Tag: music

Wednesday Morning Eagles

It’s 7:17 a.m., and I’m still in bed. Alexa is playing an Eagles’ playlist just for me, and I’m singing along. The cat has taken refuge in the hallway, watching me with a wary eye, while my bed has become my own private time machine.

I remember singing along to “Take it Easy” from the backseat of our family’s car when I was 16 or so, and begging my parents to not change the station to a country channel. And when “Witchy Woman” played, everyone had to be quiet so I could try to understand the lyrics. What was that woman up to? No good, that’s what.

A favorite Eagles’ song? I can’t name just one. That would be like saying I have a favorite child or grandchild, or even a favorite husband. But, I do know the songs I enjoy singing along with the most.

“I Can’t Tell You Why”—my voice blends beautifully into this one. At least in my mind. Reality is a different matter.

https://youtu.be/mseS0C421cU

“Witchy Woman”—howling along.

https://youtu.be/nc0988XxoXI

And “Peaceful Easy Feeling”—nobody sings this as well as I do. That’s a blatant lie, but a relatively harmless one as lies go.

https://youtu.be/n-0lRkuNyj0

Young and innocent. Ha.

What a great way to start my day, right? Now, back to writing and editing and cursing a lot. Here’s hoping your Wednesday is good, though.

Peace, people.

Seven Bridges Road

Surely someone besides me needs this song today. It never fails to make me smile, and this is a great version, recorded live at the Grand Ole Opry.

https://www.facebook.com/grandoleopry/videos/535862247174975/?vh=e&d=n

My Writing Playlist

On a writing day I get the music started early and crank it up loud. I’ll bet my neighbors are glad our homes aren’t all that close together.

Here are my go-to songs for the romance I’m writing. I’m not sure there’s a theme here, but these songs speak to my characters.

“Lay, Lady, Lay,” by Bob Dylan

“Tomorrow,” by Chris Young (link below)

https://youtu.be/ETVjll5eR88

“Give Me One Reason,” by Tracy Chapman (link below)

https://youtu.be/V6hQ9HSKlIE

“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,” by the Hollies

“Shameless,“ the Garth Brooks version; although, I really like Billy Joel’s, as well. He did write it after all.

“Cross My Heart,” by George Strait

“Girl Crush,” by Little Big Town

“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” by Aerosmith

“I’ll Make Love to You,” by Boyz II Men (link below)

https://youtu.be/fV8vB1BB2qc

“As She’s Walking Away,” by Zac Brown Band

“Cowboy Take Me Away,” by The Chicks

Peace, people.

Rocking Country

I’m always behind the times when it comes to music. By the time I get turned on to a song it’s likely been on the charts for months and on its way into the archives.

In the case of Zac Brown Band’s “Heavy is the Head,” featuring the late rocker, the incredibly talented, Chris Cornell, I’m at least five years too late. I found the song while listening to country music on my Amazon Echo as research/mood enhancement for a romance novel I’ve been working on. “Heavy is the Head,” though, is definitely not a country tune, and it immediately got my attention, albeit half a decade after the fact.

Damn, Chris Cornell was something special. And Zac Brown Band has become one of my favorite country groups these last few weeks. What else am I missing?

Chris Cornell

Peace, people!

Long Cool Woman

The Hollies’ 1972 hit Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress, has always fascinated me. Until very recently (today, August 5, 2020, at 6:45 a.m.), I only kind of understood the lyrics.

Some dude working undercover for the FBI was in a club when all hell broke loose, and there was a pretty, tall woman wearing a black dress involved somehow.

Turns out, I was mostly right, but I always thought there was a bouncer involved and that the woman was also working undercover for a rival organization, maybe the KGB or the CIA, and was leading our hero on so that her side could triumph. In the end, I thought the two of them agreed to work together and lived happily ever after. My imagination filled in the blanks.

This morning I found a YouTube version of the song with lyrics. Now, 48 years after the fact, I know the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What a great song.

https://youtu.be/nLJliHtKaJw

Peace, people!

Girl Crush

In my never ending quest for sexy musical inspiration for my romantic novel I discovered the absolutely delightful song, Girl Crush by the group, Little Big Town.

