In A Musical Mood Part Two
May. 20th, 2001 01:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
penpusherHere are the notes for the first side of the first tape, titled:
"Manic."
The Nineteen Sixties were filled with energy, excitement and adventure. Everything was changing, overnight. The largest generation in world history was reaching adulthood. And, they all wanted to have fun. Trying new things, re-mapping the world, not conforming, the Baby Boomers made up the rules, then, shattered every one of them.
The Boomers were the best educated, most eclectic and possibly most social generation, ever. They also redefined what power a teenager had in society. It really turned on the arrival of The Beatles, who are the featured performers throughout this era. Though they were born during World War II, there is a distinct synergy between this Liverpool Quartet and this mass of population, all evolving into the people they would eventually be.
The songs selected for Manic are meant to give a view of the happier side of this historic period. They also are intended to expose the subtext beneath the happy words and notes, some of the deeper meanings that might have gone unnoticed.
Love Me Do – The Beatles: As the “House Band” for The Isolation Generation, The Fab Four have a lot to say about these times, beginning with this gem: A simple pledge of devotion (“you know I love you/I’ll always be true”), a request for reciprocation. As is typical for the Baby Boomer mindset though, the “request” is phrased in the form of a demand. It’s a clear message, even over the crowds of screaming teen girls, more than willing to wholeheartedly respond.
Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer – Nat King Cole: This song evokes the changes in attitudes America was starting to feel in the Sixties (“Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies/then lock the house up/now you’re set/and on the beach/you’ll see the girls in their bikinis/as cute as ever/but they never/get ‘em wet”). The singer clearly points out, through the fun of a night at the movies or a day in the sun, this next generation is doing things in a much different way: a way that the oldsters might not agree with. It’s all fun, as long as you remember to make sure your home is protected (ah, those changing times).
Windy – The Association: We know the title character is a child because of the things she does (“peeking out from under a stairway”), but she’s growing up fast (“trippin’ down the streets of the city”). She knows right from wrong (“stormy eyes/that flash at the sound of lies”) and she has some special talents (“wings to fly/above the clouds”). On top of that, everyone knows her! Why not? She’s smiling at everybody she sees. All in all, she’s a groovy role model. The song ends repeating the hook and adding an element each time, representing this wild daughter of Mother Nature acquiring followers as she breezes on to her next adventure: Chicago’s Lakefront, perhaps?
Kites Are Fun – The Free Design: It’s children and the wind again, though this time, the focus is on several kids and their kites. The upbeat exterior covers a deep underlying sadness. It’s perfect for The Isolation Generation. The elements are all there: having fun by yourself, parents not understanding and the singers wanting “to be a zillion miles/away from everyone.” The listener gets the feeling that the paper and wood toy loves and understands the child better than his folks do. You know, maybe this song should have been included in the Depressive collection.
Up Up And Away – The 5th Dimension: Intentionally written like a Broadway Showstopper by master song crafter Jimmy Webb, this tune features another theme of getting away from everyone. This time the escape is done in a “beautiful balloon.” (If you’ll hold my hand/we’ll chase your dream/across the sky.”) The almost blatant implication: the ‘dream’ is right there in the gondola with you (“if by some chance/you find yourself loving me/we’ll find a cloud to hide us/we’ll keep the moon beside us”). With the Space Age in full swing, who wanted to stay earthbound?
Respect – Aretha Franklin: Both an anthem and a how-to song, just like The Beatles, Aretha wants something and demands it: (“What you want/baby I got it/what you need/you know I got it/all I’m asking/is for a little respect”). She isn’t the least bit worried. She’ll get what she asks for. Or, if not, she’ll keep her goodies (money, other interesting offerings) to herself. Barter or purchase, the end result is the same. It’s a lesson worth spelling out.
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) – The Byrds: You don’t hear a lot of Biblical passages set to music, at least not outside of church. But this one (Ecclesiastes 3, v.1-8) was transformed into a timely protest song that could be applied equally well to the race riots throughout the south and in urban areas around the country, and to the raging war in Vietnam (“a time to every purpose under heaven”). As is common for the Boomers’ era, the final message is uplifting and positive (“a time for peace/I swear it’s not too late”).
