At the Portrait Studio:
Sears ~ Summer 2012 & Penney's ~ December 2014
"There are many things in life. You're very young," said Ralph.
"I feel very old," said Isabel.
"You'll grow very young again. . . ."
Henry James ~ from Portrait of a Lady, 1881
(Chapter 54, p 471)
MUSICAL CONNECTIONS
1. from "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel
Once I thought my innocence was gone;
Now I know that happiness goes on . . . (1983)
2. from "Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam
Oh very young, What will you leave us this time?
You're only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy's best jeans
Denim blue fading up to the sky
And though you want him to last forever
You know he never will
You know he never will
And the patches make the goodbye harder still
Oh very young, what will you leave us this time?
There'll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you?
Will you ride the great white bird into heaven?
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
You know you never will
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still . . . (1974)
3. from "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
We are young
heartache to heartache we stand
No promises, no demands
Love is a battlefield
We are strong
No one can tell us were wrong
Searchin' our hearts for so long . . . (1983)
4. from "Forever Young" by Alphaville
Youth's like diamonds in the sun,
And diamonds are forever
So many adventures given up today,
So many songs we forgot to play.
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
Oh let it come true.
Forever young,
I want to be forever young.
Do you really want to live forever,
Forever, and ever? (1984)
5. from "We Are Young" by Fun, featuring Janelle Monae
Tonight
We are young
So let’s set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun (2011)
6. "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young. (1974)
7. "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart
May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond
And may you never love in vain
And in my heart you will remain
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
And when you finally fly away
I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell
But whatever road you choose
I'm right behind you, win or lose
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young (1988)
Two weeks (and one leap day!) ago, my post for the 14th, featured a series of Duets recommended by my older son Ben. Since then, my younger son Sam has suggested "Young Again" by Hardwell: "This is an 'EDM' song, but more melodic than most. I think you will enjoy."
Sam was right. I loved the melody and the lyrics, which brought to mind all of the above snippets from so many previous favorites. I kept wandering from one connection to the next, arriving ultimately at "Forever Young."
I guess one doesn't have to be very old to yearn for an earlier, more carefree time. After all, Hardwell himself is only 28, and Sam is even younger! I hope they will feel young again; better yet, I hope they will feel young now, because -- guess what? -- they are young! But I know what they mean. The obligations pile up; the duties and responsibilities seem to completely overshadow those faraway times of unstructured simplicity and creativity. And what's the best way to capture that nostalgia? A song, of course! Here is Hardwell's reminiscence that Sam so kindly recommended for his old parents:
"Young Again" by Hardwell
When I was a boy
I dreamed of a place
in the sky
Playing in the fields
Battling with my shields
Bows made out of twine
I wish I could see this
world again
through those eyes
See the child in me
in my fantasy
Never growing old
Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again
We wanna feel young
We wanna feel young again
When I was a boy
I searched for a world
that's unknown
All we have is fun
everybody runs
until the sun goes down
I wish I could see this
world again
through those eyes
See the child in me
in my fantasy
Never growing old
Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again
Will we ever feel young again
You wanna feel young
You wanna feel young again (2015)
Sam also sent an enthusiastic recommendation for Armin:
Letter From Sam:
"Mom and Dad -- I tried to pick my favorite Armin song, but no man, woman or child could ever hope to accomplish such a daunting task.
As such, I will be offering you a spread of my favorite Armin songs in this week's EDM Update email.
Disclaimer: When listening to Armin, you don't just listen to music, but you enter a #StateOfTrance
His most famous song: "This Is What It Feels Like"
Current most famous song: "Strong Ones"
My current favorite: "Heading Up High"
His Entrance Song (very similar to Dad's March Song) -- this was my favorite for a long time. It is 7 minutes, but I highly recommend. Dad I think you will very much enjoy this one: "Embrace"
His Closing Song: "Looking For Your Name"
Enjoy!! (not necessary, I know you will)"
SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS FOR MY
Next Fortnightly Post
Monday, March 14th
Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT ~ "Millennials & Music"
my shorter, almost daily blog posts
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com
Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST ~ "Climb Inside and Live There"
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogspot.com
