Song of the Day

What a treat.

Wish I
Written by Tom Sturdevant
Performed by Annie Sellick and the Hot Club of Nashville

Another Song of the Day for Tree Huggers

Im Treibhaus - Studie zu Tristan und Isolde
(In the Greenhouse - Study for Tristan and Isolde)

High-arching leafy crowns,
canopies of emerald
you children of distant lands,
tell me, why do you lament?

Silently you incline your branches,
tracing signs in the air,
and, mute witness to your sorrows,
there rises a sweet perfume.

Wide in longing and desire
you spread your arms out
and embrace, in self-deception
barren emptiness, a fearful void.

Well I know it, poor plant!
We share the same fate.
Although the light shines brightly round us,
our home is not here!

And, as the sun gladly quits
day's empty brightness,
so he who truly suffers
wraps himself in the dark mantel of silence.

It grows quiet, an anxious rustling
fills the dark room;
I see the heavy drops hanging
from the leaves' green edges.


This was another piece performed by Adrianne Pieczonka at her Toronto recital this past spring. Mathilde Wesendonck wrote the words for these songs by Richard Wagner. Much can be read about Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder and how they mirrored Wagner's and Wesendonck's relationship and anticipated his Tristan und Isolde.

A Song of the Day... for Tree Huggers

Ruhe, meine Seele (Rest, my Soul)

Not a breath stirs,
the wood rests in gentle sleep;
through the leaves' dark veil
bright sunshine steals.

Rest, rest my soul,
wild have been your storms,
you have raged and quivered
like the swelling breakers.

These times are violent,
causing heart and mind distress -
rest, rest my soul,
and forget what threatens you!


Strauss set his song to this text by Karl Henckell, and Adrianne Pieczonka sung it beautifully at her recital in Toronto this spring.

Song of the Day

We're all Alone
(Boz Scaggs)

Outside the rain begins
And it may never end
So cry no more
On the shore a dream
Will take us out to sea
For ever more
For ever more

Close your eyes and dream
And you can be with me
'Neath the waves
Through the caves of ours
Long forgotten now
We're all alone
We're all alone

Close the window
Calm the light
And it will be all right
No need to bother now
Let it out, let it all begin
Learn how to pretend

Once a story's told
It can't help but grow old
Roses do, lovers too, so cast
Your seasons to the wind
And hold me dear
Oh hold me dear

Close the window
Calm the light
And it will be all right
No need to bother now
Let it out, let it all begin
All's forgotten now
We're all alone
All alone

Close the window
Calm the light
And it will be alright
No need to bother now
Let it out, let it all begin
Throw it to the wind my love
Hold me dear

All's forgotten now my love
We're all alone...


(The lyrics are slightly different, depending on who and when this song has been recorded. This version works for me the best. I love the sublimely warm voice of Rita Coolidge singing this.)

Song of the Day

"Dance Me To The End Of Love"
(Leonard Cohen)

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Oh let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me very long
We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love

Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin
Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love

Song of the Day

The Nightingale
(Badalamenti / Lynch)

The nightingale
It said to me
There is a love
Meant for me
The nightingale
It flew to me
And told me
That it found my love.

He said one day
I’ll meet you
Our hearts will fly
With the nightingale.

The nightingale
He told me
One day
You will be with me.

The nightingale
Said he knew
That your love
Would find my love one day

My heart flies
With the nightingale
Through the night
All across the world.

I long to see you
To touch you
To love you
Forever more.


From the television series Twin Peaks, sung by Julee Cruise. One of my favourite songs... ever.

Ma Cabane au Canada

"Ma cabane au Canada
Est blotie au fond des bois..."

"My cabin in Canada
is nestled deep in the woods..."

... from the song by Mireille Brocey and Louis Gasté.

Rainy Day + Melancholy Music = Happy BPG

De t'avoir aimée
(Charles Aznavour / Buddy Kaye)

De t'avoir aimée, aimée comme un fou
Aimée a genoux, bien plus que debout
À n'en plus dormir, à n'en plus manger
Que me reste-t-il, de t'avoir aimée ?

De t'avoir aimée, de l'âme et des yeux
À en oublier, jusqu'au nom de Dieu
Pour ne plus avoir, qu'un nom à crier
Que me reste-t-il, de t'avoir aimée ?

Reste que ma voix, sans écho soudain
Restent que mes doigts, qui n'agrippent rien
Reste que ma peau, qui cherche tes mains
Et surtout la peur, de t'aimer encore
Demain presque mort

De t'avoir aimée, aimée de douleur
À m'en déchirer le ventre et le cœur
Jusqu'à en mourir, jusqu'à m'en damner
Que me reste-t-il, de t'avoir aimée ?

