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  • Silly love songs…

    “Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs… What’s wrong with that?”

    I had an interesting experience yesterday. I happened to run across a Facebook profile for a woman who is friends with a lot of my friends. She also happens to be married to a guy I used to have a big crush on. My crush went unrequited, of course. I looked at her pictures with her husband, a man who both charmed and tormented me when we were little kids and was immediately reminded of a silly love song by Garth Brooks. The song was “Unanswered Prayers”. I’d post it here, but apparently Garth Brooks is very protective of his copyrights and there aren’t any videos of him doing that song on YouTube. I suppose I could find a cover version, but instead I’ll just say the sentiment of that song fit the way I felt yesterday. I had a lot of crushes back in the day, but am actually kind of glad none of them panned out.

    As I gave my husband, Bill, a big kiss last night as a thank you for choosing me, another silly love song immediately popped into my head. That song was “The Last Worthless Evening” by Don Henley. I’d post that song here, but again, Don Henley is apparently protective of his copyright and I can’t find any suitable videos on YouTube. The point is, it’s a sweet song and sort of sums up how I feel about Bill. When I found Bill, I found a man who made the pain of all those unrequited crushes go away. I haven’t had a “worthless evening” since.

    This morning, as I sat in my office thinking about today’s post, I realized that both “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Last Worthless Evening” were recorded by guys with enormous egos. Shoot, Garth Brooks won’t even let you download his songs unless you visit Walmart’s official Web site. I guess he figures he gets more money if you buy them on CD, since you can’t just buy one song. It’s his right to do that, but I’m not enough of a fan to buy one of his CDs or download from Walmart’s site.

    I am a fan of Don Henley’s and actually own several of his studio albums and he does let you download from iTunes or Amazon, though he doesn’t want you using his music on YouTube. But I would buy a CD by Don Henley… or at least I would before he and the rest of the Eagles got into bed with Walmart. Garth Brooks also got into bed with Walmart back in 2005, when he signed a deal making Walmart the only place you can buy his music. Since I loathe Walmart, I refuse to buy anything there, so any artist who only sells music at Walmart will not have a place in my library.

    The Eagles have since made their 2007 album Long Road Out of Eden available elsewhere, but the damage is done. I found it very hypocritical that Don Henley was such an outspoken advocate for environmental causes and yet he got involved with a business that is responsible for so many trees losing their lives due to Walmart’s enormous stores. It’s not that I’m such a big environmentalist. I just don’t like hypocrisy and I don’t like not having a choice as to where I buy things.

    So then I started thinking about “Silly Love Songs”, a love song by Paul McCartney and Wings. And what do you know? I actually found a video for that song…

    And this song, while maybe as schmaltzy as “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Last Worthless Evening”, doesn’t take itself too seriously. God bless Paul McCartney for his lighthearted silly love songs. And thank God for “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Last Worthless Evening” because they make me appreciate “Silly Love Songs” all the more.

    Have a great weekend, y’all!

  • Folk Uke… and the horse you rode in on

    Folk Uke… and the horse you rode in on

    Don’t like my music? Folk Uke… and the horse you rode in on, buddy!

    I trust those of you who didn’t have to work enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend. And maybe some of you who did go to work also enjoyed Labor Day. My husband Bill and I usually plan a little trip for long weekends, especially Labor Day weekend. We didn’t this year, because we just got moved in and things are just getting settled down and routine. Because we didn’t go away, we invited my husband’s mother, Parker, over for a sleepover.

    Parker is a great mother-in-law. We get along really well. Her visits usually involve copious amounts of wine and song. I plugged in my iPod so we’d have some music at dinner and suddenly I heard the familiar strains of an acoustic guitar and a ukelele.

    “Oh, it’s Folk Uke!” I exclaimed.

    “What’s that?” Parker asked.

    “Amy Nelson, Willie Nelson’s daughter, and Cathy Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie’s daughter, have teamed up to make very irreverent music for people like you and me.” I said.

    From there, Bill started telling his mother about some of Folk Uke’s more memorable songs. There’s “Shit Makes The Flowers Grow”, a hilarious ditty about how even things or people who are seemingly worthless have some good in them. “Knock Me Up” is a simple plea for for pregnancy. “I Miss My Boyfriend” is a startling song featuring Shooter Jennings, son of Waylon. In that song, the two sweet voiced ladies sing of missing their boyfriend and hoping a new male acquaintance will beat them up.

    Now, lest anyone be offended by these songs, I will freely admit that they cover some controversial material. Maybe we shouldn’t joke about domestic abuse with songs like “I Miss My Boyfriend”. The more twisted side of my personality then shuts down my reservations with the realization that most of these songs are pretty damn funny regardless of their potential to offend. Of course, part of the reason they work is that when Amy and Cathy sing sweet harmonies, somehow you know that their songs are intended to be taken very much tongue-in-cheek.


    Folk Uke sings “I Miss My Boyfriend” live. Shooter Jennings isn’t around to do his part, so Amy fills in.

    How would I describe this music? Well, it’s definitely folk… and a little country… and a little alternative… and very acoustic. Actually, when Amy Nelson plays guitar, I am really reminded of her father. She seems to have inherited some of his technique.

