With the Notes In My Ears

With thanksgiving barely behind us, we have already moved on to our weekly chores and tasks. We have already forgotten about giving thanks. Most of us are rarely moved enough to create something for gratitude. But when we do, the creation can be something that is a tearjerker if profound and sincere.

With the Notes In My Ears

Oh the ones I often dreamed of

With the notes in my ears

And the ones I often mimicked

With the notes on my fingers

And my bed is on the floor

Yes, my bed is on the floor

Of one of the ones I often dreamed of

With the notes in my fingers

That’s why I know I can say I’m lucky today

That’s how I know that it’s time to be brave

With the Notes In My Ears is a song written by Peter Broderick. It was written for his album titled Home which was released on the 23rd of September, 2008. Had I not been watching Grey’s Anatomy a few weeks ago, I would not have found this song. The song quickly made its way to my iPod and I tried to interpret the song. I wasn’t satisfied with what I came up with and was lucky enough to be able to get in touch with Peter Broderick and asked him what the song was really about.

Growing up, one of Peter’s favourite bands was Efterklang - a Danish rock/alternative band. He was invited to join them towards the end of 2007 which was an “absolute dream come true.” They were the ones he would often dream of with his headphones on [...with the notes in my ears...]; the ones who he mimicked and drew inspiration from for his songwriting and playing.

Peter had left his entire life behind in Portland, Oregon. He had no place to stay in Denmark,  and one of the band members – Rasmus Stolberg who plays bass, guitar and other instruments – gave him shelter with a little bed on the floor. He was one of the ones Peter had dreamed of. It is not easy to leave your life behind, but he felt blessed enough to have the opportunity to play with musicians he had only dreamed of.

“I felt (and still feel) extremely lucky about all of this…”

When gratitude is sincere and profound, a tearjerker is born

Take a listen and share your interpretation of this hauntingly beautiful song.

Golden Oldies 6

 

It is long overdue, but it is here now – the sixth golden oldie. We have heard it sung by Foreigner in 1982, followed by Tina Arena who did her own rendition back in 1998. Now it’s back, in true R&B and Mariah Carey style, 2009.

I want to know what love is was written by Mick Jones and Lou Gramm. The version for Foreigner was produced by Alex Sadkin. Tina’s version was produced by Mick Jones, who is also a band member of Foreigner. This version sounded similar to the original version, although Tina did make it her own.

Mariah Carey’s version was co-produced by C. “Tricky” Stewart, James “Big Jim” Wright and herself. Like any other cover she has sung, Mariah Carey truly sings this in her own style. It starts off very gently with a piano. The whispered vocals, the trills and embellishments, and finally, her world-renowned whistle register are the ingredients she uses to make this song spectacular. All this done with a beautiful gospel choir backing her up.

This is what Mick Jones said of her version:

I think she’s actually retained the integrity of the song. You know, the arrangement is very similar to the original. They haven’t tampered with the song too much. She’s captured a certain emotional thing, a feeling. And you know, it’s always flattering to have people cover your songs. Well, sometimes not so flattering (laughs) depending on who it is. But I think she’s put a lot of emotion into it. You can feel that she’s gotten inside of the song.

You can find the entire interview at Songfacts.

Here is Mariah Carey’s rendition of I want to know what love is.

Tone and Timbre

“Communication is key.” This is phrase we hear a lot of times. We focus so much on the things we feel we need to say, and most of the time we get it right. However, there is a major aspect that we forget to address – tone.

In music, composers and [smart] producers use timbre and orchestration to set a mood or tone to whatever message they’re communicating in their music.  Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t – personal taste – but I assume that the writer knew what he was trying to say and how he wanted to say it: What Makes Good Writing?

Timbre is what helps us tell the difference between a piano and violin or any combination of intsruments. The tonal colour is unique for each instrument. Regardless of whether they are playing the same note or not. Similarly, the colour of the voice [tone] helps us distinguish the difference between mommy’s anger or love.

Some people are very sensitive to tone and timbre. You can spew out the nastiest words to someone in a well-coloured tone and your words may not have as much of an impact as they would if you had said something kind in an dark tone.

I don’t think the things we say matter as much as how we say them. What do you think?

Think Globally, Act Locally!

