Well, folks, this is it. A year ago, I didn't consciously pick August 25th as the day to start the #YearlongMixtape, but felt like it was something fun that I wanted to do. And then I found out that last August 25th, 2014, was the 39th anniversary of Born To Run. It's the album that made Bruce a star.
The first song I chose a year ago was my favorite from the album, "She's The One." And it's only fitting that - just as Jon Stewart ended his Daily Show run with Bruce and the E Streeters, and he was a guest at U2's last NYC show a few weeks ago - so shall this silly thing I did for the past year end with Bruce on the 40th anniversary of this juggernaut of an album. He is first and last - the Alpha and the Omega - of rock music for me.
I chose this particular performance because, even after all these years, he and the band continue to put on great shows. Still 3 hours straight. And the fans are as engaged and passionate as they've ever been. Second only to U2, he's the artist I've seen the most in concert. I cannot stress this enough - you simply have to see him and the band live. I'll go with you. It'll change your life forever.
It's also the 10th anniversary of the 30th anniversary BTR box set. If you haven't seen the beautiful documentary that was produced for the box set, it is a must-see, and you can watch the whole thing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwkt6L_vY-I
I've tried to make the list as diverse as possible, but I know I've probably fallen short of that. I am working on compiling everything into a blog or a Spotify setlist (if I can figure out how Spotify works). I may occasionally post an "Oh no I forgot one!" song, because there's so much to share.
This one is for Clarence and Danny, two E Streeters who we've lost in the past few years. And thank you all so much for reading and listening - I hope it's been half as much for you as it's been for me!
"Someday girl, I don't know when
We're gonna get to that place
Where we really wanna go
And we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us
Baby we were born to run"
#YearlongMixtape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA4OWZ2a23Y
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
Everything But The Kitchen Sink!
Tomorrow is the last day of the #YearlongMixtape, so
tonight, I’m doing an “everything but the kitchen sink” post: a bunch of songs
that I can’t go without posting, but just ran out of time. So here goes!
First up – BOWIE!!
Have I mentioned that I love him?
“Suffragette City”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEkXAHIKdKI
#HeyMan
and
“Fame”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-_30HA7rec
#WhatsYourName
Gaga and Beyonce, “Telephone”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U
The Killers’ spectacular “All These Things That I’ve Done”:
My absolute favorite Keane song, the heartbreaking “Try
Again”:
The Pointer Sisters – “Automatic” (I might have already
posted this one, but it’s so great, you need to hear it again!)
Bruce Willis (wait, what?), with June Pointer, covering the
great Staple Singers classic– “Respect Yourself” – yessss!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SqFRYW0mrI
This is the greatest cover of the most over-covered song
ever: “Hallelujah.” Bono’s
interpretation gives it an entirely new meaning. You might need a cigarette after you listen. You’re welcome.
And finally, the song that Bon Jovi (and countless other
bands) have been trying to rewrite for years. Most of their subsequent albums have had songs like this
one, with the “my life is tough, but I’m livin’ it, and I’m doin’ things my
way” kind of songs. From “It’s My
Life,” to “Have A Nice Day,” to “We Weren’t Born To Follow,” they will never
beat the best: “Livin’ On A Prayer.”
Stay tuned for a very special ending tomorrow night!
#YearlongMixtape
Sunday, August 23, 2015
The Clash - "Rock The Casbah" and "The Magnificent Seven"
Gotta give love to The Clash! "The only (punk) band that matters," or at least that I can listen to for extended periods of time - I love their politics, their energy, and the sheer effort they put into their art.
It's probably not very cool to have "Rock The Casbah" as one of your favorite Clash songs, but I LOVE "Rock The Casbah"!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ
And my favorite from their amazing triple (triple!) album with the great name - Sandinista! I don't think there's another band who could turn the slog of work life into a vibrant jam. Love this high energy performance from the late great Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show.
"You lot! What?
Don't stop! Give it all you got!
You lot! What?
Don't stop! Yeah!"
