StagesVille
Last week I got a one line text message from our oldest kid, Bigger E., that read:
"This week's obsession..."
It was followed by a link to Warren Zevon's musical tale of love and dissolution called 'Carmelita' that he wrote very early in his career.
Anyway...
After punching the tune into Google's video playing money-maker I went back to work editing a manuscript that is focused on figuring out how cells move into constricted matrix-lined spaces that are generated in certain pathological states.
Which meant that I quickly lost interest in the music player as the algorithm began to run.
Then, about half-an-hour later, the thing served up a tune called 'Keep Me In Your Heart' which was written by Zevon at the very end of his career after he received his mesothelioma diagnosis that would prove fatal. Clearly, it is a letter to the loved ones he knew he would soon part from forever.
Zevon died more than fifteen years ago, but these days Eddie Vedder does a fantastic version of 'Keep Me In Your Heart' that, quite frankly, gives me the chills.
And when I learned to play it this week it brought on a touch of the melancholy for what I can only assume are all the right reasons.
Because our two girls are all grown up and moving through the world pretty much on their own these days. As is the case with parents pretty much everywhere, I sure do hope they will be able to keep a tiny bit of us in their hearts for awhile no matter where they may roam.
OK?
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Image at the top of the post?... Our two E's on a summer vacation trip down the coast to see our good friends in Mendocino...Bigger E. is the singer, littler e. is the dancer.
The Two E's Grandpops just might know Zevon's Carmelita given that it was first recorded by Murray McLauchlan way, way back in 1972....The wider world probably knows the Linda Ronstadt version best.
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5 comments:
1972, sort of remember it. Drove a mini Austin 1000.
Listened to Ronstadt singing it Then with Jackson Brown with Zevon and Dwight Yoakam, then Warren Zevon by himself. Amazing all of them. Do remember the cover of the record for Ronstadt. Then took a walk through some of the old stuff. There is also one on YouTube with him singing with Bruce Springsteen. Have to find that again. Have to check if Aaron Neville or Rodney Crowell ever sang it. Yes, I've been wandering through my past. So that required a tour through Season in the Sun by Terry Jacks.
After a day of watching the Senate in DC don't what is sadder.
e.a.f.--
Seasons In The Sun!
Been a longtime since I thought about that once ubiquiitous tune. Will have to a deep dive on the life and times of Mr. Jacks.
As for the J. Browne/W. Zevon collaboration...My favourite tune to come out of that one is this one.
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listened, read the lyrics. then went back to
Carmallita, listened again. Not much has changed in 40 yrs. Surprised no one has re recorded those two songs. amazing songs, lyrics everything. the youtube of Carmalitta has a picture of them with Ronstadt and Gerry Brown. Were any of us ever that young. Must have been we listened to the music and are still listening 40 years laters.
Terry Jacks, well its Seasons in the Sun, and If you go away. Seasons in the Sun always stayed with me because it was about some one dying and If You Go Away, it could cause you to die.
these days when I'm listening I check out the lyrics. Used to be more the notes, now its the words.
Thank you for recommending Mohamads Radio.
MR is one heckuva song - Ronstadt did that one too.
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Listened to Warren Zevon and Eddie Vedder each sing "Keep me in Your Heart for awhile". Given Zevon was dying I found the song quite comforting. I think its asks us to keep those dying or gone, to keep them in our hearts for awhile. I guess when we do that, we keep the good times and that makes it all easier. Its not so much about the grief, but that they were in our lives and are now in our hearts.
I'll have to find Ronstadt sing MR
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