Music

Ron’s Favorite Things!

Ronovan Life, My Life , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ron’s Favorite Things!

Subject to change as I come across others.

Favorite Movies

  1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
  2. Blade Runner (1982)
  3. Ghost in the Shell (1996) (Anime)
  4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
  5. Wonder Woman (2017)

Favorite Books

  1. Maestro, John Gardner
  2. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, Lilian Jackson Braun
  3. LOTR, J. R. R. Tolkien
  4. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
  5. Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Favorite Music

  1. The Beatles
  2. George Michael
  3. Glenn Miller
  4. R.E.M.
  5. Harry Styles

Favorite Food (I’m plant-based now but…)

  1. An authentic Mexican restaurant Taco
  2. Baked Potato topped with olive oil and a pinch of salt (Or anything.)
  3. Chinese rice noodles with garlic and vegetables
  4. Pinto Beans and Cornbread (Life’s blood as a child in the South.)
  5. Soup

Favorite Animals

  1. English Bulldog
  2. Cat
  3. Beluga Whale
  4. Sea Lion
  5. Elephant

Favorite Words

  1. Serene
  2. Ocean
  3. Breeze
  4. She
  5. Sleep

Favorite Color

  1. Royal Blue

Visit and Follow Me

  1. Amazon
  2. GoodReads
  3. Twitter
  4. Instagram

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@RonovanWrites

 © 2020 Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.

Long and Winding Road a Life Journey.

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The smallest of rills

Rage on toward the future

And the beat of hearts.

(For my Haiku Challenge this week.)

The Long and Winding Road being the number one hit during my birthday week in 1970 seems appropriate for many reasons, one being I love The Beatles.

But the most appropriate things are how many times I moved as a kid and the twists and turns of my life. The moves were at least 10 but there were possibly more prior to the age of five. I think there was a Carolina in there somewhere.

There are events in my past that kids shouldn’t experience. Decisions as a adult to question. But in the end you don’t want to change anything because it brings you to where you are. Changes are ahead and more winding roads, but copious amounts of sunshine and good vibrations abound.

The last number one hit for the Beatles, The Long and Winding Road was written by Paul McCartney, but as always any song written by either McCartney or John Lennon were credited to the both of them. The album, Let It Be was finished about a year before release, according to an interview with McCartney, then John Lennon called in American producer Phil Spector to tidy up some of the tracks.  Long time Beatles producer George Martin had already finished the album, but with Spector coming in, he didn’t get any of the producer credit. He is quoted as saying, “I produced the original, and what you should do is have a credit saying ‘Produced by George Martin, over-produced by Phil Spector.“[1] Martin emphasized the vast difference between the normal Beatles song style as opposed to the over-produced style of Spector.

An aside here. If you watch the John & Yoko Above Us Only Sky documentary, currently on Netflix, which includes a modern day Julian Lennon as well as footage of young Julian at their country home, Tittenhurst Park, covers the making of the album Imagine. I recommend watching as you see inside what was making Lennon tick during that time as well as revealing some of his relationship with McCartney that fans have probably misunderstood. The main reason to watch is to see how Lennon seemed to almost be devoted (not quite the right word) to Spector and jump to work when the producer said time to work. It was very telling of where John Lennon had ended up as someone who depended on Yoko (who was clearly shown not to be the evil divide she was presented to be in the press) and Spector in making decisions. It’s no surprise as his career as a Beatle had been managed in almost every way.

Martin’s words about Spector’s overproducing were seemingly confirmed by McCartney’s vocal displeasure, “The album was finished a year ago, but a few months ago American record producer Phil Spector was called in by Lennon to tidy up some of the tracks. But a few weeks ago, I was sent a re-mixed version of my song ‘The Long and Winding Road’ with harps, horns, and orchestra, and a women’s choir added. No one had asked me what I thought. I couldn’t believe it.” [2] In the Wings version in 1976, (live concert video by clicking the the bold blue text) McCartney used muted horns in place of the strings in the concert tour and album Wings over America.

What’s your Birth Week Song? Click HERE to find out and maybe share in the comments. Does it fit your life at all?


Here, There, and Everywhere: The 100 Best Beatles Songs

1 Lewis, Michael; Spignesi, Stephen J. (2004) Here, There, and Everywhere: The 100 Best Beatles Songs(also known as 100 Best Beatles Songs: A Passionate Fan’s Guide) Black Dog & Leventhal. p. 42 (May 1, 2004)   ISBN 1579123694

2 Bell, Robin (2005). The History of British Rock and Roll: The Psychedelic Years 1967 – 1969 Publisher: Robin Bell (June 20, 2017) ASIN: B073HFRT1N

Vudu.com Free Movies & More to Watch Week of July 1-5.

