For John

Thirty-five years.

If you were alive when John Kennedy was assassinated, you will never forget where you where when you heard the news. The same is true for 9/11. Indelible moments, time and date stamped into your memory.

Thirty-five years ago tonight, I was home and somewhere in the background of a four-way conversation in my living room, we heard the news on Monday Night Football. John Lennon had been shot.

No one had to tell me he was gone. My heart knew it, my soul felt emptier. Something that had been part of my being was lost.

John Lennon was not a hero to me. By most accounts he wasn't even the beautiful human he's transformed into since his death. To me, he was a Beatle and the Beatles were as much a part of my life education as any class or direction of my parents. As Bruce Springsteen said it years later, "I learned more from a 3 minute record baby, than I ever learned in school." John Lennon was one of four who gave my spirit the wings to fly.

Those wings were broken 35 years ago. They have healed with the passage of time, but the scar from that day is still there.

Over the years, the words "For John" were said as a candle was lit. Just a small symbol to bring light to the darkness. There's way too much darkness in the world today, so maybe just for one day we can light a candle and Imagine.

"There are places I remember

All my life though some have changed

Some forever not for better

Some have gone and some remain

All these places have their moments

With lovers and friends I still can recall

Some are dead and some are living

In my life I've loved them all"

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Ed Sullivan, The Beatles, Fifty Years

The other day I saw a tweet which said something to the effect of  "February 3, 1959 was the day the music died. It was reborn February 9, 1964."

While I was too young to know what Buddy Holly and the other musicians who were lost in the crash meant to the world, I knew what February 9, 1964 meant to me, and every other kid I knew. I had just turned nine, already rebellious, already looking at life in a different way than my parents who had lived through the depression and two wars.

The country was still reeling from the death of a president. The youngest president ever had been murdered. As a kid, John Kennedy was a real person. We had seen the pictures of his wife, his young children, his pets, his vacations... he was a person and now he was gone. Along with him, it seemed the country's enthusiasm. Then on a Sunday night in the middle of the cold winter, every kid I knew would be sitting in our parents' living room, trying to not act too excited, as we waited for the Ed Sullivan Show to come on.

Now watching Ed was something that was done every week. While he had a lot of acts most kids couldn't care less about, he also had music. Real music. And on this Sunday night he was going to have The Beatles. For most of us, our parents had already handed down judgement about The Beatles. Long haired hooligans or something to that effect, and they made noise rather than played music. But we knew better.

We knew it was history. They were OURS and nothing would be the same again. We were right. It wasn't. Everyone knows what happened after that night, but as The Beatles first appeared onscreen, we all felt the universe shift. It was the first defining moment in my life, and the one which has brought more joy into in than any other.

Tonight, I will be tuning into CBS just as I did fifty years ago, and remembering what these four kids from Liverpool meant to me, and to the rest of the world. I only wish John and George were still here to look back too.

"She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah"

Yep, she did then, she still does.

Photo by gothopotam

Me and Paul: Two Of Us Riding Nowhere

It just didn't feel right to not wish Paul McCartney a happy birthday.

He of the band which started this path from where I have never looked back. In 1964, The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. I remember waiting all day for the show to start. As it began, I was lying on the olive green carpet in the living room watching the black & white TV, freaking the fuck out while trying not to let my parents realize just how crazed I was internally.

Now by this time my mother especially, knew just how much music meant to me. That didn't mean she liked it. If I had a dollar for every time she yelled for me to "turn down that garbage," I would be a very rich woman. Instead, the only way I consider myself rich is in how fulfilled I am because of the music. And John, Paul, George and Ringo were the start of it.

I remember in the 70's, I was going out with this guy who had several younger brothers and sisters. One time, the name of The Beatles came up and the second youngest of the family said to me, "oh yeah, that was the band Paul McCartney was in before Wings." I nearly coughed up a lung. But time and generations pass quickly and we all think the music of our own was the best. But the 60's-70's was the best. It changed everything and created the path for all that came later.

Sir Paul is 71 today. I caught the first hour of his show which was streamed live from Bonnaroo this past weekend. While the voice can be a little shaky, he still captivates the audience, still has a presence, still moves like a kid, and let's face it... he is still a Beatle.

