My siblings and I were recently reminiscing about songs our father used to sing back in the fifties. My sister recalled one entitled, "Ain't We Crazy". It was what they called a nonsense song and was written in 1928. It begins, "It was midnight on the ocean, not a streetcar was in sight...". Check it out on YouTube. I'm not good at links.
May 02, 2020, 09:47 AM
fpuhan
There was a rather eclectic group in the 1960s-70s that I really dug. Their third album is #40 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 albums of all time (whatever that's worth). The lyrics to their songs were often quite twisted and mind-numbing, but let's not forget this was the era of Bob Dylan and some really free-flowing lyrics. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I play a number of their songs on guitar, because the chord changes, rhythms and interludes are quite inventive and pleasing. That group was named Love, and their leader was a man named Arthur Lee. Here are two of the song lyrics I play:
QUE VIDA!
[Verse 1] With pictures and words Is this communicating? The sounds that I've heard The growling voice then fading And yes my heart was beating Or was it just repeating
[Verse 2] With nickels and dimes You soon will have a dollar Am I in your time I see no need to swallow Or catch a plane to travel My mind's not made of gravel
[Verse 3] Can you find your way Or do you want my vision It's dark there, they say But that's just superstition And in my last inspection Is this the right direction
[Verse 4] I once had a girl She told me I was funny She said in your world You needed lots of money And things to kill your brother But death just starts another
MY LOVE SHE COMES IN COLORS (said to have inspired the Rolling Stones' "She's a Rainbow")
A thought in my head, I think Of something to do Expressions tell everything I see one on you
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, my love she comes in colors You can tell her from the clothes she wears
When I was invisible I needed no light You saw right through me, you said Was I out of sight?
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, my love she comes in colors You can tell her from the clothes she wears Whoa-oh-oh-oh, my love she comes in colors You can tell her from the clothes she wears Whoa-oh-oh-oh, my love she comes in colors You can tell her from the clothes she wears
When I was in England town The rain fell right down I looked for you everywhere 'Til I'm not around
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, my love she comes in colors You can tell her from the clothes she wears
You can't truly call yourself "peaceful" unless you are capable of great violence. If you're not capable of great violence, you're not peaceful, you're harmless.
