Thursday 6th March. 8.30am. A street in London. I am driving the children to school. My wife's gone to Italy with Creative Partnerships and it's up to me to do the school run whilst she is away. I roll down the car window to let in some air, just a couple of inches, mind, and then it hits me. Spring's here. Well, almost.
It's a bright morning and the British birds' Commonwealth anthem is at full blast. Their singing accompanies the fluttering of wings. They look so busy, building or re-building their nests up in eaves.
The morning wind caresses my face. It is not a warm breeze yet, oh, no, but it is not a freezing one either. It is a chilly air, pleasant enough for me to withstand its strokes with a smile on my face. Outside, kids rush to school, cars zoom past, buses cut in in front of me. But inside, I am radiating the type of energy which, if discovered, could see me persecuted by countless thugs trying to patent it and sell it.
Streets curve seductively out of sight, houses stand tall and proud with binding ivy weaving its way around the building and people go to work carrying their sandwiches and newspapers, some of them with ciggies in hand.
On days like these, I remain silent and let the music in the car do the talking.
What if Dylan was booed during this performance at the Newport Festival? Try listening to this song with the wind sneaking into the car early in the morning and giving you that pleasant, mirthful feeling that everything is going to turn out all right, because you know what? I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Everytime this track comes on, my fingers work out a drumbeat on the steering wheel and the whole car merrily swings side to side. Poetic.
I have referred previously on this blog to my need sometimes to have a song telling a story playing in the car. And this track, composed by the Argentinian pop singer Juan Carlos Baglietto about God and the Devil working together in a workshop, fits me like a glove. A real jewel. Magnífico.
Many times I catch myself humming a song with political or social undertones in the car. Not surprisingly, more often than not it is a track by Maestro Stevie. This belongs to an era when musicians were allowed to roam free unencumbered by commercial pressures or record sales. Nostalgic.
In this song, as soon as the guitar kicks in, the car window goes down and my hands relax their grip on the steering wheel. No need for introduction here. Majestic.
Do not be fooled by the title of this track. There's no ire in this song, it's just about how we should all take it easy in life and days like these inspire me to follow Cerys' edict. Husky.
© 2008
Spring!
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky man.
We are still miles away from spring here in Montreal. We are talking of breaking record of snowfall (386 cm). We are already at 350 waiting another 2-4 cm tonight, a few more tomorrow and all next week the same pattern...
Enjoy it!
Ah! that Dylan film is great!
Saludos
Al Godar
era una fiesta en la que celebrábamos los quince de alguien… la enamorada de un primo y estábamos por allí por línea y 21. en un pequeño apartamento con un fotógrafo medio cursi que andaba azorado entre tanto pelo largo, un cake grande repartido para todos y un galón inmenso de chispa de tren. El fotógrafo era el único adulto. Todos estábamos CRUDASSSSSSS. Entre cortes de White Zombie, metal, trash y otros espantos, a la niña linda de la fiesta se le ocurrió poner una de Red Hot----Under The Bridge, era el principio de los noventa y salidos del pre, volvíamos a ser adolecentes, sin el muro de Berlín, sin Campo Socialista, sin electricidad. La mente de la gente en Cuba, cambiaba por entonces todos los días ‘acelerada-mente’ de izquierda a derecha. Allí estábamos ..., Kike, Joel, Nestor, Maylin y un servidor, empezamos a hablar de pronto de hacer una banda de rock que mezclara el teatro, la pintura y la poesía “Teatro mágico” como el estepario de Hesse y todos aprobamos... salimos de allí sin despedirnos... a celebrar por el teatro... bajando las escaleras se acababa la canción ... y llegamos a la calle línea cantando ‘All you need is fuck’
ReplyDeletePor orden de aparición:
la niña de los quince…… hoy en Brasil
kike…………………… hoy en Chile
Joel…………………… hoy en la Habana
Nestor…………………hoy en Alemania
Maylin & Tony………………….hoy en el Yuma
¡Ño, bro, que buen recuerdo! A mi el verso que me desguabina es donde dice 'Is the city I live in The city of angels/Lonely as I am
ReplyDeleteTogether we cry'
¡Ay, la Habana, mi Habana!
Thanks, Al, we have not had winter, it's official now. I go often to your blog to have a look at the photos you post of the snow-filled roads and it makes me jealous. A lot of rain, yes, that's happened. Many floods in southern England and parts of Wales and weather alert for the next few days.
Saludos desde Londres