Pax Plena

Author: Tory Fodder

  • Song of the Week: Beat It

    In honor of the King of Pop, the resurrected Pax Plena Song of the week goes out to the newly late Michael Jackson.

    From a child of the 80s, to the man who defined the decade, RIP.

    Beat It
    by Michael Jackson

    They told him don’t you ever come around here
    Don’t wanna see your face, you better disappear
    The fire’s in their eyes and their words are really clear
    So beat it, just beat it

    You better run, you better do what you can
    Don’t wanna see no blood, don’t be a macho man
    You wanna be tough, better do what you can
    So beat it, but you wanna be bad

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right
    Just beat it, beat it
    Just beat it, beat it
    Just beat it, beat it
    Just beat it, beat it

    They’re out to get you, better leave while you can
    Don’t wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man
    You wanna stay alive, better do what you can
    So beat it, just beat it

    You have to show them that you’re really not scared
    You’re playin’ with your life, this ain’t no truth or dare
    They’ll kick you, then they beat you,
    Then they’ll tell you it’s fair
    So beat it, but you wanna be bad

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right
    Just beat it, beat it
    Beat it, beat it, beat it

    Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right
    Just beat it, beat it
    Beat it, beat it, beat it

    Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Showin’ how funky and strong is your fight
    It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right

    Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it
    No one wants to be defeated
    Just beat it, beat it
    Beat it, beat it, beat it

  • A Cynic’s View of Susan Boyle

    Britain’s Got Talent (does it?) star, and internet sensation Susan Boyle took the masses by storm last week with her performance of Les Misérables‘s “I Dreamed a Dream.”

    The performance is notable for its exercise in contrast. Ms. Boyle is the 47-year-old virgin singer who had never been kissed; who lived alone with her cat; who though homely in appearance sings with the voice of an angel.  In the youtube clip of the performance, one can nigh feel the Lord Himself urging us on toward our better persons through song.

    Naturally, such viral interest heightens my skepticism. For once, I am not alone. Saturday’s New York Post easily published the most cynical response to the Susan Boyle phenomenon of any major publication in the world. The Post op-ed appears in relevant part below:

    Most disturbing of all, perhaps, is that not since Saturday has Susan Boyle been Susan Boyle. It’s a permutation of the Heisenberg principle: That 30 million people have heard her, seen her, embraced her has already changed who she is. The shy churchgoer who said that her recently deceased mother encouraged her to “take the risk,” who admitted in her audition that she has never been kissed, who has forever lived as something of an accidental outcast – she now seems too much of this world. “I’ve been for a meeting with Sony BMG, but I can’t say much about it,” she said this week. “It’s early days.” Susan Boyle is now one of us. And that is really a shame.

    [Link]

    Aside from being a bit self-flagellating, writer Maureen Callahan utterly nails the cynic’s response. Aside from the substantive change in Ms. Boyle’s life, Ms. Callahan’s larger point is that the performance would be eminently forgettable were it not for the contradictions. In other words, if Ms. Boyle were more attractive, might not we be less entranced? And, by extension, isn’t Ms. Boyle a bit overrated?

    Perhaps.

    Regardless, I leave you to decide. The video clip of Ms. Boyle’s performance is below. Enjoy! (Or not).

  • Song of the Week: Sleepy Tigers

    The Pax Plena song of the week took a bit of a hiatus due to the onset of our law school’s Moot Court Competition. With round one in the books, and one more round to go, I’m proud that it is back with a vengance.

    The Pax Plena song of the week comes to you courtesy of the Cox Cable commercial below. While watching TV this past Monday, the Cox commercial came on and it had the catchiest little background song that I had ever heard on a Cox commercial. This really doesn’t say much for Cox, but, even so, I couldn’t get the jingle out of my head.

    For those of you who clicked the video above, you have to admit that the little robots dancing to the music are quite fetching. Not long after seeing the spot, I found myself errantly half-whistling the tune. Finally, the haunting became too much. This afternoon, I scoured the internet using the only lyrics I could recall (“I love you so very much” & “Wake you up”) looking for the title of the song, and a music video. The song is called Sleepy Tigers from the band/recording moniker Her Space Holiday.

    The band is really no band at all. As best I can gather, all recordings are done by artist Marc Bianchi who imports a ‘folk and jam’ sound to his songs while placing an emphasis on lyrics and song writing. The focus pays off. The lyrics of Sleepy Tigers are easily the best part of the song. The track provides a clear instance where lyrics dictate music, and some how the perfect balance is struck.

    The tenor of the song is largely up beat. Cox’s dancing robots would have it no other way. Neither would yours truly. Anyone in need of a new ‘happy’ song for your play list will be well served. I will not expand on lyrics that can easily say much more for themselves. But the biography discussing the musician’s underlying philosophy is a good read in narrative form. The suppressed existentialist in me is actually quite sympathetic.

    Per usual, a video of the song appears below. (It’s actually a surprisingly interesting fan piece). Lyrics follow after the jump. Enjoy!

    Sleepy Tigers
    By Her Space Holiday

    Oh I like you so very much so much in fact I gotta wake you up
    It’s not that I have words to speak
    I just wanna see you looking at me
    In a way, that states

    In an hour when the sun comes up
    We’re gonna put on our shoes we’re gonna shake the dust
    Open the door with your brand new key
    We won’t be afraid of being sweet
    to ourselves
    Or anybody! anybody else!