Even if you’re not a fan of country music, I think you’ll get a kick out of this song. Not only is it sexy, it’s also adorable and a little heart-breaking. I want to scream at the singer, “just be yourself!”

Loved this book cover!

Peace, people!

Lay, Lady, Lay

My cousin, Effron White, is an accomplished singer/songwriter in Nashville. He’s also a big Bob Dylan fan, and recently posed the question on Facebook, “What’s your favorite Bob Dylan song?”

I’m not that knowledgeable about Dylan’s body of work, but me being me, I had to weigh in. My choice? Lay, Lady, Lay.

Why? Because it’s one of the sexiest songs ever, and as I attempt to write a light romance novel, I’m in need of some sexy inspiration. The song paints quite a picture. Just close your eyes and listen.

Oh, and check out Effron White at Effronmusic.com.

Peace, people

A Time to Dance; A Time to Cry

I was so full of myself after finishing my first manuscript that I immediately began writing another. Actually, I have two going. One’s a sequel to book one and the other is a light romance. I’m still not sure how book one should be classified. Quirky, maybe. Is “quirky” a genre? If not, it should be.

The light romance is set in the panhandle of Texas, so to keep me in the mood I’ve been listening to country music. Alexa has begun to anticipate my needs, and for some reason Amazon is sending me ads for western wear. What a world, eh?

Occasionally, Alexa will play a song that forces me to get up and dance. Not to brag, but no one two-steps with an invisible partner as well as I do. And waltzing? Fuggetabout it! I’m surprised no one’s yet knocked on my door to award me first place in the imaginary partner category.

Some songs make me cry, though, and instead of dancing I sit in front of my computer and cry. Most recently that song was this one by Vince Gill. It breaks my heart every time.

This might not be the best version of the song because Vince breaks down and cries, but it’s become my favorite. “Go Rest High On That Mountain”

Peace, people.

Writing, Singing, and Crying

Lately when I write I’ve asked Alexa to play seventies music. Some days she selects pop, other days, country, and still others, folk. I can’t decide which genre I enjoy the most, but I do have some favorites: Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles, among others.

When Studly Doright chooses a station he always picks sixties music, and while I enjoy that decade’s offerings, there’s something about the 70’s tunes that speaks to me. Maybe it’s because I graduated high school in ‘75, and married Studly in ‘76. In the space of a year I went from childhood to adulthood with seventies music playing in the background.

The 63-year-old me often finds herself crying during certain songs. Today, John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High had me blubbering at my computer, and not long after that I completely lost it over Michael Martin Murphey’s Wildfire.

Am I mourning the loss of my youth? Surely not. That’s been gone for at least three decades. How about my close proximity to death. Naw. I’ve made my peace with the world.

Maybe it’s bigger than that. Maybe it’s the loss of our nation’s soul that’s gotten to me, and these songs remind me of a time that seemed so much simpler. Oh, I know the 70’s had their issues. They weren’t rosy by any means, but I was young enough to believe everything would turn out fine.

Now, I’m not so certain.

Peace, people.

The Perfect Country Song

Not too long ago I was visiting via FaceTime with my British friends and advisers, Shirley and Michael. At one point the discussion turned to country music. As a native Texan, albeit one who moved away from the Lone Star State to accompany my husband through many job transfers, I am somewhat knowledgeable about country music.

As a child and teenager I detested the genre. It seemed torture to be made to listen to whiny country western in the car when the Beatles might be playing on another radio station, just a turn of the dial away.

Remember, I’m 63.75 years old, so in my youth we didn’t have a way to listen to anything other than what the person in control of the radio, nearly always a parent or other stodgy adult, deemed suitable. Kids today have no idea how good they’ve got it.

But somehow, those songs and artists stuck with me. Patsy Cline, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash—all are part of my history, and now their old songs are some of my favorites. My parents would be proud.

Back to my conversation with Michael and Shirley, though. I mentioned to them a country song I thought they, and their son, might get a kick out of—“You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” performed by the great David Allan Coe. Also known as “The Perfect Country Song,” this is a piece that must be listened to in its entirety to get the meaning. I’ll share it here. Enjoy.

David Allan Coe in his younger days. Now he’s 80, and I believe he’s still touring!

Peace, people!