Spontaneous Musings

Day 13 of the 30 Day Music Challenge - a song you like from the 70s. (Clearly whomever designed this meme has a thing for 70s music?)

I'm going with the song that I listened to constantly back then, and heard again today at my Unitarian Church's Zoom Service. It's from a singer who I adored back then, but haven't listened to much since, not sure why exactly.
Music moods come and go.

It was written and released in 1971, at the very beginning of the 1970s and at the top of the women's empowerment and counter-culture movement. My mother was working in Women's League of Voters, and owned the album upon which it premiered.



( background on the song )

I heard it in 1975, at the top of its popularity. And often danced around my room and with my friends singing it. We were all 6-10 years of age at the time. To this day, this song makes me smile. There's too many songs that are written by men, or about women being subordinate to them that are honored.
Today, I feel the need to honor the women.

So for anyone who decides to post their song pick to my post? I think this is an easy category. So, I'm adding a challenge - pick a 1970s song, written and performed by a female artist that is NOT a love song and not about men. And not an instrumental number. And not sung by a guy at all. Also it can't be a song or an artist chosen by someone else in my journal. (In other words you can't use my selection or my artist.) Note, it can be written by a male/female songwriting team, but if you should find one that is just written by a female artist and performed by one and that was first released in the 1970s - from 70-79, then kudos.

[I bet I get no responses to this, because I've stumped folks. ETC: It can be by a group of female artists. And song by a group of female artists. Just not a group of male/female artists. Ie: No Sonny & Cher, or The Carpenters.]

Well, considering I can't remember songs to save my life - it's basically everything. I was discussing this with mother over the phone today.

Me: So, a friend post that his mother could hum the entire orchestration of Lara's theme of Doctor Zhviago.
Mother: Beautiful, but can't remember it all.
Me: I can't remember the title of songs, the singer, let along the lyrics or tune. It's why I can't sing. I was hunting this song that had something like I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, it's going to be a sunshiny year..
but it took me forever to remember that phrase. And every song I've posted to this meme I'm doing online? I've had to look up. Because I can't remember theme..I've no memory for music for some reason.
Mother: Neither do I. I have difficulty remember our choral music, I don't remember the tunes or lyrics.
ME: Hmmm, I'm thinking this is not a skill or a talent, it's genetic. DNA.
If you can remember songs, your parents probably could, and theirs probably could. Which means you can probably sing.

[Edited to Clarify - I found the song I Can See Clearly Now - last night via a title on my journal posted in January 2008. I found it by a visual memory, and a sense of what it was - I couldn't remember the lyrics, tune, words, etc...only a feeling from it. ]

At first, I didn't think I knew what to go with. But my heart and soul screamed one above all the rest. It's the only song - I find that I stop to listen to..and am always moved by. It's a song that says so much with so little.

It's one of my father's favorite spiritual song - you see...and right now, my Dad is in my heart for oh so many reasons that I do not want to go into here. Sometimes music talks greater than words, and that is this song.

There's so many versions of it, it's hard to pick one, so I'm picking four - to give you an idea of it's range and versatility.

1. Aretha Franklin Sings Amazing Grace in 1971



2. Joan Baez & Aaron Neville Sing Amazing Grace



3. Celtic Women Sing Amazing Grace



It's a song that moves me to tears, comforts me, and gives me hope all at the same time.

The problem with this meme for me - is I don't remember the names of songs or performers very well. I have a great memory, but it's poorly indexed.
I'm trying to remember a song that is about it being a sunnier year. But I can't remember the name of it for the life of me. If you can figure out what the name of that song is? Kudos.

So, after listening to 50-60 different songs, I've settled on ...Joy to the World by Three Dog Night. The other two, I considered, made me cry - Louis Armstrong's It's a Wonderful World and Rachel Loy's Big Sky (and that's tomorrow's selection.) I also considered Moondance - but I've already done one by Van Morrison, and Bad Bad Leroy Brown. I wish I could remember the one about how it's going to be a sunny year.

Kind of difficult since the last time I drove was roughly in 1999, maybe 2002. Not sure which. I don't drive any longer.

I don't remember what songs I drove to in the 1990s. In the 1980s, we drove to a mixed tape that my brother made me. I can't remember all the songs on it and the tape is long gone (cassettes never lasted long for me, I had a tendency to break them after a while.)

I thought of a lot of songs...Born to be Wild, 56th Street Song, Danger Zone, and a song that I can't find or remember the name of ..

So...here goes my selection...keeping in mind that I don't drive and hate riding in cars. And the last time I was actually in a car - was probably in December of 2019. I've been doing a lot of walking about.



( rest below the cut )

From ladystarlightsj Go here and find the top songs the year you were born. Bold the songs you like. Strike out the ones you hate. Asterisk the ones you've never heard of.


( This meme makes me feel old and well, have odd taste in music - apparently, since clearly not a huge fan of soul or rhythm and blues, which appeared to be the in thing when I was born. )