I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing)

Verse

On solid fuel and wires 

Turn the key and the light the fire

We’re leaving Earth today 

This rockets burning bright 

We’ll soon be out of sight 

And orbiting in space 

Pre-chorus

Pushed back in my seat 

Look out my window 

There goes home 

That ball of shiny blue 

houses everybody anybody ever knew 

Chorus

So sing your song 

I’m listening 

out where stars are glistening

I can hear your voices bouncing off the moon 

If you could see our Nation 

from the International Space Station 

You’d know why I want to get back soon (get back soon) 

Verse

Eighteen thousand miles an hour 

Fueled by science and solar power 

The oceans racing past 

At half a thousand tons 

Ninety minutes Moon to Sun 

A bullet can’t go half this fast 

Pre-chorus

Floating from my seat 

Look out my window 

There goes Home (There goes home) 

That brilliant ball of blue 

Is where I’m from, and also where I’m going to 

Chorus

So sing your song 

I’m listening out where stars are glistening 

I can hear your voices bouncing off the moon 

If you could see our Nation 

from the International Space Station 

You’d know why I want to get back soon (get back soon) 

Bridge

All back and white just fades to grey 

Where the sunrises sixteen times a day 

You can’t make out borders from up here 

Just a spinning ball within a tiny atmosphere (atmosphere) 

Pre-chorus

Pushed back in the seat 

Look out my window 

Here comes home (ho-ho-home) 

What once was fueled by fear 

Now has fifteen Nations orbiting together here

Chorus

So sing your song  

I’m listening out where stars are glistening 

I can hear your voices bouncing off the moon 

If you could see our Nation 

from the International Space Station 

You’d know why I want to get back soon (get back soon) 

You’d know why I want to get back soon (getting back to you) 

You’d know why I want to get back soon (getting back to you) 

You’d know why I want to get back soon (getting back to you) 

You’d know why I want to get back soon

Music is Medicine, Music is Sanity

In The Soloist, an emotionally soaring drama about lost dreams and the redemptive power of music, journalist Steve Lopez  discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.

"This was the very reason why we made music: we take something that exists within all of us at our very fundamental core, our emotions, and through our artistic lens, through our creativity, we’re able to shape those emotions into reality."  Robert Gupta 

Golden Slumbers

Thomas Dekker wrote Golden Slumbers in 1603 which is later adapted by Paul McCartney in 1969.

This was another one of those tunes that I had never heard until most recently and was instantly placed in jaw-dropped mode.  It's been covered by dozens of artists and some of the most interesting to my ear is by Ernie Halter, Plum Nellie, and Mumford and Sons.

 

I'll be working on figuring out how to play and sing this tune with the grace it deserves.  In the meantime, here is the pdf of the chords and lyrics I put together.  Click here for the Google Doc version which will allow you to download and edit as you see fit.

Dance Me to the End of Love

If you haven't read Elie Wiesel's book Night I would highly recommend it.  It's a deeply moving and intense book about one man's experience during the Holocaust.  Be prepared for a serious emotional ride.

I had been discussing Elie's story with a friend when he had suggested checking out Leonard Cohen's tune Dance Me to the End of Love which directly relates to the Holocaust.  Already a bit vulnerable, I gave Cohen's tune a listen and within seconds tears were falling.

Other Links

Here's an earlier version with an interview afterward.

To Build a Home

I discovered Cinematic Orchestra's song To Build a Home today.  How?  Well, it was certainly a classic ADHD moment of mine...

1. I opened my Google Reader
2. I read over Kim Cofino's Diigo bookmarks and found a link to a Mashable article This is My Brain on YouTube
3. After reading the article I sifted through and opened the hyperlinks, two of which were Reddit and Tumblr. 
4. Reading through those links I then stumbled across an article about the 100 Most Beautiful Songs In the World According to Reddit.
5. The play list was setup in Spotify so I opened up my account and began listening.
6. The music was playing in the background while I was on Facebook
7. The second song played and stopped me dead in my tracks.
8. I googled To Build a Home and watched several versions.
9. Then found this tutorial to learn how to play it on piano.

Other Links:

A pretty incredible live version

Here's Patrick Watson's version

Hello Brother

Hello Brother,

A man wants to work for his pay.  A man wants a place in the sun.  A man wants a gal proud to say, that she'll become his lovin' wife.  He wants a chance to give his kids a better life, yes.  Well hello, hello, hello brother.

You can travel all around the world and back.  You can fly or sail or ride a railroad track, but no matter where you go you're gonna find that people have the same things on their mind.

Sincerely,
Louis Armstrong

A Song for You

Sweet Jesus, why on Earth have I not heard of A Song for You before the age of 41?  I think I need to get out more.

It appears that this tune was written in the 70's by Leon Russell.  Since then it has been covered by dozens of artists but my personal favorites would be Donny Hathaway and Gavin DeGraw's versions.

Below is a pretty amazing version with Ray Charles performing at Willie's 70th Birthday Party which coincidentally was one of his last performances before he died.  The ending of this song grabs a hold and doesn't let go. Watch as Willie sheds a tear.

After a bit of searching I was able to find this video that got me started on how to be able play this master piece. Now to try and figure out how to sing this monster.

Here's the link for the pdf of the lyrics and chords that I created.  You can also click this link to get the Google Doc version where you can download and edit as needed.

Here is my humble version.