SONG #39 - Limahl - Never Ending Story

INDUCTED 7-08-2015

The NeverEnding Story... Now that's a blast from the past. This movie came out in 1984, but I think I first saw it when I was seven or eight. This is one of those movies that blew me away as a child, with the boy riding that Dragon a dog type thing, and just the whole idea of being Swept Away in this fantasy book. I still remember just feeling weird watching this movie. It was so unique and transported you to a magical land. Anyway the song is synonymous with the movie and really added to the experience. I love the style and the 80s touch to the song. It's been a few songs since I had a specific memory linked to a song but I do have one for NeverEnding Story. In college when I was rooming with Jeremiah we would sit by our computers and spend a lot of time listening to music. This was a song that I listen to a lot in our room, and whenever it came on I would start dramatically dancing and kicking over the trash cans among other things. It was pretty ridiculous in hindsight but it makes for a good memory now that I look back on it. Jeremiah and I still talk about it to this day. Anyway the elements are like about this song include the whooshing wind and the synth arpeggio at the beginning, and the verses when he draws out a specific word like "look at what you seeeeeeeee". Finally, The singer's voice is incredible for this particular song. 

SONG #38: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes - Home

WowWee do I love this song. I heard it first at the end of an episode of Raising Hope, the cute little show on Fox that lasted a few seasons. I was instantly hooked first by how it was used in the show but second of all just buy the Integrity of the song in and of itself. I don't know a whole lot about Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros although I try to pay attention when they release anything new. The way I understand it is that Edward Sharpe is a Persona of the actual lead singer, and the Edward Sharpe character is kind of like a cult leader. Pretty interesting huh? There are so many songs that talk about home and I like most of them, but there's just something really unique and and at the same time folksy about this particular song. First of all it's recorded in such a way that it sounds like it is a much older song than it actually is. Generally I don't like songs that are recorded and mastered in this way but It just fits this song really well. The whistle intro is legendary, instantaneously recognizable, and is one of my favorite parts of this song. I think what's really special about this song is in a few short minutes the male and female lead in this song are able to capture this deep sense of love. Their chemistry is incredibly strong. This really impacts the song in a positive way. You can tell that they really truly love each other... Even though they are just singing a song and they really don't. Obviously the line about no one pleases me more than you, including Jesus, rubs me the wrong way but I certainly can overlook it for a song that's just oozing with wonderful sappy sentimentality. And in fact you could take those lyrics to its conclusion, look at the divorce rate in America and realize that this idealized love that we often celebrate very quickly can turn into dissatisfaction and dissolution. I'd be interested in hearing these characters sing a song 10 years later... Would they still be this much in love? Who knows. Anyway that's how I like to process songs especially songs where there's a line or the whole concept that doesn't align with my faith. Anyway it's a great song and I unswervingly inducted into my hall of fame. As I said I heard this at the end of a TV show, and there isn't necessarily a specific memory that is linked to this song. I know I listen to it a lot in my office at peace and on car rides. But it doesn't have to have specific memories for it to be considered one of my favorites. Well done.

Song #37: The Echoing Green - The Story of Our Lives

Inducted on April 10, 2015

Most of you will have no idea who this band is. If you do, let's have lunch and talk about it sometime. This group has had a huge impact on my life starting from when I got their album is part of the BMG CD Club "deal" (I know now that you never really got a deal from  those clubs). The Christian rock section of the CD magazine was pretty sparse, and so I picked up in echoing green album on a flyer just to see if it was something that I would enjoy. 

And man, did I ever enjoy it. It was electronic music at its best, and it carried Faith based themes that really connected to me at that time in my life (and still does). We still may see there song "arrival" in the Hall of Fame someday as that was the first song of theirs that I really gravitated to. Joey belleville's writing was all about finding your place and life and knowing that God was there, although he didn't always blatantly mention God.

So needless to say this band was already one of my favorites when they release this song in 2004. At that time I was at St John's Adrian doing Ministry and still trying to find my place in life and I remember being blown away by this song when I first heard it. I know for many of you you might not dig the sound especially if you don't like electronic music. But I loved the build-up of the song Until It's very last chorus. Speaking of the chorus, I love it so much specifically the concept of being "lifted out of nowhere". Again, as a young man without much direction and purpose.. one who felt stuck in many ways.. this song gave so much hope.. this probably sounds weird, but this song reminds me of the end of a rain storm when the water's still dripping off the trees but the sun is definitely peeking out from the clouds.

