Sunday 15 August 2010

Greatest Hits - Track 9

This week I've decided to resurrect a post that first came out in March 2008. And as Cerys counsels in the last clip below (top to bottom), to me holidays, amongst other activities, are about getting some peace of mind. Enjoy. Yup, still away.


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

Next Post: Greatest Hits - Track 10 , to be posted on Sunday 22nd August at 10am (GMT)

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for this fantastic musical journey, Cuban. I loved it.

    Peace of mind and much foot tapping and hand clapping pleasure.

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  2. Thanks for the eclectic medley. I enjoyed it.

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  3. I've never had the pleasure of touring the English countryside, but the few glimpses of the cottages with their colorful gardens (some artfully riotous and others with their compulsively neat and trimmed borders) I've had when changing airpots is enough for me to put it on my "Have To Visit" list.

    This picture is what came to my mind from your introductory passages of this post. Thanks, Cuban, for this small reprieve from the scorching summer we're all currently enduring where I live...

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  4. Oh, I love all this music. I'd love to go on a tour with you and your family sometime, your music blasting out the windows and the breeze coming in. In lieu of that, I'll just keep clicking on your posts!

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  5. There's nothing like music in the car to make a simple drive into an odyssey.

    Love your medley!

    Jai

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  6. You always have the best musical trip..stuff I've never heard before..and great old memories..your notes make the difference!

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  7. Great post.
    For me Stuck Inside of Mobile always makes a drive a 'dancedrive'. Along with a few other favourites of course:-)

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  8. Hello, everyone. Thanks for your kind comments. I was away in Wales for a week and therefore unable to read your very own posts. Will catch up this weekend.

    Many thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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