http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=iFNX64B63Zw
Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
My Lucky Day is sounding better now I just heard it again. I see there is a deluxe version of the new album that does have the Jersey Devil, and that also has a dvd with 30 mins of Tour footage. I can't find mention of the bog standard edition.
Steven I notice that you have written 666 posts. Should we be concerned? Top ten coming soon...
Steven I notice that you have written 666 posts. Should we be concerned? Top ten coming soon...
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Hi Diane,
Of the "Jersey Devil," it's a folklorish character that's said to inhabit the
Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I've been there, but might be too goodlooking to resemble
him. 666 posts... hadn't noticed, hope I'm not carrying the "Mark of the Beast."
I know I'm not carrying the "Mark of Cain" (doubt that "Adam Raised A Cain" will make
your top 10 list, though it's a darn good song).
Of the "Jersey Devil," it's a folklorish character that's said to inhabit the
Pine Barrens of New Jersey. I've been there, but might be too goodlooking to resemble
him. 666 posts... hadn't noticed, hope I'm not carrying the "Mark of the Beast."
I know I'm not carrying the "Mark of Cain" (doubt that "Adam Raised A Cain" will make
your top 10 list, though it's a darn good song).
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Well Steven you are one of the last people on this forum I'd have had down as being the devil in disguise, but one never knows. There's no smoke without fire. That's what my Nan always used to say. Adam Raised a Cain: Yep, on that album, every track's a winner. More than half the tracks deserve to be in the top ten. And so do all but maybe one of the tracks on Born to Run.
When I first heard Your Lucky Day, after the so-so Working on a Dream, I thought this album was going to be a totally "commercial", bland, poppy, cheerleading album, and not my cup of tea. And then I heard what he said on the video - "It's gotta sound reckless coming in . . . something that sounds like you're almost gonna miss it . . . kinda loose . . . wild . . . sloppy but not sloppy." Wo! And then he adds that he's "looking for a little dissonance at the end". Such is his charm that now I have associated all that with the song and I can hear the rough edges. So I am letting him get away with it. The band is looking and sounding good too. Clarence's laid back sax is cool. They gotta keep those edges rough, keep it rock n roll.
Well I'm all fired up, now, so top ten is getting well underway. Won't be long now. Just gotta cut it down a bit more. You don't have to wait for me if yours is ready. And it has suddenly occured to me that Kush's inspired list may appear at any moment, and now beads of sweat are starting to break out on my forehead, because whoever posts first sets the standard.
When I first heard Your Lucky Day, after the so-so Working on a Dream, I thought this album was going to be a totally "commercial", bland, poppy, cheerleading album, and not my cup of tea. And then I heard what he said on the video - "It's gotta sound reckless coming in . . . something that sounds like you're almost gonna miss it . . . kinda loose . . . wild . . . sloppy but not sloppy." Wo! And then he adds that he's "looking for a little dissonance at the end". Such is his charm that now I have associated all that with the song and I can hear the rough edges. So I am letting him get away with it. The band is looking and sounding good too. Clarence's laid back sax is cool. They gotta keep those edges rough, keep it rock n roll.
Well I'm all fired up, now, so top ten is getting well underway. Won't be long now. Just gotta cut it down a bit more. You don't have to wait for me if yours is ready. And it has suddenly occured to me that Kush's inspired list may appear at any moment, and now beads of sweat are starting to break out on my forehead, because whoever posts first sets the standard.
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Joking aside, this was actually very difficult. Steven, it's only now I realise how correct you were when you said in the end you have to choose tracks for personal, subjective reasons, rather than trying to pick out the "best" lyrics and music.
Without further ado:
10. My Beautiful Reward. A simple, spiritual song. Live it is superior to the album.
(Incase anyone wants to see Bruce singing it live:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFbYf0D9nmE
9. Erie Canal. Had to include something from The Seeger Sessions. That concert must be one of the most mind blowing I have attended in recent years, and I can still recall the sensation of being completely awed by the sound from the band when they played this number in Birmingham. The music blended into a remarkably elevating sound, and I especially recall the brass instruments, but, really, the sum was greater than any of the parts. It so brings to life a vision of the Erie Canal back in its day, and I hear everything Bruce envisioned for this album, in this song. (The original was written, as it says in the notes, in 1905 by Thomas S Allen and called Low Bridge, Everybody Down.)
