In the past, when I was writing mostly about politics, I liked to link to various songs that seemed to fit into the theme of the post. From the day I was young enough to hear it, I have loved music. Like many people, the sounds of an old song take me back to a time and place in my life that becomes crystal clear with the words and music; a type of “time machine” groove. It is not always a good memory, but it is always an authentic part of my life. One of my eternal regrets is the fact that I never really pursued the effort to develop and utilize what musical ability I might possess. We all are born with a bit of music in us, but the great mystery is that you don’t have to be able to “do it” to “appreciate” it. Music is a wonderful element of our world and I would be remiss if I did not continue the effort to feature it in my posts.
As a parent and a
grandparent, I acknowledge that I remain unqualified to advise anyone on the
correct way to raise children. I made a
lot of mistakes in parenting and I learned a few things the hard way. One thing I do feel certain about is the
value of providing an opportunity for our children to obtain the gift of
music. By giving them the chance to
develop the music that is within them, we not only expand their world and
universe…we can help them to obtain a gift that can never be taken
away.
I am dedicating this
entire post to music. Hopefully, over
the holiday season, readers will find some time to explore and enjoy the tunes
linked herein. There are certain songs,
from every musical genre you can imagine, that speak to us in ways that words
cannot describe. While it is so true
that the same song can mean different things to different people, there are
songs out there that are so empathetic and soulful that their message is universal
and undeniable.
I am going to feature a
few of those songs in this post. They
are not selected for their record sales or their radio play time. They are not selected because the artist
singing them is successful or the flavor du jour. They are selected because they are a
wonderful blend of art and craft. I am
picking songs whose lyrics speak to us in a way that needs no explanation. The words are so spot-on, so direct, so very
real that the only explanation for their creation is that the author lived that
song in a very human way.
These songs provide a
window to feelings that reside in our hearts and our minds and give us glimpses
into those feelings that words alone simply cannot provide. All of us have had times in our lives that brought
us joy, pain, loneliness, regret, anger, frustration, a sense of loss, and most
of all…the thoughts of what could have been.
The ups, downs, and all-arounds of living as a human being in this
world. Enjoy the mastery of some of the best
songwriters I know of. Take some time to
listen…I am certain that at least some of these will bring back memories from your
past, just like they do from mine.
Let’s start it off with a
declaration of what music means:
Triumph https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoS0DGrovCs
Lost loves, the one that
got away, regrets, guilt, the longing for what can never be, eternal devotion…my,
my… how our past romances haunt us…these songs sure do pull at the heart
strings. Whatever your story(s) may be,
I expect there will one or two of these that hit it head on:
Eric Clapton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnNC2Nb7vIk
George Strait https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m36IN3QOGaE
Eva Cassidy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXBNlApwh0c
The Devlins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_J7yLUVUG8
Bonnie Raitt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9Cu6GYqxo
Kenny Loggins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7TCOmTyM2A
Keith Whitley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jUICUbKZoI
Chris Isaak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJeL0qqrPQ
Keith Urban https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2NpTwVr968
The Allman Brothers Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfrSIUE3iAE
Lonestar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_1wMEERzMw
Whitney Houston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU
Enrique Iglesias https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gAJWGYRHVU
Waylon Jennings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=500KtCmJPV4
James Taylor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh3EV9SeJvY
Don
Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqP84bkhhSw
Foreigner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wln6NX0V4AQ
Toby Keith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqwI0Pvlb88
And Percy Sledge with
that eternal truth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYZYBQt0ozM
Wynonna Judd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00b1DOiCU4
Vince Gill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9N44jO6Dpc
Scorpions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYyarcp5LtU
Vern Gosdin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI9rQONedDY
Trisha Yearwood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvuyradfFGY
Roy Orbison https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxjC1Pdih0s
Travis Tritt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_2-XrjBAFM
Allison Moorer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koLKKDENjj8
Coldplay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXq-14lV79s
Dealing with the
consequences of the choices we make.
