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A Clear Blue Morning

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Glaciergorge9112.1

Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. – James 4:14

Stand up in a clear blue morning
Until you see what can be
Alone in a cold day dawning
Are you still free
Can you be

Each day dawns full of sunshine and brimming with opportunity. Right?

Wait…not so much you say?

I keep pulling lines from the film, American Hustle, but I can’t help it. So many life lessons to be found.

There is a scene where FBI agent Richie DiMaso says to Sidney Prosser, “You ever think, like, how did I end up here? Like, how did my life become this? Do you ever think that?” Sydney simply looks at him and softly says, “Yeah, I do.”

Sometimes life may seem like a very random series of events.

But it’s not.

If you look back closely, you will see a perfectly painted masterpiece. And that masterpiece is a self portrait. Good or bad.

When some cold tomorrow finds you
When some sad old dream reminds you
How the endless road unwinds you
While you see a chance take it

Ah yes, the road not taken. As old blue eyes, Frank Sinatra, sang: “Regrets. I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.”

And sometimes those regrets can come along on the road we did choose. You just never know. But Steve Winwood was so right with this; when you see a chance, you gotta take it.

Don’t you know by now
No one gives you anything
Don’t you wonder how you keep on moving
One more day
Your way

The Bible reminds us of the fleeting existence we share here in this world. That this life is short. To not worry too much about tomorrow’s troubles today. And yes, to take those chances.

When there’s no one left to leave you
Even you don’t quite believe you
That’s when nothing can deceive you
While you see a chance take it

Find romance, fake it
Because it’s all on you

Yup, you are all alone in this world. And you have to reach a certain clarity to really perceive it. Yet, we have the power to make a change.

After leaving Traffic, Winwood was struggling to find success as a solo artist. Steve decided to take a chance of his own collaborating with lyricist Will Jennings (Barry Manilow, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, The Crusaders and many more) on most of the songs on 1980’s  Arc Of A Diver. It turned out to be a fantastic pairing and Steve had a breakthrough hit on his hands.  There’s not a bad cut on the entire album and the cover art was beautiful, too.

ArcLPCover

“While You See A Chance” was Winwood’s first Top 40 hit as a solo artist, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

His solo success continued on with 1982’s Talking Back To The Night and especially with his 1986 release Back In The High Life (single “Higher Love”), but I think Arc Of A Diver remains his greatest solo work.

And that old gray wind is blowing
And there’s nothing left worth knowing
And it’s time you should be going

One interesting tidbit: the keyboard intro to the song came about by accident. Steve played all the instruments on the album and somehow deleted the original drum track he had recorded for the opening. When he realized what he had done, instead of re-recording the drum part, he used a keyboard sequence he had recorded instead. Wonder what it would sound like the other way? I can’t imagine the song opening differently!

“While You See A Chance” is all about taking on personal responsibility.  It’s on you. If you want it – whatever it is – you have to go out and get it. You may have to take a few risks and get burned a few times, but it’s all there for you.

One more thing: The Bible says, “God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

And that’s definitely one thing left worth knowing.

Listen to the original here:

Live version with former Blind Faith bandmate, Eric Clapton:

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A River Ran Through It

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Two_Rivers

How shall we sing the Lord‘s song in a strange land? -Psalm 137:4

By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he went
When he remembered Zion

Well, it was only a matter of time before I got around to writing a post about Linda Ronstadt. It’s no secret that I’ve always held a strong affinity for the SoCal country rock scene of the early 70’s, and Linda was certainly it’s First Lady.

