Two single tears falling down the face of an angel.
Sinead O’Connor in the music video for “Northing Compares 2 U” is one of the most striking, powerful and unforgettable images in popular music.
This video features a close-up of O’Conner’s face singing with only a couple interjections of her walking around Paris. There’s no gimmicks her just Sinead. When she looks into the camera it’s like she’s looking straight at you and as the intensity builds and when she cries (4:00 in) you feel like she is in the room with you breaking down.
“Nothing Compares 2 U” was originally written by Prince and it makes perfect sense when you hear him perform it.
This song features Prince’s soulful melodies and characteristically quirky but personal lyrics. People argue about which version is better and while this debate is interesting both artists have very different approaches. Prince takes this more as gospel song and an expression of love while Sinead makes it a more personal expression of anguish.
As much as Sinead’s striking beauty attracted people to her music video, it was her voice that was truly remarkable. Everything about the production puts the focus squarely on the voice of Sinead O’Conner. While there are subtle and interesting nuances in the organic and gently progression of the harmony the washed out musical landscape never draws attention to itself.
There are bluesy notes that Sinead almost gnarls through and there are also angelic high notes that she floats up to. She does it all using different colors and shades in her tone. While this performance was rehearsed and practiced it comes across simply as effortless expression.
Almost thirty years after it’s original release Sinead O’Connor performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” in Belgium.
O’Connor said that she didn’t want to be successful because of her beauty which is why she originally cut her hair short. Well, she was still a beauty even without hair in 1990 when released “Northing Compares 2 U.”
No longer the young girl with the angelic face and the teardrops, Sinead now gets her wish and proves to all of us what a great artist without any of those things. And while it may seems a trite way to conclude, it’s true, nothing really compares Sinead O’Connor.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
BP Protest song: God’s Counting on Me, God’s Counting on You by Pete Seeger
“The oil spill makes me wish for the first time that Superman actually existed. It would take him approximately 10 minutes to plug it up and another 30 minutes to clean it up the spill . . . sigh . . .”
-my facebook status during the second week of the oil spill in the Gulf.
One of the most disheartening sites in recent memory was flying into Panama Beach, Florida and seeing oil floating on the top of the water. At first, there was a sense of disbelief and then a sinking feeling of horror. Diana’s cousin was getting married down there. In all the excitement, I almost forgot about the whole oil spill until walking on the beach and seeing tar balls collecting on the sand.
It’s hard for me to know how to feel about all of this. Being angry at BP, politicians and whoever else we can blame this catastrophe on really doesn’t get us anywhere. Where do we look for guidance? Yesterday I found some answers in a man who has acted as the consciences of America for generations, Pete Seeger.
Pete Seeger is 91 years old and one of the most influential American musicians. Without him there would we wouldn’t have Bob Dylan, Springsteen, the conscience of rock music and the spirit of hip-hop. Continuing the tradition of Woodie Guthrie, Seeger is a cultural treasure carrying on some of our most important songs like “We Shall Overcome” . . .
. . . and composing some of the most powerful songs like “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?”
What does this old man have to tell us about the oil spill? Simply that we can get through this if we join together.
There’s some political shading in this song, “drill baby drill turns to spill baby spill." But it's more humorous then critical and “it’s time to turn things around trickle up, not trickle down,” isn’t so much political but a call to all of us to change our way of thinking.
Like “We Shall Overcome” this is a song for the people, and it warms my heart how Seeger teaches the song to the audience as he performs. Sometimes we forget that protest music isn’t so much about anger but calling people to change and there’s no better way than to encourage people to change through optimism: “Don’t give up, don’t give in, working together we all can win.”
The chorus ends with the statement, “hoping we’ll all pull through” and if after 91 years, Seeger is still believes in all of us, than who am I to become disheartened?
My favorite part of this song is the last verse: “when we sing with younger folks, we can never give up hope.” It’s so true. Sharing music, songs and life with young people rejuvenates you like nothing else and maybe that’s why Seeger is still active in his 90s.
I don't know if we're all to blame for this disaster but as Seeger suggest we all have a role in the solution. When Seeger opens the songs singing "God's counting on me, God's counting on you," he's not talking so much about God but about us counting on each other. If we come together and face our problems not with anger but with hope we will pull through.
Thanks for the hope Pete.
-my facebook status during the second week of the oil spill in the Gulf.
