Pax Plena

Tag: Song of the Week

  • Song of the Week: Estrellita

    The Pax Plena song of the week comes to you from a somewhat different genre featuring classical composer Manuel Ponce’s famous ballad Estrellita. Written in the early 20th century, Estrellita became a unique sensation quickly working its way into the lexicon of Mexican folk songs.

    Originally set to Spanish lyrics, the song tells the story of a female voice who confides in her little star about the hidden love she feels for an unnamed man- a love which may ultimately carry her to the grave. Ponce takes the monologue (which could easily be viewed as a prayer of sorts), and sets it against an opening melody that quickly covers an entire octave. The resonant strains of the violin carry the line to greater heights reminding the listener of the confidence being communicated to the star solitaire.

     The melody remains at all points both tender and intense.

    The song was eventually made famous among western audiences when performed by the renown violinist Jascha Heifetz in the 1939 Archie Mayo film They Shall Have Music. A clip of the Heifetz rendition can be heard below – presumably as extracted from the movie. Lyrics in Spanish and English follow. Enjoy!

    Estrellita
    Estrellita del lejano cielo,
    que miras mi dolor,
    que sabes mi sufrir.
    Baja y dime
    si me quiere un poco,
    porque yo no puedo sin su amor vivir.
    ¡Tu eres estrella mi faro de amor!
    Tu sabes que pronto he de morir.
    Baja y dime
    si me quiere un poco,
    porque yo no puedo sin su amor vivir.
    Estrellita
    Little star of the distant sky,
    you see my pain,
    you know my anguish.
    Come down and tell me
    if he loves me a little,
    because I cannot live without his love.
    You are my star, my beacon of love!
    You know that soon I shall die.
    Come down and tell me
    if he loves me a little,
    because I cannot live without his love.

    Update 09/22/08: This post remains one of the more popular songs of the week we’ve done, so I felt it needed an update.

    To wit, the original video once posted above is no more. But I’ve also included a stunning rendition of Estrellita by violinist Joshua Bell. Enjoy!

  • Song of the Week: Ticks

    The Pax Plena song of the week comes to you courtesy of country music sensation Brad Paisley and is affectionately titled Ticks.

    Not a lot of depth and introspection this week. Just a great song that mixes equal portions comedy, romance and country. It’s the kinda song most of the kids in Cotton County can understand. For those city slickers reading, I guarantee you’ll never think of pesky ticks in quite the same way.

    The link at the below takes you to a streaming version of the song via Brad Paisley’s myspace page.

    Just click play and enjoy!

    [Link]

    Ticks

    Every time you take a sip
    In this smoky atmosphere
    You press that bottle to your lips
    And I wish I was your beer
    In the small there of your back
    Your jeans are playing peekaboo
    I’d like to see the other half of your butterfly tattoo.

    Hey that gives me an idea
    Let’s get out of this bar
    Drive out into the country
    And find a place to park.

    ‘Cause I’d like to see you out in the moonlight
    I’d like to kiss you way back in the sticks
    I’d like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
    And I’d like to check you for ticks.

    I know the perfect little path
    Out in these woods I used to hunt
    Don’t worry babe I’ve got your back
    And I’ve also got your front
    Now, I’d hate to waste a night like this

    I’ll keep you safe you wait and see
    The only thing allowed to crawl all over you when we get there is me.

    You know every guy in here tonight
    Would like to take you home
    But I’ve got way more class than them
    Babe that ain’t what I want.

    ‘Cause I’d like to see you out in the moonlight
    I’d like to kiss you way back in the sticks
    I’d like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
    And I’d like to check you for ticks.

    You never know where one might be
    There’s lots of place that are hard to reach
    I gotcha.

    I’d like to see you out in the moonlight
    I’d like to kiss you baby way back in the sticks
    I’d like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
    And I’d like to check you for ticks.

    Oh, I’d sure like to check you for ticks…

    *Photo courtesy of PictureCorrect.com

  • Song of the Week: Kissing a Fool

    Perhaps it’s the rainy weather here in Boston, but this week’s song of the week continues a succession of mellow songs performed by dynamic artists. The Pax Plena song of the weeks comes to you direct from modern crooner Michael Bublé and is titled Kissing a Fool.

