I used to solve the Wordle daily On my phone, it seemed easy. But now my joy has ended. Let it be.
I would pick the likely letters And make words like “Sprit” and “Spree.” But today I couldn’t get it. Let it be.
I felt like a Wordle Ninja My streak had reached to ninety-three. Until I hit a stumper. Let it be.
Today the panic rose within me As just three letters turned to green And that was on my sixth try Let it be.
Yesterday I was an All-Star “Flair” in TWO, I said with glee. But today I chucked up. Let it be.
Some people post their score on Facebook I did it too, but just rarely. I’m done with Wordle boasting. Let it be.
I’ll still read my daily paper The Tribune and the NYT. But Wordle thrill is fading. Let it be.
So I’m back now to the crosswords With my pen and cup of tea. Wordle made my heart break, Let it be.
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I heard it from old friends, new friends, unaffiliated blog readers, and even my wife Barb, whom I thought only musically cared about Neil Diamond. “What do you mean you don’t like the Beatles????”
I do like the Beatles.
Fact: I have always preferred the Beatles to the Rolling Stones. Although I do love the Stones jam at the end of Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.
Fact:A Hard Day’s Night is right next to Goldfinger as my favorite movie of 1964.
Fact: I am not a CD collector but I do own one Beatles CD. In fact, the name of the CD is One. That’s only three less than the four U2 CDs I treasure.
Fact: Instead of watching Paul Konerko hit a grand slam in Game 2 of the White Sox sweep of the Astros in the 2005 World Series, I was sitting at a Paul McCartney concert in Milwaukee.
Fact: I saw Paul McCartney asecond time, on a rainy evening at Wrigley Field. Believe me, it takes something special to get this Sox fan into the North Side’s Friendly Confines.
So I apologize to all of you Beatles snowflakes fans whom I might have offended. I promise to listen to Hey Jude, Yesterday, Eleanor Rigby, I Saw Her Standing There, and all the other songs you guys and gals recommended as the greatest Beatle song of all time. I am sure I will love each and every one of them.
As someone (I can’t remember who) once said, “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
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The Beatles in the early days. Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune.
Ask me what I think about the Beatles and I will give the standard answer of my generation. They are the greatest band that ever lived, they revolutionized music, they mean the world to me. OK boomer, now ask me which of their songs I would put on my all-time, continuos loop, soundtrack of my life music stream.
And that’s where the dilemma lies. From the harmonies of I Want to Hold Your Hand, through the opening chord of A Hard Days Night to the final yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah of The Long and Winding Road, I like a lot of Beatle songs, but I don’t love any of them. Sort of like my relationship to Superdawg french fries. I like them but I don’t love them.
It’s not the same with the other artists that are constantly playing on my radio in the lab or the Pandora station in my headphones at the fitness center. If I’ve got favorite bands, I’ve got favorite songs to go with them.
U2? The bang-bang-bang opening of the Joshua Tree album–Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and With or Without You introduced me to the band more than 30 years ago and have been my favorites ever since.
With Steely Dan, my favorite songs come from the end of their career, or at least the end of their career’s first chapter (I ignored the second chapter.) Aja, the title track of their 6th album, is sublimely mellow and mind-expanding and the same album’s Deacon Blue makes a wistful cry out to mid-life crises.
When Fleetwood Mac changed their personnel and music style in the mid-70’s they probably lost a few thousand fans but gained a few million more. It was that flip that led to Go Your Own Way, the best power-pop song of all time. And I love the more pensive Over My Head just as much. Easy to add to my jukebox of greats.
What Eagles songs are on that Love Those Songs jukebox? Give me the original Hotel California and then follow it up with the Hell Freezes Over version of…Hotel California. Sometimes you feel like acoustic, sometimes you don’t.
The longings of youth. Has anyone made them seem more desperate than Bruce Springsteen in Thunder Road or made them sound more fun than in the Boss’s Rosalita?
While Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is my top-ranked album, I prefer not to think about individual songs from it — everything blends so seamlessly together. On the other hand, Wish You Were Here, the title cut and final track from the Floyd’s 1975 album stands alone as the perfect paean to loss of love, loss of a bandmate, loss of sanity. And the guitar solos in Comfortably Numb make me feel…comfortable.
But back to the Beatles. I am ok with the silly love songs, I enjoy the goofiness of Yellow Submarine and Octopuses Garden, and I can play air guitar to The End. But where is the song I could listen to over and over and over again? Where is their Hotel California? If Rocky Racoon put a gun to my head and made me choose one song, today it would be While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Tomorrow it would probably be something else. Like but never love.
And that is my dilemma with the Beatles.
