"A chance that you might love me too . . . "

How I grew up without listening to Ray Charles bewilders me. Actually, knowing that I haven't gotten into his music until just recently makes me mad. That's how good it is. Rest in peace, Ray Charles.

I want to write about a song of his that I've really connected with. "You Don't Know Me" But before I get into that, I guess I should write about why this song means so much to me. Love - marriage, dating, courtship, and crushes - all of these things have been on my heart lately. I've been thinking and praying about the kind of relationship I hope to have with that young men - whoever he may be - you know, the one I'll end up marrying. (eep! Scary thought.) My parents divorced nearly 2 years ago, so marriage is very . . . intimidating to me and the thought of someday being divorced from my own husband, well, that's just a nightmare. These fears come from me worrying about the things that could go wrong in our relationship, and the thing of all things that I worry about the most is not knowing my husband. Here's where the song is poured into the mix:

_____

"You give your hand to me

And then you say hello

And I can hardly speak

My heart is beating so

And anyone can tell

You think you know me well

Well, you don't know me

No, you don't know the one

Who dreams of you at night

And longs to kiss your lips

And longs to hold you tight

Oh, I'm just a friend; that's all I've ever been

'Cause you don't know me

For I never knew the art of making love

Though my heart aches with love for you

Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by;

A chance that you might love me too

You give your hand to me

And then you say goodbye

I watch you walk away

Beside the lucky guy

Oh, you'll never know

The one who loved you so

Well, you don't know me."

_____

That's what I'm absolutely terrified of! I have this image in my head of me meeting this young man (if I don't know him already) and becoming close friends with him. Maybe this in unrealistic, but I want us to be friends for a long time - years, and just friends without feeling any pressure to go out on a "date" or anything, and during this friendship I want us to to know each other, just like Ray Charles sings in his song.

David Archuleta, one of my favorite musicians, also sums it up very well. "I think so many people want to rush things, they want to rush hanging out, they want to rush making out, and then it's like they don't even know the person they're with." Good point, David. Kudos to you.

By the way, on this day back in 1973, Ray Charles performed "Born To Lose", "Feel So Bad" and "Am I Blue" on ABC's The Dick Cavett Show. Interesting. (from http://bit.ly/3ZgCHu)

Blessings! :)

#musicmonday

I love music and I like to blog, and I really like using Twitter. In fact, I think I use it too much but oh well. Monday is always fun for me because it's kind of set aside for music on Twitter. I love Tweeting about music and seeing what people have to say about music, so it is a good day. I think I'll start posting updates going more into what songs and bands I mention on #musicmonday. To get in depth, you know?

Sigur Ròs - this Icelandic band has really captivated me. Not long ago I was only familiar with their songs Sæglópur and Staralfur but just last night I got very curious and eager to hear more of their music, so I listened to three of their more recent albums online. Takk..., Ágætis Byrjun, and með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. Heh. The album artwork of that last one threw me off a bit - it's a back view of naked men running through a field which means I will never be posting an image of it on this blog. I think the artwork for Ágætis Byrjun (seen above) is really cool. Anyway, their music really is like nothing I've ever heard. The ambiance of it is just so beautiful, so pure, and so uplifting. Sæglópur in particular has moved me to tears on multiple occasions just by how . . . empowering it is. I think one of the things I appreciate about the band's sound the most is the falsetto in the vocals. This falsetto has actually been dubbed "Hopelandic" by the band - a made up language in and of itself. Stunning.

From Ágætis Byrjun I've been listening to Olsen Olsen. It starts out with what seems like something much more . . . I guess rough (for lack of a better word) than their other tracks. I can imagine an indie rock band making a slow ballad out of the beginning and it's really nice. The beautiful Hopelandic works its way into the song and fits very well, and towards the middle/end (after a beautiful flute solo and more Hopelandic) the song becomes very powerful and kind of . . . happy. Again, I'm lacking a better word.

I've really been enjoying Gobbledigook off of með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. It inspires me to play guitar and sing "la la la's" at very fast tempos, and to run around a field of flowers. Or drive down a long, straight road at high speeds. Either one while listening to this song would be simply amazing.