Again, I dont have a lot of specific memories of this song except listening to it off of the bands Myspace site and being wowed by it. I spent too many hours in my ministry hiding in the office trying to get courage to make a difference.. but I'd like to think that the Lord used songs like this one to nudge me to use the time I've been given wisely...

SONG #36: Foo Fighters - My Hero

Inducted March 4, 2015

The Foo Fighters are a band that I am drawn to whenever they put out new music, but I loved their late "90s" era music the best. Another song that I loved that will be close to making it in the HOF is "Learn to Fly". This song, though, is hands down the best...

The thumping drum beat hooked me from the very beginning. Coincidentally, like the last song, Dave Grohl doesn't start singing until about 35 seconds in. The build up before the vocals is fantastic. This song was another song I started listening to in college (even though it was released when I was in high school). I remember loving the music video, and the song really resonated with me. I am drawn in by the concept of Heroes (You'll see later on that I inducted Hero by David Crosby into the HOF) - specifically ordinary, every day heroes. "There Goes my hero, Watch him as he goes..." is a pretty simplistic phrase, but it certainly invokes feelings I would have when I watched my heroes on tv [Michael Jordan, Rob Deer (yes, I know... look him up), and Mario Lemieux] - and my heroes at home (My Dad)  and being so in awe of them. I definitely get "the feels" listening to this song.

While I can't piece together any memories of this song other than just sitting in my dorm room listening to this song and watching the video, it certainly has woven through many parts of my adult life.

Foo Fighters - My Hero

SONG #35: Audioslave - Be Yourself

Inducted on February 8, 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC5FdFlUcl0

First off, I'd put Chris Cornell among the top 5 lead singers of the last 25 years.
I don't think that's very controversial. From his Soundgarden days to Audioslave to his solo stuff, he shows off incredible range and raw emotion. (BREAK)

(SIDE NOTE: I wrote that first paragraph in February of 2016. Yes, that's how long it's taken me to get back to my Hall of Fame blogging. Since then, Chris has passed, as have my other top 10 favorite singers Chester Bennington and Dolores O'Riordan. This hurts so much. While I might not have shared the same worldview as any of these singers, their music definitely connected with me on a variety of levels. I am finishing this entry today.. March 6, 2019)

Audioslave was a short lived band, but they certainly brought it hard. "Like a stone" could be another Hall of Fame song in the future, but my guess it will get lost among other favorites of mine. So this  "Be Yourself" entry will most likely be Audioslaves lone contribution, but wow is it ever a good one.

You know I love a good hook, and this hook may be one of my favorites, with the first couple bars of a single guitar followed by a catchy riff w/ the steady drumbeat. Cornell doesn't come in until about 35 seconds into the song. The opening verses as they contain dichotomies of people..

"Someone falls to pieces
Sleeping all alone
Someone kills the pain
Spinning in the silence
She finally drift away
Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard
Catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen
White roses on a grave"

And then he responds to this verse with the simple charge to people...

"And be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do"

The haunting dichotomies happen in the second verse as well. It is interesting how people can be so different (and in kind, very similar).

After another chorus, we get to a fantastic distorted funky breakdown that fits in nicely with the song. That is followed by a passionate bridge with a message to all the people regardless of their approach to life:

Even when you've paid enough
Been pulled apart
Or been held up
Every single memory of
The good or bad, faces of love
Don't lose any sleep tonight
I'm sure everything will end up alright
You may win or lose

But to be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do


As someone who craves authenticity.. the song's basic message - "Be Yourself" - resonates with me even if it isn't moored to any kind of faith message.

There is so much that happens in this 4-minute song, and yet there are lyrical and musical themes that bridge the song together. Man, the more I listen to this song, the more I'm likely to put this in my top 10 of all time. But that's a blog entry for another day. 

This song came out when I was in Adrian with my first ministry position. I had bought some Mp3s and put them on a CD, so this song got a lot of play, to say the least. I remember this song playing as I spontaneously traveled to St. Joseph to surprise Sarah to visit her when she was having a rough time at her Student Teaching site. I specifically remember this playing as I rolled into a gas station in St. Joe's to fill up before I headed home. It's amazing how powerful our memories link up with music.

Anyway. I think I've convinced you of how much I love this song!  

I'm so sad that we won't hear anything else from Chris. I wish he had known Jesus... who knows... maybe he did... he was asking some good questions in his music..