Lately, even our President has confessed to having had a crush on her in his earlier years. She definitely was one of mine, not only for her timeless beauty, but for that “big as a house”, “neck hair raising”, “chill bump inducing”, voice that God graced her with. She has certainly had an effect on me; ever since first hearing her with the Stone Poneys in 1967, I’ve been smitten with brown eyed brunettes. (and yes, I married one)

For the wicked carry us away
Captivity require from us a song
How can we sing King Alpha’s song in a strange land

Linda was not a songwriter; she was a song whisperer (if there is such a thing). A master interpreter of songs from the kings (or queens) of rock, country, soul, bluegrass, gospel , American standards and international themes. As my wife once said, “I love Elvis Costello’s songs…when Linda Ronstadt sings them.”. The list of artists she’s covered is like a songwriter’s “Who’s Who”: James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Webb, Mick Jagger, John David Souther, Warren Zevon, Neil Young, Randy Newman, Lowell George, Karla Bonoff, Ry Cooder, Jimmy Cliff, Elvis Costello, Chuck Berry and Bob Dylan. Country legends like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris, Mel Tillis, and Phil Everly. R&B greats like Smokey Robinson, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Martha Reeves and Booker T. The list is endless. And, most of the time, her cover versions trumped the originals (appropriate bias applied here). 🙂

So let the words of our mouth
And the meditations of our hearts
Be acceptable in thy sight, over  I

I’ve chosen two of her songs here, “Rivers Of Babylon” – written by the Jamaican reggae band, The Melodians , and “Many Rivers To Cross” – written by Jimmy Cliff. Both songs were featured in the movie, The Harder They Come. The two songs were on “bookend” LPs from 1975 (Prisoner In Disguise) and 1976 (Hasten Down The Wind). I personally think that Hasten Down The Wind was Linda’s absolute best album. And I defy anyone to challenge the trilogy of albums that Linda produced from 1974-76 (Heart Like A Wheel, Prisoner In Disguise and Hasten Down The Wind): all three having gone platinum in sales.

The lyrics for “Rivers Of Babylon” come directly from Psalm 137, describing the feelings and heartaches of the Jewish people following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 607 BC. Given the current happenings in Israel, I think it’s a good time to give it a listen.

Many rivers to cross
But I can’t seem to find my way over
Wandering I am lost
As I travel along white cliffs of Dover

While “Rivers Of Babylon” shows off Linda’s ability to harmonize (with almost anyone), “Many Rivers To Cross” is a perfect showcase for Linda’s soaring vocal style. I’m not sure if these two songs were meant to be correlated, but it seems to me that there was some sort of cosmic connection at play here.

Many rivers to cross
And it’s only my will that keeps me alive
I’ve been licked, washed up for years
And I merely survive because of my pride

The Jews are God’s chosen people. And certainly, they have had the will to survive, all the while fighting for their place and forced to live in exile. Jimmy Cliff wrote the lyrics to “Many Rivers To Cross” to share his feelings of despondency as a struggling young artist, just trying to find a home and acceptance in the musical world. And if Jimmy’s version of the song doesn’t have a prayerful, “take me back to church”, gospel feel to it, then nothing does.

Many rivers to cross
But just where to begin
I’m playing for time
There have been times I find myself thinking
Of committing some dreadful crime

As for Linda, she’s had her own share of river crossings; passing through her nearly 50 year career migrating from her country roots, to SoCal rock, to New Wave, to 40’s standards, to pop and country, Latino traditional and beyond.

It was studying the album liner notes for Linda’s albums (along with Jackson Browne’s and James Taylor’s) that taught me the ability to appraise the quality of an album before ever popping the shrink wrap. If I looked at the artist credits on a new album and saw the likes of Andrew Gold, Dan Dugmore, David Lindley, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Wendy Waldman, Nicolette Larson, Emory Gordy, Danny Kortchmar, Don Grolnick, Rick Marotta (and many many more) featured…well you knew it was gonna be good.

Linda’s singing voice has recently been silenced by Parkinson’s, but if you listen to just a few of her tracks; you know it will live on forever.