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If you don’t have a Vudu.com account yet, you need to get one. You get to watch movies for free, rent them, and buy them. You can buy the physical copies of a movie or the digital. This week I chose one of each of the following; Romance, Drama, Success Story, Documentary, Family Night Film.

Begin Again film PosterBegin Again: 83% Fresh. “Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.”

The Impossible film poster.The Impossible: 81% Fresh. “A regular family – Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three kids – travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. They get an upgrade to a villa on the coastline. After settling in and exchanging gifts, they go to the pool, like so many other tourists. A perfect paradise vacation until a distant noise becomes a roar. There is no time to escape from the tsunami; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest another. Who will survive, and what will become of them?” Written by Ronaldo Ferreira

 

East Side Sushi movie poster.East Side Sushi: 94% Fresh. “Single mom Juana can slice and dice anything with great speed and precision. After working at a fruit-vending cart for years, she decides to take a job at a local Japanese restaurant. Intrigued by the food, she learns to make a multitude of sushi on her own. Eventually she attempts to become a sushi chef, but is unable to because she is the ‘wrong’ race and gender. Against all odds, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, determined to not let anyone stop her from achieving her dream.” Written by Anonymous

 

Sound City movie poster.Sound City: 98% Fresh. Documentary. “The history of Sound City and their huge recording device; exploring how digital change has allowed ‘people that have no place’ in music to become stars. It follows former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl as he attempts to resurrect the studio back to former glories.” Written by Joe

 

 

DUma movie poster.Duma: 93% Fresh. “During a nightly Porsche ride with his doting rascal Xan, white South African farmer Peter finds and adopts an orphaned cheetah cub, dubbed Duma (just Swahili for cheetah). It becomes the boy’s inseparable playmate, even taking it to bed. Peter made clear from the start that the cheetah should be returned to the wild before its full adulthood. But the father is stricken down with a disease just before the cheetah could be returned. Xan’s mother sells the farm and moves in with a city aunt. The cheetah escapes, but finds Xan at school, where the new boy is bullied. He decides to run away to the mountains with Duma. On the way they face countless perils, which courage, Xan’s intelligence and Duma’s instinct overcome.” Written by KGF Vissers

The joyful thaw.

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Sometimes I cry, but not because I’m sad.

It’s because when I met you my heart was frozen.

You’re the one who warmed me through and through.

You brought this strange thing called love into my world.

And tears of joy, that come from the melting ice.

Magic Man by Heart.

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This song was the inspiration for the prompt words of the Haiku Challenge this week. Getting here was a roundabout way, from watching magic/syfy on Netflix, to thinking through during my quiet time about my current book idea, and ultimately having the words he’s a magic man come to mind. Well, being a child of the 80s means I also listened to a lot of music in the 70s. And thus, here we are.

Imagine my surprise when I began my research of this song and finding a Marine’s daughter who chased after this older man who left for Canada to avoid the draft and Vietnam. Yes, a whole lot of that song is autobiographical.

Ann Wilson was that girl, still living at home and going to art college, and meeting future band mate and manager (and older man) Mike Fisher. Ann stated in a Rolling Stone’s interview that during one of those phone conversations with her mother she was even asked if she were taking birth control. The early 70s was beyond the Marine wife’s comprehension.

Now you have a bit introduction into how Ann ended up being a rock goddess and member of the hall of fame, along with her sister Nancy. The sisters even dated brothers who were both in the band. Both couples broke up in 1979. Ann is married with children and Nancy, is now married again after divorcing director Cameron Crowe ending their 24 year marriage.

Ann was the lead singer, dark-haired beauty with a voice to wake the devil and warn him she was coming. She was told by industry people that she was the face while her younger sister Nancy was the body. Ann used drugs and starved herself trying to stay thin.

 

Top 10 Greatest Muppet Guest Stars!

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Question Marks and Too Many Tears?

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?

No, that’s not a question I am asking. That’s the legal name of the lead singer of a 1960s Mexican-American garage band that some call the first punk rock group.

The groups original members were born in Texas of immigrants from Mexico and eventually moved to Saginaw, Michigan. Yes, from one border to the other. Hot to cold. The parents followed the employment trail and what better place than just north of Detroit, auto industry USA.

Question and the Mysterians 1960s photo

Why ? and the Mysterians, also written as Question Mark and the Mysterians and Q and the Mysterians? They needed a name and Mysterians came from the Japanese science-fiction film “The Mysterians.”

The Mysterians movie poster

The song 96 Tears was their number one hit in 1966. It was originally called Too Many Tears, then 69 Tears, but the group thought better considering the time and went with the 96 Tears, which I think sounds smoother with the s sound at the end of 96 and Tears complimenting each other.