    One of the most redeeming qualities about the song is its smokey, lounge quality feel. Written by George Michael in the late 80s, the song takes listeners back to the dive bars and cramped stages of the Jazz age complete with soaring lyrics and sparse percussion. One can almost see tuxedo-clad men with a glass of scotch listening in on a summer’s evening.

    The opening strains in the Bublé version, begin with a lead bass intro which is joined almost immediately in whisper by vocals. Bublé’s voice, however, is quick to showcase exactly why he is every bit the crooner he purports to be. Rest assured, in this song, the quietest sounds never become a bore. Bublé’s range is disparate, covering everything from the delicate lines preceding the opening chorus to the vibrant peak near the final repetition. Through its unique blend of instruments, trumpet, piano, and percussion most prominently, the score ably presents Bublé’s voice by striking a nice balance between accompaniment and instrumental musicality.

    The song itself traverses a wide range of emotions from hope, to despair and ultimately toward faith in faith. But its theme is fairly well contained- love sought, love lost and the personal introspection which invariably follows. The central idea seems to be the inability of lovers to commit and specifically in the inability of one to withstand outside pressures for want of mutual matters of the heart.

    The video below plays the song in its entirety. If you can over look the silly video on which someone has decided to affix the song, you’ll find the performance most enjoyable. Lyrics follow.

    Kissing A Fool

    You are far
    When I could have been your star
    You listened to people
    Who scared you to death
    And from my heart
    Strange that you were strong enough
    To even make a start
    But you’ll never find
    Peace of mind
    Till you listen to your heart

    People
    You can never change the way the feel
    Better let them do just what they will
    For they will
    If you let them
    Steal your heart from you
    People
    Will always make a lover feel the fool
    But you knew I loved you
    We could have shown them all
    We should have seen love through

    Fooled me with the tears in your eyes
    Covered me with kisses and lies
    So bye
    But please don’t take my heart

    You are far
    I’m never gonna be your star
    I’ll pick up the pieces
    And mend my heart
    Strange that I was wrong enough
    To think you’d love me too
    You must have been were kissing a fool
    You must have been kissing a fool

    But remember this
    Every other kiss
    That you’ll ever give
    Long as we both live
    When you need the hand of another man
    One you really can surrender with
    I will wait for you
    Like I always do
    There’s something there
    That can’t compare with any other

    You are far
    When I could have been your star
    You listened to people
    Who scared you to death
    And from my heart
    Strange that I was wrong enough
    To think you’d love me too
    You must have been kissing a fool
    You must have been kissing a fool

    You must have been kissing a fool

  • Song of the Week: Wasted

    The Pax Plena song of the week comes to you via country music Grammy Award winner (and Native Oklahoman) Carrie Underwood and is titled Wasted.

    Most analyses of this song seem indicate that it is rooted in the dark theme of alcoholism. This assumption certainly isn’t a stretch given the title but more than this the song is apt for any circumstance in which the will to live outweighs the will to mourn. It embodies a classic notion of personal resolve that an individual can recover from wasted years, from being jaded, even from depression through a personal decision to live again.

    Musically, there are various elements at work which make the song a powerful piece not the least of which being Underwood’s voice which is at times both soaring and contemplative- an atypical combination, indeed, for country music. Speaking as a fan, country music often inhabits the extremes of the style spectrum. It tends to be either really up-beat or fairly mellow. This song in particular seems to meld the two well.

    The video below is a performance of Underwood’s hit. It has been hailed by critics as one of the best country music videos released in recent years. Shot in black and white, the video tells the story of two lovers, their break up, and how the situation is ultimately resolved.

    Enjoy!

    Wasted
    Standing at the back door
    She tried to make it fast
    One tear hit the hard wood
    It felt like broken glass
    She said sometimes love slips away
    And you just can’t get it back
    Let’s face it

    For one split second
    She almost turned around
    But that would be like pouring rain drops
    Back into a cloud
    So she took another step and said
    I see the way out and I’m gonna’ take it

    I don’t wanna’ spend my life jaded
    Waitin’ to wake up one day and find
    That I’ve let all these years go by
    Wasted

    Another glass of whisky but it still don’t kill the pain
    So he stumbles to the sink and pours it down the drain
    He says it’s time to be a man and stop living for yesterday
    Gotta face it.

