Feline in the Crib

Song 704: This week the playlist features Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin, written by Harry Chapin and Sandra Chapin, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. Around the time that a lot of listeners got purrty impressed by this furry ballad, I managed to luckily find an affordable room in an apartment on the south end of Evanston. My wife and I had returned to the area in July as our romance came to an unfortunate climax, mainly due to a misunderstanding on my side that would haunt me for many years to come. Although I don't remember the moment when I first caught HC's meow melody, during that stretch I very soon had the chorus lines completely in hand and on my mind. Growing up, I had often heard my folks say, "There aren't enough hours in the day.” Even back then, most working class types understood that message, which resonates much stronger in the present day. While we can have numerous differences, the one thing so many of us have in common is that we have got a lot to do. All too often, we can't seem to find the time to get together and have a good time then.

Greatly Submerged

 Song 703: Seven weeks after my previous personal friend song post, this week's captivating dive In So Deep comes from another one of my Fast Folk colleagues, Wendy Beckerman, who also wrote the song, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. She performed the tune at the 1991 FF show at The Bottom Line, and that's the source for the recording on the YT video. I rarely went to those shows, which the group regularly did once a year, so I probably didn't hear it then, but I did hear her do it at one of our other gatherings - possibly I might have witnessed her introduce the piece to the group at Jack Hardy's apartment where, during a weekly meeting, we would all share our shiny new ramblings with each other. Given the romantic attachment that Ms. B had with a prominent member of the circle, I can understand how she got in so deep she didn't know how to get out, even by using a broom that she had in hand to sweep the weekly dusting of doubt.

Provide a Bit of Illumination

 Song 702: This week the playlist recognizes Shed a Little Light by James Taylor, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. The fellow who inspired this JT 1993 anthem got shot and killed on April 4 of my junior HS year, and similar to the official story of the JFK assassination that had happened a few years earlier, and the authorized statements about the RFK assassination that occurred a couple of months later, the approved narrative about 4/4/68 did not sound right to me. A year and a half down the road, when I resided in the Chicago area as a university student, the Fred Hampton murder happened, and soon enough, I found out from dependable sources about how the FBI got local law enforcement to execute him, so those facts further validated my conclusions about the butchery of MLK, Jr. The more I've learned about him, the greater my respect has grown, and when one of my favorite singer/songwriter stars did a melodic tribute to him in the late summer of 1993, I thought he said some things really well. As a holiday arrives tomorrow that honors Mr. King, we know we Can't get no light from the dollar bill or any real light from a TV screen, but the King guy DID shed a little light and help us to recognize that there are ties between us - all men and women living on earth.

Occassionally During the Cold Season

 Song 701: This week the playlist comes around to Sometimes in Winter by Blood, Sweat & Tears, written by Steve Katz, and you can find a YouTube video of it by clicking on the title. This tune, and the album that it resides on, appeared shortly before the Christmas of my HS senior year, and a couple of the record's other tracks - most notably Spinning Wheel - got a lot of attention in the following months of 1969. While residing with my folks and brothers, I could not afford to buy an LP, even if my parents had given me permission to do so, which they probably would not have done for any of the devil's music which they despised, so I might not have heard this cool anthem at that time. Living in Bobb Hall at N.U. the following year, I did get to hear a lot more of the music I liked, thanks to some fellow students who had impressive disc collections, so Sometimes in that Winter, hearing about frigidity repeatedly got me moving along with this beat. I had decided during that era to spend whatever little amount I could afford to mainly build my own stock of 33s and bypass live shows, but in my college sophomore year I made an exception to the rule and bought a ticket for a BS&T concert - one of very few that I experienced. These days, Sometimes in winter I gaze into the streets and walk through snow, but thankfully, the chilly Northeast temperatures in my region rarely, if ever, have the kind of negative numbers that the frigid Windy City daily highs and lows often do in a new year’s first few months.