One Song

momonthehill · September 7, 2008, 8:52pm

This is a wonderful thread–so many poignant posts.

I, too, can’t settle on just one song.

For D1: “The Rising” (title track) by Bruce Springsteen. She’s a Springsteen fan, and this is such a hopeful, uplifting song.

For D2: “Touched By the Sun” by Carly Simon. An inspirational song about following your dreams, and not being held back by fear or self-doubt:

“If you want to be brave
And reach for the top of the sky
And the farthest point on the horizon
Do you know who you’ll meet there
Great soldiers and seafarers,
Artists and dreamers
Who need to be close, close to the light
They need to be in danger of burning by fire
And I, I want to get there
I, I want to be one
One who is touched by the sun,
One who is touched by the sun…”

For D3: “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. So true for the MS years.

For my H: “Voices in the Sky” by The Moody Blues. When we were dating and right after we were married, on the weekends we would frequently go on long drives and play Moody Blues, among other groups, on the cassette deck. Now, whenever I hear their music, it automatically brings my back to those days.

Finally, listening to “Iwoya” by Angelique Kidjo & Dave Matthews almost always lifts my spirits–such a jubilant melody.

zoosermom · September 7, 2008, 8:57pm

Thank you all so much for participating. What wonderful stories and music you’ve shared.

laxmom · September 8, 2008, 3:13pm

bumping up to move political threads down :)

PackMom · September 8, 2008, 3:42pm

For my oldest S, I would give James Taylor’s “Going to Carolina” All of our family (on both sides) are native North Carolinians and have spent our entire lives here. S1 will graduate from college in May and be commissioned into the US Navy. He will likely end up far from home and in some pretty dangerous places. I would give him this song so he would know that no matter where he is, he can always “go to Carolina” in his mind and we will always be there.

In my mind I’m going to Carolina
Can’t you just see the sunshine?
Can’t you just feel the moonshine?
Maybe just like a friend of mine
It hit me from behind
Yes, I’m goin’ to Carolina in my mind

mafool · September 8, 2008, 3:57pm

PackMom, Have you heard Alison Krause sing Going to Carolina? I think it’s very worth a listen.

NYMomof2 · September 8, 2008, 3:57pm

This is a great thread - so many moving posts. And I’m discovering so many songs I never knew before.

S1 is 15, and when he came back from CTY last summer (a peak experience for him), he played this song constantly. I had never heard it before, but I find it incredibly sad and beautiful:

100 Years, by Five for Fighting

I’m 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I’m just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are
I’m 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we’re on fire
Making our way back from Mars
15 there’s still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there’s never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live
.
.
.

S2 is 9, and for the past 2 years he has been very interested in jazz. He loves Scott Joplin, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, etc. He has been playing the piano for 3 years, and his favorite piece is Bumble Boogie, a boogie-woogie adaptation of Flight of the Bumblebee. There are some renditions of it on youtube, my favorite is by Jools Holland (S2 does NOT play it like this!)

curmudgeon · September 8, 2008, 4:16pm

Dang. I picked Forever Young but somebody already had it. Rats.

mafool · September 8, 2008, 4:18pm

Not my new favorite, but touching this time of year for “us.”

Lyrics to “Letting Go”

She’ll take the painting in the hallway,
The one she did in jr. high
And that old lamp up in the attic,
She’ll need some light to study by.

She’s had 18 years to get ready for this day
She should be past the tears, she cries some anyway

Oh oh letting go
There’s nothing in the way now,
Oh letting go, there’s room enough to fly
And even though, she’s spent her whole life waiting,
It’s never easy letting go.

Mother sits down at the table
So many things she’d like to do
Spend more time out in the garden
Now she can get those books read too.

She’s had 18 years to get ready for this day
She should be past the tears, she cries some anyway.

Oh oh letting go
There’s nothing in the way now,
Oh letting go, there’s room enough to fly
And even though, she’s spent her whole life waiting,
It’s never easy letting go.

curmudgeon · September 8, 2008, 4:26pm

O.K. I’ll go with a lullaby or two I used to gargle out to D.

You’ve Got a Friend

When you’re down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,
And you know where-ever I am
I’ll come running, oh yeah baby
To see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You’ve got a friend.

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
And soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name and you know where ever I am
I’ll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I’ll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain’t it good to know that youve got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They’ll hurt you and desert you.
Well they’ll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don’t you let them.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I’ll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, dont you know that,
Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you’ve got to do is call.
Lord, I’ll be there, yes I will.
You’ve got a friend.
You’ve got a friend.
Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
You’ve got a friend.

Sweet Baby James

There is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Waiting for summer, his pastures to change

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the doggies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but its clear
As if maybe someone could hear

(chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby james
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Wont you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby james

Now the first of december was covered with snow
And so was the turnpike from stockbridge to boston
Lord, the berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go

(chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby james
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Wont you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby james

Theres a song that they sing when they take to the highway
A song that they sing when they take to the sea
A song that they sing of their home in the sky
Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep
But singing works just fine for me

(chorus)
Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby james
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Wont you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby james

They ARE gifts I gave her. We sing them to this day. Or should I say - she sings while I sound more like an old concrete mixer.

mafool · September 8, 2008, 4:28pm

But we all love our parental cement mixers: burning urns of churning funk (I do hope my memory is working here)

mammall · September 8, 2008, 4:45pm

I really love the Coldplay song “Yellow” - reminds me of my daughters every time I hear it. And it’s the only Coldplay song I can even tolerate.

gbesq · September 8, 2008, 4:58pm

My 40 year old sister-in-law died a little over a week ago of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), leaving behind my younger brother and their three children, aged 10, 6 and 3. The funeral was this past Saturday. I wish that I could think of a song that would be of some comfort to them now . . .

