The Doors – “Ray Manzarek’s Jim & Pam trilogy for The Romeo & Juliet of California: [“You’re Lost Little Girl,” “Unhappy Girl” and “I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind.”]”

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#TheDoors; #RayManzarek; #JimMorrison; #PamelaCourson; #BenFongTorres, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 113
Wed. May 22, 2013

“Ray Manzarek’s Jim & Pam trilogy for The Romeo & Juliet of California:
[“You’re Lost Little Girl,” “Unhappy Girl” and “I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind.”]”
The Doors
1967


When Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison decided to form The Doors on the Venice Beach, both wanted to expand the horizons of music. While Jim just wanted to simply “break on through;” I believe Ray’s goal was for The Doors to reach the most masses with the magical artistry of their distinctive revolutionary sound. Both succeeded, making The Doors one of the most successful and immortal American bands still inspiring disgruntle teen poets and dreamer keyboardist to recapture the tripped out majesty of The Doors.

Not only was Manzarek dedicated to the legacy of The Doors, and one of the things I loved most about Ray is that he believed in the true love between Jim Morrison and his soul mate Pamela Courson-Morrison. Today in honor of Ray and his devotion to the love of Jim & Pam, Don’t Forget The Songs 365 presents “Ray Manzarek’s personal trilogy to The Romeo & Juliet of California: Jim & Pam.” Taken all from 1967’s Strange Days album, Ray described the trilogy when he said, ““You’re Lost Little Girl” is Robbie’s song. Its part of my trilogy called Tragic Love. The others are “Unhappy Girl” and “I Can’t See Her Face in my Mind.”” While most saw Jim & Pam’s love as an affair that was highly volatile, Ray knew there were something deeper connecting Morrison and Courson.

When asked why he put together this trilogy for the 1997 Doors Box set, Ray replied, “Pamela and Jim are going to go down in the history books as great lovers, and people are going to be writing plays about them. It’s Romeo and Juliet, its Heloise and Abelard. It’s Jim and Pam. I love them very much, and miss them very much. But they are together in the ether.”

Thanks to Ray Manzarek, not only has the legacy of The Doors endured but so has the eternal love of Jim & Pam. Their love was further immortalized in Scranton, Pa’s own Jim and Pam, as one of television’s greatest love story’s as seen in the American version of The Office. “Pamela is Jim’s other half. Romeo & Juliet are reunited forever in that romantic place that we’re all going to go to someday.” And Ray has joined his two friends, the cosmic lovers Jim & Pam in that celestial rock paradise in the sky. While some believed Ray to be the band mate’s whose sole purpose was to expand the legacy of The Doors, I saw Manzarek as more of a romantic with an entrepreneurial spirit. When it came down to it, Ray not only believed in his band but also the eternal love of Jim & Pam. I urge you to spin Ray Manzarek’s personal trilogy to The Romeo & Juliet of California: Jim & Pam: “You’re Lost Little Girl,” “Unhappy Girl” and “I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind.”

“You’re Lost Little Girl” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8-mgd8v4P8
“Unhappy Girl” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfXSMsnkrkU
“I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0TRzTSIQI8

Reflecting on the band’s legacy, Ray had the last word in The Doors 2006 book with Ben Fong-Torres, when he wrote, “And in each new generation’s discovery of The Doors and Jim’s plea of: “Please, please listen to me, children. You are the ones who will rule the world.” In each generation quest for its own freedom, Jim is there. The Doors are there.” And Ray is also there, joining The Romeo & Juliet of California, Jim & Pam— breaking on through to the other side.

The Kills – “Future Starts Slow”

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Don'tForgetTheSongs365; #TheKills;#JamieHince: #AllisonMosshart

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 112
Tues. May 21, 2013

“Future Starts Slow”
The Kills
2011

“♫ I
don’t
mind ♫”

If there was ever a reason why I truly love the music, the attitude and carnal fire that is The Kills, guitarist and songwriter Jamie Hince proved it once again when asked about the meaning of Blood Pressures opener, 2011’s “Future Starts Slow,” he said, “It’s obvious isn’t it? The song is about fucking and fighting.”