Expressway To Your Heart – Soul Survivors: With the interstate highway system in full working order, it was only a matter of time before love of driving and love of loving had a head-on collision. The metaphor is obvious: the girl is the destination and every driver (read: guy) wants to get there (“at five o’clock/it’s much too crowded”). Again, we get a positive and aggressive message: Don’t wait (“fellas started to shower/you with love and affection/now you won’t look/in my direction”). Go for it now, or be stuck on the turnpike to somebody else’s spleen.
Daydream Believer – The Monkees: The title says it all. Typical Boomer philosophy: make your vision come true. And again, a concept turned sideways, to suit the singers: awaken from sleep to enter your dream. The theme of Love versus Money is touched upon (“our good time starts and ends/without dollar one to spend/but how much baby/do we really need”). In the romantic world of the Boomers, love always wins the day.
My Generation – The Who: With radio’s obscenity standards of the mid 60’s, it didn’t get any more aggressive than this anthem, stuttered to perfection by Roger Daltrey (“why don’t ya all/f-f-f fade away!”). This in your face brutal attack on the people in charge was a rallying cry for the kids. They seem to be saying: “We’re not waiting for you to give us power, old man! This is a coup!”
Grazing In The Grass – Friends of Distinction: There’s more than a hint that ‘the grass’ referred to has a second meaning. Seriously, how ecstatic can you get by just sitting on a lawn, under a tree, without help? Awareness is heightened, as the tiniest detail is noticed (“everything here is so clear/you can see it/and everything here is so near/you can feel it”). When you get the munchies, you gotta go graze. Can you dig it? You know, maybe this should have been included in the Psychedelic collection.
Sukiyaki – Kyu Sakamoto: Only the next generation could do this. After Pearl Harbor started it and the A Bomb finished it, it was the Boomers who took a song sung entirely in Japanese to number one on the US pop charts. The American style dance hall orchestrations gave it a sweet and humble charm, and the 21 year old has a voice that resonates with true feeling, even though most English speaking citizens had no idea what he was singing. The Rhino CD release “Billboard Top Pop Singles 1963” had these two facts: “Ue O Muite Aruko” translated means “I Look Up When I Walk.” Tragically, Kyu (pronounced like the letter ‘Q’) was aboard JAL flight 007 and died, at age 43, with the other 519 souls aboard that plane, in 1985.
A Taste Of Honey – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: “A Taste Of Honey” was a Broadway show, and later, a film, dealing with an interracial relationship. This song was almost a dirge: sung sadly, slowly in those productions. A few years later, Herb and the “TJB” as they came to be known, grabbed it and ‘Tijuanafied’ it, only keeping a slight hint of the heartbreaking ballad intact. Marimbas, rifling drumbeats and Herb’s distinctive trumpet lifted this to a “Grande Fiesta.” Taking the sad and making it happy: are you learning the lesson of the Boomer Era?
Bus Stop – The Hollies: When is bad weather good? Here: (“bus stop/wet day/she’s there/I say/please share my umbrella”). Despite the differences in outward attitudes (“all the people stared/as if we were both quite insane”), it’s obvious that the Boomers still sought some of the same values as their parents (“nice to think that/that umbrella/led me to a vow”). Maybe the next generation wasn’t so different after all.
Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder: Love and Money duke it out again, and, as usual, there’s no contest. Love always forgives poverty (“I’m a poor man’s son/from across the railroad track/only shirt I own/is here on my back/but I’m the envy/of every single guy/since I’m the apple/of my girl’s eye”). The important stuff is made clear (“my heart is true”) and even though the girl is well to do, she understands it too. Priorities straight? Maybe this generation is actually better than the last!
Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys: Unlike The Who, these lads are in pursuit of happiness in a respectful, wished for way (“wouldn’t it be nice/to live together/in the kind of world/where we belong”). The desire of finding true love, getting married and having a home and family were all still very much alive for this generation (“maybe if/we think and wish/and hope and pray/it might come true”). It takes all kinds of Boomers to make this generation up.
