Julie
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Today, just a song that I happen to love. Curtis Mayfield, So In Love. The brass and organ riffs in this song break my heart in pieces, and put it back together again every chorus. Listening to this song feels like being in love feels to me, earnest and hopeful and sad all at the same time. Curtis's music is like that, is open and gentle and vulnerable in ways that really reasonate with me.
It's been awhile, but I thought it was time for some great music, you know, on Monday, because Monday's suck. And great music is...well...great!
Today, a little Linda Ronstadt.
I've been a Linda fan for a long time; I love her in the 70s with her rootsy, country-folk rock, I love her in the 80s and 90s with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra doing jazz standards, I love her these days teaming up with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris doing covers and converting rock songs to children's lullabies.
Linda hit the music scene in 1967 as the lead singer of a band called the Stone Poneys, with a song called Different Drum, written by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees. Different Drum was not her most commercially successful song, but her clear-as-a-bell voice did get her the attention of several songwriters, beginning her looong career as a talented vocal artist and champion of then lesser known songwriters including Elvis Costello, Phillip Glass, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Roy Orbison, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Paul Anka, Hank Williams, Patti Griffin, The Everly Brothers, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Neil Young, Tom Petty and Aaron Neville.
She's incredibly feminine, but also incredibly and tomboyishly tough, and brings a different kind of femininity to her music than other female artists of the time including Diana Ross, Melanie, Carole King and Carly Simon. She was faded blue jeans over flower skirts, electric guitar over whispering folk, and managed to break into the boys club of rock and roll but maintain her identity as a woman at the same time. She was also the first woman to successfully sell out stadium concerts with only herself as the headliner. In 1975 she was photographed by Annie Leibowitz for an interview and picture spread in Rolling Stone magazine, launching her to super sex-symbol status, but never lost her girl next door appeal. That's what I like best about her. On top of her importance as a woman in the rock music scene in the 70s, she just makes really good music, and onstage she has a realness about her that draws you in and feels incredibly homey to listen to. Like she might well be playing the night away in a backyard jam session rather than playing to audiences of a thousand or more. And she is a person who simploy loves music. Of all genres. She's collaborated with more artists than I can list here, and has had hits on the pop, country, rock, latin, easy listening, blues, opera, mariachi and children's charts. The big hits, most of us know... It's So Easy, That'll Be the Day, Heat Wave, When Will I Be Loved, You're No Good, Blue Bayou. Below, a few of my favorites, of the lesser known but just as good variety. And a few that are insanely popular but simply too good not to include.
These are all live performances... she's actually never released a live album throughout her career, which is unfortunate as she seems to be a performer who really feeds off of and gets that much better with the energy of the crowd.
Most of these clips are from her 1976 concert Linda Rondstadt London, which is posted on youtube in it's entirety by the fabulous JKTRL. If you've got the time, I encourage you to watch all 12 of the clips. It won't be time wasted.
And now, some favorites. You'll have to follow the links for some of these, as the user denies embedding access. Just click on the song name (not the picture) for the jump.
Okay, so here are two versions of this song, because it's my favorite of hers and I simply couldn't decide which I liked better. The first is from a 1974 performance on American Bandstand; it sounds much like the studio released version that got radio airplay, and you can really hear how good the song is. Plus I love the backup singer in the yellow jumpsuit behind her who is shaking hip like she doesn't even have bones.
The second version is from an outdoor summer concert she did in 1976 and she is ROCKING OUT. She's really feeding on the energy of the crowd, and the music is loud and hard, and she's putting all her guts into it and the result is awesome, even if the audio quality isn't as good.
Hope you enjoy them both. I just couldn't choose only one.
SOOOO, I love a meme, I love music, and when this MUSIC MEME crossed my path, I found myself in meme heaven. It comes from the fabulous Andrea over at Hula Seventy. Read mine, play yours, and then post your lists in the comments. Here's how it works...