Although Alison Mosshart is the luscious face and figurehead of The Kills, guitarist Hince just as much of the songs as his lovely singing counterpart. The genius of Hince’s songs is that are perfectly matched for the chanteuse electricity exuded by Alison when bringing The Kills songs to life. Explaining how “Future Starts Slow” magically came to life, Hince said, “With “Future Starts Slow” I didn’t write any of it down, I was just playing it and the words came out of my mouth and not into paper. I don’t normally do that.”

When asked if “Future Starts Slow” was autobiographical, Jamie honestly replied, “I think that every song that everyone writes no matter how abstract…even if it’s “Major Tom” or “Eleanor Rigby” even if the artist is guiding you to see something about a character, there’s always something autobiographical about it. If you write about a character there’s still a bit of you in it.”

Are you shocked to discover The Kills’ “Future Starts Slow” is about “fucking and fighting,” hardly? I do love the fact that Hince compared his “Future” song with Bowie and The Beatles. There is something about “Future Starts Slow,” it’s not only that carnal fire that Alison ignites when she sings there’s a tension always simmering through every Kills song that likes dynamite about to detonate. Hince’s band mate Mosshart describes the dynamic with playing with Jamie like this, “I’ve never been that excited. It’s like, one of the greatest feelings of Earth. Some people fucking hate it, but I don’t. That just immediately hooked me, and then I couldn’t get enough.” I’m hooked and I can’t get enough. If you have a hunger for a soundtrack to your next flesh like fantasy—get turned on with “Future Starts Slow.”

Pearl Jam – “Dirty Frank”

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#PearlJam; #MikeMcCready; #EddieVedder; #RedHotChiliPeppers; #CameronCrowe

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 111
Mon. May 20, 2013

“Dirty Frank”
Pearl Jam
1992

“♫ Why
that dirty
Frank was
a bad mother/
shut your
mouth! ♫”

While Nirvana and Soundgarden are usually mentioned as obvious influences to the riffs and lyrics of Seattle cohorts Pearl Jam, but it was the inspiration and support of the L.A. funk/rock masters Red Hot Chili Peppers that actually sparked the sound of this unusual Lost Dog “Dirty Frank.”

Although, I’d admit “Dirty Frank” is not the best Pearl Jam song but there’s this certain sense of deranged funkiness, a off kilter weirdness that’s noticeably absent on most of PJ’s heavy songs. The original idea was sparked by 1990’s cannibal killer Jeffery Dahmer, but Pearl Jam took a more personal spin— making the protagonist their tour bus driver as Mike McCready explained in Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty, “We had a bus driver at the time, this guy Frank, who we called ‘Dirty Frank” because we were scared of him. We thought he may have been a serial killer and he was going to eat me. They were just picking on me. And at that time, I was the skinniest guy in the band, so there wasn’t a lot of meat on me. We stole the middle part from the [Red Hot Chili] Peppers when we were opening up for them. [Editor’s note: Pearl Jam borrowed a line from the Red Hot’s “Freaky Styling.” To fit their ‘Dirty Frank” killer theme, Pearl Jam altered the Chili’s: “F-ck 'em just to see the look on their face” to “Cook 'em just to see the look on their face.”]”

Although, the fears from being cannibalized by bus driver “Dirty Frank” eventually subsided, Eddie Vedder remembers fondly those days touring with the Chili Peppers when he told Crowe, “Anthony, Flea and the Peppers gave us unfathomable amounts of support back in the day. I’ve never properly expressed my gratitude, though I’ve tried. It’s almost impossible to put into words what that meant to us, and me personally.”

Thank You Anthony, Flea and the Chili’s for inspiring such a funky song. Did you catch Eddie Vedder’s twisted tribute to Isaac Hayes? My favorite part is when Eddie turns Hayes most clever line, “Shaft is a bad mother…shut your mouth,” from 1971 “Theme from Shaft” into “Frank’s” most memorable phrase when Vedder shouts “Dirty Frank is a bad mother…shut your mouth.”

