Country Music

Dear Brian,

Raising you, it wasn't an actual goal that I set regarding the type of music that would appeal to you.  That you liked 70s and 80s hair bands was great!  .... well, maybe it's what you grew up on.  But country music also held an appeal, I know.  For me, the older I get, the more I feel like I need and want to get back to my "roots".  I grew up on country music - Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette and George Jones, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner - too many to name here, but the 60s and 70s stick in my mind.

A new comer to country music is Craig Morgan.  His 19 year old son died it a boating accident, and he wrote a beautiful song that really fits:

I've been beat up

I been pushed and shoved

But never ever really knocked down

Between mom and dad, Uncle Sam and friends

I somehow always pulled out

But the pain of this was more

Than I'd ever felt before, yeah I was broke

I cried and cried and cried

Until I passed out on the floor

Then I prayed and prayed and prayed

Till I thought I couldn't pray anymore

And minute by minute, day by day

My God, He gave me hope

I know my boy ain't here but he ain't gone

In the mornings I wake up, pet the dog, head to the kitchen

Pour a cup of wake-me-up and try to rouse up some ambition

Go outside, sit by myself but I ain't alone

See, I've got the Father, my son, and the Holy Ghost

I hope, I love, I pray, I cry

I heal a little more each day inside

I won't completely heal till I go home

In the mornings I wake up, pet the dog, head to the kitchen

Pour a cup of wake-me-up and try to rouse up some ambition

Go outside, sit by myself but I ain't alone

I've got the Father, my son, and the Holy Ghost

One day I'll wake up and I'll be home

With the Father, my son, and the Holy Ghost

When I'm here at home, I can feel you
Sometimes I turn and expect to find you there
Other times I find myself telling you to "c'mere"
and give me a hand.
How I miss you.
For some reason, even more today.

One day, I'll wake up and be home.
With you.

Love,
Mom

Feel Good Music

I wanted one of my "things" that I accomplish this summer to be being more positive in my outlook on life  Granted, it's not easy when there are factors out of your control.  It's not easy to be thinking positively when work changes affect how you think and feel about your workplace, or when your family issues weigh on your mind more than they should. 

It's more about changing your thinking to the little things that make a difference in your life:  a flower, a kind word, a hug from a friend.  Each morning on my way to work, I try to find good tunes to help make a good start to my day.  I would pay for SiriusXM if my commute were more than 20 minutes.  So maybe I should consider putting the really mood altering tunes on an MP3 player for the drive to work. 

The top of the list would include Uncle Kracker's "Smile" ; Kenny Chesney's "Everything's Gonna Be All Right" ; and Autograph's "Turn Up the Radio".  There's nothing like a good tune to  put you in the right frame of mind for work!  I get a kick out of hearing "Highway to Hell" ... but that has quite the opposite effect!!!!  heheheh Although John Pardi's "Head Over Boots" is an awesome feel good song as well. 

So today, if you're feeling a bit blue or out of sorts, grab yourself some good tunes to lift your spirits!
It works for me!

get along on down the road

we've got a long long way to go

scared to live, scared to die

we ain't perfect but we try

get along while we can

always give love the upper hand

paint a wall

learn to dance

call your ma

buy a boat

drink a beer

sing a song

make a friend

c'ain't we all

get along.

Hammer Time and Car Tunes

On my drive to work today, I was listening to SiriusXM - it's a free week, and that's always fun for a change of pace!  So I flipped over to the 90s station and there's MC Hammer rocking out "U Can't Touch This". 

I don't usually crank up the volume because regular radio is a bit on the treble side when it comes to broadcasting, no matter how I set my radio.  But SirisuXM ... wow!  With the volume cranked up so I could sing along, my speakers were vibratin' and thumpin' with the tune!

Break it down.   Oh oh oh Ohh OHhh!

Yep, I was "chair dancin'" all the way to work!

Isn't it funny how something on the radio can affect your mood as you're heading in to work?  I usually listen to the local classic rock station, and get a kick out of hearing "Highway to Hell" as I'm heading in to my job .... and for anyone who works retail, you know just how much "hell" there can be!  So yes, that song gets turned up and I sing loud and proud "I'm on a highwaaaaay to hell!" 

But my all time favorite song that really gets me into a good mood is "Turn up the Radio" by Autograph.  Very old school, they didn't have a lot of hits, but for me, it's the best.  "I'm working hard, you're working too, we do it every day.  For every minute of work, I need a minute of play. Day in Day out, all week long, things go better with rock. The only time I turn it down is when I'm sleeping it off." 

Yes, music is a wonderful influence in our lives.  We all have different tastes when it comes to music.  My own collection is very eclectic, but every musical choice moves my soul in some way.  I'm betting your choices do too!

The Man in Black

I sat down, ready to relax before bed, flipped on the TV and booted up my Kindle, intent on finishing the book I've been reading.   But PBS was the last station I watched .... and there on my TV is the Man in Black -- and the Highwaymen!   Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.  Ohhh boy was my day totally complete!    So much for reading, I'm totally watching this instead!

Yes, I know it's an old repeat, but who cares?!?

Ring of Fire
Me and Bobby McGee
Mammas Don't let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys
Folsum Prison Blues
Always on My Mind
.... damn, what great music!

The Highwaymen:  Frequently referred to as “the Mount Rushmore of country music,” The Highwaymen – Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson – were American country music’s first bona fide supergroup, an epic quartet comprised of the outlaw country genre’s pioneering stars. An essential musical and cultural influence, the Grammy-winning group was active from 1985 – 1995.

Oh how I miss the music they made - thank goodness for PBS bringing back an old classic!

I saw Johnny Cash in the 90s, and it was the BEST concert I've ever been to.  He was the ultimate performer, but that's just my opinion.

His music is poignant, thought provoking, and moving.  Even his songs with a hint of humor are my favs, from "Boy Named Sue" to "One Piece at a Time".   On his album, American IV, he sings "In My Life", another one of my favs!  Take a moment, find a YouTube version and listen to some Johnny!  

Power of Music

Music is a very powerful thing....  and never ceases to amaze me.  It can change our mood from bad to good, it can energize us, soothe us, and remind of us long ago days. 

In my weekend quest of cleaning house, I decided to purge through some of my old CDs (and got rid of all the cassettes!)

Some of the music I needed to purge through I've had since the 1990s... that was before some of you were even born! lol  But before I purged, I decided there were some I had to listen to first -- just to be sure.  Now, there were some CDs I didn't have to listen to -- I could tell by the handwriting on them they were like the "custom mixed tapes" we used to make back in high school for our sweethearts.  They were given to me by an ex -- and there's no need to keep that around any longer!  But the ones that fascinated me the most were the church hymn CDs. 

Back in the 90s, I was part of a local church choir - we sang at three services every Sunday, sometimes on Weds night, and performed five different "shows" for the major holidays.  What surprised me about the music was that I remembered all the words and could sing along!  Mind you, I haven't sang those choruses since 1998 when I left California- that was 16 years ago.  The power of music is simply amazing!  And so are our brains -- even when something's been filed away and never opened for years upon years, the data is still there! 


Never underestimate the power of music and what it can do for you!

“Where words fail, music speaks.”
―Hans Christian Andersen

 “Where words leave off, music begins.”
―Heinrich Heine

 “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't.”
―Johnny Depp

 PS:  Amazingly enough, with tunes going, I got a lot of housecleaning done, it looks amazing!  :)