Music
“The Discount Song” by Chris August
This is one of the most popular Contemporary Christian Music Artist around. He does beautiful and inspiring songs . . . but he has a hilarious side and no shame to let it show. I will have to share his candy song someday, but we can all relate to this one. You have to listen.
Monday Melody: Puddle of Mudd-She Hates Me
A happy little tune. Enjoy.
When the stars go blue.
I just discovered this song while looking for another that I was hoping to share but I didn’t like the lyrics. This has The Corrs and Bono together. His soulful voice and their lead singer’s clear tones are beautiful together. You would swear they were lovers how they flow so well together. Bono can sing with anyone, but this was a beautiful experience and I wanted to share it with you. The music already has me thinking of words to put to it, so don’t be surprised if you see another lyric poem in the future referenced back to this music.
Dancin’ where the stars go blue
Dancin’ where the evenin’ fell
Dancin’ in your wooden shoes
In a wedding gown
Dancin’ out on 7th street
Dancin’ through the underground
Dancin’ little marionette
Are you happy now?
Where do you go when you’re lonely?
Where do you go when you’re blue?
Where do you go when you’re lonely?
I’ll follow you
When the stars go blue, blue
When the stars go blue, blue
When the stars go blue, blue
When the stars go blue
Laughing with your pretty mouth
Laughing with your broken eyes
Laughing with your lover’s tongue
In a lullaby
Where do you go when you’re lonely?
Where do you go when you’re blue?
Where do you go when you’re lonely?
I’ll follow you
When the stars go blue, blue
When the stars go blue
When the stars, when the stars go blue
When the stars go blue
When the stars go blue, blue
Stars go blue
When the stars go blue
Where do you go when you’re lonely?
Where do you go when you’re blue? Yeah
Where do you go when you’re lonely?
I’ll follow you
I’ll follow you, I’ll follow you
I’ll follow you, I’ll follow you, yeah yeah
Where do you go? Where do you go?
Where do you go? Where do you go?
Much Love to All
Ronovan
2014 © Copyright-All rights reserved by ronovanwrites.wordpress.com
Sunday Thought: Be Still and Know
I read an article by someone I have come to consider a good friend of mine, Allison at Long & Luxe, and a phrase she used reminded me of one of my favorite all time scriptures.
“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”-Psalm 46:10
Each person reading this has different beliefs and we each have something we turn to that brings us comfort and peace. During a period where I was dealing with high blood pressure, which due to my weight loss I no longer have, and some newly found health problems at the time my world was chaotic. My mind was not able to focus and things had no stability to me.
I’m not one to believe in coincidences. Some people say God doesn’t speak to them. I say they just don’t recognize his language.
During this time two things happened:
One Wednesday night at church we broke up into different groups and prayed for each other. The one praying for me prayed for peace and focus in my life without my saying a word of my need.
The next week, as I was functioning as the Youth Pastor for my church, I took our youth to a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. For those of you not familiar with him, he is an American Contemporary Christian music legend. Some say he even broke the boundaries and brought music of a type that spoke to a new generation of Christians.
During the concert Chapman had the lights turned down low and it was just him and his guitar. And he sang this song.
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still oh, restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that He has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is God
Be still, be speechless
Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know He is our Father
Come rest your head upon His chest
Listen to the rhythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still, be still
As I said, I don’t believe in coincidences. I recognized God’s voice in what was going on around me. This was in 2008 and has been a mantra of mine ever since. Be still and know God is God and that there are things beyond your control, things you just have to pray about. Give the grief and the sorrows to Him. Let God be God.
Since an accident in my home in the summer of 2013 I’ve been through some tough times. One thing that has never left me is the Word of God. This verse keeps me going. I’ve expanded on it as I’ve studied the Bible more and taken a fresh look at how Christianity is today.
“Be still and Let God be God and people be people.”
I see the slogans and shirts about “Be calm . . .” or “Stay calm . . .” If I have to rely on people to bring me peace and calm, I’ll just give up now. My phrase means just stay calm and be yourself and LET God take care of the rest and LET people be the people they are and wish to be. Yes, as a Christian believing in Heaven and Hell I will share with someone what I think because I love them, no matter who they are, but I’m not going to force them to be what they don’t want to be. Jesus didn’t do that, and he’s the one I follow.