Seems that everything has a cost and weighing those costs is a heavy
load; but sometimes…the price must be paid:
George Strait https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJV0bu0xNEM
Steve Wariner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bgKNfBbyTU
Zac Brown Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x7Uszpj_0w
Diamond Rio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7RncVCLgkg
Eva Cassidy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD_RK7DCl1I
Earl Thomas Conley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbsqys04tUA
Neil Young https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo7L7c53WMQ
3 Doors Down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtO43yB3Zh8
Lonestar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jm5gfuT9Z4
Kenny Chesney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvttmCvtQUc
Collin Raye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX74rp1xq6g
Linkin Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_d8DlZ-Jo
Martina
McBride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VPpAZ9_qAw
The
Mavericks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu8e01M6gwY
Keep
pushing yourself, be the best you can be, do not give up trying. Life is good.
When the human spirit is truly unleashed, there really is no limit to
the possibilities:
Bob Marley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2W3aG8uizA
Gloria Gaynor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dYWe1c3OyU
Survivor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEjgPh4SEmU
Kelly Clarkson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I
Journey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs
Rachel Platten https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc
Queen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5GkgVhFeZY
John Michael Montgomery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k4ujBGRGf8
Black Eyed Peas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FotCW5OIFZc
Simon and Garfunkel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYPJOCxSUFc
Pink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BIye98Ryic
Never forget you are
free…free to live and choose. Enjoy your
liberty, guard it zealously, fight for it, respect it…and never trust the
government:
Don Henley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0m5jp6kRG4
Jackson Browne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3YcZ233MIs
Lynyrd Skynyrd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGopskR5jSM
Brooks and Dunn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN1iI-DaJNw
Katy Perry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwL1cohnHNE
Sam Cooke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4
Marvin Gaye https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6jKE6YIxmc
The Who https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXrmQBPg2s0
Loneliness, growing old,
dying, the simple passage of time, how we move through our lives and then deal
with that ultimate final chapter:
Brad Paisley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iE1cnAt9GM
Rob Thomas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaSoq9FELF8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiL9PrBA-Hg
Brooks and Dunn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5z-jjWyAJQ
Lifehouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU6AhH2a1cU
Evanescence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu7QvOQKcKk
Cat Stevens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMlWTOj8zNk
The Band Perry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqrYAfN0S2E
Circle of Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLFvthzy294
Steve Wariner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUU2HW8F8UE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK3H5cHfgzw
Blue Oyster Cult https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVn6b9QQZeM
Patty Loveless https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBc09fKRDy0
Bruce Springsteen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf9sco0ObvE
Vince Gill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e60oUOsac9o
Sarah McLachlan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SiylvmFI_8
Neil Diamond https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5suIibcRfo
Lionel Richie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzOdR9Ms6pw
Faith…A belief in
something larger than ourselves. Knowing
that there is a life beyond that which we know.
The peace that passes understanding:
Randy Travis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTOtfaj9uuY
Kenny Chesney and Randy
Travis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW_oBGbvROg
Celine Dion and Andrea
Bocelli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfVrpafcELI
Vern Gosdin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQVuZCVVDtI
Styx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlhMs4HZGU4
Blackhawk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtVMi6RkzZY
Alabama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MONUVPD2S1Y
Joan Osborne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRsjHjZyask
MercyMe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0MwNpRq6M
Carrie Underwood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_OpRlUZQoI
The Staple Singers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHBr7nMMio
The Byrds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zx6j4vI8lE
U2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZU8qQQV_QA
Chris Tomlin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKLQ1td3MbE
Judy Jacobs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUIa674GGCo
Carrie Underwood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCLeCBUY5Iw
And finally…to close out
this musical post…Why not just feature some songs that celebrate life, explode
with joy and excitement, or just make you want to stand up and shout. This group features some great lyrics and
some plain old “get up” songs. Increased
volume is recommended. Life is
beautiful; live it:
Lee Ann Womack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F44nrK0MxEQ
Steve Wariner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJUFdWPmLY
The Beatles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKLV8GCrveQ
Bobby McFerrin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68vZX2uUKKA
The Isley Brothers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpPbmIlBRJU
Hall and Oats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoFJgLmbYZE
Whitney Houston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5wPHxqgQH0
The Beach Boys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQbFsn95jSg
Rascal Flatts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGB7IWklW3s
Imagine Dragons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFhs7WVvuXk
OneRepublic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bo4oWK22bk
Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FyH4FTEF74
Boston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjS7Egg49_k
Bryan
Adams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgpcwYooLO0
Shakira https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpqV3dzYOgk
And of course…. Coldplay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZvsGmYKhcU
May God bless you and
your families during this Holiday Season.
Find the good in your hearts and share it with the world.
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