Cheers Sir Paul, wishing you many, many more.

"Maybe I'm Amazed"

"Blackbird"

"Here, There and Everywhere"

"Let Me Roll It"

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Celebrating A Life: John Lennon

John Lennon would have been 72 years old today.

The songwriting team of Lennon-McCartney was my first and perhaps my greatest musical influence. If you were alive when The Beatles entered the picture, you would know they changed everything. The sound, the look, the attitude of the era...all turned on its head.

While both John and Paul went on to successful careers on their own, the sum was always greater than the individual parts. Nothing they did alone could ever compete with the musical genius of Lennon-McCartney.

As we celebrate John's birthday, let's taste a couple from the Fab Four, then go into some solo stuff.


"The Night Before" ...off the Help album. For fun music, you can't get much better than this album.
"Revolution" ...off The White Album. Released a year later, this album showed the direction they took with Sgt. Pepper, was just the tip of the iceberg. This clip has a few words from John about the song.

And a couple of solo tastes...

"Watching the Wheels" ...from Double Fantasy. Is there a better song describing finding contentment in your life...don't think so.
"Imagine" ...To write a hundred memorable songs in your lifetime is a feat done by only a few. John also wrote an anthem for the world.

Thanks John.

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A Song For Mother's Day

Mother's Day. Indeed it is.

Now I am not a physical mother. My maternal instincts at no time in my life ever rose above my need for independence. The commitment of raising a child always seemed too overwhelming and scary.  After all, you can't go back and say "This isn't for me, I think I'll return them."  I do however have a stepmonster...or more to the point: I am his stepmonster and he is mine. I've had him for over 23 years now, watching him grow from a barely teenage boy into a strong, confident man full of understanding and wisdom. On this Mother's Day, I thank him for the love and respect, the IT help and for his appreciation of my baking skills. I guess all women do have the gene to feed their young.

Today on this Mother's Day music blog, I would love to include some of the music that my mother enjoyed with me as I was growing up. Only problem is...there wasn't really any. My mother hated my music. She grew up on Frank Sinatra (oh there's a story or two about Old Blue Eyes to be told) and the Big Band Era of the 40's. "Turn that noise down," was like the 11th Commandment in our house. And my appreciation for her music would not materialize until I was so much older.

So in honor of my mother, I will offer a taste of the first band to really make her nuts. Knowing my background, who else could it be but The Beatles. We will take a little poetic license here and feature some truly wonderful lyrics. I give you my ode to my Mom.

"When I find myself in times of trouble, 
Mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, Let it Be, Let it Be.
And in my hour of darkness, 
she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let it Be, 
Let it Be, Let it Be, Let it Be, Let it Be
Whisper words of wisdom, Let it Be, Let it Be"

The Beatles "Let it Be"

Don't miss the chance to tell your mother that you love her.

Happy Mother's Day,

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Paying Taxes Today

Thought maybe we should do a nice cover song today.  Since we are definitely into tax season, what better song to cover than "Taxman."

Written by George Harrison and first appearing on the 'Revolver' album, for my money you can't find a better cover version than the one done by Stevie Ray Vaughn. Going from one guitar great to another, George's legacy is definitely not lost on Stevie Ray.

For comparison today, we will go with both studio versions.

The Beatles "Taxman"
Stevie Ray Vaughn "Taxman"

Tasty indeed, have a bite before the taxman takes it all.

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It Was 48 Years Ago Today...

On January 18th 1964...yes I was alive back then, The Beatles made their debut on the U.S. record charts when 'I Want To Hold Your Hand" entered the chart at No. 45, just 10 days after its release.  It became the fastest-selling single in the history of Capitol Records, and held the No. 1 spot for 7 weeks.

Another Beatles song you ask...hell yes.  "Help" was always one of my favorite albums and today's treat "I've Just Seen A Face," is as good as it gets for fun pop.

No one alive in the U.S. knew on January 17, the next day music would change...forever.  I couldn't get enough then and still can't even today.

Let this one tickle your palate.