I Am Not Here

I had to schedule this post in advance, since I can’t be here today because I am attending a funeral, but when I get back, I will read everyone’s post.  This is the first time that I had to schedule a post, so I hope that this works out for me, allowing me to keep Song Lyric Sunday going while I am away.  A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers sing in unison and have equal importance to the piece.  Most people think of a duet as one part being a melody and a secondary part that harmonizes with that melody.  As long as there has been singing, there has probably been some kind of duet music.  The earliest vocal duets, as we think of them today, began with opera in the early 1600s.  Composers quickly discovered that vocal duets work best with some kind of high voice/low voice combination.  The most popular pairings are soprano and alto, soprano and tenor, and tenor with bass.

Last week we went with the abnormal prompt of Tom/Dick/Harry, and it produced some real great and surprising music.  This week we have Duet, so you should look for songs that are sung as duets.  Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, as you will probably find many enjoyable songs.  Share your music with others and post a video, try do some research and let everyone know something about the song that you post.  Show the lyrics, but most important, make sure that you have fun.  Try to find a song that fits the prompt, then write your post and create a pingback, or you can just place your link in the comments section.

Here are the “rules”:
• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not. If it does not fit, then please explain why you chose this song.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

I am writing about the Elton John & Kiki Dee duet song ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ this week.  Next week I will be writing about the song ‘Help on The Way’ by the Grateful Dead.  The upcoming prompts will be:
February 2, 2020 – Babe/Cutie/Doll/Honey/Sweetie
February 9, 2020 – I/Me/Them/Us/You/We
February 16, 2020 – Come/Go/Leave/Stay
February 23, 2020 – Ankles/Hands/Feet/Fingers/Toes/Wrists

Just Gotta Poke Around

‘Shakedown Street’ is the title track of the 10th Grateful Dead album which was recorded in 1978 and the song reached #41 on the Billboard Top 200 for 1979. It depicts the reasons for inner-city urban decay although the meaning of Robert Hunter’s lyrics are not exactly clear. It might be a statement about the observer in the song seeing darkness, because his eyes are dark and maybe he is the one that is beaten down and broken up, instead of the city. Many people say that the song is about the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco where the Grateful Dead lived when they first started out. It has also been described as a statement against cynicism, and possibly one meant specifically to legitimize disco. Deadheads started calling the vending area outside Dead shows Shakedown Street.

You tell me this town ain’t got no heart (well, well, well, you can never tell)
The sunny side of the street is dark (well, well, well, you can never tell)
Maybe that’s cause it’s midnight, in the dark of the moon besides
Maybe the dark is from your eyes (maybe the dark is from your eyes)
Maybe the dark is from your eyes (maybe the dark is from your eyes)
Maybe the dark is from your eyes (maybe the dark is from your eyes)
You know you got such dark eyes!
Nothin’ shakin’ on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart, you just gotta poke around
You think you’ve seen this town clear through (well, well, well, you can never tell)
Nothin’ here that could int’rest you (well, well, well, you can never tell)
It’s not because you missed out on the thing that we had to start
Maybe you had too much too fast (maybe you had too much too fast)
Maybe you had too much too fast (maybe you had too much too fast)
Maybe you had too much too fast (maybe you had too much too fast)
Or just over played your part
Nothin’ shakin’ on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town.
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart, you just gotta poke around.
Since I’m passing your way today (well, well, well, you can never tell)
I just stopped in ‘cause I want to say (well, well, well, you can never tell)
I recall your darkness when it crackled like a thundercloud
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart (don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart)
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart (don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart)
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart (don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart)
When I can hear it beat out loud!
Nothin’ shakin’ on shakedown street, used to be the heart of town
Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart, you just gotta poke around

Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie MM Music challenge Shakin’.

I Wanna to Jump

Chuck Berry coined the term “rocking pneumonia” in his 1956 song ‘Roll over Beethoven’ saying, “I got a rockin’ pneumonia, I need a shot of rhythm and blues”, and since then pneumonia has been mentioned in many blues and rock songs.  ‘Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu’ was written by John Vincent and Huey ‘Piano’ Smith and originally recorded as a single by Huey Smith and his Clowns in 1957, and the song went to #52 on Billboard.  In 1972, Johnny Rivers covered this song with instrumental backing from the L.A. sessions musicians known as the Wrecking Crew featuring pianist Larry Knechtel, guitarist Dean Parks, and drummer Jim Gordon.  ‘Rockin’ Pneumonia’ reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 during the winter of 1973.  It became Rivers’ third Gold record, it was his fifth highest charting song, and it spent 19 weeks on the charts.

I wanna to jump but I’m afraid I’ll fall
I wanna to holler but the joint’s too small
Young man rhythm’s got a hold of me too
I got the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu
Want some other’s baby that ain’t all
I wanna to kiss her but she’s way too tall
Young man rhythm’s got a hold of me too
I got the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu
I wanna to squeeze her but I’m way too low
I would be runnin’ but my feet’s too slow
Young man rhythm’s got a hold of me too
I got the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu
I wanna to squeeze her but I’m way too low
I would be runnin’ but my feet’s too slow
Young man rhythm’s got a hold of me too
I got the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu
Baby comin’ now I’m hurryin’ home
I know she’s leavin’ cause I’m takin’ too long
Young man rhythm’s got a hold of me too
I got the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu

Written for Paula’s Thursday Inspiration 40 where this week’s theme is jump.

