A part of us wants to feel nostalgia. We close our eyes and hear disco music out of the 1970s. Our music entertainment came largely from the "Top 40." Casey Kasem was associated with the Top 40. He'd have his "long-distance dedication," remember?
All communications were so much more limited. Communications? Writer Tom Friedman (a Minnesotan, incidentally) tells us "the friction is gone" from communications now. The new norm is so well established, we quite take it for granted.
I'm prompted to observe all this when thinking of the song "Minnesota." It may not have crossed your mind for a long time. Remember how it had such a pop-flavored, Beach Boy-ish feel to it? The lyrics were well crafted. The original is quite appealing but I think it would be nice to hear a fresh version. Perhaps the new version could sandpaper down the Beach Boy-ish element.
The Internet has broken down barriers to distribution for artistic works. In 1997 I wrote my song about Kirby Puckett, a song that I'm proud to have on YouTube. It has gotten a fair amount of attention and for that I'm pleased. At the time I wrote it, a demo studio would send you a package of cassettes, the idea being to send them to publishers where the odds of success were rather like playing the lottery for a sizable jackpot. The corporate types of the artistic world had no qualms about slamming the door on people.
The demo people involved in the recording were quite different, quite pleasant and committed to what they did - even beyond what they were required to do. I say "thanks" to the Nashville musical community. They will always be honest with you. But no door-slamming. If you sample my music and find you have a special liking for the Puckett song, first of all thanks, and secondly I'll whisper to you that it uses a live drummer!
Music gives enrichment for me at a time when I'm a homebody.
In those bygone "analog" days we'd pick out a song or two in the Top 40 as a favorite. The Top 40 existed to give people a haven where they could feel a little exhilaration either from the lyrics or the basic sound of a song. One problem: as individuals we were limited in determining our own musical consumption, certainly from radio. We could buy records. We had a tiny fraction of the flexibility we have today.
Vinyl records cost a fair amount and included much material we weren't that interested in listening to. We'd buy an album from an artist or group that gave us a catchy melody for a hit song. Then we'd listen to the other obscure songs to see if they were worthwhile. After several listening sessions we might think the whole album is OK.
It's ridiculous to think how much more preferable the music consumption of today is. We take it for granted and have become spoiled. Perhaps instead of "spoiled" we should just observe that today's system is the way it should be, thanks to tech (what maybe arose from that UFO that crashed in New Mexico). The new tech opens doors that leave us fascinated for a while until the novelty wears off. Many bloggers have stepped away from the pastime because the novelty is gone. I persist because writing has always been in my DNA.
Now that I've shared all this background, let's remember the song "Minnesota" by the group Northern Light. (Yes, we're tempted to say "Northern Lights.")
The lyrical start could prod your memory: "Minnesota, I can almost smell the air." Of course you can hear it on YouTube.
"Minnesota" was the first single released by Northern Light on the Glacier label. I learn that Columbia Records eventually re-released the song, expanding the boundaries for its exposure. Let's acknowledge the talented musicians of Northern Light. Featured were David Sandler (piano), Spence Peterson (guitar), Nick Raths (lead guitar) and Gary Lopac (bass). Sandler wrote, arranged and produced most of their material.
A commentator online says the song "will give you goosebumps when listening to it." The song appeared on the group's album "49th Parallel." Someone claims the full title of the song is "Minnesota Nights." Another says "the song was more famous that its singer ever was."
Unfortunately the group became rather a one-hit wonder, as further efforts didn't get the same traction. The music world can be befuddling this way. Science, which purports to explain everything, cannot explain what makes a melody catchy. Reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode which suggests that a melody becomes popular only to the degree that it comes close to a "perfect melody" that we as mortals were never intended to hear. When a character in the show gets to hear it, he instantly turns into a vegetable. The message: human beings were never intended to be exposed to perfection.
I of course have made a couple stabs at writing a song about our state of Minnesota. I wrote one called "Ya Sure You Betcha" where the words fit a melodic pattern I already had in my head. It seems a rather irresistible title, n'est-ce pas? So I'm proud of this effort but I also wrote a song called "We Love Our Life in Minnesota" which I like just as much. I don't know if I'll have either song recorded. We'll see. The demo studios are showing a little price inflation. But I love the Nashville music community.
My lyrics for the two songs make up the rest of this post. Thanks for reading. No loon sounds included. Maybe a meadowlark?
"Ya Sure You Betcha"
by Brian Williams
Ya sure you betcha
When you live in Minnesota
You revere the finer things in life
We love the winter
Even though we sometimes shiver
We indulge in all the snow and ice
Drop that hockey puck
And watch them play
Gliding to and fro so fast
Watch the snowmobiles accelerate
Through our wonderland so vast
Ya sure you betcha
Minnesota will impress ya
Come and have some Jello at the church
We say the nice things
Don't you think it is a blessing
Don't you want to join our universe?
Have some lutefisk
And wash it down
We'll say welcome to the club
Hear the rhythm of the polka sounds
With the tunes that we all love
Ya sure you betcha
There's a lot to entertain ya
In the Twin Towns and the hinterlands
Lakes dot the landscape
So go out and get your live bait
Or relax and lay out in the sand
Do we really have a dialect?
Is it funny how we talk?
We just get along with no regrets
You might say we walk the walk
Ya sure you betcha
It's enough to overwhelm ya
Come and see our Timberwolves and Twins
We don the purple
And we spread it 'round the world
We will reach the Super Bowl and win
"We Love our Life in Minnesota"
by Brian Williams
We love our life in Minnesota
A place where nary is a curse
We call it pop instead of soda
And have red Jello at the church
We cheer the purple every Sunday
And hope they reach the Super Bowl
We know we'll see it happen someday
So I won't have to sell my soul
Hear the snowmobiles across the trails
In our winter wonderland
Snow is paradise beyond compare
That's our Minnesota brand
We love our life in Minnesota
The North Shore to the southern Bluffs
The farmland in the west will wow ya
The forests in the north you'll love
It's true we talk a little funny
They call it Minnesota Nice
And though we seem as sweet as honey
We have a shrewdness like a knife
All the little towns have festivals
Come and savor all they have
All the talent shows are spectacles
Minnesota's where it's at
We love our life in Minnesota
Where hot dish keeps us going strong
So many others call in goulash
But we would shrug and say that's wrong
We have a way of understanding
The most important things in life
So we can keep on hale and hearty
In spite of blizzards in the night
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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