As the school year gets ready to begin, it safe to say things have been more than a little hectic. Many districts are struggling with how to move forward in the midst of Covid-19. Recommendations from the state are changing daily and some days it feels like those of us who are supposed to be in charge are just along for the ride.
With all of this stuff going on, I have found myself living in the 60's most of the week. 50's and 60's music is what I grew up listening to with my parents. It has a way of grounding my mind much like church music can ground my spirit.
My half hour morning commute has been filled with nostalgic bits of musical gold and this week for #whoareyoulisteningto, I am going to share some of them with you.
Most people know The Animals from their cover of and major hit "House of the Rising Sun". While I agree that is a great song, "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place" has a lot more meaning for me. My dad was in Vietnam and he used to talk about this pretty much being everyone's song over there.
My dad actually wrote a bit of a memoir about his time over there and I have been meaning to share it on my blog, I have just never gotten around to it.
If you really like what you hear here from The Animals, I suggest you also check out their cover of John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom. Great stuff!
Now, I know some of you are probably thinking, "The Beach Boys? That is just cheesy surf music." While you may be right on some counts, just listen to those harmonies. I really don't think normal people can do what these guys did when it comes to some of the harmonies they were able to pull off. I listened to copious amounts of The Beach Boys when I was a kid, they are my dad's and my sister's favorite group. I pretty much had no choice.
I have always appreciated them, especially their slower songs. If you like "God Only Knows", check out "The Warmth of the Sun".
I have to admit that while I like the Rolling Stones, I am sorely deficient in my familiarity with the scope of their work. Since they have been around for so long, I don't really feel like that is anything to be ashamed of, it is just a cold hard fact.
Like many other people, the first time I heard this song was in the movie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood". I immediately fell in love with it. It was added to one of my main Spotify playlists that very second. While it was never quite as popular as their other song about "time" (which was a cover by the way) this one is probably my favorite.
I can't imagine you would be disappointed digging into anything by the Stones.
I'd be doing a huge disservice to you if I didn't leave you with some music by a female group. To me, there is nothing that says quintessential 60's female group like Diana Ross and the Supremes. Words alone can't begin to explain just how fantastic they were.
They had so many hits. It was hard to pick just one to share with you, but I feel this one gets my point across so well. I have a Supremes Greatest Hits album on vinyl and it is probably one of my top ten most prized albums. Like the Rolling Stones, you would be hard pressed to find a single song by the Supremes that isn't absolute magic.
So there you go. Another week of fantastic music that I have been listening to. What have you been listening to over the past week? Leave me a comment and let me know. Better yet, write your own post about what you have been listening to and use the #whoareyoulisteningto tag.