Think Globally, Act Locally! A different approach…

I have always had an interest in understanding the mind and its intricacies. How does it work? Who or what moulds it? Am I normal? These are all questions I have asked myself on numerous occasions as I’m sure many of you have too. They aren’t exactly questions you can answer by sitting down and following a simple formula – abstract is what they are. In order for me to gain some form of understanding, I decided to take psych. In personality psychology, we examined Freud’s theory and after a very long time, we moved on to Carl Jung. I like him. I like him and his theories because I can identify with them.

Carl Jung believed that there are three levels to the psyche (personality in Jungian theory) – the Conscious, the Personal Unconscious and the Collective Unconscious levels respectively. The Conscious being the only part of our mind that we, humans, are directly aware of. The Personal Unconscious being the experiences that are “drained” by the ego into this bank which our minds repress for one reason or another. The Collective Unconscious is what caught my attention.

The Collective Unconscious is said to be a “pool” of latent images/info that Jung called the “Primordial Images.” It is a part of the psyche that has never been conscious to the individual, is not dependent on the individual’s experience (like the Personal Unconscious), and it is inherited/accessible by/to everyone. It is like we inherit predispositions or potentialities from our ancestral past.

The Collective Unconscious has been explained in a number of ways. Much like the process of natural selection, or survival of the fittest, a mutation occurs to help an organism to survive. This mutation is passed down genetically from one generation to the next. We have this information in us, but we are not aware of it (unconscious). Another way to understand it is by thinking of the things we do daily. We practise or do things daily; these activities become our habits. Habits, even though they are learned, become instincts when we do not unlearn them. We may react to certain situations in a way that is habitual. If I am not mistaken, I believe this is the doctrine of acquired characters – Lamarckism.

This is an example from a book called A Primer of Jungian Psychology by Calvin S. Hall and Vernon J. Nordby: ” Since primitive man was exposed to harm from poisonous snakes, his fear of them would cause him to take precautions against being bitten. Thus, the mutation or mutations that caused the fear and hence the precautions would increase man’s chance of survival so that the changes in the germ plasm would be passed on to succeeding generations. In other words, the evolution of a collective unconscious can be accounted for in the same way that the evolution of the body is explained. Because the brain is the principal organ of the mind, the collective unconscious depends directly upon the evolution of the brain.”

Now with Jung’s theory in mind, we can safely assume that what we do today can aid future generations around the world. We may not realise it, but the things we do locally do not only affect the people around us. The effects are global. Can we be more conscious of the things we do, so that they become instinctual, and therefore, add to our collective unconscious pool so that future generations can draw upon this info?

Think globally, act locally!

Feel Alive!

 

What makes you feel alive?

 

For some it is being around their children and spending time with their loved ones; for others it is standing in solitude at their favourite spot and looking at a beautiful view. I can not say I speak for everyone but I believe most people feel alive when they are doing something that they love.

 

What I love is music; be it doing a run through of The Festive Trumpet Tune by David German on the Organ or singing Free Me or writing a cheesy love song; doing anything that is musically inclined helps me bring out the best in me.

 

What is it that makes you feel alive?

 

The Queen

I was thinking about her today. Not the queen of England, nor the queen of Sweden or any other royal queen for that matter. The Queen of African Pop – Brenda Fassie. Also named The Madonna of the townships by Time Magazine.

With most of her albums being multi-platinum sellers in South Africa and very successful in other countries in South Africa, Brenda was a person of the people. She was the voice for black people in South Africa during the apartheid era. Singing songs so controversial, such as Black President, that they were banned from the country. Her outgoing and loving personality was appreciated by many.

She was, unfortunately, known more for her antics off the stage than on. Drug abuse was the major factor she seemed to struggle with at one point in her life and is believed to be the major cause of her death in 2004.

We all go through hardships and she had her fair share of struggles; she has left some wonderful works behind for us and I’m looking forward to some things that her son, Bongani Fassie.

One of my favourites from Brenda.

Golden Oldies 5

A few days before I heard Jay-Z’s version of the song, I was thinking about a song my mom used to enjoy. She would sit and listen to the song, obviously reminiscing about something and I remember thinking that this was the saddest yet moving song.

Forever Young by Alphaville is the song. Jay-Z’s version is obviously rap-orientated and features Mr Hudson, who does the song justice in my opinion, and is titled Young Forever from his latest album The Blueprint 3. Alphaville is a German synth-pop band consisting of 3 members named Hartwig Schierbaum, Bernhard Gösling and Frank Sorgatz. Forever Young and Big in Japan were their two biggest hits in the early 80s.

Jay-Z uses the song to remind us that he is still doing well in the music business (better than most ever will) and that he will always be spoken about – be it the current generation or the newer generations that will come – thus, he will remain Forever Young.

