Ultimate Ambivalence

Here's the Kenny Chesney song that's been my earworm.


And here's the original unembeddable link to the official made-in-Jamaica video. Kenny is joined in this number with The Wailers.

There Goes My Life

This video, courtesy of Kenny Chesney [sorry, unembeddable] is what I thought of when I first saw Bristol Palin's young man/fiancee/baby-daddy. The song's been out a couple years and the video is worth a watch.

Time heals all wounds.

Monarch Meet-Up

Several days ago, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was slated to meet the British monarchs. His arrival was described on this news bit:



Even with the controversy, he got a royal welcome. But listen to what the musicians played to hail the arrival of the Saudi King:



Hmmm. Some musician has a very good sense of humor. I hope he still has his job.

Busy, Busy

This week is one of those calendar convergence weeks: all the kids had appointments three days this week and I had a church meeting last night and a massage tonight. Whew.

Amid all this scurrying, we discovered a new channel on our cable selection--VH1 Classic. [My question to Dave was 'Isn't VH1 by definition a classics channel?'] Tonight, we're counting down the Top 40 One Hit Wonders, hosted by William Shatner, a variation on a one-hit-wonder himself. Music has a way of burrowing into the brain and indelibly residing there. I am amazed at how much of this I remember. And we didn't even have MTV when I was growing up! I do remember watching Friday Night Videos, but that's about all. Now, if someone could only set useful information to music, I might be able to recall it as readily.

Looking forward to the final kid appointment and a respite from work tomorrow.

The Beatles or Elvis?

Lots of Elvis making his way 'round the internet today, the 30th year since his death. Elvis is inextricably linked with my husband in my mind.

I know "Pulp Fiction" summarized the question of all pop music lovers to Beatles or Elvis? I was a little too young for the Beatles. Even if you spot me the five years older I got because of my oldest sister, she only first bought "Revolution" as a single. I can remember peering over the top of the stereo console, about 6 years old, watching that little yellow plastic doohickey spin in the middle of a big green apple. She caught the tail end of the Beatles. I missed them entirely. And Elvis? How does a child get Elvis when your parents are playing showtunes and big bands and symphonic music? I never got either the Beatles or Elvis.

Until Dave.

Dave's Daddy robbed the cradle when he married a woman 10 years younger than him at the age of 29. Dave's Mama loved pop music. She played Elvis for him. And her love for the singer and the son translated when the son played The King for me.

'Are you lonesome tonight?'

That question is never as lovely as when it's half-whispered, half-sung into your ear by the man you know you're falling in love with. A crisp uniform and the scent of clean manliness are all that separates you. And who knew Elvis sang gospel? It's even possible that our son's first name stuck in my husband's head from hearing "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" innumerable times.

When Elvis died, I couldn't understand the hoopla. Before the 24-hour-news-cycle, we had several days of Elvis coverage. Many years later, I met the man who shared Elvis with me.

So ask me now Beatles or Elvis? The answer is Dave.

Late on the Audio Craze

I really enjoy music and I was even a decent musician in my youth. But I haven't quite digitized my music experience. Dave gave me an iPod for my birthday [September 16th--mark it on your calendars now] and I haven't even taken it out of the box except to look at the shiny chrome and think, "now when will I use this?"

I listen to talk radio, podcasts, and archived Medved at work. There's not much time to listen to music. Plus, I have an office and I just play the radio right by my desk. At the Y, I pop in the earbuds and watch the TV that's connected to the elliptical machine while I eke-out a work-out. If the children are watching the TV, I listen to what's being said. Music just doesn't work its way into my life very much. It's more like the bump music of my otherwise talk-laden life.

That said, I always love it when my friend Reader notes what she's listening to because it affects her mood. I often don't know the song she's hearing, but I sure like knowing that someone's appreciating all the music. The other day, I got the soundtrack to "When Harry Met Sally"...it's ancient and I got it --ahem-- for a song. It's wall-to-wall vintage Harry Connick, Jr. I love it. Dave downloaded it to iTunes and it's the background music for this post. How's that Reader?