    I found Folk Uke right after I discovered Willie Nelson’s “children’s album”, Rainbow Connection. Amy Nelson helped her dad out on that project with a couple of songs. I love the way Willie Nelson sings “Rainbow Connection”, though he seemed to have lost interest in the “children’s album” aspect of his recording about halfway through the project and included a couple of songs that seem out of place on a recording for kids. Anyway, I liked Amy Nelson’s voice enough to see what else she’d done. That’s when I found her on YouTube, singing sweetly with Cathy Guthrie, the daughter of another musical legend, and a fine musician in her own right.


    Amy and Cathy sing “Knock Me Up”. Sadly, I actually know a few women who should adopt this song as their theme song.

    When I heard them singing “Shit Makes The Flowers Grow”, I knew I had to buy their 2005 self-titled album. And then I automatically bought their 2011 follow up, Reincarnation, which features the very clever song “Blessed and Cursed”. This is one you can sing along to.


    Folk Uke sings “Blessed and Cursed”.

    Reincarnation sounds like Folk Uke is coming up in the world. The production quality is better. Or maybe I have just become a fan of their warped senses of humor. Their music is a winning combination of delicate melodies, feminine vocals, and shocking lyrics. That’s perfect for someone like me.


    Remember kids, “Shit Makes The Flowers Grow”… Looks like Amy’s dad Willie joined in on this one. I think he likes this song.

    My one criticism about this duo is that their songs often sound very much alike. The lyrics are unfailingly witty, but the melodies lack variation. On the other hand, when Folk Uke pops up on my iPod, I almost never skip to another track. So that tells me I like ’em anyway, even if some of their songs sound like they could use a few more chords. In any case, I’m glad I started today off with a little Folk Uke. Guess I’ll ride off now and do some housework.

  • Linda Ronstadt’s voice…

    Linda Ronstadt’s voice…

    I will never forget the first time I heard Linda Ronstadt’s voice for the first time…

    I was six years old and my sister, Becky, had just purchased Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits Volume 1 on vinyl. I remember being enchanted as I listened to Linda sing songs like “You’re No Good” and “Heat Wave”. Those two songs were probably my early favorites on that album, which I loved to listen to. When I was finally old enough to buy my own music, I purchased Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits Volume 1 and Volume 2 on two different CDs. I remember wearing those discs out, enthralled by Linda Ronstadt’s powerful yet tremulous soprano. As a singer myself, I would try to emulate her voice, which was majestic to my ears.

    Linda Ronstadt has had quite an amazing career. She got her start in folk, then moved on to country tinged rock. In 1971, she had the guys who would eventually form The Eagles as her backing band. She made memorable music with wild guitar man Waddy Wachtel. And she has never been afraid to experiment.

    I remember in the early 1980s, when Linda went from singing powerful rock and roll anthems to dabbling in big band music. She made three well-received albums with Nelson Riddle and won a whole new legion of fans. Of course, since I was still a kid in the early 80s, I didn’t appreciate Linda’s elegant foray into big band the way I might have if I had been older. In fact, I was kind of disappointed when I heard her start singing standards like “What’s New”. I missed her soul piercing wailing on songs like “Blue Bayou” and “When Will I Be Loved”. “What’s New” sounded like easy listening music to me…


    Linda Ronstadt sings “What’s New”.

    At age 41, I can now appreciate the lush beauty of Ronstadt’s big band hits. In fact, having performed some of these songs myself, I can understand why they appeal to so many. These are songs that will never truly go out of style and Linda’s voice has a sweet girlishness that helps keep them timeless.


    Linda Ronstadt sings “I’ve Got A Crush On You”.

    I have to confess that although Linda Ronstadt’s 1989 album Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind was a big hit, I was never really a fan of it. My sister, Betsy, gave me a copy of the album when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Armenia teaching English. I listened to the album a lot because I didn’t have that much music available to me, but it was a little too sedate for my tastes. Also, Aaron Neville, sang on it. I know a lot of people love Aaron Neville’s sensitive and nasal falsetto, but I never liked it that much. It’s only since I’ve gotten older that I’ve started to hear the beauty of Aaron Neville’s voice.

    Nevertheless, Linda and Aaron made some magic together and scored big in the adult contemporary genre with “All My Life” and “Don’t Know Much”. I remember making fun of “Don’t Know Much” quite a lot back in the day.

    I was really missing Linda Ronstadt’s huge rock voice, though, and would always go back to her earlier albums to hear that glorious voice belt out powerful, gut wrenching hits like “Hurt So Bad”. It’s hard to match the raw emotion of this cover and her voice takes on an other worldly quality that conjures up the searing pain of a breakup.


    “Hurt So Bad”

    And, of course, she made magic with Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou”. I much prefer her version to his.


    Linda Ronstadt in 1983, singing “Blue Bayou”.

    I was very sad the other day, when I read that Linda Ronstadt has Parkinson’s Disease and can no longer sing. The disease has affected the muscles that allow her to make music. Ronstadt, who was diagnosed eight months ago, says that no one with Parkinson’s Disease can sing. Because I am a singer myself, I felt particularly sad for Linda Ronstadt. I know how much joy I get from making music and how much it would devastate me if I couldn’t make music anymore.

    Next month, Ronstadt will release a new book about her life entitled Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir. The book reportedly makes no mention of her Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis or the fact that she can’t sing anymore. I look forward to reading it, though, and hope that writing gives her an outlet for her formidable creative gifts.