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It’s another dreary, gray day in January and I am thinking about … rain. I know a Chicago winter should be all about snow, but we have been blessed(?) by warm weather for most of the season, so the precipitation that is popping up in my head is the wet stuff instead of the white stuff. And as I look through my microscope I find myself humming water songs. So here are 10 rainy songs for the day. I hope the earworms don’t start eating away at your brains too!
MY TOP TEN RAIN AND STORM SONGS
Taxi by Harry Chapin. Just another rainy day in San Francisco. Smoking pot may be legal now, but I still wouldn’t want my cabbie or Uber driver to be flying that high.
Rainy Day Woman 12 & 35 by Bob Dylan. Another song about getting stoned. Is there a pattern here?
The Rain Song by Led Zeppelin. Isn’t every song by Zep about lighting up?
Love Reign O’er Me by the Who. Yes, I know that “reign” isn’t “rain.” But Roger Daltrey sings about cool rain falling like tears. So it counts.
The Rain in Spain from the original cast recording of My Fair Lady. You knew I had to include one show tune on my list.
Riders on the Storm by the Doors. This one may be my favorite. It has a moody feel that always triggers a memory to a late spring afternoon during my high school years, standing in the rain waiting for a lift from friends. (No Uber in 1971)
Rhapsody in the Rain and Lightnin’ Strikes by Lou Christie. A two-bagger from the sixties. Sweet Lou always seemed to get lucky when the weather took a turn for the worse.
Rain on the Roof by the Lovin’ Spoonful. A less intense 60’s love song than Lou’s two, with John Sebastian memorializing a rainy afternoon.
Electrical Storm by U2. A less well known U2 song, but it’s one of their best of the 2000s.
Kathy’s Song by Simon and Garfunkel. Unless you are a pretty big S & G fan you might not know this one. It is worth a listen. It ends with one of my all-time favorite lyrics — there but for the grace of you go I.
AND A FEW MORE
Rain by the Beatles. Just because it is the Beatles.
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele. Just because it is Adele.
Rainy Night in Georgia by Brook Benton. I believe it’s raining all over the world.
The Rain, The Park, and Other Things by the Cowsills. Because without the Cowsills we wouldn’t have had the Partridges. And how could we have made it through the 70s without the Partridges?
November Rain by Guns’n’Roses. Because November rain is better than November snow.
I know there are as many rain songs as there are streaks on my windshield on a wet afternoon. So what are some of yours?
A trivia question for those of you so inclined, courtesy of Margeson’s Pub Quiz. One of the recording artists named above is the only such artist to have a number one hit during the 1970s with a TV theme song. Can you name the artist and the song? A shout out to my buddy Broonsy for getting this one right when it counted.
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Yes, the album cover is famous, it’s iconic, it is whatever you want to call it. Jesus-like John Lennon, barefoot (dead?) Paul, and George and Ringo too. How many of your friends and neighbors have used a picture of their family at a crosswalk for their Facebook cover photo or an annual holiday card? Maybe you have done it yourself (no, the Raffs have never given it a try!)
But it wasn’t for the visual effect that I asked my sound system to play the album last night. Barb was out at one of her many book clubs, I was going to do some reading, and I wanted a little background music. Background music? HAH! For the next 45 minutes or so, I didn’t read another word.
You can look up the rankings of Beatle albums (I looked at a bunch) and Abbey Road never falls below #4. But you can have your Revolver and Sgt Pepperand Rubber Soul. For my money (OK-I don’t pay for music with Alexa) there is no better Beatle listen than AR.
Let’s look at the record, as Al Smith (easy trivia) once said. What are the two most memorable George Harrison contributions to the Beatles? “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun.” Both there, and neither violating anyone else’s copyright. In need of Ringo’s second-best Beatles vocal (and his finest writing?) “Octopus’s Garden” does it for me. Want a couple of great numbers for Joe Cocker to grab? The aforementioned “Something” and side two’s “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” are both ripe for the taking.
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” is trippy and doomy with its abrupt cut-off. “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” is banging fun. But it is the long medley to close the album that is astounding. Pam and Mustard and The Window Girl, the sweet lullaby of “Golden Slumbers,” Paul’s variation of the Golden Rule–taking love and making love.
Finally, after that long gap, a salute to the Queen. Who would have predicted in 1969 that 50 years later we would have lost half of the Beatles, but her Majesty would still be going strong. She was a pretty nice girl, but Paul never did make her his. Oh well, he has had his loves, and she has had Phillip.
When the album concluded, I did manage to read a few pages of my latest thriller but soon fell asleep to visions of octopuses and hammers. I’ll have to ask Barb if I was singing in my sleep.
