Home of the Autographed Cat

We are nearing the end of our musical journey.  Today, we are asked to share a song we remember from our childhood.

So many songs I could pick here.  I got seriously into music young, and thanks to finding and acquiring my mother’s record collection at an early age, my musical taste has always skewed not just to the current but also to things that were released before I was born.

Still, I wanted to pick something that I remember from the radio, which is difficult because its not always easy for me to remember when exactly i picked something up.  But I remember really liking this song, even if I am reasonably sure I didn’t entirely understand it.  I just liked the sound of it, and the quality of that amazing voice.    Here’s Gordon Lightfoot, with his 1974 hit “Sundown”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song from an artist whose voice you love. One of my favourite singers growing up was Karen Carpenter. I had all the Carpenters albums, and listened to them endlessly. This is a challenge where the initial selection is easy, but which track to choose. As is often my wont, I’m going for a pretty deep album cut rather than one of the big hits everyone knows.

This song was originally written in 1937, and was a hit for Tommy Dorsey, and later for the Andrews Sisters. But Karen’s wistful, angelic alto and Richard’s sublime arrangement make this a standout track from their 1975 album Horizon. Here’s what I think is the definitive rendition of “I Can Dream, Can’t I?”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song that breaks our heart. If I’d looked ahead on these challenges, I might have saved the Glen Campbell song I posted on Day 10 for “A Song That Makes You Sad” for this, and chosen a different sad song then. But since that’s under the bridge, here’s another song about heartbreak, and specifically about that moment in a long-term relationship when you realise things maybe aren’t going to work out in the end. I’m happy to say that it’s been a very long time since this song resonated strongly with me, but back when it did, it certainly was a time of tremendous heartache. Here’s Christine Lavin with “Katy Says Today Is The Best Day Of My Whole Entire Life”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song that makes you want to fall in love. Love songs are, of course, about three quarters of the popular music canon, so one is hardly spoiled for choice. I’m choosing today to share this exquisite number from Bob Dylan’s 1997 album “Time Out Of Mind”. It’s been covered by many people, but I like the sparseness of the original. (I should really learn this one.) Here’s “To Make You Feel My Love”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song we like by an artist no longer living. There are a lot of musical heroes I could choose from. I’ve earlier in this challenge already shined a spotlight on David Bowie and Prince, so here’s my favourite Warren Zevon song, “Accidentally Like A Martyr”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song from a band we wish were still together. I don’t recall who it was who first introduced me to Great Big Sea; I think it was Seanan McGuire. But once I found them, I fell in love with their whole sound, and got to see them live four times. They always put on an amazing show, and I’m sorry that I won’t get to see them again, unless they decide to get back together.

So here’s Great Big Sea, with one of my favourite songs of theirs, “Boston and St. John”.

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song we think everyone should listen to.  This is another one that’s difficult because it’s so very broad, and also because I’d tend to want to pick a song that everyone might not have hard already.   Most classics are classic for a reason, after all.

My pick isn’t really obscure, since it’s been around a few years and he’s reasonably well known at this point, at least in the circles I move in.  But it’s has become, easily, my favourite Christmas song, and now that we’re past Thanksgiving and properly into the Christmas music season, I figure I’ll share it for today’s entry.

So, here’s Tim Minchin, with “White Wine In The Sun”.

Today’s challenge invites us to sing a song that “moves you forward”. This is another vaguely worded prompt that I’m not sure how to interpret, but there’s certainly a great deal of inspirational and motivational music out there. For instance, there’s this great little number from my friend Ben Wakeman, a wonderful Atlanta area singer-songwriter, which tells us that even when everything around us is awful, we should still get on with getting on with things. That’s certainly a message for our times if I ever heard one, so here’s “Get Your Ass Up Off The Floor”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song with someone’s name in the title. Obviously lots to choose from, but this song is one I’ve loved since I first bought the album it’s own, the year it came out, and which I cover form time to time.

Here’s Concrete Blonde, with “Caroline”

Today’s challenge invites us to share a song that has many meanings to ourselves, and I have to admit that I’m a bit stumped. There are certainly songs that have different *associations* in my mind. It isn’t so much that the song means a different thing as that it resonates on a different frequency emotionally, depending on the context. I’m not sure that’s entirely what the question is going for, but since that’s all we have to go on, here’s a song that stirs a lot of different emotions in me, depending on who is on my mind when I play it¹. Here’s “Beeswing” by Richard Thompson.

1. The details of which I have no intention of expanding upon here ↩