More than just a flip side to 1992’s ‘Even Flow” “Dirty Frank” was so essential Pearl Jam resurrected it for inclusion in their 2003 Lost Dogs anthology. Inspired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, this cannibalistic anthem is one funky rarity that deserves resurrection in your next party. Twisted, insane but still 100% the soul of Pearl Jam, give “Dirty Frank” a try; you may just like the after taste of this bloody treat you won’t be able to resist the charms of this once killer b-side.

The Clash – “Bankrobber”

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#TheClash; #PaulSimenon; #MickeyDread; #PatGilbert, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 110
Sun. May 19, 2013

“Bankrobber”
The Clash
1980

“♫ What
do you
think
they’d
want to
say
to us/While
we was
being
clever? ♫”

Imagine if you’re favorite rock and roll band decided to release a single a month for one year? Always looking out for their devoted cult followers, The Clash wanted to be that band but unfortunately, in 1980, CBS Records got in the way as bassist Paul Simenon explained, “We decided that we wanted to release a single a month and the first one we put forward was Bankrobber. But the head of the record company didn’t like it. He said it sounded like David Bowie backwards, which I didn’t understand. So the UK record company wouldn’t release it. But the Dutch did and it was then imported, which made the UK company released it. But it stopped the flow of putting out a single a month.”

I believe it was less about the song and more about the record company’s fear of having to spend all that money on The Clash. Besides, a song that’s David Bowie backwards sounds bloody awesome to me. The label was also probably more hesitate about the reggae sound. They must have been waiting for more punk and less Caribbean inspired rhythms. You can thank Jamaican artist Mickey Dread for the reggae vibe on “Bankrobber.” Having been invited by The Clash to tour with the band, they quickly got Dread in the studio with them and one of the first fruits of their creative collaboration was “Bankrobber.” Explaining in Pat Gilbert’s Passion is a Fashion: The Real Story of The Clash, Dread talked about why he produced “Bankrobber” for The Clash, “When I found a white group that wanted to play reggae, I wanted to get 100 percent behind it. But they needed someone to show them how to do it. It’s like if you get a new recipe, it’s better to go to someone who’s been cooking it a while and they can show you how to measure it out properly rather than just throw the ingredients in the pot. I showed them what our approach was.” Dread later praised The Clash saying, “I really liked the guys. It was a fusion of two different cultures, in a way that was trying to benefit everyone, I respected them.”

Even though The Clash covered “Police & Thieves” thanks to Mickey Dread, they crafted their own reggae song that the head of their record company said that “Bankrobber” sounded like David Bowie backwards. I would love to one day create a song that sounds like David Bowie backwards, “Bankrobber” is not that song. “Bankrobber” is a testament to the artistry and the universal love of rebellious music. The Clash never sounded so defiant and addicting, even as a reggae band, when the record company refused to release this, “Bankrobber” was so good, it finally became the outlaw single they always dreamed of; Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simenon and Topper Headon crafted songs so memorable, “Bankrobber” demanded to be unleashed to the music world; The Clash may have made their names as politico punk rockers but nobody could shake the foundations of music like these guys did with “Bankrobber” and that was the power and legacy of The Clash.

And here’s the “Rockers Galore…U.K. Tour” which is “Bankrobber” with Mickey Dread’s vocal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvV52NStRto

Led Zeppelin – “Fool in the Rain”

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#LedZeppelin; #NigelWilliamson; #JonBream, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 109
Sat. May 18, 2013

“Fool in the Rain”
Led Zeppelin
1978

“♫ Light
of the
Love
that I
found ♫”

I literally was dancing with the raindrops as I walked away after completing the first testing part of my job interview. It was like I actually sleighed one of my metaphorical dragons and it felt so liberating that I was singing “Fool in the Rain” all the way to the parking lot.

Jon Bream noticed in his book, Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin, that the lyrical plotline for “Fool in the Rain” was also inspired by the Diamonds 1957 doo wop “Silhouette.” Led Zep was anything but foolish for releasing “Rain” as a 1978 single that actually became a top twenty hit.

Always a favorite, since high school, “Fool in the Rain” is my favorite feel good Zeppelin song. According to Nigel Williamson in The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones came up with the idea for “Fool in the Rain” when they heard a samba tune while watching the 1978 World Cup. I love the sound of “Fool in the Rain” it’s just so joyful it makes me want to splash puddles on the sidewalks.