MidwestParent · September 8, 2008, 5:56pm

This is really a wonderful thread! My sister made me a couple of CD’s that I love with great tunes. Now I will have some wonderful songs, many I have never heard, that I can use when making one for her!

You Can Let Go by Crystal Shawanda

I just heard this song about a daughter and her father last week. YouTube the video - it is really wonderful. It is slightly country and very sappy, but just having had our oldest daughter get married last month, it sent my heart right into my throat when I heard it. During the wedding rehearsal, the minister was trying to show my husband how to escort D up the aisle, then let go of her and sit down. He sort of tried to pull my husband’s arm away from D’s during the “demonstration”, but DH was holding on tight. He said, “I’ll let go of her when I’M ready!”

Two of Us by The Beatles

My younger daughter and I consider this our anthem. I got the CD and stuck it in the player as we headed out of the driveway to make the six hour drive to take her to school for her freshman year last year. Now we play it on ever trip! She had health problems when she was younger and being a stay-at-home mom, she and I have been through a lot together.

“You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead”

mrego · September 8, 2008, 6:08pm

Greatest Love of All
~ Whitney Houston

Karen_Colleges · September 8, 2008, 6:48pm

qbesq- So sorry to hear about your sister in law.

Have you heard ‘Seasons of Love’ from the musical Rent? My all-time favorite.
I’m afraid it will make you cry, but I love it.

GA2012MOM · September 8, 2008, 7:11pm

I would ways tuck in DD at bedtime (she insisted and I loved it) and we had a variety of songs, but my favorite was “have I told you lately that I love you” by Rod Stewart. We would sing it alternating lines as I stroked her head to put her to sleep. I think this is what I miss most.

Have I told you lately that I love you
have I told you there’s no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness, take away all my sadness
Eased my troubles, that’s what you do.

mafool · September 8, 2008, 7:20pm

you all have such wonderful songs that you shared with your kids! I made up the songs that I sang to DS, and sang, and sang for years. No way could they stand up to the standards of Fine Music. I wish I could share them with you, silly as they may be, but I’m sure their value is very limited!

ivoryk · September 8, 2008, 7:45pm

last summer, I made a good-bye song collection for my daughter, who was heading off to Tulane (as she was just yesterday – again – for the second time in two weeks!) Playlist is copied below – for those of you feeling nostalgic and sentimental this time of year.

My Opening Farewell; Jackson Browne
Wide Open Spaces; Dixie Chicks
You Learn; Alanis Morissette
Change Your Mind; Sister Hazel
This One’s for the Girls; Martina McBride
I Hope You Dance; Lee Ann Womack
Forever Young; Bob Dylan
Io (This Time Around); Helen Stellar
Winding Road; Bonnie Somerville
Two Lane Highway; Pure Prairie League
Down to New Orleans; Vince Gill
Take Me to the Mardi Gras; Paul Simon
Everest; Ani Difranco
Goodbye to You; Michelle Branch
Unwritten; Natasha Bedingfield
Brass In Pocket; The Pretenders
New Day; Patti LaBelle
Whole New You; Shawn Colvin
Fly Away From Here; Dropline
My Wish; Rascal Flatts
The Circle Game; Joni Mitchell
Reason to Believe; Kelly Willis
Never Die Young; James Taylor
Little Star; Madonna
Happy Girl; Beth Nielsen Chapman
New Orleans Wins the War; Randy Newman
Buffalo Soldier; Bob Marley
Walking to New Orleans; Fats Domino
City of New Orleans; Steve Goodman
Louisiana Lady; New Riders of The Purple Sage
Ready to Run; Dixie Chicks
Straight As The Crow Flies; Kim Richey
Baby Mine; Alison Krauss
The One Who Knows; Dar Williams & Alison Krauss
Ride of Your Life; John Gregory
What a Wonderful World; Keb Mo
Turn Around; Nanci Griffith

over30 · September 8, 2008, 9:15pm

I too am a James Taylor singer (more like Dylan than Taylor, but the kids never minded). “You Can Close Your Eyes” was sung nightly for years.
Well the sun is surely sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning 'round
And I still love you

(Chorus)
So close your eyes
You can close your eyes, it’s all right
I don’t know no love songs
And I can’t sing the blues anymore
But I can sing this song
And you can sing this song
When I’m gone

It won’t be long before another day
We gonna have a good time
And no one’s gonna take that time away
You can stay as long as you like

<ul>
<li>Chorus -</li>
</ul>

Another favorite was John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy”
Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He’s on the run and your daddy’s here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It’s getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we’ll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it’s a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While you’re busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Sean.

dragonmom · September 8, 2008, 9:31pm

For the first year or two after Katrina, I kept a shortcut on my computer desktop to my recording of Aaron Neville singing the Ave Maria. It’s just so peaceful. I didn’t live there any longer, but it kept me centered on what was important.

On a lighter note, there are many songs that became lullabies in our house, including the old Spiritual “Michael Row the Boat Ashore”. One day when she was about 3, my youngest asked for “that Michael Jordan Riverboat Song”. The sibs had fun with that “Michael, shoot the basketball, alleluia…”
Unfortunately soon after pre-school they all started music lessons and learned that I have a tin ear and no sense of timing.

One Song

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