@melinda010100, you seduced me! On a regular basis I see posts in my feed provided for the #three-tune-tuesday challenge run by @ablaze, and sluggishly think: "I should participate too!" - and pass by every time, put it off for "later, someday." Reading your Cohen selection, I got hooked up. Ok, probably this day came today, all of a sudden. I dont know -- the stars occupied some special position in the sky? or today's random soundtrack that slipped me into my iPhone's shuffle mode... anyway, today I was returning from the office at ten o'clock in the evening, and in the subway wagon I was starring at random strangers to the accompaniment of Marie Laforet, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez songs ... and easily could be Leonard Cohen as well. The mean tears slowly were rolling out, from experiencing these endlessly repeated regrets in my mind that the great hopes of 1968 did not come true, the money won, and human society rolled in the wrong direction. We had a chance -- and we missed it. Saying "we", I mean all the folks, I was born later myself ... I selected three songs to share with you, from my today's playlist. These are not 'best of the best' or iconic, as Janis Joplin's 'Bobby McGee' or Stones' 'Paint it black'.
Joan Baez - Gracias A La Vida
This song from 'Spanish' studio album of American singer-songwriter Joan Baez, released in 1974. A lot of interesting things can be told about the singer and this certain album (she was Dylan's girlfriend, and around the time Baez stated she released said album as "a message of hope to the Chileans suffering under Augusto Pinochet", in the wake of the death of Salvador Allende; #Wiki)... Ok, I don't know Spanish and I don't understand what she sings about on this album, but I'm ready to listen to any song from it endlessly, at any moment; it is a quintessence of happiness, preserved spirit of the time that have passed, the time when folks yet had hopes to change their lives to better. Today... I don't even know, what folks can dream of? to raise more money? to enjoy more delicious sorts of food, beer and cool travel trips, to escape from themselves and their damn life? where?.. there is no place left you can run off to. Only this brief moment of freedom and hope in the past.. but it is imaginary.
Marie Laforêt - Ivan, Boris et moi
Everybody knows any musical crap can be enhanced benefit greatly when a stupid banal pop tune is mixed with helpless touching female vocals. This certain song has enough of this Umza-umza pop, but this is totally not the case. Here's a live recording from 1969 for comparison:
It is charged with the break thru, freedom, happiness of life, youth, nostalgia for a carefree childhood feelings... can you feel it?
Marie Laforet - Мon amour mon ami
Another one from glorious 1967; not sure if it is her greatest hit or not, that doesnt matter. I just return to this stuff endlessly, and do understand that ... with all the progress of technology (own recording studio in the bedroom, or even in your smartphone) -- something was completely lost along the road.
I actually was late for my introduction to this great artist (but it's never too late - isn't it?). All thanks go to Youtube, imagine that! it was YT that introduced me to her songs a few years ago. I momentarily downloaded a torrent of 17 CD albums and occasionally travel back in time to look at her face and to listen to her voice ... although in French I can understand just dozen words, no more.
Now they simply don't make it like that anymore!
(...to be continued).