8. The Hitter. The sparse arrangement and Bruce's 'in-character' expressionless voice draws me right in to the feel of this song. I find it very sad. The story of a man's plea to the (probably once abusive) mother who never had time for him, a man who makes his living as a bare-knuckle boxer. He asks her only to open her door for a while for him to get some rest, but again, even this is denied him. And so again: Tonight in the shipyard/ a man draws a circle in the dirt/ I move to the centre and I take off my shirt/ I study him for the cuts, the scars, the pain/ Man nor time can erase/ I move to the left and I strike to the face.
(Tom Jones does an excellent cover of The Hitter on his new album 24 Hours.)
7. Ghost of Tom Joad. Bruce apparently told his audiences to 'shut the f*ck up' on the GoTJ tour. I missed that tour cos he played small venues which meant tickets sold out in a nanosecond. He made everyone shut up, explaining that his songs were written with a lot of silence, and he needed silence to sing them in. I like that a lot.
The live version with Tom Morello including Morello's fantastic guitar solo recently released as part of the four track Magic Tour Highlights Release for Danny's Melanoma Fund is definitely my favourite version. Even though there's not much silence in it.
6. My City of Ruins. I had to include something from The Rising, could have been one of three or four songs, but I settled on My City of Ruins, because of the simplicity and call for action in the words, with these hands . . . come on rise up.
The Rising Tour was the last time I saw Danny Federici, and when he died I had a mental image of the stage as it was, there at Crystal Palace in 2002, with a blank space where Danny had been standing. That concert was also the only Springsteen concert that a great friend of mine, who has since died, came along to with me. So this song, and this album, reminds me of loss, and of hope, which of course what Springsteen wrote it about.
5. For You. This one returns happy memories. The best lines: And your strength is devastating in the face of all these odds/ Remember how I kept you waiting when it was my turn to be the god?
Better live than on the album.
4. Backstreets. Right from the marvellous Roy Bittan piano intro, this is a top track. Strangely, for many years I did not realise Terry could be a girl's name, so I must have misinterpreted the song for most of my life, but it has always reminded me of my young days and my oldest friends.
One soft infested summer me and Terry became friends/ Trying in vain to breathe the fire we was born in. The ungrammatical street-poeticness of it is part of the appeal.
There was nothing left to say but I hated him and I hated you when you went away. There is something about this line at the end of the of third verse - less to do with the words than the sound of the words and the way he sings them. Many other of the stand-out lines like this are emphasised by similar rhyming and repetition, like Lost in the the Flood and the line (repeating "oil" and rhyming "flood"), man that ain't oil that's blood. Very satisfying line. So too somehow is we shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down, from Racin in the Street. That line gets me every time. I don't even know what it means:-) -->
3. Racin' in the Street
Just a brilliant song, musically and lyrically. Even amongst those other gems of songs on Darkness it shines like a diamond. The action in Springsteen's songs is a large part of their appeal. The album original has to come first, but I also find the live version on Live 75- 85 to be pretty excellent.
2.5 Blood Brothers
Marvellous track about how we get through this thing together. And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover/ With no one runnin' by your side, my blood brother.
2. The River
The River was my first BS album, and this song was the first of Springsteen's that I got to know and love. Simple and devastating lyrics. The words are much enhanced by the melancholy feel of the music. Too many excellent versions to choose between.
1.5 Born to Run
It was ringing in my ears as I returned home on the back of my then boyfriend's motorbike after my first Springsteen and E Street concert in 1985.
(A less-quoted line from this song, Wendy, let me in, I wanna be your friend, I wanna guard your dreams and visions reminds me of a definition of love I was recently stunned to hear, which is that love is being the guardian of each other's solitude.)
1. Badlands
Lyrically brilliant, and also the ultimate, singalong, dancealong track. I enjoy every nuance of the piano and drums and guitars. A highlight of every concert, with the extended last chorus. Perfection on steroids. It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.
Phew. I will think twice next time I suggest "listing" something:-) . But I am helpless to prevent myself veering off on these Bruce trips every once in a while. It's a lonely compulsion, but what can I do? Nice to be able to write here. Looking forward much to reading others' top tens. It would be good if more people than just us usual suspects joined in, too, but I'll not hold my breath on that one.