#YearlongMixtape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijiazWlawUY
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Toto - "Africa"
This one is for my African Well Fund friends!
I have loved this song for a long time, and obviously have an affinity the topic of Africa. I recently learned, though, that the members of Toto had not actually been to Africa when they wrote the song, and instead were writing from a romanticized idea of what they thought it was like. It made me think of the joke (that is funny because it's true) that a lot of people think Africa is one country, because they hear it referred to as one place, and that "Africans" are all the same. And it made me think of the adjectives that are used when we talk or think about them.
Diginified.
Corrupt (ignoring the fact that someone has to give the bribe before it can be taken, and you'd take a bribe too if you were trying to feed your family).
Joyful (oh those jolly Africans don't know how bad they have it!).
Uneducated (because there is only one correct path to knowledge, and that is the Western Way).
Poor (because money is the only way to measure wealth).
What we don't think about is the fact that Africa is 54 very different countries, with 1.1 billion people, and massive inequality in access to food, shelter, clean water, health care, physical and psychological safety, and other resources.
We don't think about how colonialism and exploitation have created the mess that many of the countries and people now find themselves in. My main hope is that we stop romanticizing this idea of "Africa," because I think it oversimplifies and absolves us from dealing with the problems that exist. And, more importantly, that we understand the diversity of the people who live there, and listen to them as they work to build better futures. They already know the answers - they are not voiceless - and we need to stop telling them what we think is best for them and give them room for self-determination and liberation.
I still love the song, even though it's kind of cheesy, and the only "African" in the video is a shadowy Bushman with a spear. If it makes you think about the continent and want to get involved, then that's not such a bad thing :)
#YearlongMixtape
#BlessTheRains
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY
Bonus clip! Here is a really funny Tonight Show sketch with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake singing this song as kids in a summer camp. Hilarious!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9F86cAoi3o
Friday, August 21, 2015
U2 Week - "Magnificent"
“If I am close to the music, and you are close to the
music, then we are close to each other.” – Bono
After last night’s rant, I have to end with a little love
fest. It is Bono and Ali’s
anniversary after all! (Happy
anniversary you crazy kids!)
There is one reason why I love this band so much: the joyful
noise. It takes so long for them
to make an album because they play around and wait for divine inspiration to
come. You can call it God, or
magic, but it is something greater than ourselves. They are imperfect messengers, creating music for an
imperfect audience, but this is the most wonderful, transformative music I have
ever heard or will ever hear.
Although it does help that they’re adorable.
“Magnificent” is the best song from No Line On The Horizon –
I was shocked when I heard it, because even after all these years, they still
try harder than anyone else to create art that can move so many people. Their shows are part party, part
church, and 18 years into my journey with them, part reunion with my beautiful
friends who I’ve met along the way.
I hope this one makes its way back into the setlist.
Thank you all for joining me this week. I hope it’s been as fun for you as it’s
been for me! (If you were playing along, I did go over my 10-song rule. This is number 12.)
And now I’ll shut up
and let you listen…
“I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise ...
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar”
#YearlongMixtape
#U2Week
Thursday, August 20, 2015
U2 Week - "Every Breaking Wave"
I have been wanting to write this post for a while, but
wasn’t quite sure of the tone I wanted to take. It will likely be very long, maybe take a tangent or two,
but I hope you’ll hang in there with me.
I first have to explain that “Every Breaking Wave” is, hands
down, my favorite song on the new album.
It is about two lovers whose relationship can’t survive because of their
inability and/or unwillingness to overcome the difficult circumstances of their
lives. Bono said it’s been his
favorite to perform on this tour.
It’s so beautiful.
There is a line that rips my heart out every time I hear it:
“Like every breaking wave on the shore, this is as far as I
could reach.”
In fact, the first time I heard it live, a few weeks ago, I
cried when Bono sang those words.
A lot.
I had a somewhat traumatic childhood and a strained
relationship with both of my parents.
I don’t say that asking for pity, but only to explain that I surrounded
myself with music as a way to bring joy into my life. Because I felt like both of my parents had let me down in
significant ways, I became very angry and developed impossibly high
expectations for myself and others.
