Saturday, September 27, 2014

A Love Letter

My wife Heather and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary last month. Heather and I have been through a lot. Ups and downs, warm days on the beach, and cold nights with no heat. With all we've been through, we've learned to appreciate life, and we've learned to appreciate each other. Our friends say we're 'cute' and call us romantics. And sometimes we finish each other's sentences like in the movies. But, nobody, and I mean NOBODY can get make me as angry as Heather. It doesn't happen often, thankfully. But like all couples do, we have our moments when things are, shall I say.. Less than friendly. And while we don't love each other any less, we don't like each other much at all. But that's what great about the ones we love. They make us feel. Good or bad, they can make us feel our strongest emotions. And when I look at my wife, I can't help but shake my head...


Sam & Ruby
Ain't Love Somethin'
The Here & Now (2009)



This song was in a movie I saw called "Hope Springs" about a couple in counseling. One of the reasons I love music is because to me it is evocative. Emotion, memories. Music always brings something. This song, like a million others reminds me of my sweet wife. "Ain't Love Somethin" is different than a lot of other love songs however. It isn't a fairy tale. "You're the most beautiful ever" kind of song. But it's not 'Why did you leave and break my heart?" either. To me, it captures what love truly is. A mystery. How can you explain how someone can have the secret formula to piss you off in minutes, and yet you'd lay your life down for them without thinking? And yet the people we love, our parents, our children, our friends, our spouse. They drive us crazy, but love 'em to death, don't we?

"It's like the sunshine. And it's like the rain. You bring me pleasure and you bring me pain. I'm in over my head. Got you under my skin. Ain't love somethin?"

I can't put it any better than that.


Ben Taylor
Fire & Vain
Live at the Bing Lounge


So this song is cool, because Ben Taylor covers his own song (Lady Magic) with a mashup of hits from bits and pieces from his famous folk using loop technology. Take the guitar hook from "Fire and Rain" by his dad James Taylor and mash it with the bass line from  "You're So Vain" by mom Carly Simon and you get, (wait for it) Fire and Vain! Ben is a talented singer/songwriter on his own, but seems to have fun with this one, and doesn't seem to mind playing in the shadow of his famous folks. If you get a chance, be sure to check out Ben Taylor's latest album "Listening" available on iTunes and Amazon music

bentaylormusic.com


No comments:

Post a Comment