I heard Be Still and Know for the first time at that concert weeks before Chapman lost one of the three daughters he adopted from China. His youngest son ran over her in his truck as she ran to him. He didn’t see her. Chapman kept yelling to his son as he drove off after the helicopter taking his daughter away “I love you son. I love you.” Chapman eventually was able to record again. Was able to be still and know.
Much Love
Ronovan
2014 © Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com
Female Focus Friday: Women Rock! Rock out that is.
When you are a young man, boy, or middle grade kid girls are a wonder. They are this fascinating creature that suddenly stirs your blood and sets you on fire. For me it was Friday and or Saturday night roller skating every week. Most of my concentration was focused on hanging onto the railing as I tried not to fall at first and also attempting to keep from breaking an arm as it slipped through the railing as the inevitable did occur.
Back then the hottest girl I knew at the rink was the one that took me there. She was my ‘babysitter’. Men, if you are reading this, you know what I am talking about. Wasn’t your babysitter like the amazing goddess in the tight jeans with that perfect hair? sigh Jeans were made so she could wear them.
Anyway, other than the ‘babysitter’ there were the girls at school who were soft and pretty to look at. But then there were the stars of the radio. Sure there were a lot of great lady singers. My parents were into country, or at least my step dad was. Sorry, but Dolly Parton really didn’t do it for me. this was when her hair was bigger than her breasts. And still I am not fascinated by her at any age.
But who did fascinate me? Two women who could kick every hard rock metal acts . . . tail.
For those of you who don’t know the group let me introduce you to . . .
HEART
I’m not here today for a complete history lesson. I’ll just say that Ann Wilson is one of the greatest Rock voices of all time, and highly underrated. A face with a voice and a body with a guitar, that’s what many in the industry thought of Ann and Nancy Wilson respectively. Rock Goddesses, fantasy of men now as old as well, you name it. Spanning through five decades, the now Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members have done it all and accomplished it all.
Let me give you just a handful of their hits:
“Crazy on You”
“Magic Man”
“Barracuda”, written by Ann Wilson, the elder sister and the face with a voice, after a reporter suggested the sisters were sex partners.
How big was Heart at this point in the late 70s? They performed at the very first Texas Jam. Who else played; Aerosmith, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Journey, and others, that’s who. That tells you how big they were.
Some of you are wondering who Heart is. You’ve heard Ann Wilson even if you don’t realize it. Have you seen the original Footloose? Remember the song Almost Paradise? The lady singing on that, yeah, that was Ann Wilson of Heart.
They hit a slump in the early 80s but then came roaring back. Before I leave you with a song, Ann can still do it, even spanning five decades, the lady has the chops. Oh and what idiot ended up divorced from Nancy Wilson in 2010? Director Cameron Crowe.
I changed my mind about just one song. Take your pick . . . oh, pick both. It would be like pulling a Cameron Crowe to just listen to one.
Barracuda (1977)
Never (1985)
Much Respect
Ronovan
2014 © Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com
Stop my Mind from Wandering. It means what you make of it.
Do y’all ever wonder if you’re wrong or right? Or maybe if your right where you belong? Do ever get the lyrics to a song wrong? Yes you do. Admit it.
The classic is Iron Butterfly’s Ina-Gadda-Da-Vida. It is 17 minutes long in its original form and is the entire second side of the album by the same name. It went on to be the first album to receive Platinum status. What do you think it says? In A Garden of Eden? In The Garden of Eden? In A Garden of Evil?
I’m not here to talk about Iron Butterfly or misunderstood lyrics. Instead, today I want to talk about lyrics and what they mean to the listener. One of my favorite songs is about a leaking manhole and crazy fans. Doesn’t sound like a very good reason to like a song, does it? And especially not a good reason to be reading an article.
For me the song takes on another meaning entirely. The song was recorded by the Beatles in 1967, written by Paul McCartney. It appears on the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. An album with many reasons to be written about and one of which I will delve into one day for y’all.