It became an excuse to push people away when I became disappointed that
they weren’t perfect. That they
weren’t reaching as far as I wanted them to.
When I became a U2 fan, I really did idolize them. I put them on a pedestal and wanted to
meet them. I wanted them to
validate me. I was especially
drawn to Bono because he’s charismatic and smart and gregarious. A perfect target for my unresolved
daddy issues.
I joined the Jubilee movement because Bono inspired me, and
even though I didn’t join to meet him, I…okay I kind of wanted to meet
him. I wanted him to know my name,
because somehow I thought that it would make me important. And then he left, and started another
organization. I am eternally
grateful for the inspiration – it has set me on an incredibly life-affirming
path, but I have a lot of philosophical problems with the work he’s currently
doing. I won’t get into here
because it will probably offend a lot of people. I’ll just say that when he has the conversation with his
19-year-old self during Bullet the Blue Sky, and young Bono is scolding him for
the hypocrisy of “fighting poverty” while flying on private jets and hanging
out with rich people, I am that 19-year-old. I don’t think he’s naïve – I think he echoes the calls of
the people living the injustice.
Bono talks about vision over visibility; that the goal is more important
than the attention he gets from doing the work. But I am disappointed by the message it sends that you care
about the poor, but not enough to stop vacationing on your yacht. He’s not willing to reach that far.
The other disappointment is the way they run ticket sales
and the GA line. They used to take
care of fan club members. They’ve
said that they want their fans to get first dibs at tickets. But not enough to take on the corrupt
Ticketmaster monster in a meaningful way.
This has been going on for several tours. I hope that what happened in New York will change things,
but probably not. And they still
haven’t figured out a safe, security-run GA line system that other bands
figured out a long time ago. It
just requires a little bit of extra effort. But they aren’t willing to reach that far.
And lastly, I say this with all of the love in my heart, but
we as fans have to respect ourselves enough to say no to them. We get so caught up in seeing them
live, in filling that hole in our hearts, that we will do anything. We still buy from ticket resellers (who
are really scalpers) because we want to be in the room. We want that validation. I love them,
and I love all of you. I cannot
imagine my life without this music and without the friendships I’ve made along
the way. But I would rather miss a
show than be that desperate. I
want to be treated with dignity, not like some fool who will do anything, so
why should they bother making it a safer, better process. How far are we willing to reach to say
enough?
On a side note, I also wanted to point out that my former
boss at the crazy job I left last fall was also a boat captain. He spent so much time (and preferred)
being on a boat, that he didn’t run his company. He didn’t care enough that I was struggling to stay
afloat. Like U2, he said he cared,
but his actions said otherwise. I spent a lot of time being angry at him
because he let me down repeatedly.
I had to leave to save my sanity.
I, unfortunately, sometimes think of him when I hear this song because
of the reference to the sailor and the “shipwrecked soul.” You get to a point where the other
person won’t meet you halfway, and maybe is sucking the life out of you, and
you cannot reach anymore.
I recognize that it’s probably not fair to have such high
expectations. We are all
human. Maybe it’s enough just to
have fun and be alive in the moment.
But fairness and doing what is right is so important to me, that even
when I see myself or someone else fall short of that, I still want to try to do
better. Otherwise, what’s the
point?
So when I hear those words being sung by the person who I
wanted to see me, and acknowledge me, and make me feel special, I feel a
physical ache knowing that that probably won’t happen. If I meet any of them at some point,
that’s fine, but I don’t need it anymore.
It’s actually very freeing to be “willing to be swept off our feet, and
stop chasing every breaking wave.”
I wish that for all of you who are struggling with whatever hurt is in
your heart.
I really love the live version, and this performance is
especially powerful. I think I
spent a full week after the last NYC shows just looking for performances of
this song. Bono puts his whole
self into the song. And can we get
some love for Edge on piano? The
best!
