Soundtrack Friday

One of my favorite shows is about good versus evil, in the literal angels and demons sense of things. Supernatural just finished it's fourth season, and did with a bang that made me squirm in fear for our boys Dean and Sam. Sure, they end every season with a cliff hanger meant to keep you guessing through the summer, but this ending makes me wonder who the good guys really are. That's good TV, people! And April, thank you so much for hooking me on this show. *grin*

What does a TV show about the rise of demons on earth and the fight to eradicate them have to do with Soundtrack Friday? Periodically through the seasons, the show recaps major storylines and uses a song by Kansas as the backdrop. Carry On Wayward Son is a great song I remember from the late 70's and it's one of my top 25 played tracks on my iPod. Why? Well, the music is infectious and makes me want to move. It's hard to really categorize the sound. It's rock, but it's not. More up beat then Don't Fear The Reaper but along those lines. Oh, and no cowbell. *g*

The lyrics are very meaningful. Many Christian groups and bands have covered this song - Rachel Rachel, Critical Mass, Showdown to name a few. Even the Oak Ridge Boys got into the tune. Writer and Kansas guitarist Kerry Livgren has stated that the song is not religious, but the words do give the impression that the song is spiritual. It's about pushing forward, that if life doesn't make sense right now, there is meaning and rest later. The chorus is what really nails it for me, the verses are more ambiguous. I'm sure if I ruminated at it for a while I could find the meaning in the verses, but it's Friday and no one wants to think that hard on a Friday. I would love your interpretation of the entire song, however.

Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry
Don't you cry no more

Here is a link to the Season 4 Story So Far for Supernatrual set to Carry On Wayward Son.

And, since many of you are purists, here is the original 1979 video for Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas.

Soundtrack Friday

Well, at least I'm consistently getting my Friday post out. That and walking New Dog twice a day seem to be all I'm consistent with these days. I really really want some of my routine back. And am so very excited for a long weekend! How about you?

Today's Soundtrack Friday is about the video more than the song. I had never heard of this group before someone posted the video on one of the reader boards I frequent. The music is soft and soothing yet sensual and makes me want to float gracefully and deliberately about the room. The visuals in the video are stunning. Flemenco is a dance that's not performed much in North America, and that's just sad. The women who dance in the video are strong, precise, elemental and fluid. They make me want to stand up tall and embrace all it means to be a woman. And reminds me that women are strong and fluid and elemental. We don't fit into neat little boxes with tidy labels. I needed to be reminded of that this week - without a lecture from well meaning friends. And this video did the trick.

So I bring you Iron and Wine and their Flemenco inspired video, Boy with a Coin.

Soundtrack Friday

Goodness, two Fridays in a row! It's a winning streak, folks!

Life's been a little busy, but in a new and different way. On Sunday, my husband and I adopted a dog. He's a great boy, needs some training, and we need to adapt to his energy levels, but after a year and a half of living life without a dog, Remy is a great addition to our family.

Today's Soundtrack Friday is all about the dogs. While I don't encourage everyone to jump up and go find a dog from a rescue or the Humane society without first evaluating what breed will best fit your lifestyle (if a dog will fit your lifestyle at all), I do recommend having the right animal in your life when you are ready. There is nothing better than the relationship that builds between a pet and their trusted and caring owner.

I am so blessed to have Remy be apart of our lives and in just under a week, I can't imagine life without him. There is still much to do to build trust and work through some obedience issues, but I know time and discipline (on all our parts), and love will get us there.

I scoured the web looking for a dog song and found this by Nellie McKay. The Dog Song is cute and fits my mood today. Here is a You Tube clip of Nellie singing. Here's to all the doggies, and their owners, who have found life long love with each other. Happy Friday!

Soundtrack Friday

I almost forgot about Soundtrack Friday today! It's been a bit of a whirlwind and I'm still catching my breath. Spring is definitely here and while the grass is green and the trees are starting to look less like emaciated skelatons and more like leafy canopies, I find myself driven to ground by pollen. Doesn't keep me from enjoying being outside or the growth and color that is spring, but it does mean I get tired and grumpy a little more often than I should.

There have also been some interesting family things in my extended family. Neither good or bad, they just are. But it takes energy to process and deal and support. Energy that because of the aformentioned allergies, I don't have in high reserve. Perhaps this is a reason I haven't been blogging much in the last month. No energy. I am seriously going to have to do something about that.

Which brings us to Soundtrack Friday. I was thinking of a peppy song to get the blood pumping and the energy moving. But all week I've had a song stuck in my head and it seems appropriate somehow. I spent time plotting Mallory's story in more detail, revisited a little story I was writign for a friend that is turning into something longer with publication potential. And both stories have this deep need, this deep longing for belonging as a theme. Now, don't go analyzing me and my issues! Face it, we all have this longing and need to belong to something greater than ourselves. When writing popular fiction, you need to embed universal themes into the stories so the reader can relate to the characters.

Well, the song that comes to mind as I think about longing and need is Here Comes The Rain Again by the Eurythmics. I loved this group in the 80's and am so happy to see they are back recording and getting their music out there! I'm also glad I heard HCTRA on the radio last week as I was hitting a crucial scene that revealed Mallory's true beliefs about herself. The lyrics in the first halves of the verses really hit the nail on the head for Mallory. The music, well, it set up the atmosphere for the entire scene and then some. Annie Lennox, thank you for this song and for your amazing, haunting voice!

So, without further adieu I give you a link to the Eurythmics and Here Comes The Rain Again. Enjoy today's Soundtrack Friday and have a wonderful weekend!

Books Read In April

Fragile by Shiloh Walker -- A wonderful gritty and hopeful book about love and healing in the face of danger and trauma. And yes, Shiloh made me cry!

Unseen by Nancy Bush -- the second book about the cult, The Colony, that was started in Wicked Game by Nancy and her sister Lisa Jackson. Creepy and well written.

Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts -- This was a reread of a Nora favorite. Bayous, New Orleans and haunted mansions - this book has it all!

High Noon by Nora Roberts -- a reread of Nora's 2007 single title release. I read it to get ready for the Lifetime TV channel movie version of the book. It was still a good read, but not as great as I remembered.

Tribute by Nora Roberts -- another reread. Um, yes, I like Nora Roberts. And I probably wouldn't have reread so many in a row if it weren't for her Lifetime TV movies. I'm glad I did reread Tribute. The book was better the second time around.

Surrender A Dream by Jill Barnett -- Jill's second book and one of my friend, April's favorites. This was my first read through and I really enjoyed the story and the setting.

Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran -- A gritty historical that takes place in India during 1857 and then fast forward to England a few years after. The story isn't light and definitely not a costume drama. A great debut novel!

Archangel Project by C.S. Graham -- An interesting look at remote viewing as a government program. Rife with danger, conspiracy and political intrigue, this was a quick read and I'm curious about future books in this series.

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas -- Another wonderful contemporary novel by Lisa. Her historicals are gripping and entertaining, but her contemporaries completely suck me in.

Witch's Grave by Shirley Damsgaard -- The 6th book in Shirley's Abby and Ophelia mystery series opens up some new directions for the series and in Ophelia's growth as a character.