Week One Hundred and Fifty-Two: Leonard Cohen - "Suzanne" - Songs of Leonard Cohen

This is probably one of the most difficult posts that I have ever made... because I'm not sure what to say and what not to say... so please excuse my vague nature in this one.

My mother, whose name is Suzanne, is a very gentle and very fragile soul. She is one of the kindest and most loving people that I have ever known in my life, but she is also plagued by a mind that betrays her on occasion. She is taking some time off from life at the moment, and I am so very proud of her for making the choice to take care of herself!

The year that I made my family members CDs of songs that reminded me of each of them for Christmas, I placed this song on my mother's CD, and she loved it because she could relate so much to it.

I am also including another Leonard Cohen favorite called "Hallelujah"... 

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river,

You can hear the boats go by you can spend the night beside her,

And you know that she's half crazy but that's why you wanna be there,

And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China,

And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her,

Then she gets you on her wavelength and she lets the river answer,

That you've always been her lover.

[Chorus]

And you want to travel with her,

And you want to travel blind,

And you know that she will trust you,

For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water,

And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower,

And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him,

He said "all men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them,"

But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open

Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone.

[Chorus]

And you want to travel with him,

And you want to travel blind,

And you think maybe you'll trust him,

For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river,

She is wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters,

And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor,

And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers,

There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning,

They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever,

While Suzanne holds the mirror.

[Chorus]

And you want to travel with her,

And you want to travel blind,

And you know that you can trust her,

For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

Week One Hundred and Fifty-One: The Human League - "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" - Fascination!

I have had an extreme case of "the blahs" lately, where everything just seems so dull and routine, and I fear that I will keel over from complete ennui. After voicing my concerns to a former co-worker, she suggested that we try something new. Fortunately, for me, she even offered to find said new activity for us to try.

Knowing how much I adore partaking in afternoon tea, she located such an event at a local tea house called Chocolate Angel. For roughly $20, you get to sample the following assortment:

White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

Tea Sandwiches

Petite Quiche

Chicken Salad Tartlet

Ham & Gruyère Puff Pastry

Assorted Fruit

Assortment of Sweet Pastries

Selected loose leaf tea paired with each course

It was by no means a life-altering afternoon; however, it was new, and it was different. It also reminded me that there are so many activities/restaurants/shops, etc. that I still need to check out, and if I am ever bored to death again with my own existence, well then that is my own damn fault because there is plenty to do!!!

I am very much looking forward to the longer days and lots of sunshine. I never, in my life, thought that I would ever be a sunshine person, but I realize how much a lack of it impacts my mood.

So in honor of my newest epiphany, I have selected The Human League's tune, "(Keep Feeling) Fascination".  I am also including "Human" and the obligatory "Don't You Want Me".

If it seems a little time is needed

Decisions to be made

The good advice of friends unheeded

For the best of plans mislaid

Just looking for a new direction

In an old familiar way

The forming of a new connection

To study or to play

And so the conversation turned

Until the sun went down

And many fantasies were learned

On that day

Keep feeling fascination

Passion burning, love so strong

Keep feeling fascination

Looking, learning, moving on

Well, the truth may need some rearranging

Stories to be told

And plain to see the facts are changing

No meaning left to hold

And so the conversation turned

Until the sun went down

And many fantasies were learned

On that day

Keep feeling fascination

Passion burning, love so strong

Keep feeling fascination

Looking, learning, moving on

And so the conversation turned

Until the sun went down

And many fantasies were learned

On that day

Keep feeling fascination

Passion burning, love so strong

Keep feeling fascination

Looking, learning, moving on

Keep feeling fascination

Passion burning, love so strong

Keep feeling fascination

Looking, learning, moving on

Keep feeling fascination

Passion burning, love so strong

Keep feeling fascination

Looking, learning, moving on

Week One Hundred and Fifty: Elizabeth & The Weirz - "I Like Boys" - Teen Witch Soundtrack

The year was 1989... The film was Teen Witch... I was 11 going on 12, and I was still relatively non-jaded by life. Somewhere in my young fantasy world, I think I even believed that, at the age of 16, it would be revealed to me that I, too, had magical powers --- as a result of watching this film, of course!!!

You can only imagine my complete surprise and excitement when Yahoo! News revealed to me that Netflix would have Teen Witch available for streaming beginning March 1st.

I decided to re-live my younger years last night, as I once again sat through all of Louise Miller's (played by Robyn Lively) cringe-worthy, humiliating teenage experiences. I doubt this one will constitute a place in your existence as a life-altering film, but if you have a couple of hours to kill, you should definitely check out the film that has what some have called the worst rap song ever written, "Top That".

I am not including "Top That" for you in hopes that you will actually watch the film, but in addition to "I Like Boys", I will include the tune to the opening dream sequence called "Never Gonna Be" performed by Lori Ruso.

