The challenge song today is “Up Where We Belong,” which was featured in one of my favorite movies An Officer and a Gentleman. Richard Gere played the lead role and Debra Winger rocked as his love interest. That was the first time I saw Debra, and I instantly adored her. She’s been in many enjoyable movies (though I didn’t really care for her last one, The Lovers).
Probably my favorite after AOAAG is Black Widow. In this 1987 film, Debra plays an FBI agent, Alexandra, who becomes obsessed with the idea of a connection among a group of dead men. She doesn’t believe they perished from accidents but were, in fact, murdered by the same woman. Alexandra basically devotes her life to solving this puzzle and ends up romantically involved with a man she perceives is the next target.
Theresa Russell plays the wife of each of these wealthy men and is so great with her multiple disguises. Highly recommend if you haven’t seen it!
And just like magic, there he was, standing on the mountain near the bridge where we had kissed that day. I ran toward him, my heart so full at his return. My faith had been justified and love won again. But the closer I came, the further he drifted, until I was alone on the bridge once more. Though it was winter, my arms were full of flowers, and I threw them down to the river, one by one. The dark water grabbed them greedily and swirled the blooms away.
I woke up crying. When will I be rid of the ghost of Billy Joe?
~*~
Written for the Daily Echo and inspired by Bobbie Gentry’s song “Ode to Billie Joe.”
Welcome to Thursday Inspiration! This is my weekly prompt and hopefully it will inspire you to write something creative, perhaps a poem or a piece of flash fiction. I will try to visit everyone who links back to this post. 🙂
This week’s theme is flowers and the image is above. Here’s a snippet of song from Neil Diamond’s “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.”
You don’t bring me flowers You don’t sing me love songs You hardly talk to me anymore When I come through the door at the end of the day
A big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting our fun musical Sundays. 🥳🤩 I chose “Jennifer Juniper” by Donovan for the letter “J” and wrote a nice essay, which WordPress ate for dinner. Blah blah blah. 😡 Jenny Boyd (real name Helen Mary) is an actual person who inspired Donovan Leitch to write these lyrics in 1967, supposedly when Jenny was doing heroin. Jenny and her sister Pattie Boyd were English models and became involved with musicians such as George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Mick Fleetwood, Mick Jagger, et al, and inspired many songs. The lyrics appear on-screen while the music plays. 🎶
Welcome to Thursday Inspiration! This is my weekly prompt and hopefully it will inspire you to write something creative, perhaps a poem or a piece of flash fiction. I will try to visit everyone who links back to this post. 🙂
This week’s theme is umbrella and the image is above. Here’s a snippet of song from Train’s “Umbrella.”
Now that it’s raining more than ever Know that we’ll still have each other You can stand under my umbrella You can stand under my umbrella
The old man hobbles along the path, clutching his guitar and a bouquet of red roses. He is coming to visit her grave again.
The flowers are for her favorite color and the music is for her love of dancing. Once, he showed me a photo of her holding their grandchild, and her wrinkled face glowed with joy. I know he doesn’t see her as old though—he sees a dancing girl in a red dress skipping through the mists of time.
He places the flowers on her stone and begins to play “Spanish Harlem.”
Once again, Jim Adams hosts our tuneful Sunday with a choice of great prompts. I chose “Everybody’s Talkin’,” written by Fred Neil in 1966. The version I’m sharing today is a cover by Harry Nilsson recorded in 1968, which became a hit and won a Grammy after being featured in the 1969 movie Midnight Cowboy. It’s been in many other movies too.
Everybody’s Talkin’
Everybody’s talkin’ at me I don’t hear a word they’re sayin’ Only the echoes of my mind
People stoppin’, starin’ I can’t see their faces Only the shadows of their eyes
I’m goin’ where the sun keeps shinin’ Through the pourin’ rain Goin’ where the weather suits my clothes
Bankin’ off of the northeast winds Sailin’ on summer breeze And skippin’ over the ocean like a stone
I’m goin’ where the sun keeps shinin’ Through the pourin’ rain Goin’ where the weather suits my clothes
Bankin’ off of the northeast winds Sailin’ on summer breeze And skippin’ over the ocean like a stone
Everybody’s talkin’ at me Can’t hear a word they’re sayin’ Only the echoes of my mind
I won’t let you leave my love behind No, I won’t let you leave Wah, wah, ah I won’t let you leave my love behind I won’t let you leave
Thanks once again to our host Jim Adams for continuing these fun Song Lyric Sundays. Today our letters are A and M, and I chose M for “Me & Bobby McGee.” This song was written by Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Many have covered it, including one of my favorite singers ~ Gordon Lightfoot. But Janis really smashes the song with so much passion and intensity. You feel like you’re really living the story of the two hitchhiking lovers and their parting of the ways as she sings. Janis’ cover was Billboard’s No. 11 for 1971 and No. 1 on the U.S. Singles Chart. Sadly, this was posthumously, as Janis died of an accidental heroin overdose in 1970 at the age of 27. RIP to a great talent.
