Had a good time last night, watching old clips from the Dean Martin show.
I swear, I’ve been on this guy’s plane before. He was clearly a pilot for Delta…
Tag: Living
-
Song of the Week: L-O-V-E
Since today is St. Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate song of the week than Nat “King” Cole’s L-O-V-E.
L-O-V-E was recorded on a sunny Wednesday afternoon on June 3, 1964 in Hollywood, CA. Having listened to the song in numerous movies, and in my own music collection, whenever I hear L-O-V-E I can’t help but think of a ride I once took down Hollywood Boulevard en route to the Capitol Records building, palm trees swaying against sun-drenched skies.
Isn’t this basically how love feels? Every cloud has beauty. Every kiss is an exciting mystery. It’s as if the skies were painted blue by God Himself, just for you. This feeling of wonderment associated with ‘love’ is what Cole’s song captures so well.
Oddly, what makes the piece work is the almost imperceptible crescendo of the music. As Cole begins his etymology of love, the initial lines are soft, if not sultry. As Cole delivers line after classic line, the music builds, interspersed by trombone vignettes, and trumpet solos. By the time Cole bellows that ‘love is made for me and you’ the music is enthralling enough to actually believe him.
The song itself is performed in a masterful legato style that is every bit as smooth as Cole’s baritone voice. The sound is one unique to the artist combining elements of Jazz with Cole’s provenance as a big band singer. At the end, the music almost has a dixieland band feel, concluding the song splendidly.
And what to say about the lyrics? The lyrics have really almost become their own definition of love. At the very least, it seems fair to say that Cole’s lyrics are the most famous acrostic in history. But perhaps the more intriguing part of the song is the way Cole’s simple melody has come to inform our consciousness of what love is and means.
Cole’s song reminds us that two people in love can ‘make it’, damn the odds and divorce rates. It reminds us that love is really all we can give to someone else. And it reinforces what is most important about our relationships. Sure, we can buy presents. We can devise exotic vacations. We can even share a delicious meal, or a fine wine. But all of these things involve something external to the self. Love, on the other hand, is all we can actually give of ourselves to another.
With that thought in mind, just because I ‘love’ my readers, please enjoy this very special Valentine’s Day song of the week, L-O-V-E as performed by Nat “King” Cole.
L-O-V-E
By Nat King ColeL is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can…Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don’t break it
Love was made for me and youL is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can…Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don’t break it
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you -
Thoughts on My Wedding Day
In roughly 1.25hrs, I will stand at the alter of Avoca Baptist church and pledge my love, and life to Gwyn Hamrick (soon to be Fodder).
My vantage from the small window in the alcove of the church shows an absolutely perfect day with only wisps of clouds in the sky. A crane of the neck looks out at a field of green behind the church. The warmth of the sun feels a lot like the Father smiling down, and feeling pleased. It’s the kind of day made for beginning life anew.
It might seem strange to some, adding my thoughts on marriage, and life here in this space normally devoted to political wranglings, and snarky remarks.Yet in other ways writing here could not be more appropriate. This peculiar hobby of mine has been one of the few things that I have continued throughout my formative years- from college, through my time in Boston, to my days of law school down in Tucson, until now. Why not share some thoughts with an old friend?
The single thought that occupies my mind in these waning hours of my single, adult life is the notion of loyalty, and its implications. I remain convinced, now as much as ever, that love is fundamentally a commitment. We choose whom to love. And love is something borne out in life’s great struggles as the commitment to another is tested, time and time again.
I am under no delusions that love, and marriage will be an easy commitment to keep. Any commitment given proper consideration requires some quid pro quo from both parties. But in marriage, the agreement should never terminate. Given this depth and breadth of commitment, deciding whether to marry or not is among the most profound decisions one can make.
And so marriage, in many ways, is not unlike any other major decision that life brings our way. We simply make the best decision we can with the information available to us, and proceed accordingly. I am confident in my decision. I am appreciative of my betrothed for her agreement. And I am joyed at our mutual decision to love each other.
And on this we can build a life.
In sum, I love my bride to be with all of the commitment a life time can afford. My feelings on this auspicious occasion are quite serene. The wedding itself, the reception, the entire production is ancillary to the actual commitment between the two of us that this day is set to commemorate.
But, ‘to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3.1). Today is our day to love, and to laugh.
And this is good.
-
Weight and Marriage
With the big day looming on Saturday, it was unsettling to read today’s Daily Beast article on marriage and weight gain.
According to a recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health, adults entering a long-term cohabiting relationship, particularly those who get married, are prone to higher rates of weight gain and obesity than those who remain single.
The author’s solution endorses a heavy-handed government intervention in America’s obesity problem:
So where does this leave us? Ultimately, the Obama administration should fully embrace weight control as a societal issue, and realize it is not something that can be left to individual responsibility. There are so many useful things the government could do that would make it easier, from subsidizing the right types of farming to reining in the food industry and funding health-maintenance programs at worksites.
[Link]
The prescription does not square with the ailment. Later in the article, the author notes several tips for keeping the pounds under control even after tying the knot – chief among them eating less, and exercising more. One might be tempted to call such suggestions commonsense, and personal responsibility. Although, in the age of Obama, such notions are quaint.
Even so, the warning is a good wake up call for all Americans as health care reform dominates the Nation’s political landscape. In many ways, the health problems we face are ones of our own creation. The choices we make in life, and in marriage have real, long-term consequences.
Here’s hoping the future missus and I can learn to adopt healthy habits – lest Big Brother ‘make sure’ that we do. Ja?
-
New Year 2009
New Year 2009 has already arrived in some quarter of the world. Given the tumultuous annum that has passed, it is little wonder that most revelers are apt to bid it good riddance.[Link]
Pax Plena regulars will note that I am normally one to make a few New Year’s resolutions, and based upon my list from January 2008, I am glad to report that I kept the bulk of them. On the other hand, the list was so abstract in retrospect, that it would have been difficult not to keep at least some of them. I hope to make this year’s list more concrete.
Alas, the list is a still a work in progress. In fact, I may put its release on hold until tomorrow when I have things better sorted out. For those in a similar fix, it may be helpful to consider a few suggestions from Uncle Sam.
After all, we have less than three weeks before the social engineers take charge, and make the government suggestions mandatory.
But between now and midnight, whatever your time zone, please enjoy the rendition of Auld Lang Syne from ‘LostmyChops.’ For those interested in a brief history of the song, see this column from the Trinidad & Tobago Express.
And as always, from Pax Plena to you, Happy New Year.