Cheers,
Diane
Without further ado:
10. My Beautiful Reward. A simple, spiritual song. Live it is superior to the album.
(Incase anyone wants to see Bruce singing it live:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFbYf0D9nmE
9. Erie Canal. Had to include something from The Seeger Sessions. That concert must be one of the most mind blowing I have attended in recent years, and I can still recall the sensation of being completely awed by the sound from the band when they played this number in Birmingham. The music blended into a remarkably elevating sound, and I especially recall the brass instruments, but, really, the sum was greater than any of the parts. It so brings to life a vision of the Erie Canal back in its day, and I hear everything Bruce envisioned for this album, in this song. (The original was written, as it says in the notes, in 1905 by Thomas S Allen and called Low Bridge, Everybody Down.)
8. The Hitter. The sparse arrangement and Bruce's 'in-character' expressionless voice draws me right in to the feel of this song. I find it very sad. The story of a man's plea to the (probably once abusive) mother who never had time for him, a man who makes his living as a bare-knuckle boxer. He asks her only to open her door for a while for him to get some rest, but again, even this is denied him. And so again: Tonight in the shipyard/ a man draws a circle in the dirt/ I move to the centre and I take off my shirt/ I study him for the cuts, the scars, the pain/ Man nor time can erase/ I move to the left and I strike to the face.
(Tom Jones does an excellent cover of The Hitter on his new album 24 Hours.)
7. Ghost of Tom Joad. Bruce apparently told his audiences to 'shut the f*ck up' on the GoTJ tour. I missed that tour cos he played small venues which meant tickets sold out in a nanosecond. He made everyone shut up, explaining that his songs were written with a lot of silence, and he needed silence to sing them in. I like that a lot.
The live version with Tom Morello including Morello's fantastic guitar solo recently released as part of the four track Magic Tour Highlights Release for Danny's Melanoma Fund is definitely my favourite version. Even though there's not much silence in it.
6. My City of Ruins. I had to include something from The Rising, could have been one of three or four songs, but I settled on My City of Ruins, because of the simplicity and call for action in the words, with these hands . . . come on rise up.
The Rising Tour was the last time I saw Danny Federici, and when he died I had a mental image of the stage as it was, there at Crystal Palace in 2002, with a blank space where Danny had been standing. That concert was also the only Springsteen concert that a great friend of mine, who has since died, came along to with me. So this song, and this album, reminds me of loss, and of hope, which of course what Springsteen wrote it about.
5. For You. This one returns happy memories. The best lines: And your strength is devastating in the face of all these odds/ Remember how I kept you waiting when it was my turn to be the god?
Better live than on the album.
4. Backstreets. Right from the marvellous Roy Bittan piano intro, this is a top track. Strangely, for many years I did not realise Terry could be a girl's name, so I must have misinterpreted the song for most of my life, but it has always reminded me of my young days and my oldest friends.
One soft infested summer me and Terry became friends/ Trying in vain to breathe the fire we was born in. The ungrammatical street-poeticness of it is part of the appeal.
There was nothing left to say but I hated him and I hated you when you went away. There is something about this line at the end of the of third verse - less to do with the words than the sound of the words and the way he sings them. Many other of the stand-out lines like this are emphasised by similar rhyming and repetition, like Lost in the the Flood and the line (repeating "oil" and rhyming "flood"), man that ain't oil that's blood. Very satisfying line. So too somehow is we shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down, from Racin in the Street. That line gets me every time. I don't even know what it means:-) -->
3. Racin' in the Street
Just a brilliant song, musically and lyrically. Even amongst those other gems of songs on Darkness it shines like a diamond. The action in Springsteen's songs is a large part of their appeal. The album original has to come first, but I also find the live version on Live 75- 85 to be pretty excellent.
2.5 Blood Brothers
Marvellous track about how we get through this thing together. And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover/ With no one runnin' by your side, my blood brother.
2. The River
The River was my first BS album, and this song was the first of Springsteen's that I got to know and love. Simple and devastating lyrics. The words are much enhanced by the melancholy feel of the music. Too many excellent versions to choose between.
1.5 Born to Run
It was ringing in my ears as I returned home on the back of my then boyfriend's motorbike after my first Springsteen and E Street concert in 1985.
(A less-quoted line from this song, Wendy, let me in, I wanna be your friend, I wanna guard your dreams and visions reminds me of a definition of love I was recently stunned to hear, which is that love is being the guardian of each other's solitude.)
1. Badlands
Lyrically brilliant, and also the ultimate, singalong, dancealong track. I enjoy every nuance of the piano and drums and guitars. A highlight of every concert, with the extended last chorus. Perfection on steroids. It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive.
