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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Music in the Time of Foreclosure

A friend and reader of LITTOF wrote me recently to share a song. A little bit of times-appropriate music.

This is the chorus from “Danny’s Song” written by Kenny Loggins. I think we all know this song, yes? Let’s sing:

And even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with ya, honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
And in the mornin' when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me, everything is gonna be alright

Doesn’t that make you feel better? It works on me. Lately I’ve been curbing my NPR and Air America addiction and choosing music instead. Why? Because listening constantly to news about how awful things are out there does not make me feel better. I keep up on the news, but I don’t need to be surrounded by it constantly. We live in a house that’s a statistic in this crisis. I’m reminded of our foreclosure status on a daily basis. What I really need is some good tunes.

I thought I’d start a list of “Music in the Time of Foreclosure”… songs that speak to “difficult times” and have an inescapable ‘cheering up’ power.

I have only just begun and these are all off the top of my head and in no particular order…

“Here Comes the Sun” - The Beatles (written by George Harrison)
This one is obvious. I love the Beatles.

“Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” - Bob Dylan
Okay, so it’s a break-up song. But there’s hope. Hard times. And hope. It fits. (and it’s a great song.)

“Suite Judy Blue Eyes” – Crosby, Stills & Young (written by Stephen Stills)
I’m including this one because of the pain to hope quotient. Lots of pain with a good dose of hope. It also has one of my favorite lyrics: Don’t let the past remind you of what you aren’t right now.

“Lucky” by Jason Mraz
Okay, yes, I sing this to Bob. Often. Please don’t throw tomatoes at me. Here’s the chorus:

Lucky I’m in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again

“Float On” – Modest Mouse
Makes me want to dance. It’s kind of like this decade’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy”… but a lot more whimsy. Bob pointed out to me that it means it doesn't matter what happens because we're all going to die anyway.
"Float On" = die? I don't know. Maybe.

Bob's interpretation: Don't worry, we're all going to die.
My interpretation: Don't worry, it'll all be alright.

The same? Or opposite? I guess that depends too.

So, what songs would you add to the list?

I had a friend tell me once that Ani Difranco’s Dilate album gave her the insight and power to kick her dysfunctional relationship to the curb and carried her through the pain of that break-up to the other side. That’s some powerful music.

So, Music in the Time of Foreclosure. What are we looking for?

Songs that speak to difficult times that have hope and the power to uplift.

- What songs have gotten you through hard times?
- What songs make you feel better about humanity?
- What songs make you smile no matter how depressed you might feel?

Send 'em in! I want to hear!

Leave your song suggestions in the comments section. Pretty please. Thank you!


Pop Music Reflects on Hard Times
- Washington Post

7 Comments:

Kim Hooper said...

Hehe, I know that Kenny Loggins song :) I also LOVE music, and know how soothing it can be. Some songs that come to mind:
-"Ob-la-di, ob-la-da" by the Beatles
-"Have a little faith in me" by John Hiatt
-"Running on faith" by Eric Clapton
-"Ooh La La" by The Faces (You know... "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger...")
-"Here we go again" by Ok, Go. The lyrics don't mean much to me, but this song always makes me feel good.
-"Love and Happiness" by Al Green
-"The Weight" by The Band
-"The Luckiest" by Ben Folds
-"Gold to Me" by Ben Harper
-"If Not for You" by Bob Dylan
-"Long as I can see the light" by CCR (LOVE this one)
-"Warm Love" by Van Morrison

I could go on...and on...and on

Anonymous said...

My current favorite is One Day Like This by Elbow.
And an old favorite, no surprise here, is The Rest of my Life by Prince. A little of that joy here:

Dont look now but there is another rocky road
Another heavy wow of the much too heavy heavy load
But today I'm gonna face it, yea, cuz I am sick of dealing any other way
No one said the race was fair but I am gonna keep running just the same.
Today, today, is the first day of the rest of my life.

And all the perky musical awesomeness to go with it. A highly recommended listen.

And the classic I Can See Clearly Now

For you and Bob I recommend The Last Beat of my Heart by Siouxie and the Banshees or the lovely cover by DeVotchKa.

Will keep thinkging....
Megan

EM Lewis said...

Love this!

My "feel-better" songs tend to be kind of dark. More "the world is shitty, but you can keep going" as opposed to "the world is shiny if you look at it right."

I'm particularly fond of "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran. And "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" by Bob Dylan.

This is a great blog.

Love in the Time of Foreclosure said...

Thank you for your wonderful suggestions! Keep them coming.

Anonymous said...

I know this is an old post so I'm not sure if you're reading comments any more but you must check out "Better Things" by The Kinks. Very fitting to your situation. Glad to hear the short sale finally worked out. Congrats on moving on.

Auburn

Love in the Time of Foreclosure said...

Yes, still moderating comments. Thanks for the suggestion. I've been meaning to put together a "Love in the Time of Foreclosure" playlist w/ everyone's suggestions. I think it will come in handy for our road trip!

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