Nancy E. Dunne's Blog, page 24

Music Monday: New Month, New Music

 It's May, y'all, and that can only mean one thing... THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST. To get in the proper mood, I watched the Eurovision Movie: the Story of Fire Saga and fell in love all over again. But the best part of my Europrep has come in the form of the soundtrack from that movie which includes this gloriousness: the Song Along. I was slapping the back of the sofa and shouting at the dogs, "Do you see that?? That was Loreena! LOOK IT'S JESSY MATADOR IS THAT JAMALA WITH THE LYRIC ABOUT WINNING THE WAR?" 

As you may have guessed, the dogs didn't answer nor care. But I do. Quick history: when I moved to the UK in 2009 I took my three greyhounds and my cat. One of my dogs died shortly after I got there, of osteosarcoma. The second one, her bonded pal and soulmate, left me, Daisy (greyhound number three) and the cat to mourn and cause my husband to wonder what he'd gotten into with his new American wife. He finally suggested that I should watch Eurovision because he thought it would cheer me up.

He was right. Eurovision is happy memories of doing a TIGHT 8 TO 10 on the train platform in Leeds. It is dancing with my workmates in the bookshop. It is searching for the BBC1 feed on the tiny telly in our hotel in Maison Lafitte on our belated honeymoon. I have missed watching it live since we've been back in the US and I'm again on the trail of a way to watch BBC1 with Graham Norton's commentary on the 22nd.

For now, enjoy the Song Along from the Eurovision Movie. It's everything that is fun and mad and glam about Eurovision, and it makes me smile (and get up and dance, but don't tell anyone).

Song Along Lyrics, including the performers in each section.

[Song 1: Cher – "Believe"]

[John Lundvik, Anna Obodescu, Both]

No matter how hard I try

You keep pushing me aside

And I can't break through

There's no talking to you

[Bilal Hassani]

It's so sad that you're leaving

It takes time to believe it

[Bilal Hassani & John Lundvik]

But after all is said and done

[Bilal Hassani, John Lundvik & Anna Odobescu]

You're gonna be the lonely one, oh

[Loreen & Jessy Matador]

Do you believe in life after love? (Sing with me, yeah)

I can feel something inside me say

I really don't think you're strong enough, no

[Song 2: Madonna – "Ray Of Light"]

[Loreen]

And I feel (And I feel) like I just got home

And I feel

[Loreen, Jessy Matador & Anna Odobescu]

Don't think you're strong enough, no

[Petra Nielsen, Anna Odobescu, Loreen & Jessy Matador]

And I feel (And I feel) like I just got home

[Petra Nielsen, Anna Odobescu, Loreen, Jessy Matador, Will Ferrell & John Lundvik]

And I feel

Quicker than a ray of light

Quicker than a ray of light

I really don't think you're strong enough, no

[Song 3: ABBA – "Waterloo"]

[Jamala]

Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war

[Erik Mjönes]

My, my - at Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender

[Molly Sandén]

Oh, yeah - and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way

[Erik Mjönes & Molly Sandén]

The history book on the shelf

Is always repeating itself, woah

[Anna Odobescu, Loreen, Molly Sandén, Petra Nielsen, Jamala & Jessy Matador, Will Ferrell]

Waterloo, I was defeated and you won the war (You won the war)

Waterloo, promise to love you forevermore

[Song 4: Céline Dion – "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi"]

[Elina Nechayeva & Conchita Wurst]

Ne partez pas sans moi

La joie d'être libre

Vous qui cherchez une autre vie

Vous qui volez vers l'an deux mille

Ne partez pas sans moi

[Song 5: Black Eyed Peas – "I Gotta Feeling"]

[Netta, Will Ferrell, Molly Sandén, Erik Mjönes]

Tonight's gonna be a good night

That tonight's gonna be a good night

That tonight's gonna be a good night

A feelin' (Fill up my cup, mazel tov)

(Do you believe in life after love)

That tonight's gonna be a good night (Look at her dancing)

(Quicker than a ray of light)

(Just take it off)

[Netta, Loreen, Molly Sandén, Erik Mjönes]

That tonight's gonna be a good night (I can feel something inside me say)

That tonight's gonna be a good night (I really don't think you're strong enough, no)

A feelin' (Quicker than a ray of light)

That tonight's gonna be a good, good night (Do you believe in life after love?)

