Megan just posted the lyrics to "both sides now" to her blog.
http://megannotkasey.blogspot.com/
Also attached is the youtube clip of joni performing the '03 arrangement live.
The only better performance of that is when she did it on her album "standards" and she has Wayne Shorter on soprano sax instead of the "miles" muted trumpet at the end.
If you do watch this clip (and i dare you not to tear up), note the strings ambivalence in the first verse. She is taking her note and singing with out any connection w/ what is happening in the accompaniment. The background music never connects w/ her until she goes into the first chorus. BRILLIANT! STINKING BRILLIANT DARING ARRANGEMENT!! Key means little, minor seconds mean nothing dissonance comes and goes...she's singing about clouds, and we are hearing what it sounds like to be IN A CLOUD. BRILLIANT!!!
Here's my question... what is the best verse (four lines) of the song and why...i have my thoughts but I'd love to hear yours...
i keep coming back to...is this the best marriage of music, melody and lyric of my lifetime? if not WHAT? lets leave it at those three issues...arrengement will be saved for a different discussion.
i can think of one that clearly gives it a run for its money...but i will give it further thought.
sean
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sean lumsden is a pastor, copy writer, waiter, musician and now a blogger...because, he needs just one more outlet...here you will find inspriational Biblical messages, random thoughts, and some seriously self indulgent music...(did you know that blog is greek for "self indulgent?)"
3 comments:
Ok, I am just going to be honest and hope like heck you don't offend easily. I have now listened to Joni a couple of times, and I have read the words at least half a dozen times. Frankly, I am just not seeing the draw. Still seems to be the same depressing song Judy sang into the ground in the late sixties. I am thinking you must not have been around yet for that because after Judy sang this adnauseum with her almost screeching voice on the high notes, well, its still difficult for me to appreciate its finer points. As for lyrics, I want to slap her aside the head and tell her "get over it!". Anyone else out there with me on this? Maybe I should have been to the sermon.
Pig woman-
Thanks for your thoughts...
ask ms goat how easily i offend...
to me, the beauty of the lyric is in the perfect choice of metaphore. the wispiness of said cloud has the power to change the perceiced power of said sun. YET the imperical power of the cloud is quite less than that of the sun.
therein lies its brilliance...
how often do we shy away from all that God has put in our hearts or called us to be becuause of fear...or intimidation...or of insecurity. Those are the clouds.
The power of God in our lives, for good, for peace, for forgiveness is far greater than any cloud of "but what if...?"
"all the things i would've done, but clouds got in the way..."
Plus i think CS lewis would've loved the power in drawing the distinction between the real us (spirit) and the image us (flesh)...see great divorce...
Nevertheless...the string arrangement of this song just brings a new life to this piece... just listen to the french horn's dramatic perfect fifths leading up to the conculusion.
thanks again- sean
So Goat, does yor friend Sean offend easy? snort.
Ok, THIS I can appreciate. It would have been nice to hear the whole sermon.
Now if someone could just point out which sounds are the french horns and tell me what a fifth is, I'd be cookin. But I still don't think I will be weeping on this one.
PS Life is short. Some of us are over 50. You might want to keep that in mind when you, ahem, promise further instruction on the worship thing.....
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