Some Rocks Should Not Be Turned Over

All hell broke lose as Fandango looked over the city and saw meteors raining down.  This was not the typical Perseid or Orionid meteor shower which is usually seen at night, as these enormous chunks of rock were smashing into everything and it was just after dawn.  Meteors are used to traveling through the vacuum of space and they do that effortless, because it takes no energy.  Traveling through air however becomes much more difficult, because when the meteor hits the atmosphere, the air in front of it compresses incredibly quick, causing the temperature to rise and making the meteor glow.  Typically, the air burns the meteor until there is nothing left, but not this time and these rocks reached temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees F and they were destroying everything in their path!

Fandango had thought that this would be a great day to do some skateboarding, but when he went to the park, he saw a big one hit and wipe out all of his friends.  Debris was falling everywhere, so he pulled up his hood and climbed the hill to see what else was happening.  Two news helicopters were up in the air, hovering over the damage and a flock of birds was flying around haphazardly.  Fandango saw a smoldering rock on the ground and he used his skateboard to turn it over, but he didn’t like what he found.  Under that rock were miniature space robots that demanded to be taken to Fandango’s leader and Fandango said, “If you want Trump, you can have him.”

Written for Teresa Grabs Daily Writing Prompt #22 where she asks us to write a disaster story.

Not Just Animals Anymore

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that were once contained to the animal kingdom and mostly seen in camels and bats, but now more than 300 people have been infected in China.  The coronavirus was first reported in 2012 in Saudi Arabia and has since caused illness in people in more than 25 other countries, including the United States.  We don’t totally understand viruses yet, but we do know that they undergo evolution and natural selection and develop into new strains, just like cell-based life, and most of them evolve rapidly.  The symptoms consist of getting a runny nose, having clogged sinuses, headache, cough, fever, stomach sickness, feeling weak, respiratory illness, swollen lymph nodes and chills which are all very similar to cold symptoms, and in many cases, the treatment is the same involving bed rest and hydration.

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday.

You Can’t See Me

Twenty four year old Kate was playing with her three year old nice Kelly and she crossed her right arm over her eyes and said, “Na, na, na, na you can’t see me.”  Little Kelly replied, “Aunt Kate, just because you have covered up your eyes, saying that I can’t see you is not a valid point, because I can still see you.  It is not all that complicated, as you would have to cover my eyes for me not to be able to see you.  I don’t see your eyes, but just because you are out of sight, that doesn’t mean that you are out of mind, as I will always think of you and about that night when you were sleepless in the town of Harmony and you told me that you were having a baby and I would have a new cousin.”

Kate said, “Wow that was an impressive answer and I admire your accuracy and I am so proud that you will never be taken advantage of by any riff raff, or disreputable or undesirable people, because you have a functioning brain.  You will know when your glass is half empty and when it is half full, which wheel needs the grease and you will be able to determine which way the wind is blowing and know when there is trouble at the gate.  How about we watch a movie while I comb that scraggly hair of yours, but first we will need to go to Stage Clear and you have to pick up your toys.  While you are doing that, I will get us each some ice for our drinks.  I think I found a movie that we may both enjoy called Robin Hood Turns Over a New Leaf in Sherwood Forest, what do you think, will that work for you?”

Written for Sheryl’s Daily Word Prompt – Accuracy, for Roger Shipp’s Daily Addictions prompt – Gate, for Normal Happenings Daily Inkling prompt – Stage Clear, for the Daily Spur prompt – Wind, for Eugi’s Weekly Prompt – Complicated, for FOWC with Fandango – Valid, for Christine’s Daily Writing Prompt – Grease, for Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda of Midwest Fantasy Tuesday Writing Prompt – “twenty four” and “ice”, for Linda G. Hill’s ‘Life in progress’ JusJoJan January prompt – Scraggly, for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie NEKNEERAJ’s Photo Challenge #299, for January Writing Prompts – Sleepless in the town of harmony, for Ragtag Community – Movie, for Di’s Three Things Challenge prompt words – Glass Leaf Robin and for Word of the Day Challenge Prompt – Riff.

Saul Good

Raven told Saul to meet her at the wiccan altar and she would teach him the craft.  Even though many more women are drawn to Pagan religions than men are, Raven said that he could join her group, as long as he could master the art of fire bending.  Saul was an easy-going guy and a less than satisfactory outcome was always permissible for him.  Raven held fire in her hand and told Saul not to worry, as he has been bending air and water for his whole life and bending fire is just the next step up in control of the elements.  Saul replied, “I have not been bending anything.”  Raven said, “We all are surrounded by this mysterious gas, and life would be impossible without it, but we hardly ever give it a moment’s thought, because solids and liquids are much denser than gases and when you are walking through air, you are creating waves and all waves contain energy.”

Raven told Saul that it is nothing more than a trick and that she selects materials that can burn at room temperature and she chooses vapors that are denser than air, so they will sink and collect at the lowest point, allowing her to disperse flammable gas to ignite the fire.  She told Saul that he may get burned a few times while he is learning and that it might be a good idea to keep a bucket of water handy.  Saul smiled and said, “It’s all good.”

Written for Sadje at Keep It Alive What Do You See? prompt #13.