Ne me reste plus
Qu'un amour que tu
Viens d'écarteler

Song of the Day

I am Calling You
(Bob Telson)

A desert road from Vegas to nowhere
Some place better than where you've been
A coffee machine that needs some fixin'
In a little cafe just around the bend

I am calling you
Can't you hear me
I am calling you

A hot dry wind blows right through me
The baby's cryin' and I can't sleep
But we both know a change is comin'
Coming closer, sweet release

I am calling you
I know you hear me
I am calling you


This song, sung by Jevetta Steele, is one of the many memorable things from the film Bagdad Cafe (1987). So many more, including C.C.H. Pounder and Jack Palance. The luminous Marianne Sägebrecht is a German woman who emerges from the California desert in a way that brought to mind Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas (1984). (I think it's because I spent formative years living in the desert that draws me to it over and over). But here's the thing: Bagdad Cafe was directed by Percy Adlon (German, although I wouldn't have guessed from the name) and Paris, Texas was directed by Wim Wenders. Strange and delicious.

Song of the Day

Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)
(Music and words by Billy Joel)

Watch below, or, for a much better version, click here and make sure you watch the high-quality version (just to the bottom right of the screen).



Good night my angel, time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say

I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Where ever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away

Good night my angel, now it's time to sleep
And still so many things I want to say
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an emerald bay

And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep
The water's dark and deep
Inside this ancient heart
You'll always be a part of me

Do do do do...

Goodnight my angel, now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life will be
Someday your child may cry and if you sing this lullaby
Then in your heart there will always be a part of me

Someday we'll all be gone
But lullabies go on and on
They never die that's how you and I will be.

Now Why Can't Our Weather Be Like This?

[whiny hand flappings]

Camelot
(Lerner/Lowe)

It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear.
The climate must be perfect all the year.

A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But in Camelot, Camelot
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

Song of the Day

Someone to Watch Over me
(Gershwin/Gershwin)

There's a saying old, says that love is blind
Still we're often told, "seek and ye shall find"
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind.

Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret.

I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?

There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me.

I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could, always be good
To one who'll watch over me.

Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key.

Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me.

Song of the Day

Love Song For A Vampire

Come into these arms again
and lay your body down
The rhythm of this trembling heart
is beating like a drum
It beats for you it bleeds for you
it knows not how it sounds
For it is the drum of drums
it is the song of songs

Once I had the rarest rose
that ever deemed to bloom
Cruel winter chilled the bud
and stole my flower too soon
Oh loneliness Oh hopelessness
to search the ends of time
For there is in all the world
no greater love than mine.

Love o love o .... still falls the rain
Love o love o .... still falls the night
Love o love o .... damned forever

Let me be the only one
to keep you from the cold
Now the floor of heaven is laid
the stars are bright as gold
They shine for you they shine for you
they burn for all to see
Come into these arms again
and set this spirit free


Written and performed by the wonderful Annie Lennox.

Song of the Day

Life, she is busy and good as I prep for another vacation... but there is always time for music.

And there is always time for the Gershwins and Ella Fitzgerald.


How Long has this been going on?
(Ira and George Gershwin)

I could cry salty tears;
Where have I been all these years?
Little wow, tell me now:
How long has this been going on?

There were chills up my spine,
And some thrills I can't define.
Listen, sweet, I repeat:
how long has this been going on?

Oh, I feel that I could melt;
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I know how Columbus felt,
Finding another world.

Kiss me once, then once more.
What a dunce I was before.
What a break! For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?

Dear, when in your arms I creep,
That divine rendez-vous,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Let me dream that it's true !

Kiss me twice, then once more.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
What a break! For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?


The rendition by Ella Fitzgerald is what gives me shivers. That warm, bronzed voice... what a classic.

Song of the Day

I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart

I want to be a cowboy's sweetheart
I want to learn to rope and to ride
I want to ride o'er the plains and the deserts
Out west of that great divide
I want to hear the coyotes howlin'
While the sun sinks in the West
I want to be a cowboy's sweetheart
That's the life I love the best

(Yodeling)

I want to ride Old Paint goin' at a run
I want to feel the wind in my face
A thousand miles from all the city lights
Goin' a cowhand's pace
I want to pillow my head near the sleeping herd
While the moon shines down from above
I want to strum my guitar and yodelay-hee-hoo
Oh that's the life that I love

(Yodeling)

I want to be a cowboy's sweetheart
I want to learn to rope and to ride
I want to ride o'er the plains and the deserts
Out west of that great divide
I want to hear the coyotes howlin'
While the sun sinks in the West
I want to be a cowboy's sweetheart
That's the life I love the best

(Yodeling)


Okay, enough yodeling already. I don’t know much about country-western music, but I love this one. I first heard it featured on the soundtrack of Lone Star (1996) - it plays during the closing credits. This was written by Rubye Blevins, better known under her stage name of Patsy Montana. She recorded this in 1935 and it was the first country-western song by a female artist to sell over 1,000,000 copies. It has since been covered many times by other recording stars, but I’ve never heard them.