The Nineteen Sixties were filled with energy, excitement and adventure. Everything was changing, overnight. The largest generation in world history was reaching adulthood. And, they all wanted to have fun. Trying new things, re-mapping the world, not conforming, the Baby Boomers made up the rules, then, shattered every one of them.
The Boomers were the best educated, most eclectic and possibly most social generation, ever. They also redefined what power a teenager had in society. It really turned on the arrival of The Beatles, who are the featured performers throughout this era. Though they were born during World War II, there is a distinct synergy between this Liverpool Quartet and this mass of population, all evolving into the people they would eventually be.
The songs selected for Manic are meant to give a view of the happier side of this historic period. They also are intended to expose the subtext beneath the happy words and notes, some of the deeper meanings that might have gone unnoticed.
Love Me Do – The Beatles: As the “House Band” for The Isolation Generation, The Fab Four have a lot to say about these times, beginning with this gem: A simple pledge of devotion (“you know I love you/I’ll always be true”), a request for reciprocation. As is typical for the Baby Boomer mindset though, the “request” is phrased in the form of a demand. It’s a clear message, even over the crowds of screaming teen girls, more than willing to wholeheartedly respond.
Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer – Nat King Cole: This song evokes the changes in attitudes America was starting to feel in the Sixties (“Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies/then lock the house up/now you’re set/and on the beach/you’ll see the girls in their bikinis/as cute as ever/but they never/get ‘em wet”). The singer clearly points out, through the fun of a night at the movies or a day in the sun, this next generation is doing things in a much different way: a way that the oldsters might not agree with. It’s all fun, as long as you remember to make sure your home is protected (ah, those changing times).
Windy – The Association: We know the title character is a child because of the things she does (“peeking out from under a stairway”), but she’s growing up fast (“trippin’ down the streets of the city”). She knows right from wrong (“stormy eyes/that flash at the sound of lies”) and she has some special talents (“wings to fly/above the clouds”). On top of that, everyone knows her! Why not? She’s smiling at everybody she sees. All in all, she’s a groovy role model. The song ends repeating the hook and adding an element each time, representing this wild daughter of Mother Nature acquiring followers as she breezes on to her next adventure: Chicago’s Lakefront, perhaps?
Kites Are Fun – The Free Design: It’s children and the wind again, though this time, the focus is on several kids and their kites. The upbeat exterior covers a deep underlying sadness. It’s perfect for The Isolation Generation. The elements are all there: having fun by yourself, parents not understanding and the singers wanting “to be a zillion miles/away from everyone.” The listener gets the feeling that the paper and wood toy loves and understands the child better than his folks do. You know, maybe this song should have been included in the Depressive collection.
Up Up And Away – The 5th Dimension: Intentionally written like a Broadway Showstopper by master song crafter Jimmy Webb, this tune features another theme of getting away from everyone. This time the escape is done in a “beautiful balloon.” (If you’ll hold my hand/we’ll chase your dream/across the sky.”) The almost blatant implication: the ‘dream’ is right there in the gondola with you (“if by some chance/you find yourself loving me/we’ll find a cloud to hide us/we’ll keep the moon beside us”). With the Space Age in full swing, who wanted to stay earthbound?
Respect – Aretha Franklin: Both an anthem and a how-to song, just like The Beatles, Aretha wants something and demands it: (“What you want/baby I got it/what you need/you know I got it/all I’m asking/is for a little respect”). She isn’t the least bit worried. She’ll get what she asks for. Or, if not, she’ll keep her goodies (money, other interesting offerings) to herself. Barter or purchase, the end result is the same. It’s a lesson worth spelling out.
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) – The Byrds: You don’t hear a lot of Biblical passages set to music, at least not outside of church. But this one (Ecclesiastes 3, v.1-8) was transformed into a timely protest song that could be applied equally well to the race riots throughout the south and in urban areas around the country, and to the raging war in Vietnam (“a time to every purpose under heaven”). As is common for the Boomers’ era, the final message is uplifting and positive (“a time for peace/I swear it’s not too late”).