[Will Ferrell, All]

A good, good night

Music Monday: Tairn's Last Hoorah...for now

Well, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that has read the Trilogy and knows about Taeben/his relationship with Tairn and Gin that this would be on Tairn's playlist. So much of her time in the Trilogy is spent under Taeben's control, and to an extent, I think he is as obsessed with her as he is with Gin. It's just Tairn's power that he wants to possess and control.  Still, there are parts of this song that speak to her in the aftermath of Taeben: "Into this night I wander/ It's morning that I dread/ Another day not knowing of/ The path I fear to tread..." I have skipped a lot of what she goes through day to day now that she has mind autonomy if not total body autonomy...yet. 

 

Possession

by Sarah McLachlan

Listen as the wind blows from across the great divide
Voices trapped in yearning, memories trapped in time
The night is my companion, and solitude my guide
Would I spend forever here and not be satisfied?
And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear

Through this world I've stumbled
So many times betrayed
Trying to find an honest word to find
The truth enslaved
Oh you speak to me in riddles
And you speak to me in rhymes
My body aches to breathe your breath
Your words keep me alive

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear

Into this night I wander
It's morning that I dread
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread
Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride
Cause nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes...

Music Monday: Lang Belta Edition

Okay, with this edition of Music Monday, I am going to have to admit to something. In all of my love of all things "classic rock," I have somehow overlooked Deep Purple. So when I heard this on the Expanse, I had no idea it wasn't an original song. I was thrilled to find some examples of the Belter Creole in music because that has always helped me learn phrases in other spoken languages. I'm sharing this version with you because I was writing a scene for the Camp Nano WIP recently and this song came on the playlist...and this cinematic explosion happened in my head. I just sat back and let it unfold and then wrote up the incident report. Enjoy.

Highway Star, Belter Version

By Corey Todd

Namang na gonya take my ship
Mi gonya race it til I’m gush
Namang na gonya beat my ship
I’m gonya bek da fash da lush
Oooh I’m a killing machine
I’m ta ge kowlting
Lik wa Epstein drive
All that thrust don’t take nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Belówt to ya
Ya I’m wa wild komante
Nafet, Hold tet
Mi wa highway star

Namang na gonya take my girl
Mi gonya hold im fing da end
Namang na gonya take my girl
She stay kosh wit kowl da bend
Oooh I’m a killing machine
Ta ge kowlting
Lik wa bush im move
Bush control don’t take nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Mi se wa e
Ya im du mi gut
Nafet, Hold on tet
Mi wa highway star


Namang na gonya take my head
Mi take bik sa e’er da ting
Namang na gonya take my head
Mi gonya bi kuku adzheng
Oooh mi in heaven wadzheng
Mi ta ge kowlting
Lik wa ting fo lowsh
An open line don’t takе nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Belówt to ya
Ya I’m wa wild komante
Nafеt, Hold tet
Mi wa highway star

Namang na gonya take my ship
Mi gonya race it til I’m gush
Namang na gonya beat my ship
Mi gonya bek da fash da lush
Oooh I’m a killing machine
I’m ta ge kowlting
Lik wa Epstein Drive
All that thrust don’t take nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Belówt *to *ya
Ya I’m wa wild komante
Nafet, Hold tet
Mi wa highway star
Mi wa highway star
Mi wa highway star

Music Monday: Tairn's Playlist

Not to be confused with Zoey's...this is the playlist for this month's Camp Nanowrimo, which will hopefully produce something ready for edits at the end and not just a third rewrite. I am really feeling Tairn this time, to the point that when certain songs come on I can almost see her. I won't tell you which songs at this point, and some of these may be familiar from previous Music Mondays. Here is the music that is fueling me this month. Enjoy.