I was attempting to ascertain the meaning of the lyrics. -- Spock
It's a song, you green-blooded Vulcan. You don't analyse it. The point is you have a good time singing it. -- McCoy
Phew. I will think twice next time I suggest "listing" something:-) . But I am helpless to prevent myself veering off on these Bruce trips every once in a while. It's a lonely compulsion, but what can I do? Nice to be able to write here. Looking forward much to reading others' top tens. It would be good if more people than just us usual suspects joined in, too, but I'll not hold my breath on that one.
Cheers,
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Hi Diane,
Thanks for the due diligence in compiling your list. Here's some initial response
to the selections:
10. Will have to listen to this song again.
9. I wouldn't have thought of this song for a top 10, but yeah, I fully appreciate the
reasons why you have. I've seen the "Seeger Sessions" on TV several times and
the song does have movement like the hustle and bustle of busy canal life as it
could have been. You said it very well. Were I going to cite some of his
great works that break into other musical forms, for the reasons you gave,
this one would likely be included, though I'd probably not say it as well as you
have.
8. Same as 10.
7.This one like 9 is much appreciated, but not a top 10 favorite, on a purely
subjective front. There is respect and admiration for his willingness to go into
non-pop Steinbeckian territory, dour (sp?) though it was. To me, this entire
CD had a really dark feel to it.
6. A song with classical spiritual uplift that did/does provide a real service to
those in need of it.
5. Poetry, passion, more than a song: a grabber, an experience. You might
be glad that you can't hear me singing those lyrics you quoted. I've done so,
many times in accompaniment to the recordings.
4. Backstreets got me where I lived and every one of the lines you quoted I've
admired more than practically any song lyrics of any sort. Good choices of
lyrics to quote, Diane, and they are sheer poetry, nah better than poetry, when
they are put to music.
3. This song is the highest level of art made accessible to those the art-elitists
would care not to brush shoulders with. It evokes summer nights of promise.
2.5 To me this song is more like a performance based short story with heart.
2. Listening to this song with more mature ears than when I first heard it, gives
even more depth to it.
1.5 A high water mark in rock and roll. A declaration, really, that works of
meaning can be widely resonant. There was no song quite like this one
ever before. Interesting about "solitude," hadn't thought of it in terms
of love, but of relationships and interactions, generally.
1. Power -- the quote that you provided is spot-on that it isn't something to
"analyze." It is something to move to, beyond music, as it's
epiphanal (is that a word?), in that it also moves the listener.
Diane, glad you put the list together. It was with happiness that I got a chance
to respond a bit to it.
Thanks for the due diligence in compiling your list. Here's some initial response
to the selections:
10. Will have to listen to this song again.
9. I wouldn't have thought of this song for a top 10, but yeah, I fully appreciate the
reasons why you have. I've seen the "Seeger Sessions" on TV several times and
the song does have movement like the hustle and bustle of busy canal life as it
could have been. You said it very well. Were I going to cite some of his
great works that break into other musical forms, for the reasons you gave,
this one would likely be included, though I'd probably not say it as well as you
have.
8. Same as 10.
7.This one like 9 is much appreciated, but not a top 10 favorite, on a purely
subjective front. There is respect and admiration for his willingness to go into
non-pop Steinbeckian territory, dour (sp?) though it was. To me, this entire
CD had a really dark feel to it.
6. A song with classical spiritual uplift that did/does provide a real service to
those in need of it.
5. Poetry, passion, more than a song: a grabber, an experience. You might
be glad that you can't hear me singing those lyrics you quoted. I've done so,
many times in accompaniment to the recordings.
4. Backstreets got me where I lived and every one of the lines you quoted I've
admired more than practically any song lyrics of any sort. Good choices of
lyrics to quote, Diane, and they are sheer poetry, nah better than poetry, when
they are put to music.
3. This song is the highest level of art made accessible to those the art-elitists
would care not to brush shoulders with. It evokes summer nights of promise.
2.5 To me this song is more like a performance based short story with heart.
2. Listening to this song with more mature ears than when I first heard it, gives
even more depth to it.
1.5 A high water mark in rock and roll. A declaration, really, that works of
meaning can be widely resonant. There was no song quite like this one
ever before. Interesting about "solitude," hadn't thought of it in terms
of love, but of relationships and interactions, generally.