Expressway To Your Heart – Soul Survivors: With the interstate highway system in full working order, it was only a matter of time before love of driving and love of loving had a head-on collision. The metaphor is obvious: the girl is the destination and every driver (read: guy) wants to get there (“at five o’clock/it’s much too crowded”). Again, we get a positive and aggressive message: Don’t wait (“fellas started to shower/you with love and affection/now you won’t look/in my direction”). Go for it now, or be stuck on the turnpike to somebody else’s spleen.
Daydream Believer – The Monkees: The title says it all. Typical Boomer philosophy: make your vision come true. And again, a concept turned sideways, to suit the singers: awaken from sleep to enter your dream. The theme of Love versus Money is touched upon (“our good time starts and ends/without dollar one to spend/but how much baby/do we really need”). In the romantic world of the Boomers, love always wins the day.
My Generation – The Who: With radio’s obscenity standards of the mid 60’s, it didn’t get any more aggressive than this anthem, stuttered to perfection by Roger Daltrey (“why don’t ya all/f-f-f fade away!”). This in your face brutal attack on the people in charge was a rallying cry for the kids. They seem to be saying: “We’re not waiting for you to give us power, old man! This is a coup!”
Grazing In The Grass – Friends of Distinction: There’s more than a hint that ‘the grass’ referred to has a second meaning. Seriously, how ecstatic can you get by just sitting on a lawn, under a tree, without help? Awareness is heightened, as the tiniest detail is noticed (“everything here is so clear/you can see it/and everything here is so near/you can feel it”). When you get the munchies, you gotta go graze. Can you dig it? You know, maybe this should have been included in the Psychedelic collection.
Sukiyaki – Kyu Sakamoto: Only the next generation could do this. After Pearl Harbor started it and the A Bomb finished it, it was the Boomers who took a song sung entirely in Japanese to number one on the US pop charts. The American style dance hall orchestrations gave it a sweet and humble charm, and the 21 year old has a voice that resonates with true feeling, even though most English speaking citizens had no idea what he was singing. The Rhino CD release “Billboard Top Pop Singles 1963” had these two facts: “Ue O Muite Aruko” translated means “I Look Up When I Walk.” Tragically, Kyu (pronounced like the letter ‘Q’) was aboard JAL flight 007 and died, at age 43, with the other 519 souls aboard that plane, in 1985.
A Taste Of Honey – Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: “A Taste Of Honey” was a Broadway show, and later, a film, dealing with an interracial relationship. This song was almost a dirge: sung sadly, slowly in those productions. A few years later, Herb and the “TJB” as they came to be known, grabbed it and ‘Tijuanafied’ it, only keeping a slight hint of the heartbreaking ballad intact. Marimbas, rifling drumbeats and Herb’s distinctive trumpet lifted this to a “Grande Fiesta.” Taking the sad and making it happy: are you learning the lesson of the Boomer Era?
Bus Stop – The Hollies: When is bad weather good? Here: (“bus stop/wet day/she’s there/I say/please share my umbrella”). Despite the differences in outward attitudes (“all the people stared/as if we were both quite insane”), it’s obvious that the Boomers still sought some of the same values as their parents (“nice to think that/that umbrella/led me to a vow”). Maybe the next generation wasn’t so different after all.
Uptight (Everything’s Alright) – Stevie Wonder: Love and Money duke it out again, and, as usual, there’s no contest. Love always forgives poverty (“I’m a poor man’s son/from across the railroad track/only shirt I own/is here on my back/but I’m the envy/of every single guy/since I’m the apple/of my girl’s eye”). The important stuff is made clear (“my heart is true”) and even though the girl is well to do, she understands it too. Priorities straight? Maybe this generation is actually better than the last!
Wouldn’t It Be Nice – The Beach Boys: Unlike The Who, these lads are in pursuit of happiness in a respectful, wished for way (“wouldn’t it be nice/to live together/in the kind of world/where we belong”). The desire of finding true love, getting married and having a home and family were all still very much alive for this generation (“maybe if/we think and wish/and hope and pray/it might come true”). It takes all kinds of Boomers to make this generation up.