I know that I usually post lyrics in an effort to be accessible and I can't, really, but here is the list in case you are inspired to go look up the songs for the lyrics  Thanks for enjoying music with me.
Fortunate Son - CCRFor What it's Worth - Buffalo Springfield Logical Song - SupertrampSomebody to Love - Jefferson AirplaneWhere Have all the Cowboys Gone - Paula ColeCome to My Window - Melissa EtheridgeLeast Complicated - Indigo GirlsPossession - Sarah McLachlanAll I Wanna Do - Sheryl CrowWhat I Am - Edie Brickell & New BohemiansBecause the Night - 10,000 ManiacsJust A Girl - No DoubtCannonball - The BreedersNaked Eye - Luscious JacksonSeether - Veruca SaltEye of the Storm - Watt WhiteHell No - Ingrid MichaelsonPierre - Ryn WeaverKyrie - Mr. MisterWelcome Home, Son - Radical FaceSometimes I - Rising AppalachiaI Miss the Misery - HalestormThe Thunder Rolls - State of Mine, No ResolveAlive - DaughtryPeople Like Us - Kelly ClarksonHumans Being - Van HalenLeave Her Wild - Tyler RichCan't Find My Way Home - Blind FaithHighway Star, Belter Version - Cory ToddFrom Now On - Zac Brown BandUnsteady - X AmbassadorsTimes Like These, BBC Radio 1 Stay Home Live Lounge - Live Lounge AllstarsAshes the Rain and I - James GangSky Blue and Black - Jackson BrowneImmortals - Fall Out BoyGimme Shelter (feat. Lzzy Hale) - Stone Sour, Lzzy HaleLove Remains the Same - Gavin RossdaleThe Light - DisturbedCould Have Been Me - The StrutsArcade - Duncan LaurenceTraveling Song - Ryn WeaverTake it Off Remix - KeshaMidnight Rider - Allman Brothers BandSomeone to You - BANNERSBlue Sky - Allman Brothers BandHuman - Rag'n'Bone ManOur Lips are Sealed - The Go-Go'sWe Got the Beat - The Go-Go'sHead Over Heels - The Go-Go's

Notes from Exile: Light at the End of the Pandemic

My tiny studio - cluttered. It's a metaphor, I swear.

Well, y'all remember the post about vaccines, right? All 'I'm determining my own path' and 'Don't @ me for waiting for the one-shot vaccine!' Yeah, so...that isn't how it turned out. The DayJob™ let us know that because...reasons, we were going to return to the workplace prior to the end of the semester. Suddenly, I got worried about having to go back to an office that I share with someone, figuring out a bus pass, being in a classroom again with germy students, etc...and I remembered that I took a survey last year that said if my Employer offered a vaccine or a path to an appointment I would be interested.

Well of course I said that. Y'all, I am the epitome of a team player. Stop laughing.

Anyway, the very day I made my first appointment to join House Moderna (long may Saint Dolly walk this earth and make our lives better) I found out that if you are waiting on a first appointment date or in-between appointments you don't have to return to the workplace until you are fully vaccinated. The universe provides, y'all. My first jab was on 30 March, the second will be on 27 April, and I will be two weeks clear and able to 'return to the workplace' on 11 May. That is the second day of my summer break. So...

Now, I do have to work at least one major event for The DayJob™ in person before 11 May, but with two doses in my body and a good mask, I should be all right. Goodbye to the tiny studio I've created in the office I share with my dogs. Goodbye to shaky zoom classes and even shakier internet connections. 

So are we seeing the light at the end? Is this awful 'only a few weeks' turned '13 months of canceled plans, constant worry, and inability to feel at all okay' almost over? I hope so. I have a con to attend as a guest author, at least one book release, and autumn of Rennie life to look forward to if so. But you will still see me wearing a mask and keeping a distance, even if things do return to 'normal,' whatever that looks like. At least in the beginning.

Get vaccinated. Do your part. I will see you in the sunshine outside this tunnel.

Music Monday: Back to Tairn, again

So this is another Camp Nano month - and like others, the rules aren't quite as strict. As a result, I'm working on a re-write of my second novel in the Guardians of Orana series, Red. This is the story of Tairneanach, a secondary character and minor villain in the Nature Walker Trilogy. She is arguably my favorite character in the world of Orana, and I'm determined to get her right. Tairn has a great story to tell, but she also has an addiction to misery and pain - and this book is going to investigate why. So this song by Halestorm is just perfect for her. She doesn't miss Taeben, not exactly...