The Veils is quickly becoming a popular listen-to band on my trusty iPod. A good friend of mine introduced me to them not long ago, and I would introduce them to any indie fan. In a few of their songs I catch a hint of folk also, but perhaps that's just me. I don't have the funds to purchase a lot of their work yet, but I have gotten tracks from Nux Vomica, Sun Gangs, and The Runaway Found. All are beautifully constructed albums.

From Sun Gangs I'm enjoying Sit Down By The Fire. The very start of the song makes me want to do just that - sit down by a nice bonfire with a group of friends and play guitar. Speaking of, I'll be looking for chord sheets to this very soon. The lyrics are deep and put together very well. Deep, but the overall sound of the song makes it fun. Also from Sun Gangs: The Letter, Sun Gangs, and The House She Lived In.

The Leavers Dance is the only track I have on my iPod from The Runaway Found, but man, this song gives me chills! I really admire the vocals in this song. Blended in with a soothing drum beat and electric guitar, the singer's voice comes in very smoothly and then transitions into a sound with a little more power. I would call it dry also but in a good way. The lyrics are very good too.

I very much like Nux Vomica. It's an interesting title considering that Nux Vomica is an evergreen tree found in south Asia. Also used in Homeopathy. So far it's my favorite out of the three albums I've heard from. Nux Vomica (the track) just so happens to be my favorite from the album, haha. This song has a rough edge compared to the others I've heard, and includes a few bursts of sharp electric guitar. Beautiful. The lyrics are very . . . interesting, drawing in a bit of religion as the song is a prayer.

Other songs to check out from Nux Vomica: Calliope!, One Night On Earth, and Advice For Young Mothers To Be.

There was another song I mentioned on Twitter, but alas, I'll have to put it on hold. You see, it's a song that touches my heart very deeply, therefore, it will have a post of its own very soon. Thanks for reading!

Michael Jackson

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson. I grew up listening to his music, so of course I was shocked and sad to hear about his death. I actually got the news via Twitter. Since his death, I've really tried to dig deep into his life, interviews, performances, and of course his music. While doing this, I realized something about Michael that I wish I had realized years ago: he had some serious passion! And as Michael grew to be "the King of Pop" his passion for performance transferred straight to his adoring fans, bringing a lot of them to their knees or even to lose consciousness. I've watched a lot of his live performances in the past few days and I see why those adoring fans of his were so moved. Nothing he did on stage was half-hearted. Not once did I see Michael be nonchalant by any means in his performances. He always seemed to deliver everything he had and I respect that so much! My life goal is so live a life of passion, so seeing a man who had such passion die like that breaks my heart. I'm very thankful to be able to go back and see what he did while he was alive.

Michael created some of the greatest music, but as I watch his videos, I don't think it was the singing or the dancing that really earned him the King of Pop title. No, I think it was his passion. Many artists have had great voices: Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Chris Martin from Coldplay to name three, and many artists have been able to dance, but I've never seen fans respond to anyone as fans responded to Michael Jackson and I honestly believe it was because of the passion he showed on stage.

Side note: I'm not saying the artists mentioned did/do not have passion because that would be a lie.

What I'm trying to say is that Michael made me realize this: passion creates intrigue which (if allowed to) will grow into more passion. If you sing with passion, people will notice and will become intrigued by your music. Take the album "Thriller" for example. Michael didn't just sing and dance until it became the #1 selling album to date. He had passion for Thriller and his fans had passion for Thriller.

Hosea 7:6 (NLT) "Their hearts are like an oven blazing with intrigue. Their plot smolders through the night, and in the morning it breaks out like a raging fire."

If you love with passion, people around you will notice and become intrigued. Perhaps enough to let a little passion for love to grow inside of them also. It all starts with intrigue and passion. I think Michael Jackson knew this was true and could be used for pop music, and he certainly used it. I'm really going to miss him in this world. My dad and I were talking tonight about how young he was, but he lived such a full life, and I think that fullness helps to make up for how his life was cut short. Again, rest in peace Michael Jackson.