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Spring is definitely in the air. Daylight Savings Time begins this weekend. And a peak over our construction fence lets us know that this is the season for building. In the last week, quite a bit has been accomplished. The concrete foundation has cured, and a layer of black goop applied to several of the concrete walls. The goop is optional water proofing, and it makes sense in view of our proximity to the retention pond. We are throwing in an extra sump pump as well. Now is the time to be in full protection mode. An ounce of prevention and all that…
Our steel beams have been set as well. I am not an architect or engineer, but I trust we have enough steel to shoulder the load. We plan to have lots of house parties, those steel beams better be tough! But even bigger news is that the wood and accompanying crew have arrived. We can hear their hammers ringing out. Its a sound we have been waiting a long long time to hear. It’s not all perfect–one of my four new tires picked up a nail somewhere and I can only assume it was from the construction site. Fortunately it only caused a slow leak and Laurel BMW was able to patch me up. I hope the patch lasts at least as long as it takes to complete the house. I want to park all four of those tires in the new garage!
Now we expect to see the framing move ahead rapidly. Then it will be time to install that peculiar green sheathing, the ZIP system. We still haven’t seen very many residential homes using it, we just hope it lives up to its billing as an energy saver. Anyone out there have any experience with it?
So now the pressure is on us. Make our decisions, get things ordered. Barb has most choices narrowed down. But there are an awful lot of moving pieces to make all the puzzle parts fit together in a timely fashion. No back orders for us…we hope!
That’s our current construction summary. But I feel like a little music trivia today as well. The word “Wood” made me think of double “o’s”. How many musical acts can you think of that have a double o in their name. Goo-Goo Dolls is an easy one. They are a double double. But there are lots more. List them here, or send them to me at lesraff@post.com
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Where did the title to your favorite album or CD comes from? It might be simple, just the name of the artist or band, such as the first album from Boston. Sometimes a Roman numeral gets appended and you have a Chicago II or a Led Zeppelin III. With concept albums, the artist may choose a song that sets out the theme and use that name as the album title. I like The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and the Eagles’ Desperado and Hotel California albums as examples of that.
But a different type of title intrigues me more. Take a look at Neil Young’s classic 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. That’s a great line, it sets a tone, but it is not the name of a song. Instead, it is a lyric from “My My Hey Hey,” the number that opens the album. Neil Diamond has done the same thing. His live albums Hot August Night and Hot August Night II grab the opening line of “Brother Loves Traveling Salvation Show” for their titles. Need another example? One of my favorite bands, Steely Dan, named their 4th album Katy Lied. The album contains the song “Dr Wu” with the lyric “Katy lies, you can see it in her eyes.” Not an exact match, but you get the idea. So how many more examples can you think of? And why do you think a lyric good enough to name an album didn’t even wind up as the name of the song? Leave a comment here, or better yet, drop me a line at les.raff@post.com. I am wondering if we can come up with fifteen or twenty examples.
While we are on album title trivia, can you name a band that recorded an album and a song on the album, and all three, the name of the band, the album and the song are the same? That one is pretty easy. But how about an album named for a song or lyric on a previous album by the same artist. You might need your thinking cap to come up with more than one of those.
Feel free to share and pass on this blog. I am curious as to how many albums we can all come up with.
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This is it. Today I am 60. And no, I don’t feel ancient or even feel senior. I don’t feel creaky, and I don’t feel like I am on the downside of the slope. Personally and professionally, I still feel on top! Of course, right now the new house is a low point. What else can you call a hole in the ground? But I am sure it will soon begin to rise, even if Barb has to commit a few homicides on contractors to get it going. Believe me, she is motivated AND capable!
Who else is turning 60 this year? Most of our friends have already hit that milestone, but lots of celebrities join me as mid-to-late baby boomers born in 1956. We grew up with black and white TV’s without a remote control, music spinning on vinyl, and movies shot on film. But we have grown and mostly prospered in this changed digital world. A few memorable 56’ers:
Tom Hanks: A great actor, and if he hadn’t starred in Splash, Madison would never have become such a popular name.
Carrie Fisher: When we caught her one woman show in Chicago, didn’t realize we would be seeing her back in Star Wars. Who knew?
Bryan Cranston: Sure, we liked him on Seinfeld and Malcolm, but Breaking Bad was our first TV binge. Was it because of Mr. White, or did Barb have a crush on Jessie?
Joe Montana: A 56er by birth, a 49er forever.
Rod Blagojevich: A believer in tradition- Step 1 become Governor of Illinois, Step 2 Go to prison. Good thing my political career ended at School Board President.
John Lydon: When your band mate’s name is Sid Vicious, it’s amazing that you reach 60, even if you are Johnny Rotten.