1. Power -- the quote that you provided is spot-on that it isn't something to
"analyze." It is something to move to, beyond music, as it's
epiphanal (is that a word?), in that it also moves the listener.
Diane, glad you put the list together. It was with happiness that I got a chance
to respond a bit to it.
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Very nice compilation Diane. I will usher in the new year with my list. Until then...
And Steven (& others).....go for it....its not like making campaign promises that people are gonna hold you to later on. You can put in whatever you feel at the moment -
Until then...And Steven (& others).....go for it....its not like making campaign promises that people are gonna hold you to later on. You can put in whatever you feel at the moment -
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Wow! Nicely said Steven, and thanks for the empathy there! I'll respond to your response next post here:-)Steven wrote: Backstreets got me where I lived and every one of the lines you quoted I've
admired more than practically any song lyrics of any sort. Good choices of
lyrics to quote, Diane, and they are sheer poetry, nah better than poetry, when
they are put to music.
That's a long lead in, Kush. Suspense will be high by then so it'd better be a killer:-)
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Hi Kush,
Awaiting your list; reading it will make for a nice ushering in of the New Year.
Hi Diane,
Thanks. I really enjoyed reading/responding to your list, even at around
midnight, which didn't prevent the effusiveness of the "Backstreets" comment.
Glad to share the empathy.
Awaiting your list; reading it will make for a nice ushering in of the New Year.
Hi Diane,
Thanks. I really enjoyed reading/responding to your list, even at around
midnight, which didn't prevent the effusiveness of the "Backstreets" comment.
Glad to share the empathy.
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Hi Steven. Thanks, great to share the enthusiasm:-) !
I had to delete vast swathes of my top ten post to keep it list-like, including all the marvellous lyrics, other than one or two lines. Funny how you start to nod agreement once I get to the old albums. (It is very tempting to pick songs only from the first five albums.) I notice in retrospect how the closer I get to 'number one' the less able I am to give a specific reason for the choice, cos these bestest songs have accumulated layers of meaning over the years, impossible to unravel (as you mention re. The River). As Alan Watts said, only bad music has any actual meaning. I think my only dodgy choice for a top ten is possibly The Hitter, but a list is not a promise, and it mightn't last the week. I'm glad it's over for me though. I don't envy you the trauma of sending numerous treasures to the reject-pile.
In response to another couple of other points you make, Steven:
In the spirit of the season, here's Dylan's Chimes of Freedom sung beautifully by Springsteen, Tracey Chapman, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Youssou N´Dour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o9WUCqQzS0
I had to delete vast swathes of my top ten post to keep it list-like, including all the marvellous lyrics, other than one or two lines. Funny how you start to nod agreement once I get to the old albums. (It is very tempting to pick songs only from the first five albums.) I notice in retrospect how the closer I get to 'number one' the less able I am to give a specific reason for the choice, cos these bestest songs have accumulated layers of meaning over the years, impossible to unravel (as you mention re. The River). As Alan Watts said, only bad music has any actual meaning. I think my only dodgy choice for a top ten is possibly The Hitter, but a list is not a promise, and it mightn't last the week. I'm glad it's over for me though. I don't envy you the trauma of sending numerous treasures to the reject-pile.
In response to another couple of other points you make, Steven:
I always did like the title track, although the album as a whole is a little dark, and a bit boring musically. You need to hear the version with Tom Morello!7.This one like 9 is much appreciated, but not a top 10 favorite, on a purely
subjective front. There is respect and admiration for his willingness to go into
non-pop Steinbeckian territory, dour (sp?) though it was. To me, this entire
CD had a really dark feel to it.
Love is being the guardian of someone's solitude (wherein lies, of course, their dreams and visions). The more I think of that, the more sense it makes. Another 'layer' for me, in BtR anyway.Interesting about "solitude," hadn't thought of it in terms
of love, but of relationships and interactions, generally.
In the spirit of the season, here's Dylan's Chimes of Freedom sung beautifully by Springsteen, Tracey Chapman, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Youssou N´Dour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o9WUCqQzS0
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Hi Diane,
Yes, I noticed the nod of agreement on the old albums, too. The temptation may
partially stem from putting things in a "favorites" rather than a "best of" list.
And given the maybe greater impressionability of my now passed years of youth,
that's got to play a role. Oh, oh, jadedness? Experience has its drawbacks,
on listeners and musical artists, too, though. Experience could draw down
a Springstreen on new "Backstreets" type material, but probably not on
"The River" kind of material. Likely you know what I mean.
