Singing This Song Makes Me Dance

A new song I've been enjoying lately is "Let it Rock" by Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne. A fun song that combines synthesizer and guitars into driving rhythm, but keeps its hip-hop essence. Not really Rap Rock but could be called Pop Rock Rap. Here's a 70-second (radio-edit) clip:



I also have a new artist I've been enjoying. I've been listening to him for about 6 months, and this week heard him on the radio for the first time. I can't claim credit, though, Pandora introduced us. Pandora: like a Match.com for music fans. With a new album that's getting more support, you may soon hear of Brett Dennen. Here's a sample of his music I first heard about 6 months ago. From the album "So Much More" a clip of the song "The One Who Loves You the Most"



Brett's new album "Hope for the Hopeless" continues his mellow groove but the first single "Make You Crazy" adds an Afro-Beat with great effect, in my opinion. Groovy and upbeat, with culturally progressive lyrics:



Not bad for a red-headed white guy. I hope you enjoy him. His website streams several of his songs.

One more music note, there's no way I can talk about music this month without mentioning that the greatest rock band of all time released a new song. U2's first new song in 5 years was leaked last week so the band released the song on their website. The song and album cover art are HERE. I hope you have Bose speakers for your computer, because the steady beat is very Vertigo. For guys almost 50, they can still rock. I'll have much more to say when the album drops; till then I sit agog and get on my sexy boots...

Future Needs a Big Kiss

I found President Barack Obama's inauguration speech skillful but not eloquent. It seemed to me that more than once he packed entire policy or value discussions into one sentence. The overall tone was firm but with compassion. Here are my Top Ten most important things Obama said in his inaugural speech:

10. "To those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

9. "Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age." [avoids the easy blame of "it's all Wall Street's fault" and includes our personal responsibility]

8. "It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate." [gives heroic value to nurturing a child, an echo of Dag Hammarskjöld as discussed in a prior post]

7. "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works...Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end." [values substance over political perception]

6. "Our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead...our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint." [strength through humility and true justice, not brute force and exclusive knowledge of "truth"]

5. "With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat." [rolling back nuclear weapons isn't as fashionable as it once was, and I have appreciated Obama's persistent focus on this issue since his first days in the Senate]

4. "Because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace." [draws on our past mistakes as a strength and as reason for hope that the same things can happen in other places of the world that seem hopeless right now]

3. "We will restore science to its rightful place." [nuff said]

2. "A man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled." [understated notice of remarkable human evolution and invokes our better nature, not shame]

1. "We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."

I Can't See What You See When You Look at the World

The terror in Gaza and Israel continues today. More rockets fly in from both sides. Those of us that try to learn of the history and stay current on the cultures, politics and religions of the area can easily throw up our hands and call it impossibly complex. An endless quagmire that only "divine intervention" can resolve. But again it's so easy to sit at safe distances and shrug that only God can fix this. There's nothing we can do about it. Terror and war will always be with us. And poverty and disease. Only the naive believe they can change these inherent evils, believe they can change the world...

I sat today at an all-school assembly for Lee School Elementary. 330 kids in an age range of 6 to about 11. After a program of announcements, recognition and performance, the principal said they would sing in closing "our new favorite song." This brought a stir up from the kids. I was unprepared for what came next. 300 young voices sang "Together we can change the world." Imagine with me the voices of about 300 kids, some strong and clear and some hesitant, together quite a choir singing:



My heart simultaneously soared with hope and sank with sadness. The sweet earnestness of hundreds of kids asking "What if we spoke with one voice, knowing that we have a choice?" The rueful naiveté of a child's belief in our ability to "Change your mind and change your life, set aside the fear and strife, together we can change the world!"

Naive kids. Destined to have their dreams of changing the world shattered. Nearly half of the kids in the room, 156 of them, live at or below 1.5 times the federal poverty level. Forget changing the world, half these kids will be lucky to make it out of poverty! Imagine that, a minority boy in the middle of a midwestern state whose family works merely to survive is singing about changing the world. But maybe... just maybe...

We Eat And Drink While Tomorrow They Die

While I concern myself with the new simplifications I'm trying, while I enjoy the comfort and safety of my home, while I play games with my boys ...

An Israeli mother drops to the ground, protecting her boys from a terrorist rocket with her arm... her arm. Look how well trained the boys are, their faces against the bricks, their hands perfectly placed in protection.



While I entertain myself with a football game tonight, while I feel inconvenienced by the weather or my sinuses, while I say goodnight to my boys with the room and night light arranged to get rid of every scary shadow...

A Palestinian boy flees his home from the "righteous" rockets and waits in a strange place bewildered and afraid. Look at his feet on the stone. Imagine the bulk of his sweater and the heft of his body as you give him the hug he clearly needs.


I'll get along tonight because somewhere in the activity of my evening the images will fade. The tears won't be pressing behind my eyes. The goodness of life will again have my attention. But those boys are still out there. At least I hope so...