In case you’re still wondering why I’m so fascinated with this 1978 Led Zep single, here are my Top Five Favorite Moments of “Fool in the Rain:”
1. 0:06 I love the way Robert Plant sings “Oh Baby”
2. 2:25 the whistle before the Samba breakdown
3. 3:30 Brazilian percussion during the breakdown
4. listen for the way Bonzo’s drum carry the band through those lovely Brazilian percussion bursting all the way through Bonham’s luscious breakdown drum fills at 3:44
5. 3:51 Jimmy Page’s solo sounds like his guitar is actually joyously singing in the rain!

Convinced? So light up your Saturday night with this Led Zeppelin blissful number; Whether it’s overcast or with clear starry skies, anytime is the right moment to resurrect the magic of “Fool in the Rain.”

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “Swingin’”

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#TomPetty; #PaulZollo, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 108
Fri. May 17, 2013

“Swingin’”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1999

“♫ I
knew
I could
count on
you ♫”

I woke up today with 1999′s “Swingin’” in my head this morning. Hearing this gem today reminded me what Tom Petty told Paul Zollo talkin about Echo’s improvisational gem that is “Swingin’” when he said, ““Swingin’” is a good one. I actually ad-libbed it completely. That is the writing of the song. Yeah. […] We not only ad-libbed it, I mean Howie sang that back –up part live, and it all just came down. It was really a thrill. I didn’t even know this song, and it was done. It was a record.”

All we have to do is trust Tom Petty. He knows. He’s lived it. Its simple just listen for the signs and the magic will find you. Besides, “I Won’t Back Down,” “Swingin’” is probably the best advice Tom Petty ever gave on record. When life knocks you down, you have to get up off the mat and fight back— “Swingin’”…always remember Petty’s eternal Echo…don’t ever give up!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Mosquito”

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#YeahYeahYeahs; #KarenO; #JimiHendrix; #Interpol; #PaulBanks

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 107
Thurs. May 16, 2013

“Subway”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2013

“♫ Caught
my reflection
in the
subway
car ♫”

One thing you’ll notice from the beginning of the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album is that Mosquito has this loud and electrically eclectic sound flowing through out. No doubt that Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ new album has to be the wildest musical trip of 2013. Saying that, I believe the calmer and quieter moments of Mosquito are the most potent. Lead singer Karen O would agree, when she told Spin Magazine, “I wanted to bring back the warmth, the fucked-upness of it, but also [keep it] refined. I wanted it to be simple, but 13 years into it, you can’t be that simple. So at the very least I wanted it to have character, I wanted it to sound like a record.”

“Subway” sounds like Karen O’s modern interpretation of Jimi Hendrix’s “Here My Train A Comin’.” A classic blues song Jimi penned about his destiny as a successful artist that Hendrix described in David Tubbs’ Jimi Hendrix: The Stories Behind Every Song, “It’s about a cat running around town and a whole lot of people from across the
tracks are putting him down. And nobody don’t want to face up to it but this cat has something, only everybody’s against him ‘cause the cat might be different. So he goes on the road to be a voodoo child, come back to be a magic boy.”

Instead of trying to capture Hendrix’s voodoo child vibe, Karen O chose a Subway instead of a traditional train reflects that this Yeah Yeah Yeahs moving number is less about fame and more about love. While Yeah Yeah Yeahs were writing and recording in New Orleans, Karen O admitted, by sending her Top 50 songs written about New York City, it was her husband who inspired her to pen “Subway” when she said, “He was like ‘you gotta write one.’ I wrote this track, which is a love song set on the most New York City thing there is – the metro system.”

Listening again to “Subway,” this Mosquito cut has more of a modern day connection to Paul Banks and Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights ode, “NYC.” The Yeah Yeah Yeahs could have taken Interpol’s “NYC” idea and instead of describing a “porno,” thanks to Karen O’s husband she penned the ultimate underground railway love song. I love the way it’s just Karen O’s voice and the sound of the actually Subway in the background. A sort of Dancer in Dark meets PJ Harvey vocal brings Karen’s O beautiful romantic song to New York City’s “Subway” to life.

