother-in-law came and turned on the gas heater. This morning the chill is gone from the hardwood floors, and Blackadder seems quite happy (he’s been hinting for a couple of weeks that we really need to turn on the warm!)

And even though snow is quite a ways off (if we get any this winter), I watched the blue flames dance and was reminded of two lovely "winter waltzes", both dear and familiar.

Emil Waldteufel, "Skaters’ Waltz" (1882)






Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky, "Waltz of the Snowflakes" from THE NUTCRACKER (1891-92)





I can imagine dancing through falling snow, coming in breathless and rosy, to settle in with a cup of cocoa, maybe a freshly baked cookie, and a good book—while the snow goes on whirling outside and the flames dance inside.

Good place to be—even if it’s illusory.

Later, dear ones. . .

Rockin' With Detroit's Finest: Bob Seger

It’s too early for Christmas music, and frankly, I’m in a mood to rock. When I reach that point, I turn to an old favorite: Bob Seger.

Back during the 2008 election cycle, I fell in love with his song "Turn the Page". It seemed to me at the time that the life of a political candidate, particularly the front runners for the presidential nominations, was as tiring and disheartening as Seger’s portrayal of a musician who’s been on the road too long. First released in 1973, "Turn the Page" didn’t become a Seger staple until the legendary 1975 live version, with its moaning saxophone opening and closing.



In 1991, Seger released an album called THE FIRE INSIDE. The title tune is, thematically, the same as a late seventies Johnny Lee hit about "lookin’ for love in all the wrong places", a downer about the frenetic boozing, doping, and indiscriminate sex that could be found on the club scene back in the 70s and 80s. The lyrics are highly imagistic, an indictment of that fruitless search, with no happy ending in sight. Propelled by piano and drums (played, respectively, by Roy Bittan of the E Street Band and Russ Kunkel), it’ll have you dancing as very few downers can do.



Gonna be rockin’ at the Red Mud Inn all PM--

Saturday Music: Favorites from Ol' Blue Eyes

I'm in a Sinatra mood, my dears--hence these songs. "Witchcraft", written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, was originally recorded as a solo in 1957, but this version, a 1993 duet with the beautiful Anita Baker, is WONDERFUL.



"I’ve Got You Under My Skin" written by Cole Porter, comes from a 1956 album called SONGS FOR SWINGIN’ LOVERS. Don't talk to me about anybody else's version--not even Thomas Hampson's--or the duet with Bono from the same album as the duet with Anita Baker; this one is truly the standard, and all others fall short. Harrumph.



Oh, my. It don't get no better than this. Later, fellow music mavens.