One of the most disheartening sites in recent memory was flying into Panama Beach, Florida and seeing oil floating on the top of the water. At first, there was a sense of disbelief and then a sinking feeling of horror. Diana’s cousin was getting married down there. In all the excitement, I almost forgot about the whole oil spill until walking on the beach and seeing tar balls collecting on the sand.
It’s hard for me to know how to feel about all of this. Being angry at BP, politicians and whoever else we can blame this catastrophe on really doesn’t get us anywhere. Where do we look for guidance? Yesterday I found some answers in a man who has acted as the consciences of America for generations, Pete Seeger.
Pete Seeger is 91 years old and one of the most influential American musicians. Without him there would we wouldn’t have Bob Dylan, Springsteen, the conscience of rock music and the spirit of hip-hop. Continuing the tradition of Woodie Guthrie, Seeger is a cultural treasure carrying on some of our most important songs like “We Shall Overcome” . . .
. . . and composing some of the most powerful songs like “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?”
What does this old man have to tell us about the oil spill? Simply that we can get through this if we join together.
There’s some political shading in this song, “drill baby drill turns to spill baby spill." But it's more humorous then critical and “it’s time to turn things around trickle up, not trickle down,” isn’t so much political but a call to all of us to change our way of thinking.
Like “We Shall Overcome” this is a song for the people, and it warms my heart how Seeger teaches the song to the audience as he performs. Sometimes we forget that protest music isn’t so much about anger but calling people to change and there’s no better way than to encourage people to change through optimism: “Don’t give up, don’t give in, working together we all can win.”
The chorus ends with the statement, “hoping we’ll all pull through” and if after 91 years, Seeger is still believes in all of us, than who am I to become disheartened?
My favorite part of this song is the last verse: “when we sing with younger folks, we can never give up hope.” It’s so true. Sharing music, songs and life with young people rejuvenates you like nothing else and maybe that’s why Seeger is still active in his 90s.
I don't know if we're all to blame for this disaster but as Seeger suggest we all have a role in the solution. When Seeger opens the songs singing "God's counting on me, God's counting on you," he's not talking so much about God but about us counting on each other. If we come together and face our problems not with anger but with hope we will pull through.
Thanks for the hope Pete.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
California Girls (Gurls) by The Beach Boys (Katy Perry)
“California Girls” by The Beach Boys is an important benchmark for the band providing a glimpse into the genius they would reveal the next year in 1966 with their album Pet Sounds. This song may not have featured the most progressive of lyrics but demonstrated a wide array of tone colors and a remarkable musical depth that inspired band like the Beatles to think outside of the box.
“California Gurls” is a song recorded by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg inspired by Jay-Z’s tribute to New York, “Empire State Of Mind.” Released in late May of this year, this song has gone on to become one of the most popular songs of this summer. Katy’s song is a throwback musically and lyrically with 1980s influenced synthesized sounds and cultural references (“Daisy-Dukes”?!? How old do you have to be to get that reference?). Oh, and the music video features Perry transforming her swim suit into a whip cream canon giving the illusions of lactating whip cream out of her mammary glands . . . yeah. . . not so hot.
One of my friends suggested I look at the Katy Perry song but I couldn't help but think about The Beach Boys song that basically has the same name. Does it make sense to compare songs that were recorded 44 years apart? They are from completely different times with completely different musical sensibilities but they do share a spiritual connection.
Both of these songs are tributes to the California from different perspectives. The Beach Boys claim they have traveled the world and while all these other girls they have met are great they don’t match California girls. Katy takes the perspective of an insider talking about how great her girls are and how they will “melt your Popsicle” (man, I don’t even know where to take this one).
What’s stands out to me after listening to these two songs is how progressive the Beach Boys were in their production of their song. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Katy Perry (one of my earlier posts was about “Hot N Cold”), but my God, really listen to what The Beach Boys were doing.
They open “California Girls” with a slow guitar sparkling like the reflection of a sunrise in the ocean. Through the first verse, the Beach Boys add layers of instruments but it’s the second verse where the music gets blown wide open. It’s like someone coming around a corner and suddenly seeing a beach full of people partying and surfing in the sun. The back-up singing, the saxophones, the shining vibraphone and the booming percussion create a Cathedral of soun.
Pointing this out is not a knock against Katy Perry. She has again demonstrated her ability to create catchy tunes, perfect to dance too, exuding her quirky and infectious personality through her vocal performance.