Listen to a few samples here:

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The Road To Redemption

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lightning-road

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold. – 1 Peter 1:18

The screen door slams
Mary your dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely

If there was ever another artist tailor made for this blog, it’s The Boss. He is the yang to Elton John’s yin. Whereas Elton openly decries Jesus, the Bible, the Church and anything remotely connected to organized religion, Bruce Springsteen is God’s own Prince of Rock n Roll. In fact, there are so many religious reference and themes connected to Springsteen’s work, there is a Rutger’s University course titled “Bruce Springsteen’s Theology”.

Don’t run back inside
Darling you know just what I’m here for
So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe we ain’t that young anymore
Show a little faith there’s magic in the night
You ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright
Oh and that’s alright with me

We are all looking for something…some meaning… to make sense of it all.  And we are all looking beyond ourselves to someone, or something, for the answer.

You can hide ‘neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a saviour to rise from these streets

We’re putting too much pressure on ourselves. The Boss is simply, as Aaron Neville sang, “telling it like it is”.

Well now I’m no hero
That’s understood
All the redemption I can offer girl
Is beneath this dirty hood

Yet (with apologies to Mick Jagger) there are ways to gain satisfaction in this world. At least those of a more “temporary” type. You just have to be real about it.  And understand that this satisfaction is a pale imitation of the larger pursuit of eternal happiness.

Well the night’s busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels

According to professor Azzan Yadin-Israel, who teaches the Springsteen course at Rutgers, Bruce is actually imploring the young woman to not waste her time pursuing salvation in these earthly pursuits, but at the same time saying, essentially: “Hey, while we’re here, let’s have some fun and enjoy what we can.” The only thing he can really offer her is the kind of redemption we can have in this world.

Climb in back
Heaven’s waiting on down the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
We’re riding out tonight to case the promised land

Certainly Bruce is no angel here; nor is he the devil. I think most young men and women (and sometimes older ones) have gone down this road in seeking happiness. This is not a song about love, but lust. And, like cheap pizza, it’s not that great, but it’s not that bad, either.

Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car’s out back
If you’re ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door’s open but the ride it ain’t free

During a performance on VH-1 Storytellers, Bruce commented on the lyrical meaning to say this was “My invitation to a long and earthly, very earthly journey. Hopefully in the company of uh, someone you love.”

There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets

And like Billy Joel before him, with the Catholic girls who “wait much too late”, Bruce cautions against the opportunities passed by.

And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they’re gone

“Thunder Road” and the album Born To Run were a definite turning point for Bruce’s career. His first two albums had not done well, even though critics were already naming him the new “rock-n-roll Messiah”. It was “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” that first caught my attention, with Clarence (The Big Man) Clemons’ roaring sax pulling it right out of the gate. But over time I’ve come to see “Thunder Road” as the true jewel on the LP. A bookend companion to “Born To Run” you might say.

Springsteen took the song’s title from a movie poster he had seen from the 1958 Robert Mitchum movie. He never saw the movie itself, but said the poster for it just stuck with him.

So, climb on on in, the door’s open. Loosen’ up and let it roll.

Oh and you can check out “The Boss And The Bible here: http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/music/boss-and-bible

 

It Won’t Be Too Long

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man-on-cliff

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, – Joel 2:1

 People keep on learnin’
Soldiers keep on warrin’
World keep on turnin’
Cause it won’t be too long 

No matter what, this old world just keeps on spinning…one more “trip around the sun” as Jimmy Buffett sang. And there’s nothing new under that sun, especially through the eyes of God. Wars continue to rage, weather continues to change and we all just continue to turn the page in the book of Life.

Powers keep on lyin’
While your people keep on dyin’
World keep on turnin’
Cause it won’t be too long

Yes, the road goes on forever and the party never ends, as Robert Earl Keen said. Or does it?

Back in 1973, Stevie (no longer “little Stevie”) Wonder certainly didn’t think so. He thought our time was short and the day’s end was nigh…the Judgement Day, that is. So short, in fact, that he wrote “Higher Ground” in about 3 hours. According to a later interview in Q magazine, Wonder said: “It was almost as if I had to get it done. I felt something was going to happen. I didn’t know what or when, but I felt something.”