RonovanWrites Female Focused Fridays: Sweet Dreams
I started my Female Focused Fridays last week. Now I’m delving in a little deeper. I know the Eurythmics was duo but take away Annie Lennox and you have a . . . great producer and song writer, David A. Stewart.
If you don’t know Annie Lennox, you need to look her up. She’s on Rolling Stones’ Top 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. That’s right. You’ve heard her and may not even know it, but you probably do.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
It’s a song, but it’s also the magic of the writing and collaboration of Lennox and Stewart. I would dare say it was the voice and showmanship of Lennox that put the act over but in the beginning the two needed each other and perhaps neither would have made it without the other.
The song: What are Sweet Dreams made of? Dreams of of happiness and fulfillment. They are made of where we are and what we are going to do with where we are. Are we going to stay where we are or are we going to do something about it to get to where we want to be? Sweet Dreams are made of everything around us that gets us to where we want to be.
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something
Hold your head up, keep your head up, movin’ on
Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up, movin’ on
Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up, movin’ on
Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused
Hold your head up, keep your head up, movin’ on
Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up, movin’ on
Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up, movin’ on
Hold your head up, movin’ on, keep your head up
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody’s looking for something
© Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com.
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
People can remember events in their lives or recall specific details of life associated with an event even decades later. The odd thing is, they don’t even know the relevance of what that detail is.
Just imagine all the beautiful sounding songs you’ve ever heard and then think of some of the lyrics to them. You can’t right of the top of your head probably. It’s one of those “If you hadn’t asked me I could’ve named a dozen of them” kind of things.
One song that is incredibly simple, sweet, and beautiful has said to be one of the top 10 most covered songs ever. Some cover it because it’s beautiful. Some, though, realize there is a message there.
Blackbird written by Paul McCartney was recorded in 1968 and appeared on the Beatles ‘White Album’. Do you know the message? It’s 1968, an Englishman looks at America and sees what is happening. He thinks of the people in America and thinks of a girl, a bird.
Blackbird is born. McCartney writes about Civil Rights. Normally I would explain a little more and then give you the song followed by the lyrics. But there is a reason Paul’s song has been covered so many times. He’s an author more than a song writer. I call poetry micro chapters of my autobiography. Paul writes micro chapters of history.
It’s 1968. America.
April 1968 Martin Luther King Jr has been assassinated.
June 1968 Paul McCartney enters the studio and records,
“Blackbird”
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
You love the song from the moment the first chord is struck. The music and the voice harmonizes and you get lost before you even know what the song is about. You just know you love the song. Then one day you listen to the words and there it is. You but the year and the song together and you get it.
I’m a Southern man. Many may automatically think all Southern men have racial issues. I know of attitudes that are like that now. You can see it in the news today where something happens and they write it off as ‘well that’s the south for you’. Take a closer look at the news. It’s not just the South or mostly the South.
I’m a Southern man and I love all people. I love this song. I love the message. As a historian I am amazed at what it says. Paul McCartney, historian, author, singer, songwriter.
For those who say the Beatles weren’t something special . . . keep your Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
Much Respect
Ronovan
© Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com.
Where can we find ourselves?
Where are we able to find ourselves? What do we need to do? We need to remove the world from ourselves and dive in deep and look elsewhere, not in the world, but out of this world.
“Word Of God Speak”
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say
[CHORUS]
Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
To be still and know
That You’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak
I’m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice
[REPEAT CHORUS 2x]
I’m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it’s okay
© Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com.
When a Song Comes Along
Sometimes you want to say it but you can’t. You just don’t have the courage. You’re embarrassed. Then a song comes along that does it for you.
When a Song Comes Along
by: Ronovan
All my Friends here that wander by know I love music. I cannot listen to it often, if at all, but there are still those songs of long ago that I will see a lyric or it will slip into my mind as I write a word and it comes back to me. There are even songs from more recent years that have found their way to me even without my having been on the look out for them.
You may wonder how can I know they are from recent years when I have the whole memory thing going for me. I can look up a song lyric and find when the song was recorded. I do happen to play around with computers every now and then. Just saying. (I say that a lot, don’t I?)
Sometimes that melody or groove just can’t be denied. Maybe that’s the only thing you enjoy and the lyrics don’t matter. Sometimes you really do want to ignore the words or it ruins the whole experience. (JS) See what I did there? I got that acronym thing going now. Oh yeah.