Thank you so much for reading. I welcome any discussion, either in the comments below, or
as a private message. I promise
tomorrow night’s post will be a lot more fun!
#YearlongMixtape
#U2Week
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
U2 Week - The "Girl" Songs - "Drowning Man," "Heartland," "A Man And A Woman," "Stateless," and "The Crystal Ballroom"
Tonight on #U2Week, it’s all about the “girl” songs. There are five songs – I know that’s a
bunch, but I have faith that you’ll get through it. These are songs that seem to be popular with many
heterosexual female U2 fans.
They’re mostly kind of mushy love songs, but with U2, they’re so much
better. Thoughtful. Complicated. In awe of the feminine side of the universe. Melodic and rhythmic and interesting
and you need to sit down to listen to them because your knees are be getting a
little weak. And if they ever
actually played any of them live, you might melt into a puddle on the
floor. They’ll always be my
grown-up boy band.
This post is dedicated to my lovely U2 friend Tasha Hindman,
who I haven’t seen in far too long, and with whom I spent much time during the
Elevation Tour discussing our dream set list. At the Baltimore show in 2001, she gave me an actual
cassette mixtape of our list. My
choices may have changed slightly since then (or just expanded with each new
album), but I still have it, and it’s one of my favorite things. Thank you friend!
First, is a highly underrated, stunningly beautiful song
from the War album – “Drowning Man.”
“I’ll cross the sky for your love.” I mean, come on.
Everyone’s part is spectacular.
And they were in their early 20s when they wrote it! Unbelievable.
Next is “Heartland” from Rattle & Hum. About the American Heartland, it’s kind
of a love letter to the United States, and the road trip they took while on the
Joshua Tree tour. They’re pretty
darn adorable in this video. Those
drums. Those howling vocals. Sigh…
“Dawn changes everything…”
The next one is (in my opinion) the standout of How To
Dismantle An Atomic Bomb – “A Man And A Woman.” I very clearly remember the first time I heard it. I was at an old job, and I had bought
the album on my lunch break the day it came out. I was at my desk, and I could only partially pay attention
because I was busy. Then this song
came on, and it was like, “Stop the press, what is THAT?”
Bono and Edge performed it at a ceremony honoring The Clinton
Foundation in 2011, but other than that, they’ve never performed it live. The lyrics are among Bono’s best. I love the little “Sweet Caroline”
snippet too – “How can I hurt when I’m holding you?”
And Adam’s bass playing is beyond. He recently said that this and Heartland are two of his
favorite U2 songs, and he has forever won my heart because of it. And since he has a strong feminine
side, it proves my theory.
This song is dedicated to Rob Wanenchak, who absolutely hates it – haha! It’s a great song Rob – stop fighting it!
“The soul needs beauty for a soul mate
When the soul wants, the soul waits…”
The next song is a super rarity – “Stateless.” This is on the soundtrack of a film
called The Million Dollar Hotel, for which Bono co-wrote the screenplay. I never got around to seeing it (it
might be terrible). Pre-crazy Mel
Gibson and Milla Jovovich are in it.
But the soundtrack features U2 and Daniel Lanois, so you can’t go wrong
with that. And this song – I am
telling you right now – you need to hear it.
“I've got no home in this world
Just gravity, luck, and time
I've got no home in this world
Just you and you are not mine”
“The Crystal Ballroom” was an instant fan favorite on the
deluxe version of the new album.
It’s one of the best songs they’ve ever written, about a club in Dublin
where they used to play, and where Bono’s parents used to go on dates. I don’t know why it’s not on the actual
album; maybe it doesn’t quite fit.
They’ve only played it twice on tour so far, but we’re all reeeeally
hoping they play it more.
Bono said in an interview that “Girls like ‘Crystal
Ballroom.’ They like to dance.”
Which is totally true for me.
I don’t really know what’s going on in the video, but it is quite
enjoyable to watch.
My favorite lyric from the song describes how I feel about
their tour, and life right now – all good.
“Born for bliss,
Born for this…”
#YearlongMixtape
#U2Week
#TheGirlSongs
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