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Tag: Bruce Springsteen

  • Let the holidays begin!

    Let the holidays begin!

    Thanksgiving is over! Let the holidays begin!

    Okay, I know… Thanksgiving is part of “the holidays”, but as I was stressing like a madwoman over Thanksgiving, I feel like I can relax a little now. I’m not one to get as wrapped up in Christmas music as some people do, but I will admit to having some favorite albums for this time of year. Last Christmas, I made a huge holiday music mix that had songs by everybody from Sting and James Taylor to Kathleen Battle and Eden’s Bridge. My mix has bluegrass, classical, rock, pop, soul, and everything in between. What can I say? I have very eclectic tastes.


    Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” was recorded in 1975, but was pretty popular in the 80s…

    Having come of age in the 80s, a lot of my favorite music comes from that era. Christmas music is no exception. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band famously covered “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” in December 1975 and then released it as a B side to his 80s era hit, “My Hometown”. It’s now a holiday staple! But as much as I like The Boss, I find my tastes lean more toward the traditional. Must be a feature of getting old.

    In 1987, Sting made a haunting cover of “Gabriel’s Message” for the 1987 compilation, A Very Special Christmas.


    Love this contemplative Christmas song…

    Years later, Sting refurbished “Gabriel’s Message” for his 2010 album, If On A Winter’s Night.


    Updated with strings and horns, this version is also haunting in a different way.

    Last year, I discovered the wonderful holiday offering Joy- An Irish Christmas by Keith and Krystyn Getty. If you like a little Celtic flavor to your holiday music, I recommend it highly! There’s an exciting mix of exciting fast paced music countered by peaceful beautiful songs.


    “Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven” sung here by Krystyn Getty.


    A live version of their “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

    And there are also a number of soulful classics available. “Do You Hear What I Hear” by Gladys Knight and the Pips immediately comes to mind… So does the Jackson 5’s Christmas album, which comes complete with Christmas greetings from the brothers. Given that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses at the time they made the album, that must have been an awkward recording session.


    “Give Love On Christmas Day” by the Jackson 5.

    Or there’s blue-eyed soul by Hall & Oates…


    I must admit, I like this song for the video…

    And “Please Come Home For Christmas” by The Eagles…


    Pat Benatar also does a fine version of this bluesy Christmas staple, but I am partial to Don Henley’s soulful vocals.

    Here’s Pat singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.


    Talk about a classic. This was done in 1988, when I was still a lass.

    My all time favorite Christmas album, though, has to be James Taylor’s A Christmas Album, which he made in 2004 for Hallmark. The album was produced by Dave Grusin, who wrote all the wonderful arrangements of the music. James later re-released the album with two more songs. I didn’t buy the re-released version because I already had all the songs on it.


    “Go Tell It On The Mountain” is one of my favorite JT Christmas songs!

    I’m sure as the month wears on, there will be more posts about Christmas songs… but for now, I think we’ve gotten things off to a festive start! Hope your December has gotten off famously!

  • Leaky roof…

    Leaky roof…

    Thanks to a storm last night, we have a leaky roof… It’s like a metaphor for life!

    It’s no secret that I’m not very fond of the house we’ve been renting here in Texas. We kind of got stuck here because we moved from North Carolina and didn’t have much time to find suitable digs. Our first choice house fell through and this one was next on the list. In retrospect, we were very stupid not to invest in a couple more days in a motel and find a home in better condition. In the last week, we’ve had to deal with a cracked pipe in the pool, smoke alarms going off in the middle of the night, and now, thanks to a big rain storm with wind, a leaky roof.


    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are not singing about the house I live in right now…

    Our situation is probably better described in a classic song by The Talking Heads…


    Especially the part about the “nasty weather”…

    I am hoping that sometime in the next few months we can determine where we’re going to settle and buy a house of our own. Renting is kind of convenient when you have to move as often as we have over the past seven years. I long for roots, though… and a place of my own where I don’t have to worry as much when mishaps occur. Not long ago, my husband Bill nodded off while holding a glass of red wine. You can imagine, that was a mess that took me a couple of days to clean up. Thank God for Wine Away to get the wine out of the yucky carpet and a mixture of dishwasher detergent and hydrogen peroxide to get the stains off the walls…


    I’ve always liked this song by Eric Burdon and War, but I sure wasn’t singing it the night Bill made his mess after spilling the wine…


    I’m impressed that Bruce Springsteen covered “Spill The Wine”…

    Unfortunately, Bill’s still searching for the right job and that may mean we’ll be changing cities again. I don’t mind San Antonio that much. It’s a big city and I’m more of a rural kind of girl, but the people here are basically nice and we can get pretty much all we need here. We also have friends in the city, which is more than we can say about some of the other places we’ve lived. So maybe Glenn Frey got it right…


    Should we embrace a more urban lifestyle in a house that doesn’t have a leaky roof?

