I feel a strong urge to post something unabashedly cheerful today to kick off the week, and The Duhks certainly deliver. The Duhks are from Winnipeg (that’s above North Dakota, for my geography-challenegd friends), but the music they make really sounds like it’s from Newfoundland, or Scotland for that matter. This song makes me want to participate in some type of organized group dancing that heavily features the swinging of one’s partner round and round. If any of you have ever been to a ceilidh (Scottish country dancing) and know the dance “Strip the Willow,” this would be absolutely perfect. Slàinte!
Modernism Monday
Modernism Monday: “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” John Rosamond Johnson, with words by James Weldon Johnson
Standardhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEe1baLdMxI
Today we mark the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so I thought it appropriate to focus on this piece. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” has come to be known as the Black National Anthem. The words come from a poem written by James Weldon Johnson in 1899, a pioneer in the civil rights movement and an early leader in the NAACP. Johnson wrote the poem as an introduction to Booker T. Washington at an event celebrating Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Johnson’s brother, John, set the poem to music in 1905. The words are monumentally powerful and the melody is gorgeous, which is why I include two versions here. The first one, above, is sung by Leontyne Price (music starts at 3:32) and adheres to the written melody and time signature. The second one, below, is sung by Ray Charles, and, well, doesn’t adhere to much, but is just so joyous.
Today is a good day to remember that our great Republic is an ever-evolving project which it is our duty, to each other and to those who came before us, to continually perfect. In the words of Dr. King, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
Lyrics at the bottom, as per usual.
—
Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed.
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.
Modernism Monday: “Get It Up,” Santigiold + M.I.A. (feat. Gorilla Zoe)
StandardPSA: Before you press play, be alerted that this song contains some mild to medium swearing and vaguely salacious themes.
After a certain period of time, you realize that, man, life doesn’t get easier – if you’re lucky, skillful, and have the energy, you just get better at managing. 2014 is already going gangbusters for your Yankette, so Monday mornings are always better with a little extra something to go with my coffee. Santigold and M.I.A definitely deliver on this track, and it puts a little extra swagger in my step when I need it. “Always standing in the door, always the same reason you’re stuck: no guts. No guts. What will you get it up for? What will make you want it more?”
Modernism Monday: “Sligo Creek,” Al Petteway
StandardIf you’ve seen Ken Burns’s documentary on the history of our national parks, you’ll recognize this piece. Al Petteway is a terrific and talented musician, and I’m thrilled he’s getting more recognition since “National Parks” came out. This piece reminds me of sailing up the wet, dank coast of Newfoundland, whose native music is similar in style to “Sligo Creek.” This is a very good tune to listen to when you need to square your shoulders and face the day. This makes it especially suited for a cold and rainy Monday, be you on the prow of a boat headed to Labrador, or behind the wheel of your car headed to work.
Modernism Monday: “Simple Things,” Paolo Nutini
Standardhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMYeypmN0Zc
Oh, Monday. Poor, maligned Monday. It gets such a bad rap. No matter how much you adore your job, sometimes the sound of the word Monday just makes you want to say “sod it all” and hide in the bathtub. Especially difficult to stomach is the first Monday after Christmas. Helpfully, delightful Scottish singer Paolo Nutini has written a song that puts the whole “work” jag in quite the healthy context.
Additionally appropriate for this specific Monday is the song’s self-determination theme that makes it a good one to listen to in these last days of 2013. Remember those resolutions you made in 2012? Any remaining that you can (or want to) accomplish in the next two days? Anything about your life you’ll resolve to change in 2014? (Editor’s note: HOLY CRAP 2014. I feel so old. It was fourteen years ago I rang in the 2000’s with champagne floats. Never having a champagne float again has been a fantastically easy resolution to keep.)
The Daily Tune-Up 