Oh, and did I mention ? says he’s from Mars and walked with the dinosaurs?

 

Too many teardrops for one heart to be crying
Too many teardrops for one heart to carry on

You’re way on top now since you left me
You’re always laughing way down at me
But watch out now, I’m gonna get there
We’ll be together for just a little while
And then I’m gonna put you way down here
And you’ll start crying ninety-six tears
Cry, cry

And when the sun comes up, I’ll be on top
You’ll be right down there, looking up
And I might wave, come up here
But I don’t see you waving now
I’m way down here, wondering how
I’m gonna get you but I know now
I’ll just cry, cry, I’ll just cry

Too many teardrops for one heart to be crying
Too many teardrops for one heart to carry on

You’re gonna cry ninety-six tears
You’re gonna cry ninety-six tears
You’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry now
You’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry
Ninety-six tears

Come on and let me hear you cry, now
Ninety-six tears, woo
I wanna hear you cry
Night and day, yeah, all night long

Uh, ninety-six tears, cry, cry, cry
Come on, baby, let me hear you cry now, all night long
Uh, ninety-six tears, yeah, come on now
Uh, ninety-six tears

 

Pink Lemonade – James Bay

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Loving this one.

I’ll Clean Up For You – Tim Hawkins (Comedy Love Song)

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Change your mind…change your life.

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“9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.“ (James 3:9-10)

One way to change your life is to change your mind. One sign of a changing mind is a changing tongue. Years ago I was a swearer. I wasn’t a major profanity person but I used some language. And yes, I was a Christian then too. Then I found out I was going to be a father so I made the decision to change. If I was going to tell my child to be a certain way, shouldn’t I be the living example of that way?

To do this I made certain to not fill my life with things that were filled with what I didn’t want. I changed my music listening, reading, TV viewing. No, I didn’t become a fanatic about it, but I did make deliberate decisions. An example would be TV. If a show happened to have a bad word in it as part of a scene because the scene was emotional or something, okay, I got it. If the whole show was laced with it, and had scenes that sensationalized things it shouldn’t, I stayed away.

The same thing went for music. Although for that I mostly went to Contemporary Christian music. I like it. I still listen to my old 80s music for fun. And there are some music acts I like even now. But I still heed my initial parameters. And let me tell you, it is sad when you hear a song with a good beat and then they start in with the language or sexist or derogatory content.

You can’t be two minds on a matter or it comes out in your language. If you give lip service to a subject you will get found out. People like to think you are what you are. No, you are what you turn yourself into. It’s been over a decade since I made myself a promise to watch my language. I continue to fulfill that promise. I’m still cautious of my viewing and listening indulgences. I figure if I’m not participating, that’s one less vote, so to speak, for that type of content.

Do you think you can change your life by changing your mind? Can you change your views of the world by changing your mind? Pick something this week that you know you shouldn’t be doing or saying and work at altering your life by finding out why you say that and then stop. For me, I found that by not having all those music and TV influences I was able to easily stop using language, even when people around me at work were using it. See what you can do this week.

Much Respect

Ronovan

Drift Away.

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I always love coming across interesting facts. When those facts are associated with music, it’s that much better. The song Drift Away, the most famous version being by Dobie Gray, was written by a man named Mentor Williams. The song has been covered numerous times, and in 2002 was performed by Pop Culture Stuff on Ronovan WritesUncle Kracker featuring Dobie Gray. That version reached the Top 10 and Dobie Gray set the record for the longest number of years between Top 10 hits at 30 years. The same song also topped the Adult Contemporary Charts for 28 Weeks, setting another record.

All of that is wonderful and interesting, but should not be a surprise coming from Mentor Williams, the writer of the song. Consider this, his brother won a Grammy, Academy, and Golden Globe award for the love Evergreen, the theme from the movie A Star is Born, a Grammy for best Children’s Album with The Muppet Movie, from which I had to sing Rainbow Connection at my 6th Grade Graduation, and as recently as 2014 won a Grammy Album of the Year, and is obviously a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The sad part of it all, for all that talent, most of the world knows this man as Little Enos from the Smokey and the Bandit movies.

Yes, Mentor Williams is the brother of Paul Williams.

The song here, Drift Away, was a songwriting breakthrough for Mentor. He learned through this song to allow his emotions to spill over into his lyrics. Every person will take from a song what they like, what they want to. I have my takeaways. Almost every line makes sense to me in parts of my life. I repeat, ALMOST every line. Some obviously don’t, but that “I want to get lost in your rock and roll” takes on a meaning that if you really listen, I think you can interpret quite well.