I’m so darn glad He let me try it again
Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I’m so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin’
Till I reach my highest ground

Interestingly enough, “Higher Ground” and the album that contained it, Innervisons, was released just 3 days before Stevie was almost killed in a car accident on his way to a  benefit concert in Durham, North Carolina. A logging truck ahead of his car stopped suddenly in front of them, throwing a log through the windshield and striking Stevie in the head. He was in a coma for 4 days!

After recovering, Stevie said “I was definitely in a much better spiritual place that made me aware of a lot of things that concern my life and my future and what I have to do to reach another higher ground. This is like my second chance for life, to do something or to do more and to face the fact that I am alive.”

Yes…we definitely have the God of second chances. He loved us so, and realizing we could never come close to “earning” our way into Heaven, he offered us his Son. Yes…Jesus is the ultimate “do-over” for us all, Stevie included.

Don’t let nobody bring you down (they’ll sho ’nuff try)
God is gonna show you higher ground
He’s the only friend you have around

Innervisions was almost at the midway point (the 16th of some 30 odd LP’s he released) and the follow up to 1972’s Talking Book which featured a touch of the young Stevie (‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life”) and a glimpse of the new, more sophisticated Stevie (“Superstition”). It was on the strength of Talking Book (and opening for the Rolling Stones tour) that really catapulted him from Motown teen idol to the R&B legend he became.

Till I reach my highest ground
No one’s gonna bring me down
Oh no
Till I reach my highest ground

Stevie’s message is definitely one to heed. As the Bible says, no one knows the time or the day, but it’s coming. Until then all we can do is to try our best to reach our own “higher ground”.

And don’t let nobody bring you down.

Listen to the original here:

Fantastic version from Playing For Change (musicians around the world)

 

 

 

 

 

Battle Lines Being Drawn

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kentstateflowerpic

The noise of battle is in the land, and great destruction. – Jeremiah 50:22

There’s something happening here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

Ahh yes, the 60’s. The British may have been invading the music scene, but it was boots on the ground for the US of A. Both in the paddies and hills of Vietnam and in the streets and college campuses here at home.

TV channels were limited then, so there was no hiding it. A whole generation had gone to war with it’s predecessors.

And each side had chosen it’s own form of weapons.

Buffalo Springfield’s message to us was a clarion call to stop, look and listen, just like Elvis Presley before.

I was a shade too young to be shipped off to war in 1967, but all of us in the neighborhood had or knew someone’s older brother who had gone. And some did not return.

I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look – what’s going down?

It certainly was time to look at what was going down and, as Marvin sang, what was going on. It seemed like the earth was spinning off it’s axis in a thousand different directions and we were truly on the road to Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction”. It was college kids battling the police, protesters damning the war, parents battling teens on drugs, soldiers fighting the war and blacks and whites trying to come to terms with the ending of “separate but equal”.

There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking’ their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

In the middle of it all, there were peace symbol necklaces, soldiers flashing peace signs and rockers with protest songs. There was “flower power”, “make love not war” and Dr. Tim telling us all to “turn on, tune in and drop out”. Very groovy, baby!

It certainly was hard to tell what was right from wrong. But you could sense something in the air; a change was gonna come.

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, “hooray for our side”

All we really had to do was listen. For Jesus had established the righteous truth long, long ago. The peacemakers,  the pure of heart, the merciful and the persecuted…they were all blessed. And they were the light unto the world. It took all of these events unfolding to fulfill Jesus’ words on the Mount. And goodness prevailed.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

Buffalo Springfield, in it’s original 1966 lineup, included the likes of Stephen Stills and Neil Young (CSN&Y), Richie Furay (Poco), Dewey Martin (The Monkees session player) and Bruce Palmer. In retrospect, they were probably the first (or second if Cream got in there ahead of them) “supergroup”.