These are the Golden Oldies for this week. Check out the original version by Alphaville right here, and compare to it to what will be a hit rendition of 2009.

Forever Young by Alphaville

Young Forever by Jay-Z featuring Mr Hudson

Do you want to live forever? A lot of us don’t want to be forgotten…

What makes good writing?

This is an essay I wrote for my English class. I thought it could be applicable to everybody.

We receive messages on a daily basis and in a variety of channels; ranging from the post-it notes peeking at you from your bathroom mirror reminding you to pick up your child from the tennis centre, to the article titled Free Your Spirit from the O-magazine that you read while waiting for your child in the waiting room. The main purpose for writing is to deliver a message. How the message is delivered is what dictates whether the writing receives up-turned or down-turned thumbs.

Good writers such as Stephen King, Emily Brontë and Yann Martel have the skill of taking you on a mental journey with their words and creating a sense of understanding with their characters. Wuthering heights by Emily Bronté is one of these books, where a picture of Heathcliff is not too flattering. However, that was not evident from the get-go; the journey that Emily takes us on is one where we can understand why and how he became the way he was – and I can sympathise with him.

In songwriting, especially in pop music, coherent sentences are deviated from. Some songs even sound like they are being sung from cue cards with all that melismatic singing. What is beautiful though, is the fact that the message is delivered and still manages to squeeze a few tear drops from some eyes.

Be it in music or novels, script-writing or road signs; ideas that are interesting are critical in good writing. An expressive voice and memorable choice of words is important. Fluency is important. Logic and order are important. When all these elements are exercised, good writing is born. But what I feel to be of utmost importance, is being fully understood as a writer.

The ability to mould words and conjure up emotion within us is the one element I believe to essential in good writing. I am currently reading one of many Stephen King’s novels and one line from a now-seemingly-twisted character (did I mention Heathcliff?) stuck with me: “It’s a writer’s job to carve with language, to hew close to the bone, so why can’t I say what it feels like?”

Is it bombast or simplicity? Could it be the use of flawless punctuation and cohesive sentences or writing that could put you, the authour, to shame when compared to a first grader that makes good writing? I think what makes good writing is the fact that the writer can convey his message the way he feels he needs to deliver it. Good writing brings about emotion. The deeper the feelings, the better the article.

What do you think makes good writing?

Believe, reach and achieve!

As idyllic and naive as this may sound, I truly believe that we everyone deserves to be happy. To achieve all that they can, live, love, laugh and cry and truly experience the joys and let downs of being human. Everyone is entitled to reach the serenity and joy of just being.

These are some of the songs I tend to turn to when that imp-like thing called doubt begins to creep in:

It was the year 2003 when I first heard the 1996 Olympic Song. We  (the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir) were preparing for a special television recording to be broadcast on SABC 2 and we walked into choir rehearsal, and were told about this. Gloria Estefan’s Reach was the song we listened to first. With the fat drums and the choir, the song has an African feel to it. What an Empowering Song that is!

The following year, I watched the movie Honey starring Jessica Alba. Needless to say that Yolanda Adam’s soulful and passionate voice inspired me in the song I Believe. My sister and I loved this song, still do.

Last year, I came across Chris Brown’s Dreamer. Another great song.

I believe in myself, and anything that will speak to me the way my heart does I gladly accpet. There is nothing that can not be done, we create all we have by thought, speaking and doing. Thought, word and deed. Believe, reach and acheive. Do you believe in yourself?

Golden Oldies 4

Golden Oldies 4

I am sitting at Millburn’s Taylor Park after having watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy while eating a poppy-seed bagel with a hearty spread of Sundried Tomato spread and listening to these Golden Oldies called The Four Tops.

It was only last week when I was watching my favourite actress, Julia Roberts, in Something to Talk About. The song came on near the end of the movie during some celebration and I paused the movie, googled the lyrics that I could make out, and that is how The Four Tops and I crossed paths.

I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar, Pie Honey Bunch) is the song that is in question. With a very similar arrangement to Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes with the echoey drumbeat and bouncy bass, the song is another one of the Motown factory’s hit songs. The chord structure is very similar and it was also produced by the same production team that made so many hit songs – Holland-Dozier-Holland.

Some people refer to the Four Tops as the male version of The Supremes. The group’s lead singer was a Levi Stubbs who passed away on October 17, 2008 at the age of 72.

Check out The Four Tops’ Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch! They are having fun!