Song of the Day... for the Inconstant Moon, Which Bewitches Me Constantly

"Song to the Moon"
(From Rusalka, music by Dvořák, libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil)

Silver moon in the deep dark sky,
Through the vast night pierce your rays.

This sleeping world you wander by,
Smiling on men's homes and ways.

Oh moon ere past you glide, tell me,
Tell me, oh where does my loved one bide?

Tell him, oh tell him, my silver moon,
Mine are the arms that shall hold him,
That between waking and sleeping he may
Think of the love that enfolds him.

Light his path far away, light his path,
Tell him, oh tell him who does for him stay!

Human soul, should it dream of me,
Let my memory wakened be.
Moon, moon, oh do not wane, do not wane,
Moon, oh moon, do not wane....


This ravishing opera was inspired by three fairy tales, Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid, Friedrich de la Motte Fouque's Undine, and Gerhart Hautpmann's The Sunken Bell.

Here is Renee Fleming singing this beautiful aria.

The photograph was taken on Lake Huron in 2005. We walked the beach every night after dinner until the sun was set. Mmmmmmmmm... bliss.

Song of the Day

Edward's latest post helped me remember this song, that has been haunting me for days. It's one of my favourites... even though I couldn't recall it properly!

Where or When
(Rodgers and Hart)

Sometimes you think you've lived before
All that you live today
Things you do come back to you
As though they knew the way
Oh, the tricks your mind can play!

It seem we stood and talked like this before
We looked at each other in the same way then,
But I can't remenber where or when.
The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore.
The smile you are smiling you were smilimg then,
But I can't remember where or when.

Some things that happend for the first time,
Seem to be happening again.
Amd so it seems that we have met before
and laughed before
and loved before,
But who knows where or when.

Song of the Day

I have the CD John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman playing and a glass of merlot in my hand. And... a small piece of dark chocolate before me which, not only is very good with red wine, but is the perfect complement to Hartman's voice: dark, chocolatey, smooth and completely seductive. I hear it and I melt. Sigh. This song will definitely appear on "my life soundtrack." It's magical too, that Hartman only starts singing about half way through the track. Before that and throughout, you get the wonderful Coltrane. Mmmmmmmmm.

My One and Only Love
(Guy Wood and Robert Mellin)

The very thought of you makes
My heart sing,
Like an April breeze
On the wings of spring
And you appear in all your splendor,
My one and only love.

The shadow's fall and spread their
Mystic charms in the hush of night,
While you're in my arms.
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
My one and only love.

The touch of your hand is like heaven.
A heaven that I've never known
The blush on your cheek,
Whenever I speak,
Tells me that you are my own.

You fill my eager heart with
Such desire,
Every kiss you give
Sets my soul on fire
I give myself in sweet surrender,
My one and only love.

The Promise of Spring...

Pussywillows, Cat-tails
(Gordon Lightfoot)

Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses
Rainpools in the woodland, water to my knees
Shivering, quivering, the warm breath of spring
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

Catbirds and cornfields, daydreams together
Riding on the roadside, the dust gets in your eyes
Reveling, disheveling, the summer nights can bring
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

Slanted rays and colored days, stark blue horizons
Naked limbs and wheat bins, hazy afternoons
Voicing, rejoicing, the wine cups do bring
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses

Harsh nights and candlelights, woodfires a-blazin'
Soft lips and fingertips resting in my soul
Treasuring, remembering, the promise of spring
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses


A beautiful poem, an unforgettable song...

As for the pictures, above are some short pussywillows on top of my television, and in front of a set of William Morris "Foliage" curtains. I have a very large arrangement of long pussywillows on my dining-room table. It's so big it was a bit Blair-Witchy looking. So I hung some Easterish ornaments on it - see below - and now it is not so intimidating. Speaking of The Blair Witch Project (1999), I saw it, with my dad, when it was first released. He leaned over to me half-way through and whispered "I want the witch to get them." For weeks later, we'd call each other up and scream: "Josh!!! You've lost the f*%cking maaaaaaaap!" My relationship with my father is very genteel. This was an amusing exception. Well... amusing for us anyway.

Song of the Day

Cover Me
(Bruce Springsteen)

The times are tough now, just getting tougher
This old world is rough, it's just getting rougher
Cover me, come on baby, cover me
Well I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me
Promise me baby you won't let them find us
Hold me in your arms, let's let our love blind us
Cover me, shut the door and cover me
Well I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me

Outside's the rain, the driving snow
I can hear the wild wind blowing
Turn out the light, bolt the door
I ain't going out there no more

This whole world is out there just trying to score
I've seen enough I don't want to see any more,
Cover me, come on in and cover me
I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me

Outside's the rain, the driving snow
I can hear the wild wind blowing
Turn out the light, bolt the door
I ain't going out there no more

This whole world is out there just trying to score
I've seen enough I ain’t gonna see any more,
Cover me, wrap your arms around me, cover me
I'm looking for a lover who will come on in and cover me