A song to express your feelings

[lookingforme]

At this hour, I find myself particularly vulnerable because I am heavily sleep deprived, and my brain can't really process. I have been awake for 21 hours and 12 minutes straight after a string of nights of only a few hours' sleep. I don't feel well, nor do I feel sleepy. So, I am listening to the soundtrack of my life entitled "Walkabouts" and right now, the perfect song to describe what I am feeling (at least the chorus of it) is Madness by Muse. Has anyone ever felt like they could communicate more if they did it through the songs that already exist? I challenge us to have a conversation consisting of song quotes.

So, dedicated to my depression; here I go...

Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad...Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad....Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad...Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad...I, I can't get these memories ooout of my mind, and some kind of maaaadness has started to evolve. Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad...Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad... And I, I tried so hard to let you go-ooo, but some kind of maaaadness is swallowing me whole, yeah....Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad...Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-mad mad mad...I have finally seen the light. And I have finally realized, what you mean....

Ooh oh oh

[MODERATOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone, just a reminder that song lyrics are copyrighted material, and we (as in BB) can get into trouble for reproducing them without permission.  If you could just keep to sharing song titles, or one or two lines from the song at most, rather than whole lyrics that would be great - that way we can keep this thread open. ]

[Croix]

How to fail an audition:

"Abba Muppets Parody"

[Fiatlux]

Ain’t No Little Girl, - Kasey Chambers

What an amazing singer, songwriter. Have seen her live and she’s brilliant. Often overlooked as a songwriter. She’s powerful and inspiring.

No, I ain't no little girl
I won't break, I won't bend
I won't wait, I won't end up
With nothing to say… 

[Eagle Ray]

Yes, Kasey Chambers is a great singer and songwriter. I have the album she did with Shane Nicholson, Rattlin' Bones, which is a wonderful bluegrass/country album. I just watched Ain't No Little Girl. It's a great, powerful blues rock song! She really lives the emotions of the song. I love it when artists do that. it would have been awesome to see her live.

My song for my current feelings is:

Don't You Worry by Electric Fields

I'm feeling both very vulnerable at present but a bit hopeful, so this song is giving me some encouragement.

They are an awesome duo from Adelaide. I wish I could be in Adelaide in a few days as I just saw they are doing a gig with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. They have a dance sound and incorporate Indigenous elements and language in some of their songs.

[quirkywords]

Bridge over troubled water

[Croix]

OK talking of bridges:

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under The Bridge

A song about realization and help

[Fiatlux]

I am once again listening to The A to Z Recordings by Paul Kelly.

That man can’t write a bag song. I am rediscovering some songs that I don’t recall ever hearing.

Today this song bought me to tears…

Would you be my friend?

If they told you I'm not worthy of your love
And you should cut me like you cut dead wood
Would you be my friend?

And then an even more beautiful song follows… You broke a beautiful thing.

Oh, Paul Kelly is truly a once in a lifetime artist. 

[Eagle Ray]

I should have a listen to those ones Fiatlux. My favourite Paul Kelly album is actually one of his early ones from the 80s - Gossip. There are so many good songs on there - Leaps and Bounds, Before Too Long, Maralinga, Don’t Harm the Messenger, Stories of Me etc. I like many other songs of his too but that one remains my favourite from all those years ago.

The song for me today is:

Ring Ring Ring - De La Soul

This is because I have made yet another attempt to get through to an actual human at Centrelink and as usual I have received a message that no operators are available 😞 Oh well. The only option may be to drive to the Centrelink Office in a neighbouring town. It’s great to at least have songs to express our feelings.

[Fiatlux]

I have all of Paul Kelly’s recordings. I haven’t been able to toss out my old cassettes even though I can’t listen to them anymore.

Does Centrelink have ABBA’s Ring Ring and Money Money Money as their on hold music? I haven’t had to deal with them since my kids were going through High School. Everything went online but the one time that I had to make a call, I was surprised how helpful the lady was. She got it fixed.

Maybe The Beatles, Help may be the go to song. Good luck 🙏🏼

[Eagle Ray]

Thank you Fiatlux,

When I have actually got through to a person at Centrelink they have made an effort to be helpful. But in the last 3 years I've been with them I've only ever got through to a human twice as the system is now designed more than ever to circumvent any real human contact. You enter this labyrinth and you have to figure how to respond to the voice recognition technology you are talking to in a way that will get you through to an operator. But even when you get as far as the option of being able to select "operator", as I did today, a recorded voice tells you there is no one to take your call. I also had to go on Centrelink in 2005 when I had extreme pain and had to stop work. At that time it wasn't as bad getting through. It wasn't easy but it wasn't so near impossible as it is now. Hilariously one of the two times I found my way through the labyrinth recently I still had to wait over an hour to speak to a human, putting my phone on the charger so the battery didn't run out. When I finally got to speak to the person he couldn't answer my question, but he did try. You gradually learn not to stress about how crazy the system is and you find ways to navigate it.

You could always get a cassette player to play your old tapes. My previous car still had a tape deck in it and I enjoyed being able to play my old cassettes in it. One good thing about the internet now is you can pretty much find almost any song you want. I've seen Paul Kelly live from when I was quite young actually, in 1989, 1991, 1995 and 1996 and another gig a bit after that at the Fremantle Arts Centre but I can't remember what year. The 1991 gig was him solo and he played for such a long time like he was in a trance. He's lived and travelled in quite a few parts of Australia and has songs about those different places. So I feel a lot of people feel what they know is represented in some of his songs.

Another song that has helped me lately has been Out in the Street by Bruce Springsteen. I've been feeling withdrawn at times and the song is about feeling proud and confident to walk down the street. So it has given me some confidence to go down and walk down the main street instead of hiding away at home and feel like I deserve to exist. My favourite version of the song is the Live in New York City version from 2000. It is so much fun and the band are just having the best time playing it.

[Fiatlux]

I have come to realise that I am definitely more a live music concert fan, than a movie goer.

The last time I saw Paul Kelly live was A Day on The Green, touring with The Merri Soul Sessions. It was a great line up with Dan Sultan, Linda and Vika Bull and co., with Kasey Chambers and Marlon Williams no the bill and several others. I am a massive fan of Dan Sultan but last saw him in 2018. The very last live music performance I went to was the late Archie Roach in 2021. He did a small intimate show at a local theatre and I feel blessed to have met him.

My day would be so dull without music. I am rediscovering The Whitlams and they are brilliant. My favourite upbeat song is Tangled Up In Blue. Such a great story telling piece by them. 🙏🏼