    Oh I miss you so very much so much in fact i gotta call you up
    It’s not that I have news to bring
    I just wanna make your telephone ring
    So it shows and you know

    In a week when I fly back home
    We’re gonna jump in bed and be all alone
    you’ll make biscuits and I’ll make tea
    We’ll curl up close and then fall asleep
    To the sound… of no one else, no else around

    And if Ive learned anything at all
    In this short life of mine,
    If you hear that joy has come to town
    Track it down, take a picture and tape it to your eyes

    Oh I love you so very much so much in fact I’m gonna switch it up
    I’m gonna take this room that I built for fun
    And burn down the walls in front of everyone
    So they see, you and me

    Dancing in our sleepy clothes
    With two big smiles and a bowl of hope
    That we’ll drink down like ginger tea
    The heat will help us forget everything
    That you and I, that you and I have seen

    And if Ive learned anything at all
    In this short life of mine (it’s this)…
    If you hear that joy has come to town
    Track it down, take a picture and tape it to your eyes…

  • Song of the Week: Nearer Blessed Lord

    The Pax Plena Song of the Week comes to you courtesy of my latest cinematic foray- the acclaimed 2007 movie Bella. Aside from being critically acclaimed, Bella also earned the endorsement of many pro-life groups for its pro-adoption message.

    I’ll take care not to give away the plot for those who care to see the movie.  But, in brief, Bella is the story of an odd pairing of two down-on-their-luck people, working dead end jobs at a Manhattan restaurant. The theme of the movie is one of redemption, and grace despite some of life’s toughest obstacles. In a word, the movie is about overcoming.  Unsurprisingly, Nina Simone’s Nearer Blessed Lord strikes the perfect chord.

    The tenor of the song is a balanced mix – delivering high moments of optimism, combined with the mournful cries of realism.  In all, the music of the song itself is reminiscent of some of the best negro spirituals of the 1940s.

    The piece opens with the airy medley of a blues piano, joined quickly by Simone’s vocals.  The ultimate theme of the song is one of crying out to God, and the longing all humans feel to be close (viz., nearer) to a loved one when life becomes a bit too real. It is this feeling that Simone’s vocals capture so well. She is at times mournful, and at other points ebullient. Only the blues piano remains constant. The syncopation of the piano adds an interesting, consistent foil to Simone’s emotional, and ranging performance. 

    But the real power of the song comes from Simone’s ability to transcend the genre of gospel music, and re-making the song as a work of jazz.  Along the way, Simone manages to capture some of life’s most intense emotions, and present a vocal lesson in contrast to even the most skilled singer.

    The song can be accessed through the YouTube video below.  Lyrics follow after the jump.  For those interested in the movie or some of the other songs from the film, the website “You Crazy Dreamers” has an interesting write up of the soundtrack.  It also contains links so that you can hear a few of the tracks.  The site can be accessed here.  Enjoy!

    Nearer Blessed Lord
    by Nina Simone

    I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
    And it told Thy love to me;
    But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
    And be closer drawn to Thee.
    Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
    To the cross where Thou hast died;
    Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
    To Thy precious, bleeding side.

    Consecrate me now to Thy service,
    By the power of grace divine;
    Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
    And my will be lost in Thine
    Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
    To the cross where Thou hast died;
    Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
    To Thy precious, bleeding side

    My soul look up with a steadfast hope,
    My will be lost in Thine
    So draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
    To the cross where Thou hast died;
    Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
    To Thy precious, bleeding side.

  • Song of the Week: I’ll Say I’m Sorry Now

    The Pax Plena Song of the Week, unfortunately, has become as anachronistic around these parts as bipartisanship has become in Washington. But a song I heard last night at the end of a movie left me absolutely stunned – to the point of dropping my malaise. Consider the Song of the Week officially resurrected thanks to Shawn Colvin’s I’ll Say I’m Sorry Now.

    Shawn Colvin is a new artist to yours truly. I would never have heard of her had I not seen the movie. While I am a bit embarrassed at seeing the movie that featured her song, her performance on the piece is riveting. Colvin’s voice communicates a certain breezy, melancholy that is innate to the song. Her performance is genuine, and her voice sings in a manner that bespeaks a profound familiarity with the song’s content. It is a difficult balance to pull off in any circumstance, but Colvin does so effortlessly.

    As with most songs, I appreciate the song’s realness. It presents life as an uncertain ‘mystery mile’, and talks about its inevitable disappointments (‘I’m gonna let you down’). But the message of the song is that while the disappointments are inevitable, a simple apology can be used to preempt some of the pain. While the apology is no substitute for the harm, it is sufficient for both singer and listener to know that the apology was said.

    In truth, I think this is a lot of what life is about. There are no guarantees. The best we can do is call situations ‘like we see em,’ press ahead, and offer plenty of apologies for the ineluctable mistakes that we will make. Somehow, Colvin takes these emotions, and makes them make sense.

    Please enjoy the Pax Plena Song of the Week, I’ll Say I’m Sorry Now.

    I’ll Say I’m Sorry Now
    by Shawn Colvin

    I’m gonna let you down
    I know that now
    Make you cry, I know I will
    Why should you believe
    I would never leave
    Or that I love you still
    For all the by and by
    Hard as we try
    The bough breaks and the cradle falls
    For everything I do
    That will tear at you
    Let me say I’m sorry now
    So you can sing your song
    You can get it wrong
    You can kiss the rock of ages
    In your wildest dreams
    You might see between
    The liars and the sages
    You can walk awhile
    Down the mystery mile
    You can beat the drums of freedom
    And in love and war
    Through the rush and roar
    You just call ’em like you see ’em