Me & Bobby McGee
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for a train When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained And rode us all the way into New Orleans
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana I’s playin’ soft while Bobby sang the blues Windshield wipers slappin’ time I’s holdin’ Bobby’s hand in mine We sang every song that driver knew
Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose Nothin’, it ain’t nothin’ honey, if it ain’t free And feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues You know feelin’ good was good enough for me Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
From the Kentucky coal mines to the California sun Yeah, Bobby shared the secrets of my soul Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done Yeah, Bobby baby kept me from the cold
One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away He’s lookin’ for that home and I hope he finds it Well, I’d trade all my tomorrows for one single yesterday To be holdin’ Bobby’s body next to mine
Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose Nothin’, and that’s all that Bobby left me Well, feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues And feelin’ good was good enough for me Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee, yeah
La da da, la da daa, la da daa da daa da daa La da da da daa dadada Bobby McGee-ah La li daa da daa daa, la da daa da daa La la laa la daada Bobby McGee-ah yeah La di da, ladida la dida la di daa, ladida la dida la di daa
Hey now Bobby now now Bobby McGee yeah Lo lo lo lolo lo lo laa, lololo lo lolo lo lolo lo lolo lo la laa Hey now Bobby now now Bobby McGee yeah Lord, I called him my lover, I called him my man I said I called him my lover, did the best I can C’mon, hey now Bobby now, hey now Bobby McGee, yeah Lo lo Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, oh Hey, hey, hey, Bobby McGee, Lord
“Strangers in the Night” was a No. 1 single from Frank Sinatra’s 1966 album of the same name. He won two Grammy Awards for this album, plus another Grammy for album of the year. The song itself has been certified platinum. The lyrics were written by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. It has been covered many times.
This song is about people falling in love at first sight. Whether or not you believe this happens in real life, it certainly has inspired many songs, poems, books, and movies. I thought it happened to me in 2016, but I was wrong. After I got to know the man better, he turned out to be a manipulative jerk. But the idea remains alive, tantalizing and romantic. It’s much more exciting to imagine falling for someone immediately like Jesse and Marie did in When Harry Met Sally than taking a decade to figure out someone is right for you, which is the story of the title characters.
Strangers in the night, exchanging glances, wondering in the night, what were the chances, we’d be sharing love before the night was through…
Many times, the initial attraction simply leads to another one night stand. There have been a zillion words written about this too. Yet, it can be difficult to completely give up hope that the next one will work out, just like in this song.
And ever since that night, we’ve been together, lovers at first sight, in love forever. It turned out so right, for strangers in the night…
Welcome to Thursday Inspiration! This is my weekly prompt and hopefully it will inspire you to write something creative, perhaps a poem or a piece of flash fiction. I will try to visit everyone who links back to this post. 🙂
This week’s theme is snow and the image is above. Here’s a snippet of song from Anne Murray’s “Snowbird.”
Spread your tiny wings and fly away And take the snow back with you Where it came from on that day The one I love forever is untrue And if I could you know that I would Fly away with you
Jim Adams gives us a lot of room to play this week by specifying only the first letter of our song. I went with “Poetry Man” by Phoebe Snow. She wrote and recorded the song in 1974 for her Poetry Man album. This song got Snow a grammy nom in 1975, but it was won by Marvin Hamlisch. “Poetry Man” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart for a week. It was rumored to have been about Jackson Browne.
Poetry Man
You make me laugh ‘Cause your eyes they light the night They look right through me You bashful boy You’re hiding something sweet Please give it to me yeah, to me Talk to me some more You don’t have to go You’re the poetry man You make things all rhyme You are a genie All I ask for is your smile Each time I rub the lamp When I am with you I have a giggling teenage crush Then I’m a sultry vamp, yeah sultry vamp Talk to me some more You don’t have to go You’re the poetry man You make things all right, yeah, yeah Talk to me some more You don’t have to go You’re the poetry man You make things all right, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah So, once again It’s time to say so long And so recall the cull of life You’re going home now Home’s that place somewhere you go each day To see your wife, to see your wife Talk to me some more You know that you don’t have to go You’re the poetry man You make things all right, yeah Talk to me some more You don’t have to go You’re the poetry man You make things all right