But then we have those songs that . . . just can’t be denied. Yes, the melody catches us but then the lyrics keep us and carry us away to another place. And the good ones just say what you always wanted to say.
That brings me to the song.
You want to say those words to the woman in your life and the woman in your life wants you to say them. This hit record wasn’t just from luck. The man picked a song that was universal and every man and woman could listen to and get lost for several minutes. Your heart softened your eyes got a little dreamy and the corners of your lips turned up slightly as the song took you away and you just fell in love all over again. Just be sure when you hear the song come on, you pull over and stop before your eyes close as you just slip back into that dreamy land of love of . . . yes . . . you can sing it . . . your eyes, your hair, your smile . . . you’re amazing.
Please enjoy the #1 hit . . .
Wanting to be a Paperback Writer
Wanting to be a Paperback Writer
by: Ronovan
I want to be a writer, paperback, hardback, e-back, whatever, I want to write.
There are songs that you love before you know why or before they have a meaning or significance. You become a fan of an act and naturally enjoy what they do. Over the course of time each song slowly matures as you do and the meaning is found.
I have a special place for songs recorded before I was born. Perhaps it was a more innocent time, or the 1960s were just filled with such great discoveries and experiments that it’s difficult to match. Only the 1980s might have as much experimentation and even producing some great music out of that whirlwind of synthesizers and big hair bands.
From the year 1966 comes Paperback Writer by the Beatles. Some of the younger generations say the Beatles are overrated. I say they have no clue as to what the Beatles were and are. Their style changed so incredibly in just the matter of a few years. This song was one of those changes.
Not about love or holding a hand, Paul McCartney writes about a man who writes a letter to a publisher wanting to sell his book, a thousand page novel. He’s begging to become a Paperback Writer.
All these years and decades later after first loving the song, it has found its true meaning in my life. For those of you who are my writing Friends you should be able to take this one to heart. Enjoy the video. I have included the lyrics below.
Paperback writer
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It’s based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
It’s the dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn’t understand
His son is working for the Daily Mail
It’s a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
Paperback writer
It’s a thousand pages, give or take a few
I’ll be writing more in a week or two
I can make it longer if you like the style
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
If you really like it you can have the rights
It could make a million for you overnight
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
Paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer (fade out)
Hope you Enjoyed
Ronovan
© Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com-July 06, 2014.
The Drum Beats no Longer
The Drum Beats no Longer
by: Ronovan
The Daily Prompt today asked about a musical instrument. It surprises me sometimes where a few words in print can lead you back to another life.
My bio-father was a musician, that is to say when he wasn’t doing other things for money. He recorded at Sun Records in Memphis, TN. Yes THAT Sun Records. And yes he was a truck driver. No, he wasn’t Elvis. But he was from Tupelo, MS. He was a drummer and singer primarily.
I don’t know if I ever heard him sing for certain. I had his record once until I smashed it into a million pieces and threw it away.
I’m told I would be placed on the side of a pool table and shoot pool as an infant and entertain the people while he performed. But things are passed down from one generation to the next. For me, I have rhythm. I can keep a beat without a thought.
Everything became a drum when I was tiny. Both sides of my family were musical. My maternal grandfather was a singer as well. Both musical men ended up leaving their families.
I was discouraged greatly in regards to music. I guess maybe it was because musicians were associated with wandering men in my family, or bad men. Now I write words to songs that I cannot put music to. I hear it in my mind but cannot put it to paper.
With my concussion and the results I cannot listen to music any longer. I guess finally they’ve won. No more music possibilities for me. I still write songs, but they are poems now. The reader can make their own music to match what they feel.
I never look at the bad as bad. You can always use it for something good. Sure, it’s bad for you but you can use that experience in life to help someone else. It only stays bad if you let it stay bad.
Much Respect
Ronovan
© Copyright-All rights reserved-RonovanWrites.wordpress.com-July 03, 2014.
Sunday Song: ‘Shake’ by: MercyMe
This isn’t Christian music like you’ve heard before. Enjoy!
ronovanwrites 