Ricki, Kaki, Shawn....ah life is GOOD!

 rockinmeg wrote: 
I second this!

Excellent Colvin song. Especially love that git-tar!

 planet_lizard wrote: 
In a concert awhile back (in Ohio) Shawn said she wrote this song about the midwest because the rest of America doesn't pay much attention to the region.

I read an interview of Jon Anderson who said that in the early days of Yes they thought if they wrote a song with an American city prominently placed in the lyric it would have a good chance to be a hit.  At the time Simon and Garfunkel, of whom Anderson was a fan, were very successful doing just that.  Nice melody + American city = hit. 

 Businessgypsy wrote: 
What a FANTASTIC post!  I was raised in upstate NY (small town, lotsa snow, fall foliage that is heart-breakingly beautiful, many gray days); moved to San Francisco (cosmopolitan, blue skies, European in flavor), then to Virginia Beach (hot, humid, military base, beaches), then time in Ohio (a lot like NY), Kansas (flat, midwest, tornados), Texas (7 miles from Mexico) and back to California.  I LOVE to travel, and love music that takes me places.

planet_lizard wrote:
In the US, one hundred years is a long time. In England, one hundred miles is a long way. The size, varied geography and extremely diverse populations are hard for anyone to put into perspective until they have poked around a bit - preferably at road level.

A typical observation: why can't we have great trains like Germany? Germany is the size of the smallish US state of Wisconsin. The US does have the largest train system in the world, there's just so much more here to cover that it presents a very different problem. That being said I hope we can move towards that end - but it will not happen quickly due to scale.

Returning to your original question, there are not only more places, but more kinds of easily accessible places in the US in any other single political unit on the planet. This engenders flavors and styles of living that create strong regional affections and a desire among those of us infected with wanderlust to sample freely. Places become markers for memories, relationships and life passages.

I live in extreme Southwest Florida (coconut trees and manatees), but spend summers in Northwestern Oregon (Mountains, waterfalls, rocky coasts). I'm from the New Orleans area (history, humidity, food and music) and am currently dating a woman in New Mexico (green chilies, pinon pine scented air, Native American/Hispanic culture). 3,500 miles between my bases, and my old dog and I do it on the back roads every year in about ten days. We're trying to stretch that to two months, but things take time. All along the way, people and places create memories, longings and (in the hands of talented songwriters) music. Please come visit.

ah, her grammy days....this album was good, but the pre-grammy Shawn was brilliant.

I love this song, and this whole disc - thanks for playing Shawn!

Thanks for playing Shawn!   I love this LP.

haha the eyeball on the cover makes me see goofy....not the real Goofy, just goofy.  (Yeah, that's right, Goofy is real)

 evansdad wrote: 
OK - how many more can you do? A great time-wasting exercise.

BTW - this theory extends beyond the track titles - it's the same throughout lyrics in general I think.

 planet_lizard wrote: 

How about "London Calling"? Or "Penny Lane"?

 planet_lizard wrote: 
I have no idea, but it's a fascinating question. I'd love to hear someone's explanation.

 cdt105 wrote:

The Playlist shows:

Artist Song Title Album

Glen Campbell Gentle On My Mind Gentle On My Mind

 

Why is that American songs have so many references to places? It's much more uncommon in British music. Can you imagine a song called 'Coventry Skyline'? It ain't going to happen, not unless it's taking the piss. Is it because you've got more places over there?

A mate said once "well they've got more geography and we've got more history". Discuss.

My favorite Colvin song 

Nice sample from Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman..

Bill and Rebecca, if you're reading - is that in the playlist? It would be great to hear it again

Not my favourite track of hers, but infinitely preferable to a great many performers within this genre, Shawn has real talent to burn.

 cutterjudd wrote:
That's an interesting debate, one which Freud and Jung even differed on.  I guess that depends on which definition of "inspiration" you prefer.  The word "inspired" literally means "breathed upon" and originally inferred some sort of divine "voice" or mystical "wind".
  It certainly shouldn't be considered "sad" that someone "needs something external" for inspiration.  All forms of Creativity (art, music, literature, etc.) are, to some extent, derived from external stimuli.  To me, it's the Creativity that is within, and then it aroused by some notion, fancy, or inspiration.  Anyhow, I do like this song.

 laozilover wrote: 
you are not alone!

Damn!  I love this song!!  

EssexTex wrote:
You wouldn't say that if you lived in Wichita,Ks....no music scene at all!

Dorky, says my wife. A bad female version of Glenn Campbell. And she married a dork, so she knows.

BKardon wrote:
For some reason, Pat and Lyle just don't get on the playlist here. Pity...

*edit* as soon as I post this, Last Train Home comes on. bravo!!

Luv Luv Shawn!

thelester wrote:

Its sad that one needs something external to get inspired. I always thought that inspiration came from within.

As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls

No, Shawn's been around just as long as those two. Consistently good work, but her first CD, Steady On, is still my favorite one.

CoYoT51 wrote:

sunnysoul03 wrote:
Works for me!

I thought she was Alison Krauss, or Lisa Loeb... no?
I do like this kind of voices...
Please, help me recognizing them...