For me, "California Gurls" doesn't quite work for me, some of it is the weird imagery from the video, but most of it comes from comparing it The Beach Boys song which I can't help with song titles so similar.
If you love Katy's song, party on!! More power to you, every summer needs a song to dance to and Katy's given us a great one. I'll be here listening to music that's older than I am wondering how The Beach Boys captured the innocence and wonder of summer in music . . . disturbed by the imagery of a girl angrily shooting whip cream out of her bikini top.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Stupid iphone Commercials!!!
I thought I was done with crying in front of the television.
It took time to accept the fact that a television commercial could make me tear up but I put a box of kleenix by the television and worked through it. Then I saw this commercial:
Really Apple?!? I can't take it any more. It’s just a simple phone conversation. When she says “you know that things we’ve been working on a while,” we know something special is coming and we experience their emotion through the woman’s look as she speaks and she responds to the man’s reaction. As the commercial goes to the Apple logo we find out that they are going to be parents.
Making us feel the emotions before knowing the situations that is behind it draws us in to the world, and when we find out the news we rejoice as well and Kingsley starts to cry.
I love a good commercial and most of the time commercials that are really awesome more are humorous like the now classic Betty White Snickers commercial.
The focus on humor in commercials is so prevalent that I was caught off guard by Apple’s Facetime ad campaign.
Now most of the time I watch television shows played back on my DVR and I fast forward through the commercials. So it was only by chance that I heard the unmistakable voice of Louis Armstrong and watched one of the beautiful studies on the power of human interaction.
This commercials shows a variety on contexts which Facetime would be nice. The first uses the commercial shows aren’t extraordinary situations, a dad saying goodnight or two girls trying to chose what to wear.
Then we see a woman having a sonogram sharing that experience with the father who is in the military and we instantly feel the sacrifice this family making and how hard this must be for this couple to be apart. Their expressions as they are able to connect with each other are amazing.
If that doesn’t get to you, the next scene when they speak to each other in sign language will. Near tears, they sign to each other, “I love you” and oh my god . . . I’m tearing up right now just thinking about the commercial.
If Apple keeps making these ads I'm going to be a mess every time I watch television. These commercials are beautiful, touching and poignant contemplation on what it means to share life with the people you love. This is the most noble goal of technology and I'm thankful to apple for reminding all of us how powerful a smile can be.
NO!! I just saw this new one:
. . . Diana, I'm out of kleenix. . .
It took time to accept the fact that a television commercial could make me tear up but I put a box of kleenix by the television and worked through it. Then I saw this commercial:
Really Apple?!? I can't take it any more. It’s just a simple phone conversation. When she says “you know that things we’ve been working on a while,” we know something special is coming and we experience their emotion through the woman’s look as she speaks and she responds to the man’s reaction. As the commercial goes to the Apple logo we find out that they are going to be parents.
Making us feel the emotions before knowing the situations that is behind it draws us in to the world, and when we find out the news we rejoice as well and Kingsley starts to cry.
I love a good commercial and most of the time commercials that are really awesome more are humorous like the now classic Betty White Snickers commercial.
The focus on humor in commercials is so prevalent that I was caught off guard by Apple’s Facetime ad campaign.
Now most of the time I watch television shows played back on my DVR and I fast forward through the commercials. So it was only by chance that I heard the unmistakable voice of Louis Armstrong and watched one of the beautiful studies on the power of human interaction.
This commercials shows a variety on contexts which Facetime would be nice. The first uses the commercial shows aren’t extraordinary situations, a dad saying goodnight or two girls trying to chose what to wear.
Then we see a woman having a sonogram sharing that experience with the father who is in the military and we instantly feel the sacrifice this family making and how hard this must be for this couple to be apart. Their expressions as they are able to connect with each other are amazing.
If that doesn’t get to you, the next scene when they speak to each other in sign language will. Near tears, they sign to each other, “I love you” and oh my god . . . I’m tearing up right now just thinking about the commercial.
If Apple keeps making these ads I'm going to be a mess every time I watch television. These commercials are beautiful, touching and poignant contemplation on what it means to share life with the people you love. This is the most noble goal of technology and I'm thankful to apple for reminding all of us how powerful a smile can be.
NO!! I just saw this new one:
. . . Diana, I'm out of kleenix. . .