    Cause’ I don’t wanna’ spend my life jaded
    Waitin’ to wake up one day and find
    That I’ve let all these years go by
    Wasted

    Oh I don’t wanna’ keep on wishing, missin’
    But still every morning’ the color of the night
    I ain’t spending no more time
    Wasted

    She kept drivin’ along
    Till the moon and the sun were floating side-by-side
    He looked in the mirror and his eyes were clear
    For the first time in a while

    Hey, yeah,
    Oh, I don’t wanna’ spend my life jaded
    Waitin’ to wake up one day and find
    That I’ve let all these years go by
    Wasted

    Oh I don’t wanna’ keep on wishing, missing
    But still every morning’ the color of the night
    I ain’t spending no more time
    Wasted

    Oh, I don’t wanna’ spend my life jaded
    Waitin’ to wake up one day and find
    That I’ve let all these years go by
    Wasted

    Yeah, yeah
    Oh I don’t wanna’ keep on wishing, missing
    But still every morning’ the color of the night
    I ain’t spending no more time
    Wasted

  • Song of the Week: Chattanooga Choo Choo

    The Pax Plena song of the week hearkens us back to a bygone era of contrasting simplicities- when good and evil were objective and when America could fight a war on two fronts and win with only good ole’ American resolve.

    The year was August 21, 1941 less than four months before America’s entry into World War II and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Glen Miller’s orchestra had just ushered in a brand new era of big band swing and its new hit Chattanooga Choo Choo was the hottest song going. Fresh off the silver screen and into the radios and theaters of audiences across North America, the Milton Berle film Sun Valley Serenade introduced our swing classic to the world.

    The song is about a train trip taken from New York City to Chattanooga, TN back when Chattanooga was the kind of town folks ought to visit- when some three railways catered to the city’s transportation needs. It explores a now lost mode of travel and an increasingly passé notion of commitment. But the music will be as familiar to listeners as any sound of Americana- which only reinforces the view that the song has become somewhat of an American institution unto itself.

    Chattanooga Choo Choo melds the breezy vocals of Tex Beneke (who would go on to provide the vocals for most of the Glen Miller Orchestra’s biggest hits) with the big band sound of trombone, trumpet and tenor sax melody. Most notably, the background accompaniment infuses the opening strains with train engine sounds which help to blend seamlessly lyric and score. Like most swing songs, the tune is played to an up beat rhythm just right for dancing. If anything, the song was marketable in the Rainbow Room’s golden age.

    Listening to the song some 65 years later, the ultimate contribution it makes to the lexicon of music is its sentimental recollection of America’s lost innocence. It calls to mind the days before Islamofascism, the War on Terror and even the Greatest Generation. It conjures up memories of a time when the mere mention of satin and lace was enough to raise eyebrows, long before the days of quick flights, 24-hour news cycles and even shorter marriages.

    The link at the bottom provides a brief You Tube video from Sun Valley Serenade and features the song as performed back in 1941. Enjoy!

    Chattanooga Choo Choo

    Pardon me, boy
    Is that the Chattanooga choo choo?
    Track twenty-nine
    Boy, you can gimme a shine
    I can afford
    To board a Chattanooga choo choo
    I’ve got my fare
    And just a trifle to spare

    You leave the Pennsylvania Station ’bout a quarter to four
    Read a magazine and then you’re in Baltimore
    Dinner in the diner
    Nothing could be finer
    Than to have your ham an’ eggs in Carolina

    When you hear the whistle blowin’ eight to the bar
    Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
    Shovel all the coal in
    Gotta keep it rollin’
    Woo, woo, Chattanooga there you are

    There’s gonna be
    A certain party at the station
    Satin and lace
    I used to call “funny face”
    She’s gonna cry
    Until I tell her that I’ll never roam
    So Chattanooga choo choo
    Won’t you choo-choo me home?
    Chattanooga choo choo
    Won’t you choo-choo me home?

    [Link]

    Photo courtesy of Classic Photos.com