Take Five

I sort of hate Ricky now for tagging me on this music meme, which even he had to admit was "nearly impossible to answer." But, here goes:

Top Five Lyrics that Move Your Heart

1. I've said this before, but this line from John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery" brings a tear to my eye every single time I hear it. And that's a lot of times:

There's flies in the kitchen, I can hear 'em there buzzing
And I ain't done nothing since I woke up today.
How the hell can a person go to work in the morning
And come home in the evening and have nothing to say?

Andy would have picked this line from John Prine's "My Mexican Home":

My father died on a porch outside on an August afternoon.
I sipped bourbon and cried with a friend by the light of the moon.

2. Early on, I discovered that the only song that features a woman named Karen is James Taylor's lovely "Carolina in My Mind." A few years ago I heard JT on NPR talking about the inspiration for the song—I think it was a woman named Karine or the like. Does anyone remember that story? Anyhow, I feel good every time I hear him sing my name in that honey-like voice of his:

Karen, she's a silver sun
You best walk her way and watch it shinin'.

3. I think Loudon Wainwright III hits the nail on the head in "A Father and a Son":

I don't want to die and you want to live;
It takes a little bit of take and a whole lot of give.
It never really ends though each race is run,
This thing between a father and a son.
Maybe it's power and push and shove,
Maybe it's hate but probably it's love.

4. John Hiatt is such an amazing songwriter; I don't know where to begin. I've said it before, but I guess "What Do We Do Now" is the song that pulls at my heart the most:

What if I can't stay
What if you can't stay
What if I can't leave
What if you can't leave

5. When I listen to "James" by Huffamoose, I can really feel that girl's love for him.

He answers to a higher calling -  the moon and the sun and the stars are falling through his time and his space and I am lucky to be part of it all.
He is bigger than life.
He sees things, he knows things, he is not like you and me.

Top 5 Instrumentals

I don't really know the names of too many instrumentals. I like all of Scott Joplin's rags, most classical piano, and plenty of acoustic folk or "country blues" guitar stuff. That's as specific as you're going to get out of me right now.

Top 5 Live Musical Experiences

1. John Prine -The first time I saw him, at the Berklee Performance Center, in 1996, for his "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings" tour.
2. David Bromberg - I had never even heard of him (I know, blasphemy!) when he opened up for Greg Brown at Sander's Theatre in about 1992. I was blown away. I'm so grateful I got to see him, because he doesn't tour now.
3. Grateful Dead - Speaking of grateful, one of the Dead shows I saw in the early '80s should be in this list; I certainly can't remember any one show in particular, so just pick any....
4. Bruce Springsteen - Listen my children, and you shall hear of a time when people really slept out on the sidewalk to get tickets to concerts because there was no Internet. The Boss at the Hartford Civic Center in 1980.
5. Loudon Wainwright III - We've seen him a few times, but nothing can compare to the show we saw in about 1992, when "History" came out. It was a funky little Cambridge club called Nightstage (it's gone now, of course) and he was in a great mood (believe me, we've also seen him perform in a pissy mood, and it's very uncomfortably to say the least).

Top Five Artists You Think More People Should Listen To

1. Martin Sexton - This guy should be a superstar. He transcends genres, has an amazing vocal range, and can really write. I'm just dying to see him perform live.
2. Peter Keane - As far as I'm concerned, he does the best covers of Mississippi John Hurt. I think it's a crime that he doesn't appear on the tribute album "Avalon." His first two CDs are perfect, although I have to admit I haven't enjoyed the later ones quite as well. We saw him years ago at the venerable Passim coffee house in Cambridge, and he knocked our socks off.
3. John Hiatt - I don't know anyone who knows him and doesn't like him. But not enough people know him.

I can't think of any more. Some music just doesn't appeal to everyone.

Top Five Albums You Must Hear From Start to Finish

1. John Hiatt, "Stolen Moments" - Perfect, from start to finish.
2. John Prine, "John Prine" - Where it all began.
3. Martin Sexton, "Black Sheep" - Listen to this and then tell me again why this guy isn't a superstar?
4. The Band, "The Last Waltz" - Any questions?
5. Elvis Costello, "My Aim Is True" - Released almost 30 years ago? Impossible!

Top Five Musical Heroes

I don't really get the "heroes" thing; only three artists even possibly fit the bill:

1. James Taylor
2. Paul Simon
3. Bruce Springsteen

Now I get to share the misery and tag three more people to do this meme.  I'll start with Mark, which is kind of unfair since I just tagged him on the book meme the other day, but he is someone who cares about music, so there you go. Next is Kirsty, who loves a good meme as much as the next blogger! And finally, Leah, who will obsess over this appropriately and then move on.

Comments

[Kirsty]

OK - I'll have a go when I get back from work this evening!

[ricky]

Don't be ridiculous. You love me for making you think so hard about it.