I Miss the Miseryby Halestorm
Oh, I miss the misery
I've been a mess since you stayed
I've been a wreck since you changed
Don't let me get in your way
I miss the lies and the pain
The fights that keep us awake
I'm telling you
I miss the bad things
The way you hate me
I miss the screaming
The way that you blame me
Miss the phone calls
When it's your fault
I miss the late nights
Don't miss you at all
I like the kick in the face
And the things you do to me
I love the way that it hurts
I don't miss you, I miss the misery
I've tried but I just can't take it
I'd rather fight than just fake it ('cause I like it rough)
You know that I've had enough
I dare ya to call my bluff
Can't take too much of a good thing
I'm telling you
I miss the bad things
The way you hate me
I miss the screaming
The way that you blame me
Miss the phone calls
When it's your fault
I miss the late nights
Don't miss you at all
I like the kick in the face
And the things you do to me
I love the way that it hurts
I don't miss you, I miss the misery
Just know that I'll make you hurt
(I miss the lies and the pain what you did to me)
When you tell me you'll make it worse
(I'd rather fight all night than watch the TV)
I hate that feeling inside
You tell me how hard you'll try
But when we're at our worst
I miss the misery
I miss the bad things
The way you hate me
I miss the screaming
The way that you blame me
I miss the rough sex
Leaves me a mess
I miss the feeling of pains in my chest
Miss the phone calls
When it's your fault
I miss the late nights
Don't miss you at all
I like the kick in the face
And the things you do to me
I love the way that it hurts
I don't miss you, I miss the misery
I don't miss you, I miss the misery
I don't miss you, I miss the misery

Music Monday: Almost time for Nano again...almost.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, I have no idea what I'm working on come Thursday of this week. Truth be told, I may not start until the weekend because I get my first Fauci Ouchie on Tuesday and officially join House Moderna (may the Sainted Mother Dolly's name always be praised). So enjoy this tune that I came across on TikTok that may play into Tairn's story...but also may not. It's anything can happen Monday! 



Pierre, by Ryn Weaver
I danced in the desert, in the pouring rainDrank with the devil and forgot my nameWoke with somebody when the morning cameNo one there to shame me for my youth'Cause I wouldn't be with you
And then I found me a lover who could play the bassHe's kinda quiet, but his body ain'tSpend the days dreaming and the nights awakeDoin' things we know we shouldn't do'Cause I wouldn't be with you
Says he can't believe he found meWraps his arms around meYeah-eah, eah-eah-eah-yeah
I can't let him inYou call me up and ask me how I've beenI'll call your bluff andKeep on telling, telling, telling you liesKeep on telling, telling, telling you liesNo, I can't let him inYou play me rough, but I won't let you inSo, call my bluff, I'llKeep on telling, telling, telling you liesKeep on telling, telling, telling you lies
Oh, count down to the day they may come true
And I fell for a vagabond, a month at topsLied and said his bike was in the "motor shopDrove my car once and made the tire popStill we had some fun, till I came to'Cause I wouldn't be with you
On the Fourth of July, I met a man, PierreLied about his age, but I didn't careSpoke in broken English but the heart was thereIn those eyes of sky and ocean blue'Cause I wouldn't be with you
Says he can't believe he found meWraps his arms around meYeah-eah, eah-eah-eah-yeahI can't let him inYou call me up and ask me how I've beenI'll call your bluff andKeep on telling, telling, telling you liesKeep on telling, telling, telling you liesNo, I can't let them inYou play me rough, but I won't let you inSo, call my bluff, I'llKeep on telling, telling, telling you liesKeep on telling, telling, telling you lies
Oh, count down to the day they may come true
I'm counting dow-ow-ow-ow-ownI'm still so dow-ow-ow-ow-ownI'll come around

Music Monday: That Pirate Thing

 Yeah, I'm on Tiktok and yeah, I'm loving the whole sea shanty trend. But I'm also loving other trends, like the #birates trend that involves the intersection of LGBTQ+ folx and pirate cosplay. Whew. The pirate cosplay game is strong, and I came across today's Music Monday through a few cosplayers who are acting out bits from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean...I guess? (I've only seen two of them, don't come at me!) 

The video is of the Tiktok creator Colum McGuiness's version and it is haunting. The original is by Hans Zimmer, one of the RULERS of movie soundtracks, and it's got me thinking about "thieves and beggars" that "never shall we die" in terms of the Wraiths of Appalachia WIP. I just need to get all that out of my system before April, right? Enjoy.