Mosquito’s “Subway” reflects something that Karen O told the New York Times when she said, “Being in the shadow a little bit preserved us. Coming up in a real moment baptized us as special, there’s no question. But we’ve been allowed to evolve.” It’s obvious to me that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs used the “Maps” of success to grow into an eclectic unit that can create a tribute of something so lovely as waiting for the train and personal anthem of hopeful escapism. “Subway” is a post modern lullaby that you will fall for; sit back, put on your headphones and enjoy the ride.

Paul McCartney – “A Certain Softness”

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#JohnBlaney, #PaulMcCartney; #NatKingCole, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 106
Wed. May 15, 2013

“A Certain Softness”
Paul McCartney
2005

“♫ A
certain
softness
in her
eyes
fascinates
me ♫”

Way before Paul McCartney recorded his heartfelt Valentine standards on 2012’s Kisses on the Bottom, Macca went romantic on this very luscious acoustic lovely, “A Certain Softness.” This sweet little number from Chaos and Creation in the Backyard always reminded me of a 2005 update of 1989’s Flowers in the Dirt’s “Distractions.” Featuring the tenderest of acoustic guitar work by Hamish Stuart and a lovely laid back Latin flavor that’s so irresistible, this Flowers gem is definitely worthy of your listening “Distractions.”

Fast forwarding back to 2005, while on vacation in Greece, Macca crafted “A Certain Softness” by taking “Distractions” Spanish flavor into a more old fashioned, vintage sound as McCartney explained in John Blaney’s Lennon & McCartney: Together Alone, “It’s just sort of all the love songs that I’ve heard and the ones that I love, cos I love a lot of old fashioned stuff, it’s just so well crafted.”

Macca admitted he was inspired by more of his love of romantic standards when he said, “I have a lot of influences from before my time, before my Dad’s time even, you know? People like Fred Astaire, people like that I listen to and love, really the craft behind it all; so sometimes all that just floods in and becomes a new song.” You have to admire the lyrical craftsman that is Paul McCartney. Besides, Brian Wilson, how many modern day songwriters admit to being inspired by artists like Gershwin and Nat King Cole?

Paul defended his love of love songs while explaining to The Miami Herald how Nat King Cole inspired the feel behind “A Certain Softness” when he said, “I like love, so I like love songs. I like romance. I like to listen to songs that talk about that and that contain those kinds of feelings. I’m a great Nat King Cole fan. I like to think of myself a bit in that tradition.”

While Paul McCartney will be remembered for his classic 60’s love songs like “Yesterday,” and “Maybe I’m Amazed,” its modern day Macca songs that don’t receive the love like his more celebrated lyrical counterparts. We cannot forget that Paul is still making music and there are some magical moments that Macca has penned in the last twenty five years as a solo artist. One of my favorites is 1989’s “Distractions” which lead to the Creation of Backyards’ “A Certain Softness.” If you’re a lover of Paul McCartney’s love songs, you need to rediscover this jewel. Mirroring the old romantic that is Paul McCartney, wrap your ears around “A Certain Softness,” you will definitely fall for this lovely post modern standard with a touch Paul’s well fashioned heart.

The Beatles – “Oh Darling (Savile Row outtake)”

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#TheBeatles; #PaulMcCartney; #JohnLennon; #DavidSheff; #AlanParsons; #BarryMiles, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 105
Tues. May 14, 2013

“Oh Darling (Saville Row/Anthology outtake)”
The Beatles
1969, 1996

“♫ Believe
me,
darling ♫”

When talking to David Sheff about Paul McCartney’s vocal on Abbey Road’s “Oh Darling,” John Lennon famously said, “Oh! Darling was a great one of Paul’s that he didn’t sing too well. I always thought that I could’ve done it better – it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he’s going to sing it. If he’d had any sense, he should have let me sing it. [Laughs.]”

Lennon’s quote always made me wonder, especially after hearing what engineer Alan Parsons said about Paul recording “Oh Darling,” “Paul came in several days running to do the lead vocal on Oh! Darling. He’d come in, sing it and say, ‘No, that’s not it; I’ll try it again tomorrow.’ He only tried it once per day; I suppose he wanted to capture a certain rawness which could only be done once before the voice changed. I remember him saying, ‘Five years ago I could have done this in a flash,’ referring, I suppose, to the days of Long Tall Sally and Kansas City.”