Friday, July 23, 2010
Baby by Justin Bieber
It’s rare that I experience I piece of music without any preconceptions. Most of the time when I listen to new music I know the artist and/or know something about the song. Also most of the time I listen to the song, but I don’t really experience it.
Don’t get me wrong, listening to a song is an active and vital way to interact with music but it’s a different when you perform a song or dance to it. This is why dancing to “Baby” this week was one of the of the greatest musical experiences I’ve had in recent memory.
Let me explain.
For the past two weeks I’ve taken an Orff level 1 class at Vadercook College of Music in Chicago. Carl Orff was a composer who helped develop an approach to teaching music to children that revolutionized music education bringing the natural way children play, create and interact with music into the classroom.
Motion is a big part of Orff’s approach which I'm not great at. During the movement part of the Orff class I felt self-conscious, insecure and a little silly dancing around the room creating different shapes and waving scarves around (this is a sarcastic analysis of the role of movement if Orff curriculum, there's a lot more going on here).
Part way through the our motion session last Wednesday when we were learning folk dances something started happening. I noticed that I was picking up the dance steps quickly and that I was pretty good at this. Then I started having fun and not caring about the way I looked to the people around.
As we neared the end of the session, the instructor told us we were going to do the same folk dance we had just practiced to traditional music to some different music. As the music started, I heard gentle guitar plucks and the vocalization of a young singer and before I knew it we started dancing. The folk dance started with the group in a large circle so when the group started going you had to dance or get run over.
I didn't have time to think about the song, all I could do was dance to it staying completely in the moment. Before I knew it an uncontrollable smile came upon my face and as I lost myself moving to the music.
After the dance was over, someone identified the song as “Baby” by Justin Bieber. No, I haven’t been under a rock, I know who Justin Bieber is, I just haven’t listened to any of his music. I’ve heard plenty about him and I’m really glad that I didn’t know it was him before I started dancing or else I wouldn’t have enjoyed the music filled with the negativity I've heard about his music.
I don't know what the fuss is all about. “Baby” is a perfectly fine pop song. It’s nicely crafted. There’s not a lot of frills or anything musically revolutionary but it’s fun and my experience dancing to it was unforgettable. Sometimes it's more than the music that makes a song important to us. Sometimes it's the way we experience it that makes it meaningful and dancing to "Baby" made this song unforgettable for me.
Driving home from class I was so excited about the idea of teaching movement and dancing to my students next year. There are many reasons to teach dancing. I could write a dissertation on the educational benefits of movement activities but it wasn’t until last Wednesday I realized how much fun folk dancing could be and how much I want to help my students attain the feeling pure joy that came from experiencing music through dance.
Don’t get me wrong, listening to a song is an active and vital way to interact with music but it’s a different when you perform a song or dance to it. This is why dancing to “Baby” this week was one of the of the greatest musical experiences I’ve had in recent memory.
Let me explain.
For the past two weeks I’ve taken an Orff level 1 class at Vadercook College of Music in Chicago. Carl Orff was a composer who helped develop an approach to teaching music to children that revolutionized music education bringing the natural way children play, create and interact with music into the classroom.
Motion is a big part of Orff’s approach which I'm not great at. During the movement part of the Orff class I felt self-conscious, insecure and a little silly dancing around the room creating different shapes and waving scarves around (this is a sarcastic analysis of the role of movement if Orff curriculum, there's a lot more going on here).
Part way through the our motion session last Wednesday when we were learning folk dances something started happening. I noticed that I was picking up the dance steps quickly and that I was pretty good at this. Then I started having fun and not caring about the way I looked to the people around.
As we neared the end of the session, the instructor told us we were going to do the same folk dance we had just practiced to traditional music to some different music. As the music started, I heard gentle guitar plucks and the vocalization of a young singer and before I knew it we started dancing. The folk dance started with the group in a large circle so when the group started going you had to dance or get run over.
I didn't have time to think about the song, all I could do was dance to it staying completely in the moment. Before I knew it an uncontrollable smile came upon my face and as I lost myself moving to the music.
After the dance was over, someone identified the song as “Baby” by Justin Bieber. No, I haven’t been under a rock, I know who Justin Bieber is, I just haven’t listened to any of his music. I’ve heard plenty about him and I’m really glad that I didn’t know it was him before I started dancing or else I wouldn’t have enjoyed the music filled with the negativity I've heard about his music.