Following the original version there is a link to the 2002 version. Dobie Gray sings and appears in the 2002 video.

Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/A69BertdSt4

Dark Times

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Dark Times by The Weeknd featuring Ed Sheeran.

Written by The Weeknd (Real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye from Canada), Jason “DaHeala” Quenneville (A Canadian Songwriter and Producer), and Ed Sheeran (From England).

Dark Times by The Weeknd featuring Ed Sheeran

Sheeran is one of my favorite artists. I enjoy the poetic style of the song.

Waking up, half past five
Blood on pillow and one bruised eye
Drunk too much, you know what I’m like
But you should’ve seen the other guy

This ain’t the right time for you to fall in love with me
Baby I’m just being honest
And I know my lies could not make you believe
We’re running in circles that’s why

In my dark times I’ll be going back to the street
Promising everything I do not mean
In my dark time, baby this is all I could be
And only my mother can love me for me
In my dark times, in my dark times

Light one up, let me bum a smoke
Still coming down, dripping throat
I got another man’s blood on my clothes
But it ain’t his fault, it’s the life I chose

This ain’t the right time for you to fall in love with me
But baby I’m just being honest
And I know my lies could never make you believe
Running in circles, that’s why

In my dark times I’ll be going back to these streets
Promising everything I do not mean
In my dark times, baby this is all I could be
Only my mother could love me for me
In my dark times, in my dark times

In my dark times I’ve still got some problems I know
Driving too fast but just moving too slow
And I’ve got something I’ve been trying to let go
Pulling me back every time

In my dark times taking it back to the street
Making those promises that I could not keep
In my dark times, baby this is all I could be
Only my mother could love me for me
In my dark times taking it down to the street
Making those promises that I would never keep
In my dark time this is all I could be
Only my mother could’ve loved me for me
In my dark times, in my dark time
In my dark times

Free Your Mind by @FTThum

Ronovan Haiku , , , , , , , , , ,

First this week is Florence T of Meanings and Musings with Free Your Mind. @FTThum Remember to click through and support her post by clicking LIKE on the original.

https://youtu.be/i7iQbBbMAFE

MEANINGS AND MUSINGS

RonovanWritesHaiku Challenge 78with prompt word – Vast, Clear

Canvas

Canvas, vast empty
Ready for writing life’s verse,
  Clear this confused mind.

– FlorenceT

 © 2016 FlorenceT Copyright reserved. The author asserts her moral and legal rights over this work.

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The Stringed Winged by @YouAreTheExpert

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The Stringed Winged by our first in this week. Annette Rochelle Aben. Click through and like the original. Yes, click on through to the other side. o,O (I am really bad today. I think it’s nap time already.)

Annette Rochelle Aben

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Imagine clear tones

Floating with Angelic wings

Talented harpist

©2015 Annette Rochelle Aben

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Blooms Animated Sculpture

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A nice something to start your day with. Nice, peaceful music to go with it as well. Enjoy. (Warning, the pieces spin under a strobe light to give the animated effects. Might cause dizziness or a bit of a headache if you are prone to those kinds of things.)
https://vimeo.com/116582567

Billy Joel and Jimmy Fallon-Doo Wop it. Wop it Good!

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Something to entertain you while I put together the Haiku Review.

Roll With It.

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For those that need it today. Steve Winwood and Roll With It.

Steve Winwood Roll With It image

The Show Must Go On. A #Haiku Review update and some #Music.

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Wanted to give all you Haiku lovers a word about the review for this week. There will be one–a proper one. It may take me time but now that I have my laptop I am determined to get it done.

I won’t give the reason why it is taking so long, as I am sick of hearing that reason. I honestly get very tired of it. And as Freddie Mercury said, The Show Must Go Own. (The story of the song’s creation.)

Although not in the same category as Mercury’s life or health concerns, there is always that sense of when doing a challenge like the Haiku one must push onward to follow through with the commitment. It’s not what anyone has asked me or made me feel a need to do, it’s what I want to do.

The song singer of

Time drifts into the great calm,

Sounding forever.

 
https://youtu.be/t99KH0TR-J4

I wish I had Jessie’s Cave Girl.

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A little nostalgia and a little humor. Rick Springfield fans get ready. Rick Springfield haters–enjoy. Music drops in at around 1 minute, so wait for it. 🙂 And no, your speakers aren’t broken, that first minute is mono.

Raquel Welch from One Million Years B.C.

The Real Take Five by @YouAreTheExpert

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First in is Annette with “The Real Take Five!”

https://youtu.be/vmDDOFXSgAs

Annette Rochelle Aben

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Bruebeck showed us how

to thrive using jazz music

we can all take five!

©2015 Annette Rochelle Aben

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