Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris

To follow the thread of tragic musical pairings, I offer Gram Parsons (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers) and Emmylou Harris. They recorded two albums and toured together. He was separated from his wife and seeing another woman, but Emmylou fell in love with him. She had decided to tell him in person rather than over the phone, but he died in Joshua Tree before they saw each other again. She wrote "Boulder to Birmingham" about him. This is a live version from '77, three years after he died. I think the fire in the canyon she refers to is Gram's house in Topanga Canyon that burned to the ground.

Dreaming Design

I had a dream about our show last night. I can't remember what actually happened in the show, but I do know that all the ladies were in colorful early 60's party dresses with poofy skirts and hairdos. I also remember that the set was like a giant swanky multilevel chill out zone. There was a main level with an enormous low profile sofa, long enough for everyone to sit on together. There was a baby grand piano. In the back there was some other furniture on a slightly higher level. Maybe a bar also. Stage left there was a very wide, steep ramp down into a sunken chill out room with two sofas facing each other and a long coffee table between them. The entire set was carpeted and thrust super far into the audience. It was more like a Vegas show or a television set from the early 60's.

I think that watching the video Allie posted of that awesome Meg Stuart piece from TBA a couple of years ago got me thinking about carpet and levels and wearing more formal clothing. What if the space was surrounded by a giant sectional sofa or if there was a sunken living room in the middle of the space with sofas on three sides that was open to the audience?

I need you more than want you

Okay Glen. You are so young and so special in your abstract set of telephone poles way. I just love it when he sings "vacation." This song is so great and there is something so so sweet about him here...

You light up my life

I am in the grips of a raging Patti Smith obsession (again) and remembered this amazing clip of her singing "You Light Up My Life" -- somehow she takes this song I always thought was so cheesy and brings out the power & simplicity in the lyrics.

Also I was struck in "Just Kids" about how her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe is such a beautiful example of long term love -- whether they're lovers or friends or roommates, the love and support for each other continues and grows and dips and changes -- it's a beautiful book.

Okay one more Patti Smith clip! She's performing in Germany and people are getting unruly (around the 4:15 mark) and she goes down into the audience and tells them to "stop acting like assholes and settle the fuck down."

Love & Learn

I am going to Love & Learn in this blog!

Linda Thompson

Heard an interview with Linda Thompson yesterday on Radiolab (oh, Radiolab... someday we'll skip the middle man and just make a show about Radiolab).

I had been vaguely aware of Linda Thompson and her role along with her husband, Richard, in the Fairport Convention. I guess I knew they'd been married then divorced.

But I didn't know the full saga which is amazing:

They met when she sang on his first album. 

They got married. 

They made more albums together -- he wrote songs and played guitar, she sang. 

Richard got into Sufism and decided to give up music and join a Sufi cult. 

They lived with them for three years (Linda wasn't as into it as Richard was) and had two children. 

Then they decided to get back into music, and recorded one more album. 

Linda became pregnant with their third child. 

Richard left her for the woman organizing his solo American tour (right after Linda gave birth).

Now here is the part that I find fascinating: they were signed on to do a tour to promote their album, and Richard and their manager felt they should back out, but Linda insisted on doing it. So they went on tour together, and she sang the songs he had written about their difficult marriage and impending breakup. Strangely, it was the only time in her career that she's had no trouble singing. And despite the incredible tension between them, she had a great time on tour.

Anyway. I find that very interesting. Also, I looked her up on youtube and she is a fabulous singer, and these are some INTENSE love songs, man!

Here's them singing "A Heart Needs a Home" just before their breakup:

Here's "Walking on a Wire" from their tour -- the video's not that good but you can see the intense dynamic, not to mention, check out these lyrics:

I hand you my ball and chain
You just hand me that same old refrain
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling

And here is them singing "Dimming of the Day" also from the last tour. Oddly enough, this is my parents' favorite song to sing together. I thought it was an old Scottish folk song but it turns out Richard Thompson wrote it.

This old house is falling down around my ears
I'm drowning in the river of my tears
When all my will is gone you hold me sway
I need you at the dimming of the day

Some Images

Dance works

These videos can't be embedded, unfortunately. These are a couple of my favorite dances about love/relationships. Both by Meg Stuart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCE74TFlnoM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AolOqgwyjcY&feature=related

Welcome to the Love Songs Blog!

Let's use this space to bookmark our ideas and inspiration and start a conversation about them. Don't forget to comment on what you see, hear and read. If you have any trouble posting let me know.

I don't know about you, but I've got a list of songs as long as my arm and no mp3s of any of them. Great! While I get right on some illegal downloading, here are a few sweet jams that have been circulating in my mind the past couple of months.

Anita Baker "Sweet Love": Her album "Rapture" was the soundtrack in my mom's car in the mid-late 80's. So many amazing songs off of it (Same Old Love, Caught up in the Rapture, No One in the World), but this was the big big hit.


Liz Phair "Nashville": Ten years later, Liz Phair was the soundtrack in my car! This is one of her more tender compositions. Lyrics below.

They don't know what they like so much about it
They just go for any shiny old bauble, and nobody sparkles like you
But I can't imagine it in better terms
Then naked, half-awake, about to shave and go to work

And I'm starting to think it could happen to me like it did to you
And I'm starting to actually feel it seep through the slick divide now
I don't crack the door too far for anyone who's pushing too hard on me

They don't know what they like so much about it
Maybe it goes on the other side of the hallway
The writing's so small from here
But I can't imagine it in better terms
Then naked, half-awake, about to shave and go to work

I won't decorate my love
I won't decorate my love
I won't decorate my love
I won't decorate my love...

Led Zeppelin "Thank You"



Sade "Love is Stronger Than Pride"