I don't know what the fuss is all about. “Baby” is a perfectly fine pop song. It’s nicely crafted. There’s not a lot of frills or anything musically revolutionary but it’s fun and my experience dancing to it was unforgettable. Sometimes it's more than the music that makes a song important to us. Sometimes it's the way we experience it that makes it meaningful and dancing to "Baby" made this song unforgettable for me.
Driving home from class I was so excited about the idea of teaching movement and dancing to my students next year. There are many reasons to teach dancing. I could write a dissertation on the educational benefits of movement activities but it wasn’t until last Wednesday I realized how much fun folk dancing could be and how much I want to help my students attain the feeling pure joy that came from experiencing music through dance.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Why you should be proud to love Twilight: Eclipse
As I’ve been seeing people in the last couple days the normal “what have you been up to?” question has come up and I answer with one of the most significant events of last weekend: “I saw The Twilight Saga: Eclipse with my wife.”
I’ve been getting one of two responses, the standard “Twilight is crap and people who enjoy the books and the movies are idiots for liking them (even though I haven’t read the books or seen the movies myself)” or more interestingly a sheepish acknowledgment that they had seen the film and in general enjoyed the experience. It’s this latter response that I want to address.
I’m not really going to get into too much what I thought about the film but in general I liked it. The overall Twilight storyline continues to maintain my interest. The back-stories of the vampires were great, I loved the guy who was a confederate soldier and Dakota Fanning as the Darth Vader vampire was really fun. While the dialogue was often sub-par, the portrayal of teenagers trying to figure out romance was pretty dead on. If you think that Bella isn’t a realistic character you haven’t spent a lot of time around teenagers.
Is this the best film of the year? Of course not, am I interested to see the next film? yeah, but strangely I find myself almost afraid to admit this to people I talk to, much like the people who are afraid to relate to me that they have seen the film too.
Whether or not we enjoy a piece of art doesn’t always have to do with objective analysis of the quality of a work. The fact that our enjoyment of art isn’t something that is objective is one thing that makes the way we feel about art so meaningful and special.
For example, I really dislike the Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling.”
This song is not very interesting to me, there’s little to no depth in it as a pop song and the really catchy hook in this song is used to death. When I’m at a wedding and this song comes on and everyone gets up and dances and is loving the song, who is the one that is missing out? I am. I would be much happier if I liked this song.
My aversion of "I Gotta Feeling" is my loss. In the same breath if you love something and someone else around you doesn’t it’s their loss. They are the one who is missing out and it doesn’t matter what they say at the end of their day, there life is less full of joy because there is one thing out there that they dislike.
Be proud of what you love and if someone decides to bash something you like just let them say their fill and move on with your life. Don't try to fight them or convert them. You can't reason with someone who is being unreasonable. Remember people who respond to your excitement with negativity are simply jealous and bitter because they feel left out of all the fun that you are having.
Experience art that you love and love the art you experience.
I’ve been getting one of two responses, the standard “Twilight is crap and people who enjoy the books and the movies are idiots for liking them (even though I haven’t read the books or seen the movies myself)” or more interestingly a sheepish acknowledgment that they had seen the film and in general enjoyed the experience. It’s this latter response that I want to address.
I’m not really going to get into too much what I thought about the film but in general I liked it. The overall Twilight storyline continues to maintain my interest. The back-stories of the vampires were great, I loved the guy who was a confederate soldier and Dakota Fanning as the Darth Vader vampire was really fun. While the dialogue was often sub-par, the portrayal of teenagers trying to figure out romance was pretty dead on. If you think that Bella isn’t a realistic character you haven’t spent a lot of time around teenagers.
Is this the best film of the year? Of course not, am I interested to see the next film? yeah, but strangely I find myself almost afraid to admit this to people I talk to, much like the people who are afraid to relate to me that they have seen the film too.
Whether or not we enjoy a piece of art doesn’t always have to do with objective analysis of the quality of a work. The fact that our enjoyment of art isn’t something that is objective is one thing that makes the way we feel about art so meaningful and special.
For example, I really dislike the Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling.”
This song is not very interesting to me, there’s little to no depth in it as a pop song and the really catchy hook in this song is used to death. When I’m at a wedding and this song comes on and everyone gets up and dances and is loving the song, who is the one that is missing out? I am. I would be much happier if I liked this song.