They recorded only 3 albums and their biggest hit “For What It’s Worth” was not on their debut, but after it took off on the charts reaching #7, was later added to the re-issue. The title never appears in the song’s lyrics and legend holds that it came from a conversation that Stephen Stills had with Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records (who was the first guy to recognize the genius of Ray Charles btw) when they were about to be signed to a record deal. It’s been said that Stills said to Ertegun, “I have this song here, for what it’s worth, if you want it.”

While “For What It’s Worth” came to symbolize the Vietnam war protest movement and the tragedy at Kent State University, the truth is the song was written about a 10:00 curfew law in the LA/Sunset Strip club district. When one of LA’s most powerful radio stations announced a protest, over 1,000 young demonstrators (including young celebs like Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson) turned out for one of the first of what were later referred to as the “Sunset Strip Riots”.

The 60’s are like a bookend to me with the 2000’s. My politics have reverted (liberally) over time. My religious beliefs have been strengthened.

I look at everything through the lens of WWJD.

And that’s what rules…for what it’s worth.

 

 

 

The noise of battle is in the land, And great destruction. – See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sound#sthash.vS5Fnyni.dpuf

For The Want Of A Nail

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rusty nail pic

He has taken it out of the way; having nailed it to the cross. – Colossians 2:14

He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. – See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Nails#sthash.ftCZXfY4.dpufI’ve been wronI had plans so big

But the devil’s in the details
I left out one thing
No one to love me
No one to love

One of my old friends from the music biz recently shared a post on Facebook about Todd Rundgren’s album, Nearly Human, and that prompted me to look at some of Todd’s considerable work for a good UTRS post. It didn’t take a lot of looking to find something good!

I first picked up on Todd in 1972 with the release of his ambitious double album, Something/Anything (a massive 25 song collection that included: “Hello, It’s Me”, “I Saw The Light”, and the closet hit, “Wolfman Jack”). If you listened to Top 40 radio at all in the early 70’s, you could not have missed “Hello, It’s Me” or “I Saw The Light”. Todd was such a prolific hit writer during this period, he had to shake off the nickname “the male Carole King”.

Todd’s virtuoso performance on this LP (he not only produced the recordings but played all the instruments and sang vocals on all 18 of the songs on he first three sides of the album) was fueled by a strange combination of Ritalin and marijuana. He said the songs just “poured out of me at a frantic pace…”I Saw The Light” took only about 20 minutes”. I guess this may be a testament to the creative and concentrative (is that a word?) qualities inherent in those two drugs!

The fourth side of the album was recorded in a separate session with an eclectic mix of available studio musicians at the Record Plant in NYC. Basically, Todd just put the word out at the studio that he was going to need help recording, and waited to see who would show up!

But, I digress…

For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost
For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost
For the want of a horse, the rider was lost
For the want of a rider, the message was lost

You know, the little things in life can have a huge impact. You can look at it in terms of negligence, but I prefer to view them as sins of omission. How many times have you said later “I should have….”. And most of the time it was something really simple, so easy for us to have done. The things left unsaid, the things we leave undone; can bring the biggest regrets.

For the want of a nail, the world was lost

Speaking of a lost world. And of things that could have been left undone. Certainly, Jesus could have chosen another path. But he didn’t.

No lack of a nail there.  And the world is eternally grateful.

Multiply it a billion times
Spread it all ’round the world

And now this is our mission. To spread the Word until all the world’s people groups are reached. It’s been a long time coming.

Everything seems to fail
And it was all for the want of a nail

Nearly Human was Todd’s 12th release (not counting the Nazz stuff) coming almost 20 years later. It featured an ex-model turned background singer named Michele Gray, whom Todd later married.  “For The Want Of A Nail” featured the ever-soulful Bobby Womack (“Across 110th St.”) on backing vocals. Brother Bobby passed away just last week. And the Big Man himself, Clarence Clemons, jumped in on “I Love My Life”.

“For The Want Of A Nail” was Todd’s last charted hit. Seems appropriate enough to me. But, if Todd wanted to tear himself away from the production side, I’m sure he could spin out another smooth Top 40 hit in a half hour.

