T said that I shouldn't post this to my blog. Her concern was that I would look stupid or at least monumentaly slow. I figure it's too late for that- so here goes. . . I was listenin' to Disc 1 of the Carpenter's Gold collection yesterday on the way home.
One of the ways that they were able to sell this album after all of the other collections of Carpenter's songs out there, was to release a bunch of previously unreleased covers that Karen did. We get to hear surprisin' takes on songs like Rod Stewart's 'Reason to Believe' (as an almost country song). A Soulful 'Rainbow Connection' is also on included; it was going to be in the original Muppet movie - they had Kermit sing it instead :-(.
The 3rd best song on the disc (behind 'Superstar' and a fully orchestrated 'Calling Occupants...') is a very Rockin' version of the old Mamas and the Papas standby 'California Dreamin'. Last night I was singin' along - thinkin that I really should get a M&P CD when I finaly heard Karen singin' the line that I'd missed all these years:
"Oh, the preacher likes the cold (preacher likes the cold)
He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay)
Oh, California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day "
Not sure why this hit me like it did, but I had alway's heard: Oh, the Preacher ........ blah blah, blah - Blah blah blah blah - California Dreamin....
Suddely I unserstood - the song is about wantin' to go to California, not dreamin' while in California ..... **lightbulb**
This is way too long of a post to continue on a topic so silly - but I will ....
If you are still readin', you may have said to yourself (as T did), "well, yeah? - duhh"after all ... the song says "I'd be safe and warm - if I was in LA". I had always though they were just in Northern california. Actually, the fact that all the leaves were brown - and the sky was grey sounds more like a northern Cal winter ... since I think of midwestern snowy winters.
What, then was the song about - if not goin' to California?. I always thought they were deamin' of leavin' California and a relationship that seemed to be like the dry - lifeless winter they were experiencin'.
"If I didn't tell her (if I didn't tell her)
I could leave today (I could leave today)
Oh, California dreamin' (California dreamin') "
I guess just wantin' to be warm isn't quite the same - the song somehow means less to me now.
5 comments:
**token comment for Dash who was sad that he had written a long blog that noone had taken time to read/post to yet....it being Friday and all, I don't know what's taken you all so long!**
I use to sing this song while in the winter of Indiana. I knew EXACTLY what it was saying!
This is my first chance to check on the blogs today, so a little slack please. :)
I only ever really knew the lines "on a winter's day" and "California dreamin." Obviously, I hadn't even gotten to Dash's level of understanding of the song, let alone have a real understanding of it.
I still don't get it!
That's ok.. I am slow at getting songs too. I did get that one though. : )
Remember the song,"Climb, Climb up sunshine mountain,?" Growing up I thought one verse was "turn, turn your back uneven...when actually it was "turn, turn your back on evil" I thought it was "uneven" because everyone would twist their back at that point.
Sorry, cut me some slack too! I took some time off last week, which meant I was left with dial-up, which means that I was not able to check blogs and comment and my usual rapid pace. I didn't see much of any comments from from anybody last week.
I never pay attention to the lyrics, so I don't know what that song is about either. I am a fan of the music and melody. I have no idea what the words are for that song let alone what they mean.
The good thing about lyrics or ambiguous lyric is that you can interpret them however you wish and make that song mean something to you where it might mean something else to T.
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