Nostalgic Music Month Day 20

Billy Joel by Jon Hilton

Almost all of the people who grew up during the 70’s and 80’s had their life touched by the music of Billy Joel. His music was popular for decades and the songs have become iconic to me. It was January 30, 1987. A friend of a friend was going to see Billy Joel in Portland, Maine. We were going to meet them after the concert, I had no intention of going. Arriving early, on a snowy, cold Maine night, we decided to duck into the Cumberland County Civic Center to get warm. We stepped through the door, there was nobody there. Only an opening into the concert and Billy Joel singing.  Sometimes opportunities are just handed to you and that day I got to see Billy Joel for free. It was a great day.

1. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant– Life is nothing but a series of choices made. The choices come in all forms, easy, hard, good, bad, short-term or lifelong. Relationship choices are some of the most important we make because it is the relationship choices that really define the direction that our soul is going to go. Your needs and those of another dictate the activities and priorities of the life that you live.  In this song, it is a simple choice between a bottle of red or a bottle of white. When I see young people who are in love, I always think about Brenda and Eddie and wish them good luck.  A bottle of white, a bottle of red. Perhaps a bottle of rose instead. We’ll get a table near the street. In our old familiar place. You and I, face to face.
2. The Stranger-I believe we all have many sides and people wear masks depending on which side they want to reveal on that day. This song describes the fact that people really keep their true self to themselves. Is it because we lack a faith that our true identities will be accepted by others. I once heard that 99% of what we really think about life and people is hidden kept to ourselves and nobody knows except for us. We all fall in love but we disregard the danger……. There is always a danger in falling in love because you are risking a rejection, and romantic love brings with it attached emotions like jealousy and fear of losing what you have that makes people behave in strange ways like possessivness and other crazy stuff. All good things come with an equal danger of bad, communication and honesty is the cure.  You may never understand How the stranger is inspired, But he isn’t always evil. And he is not always wrong. Though you drown in good intentions. You will never quench the fire. You’ll give in to your desire. When the stranger comes along.
3. Just the Way You Are– All of the positive memories I have about relationships have stemmed from the feeling that both parties are accepted just as they are. There is no desire to change them or make someone into something that they are not.  It seems that the older you get all the people you meet have spent their lives building a relatonship coat. This coat contains all of the things they ideally want and don’t want in a relationship partner. So they are continually looking for someone who can wear that relationship coat and be that ideal person. This puts expectations on people and causes ultimate disappointment.  I know I don’t have any desire to wear someone else’s relationship coat because it would dim who I am. that person should be enough. What relationship coat have you built?  I said I love you and that’s forever. And this I promise from the heart. I could not love you any better. I love you just the way you are.
4. You May be Right-When it comes to being wrong, I have a particular friend who is a master at it. One of his favorite pasttimes is arguing with people over silly things. In most cases, he is just arguing for the sake of arguing. I contend that he can’t help it because of his family and upbringing. He will argue about things with questionable factual information but always with conviction. I don’t pretend to understand why he gets all worked up about things you can’t control.  All I know is that the best use of Google is to fact check his sources and make sure that all arguments are coming from a factual location.  This song really reminds me of him.  You may be right. I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for. Turn out the light. Don’t try to save me. You may be wrong for all I know. You may be right. You may be wrong but you may be right. 
5. Vienna– Our lives are driven by dreams. Life is a constant jouney to try to build dreams and to work to achieve them. In that journey there is going to be fear and doubt to overcome. Nothing worthwhile comes without a cost. We should all create dreams of accomplishment and achievement no matter how old we are. These are the things that give life meaning and allow us to move forward with passion and adventure. There are going to be doubts, get out of your own head and focus on the goal.  This will make you create a life that is certainly worth living.  In that pursuit it is important to enjoy the journey, because it is in the journey that all the memories are created and the interesting story is written.  But you know that when the truth is told. That you can get what you want or you get old. You’re gonna kick off before you even. Get halfway through. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you. 

Downeaster Alexa, Good Night Saigon, A Matter of Trust, Don’t Ask Me Why, your My Home, Tell Her About It, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Ballad of Billy the Kid, We Didn’t Start the Fire, Piano Man, The Longest Time, New York State of Mind, Honesty, You May be Right, Only the Good Die Young, River of Dreams, It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me, Movin’ Out, And So It Goes, She’s Always a Woman, Allentown, Big Shot

Terry Jacks by Mike Martin

The 1973-74 school year was the last time that Jon Hilton and I were in the same class. Mrs. Thornquist, our 2nd-grade teacher, was an absolute sweetheart. The highlight of the week was always a visit from her husband Bill, who like his wife, was very much respected in the small remote village of Greenville, Maine.

She was so sweet that she tolerated way too much of our misbehaviors, and I am not saying that Jon and I took advantage of her kindness, but we did earn what I call the “Hilton Rule”-a new policy in the Greenville School System that Jon and I were not to be in the same class ever again.

The school did modify the “Hilton Rule” policy once for a short time. In 5th grade, circumstances dedicated that I move classroom and was in Hilton’s class for what amounted to two days. The duration of the stay was brief because the 5th-grade teacher was a pervert. He made a pass at

me and I stopped short of punching him in the nose. I went directly to the VP office Mr. Keenan, asked and was granted a transfer back to Mr. Pooler’s room.

When I hear Seasons in the Sun , an English-language adaptation of the song Le Moribond by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel- a song that became a worldwide hit in 1974 for Terry Jacks-a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and environmentalist, I immediately think of the bus ride from my house on MacAfee Street to Greenville Elementary School anticipating another great day in Mrs. Thronquist’s class.

The song was originally intended for the Beach Boys, with Jacks serving as producer for the recording; however, after the group decided not to release it, Jacks recorded it himself in late 1973 on his own record label, Goldfish

Records. The song became the largest-selling international single by a Canadian artist at that time, eventually selling 14 million copies worldwide.

Terry Jacks “Seasons In The Sun” 2014

Goodbye to you my trusted friend
We’ve known each other since we were nine or ten
Together we’ve climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and ABC’s
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees
Goodbye my friend it’s hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I’ll be there

Goodbye Papa please pray for me
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong
Too much wine and too much song
Wonder how I got along
Goodbye Papa it’s hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Little children everywhere
When you…

And, when riding a school bus in Greenville, Maine back in the mid 70’s, you listened to the girls sing Season In the Sun by Terry Jacks, over and over again. I admit they sounded pretty good, but of course, I was more interested in playing kickball and making slime.

Please, have a great day, and if you have any questions, drop us a line and please partake in #OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth and while you are at it take a trip to Greenville, Maine-I understand the foliage is majestic this time of year! #visitGreenville

#OctoberNostalgicMusicMonth #visitGreenville