Paul admitted having trouble recording “Oh Darling” in Bill Harry’s The Paul McCartney Encyclopedia, when he said, “When we were recording this track, I came into the studios early every day for a week to sing it by myself because at first my voice was too clear. I wanted it to sound as though I’d been performing [“Oh Darling”] on stage all week.” Paul could have easily handed “Oh Darling” over to John but how can you blame McCartney, if he was trying to challenge himself vocally? The final cut of “Oh Darling” was brave early morning experiment that turned out successful. Still, if you’re wondering how John would have sung “Oh Darling,” instead of Paul, in 1996’s Anthology 3 we get a glimpse of this dream in full effect. The 1969 outtake from Savile Row has John Lennon taking most of the lead vocals from Paul.

Although not as a tight performance, this outtake from Savile Row shows what if John had sung the lead vocal instead of Paul on “Oh Darling?” If this 1996 outtake is any indication, John’s vocal wouldn’t have been better or worse, just uniquely Lennon-esque. Listen, on the Anthology version, as John adds a coda singing about how Yoko’s divorce from her ex-Tony Cox had finally gone through. Paul would never have sung that at the end of a song but that’s what made John…John. But in the end. “Oh Darling” was Paul song but hearing John take lead makes you wonder of all that could have been. And as a Beatles fan, sometimes, its fun to ponder and lyrically wonder.

I love these rough draft sonic glimpses we can rediscover from The Beatles Anthology series. Although not definitive versions, nothing can replace Macca’s soulful vocal on the Abbey Road version of “Oh Darling,” going back and imagining Lennon singing this classic brings chills to my lyrical mind. Go back and relive the beauty of “Oh Darling,” imperfect and all, still hearing The Beatles rehearsing in the studio is a priceless artifact for the Fab Four fanatic in your life.

Robert Plant – “29 Palms”

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#RobertPlant; #AlannahMyles, Don'tForgetTheSongs365

Don’t Forget the Songs-365: Mach Tres: Day 104
Mon. May 13, 2013

“29 Palms”
Robert Plant
1993

“♫ When
I hear
your
voice
on the
radio ♫”

When talking about 1993’s top twenty-five UK single “29 Palms” Robert Plant cryptically and slyly said. “Forget about all the rumors, Everything is true and untrue.” There’ve been rumors that the muse of “29 Palms” is none other than Plant’s former backing singer, Alannah Myles, and vocalist of the luscious 1990 number one hit song “Black Velvet.”

So was “29 Palms” written about Myles? Plant actually admitted not only that “29 Palms” “was written on tour, the last time we were in California” but Robert also confessed that his song was, “my ideal-love-affair-gone-wrong song.” Still no concrete proof but the evidence is in Robert’s lovely love gone wrong song. I woke up this morning crooning Plant’s haunting backing vocals, which reminds me, “29 Palms” is the perfect song for your next road trip playlist. All you need to do is roll down the windows, crank up this Fate of Nations gem and let the timeless beauty of “29 Palms” wash over you.

While not admitting about their love affair, Robert Plant finally said this about Alannah Myles, “We’re good friends. I think the world of her. She’s a great, powerful lady. She has one of the finest voicest of the idiom. She was always very kind to me, very warm-hearted. But the road is the road.” Maybe it doesn’t matter if this Robert Plant gem was written for and about Alannah Myles, at the beginning of the day, what matters most is if we actually connect to Robert’s lost love song.

“29 Palms” actually reminds me of a lost love of 1993. Sometimes, when I hear those opening chords, I can feel the breath of the air from our window rolled down adventures and thanks to Robert Plant’s 1993 single it still feels sonically vivid. I remember I would make her mix tapes, so many mix tapes, that because this Plant song reminded me of her and the day trips we would take together, sharing poems and songs; she actually renamed the collection of mixes I made her after this song. The goal was to make as many mixes as the song title; Unfortunately, we never made it to twenty nine mixes but those road trip memories live on inside the panoramic melodies of Robert Plant’s“29 Palms.”