Another interesting tidbit: the Japanese release of the album featured an alternative cover (the main cover art showed a hand print with six fingers). The Japanese version showed a “normal” five fingered (actually four plus thumb) hand print, due to some secret religious significance in Japan.

So my friends, have no regrets. Go ahead, say the word, make the gesture. Just reach out with your human hand. Don’t let the little things trip you up.

Listen here:

Todd Live at Daryl’s House:

More Todd w/Daryl:

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The Fruit Of Another

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apple_heart

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. – Hebrews 4:15

Squeeze, not nearly as big here in the states as in the U.K., was headed by the latest songwriting duo of the late 70’s/early 80’s to wear the “next Lennon & McCartney” moniker. The driving forces behind the band were Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook; in this case with an album (East Side Story) produced by Elvis Costello (EC also sings background vocals on the track) and powered by the ever-soulful Paul Carrack (Ace-“How Long”, Mike & The Mechanics-“The Living Years” and his own “Don’t Shed A Tear”) standing in on lead vocals.

“Tempted” was their breakthrough hit in the U.S. and, according to Difford, was written during a cab ride on the way to the Heathrow Airport to go on tour. As Chris explains “I was obviously envisioning a good time on the tour, as the (song’s) chorus suggests.”

And they just kept on squeezing out super sweet, superbly crafted, hook-laden grooves for a decade. This one, in particular just has that low, funky groove you just can’t help but sing along to. It’s the bass line, the punctuated percussion, and then Paul’s vocal melody inserted in perfect time. Just like a sweet temptation always seems to come along at just the perfect time.

And why not, certainly we’ve all had our temptations in life. No one can resist them all. Except one…and we all know who that was.

I bought a toothbrush, some toothpaste

A flannel for my face
Pajamas, a hairbrush
New shoes and a case
I said to my reflection
Let’s get out of this place

And oftentimes when we’ve succumbed to that temptation, that’s what we all want to do: run. Put on our best Forrest Gump imitation and boogie. But we really can’t…its always there, no matter where we go; haunting us.

Passed the church and the steeple

The laundry on the hill
Billboards and the buildings
Memories of it still
Keep calling and calling
But forget it all, I know I will

The mind will try to convince itself that we’re going to put this all behind us. Sure we will.  Just put a little space and time between us, and you’ll see.

Tempted by the fruit of another
Tempted but the truth is discovered
What’s been going on, now that you have gone

Nothing new here. The truth will out. And then the game is lost.

Alarmed by the seduction, I wish that it would stop

It’s like we’re traveling down this long road and we can see it stretching out ahead of us for miles and miles. And we know that it’s going to happen again. We can see it looming there on the horizon. And we wish that it would stop, but at the same time we eagerly await the next time. We are helpless. The car doors are locked and we can’t get out.

I bought a novel, some perfume

A fortune all for you
But it’s not my conscience
That hates to be untrue
I asked of my reflection
Tell me what is there to do

No matter what the mind commands, the body fails to obey. And, you can’t cover it up or make good with gifts or sweets. What’s done is done.

Yes, it’s tragic. But there is hope. Even though Jesus never gave in to earthly temptations, He understands the human condition, all our frailties and failings, and holds out His hand anyway. His is a love many times scorned, but offered unconditionally.

As The Boss once sang:

They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple, but man I ain’t going for that. I know it was a pink Cadillac…

So, jump on in and climb in the back. Because the road to temptation…well, it goes on forever.

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A Pauper To A Pawn

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pawn

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. – Philippians 4:12

If there was ever a song and artist that was tailor made for these posts, it has to be the one and only, Sir Elton John and “Levon”.

So many of Elton’s songs have Biblical or religious references even as Elton has openly decried organized religion as “hateful”, declared that Jesus was just a “compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems” and stated that he would “ban religion completely”.