Geena Davis: Great memories of Laury’s favorite movie, A League of Their Own. With Tom Hanks as her manager, what could go wrong?
Bob Saget: Another hero of our kids’ childhood. But Fuller House? Really?
Maureen McCormick: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. I have NOTHING more to say. Really.
Mel Gibson: Mad Max Fury Road was one of my favorite movies of 2015. Oh wait, Mel wasn’t in it. Loved Charlize though.
Marc Trestman: One last Illinois tradition. Step 1 become Bear coach, Step 2 lose, Step 3 Get fired.
60 will be grand. And I promise to write all about it.
Cheers!
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“Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman, it’s a beautiful afternoon at Riverwoods Park. This is your racetrack announcer Phil Georgeff on the call as the horses come out for the final race, The Empty Nester Derby, a stakes race for seniors. We have eight magnificent contenders. The track is fast and we anticipate quick times, but you never know what surprises this course may hold.
The horses are at the gate, they’re at the gate…aaaaand they’re off! Gotta Buy a Lot takes the early lead, but is quickly eclipsed by Might Change Our Minds. It’s a two horse race for the first few furlongs. Now Might Change our Minds is fading as Gotta Buy a Lot reclaims her place at the head of the line.
Moving past the quarter mile pole, Banking Blues is really picking up speed and challenging the leaders. He gets in front and then slows down the pace! These horses are barely crawling around the track. Friends I have never seen anything like this before! Finally Financing in Place is shooting through a gap as his jockey sends an angry glare at Banking Blues. Banking Blues rider is dismounting in disgust! Even she can’t believe how slow her steed is running.
The horses are approaching the far turn with Draft Those Plans and Homeowners Association Rules dueling it out for the lead. These horses are really steaming Not a nose separates them. It is a battle royale as these magnificent horses pound the track. What’s this? Homeowners Association Rules’ jockey is pulling out a muntin and flogging Draft Those Plans! I’m telling you, this race has everything!
Here they come, spinning out of the turn. We have a new leader as Show em the Shingles gives a late kick and Homeowners Association Rules fades into the pack. And on the outside for the first time there is some action from Get that Permit. Get that Permit is roaring into the lead. But she is not alone. Village Fees is coming on strong. It neck and neck, nostrils flaring, as they thunder down the homestretch. Village Fees just seems to be getting bigger and bigger! But what’s this? Village Fees stumbles and at the wire it’s Get thatPermit by an eyelash! Get that Permit is the winner.”
That’s right we have a construction permit! The building can commence, and you are here at the beginning. It’s like being with Elvis in Memphis, the Beatles in Hamburg or Springsteen in Asbury Park. So have fun and enjoy the ride, the next race, The Construction Stakes, is about to begin!
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First some clean up from our last blog post. A mea culpa is in order. In this world of instant gratification, I had assumed that since I had ordered my razor blades three weeks ago, they must have arrived already. I assumed that I remembered placing them on the bathroom counter. I was so sure that they had been there, that Barb assumed she had thrown them out by mistake. Well, we all know about what assumed stands for. Yep, that box in the picture is the package that came from Harry’s Razors, not last week, but yesterday. All my shiny new blades. I just have to remember that not everything I order gets delivered the next day. The world is not all Amazon Prime!
And the house cannot be built on an Amazon Prime schedule either. You long time readers of our construction journey may remember all those blog posts about the Bank That Remains Nameless, all the delays in getting the financing settled. You know, the problems I even wrote a song about? Well no, that problem hasn’t recurred. But the Texas Village Two Step has reared its head once again. What is driving me wild today? Permits! Email number one from the village “We will issue the site permit today.” Email number two from the village “No we won’t.” Some minor changes in the plan had been requested by the village engineer. Our architect complied, but the submitted PDF indicating the changes isn’t sufficient for issuing the permit, at least not until 5 hard copies of the revised plan are also received. Grrrr. I feel like slapping on a Pancho Villa Movember mustache, commandeering a bulldozer and screaming “PERMITS? WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING PERMITS.”*
Weather may start to become an issue. Architect/Builder Team assure us that we still have plenty of time to dig a hole and pour concrete before any freeze, and once that is done, neither cold, nor wind, nor snow shall keep them from completion of their appointed rounds. I appreciate the confidence, but Barb and I are not sure we are true believers. How about our loyal readers? Leave us a comment, let us know when you think the house will be “substantially complete.” Maybe we can think of a prize for the reader whose prediction is closest tot he actual date. Remember, the Comment Box may lay below the row of ads. Facebook registration is still required to post comments,,,my apologies!
*with apologies to “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, 1948.
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Just Like Starting Over 