". . . little shall I grace my cause

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver . . ."

(William Shakespeare's Othello, I.iii.88-90)

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Home

One of my blogging friends (I can't remember who--if you're out there, raise your hand!) recently asked for song suggestions to upload onto her new iPod. Here's one I would recommend--"Last Train Home" by the Pat Metheny Group. The song itself is beautiful, but the video is even more so. This is what music videos should be, and what many of them used to be when I was in college: artists simply standing and playing their instruments as cameras record their music-making. One of my favorite things about this video is the obvious pleasure the musicians are taking in the conversation they are engaging in. One gets the feeling that they knew they were creating something unique.

If you have four minutes, please, please, please turn up your speakers, click on "full screen" and soak this one in. You won't regret it. Rarely has a piece of music so completely captured the longing we all have for a place we can call "home"--a place of utter welcome and security and rest. Even my 4-year-old "gets" it. This is not a religious song (it has no words), but when I hear it and watch the video I think of Heaven.

(I am disappointed, though, that this version of the video cuts off before the very end, leaving out the final train whistle as the train disappears in the distance.)


8 comments:

William Weedon said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Michelle said...

**Raising hand** I asked for suggestions on my blog!

Oh, yes, I love Pat Metheny - I did forget about that! I have the cassette tape of The Last Train Home so that WOULD be a good one to upload! Thanks!

Michelle said...

Another of my Pat Metheny favorites that I do have loaded on my iPod (we use it for relaxation in Childbirth Classes) is Letter From Home.

Along the lines of relaxation:
If you like Jim Brickman - he has a great relaxing one with cello called On the Edge. My friend (who teaches the class) and I always make sure we play that one during class!

By the way - just downloaded Last Train Home - thanks for the suggestion!!

Cheryl said...

Yep, Michelle, it was you! I was intending to go back and track you down, but now I don't have to!

I have a friend who is a professional cellist . . . I'll have to ask her if she knows the piece you mentioned. Carmen?

Michelle said...

Jim Brickman plays piano - always very soothing and the cello part is kind of a duet on the piece "On the Edge". I'm not sure you the cellist is. I'll have to look it up and see if iTunes mentions the artist. I wish I could find more music like that with piano and cello!

Michelle said...

Good grief - should read: "I'm not sure WHO the cellist is" not "you" the cellist is! I've got to stop commenting on posts while being distracted by other things - ruins my proofreading abilities!

Sorry, for cluttering your blog! ;)

Cheryl said...

Michelle, please feel free to "clutter" my blog anytime. And don't worry about the typos. Seeing other people do it makes me feel better about my own!

Michelle said...

I "cluttered" Elephant Child's blog yesterday, yours today - I'm on a roll of poor proof reading! I usually correct my own blog at least 3 times after I publish it! But, there's no correcting these comments after they are published.