Why then do so many of Elton’s songs have these religious overtones? Is it Bernie Taupin’s fault? Was he simply trying to be ironic? Or is it just a glimpse into Elton’s own conflicted soul?

Levon wears his war wound like a crown
He calls his child Jesus
‘Cause he likes the name
And he sends him to the finest school in town

Some say that Levon was chosen as the father’s name because it is NOVEL spelled backwards and that Elton believed the Bible to be simply another “good book”.

Levon likes his money
He makes a lot they say
Spend his days counting
In a garage by the motorway

One could even say that Levon (and Elton) were preoccupied with storing up treasures here on earth…as so many of us are.  At this point in his career in 1972, “Madman Across The Water” was peaking on the American charts and certainly with this third album release, Elton was beginning to see considerable commercial success.

He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day
When the New York Times said God is dead and the war’s begun
Alvin Tostig has a son today

And he shall be Levon
And he shall be a good man
And he shall be Levon
In tradition with the family plan

Ah yes, Levon shall be a good man. Unlike his father. Just as Elton wanted to rebel against his own father’s Royal Air Force regimentation. Elton’s dad wanted him to go into banking. Imagine that!

Levon sells cartoon balloons in town
His family business thrives
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch swing watching them fly

It’s funny though, it’s been said that when Bernie Taupin was asked about the deeper meaning to “Levon”, he claimed to have had no idea at all when writing it. He said it was “just lines that came out that were interesting”.

And doesn’t this all speak to the ironies and inconsistencies in our own lives. I love Elton’s work immensely, though I disagree with many of the things he says and does. And the very religious beliefs I hold dear, clearly spell out a dim view of the gay lifestyle.

Elton disparages religion yet many of his songs are clearly influenced by religious beliefs and teachings. Could it be just another internal conflict? Elton’s life and sexuality certainly seem to be riddled with conflicts. In the 1960’s he was engaged to his record company secretary, Linda Woodrow. In 1976, he declared himself bisexual. In 1984, he married German recording engineer Renate Blauel and finally would up in civil union with his current partner, David Furnish.

Elton and David became the proud parents to a son (by surrogate) on Christmas day in 2010. And you guessed it…they named him Levon. (Actually his full name is Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John).

And Jesus, he wants to go to Venus
Leaving Levon far behind
Take a balloon and go sailing
While Levon, Levon slowly dies  

No matter what Elton thinks about God, he has certainly been blessed with a talent beyond compare. His five decade long recording career has seen him sell over 300 million records, making him one of the best selling recording artists of all time. Such great abundance and yet suffering need are all tied up together in his life.

Ultimately, I think Elton is perfect proof of God’s perfect love. And Jesus may have died, but he died for all our sins and all mankind, including Elton. Even if he is a non-believer.

Well, it’s no big deal…Jesus is no stranger to a little “religious rejection”.

Watch the classic here:

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The Element Within

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So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. – Matthew 19:6

It’s the element within her
Something under her skin
That is shining out through the face of the girl

The click.

Ever wonder what causes that almost instant attraction you have for certain people? And it does not always have to be the opposite sex. Just someone that we connect to. It’s rare, but it happens. And when it does, you can’t always put your finger on just exactly what it is about them.

It’s just a part of it
Like your fine tresses
You know what my guess is

It’s that whole “find your soul-mate” thing. Nowadays you can just order it up online. Or at least that’s what they advertise. Some call it chemistry. And I guess it is chemical. Something elemental within us.

I’m so glad to be happily married (for 26 years this past week). I’d hate to be looking for love on the internet. It seems so…clinical.  So impersonal. It’s a procedure now, for crying out loud. It just doesn’t seem to me that it would be quite the same as back in the day.

This love in my heart
Let no-one set asunder
Sometimes I wonder

But even when (and if) you find that “soul-mate”, you’ll still sometimes wonder. Is it real? Will it last? Certainly this is God’s plan for us. You have to set aside those doubts and go with it.