I like boys

I'm throwing out my doll house

I'm giving up my toys

I realized this morning

I like boys

Chorus: I like boys (I like boys)

I like boys (I like boys)

I'm giving up my hopscotch

To keep a little voice

I'm putting on some lipstick

To attract some boys

(chorus)

I'm making no more mud pies

I'm staying out of the dirt

I'm gonna buy some nylons

And a leather mini skirt

(chorus)

I'm gonna let the world know

By making lots of noise

No people turning back now

'Cause we like boys

We like boys (We like boys)

We like boys (We like boys)

We like boys (We like boys)

We like boys

We like boys (We like boys)

Week One Hundred and Forty-Nine: Portishead - "Glory Box" - Dummy

After I posted last week's song, "Rock Star (Olympia)", I remembered that there was a scene from the film, Stealing Beauty, where Liv Tyler's character, Lucy, sings that song at the top of her lungs after she gets pissed off at some of the other characters in the film. I considered going back into the post and mentioning that tid bit of information, but then I also remembered that Portishead's tune "Glory Box" was used in the trailer for the film. So, instead, I decided to make a post about "Glory Box" this week and mention both of the songs' appearances in the film.

I'm not sure why, but I never really got into Portishead's music much more than "Glory Box" and "Sour Times", which I will also include for you today. In addition, I will include the trailer for Stealing Beauty, a film that you should definitely watch if you've never seen it. It is set in a Tuscan villa with breathtakingly beautiful landscapes.

Additionally, here's some info from Wikipedia about the "Glory Box" video:

"The music video is set in the 1950s, featuring lead singer Beth Gibbons as a jazz singer at a club while various office workers watch her perform. Sexual tension begins to rise between certain characters, as eventually, all of the workers, as separate couples, attend the club where Beth is performing. Apart from the band members, the entire cast of the video appear in drag."

I'm so tired of playing
Playing with this bow and arrow
Gonna give my heart away
Leave it to the other girls to play
For I've been a temptress too long

Just...

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
I just wanna be a woman

From this time, unchained
We're all looking at a different picture
Through this new frame of mind
A thousand flowers could bloom
Move over and give us some room

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
I just wanna be a woman

[INSTRUMENTAL]

So don't you stop being a man
Just take a little look from outside when you can
Show a little tenderness
No matter if you cry

Give me a reason to love you
Give me a reason to be a woman
It's all I wanna be is all woman

For this is the beginning of forever and ever

It's time to move over... 

 

Week One Hundred and Forty-Eight: Hole - "Rock Star (Olympia)" - Live Through This

So Dallas, Texas, has been plagued with Winter weather, and I have been cooped up indoors for quite some time now. Nothing makes me feel like an angst-ridden teenage girl more than cooping me up inside!!!

Although Hole was not my "go-to" band during my angst-ridden teenage girl days (that would have been Siouxsie & the Banshees, whom I have covered extensively on this blog), Courtney Love does cite Siouxsie as an early influence. In fact, many years ago, I picked up a Courtney Love biography written by Poppy Z. Brite. Siouxsie is mentioned almost immediately in the foreword. Notice that Michael Stipe (from last week's band, R.E.M.) is also mentioned:

At least I have my music to help me through these suffocating feelings of being trapped indoors, but since I knew that I could not possibly bombard you with anymore Siouxsie for at least another few months (especially since I just slipped in some Creatures a few weeks back), I figured that I would cover some Hole for you today.

**Be forewarned, however, that today's selection drops the F*bomb quite a few times, but it is definitely one that I would blast out of my car stereo when I needed to let out some aggression back in '94.**

In addition to "Rock Star (Olympia)", I am including another from the Live Through This album called "Violet" which would get me equally riled up back in my younger years. Furthermore, I also have to include a few faves from their later album because I personally prefer listening to songs from their '98 release, Celebrity Skin, these days. Therefore, I will also include "Heaven Tonight" and "Boys On The Radio", and I also have to include the video for "Celebrity Skin" because the color scheme for the video is so lovely! Enjoy!!

 
When I went to school...oh
Well, I went to school...haha!
Well, I went to school, in Olympia
And everyone's the same.
What do you do with a revolution?

Well I went to school, in Olympia-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
And everyone's the same
We look the same,
We talk the same, yeah
Don't you, please, make me real, fuck you!
Make me sick, fuck you!
Make me real, fuck you!

Well, I went to school in Olympia
And everyone's the same
And so are you, in Olympia-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
And everyone's the same
We look the same
We talk the same, yeah, yeah
We even fuck the same
Well, I went to school, in Olympia-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Don't you please, make me real, come on!
Make me sick, come on,
Make me real, yeah, yeah, yeah

(Do it for the kids)
Do it for the kids
Do it for the kids, yeah
Do it for the kids, yeah
(Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it for the kids)
Do it for the kids, yeah
(Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it for the kids)
Do it for the kids, yeah
Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it for the kids.

No...we're not done...

Well, I went to school... in Olympia
(Facist bastard pigs are sweet, are we?)
Bye, bye
Good bye
Good bye
Bye, bye
Good bye.