Scrap the Game, Bring on the Music

Last night I was supposed to be at a Yankees-Mets Subway Series game. I was not. The combination of getting three hours sleep the night before and a miserable rainy day made me re-consider... even though they did end up playing the game.

I felt like crap the whole day. No sleep, a headache and my hair started to frizz. Who needs this shit? Then on top of it, I was supposed to drive over two bridges and deal with both rush hour and game traffic. The final straw was hearing the George Washington Bridge, the first of the two I needed to cross, was closed with an accident.

First pitch, originally scheduled for 7pm, was now set at 8:40pm. Figuring a three hour game if there are no other delays, and I'm getting home close to 1am. After sleeping for three hours the night before. Um...I opted for Plan B. Stay home, watch it on TV and also catch the reason for this post today.

Last night PBS aired the White House Concert honoring Carole King as the first female recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Now I love Carole King, love her. While Grace Slick was my idol because of her being one of the first women to front a rock & roll band and who had an attitude and mouth to go with it... Carole King wrote the songs. Before I took a long, long break from writing, I was extremely touched by song lyrics. The songs she and Gerry Goffin wrote were some of the most memorable around, back when I was a kid. Then Tapestry came out. Who doesn't remember that album cover of a blue-jeaned girl with frizzy hair, relaxing in the window seat as the light streamed in? I had it on vinyl, had it on cassette and I have it on CD. It is as brilliant today as it was in 1971.

The Gershwin Award "honors the lifetime achievement of artists whose work exemplifies the standard of excellence associated with towering songwriters George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin." Carole King received that award, and deservedly so.

The show featured a variety of singers covering some of her best known tunes. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," Billy Joel singing "Locomotion," and of course James Taylor sang "Up On The Roof," as well as a duet with Carole on "You've Got A Friend."

The taste for today is a song which was not featured on the show, but may be my favorite of hers.

"Green fields and rolling hills

Room enough to do what we will

Sweet dreams of yestertime

Are running though my mind

Of a place I left behind"

"Been to Canaan" is one of those songs which just lightens my mood. Had a bad day or struggling with a decision? It just makes you remember that you did have a place of peace, and you will find it again.

Though I'm content with myself

Sometimes I long to be somewhere else

I try to do what I can

But with our day to day demands

We all need a promised land"

"Been so long, I can't remember when

I've been to Canaan

And I want to go back again

Been so long, I'm living till then

'Cause I've been to Canaan and I

I won't rest until, I go back again

Indeed.

Carole King 1982 "Been To Canaan"