If your life were a soundtrack, what would the music be?
1. open your library (iTunes, winamp, media player, Zen, iPod) 2. put it on shuffle 3. press play 4. for every question, type the name of whatever song comes up 5. new question-- press the next button 6. don't lie and try to pretend you're cool
SOUNDTRACK FOR MY LIFE...
opening credits: "Do Right Woman" Aretha Franklin
waking up: "Train Wreck" Sarah McLachlan
first day at school: "Beloved Wife" Natalie Merchant
falling in love: "Lighter's Up" Lil' Kim
breaking up: "Beautiful Boy" John Lennon
prom: "A Kiss to Build A Dream On" Louis Armstrong
life's okay: "Goodbye to Love" The Carpenters
mental breakdown: "Little Plastic Castle" Ani Difranco
driving: "Louise" Bonnie Raitt
flashback: "Here Comes the Sun" Nina Simone
getting back together: "I Shall Believe" Sheryl Crow
wedding: "Hurt" Johnny Cash
birth of child: "What Condition My Condition Was In" Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
final battle: "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" Sophie B. Hawkins
death scene: "Wigwam" Bob Dylan
funeral song: "We Can Work It Out" The Beatles
end credits: "Skyline Pigeon" Elton John
So, I totally didn't cheat. Just what exactly what IS my Zen player trying to tell me about my love life???
Comments
just in case...my iPod is responsible for this...not me
SOUNDTRACK FOR MY LIFE …
opening credits: "One Day at a Time" Jeremy Camp
waking up: "Statue" Low Millions
first day at school: "Joy To The World" Three Dog Night
falling in love: "Down We Fall" Drake Bell
breaking up: "Man-Revolutionary!" Rogue Wave
prom: "Si Volvieras a Mi" Josh Groban
life’s okay: "Twin Cinema" The New Pornographers
mental breakdown: "Bright Lights" Matchbox Twenty
driving: "Sweet Emotion" Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon
flashback: "Brothers Under the Sun" Bryan Adams
getting back together: "Good People" Jack Johnson
wedding: "Things we Go Through" Hawk Nelson
birth of child: "Beautiful" Shawn MacDonald
final battle: "Everything Is Beautiful" Starfield
death scene: "Touch Me" The Doors
funeral song: "Ironic" Alanis Morissette
end credits: "Peace Train" Cat Stevens
Well, I was VERY tempted to lie, especially when Bryan Adams and Drake Bell came up. If your love life is screwed up, look at what my iPod said about mine! m.e.
Here we go - here's hoping for cool tunes all the way...
opening credits: “Painter Song” Norah Jones
waking up: “Sideman” Lonnie Smith
first day at school: “Two Way Monologue” Sondre Lerche
falling in love: “Hindi Sad Diamonds” Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo & Alka Yagnik (shit, I was doing so well on the cool front)
breaking up: “Your Song” Marius DeVries
prom: “Cannonball” The Breeders (that's better!)
life’s okay: “Dig Dr Woody” Sonny Sitt
mental breakdown: “Up, Up & Away” 5th Dimension
driving: “Nevertheless” Frank Sinatra
flashback: “All You Good Good People” Embrace
getting back together: “Chico - Death Of A Rock Star” Goldie (Wow - I can't think of a less romantic tune)
wedding: “What You Waiting For (Elevator Mix)” Gwen Stefani
birth of child: “The Rolling People” The Verve
final battle: “Starstruck” The Kinks
death scene: “Twisted Logic” Coldplay
funeral song: “Quixote” Polygon Window (Christ, I reckon that would scare the priest)
end credits: “Step It Up” Stereo MCs
WOW! I bloody loved that - that really did turn up some rather apt, and some incredibly unsuitable, choices.
MOG Meter
Comments
great post! such a thorough synopsis. i grew up with my mom listening to linda, but i haven't listened to her in a very long time. this was a blast from the past!
Very good ! I ve always liked her didnt know she could rock like that