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!
As isolation ended, I began my search for a partner. I had a clear picture in my mind of my perfect soul mate. He’d be cuddly and sweet, always there to listen to my issues, and never cheat. I went down to the pound and there he was waiting for me: my Prince Charming, in the form of an adorable kitty! He knew just how to make me smile. 😻
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. 🎶
Rory has a new set of Friday Four questions for us…
1. Do you ever simply stop and wonder ‘Where has time gone to?’ or is it something that never bothers you?
I definitely think about this and it bothers me frequently. I’m sad I haven’t been a big writing success and probably won’t be. I feel bad I failed at romantic relationships. I wish I’d spent more time with my mom; I wish I had more time now with my daughters and grandchildren. The next 20 years will pass in a flash, assuming I even get 20 more…
2. If you had a warning label, what would yours read?
“May spontaneously combust.”
3. What fact amazes you every time you think of it?
That anything exists.
4. What kind of activities do you enjoy doing and what would you never do?
I like boring old lady activities: reading, writing, gentle walking, playing with cats and grandchildren, baking, painting, going to museums and libraries, drinking tea…
Things I would never do include all sports (playing or watching), exotic travel, fishing, hunting, camping, long hikes, and anything dangerous or adrenaline-rushy.
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…
Is jealousy purely a negative and potentially destructive emotion, or does jealousy have any value as a motivator to drive people to improve themselves?
My view is that it depends upon which definition of “jealousy” we are using. If we’re talking about envy, then it could be a positive motivator. Forex, if I envy another writer’s success, that could inspire me to write more, market my work in new places, etc. If I envy someone else’s fitness, I might be motivated to exercise more, eat more veggies, etc. But if we are talking about the possessive fear of someone else taking what we have, this is generally a negative trait in relationships. I’ve been on both ends of this. I’ve dated men who were irrationally suspicious of every interaction I had with another man and interrogated me relentlessly about each comment. This led to me breaking up with them. No one can or should live with being constantly accused of infidelity because the other person is so ridiculously insecure.
But I’ve also been that insecure, jealous person at times ~ usually this happens when a man is unreliable or secretive. That spurs my imagination into overdrive, coming up with all sorts of scenarios why they’re acting like this. In one case, a man refused to let me see where he lived. I started to think maybe it was because he had another woman living with him. It wasn’t. He finally took me there and his place was super messy and gross. He knew I’d be turned off by this and he was right. But I spent months feeling jealous and annoyed over this one thing. Better to be honest upfront and let people know you have “relaxed” standards of housekeeping. There are plenty of women who would be fine with this. But the point is… my jealousy made me unattractive and nagging (Why can’t we go to your place? When will you take me there? etc.).
Jealousy is bad. If you can’t trust someone, you shouldn’t be with them.
Melanie continues her popular Monday prompt with these Q’s…
1. What’s a relationship deal breaker for you?
Smoking, racism/anti-Semitism, criticism (especially of my perfect children), liars, disloyalty/infidelity, rudeness, cat allergies, pet haters, travel maniacs, excessively loud men, big extroverts, BMW owners/drivers, Trump supporters, Michaels. I’m sure I left some out…
2. Do you believe in extra-terrestrials?
I think it’s more likely than not that there is life on other planets. Whether these ET’s are capable of space travel, who knows. I do not believe they are lizards infiltrating our govt though. 🙄
3. In the morning, do you hit the snooze button on your alarm (sometimes repeatedly) or do you leap out of bed, ready to face the day?
Neither. I wake up early naturally and am in a lot of back pain. I try to get comfy and read the news on my phone, check email, FB, etc. Eventually, it feels more uncomfy to lie there than to get up, so I get up…
4. If you came back in the next life as an animal, which animal would you choose to be? (and even if you don’t believe in that, let’s suspend belief for a moment just to have a little fun)
A butterfly! 🦋
GRATITUDE(Participation is always optional)
5. What do you plan to work on this year to make it better than last year (personal goals, physically or mentally, or all three)?
She rejoicedat the baubles he gave her, yet she would rather have his kisses each night.
Christmas morning, she walked to the sea and gazed at the emptyhorizon, knowing that waiting wasn’t really living.
Sure, she was a fine girl and would make someone a great wife, or so her customers kept saying, but instead she was wasting her best years on a pointless dream.
Tired of being a quiet little lonely mouse, she decided right then and there to seek her own adventures.
She pulled out her cell phone and called the whiskey salesman who had made it clear he liked her.
Thanks again to Jim Adams for giving us a set of interesting prompts this week. I chose “Hollywood Squares” by George Strait, which is a typical country song moaning about how she done him wrong. Multiple she’s, in this case. I really enjoy the clever wordplay that occurs so frequently in lyrics to country music.
The song was written by Larry Cordle, Wayland Patton, Jeff Tanguay for George’s 1989 album Beyond the Blue Neon. Four of the songs did well, with 3 of them hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart. HS wasn’t promoted like the others.
Hollywood Squares
I’ve always said “I do” too easy, And now I’m payin’ the price. A weakness for beautiful women Is my most expensive vice. I still believe in matrimony, But I can’t afford another try. Child support and alimony Is just about to bleed me dry. I’ve got ex’s all across the country And I owe everybody in town. I’ve got bill collectors callin’ me up And lawyers tryin’ to track me down. I’m just one wrong move from the poor house, But I don’t belong in there. I’ve got so many ex’s and owe so much, I ought to be on Hollywood Squares, Yeah I ought to be on Hollywood Squares. […]
