Here’s a tune in honor of the 40th anniversary Monday of the United States putting men on the moon (or a Hollywood soundstage, or the Mojave Desert … whatever you believe).
Not that the song is related, really, but it’s fun.
Archive for Bruce Springsteen
Man on the Moon
Posted in History, Music with tags Bruce Springsteen, Moon, REM on July 19, 2009 by macmysteryCatching up
Posted in Movies, TV with tags Batman, Bruce Springsteen, Clint Eastwood, Collin Farrell, Dogs, Golden Globes, Heath Ledger, In Bruges, Mickey Rourke, Oscars, Planet of the Apes, Ricardo Montalban, Sex, Star Trek, The Wrestler on January 25, 2009 by macmystery
Kahn's really gone this time.
I haven’t made a post in quite some time, so in this one I’ll run down a few things I would have commented on.
The Golden Globes
This was a cool night for me.
First, Bruce Springsteen won the Golden Globe for best original song from a movie for his theme from “The Wrestler.”
Then, in his acceptance speech for best actor in a musical or comedy for “In Bruges,” Collin Farrell made the statement that, “Love is the nemesis of ignorance.”
I’ve never heard it said that way before, but I think that’s dead on and it’s beautiful, especially coming from someone many people consider one of the “bad boys.”
Finally, there was Mickey Rourke. The longshot underdog won for best actor for his role in “The Wrestler” (Watch the trailer here). I was so happy for him, he’s come a long way back.
I couldn’t help but be shook up when in his acceptance speech, he thanked his dogs. Sometimes, when a man is really alone, all he has are his dogs, he said.
If you needed proof he was probably pretty low, I think that fits the bill.
Khaaaaaaaaaan!
Ricardo Montalban died Jan. 15. (See obit here)
While he will always be remembered as the suave Mr. Rourke from Fantasy Island, to me he is Khan, the exile from an original episode of the show in 1967.
He lived and returned in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” to see revenge on his nemesis, Captain Kirk, of course.
He was also in a couple of Planet of the Apes movies as well — “Escape from …” and “Conquest of …” — meaning he obviously knew cinematic genius when he saw it.
God bless his soul.
R.I.P. Commissioner Gordon
Pat Hingle, the actor that played Commissioner Gordon in several of the Batman movies of the 1990s, as well as the judge in Clint Eastwood’s classic “Hang ’em High,” died.
I know it’s not the same incarnation of Batman, but we just lost Catwoman (Eartha Kitt) last month. Bad time to be tied to the Dark Knight.
Maybe Heath Ledger will change that with an Oscar next month.
Controlling the minds of women
Um, I really don’t know how to explain this link.
But basically, if you believe what you read, there’s a theory that just by having sex with a man, women increase the ability of men to control their minds, thanks to the mind-control properties of semen.
Ummm … Check it out.
More?
I’ll probably reserve any comments on the inauguration, etc., and the plethora of Springsteen news for a few more days.
Torture me with Born in the USA, please
Posted in Family, Music, Politics with tags Britney Spears, Brooke, Bruce Springsteen, Celene Dion, Dylan, Guantanamo Bay, Rage Against The Machine, Torture, Warren Zevon on December 13, 2008 by macmystery
"Born down in a dead man's town ..."
I find this funny.
Several pop and rock musicians are protesting the U.S. government’s use of popular songs as a way to torture detainees at places like Guantanamo Bay.
According to published stories, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” is one of these, along with tunes by artists like Britney Spears and Rage Against the Machine (a natural pairing if ever I’ve seen one).
What makes it funny to me is that my wife, Brooke, has probably considered “Born in the USA” to be torture for some time.
Somehow (there’s some sarcasm here), mysteriously, it’s become Dylan’s favorite song. In fact he knows the words so well, if I try and slip the acoustic version by him, he recognizes it as well.
In fact, it’s only one among several songs that he likes that she could do without. He’s also a huge fan of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.”
Brooke … she hates it, especially when it’s played over and over (Who would do that?).
And he loves anything by Johnny Cash.
Fine by me.
Torture?
Nope.
That would be Celene Dion.
A new year, some new Bruce
Posted in Music with tags Barack Obama, Billboard, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Danny Federici, Death Cab For Cutie, Eddie Vedder, Grammys, John Mayer, Kings of Leon, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Radiohead on December 10, 2008 by macmystery
"Working on a Dream"
Obviously, anyone who is a Springsteen fan has heard by now that his new album, “Working on a Dream,” will be released Jan. 27, just days after Barack Obama’s inauguration and just days before his Super Bowl halftime performance.