“The Element Within Her” is one of many Elvis Costello penned songs that passed me by, until I heard it covered by another artist. The other artist In this case, Marti Jones. It was a hidden gem on 1983’s “Punch The Clock”, overshadowed by the Top 40 success of “Everyday I Write The Book” and the haunting tones of “Shipbuilding”.  But mostly, I was still totally hooked on “Imperial Bedroom” as it had just been released the prior year.

It wasn’t until I heard Marti’s cover version on her “Unsophisticated Time” in 1985 (which is itself a fantastic album) that I really started to take notice. And, like I have with many Costello songs, I came to appreciate his original version more, after getting attracted by the cover. Like Linda Ronstadt’s versions of “Party Girl” and “Girls Talk”.

And isn’t that surely the way it is? We start to take for granted those closest to us in favor of someone new? It’s only when we hear someone else echo those sentiments, that we realize that it was here in front of us all along.

Yes, sometimes the click is right…just trust it and go with it.

Marti Jones’ cover:

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Stand By Your Man

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couple-fighting-on-couch

Outside are the dogs, and those who make use of evil powers, those who make themselves unclean…and every one that loveth and maketh a lie.  – Revelation 22:15

Say you stand by your man
Tell me something I don’t understand
You said you love me and that’s a fact
Then you left me, said you felt trapped

Ouch…not much else to say. But certainly something we’ve all experienced at one time or another.

The Clash laid it out there for us, pure, simple and not-so-sweetly in 1979. The track was a last minute throw-in on their breakthrough album London Calling; so late that the title did not show up on some of the record sleeve song listings because they had already gone to print.  A hidden bonus.

It was called “Train In Vain” but everybody knew it as “Stand By Me”. The label decided to add the (Stand By Me) in parentheses to the record along with the true title due to the fact that the “train in vain’ part never shows up in the song’s lyrics. And, of course, they didn’t want the song to be confused with Ben E. King’s classic. Seriously?

i totally understood the “train” part…that low driving backbeat was definitely off the rails.  And that harmonica. Most of all, the message was simple…even primal. The harsh and wounded wail of someone loved and left.

And surely, this has to be one of the hardest hearted sins. Loss of love served with a big honkin’ side dish of betrayal, disrespect and total selfishness.

Well some things you can explain away
But my heartache’s in me till this day 

And no excuses will do, so don’t even try.  Might as well keep your edge and upper hand. There’s no sense in trying to apologize; it just makes you look weak and doesn’t make me feel any better.

I see all my dreams come tumbling down
I won’t be happy without you around 

So all alone I keep the wolves at bay
There is only one thing  I can say

And so we fall to the bottom and we share the only perspective we can,

Did you stand by me
No, not at all
Did you stand by me
No way

The whole “train in vain” thing really came from a Mick Jones relationship where he often had to take a train across town to see his girlfriend. Many of these trips were fruitless and ended with Mick never seeing her, or only seeing her briefly and having an argument.

You must explain why this must be
Did you lie when you spoke to me 

And finally, you break down and ask for an explanation; You gotta know. Why?

This is the last step. Afterwards you move on. Because there is no real answer, nothing satisfactory, nothing to salve this wound. It really just “must be”. And that’s it.

But you don’t understand my point of view
I suppose there’s nothing I can do

“Train In Vain” was the first Clash song to reach the top 30 on U.S. charts and was ultimately ranked number 298 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was the third (and last) single released from London Calling. but I think it defined The Clash and the punk rock movement in its sheer, raw and basic form. It was covered by a diverse group of artists ranging from Annie Lennox to Third Eye Blind to Dwight Yoakam. Annie Lennox’s smooth and funky version is my personal fave, as featured on Saturday Night Live.

So, take solace in the knowledge that this is nothing new; we’ve all been there. And those guilty of same?

You, my former friend, are destined to remain on the outside forever…looking in.

Listen here:

Classic version:

Annie Lennox, SNL live version:

Third Eye Blind:

Dwight’s cover:

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