    Embarking on a life beyond the U.S. Army has a bit of a St. Elmo’s Fire feel to it. Bill is a “man in motion”, as John Parr suggests in this 80s classic.


    Something about this song makes me think of beer commercials.

    I’m actually really glad “Our House” is not in the middle of the street…


    But if we have another windy night, the roof might be…

    …though again, this song does not describe our situation at all. Because the people in Madness look at their house with fondness. It probably doesn’t have a leaky roof like “our house” does.

    So if you have any spare good vibes, please send some our way. We just want to go home… a home without a leaky roof or property managers.


    This song is about a miserable time on a boat, but given all the rain we got last night and the way I feel about this house, perhaps it’s fitting.

  • Road trip tunes

    Road trip tunes

    I’m about to take the longest road trip I’ve ever done… so I’m looking for road trip tunes!

    Okay, so I was technically on a longer road trip a couple of times. The first time was when I was a tot and my parents drove the family cross country in a Winnebago. I don’t remember that drive because I was too young, but I’m told I swung on a bar the whole way and stunk up the trailer by repeatedly filling my diapers. The second time was in 1996, when I went by bus from Yerevan, Armenia to Istanbul, Turkey. It took three days straight, but I wasn’t driving.

    This time, I will be driving alone in my car while my husband drives our other car with our dogs. That means I’m gonna need some good driving songs. Here are a few road trip tunes that come to mind in advance of our three or four day trek from North Carolina to Texas.

    Truckin’, by the Grateful Dead

    Of course, I had to start with “Truckin’”, a classic Grateful Dead song that is all about moving down the highway. It’s got a beat you can nod your head to and some irreverent lyrics that one can sing along to. I can’t say I’m the biggest Deadhead out there, but I like this song. I think it will get things off to a good start.

    Rockin’ Down The Highway by The Doobie Brothers

    This song literally spells out “rockin’ down the highway”, so of course it’s an excellent road song. I imagine I’d better watch it with this song, though. Wouldn’t want to get a speeding ticket while rockin’ down the highway.

    On The Road Again by Willie Nelson

    I have always loved this classic road tune by Willie Nelson. Yeah, I know Willie is not necessarily a rock star, but he’s pretty damn cool. And this is a great song to drive to as you watch the countryside fly past.

    You Can Sleep While I Drive by Melissa Etheridge or Trisha Yearwood


    Melissa Etheridge


    Trisha Yearwood

    I’m kind of partial to Trisha Yearwood’s version of Melissa Etheridge’s edgy hit, “You Can Sleep While I Drive”. I don’t know why… there’s sort of a raw, earthy, passion to Melissa’s original, but I like Trisha’s vocals. But yeah, I can see putting the top down on my convertible as I drive to this song… Either version rocks!

    Hot Dog by Led Zeppelin

    This may seem an unconventional choice, but I found it to be great travel music when I took a train trip through Europe in 1997. It’s got a nice upbeat tempo and some lyrics you can sing to if you manage to understand them.

    Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

    This song is the ultimate let’s get the hell out of Dodge song. When I was a kid in high school, I fell in love with this song for its romantic lyrics and hard driving beat. Most of Bruce Springsteen’s rockin’ songs are great songs to drive to. And I intend to be rockin’ on this trip so I don’t fall asleep at the wheel.

    Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughan

    My earliest memory of hearing this epic blues number is when I was riding in a car, lying down in the back seat, and hanging my bare feet out the window as my sister drove us to Virginia Beach. Ever since then, this song has been one of my favorite road tunes.

    Something To Talk About by Bonnie Raitt

    I dare you not to sing along to this road tune, girls. I know I will be singing at the top of my lungs to “Something To Talk About”… though, if it’s too late in the drive, I might change the lyrics to “Something To Cry About”.

    Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles

    Yup… another one you can sing to… and seat dance to… and watch your speed to. I look forward to cranking up this and many other road tunes. Cuz I’m hitting the road, Jack.

    The March by Robert Randolph & The Family Band

    I freakin’ love this song! Actually, I love most of what Robert Randolph & The Family Band does. Their music kicks serious ass, especially when you’re driving. I plan to kill about eight great minutes playing this glorious track. I will also be playing Robert Randolph & The Family Band’s latest album, “Lickety Split”, reviewed here on Pop Rock Nation a week ago!

    Robert Randolph’s “I Don’t Know What You Come To Do” is an easy follow up…

    This song kicks serious ass! It’s an epic road tune if I’ve ever heard one!

    Well, with that, I think I shall continue packing and see y’all on the flip side… when I am an official Texas resident!