My aversion of "I Gotta Feeling" is my loss. In the same breath if you love something and someone else around you doesn’t it’s their loss. They are the one who is missing out and it doesn’t matter what they say at the end of their day, there life is less full of joy because there is one thing out there that they dislike.
Be proud of what you love and if someone decides to bash something you like just let them say their fill and move on with your life. Don't try to fight them or convert them. You can't reason with someone who is being unreasonable. Remember people who respond to your excitement with negativity are simply jealous and bitter because they feel left out of all the fun that you are having.
Experience art that you love and love the art you experience.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
In 1967, radio stations banned “Brown Eyed Girl” from airplay on radio stations. Yes, one of the most beloved pop songs in our culture, a seemingly innocuous celebration of life and a quintessential “feel good” song was taken off the radio.
Why? Because the line “making love in the green grass” from the second verse was too explicit so it was overdubbed with a line from the first verse “laughin' and a-runnin', hey hey.”
As silly as that seems to us, it could have been a worse. When it was first being recorded Van Morrison sang this song as a “Brown Skinned Girl." In the 1960s there were many states that still had laws outlawing miscegenation (interracial marriage). That would have gone over REALLY well. Producers convinced Van Morrison to change it to “Brown Eyed Girl” inadvertently creating universal appeal to this song as most of the people on this planet have brown eyes.
What makes “Brown Eyed Girl” such a popular and meaningful song isn’t the once offensive reference in the second verse or even the fact that this song is about a girl that is characterized by a superficial feature. “Brown Eyed Girl” is a song that describes the great memory of sharing a song with someone that you love through a songs that we all can’t help but love.
The light and syncopated bass line creates a simple and relaxed groove. On top of this the guitar simply dances. After playing the opening, the guitar weaves and hops between the melody playfully outlining the chords expressing the feeling of freedom and joy that Van Morrison describes in the lyrics. If there were no singing in the song at all you would know exactly what this song was about.
It always gets to me when Van Morrison sings in the second verse “so hard to find my way, now that I’m on my own.” There’s a tint of frustration in his voice but he lets go when the chorus comes and he’s able to sing like he remembers in his memory.
The “Shalala” part is nonsensical but unapologetically joyful. When you sing along to this part you can’t help but smile allowing you to immediately understand what Van Morrison is singing about. Through this immediate connection to the music, we profoundly understand what is at the soul of this song.
Every time I listen to this song I can’t help but sing along. I know exactly what Van Morrison is singing about and because of his song reminds how great it is to share not only music but life with the people we love.
The only difference is I still have my brown eyed girl in my life.
Why? Because the line “making love in the green grass” from the second verse was too explicit so it was overdubbed with a line from the first verse “laughin' and a-runnin', hey hey.”
As silly as that seems to us, it could have been a worse. When it was first being recorded Van Morrison sang this song as a “Brown Skinned Girl." In the 1960s there were many states that still had laws outlawing miscegenation (interracial marriage). That would have gone over REALLY well. Producers convinced Van Morrison to change it to “Brown Eyed Girl” inadvertently creating universal appeal to this song as most of the people on this planet have brown eyes.
What makes “Brown Eyed Girl” such a popular and meaningful song isn’t the once offensive reference in the second verse or even the fact that this song is about a girl that is characterized by a superficial feature. “Brown Eyed Girl” is a song that describes the great memory of sharing a song with someone that you love through a songs that we all can’t help but love.
The light and syncopated bass line creates a simple and relaxed groove. On top of this the guitar simply dances. After playing the opening, the guitar weaves and hops between the melody playfully outlining the chords expressing the feeling of freedom and joy that Van Morrison describes in the lyrics. If there were no singing in the song at all you would know exactly what this song was about.
It always gets to me when Van Morrison sings in the second verse “so hard to find my way, now that I’m on my own.” There’s a tint of frustration in his voice but he lets go when the chorus comes and he’s able to sing like he remembers in his memory.
The “Shalala” part is nonsensical but unapologetically joyful. When you sing along to this part you can’t help but smile allowing you to immediately understand what Van Morrison is singing about. Through this immediate connection to the music, we profoundly understand what is at the soul of this song.
Every time I listen to this song I can’t help but sing along. I know exactly what Van Morrison is singing about and because of his song reminds how great it is to share not only music but life with the people we love.
The only difference is I still have my brown eyed girl in my life.
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