Life would be boring if lists and preferences weren't subject to revaluation
or change.
I look forward to hearing the Tom Morello version.
Love, respect, wisdom, maturity and lucky choices all allow for guarding another's soliltude.
Yes, I noticed the nod of agreement on the old albums, too. The temptation may
partially stem from putting things in a "favorites" rather than a "best of" list.
And given the maybe greater impressionability of my now passed years of youth,
that's got to play a role. Oh, oh, jadedness? Experience has its drawbacks,
on listeners and musical artists, too, though. Experience could draw down
a Springstreen on new "Backstreets" type material, but probably not on
"The River" kind of material. Likely you know what I mean.
Life would be boring if lists and preferences weren't subject to revaluation
or change.
I look forward to hearing the Tom Morello version.
Love, respect, wisdom, maturity and lucky choices all allow for guarding another's soliltude.
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Yes, Steven, I do know what you mean. He ever has the energy of a young man, tho', e.g. in this pic on the official site:-) This same energy runs through his music, from whatever period, and he shows no sign of slowing down yet!
Forgot to mention above that my fave version of My City of Ruins is from the SS tour. Found it on youtube. What an amazing free resource that place continues to be. Less of a rock anthem feel than the original. Suits it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck3wa-VlsZM
ps I have recently started watching the Storytellers dvd, where he sings some of his songs and then explains them. Only seen Devils and Dust so far, but it's looking good!
- bs.jpg (80.73 KiB) Viewed 4749 times
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck3wa-VlsZM
ps I have recently started watching the Storytellers dvd, where he sings some of his songs and then explains them. Only seen Devils and Dust so far, but it's looking good!
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Hi Diane,
He does have energy -- probably keeps to a good exercise routine. Nice picture.
He does have energy -- probably keeps to a good exercise routine. Nice picture.
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Diane,
On the drive home today, clicked on the radio button for a college station, and on
came "Darkness On The Edge Of Town." I like to be pleasantly surprised by
Springsteen songs, when they come on like that. The drum work on the song
has always reminded me of heartbeats. Have you thought of heartbeats with
regards to this song?
On the drive home today, clicked on the radio button for a college station, and on
came "Darkness On The Edge Of Town." I like to be pleasantly surprised by
Springsteen songs, when they come on like that. The drum work on the song
has always reminded me of heartbeats. Have you thought of heartbeats with
regards to this song?
-
Diane
Re: Bruce Springsteen new albúm !
Heartbeats? I just listened and I know what you mean. Max keeps a nice beat of 44 bmp.( Very slow heartbeat.) It is a slow beat, against the thrust of the song. Hmmm. At the start of that Storytellers dvd, Bruce talks about music working against the lyrics to create tension: The dissonant music in the song Devils and Dust represents the fact that the soldier/narrator is against the truth he is speaking: he is resisting that place where his soul is full of devils and dust.
And in Darkness, the "slow heartbeat" plays against the "fast message": Tonight I'll be on that hill cos I can't stop/ I'll be on that hill with everything I've got/ Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost/ I'll be there on time and I'll play the cost/ For wanting things that can only be found/ In the darkness on the edge of town. There's a polarity created, between the burning need to be 'there', and the relaxed tempo. Is that contradiction saying that only driving for that thing that hard can restore peace, grace, and the restful heart? Is it saying they are the same thing? It feels to me, listening, that it is.
Thanks for the interesting thought, Steven.
Would you like a drum roll to create a little tension, just before you post your top ten?
ps Just had an after thought that the line, "that blood it never burned in her veins" must come in somewhere... wink
And in Darkness, the "slow heartbeat" plays against the "fast message": Tonight I'll be on that hill cos I can't stop/ I'll be on that hill with everything I've got/ Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost/ I'll be there on time and I'll play the cost/ For wanting things that can only be found/ In the darkness on the edge of town. There's a polarity created, between the burning need to be 'there', and the relaxed tempo. Is that contradiction saying that only driving for that thing that hard can restore peace, grace, and the restful heart? Is it saying they are the same thing? It feels to me, listening, that it is.
Thanks for the interesting thought, Steven.
Would you like a drum roll to create a little tension, just before you post your top ten?
ps Just had an after thought that the line, "that blood it never burned in her veins" must come in somewhere... wink