Hoist the Colors

by Hans Zimmer

The King and his men
stole the Queen from her bed
and bound her in her bones
the seas be ours and beyond the powers
where we will we'll roam
Yo ho, all hands
Hoist the colors high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
Yo ho, haul togetherHoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die

Yo ho, haul togetherHoist the colors high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die

Yo ho, haul together
Hoist the colors high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die

Notes from Exile: On Choices and Vaccines

Before I go any further, I want to say that I am not anti-vaccine. I completely agree with the science, I'm a big fan of Dr. Fauci, and I know that this is the best way to get this beast under control so that we can all have a life again. It feels like we finally have some direction here in the US, and that is an amazing relief.

But there is one thing you should know about me. I have, as I have explained recently on social media, a near consciousness-losing fear of needles. I have been watching all the news reports about the vaccine and forcing myself to watch the actual injections and it is getting better, but not anywhere near resolved. 

Fun Fact the First: I once went on vacation with Starter Husband and his family and he got very dehydrated and ended up in the emergency room. Since that was in the Before Times, I went in with him and was there the whole time until they had to run an IV for hydration. I had to leave the room. 

Fun Fact the Second: I was interpreting once for a mammogram to pinpoint (ha, that was an interesting choice of words) the place for a biopsy, and when they gave the deaf client a shot to NUMB the area I got swimmy headed. When they inserted the needle for the biopsy the nurse came and asked me if I needed to sit down or have some water because apparently "that shade of greenish-gray comes on you right before you faint, sugar."

That, mind you, was in response to someone else having a needle inserted into their skin, not me.

So, I have been preparing myself for months for this two-step vaccine, understanding that it will require me to go ON PURPOSE and REQUEST two injections. (I can feel all of you rolling your eyes, it must be nice not to be afraid of anything, moving on...) Then I heard the best thing I've heard since "we have a vaccine," and that was "the Janssen/J&J vaccine is only one injection." One and done, y'all. ONE.

Apparently here in SC, this particular vaccine is available via CVS, so I've been camping out on their website. Right now when the unicorn of an open appointment time appears it is still reading as a Moderna injection, which is two-step, and not the fun Texas kind. So I wait.

And I wait. And I watch. And...I am ridiculed and teased. For making an adult choice (getting the vaccine) and having patience (staying in relative isolation) for my turn to come. I don't have to go to a workplace any time soon. I don't have parents that I miss hugging. I can wait - and I am being responsible about it, and those folks that want to tease me about my fear or guilt me into doing something other than what feels right to me...well, I don't know what to tell you other than you aren't going to change my mind.

I am not paranoid. I am not a hermit. I am not anti-social (well, no more than I was). I am not unfriendly, cold, or childish. I am not most of the hurtful things that I've heard about myself over the last year. So please be kind to those of us planning vacations and visits and generally time AWAY from our homes who are choosing to do what we feel is right and not running headlong into two injections - it is okay for us to wait, at home, isolated and safe.

Music Monday: Sometimes you just need a good drum

 So this song has just turned up in my Shazam, and if I had to guess I would say it's from one of the myriad of programs that we've been binge-watching during the pandemic. No idea which one. It could also be from Tiktok, considering the overabundance of sea shanties and the like over there lately. 

The lyrics spoke to me about my MC, Scarlet, and I could imagine her Mamó singing this song to her on the front porch of the cabin up in the mountains. But the drums...sometimes you just need a good drum. Enjoy.

Little Margaret by Rhiannon Giddens

Little Margaret, sitting in her high hall chair
Combing back her long, yellow hair
Saw sweet William and his new-made bride
Riding up the road so near
She threw down her ivory comb
Threw back her long yellow hair
Said, "I'll go down and I'll bid him farewell
And I'll nevermore go there"
It was late in the night
They were fast asleep
Little Margaret appeared all dressed in white
Standing at their bed-feet
Saying, "How do you like your snow-white pillow?"
"How do you like your sheet?"
Saying, "How do you like that pretty fair maid
Who lays in your arms asleep?"
Very well do I like my snow-white pillow
Well do I like my sheet
Much better do I like that pretty fair maid
Who stands at my bed-feet
He called his serving man to go
And saddled the dappled roan
And he rode for her father's house that night
Knocked on the door alone
Saying, "Is Little Margaret in her room
Or is she in the hall?"
"Little Margaret's in her coal-black coffin
With her face turned toward the wall"
Unfold, unfold those snow-white robes
Be they ever so fine
For I want to kiss those cold, cold lips
For I know they'll never kiss mine
Three times he kissed her cold, cold hand
Twice he kissed her cheek
But once he kissed her cold cold lips
Then he fell in her arms asleep