365 Day Song Challenge: Day 160 – “Heat Of The Moment”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 160: Your favorite song beginning with “H”.

“Heat Of The Moment” – Asia

Heat Of The Moment“Heat Of The Moment” is one of those songs that instantly takes me to a place and time. The time is summer 1982, a time when the summers seemed much longer and much hotter than today. (That probably has something to do with central air conditioning.)

And while I remember the song being everywhere that spring and summer, the specific place that it takes me to is the back of St. Thomas the Apostle school. (Yes, that was year 5 of the twelve I did in Catholic school. I emerged surprisingly unscathed and—perhaps more surprisingly given recent headlines—unmolested.)

Toward the end of every school year we had “Field Day.” The name was a misnomer in that it was actually more than one day and the area where it was held was more of a large, oddly-shaped empty area behind the school rather than an actual field. Read More

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 159 – “Mama”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 159: A song that reminds you of your best friend. (Volume II)

“Mama” – Genesis

MamaIn reality, this probably could have been any Genesis song.

Or Tony Banks song.

Or Phil Collins song.

Or Peter Gabriel song.

Or even anything by Mike Rutherford or Mike + The Mechanics.

But I chose “Mama” because there is some irony about it. You see, I have Justin (a.k.a. Woody) to thank (or blame) for my love of Genesis. And (almost) all things Genesis. (The jury is still out on Steve Hackett.) Sure, before his influence, I knew the popular stuff, but without Justin, I’d likely have no idea about amazing songs like “Dance On A Volcano,” “Dancing With The Moonlit Knight” or “Supper’s Ready.” (Unfortunately, I’d still know about “Hold On My Heart” but some things can’t be helped.)

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365 Day Song Challenge: Day 158 – “Eve ’91”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 158: A song that reminds you of your best friend. (Volume I)

“Eve ’91” – Nuclear Valdez

Dream Another DreamHappy Autumn, everyone. (At least those of us in the Northern hemisphere. Otherwise, happy Spring.) Apparently, I took the summer (or winter, again depending on location) off. This wasn’t intentional, but things needed to be done for my railroad club. They got done; blogs didn’t. That was the tradeoff.

But the operating session went very nicely, thank you.

I was happy to find that at least a few people asked me what happened to the blog. So someone’s paying attention. That made me feel good.

But, that’s not what we’re here to talk about. (I can hear you saying “Get on with it, already.” So I’ll get on with it. Read More

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 157 – “At The End Of The Day”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 157: A song that you consider to be one of the most beautiful you have ever heard.

“At The End Of The Day” – Mike Rutherford

At The End Of The DayMike Rutherford is perhaps my least favorite member of Genesis.

  • Tony Banks: Brilliant songwriter and keyboardist.
  • Phil Collins: Amazing drummer, and he can kind of sing, too.
  • Mike Rutherford: Meh.

I said that once at a table full of Genesis fans. It was one of those movie-like scenes where every thing stops. No sound. No movement. Just people looking at you in astonishment, unable to believe you said something so heretical. And then, just like a movie, they all decided to completely ignore it and move on. Read More

365 Day Song Challenge: Day 156 – “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It”

Posted on by Joe Parker

Day 156: A song you could never memorize the lyrics for but always wanted to.

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” – R.E.M.

It's The End Of The World As We Know it (And I Feel Fine)Yeah, yeah. So it’s obvious. I don’t care.

Between Michael Stipe’s penchant for mumbling, his arcane references (not just in this song, but everywhere), the lyrics sung at 500 words per minute, and R.E.M.’s famous refusal to print lyrics in their liner notes, how can anyone be expected to learn these lyrics?

Without spending a significant amount of time spent doing nothing else but trying to figure them out, I mean? Even then, once you know the words, trying to remember the right ones as you’re singing at the speed of light is just about impossible. Read More