The first two songs, the title track and “My Lucky Day” are available online already (see iTunes or Amazon.com). You can also watch both. I’ve embedded both at the end of this post.
Here’s the track listing for the album:
1. Outlaw Pete
2. My Lucky Day
3. Working On a Dream
4. Queen of the Supermarket
5. What Love Can Do
6. This Life
7. Good Eye
8. Tomorrow Never Knows
9. Life Itself
10. Kingdom of Days
11. Surprise, Surprise
12. The Last Carnival
Bonus track:
The Wrestler
A couple of notes …
- According to Billboard magazine, the opening track, “Outlaw Pete,” is a whopping eight minutes long.
- Also, the late Danny Federici, as well as his son, Jason, appear on the album.
- The album will be packaged with a DVD containing studio footage. I can only assume the two videos already available will be part of that DVD,
- Several news outlets are already a reporting there will be a tour to accompany the album, beginning in the spring in Europe.
- And in what should be old news, but isn’t, “Girls in Their Summer Clothes,” from 2007’s “Magic” has been nominated for two Grammys — Best Rock Song (against Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, Kings of Leon, and Coldplay) and Best Solo Rock Performance (against John Mayer, Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder, and Neil Young). The 51st Grammy Awards air at Sunday, Feb 8 on CBS.
Working on a Dream
My Lucky Day
A sign of the times
Posted in Music with tags Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Jerry Reed, L.A. Times, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Ray Charles, Roger Miller, Run DMC, Temptations, The Beatles, The Clash, Woody Guthrie on October 9, 2008 by macmystery
How is this guy not on the list?
If you’ve ever read Rolling Stone or Entertainment magazine, or a newspaper for that matter, you’ve read one of those “Top 10 (fill-in-the-blank) of all-time” lists.
Top 100 songs, albums, guitarists, movies, actors, movie quotes, sex scenes, etc. of all-time.
Well, the Los Angeles Times Music Blog has issued it’s list of the top 15 songs of all-time about being broke. Given the state and direction of the economy, that’s to be expected.
Songs on the top-15 list include:
Blind Alfred Reed, “How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live?”
Geto Boys, “Ain’t With Being Broke”
The Clash, “Career Opportunities”
Crystal Waters, “Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)”
The Beatles, “Can’t Buy Me Love”
Bruce Springsteen, “Atlantic City”
Dolly Parton, “Coat of Many Colors”
Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son”
Loretta Lynn, “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
Sham 69, “Hey Little Rich Boy”
Bob Marley, “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”
Pulp, “Common People”
Erik B. and Rakim, “Paid In Full”
Desmond Dekker, “The Israelites”
Ruben Blades, “Adan Garcia”
The best of the rest include: Soundtrack to “Annie,” “Hard Knock Life”; Roger Miller, “King of the Road”; Townes Van Zandt, “Marie”; Stevie Wonder, “I Wish”; Ray Charles, “I’m Busted”; Randy Newman, “Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)”; Merle Haggard, “Workingman Blues”; Phil Collins, “Another Day In Paradise”; The Temptations, “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”; Gwen Guthrie, “Ain’t Nothing Going On But The Rent”; Elvis Presley, “In the Ghetto”; Run DMC, “Hard Times”; Donnie Hathaway, “Little Ghetto Boy”; Clarence Carter, “Patches”; Kanye West, “Spaceship”; Jerry Reed, “She Got the Goldmine, I Got the Shaft.”
In the initial top 15, I’m very familiar with the songs by Reed, Springsteen, Marley, Parton, Lynn and CCR and understand their inclusion.
Reed’s song, recently covered by Springsteen on the Seeger Sessions, is as authentic as you get. Shortly after releasing it, his most well-known song, he died of STARVATION. I’d call that authentic.
I’m not sure the Beatles’ song fits here, and many of the others, I’m simply not familiar with.
It’s much the same for the next 16 listed … in fact, I know more songs on this list.
But just to show how these lists can be off … I think it’s virtually impossible to have a list of the best songs about being broke and not including some songs from Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. These artists chronicled the Great Depression and influenced the next generation of artists.
And how can there be so few blues artists on the list?
Just goes to show that these lists, as much as they reflect a consensus among a certain group of people, even more so they reflect the breadth, or lack thereof, of that group’s musical knowledge.
Here’s a couple songs from the list:
Raising Two Americans 