The Best Songs Lyrics of Modern America – Part 11
Blog No 108
November 12, 2019
The Best Song Lyrics of Modern America- Part 11
READING TIME: Just 4 Minutes
By Mack W. Borgen
Recipient of Eight National Book Awards. For a “cleaner” / non-email presentation of this and my other blogs, essays, and articles, please go to my website at https://www.mackwborgen.com/
Introduction
Song lyrics are the real poetry of Modern America. The lyrics of our favorite songs roll around in our heads for decades. Almost unconsciously, every day we honor the words of America’s songwriters who said something in that perfect, poetic, or clever way.
Here is Part 11 of my assembled list — done over the last nine years in conjunction with my research for my last series of books, Dead Serious and Lighthearted – The Memorable Words of Modern America. For an explanation about the background of this Best Lyrics project, see below.
To order copies of my books for Christmas gifts, just go to http://mackwborgen.com/shop/ .
But, now, … The Best Lyrics of Modern America – Part 11
– From 1957 through 2015 – Enjoy.
The Sixties
For What It’s Worth (1966) (Buffalo Springfield) (Group) (Years Active 1966-1968; 2010-
2012) (Included members such as Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Jim Messina).
“There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware. …”
“I think it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sounds
Everybody look what’s going down.
There’s battle lines being drawn
Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind ….”
“A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side.”
The Seventies
Running on Empty Sundown (1978) (Jackson Browne) (B: 1948, Heidelberg, Germany).
“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one o one*
I don’t know where I’m running now, I’m just running on….”
“Running on – running on empty
Running on – running blind
Running on – running into the sun
But I’m running behind.
Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Try not to confuse it with what you do to survive….”
* As a write this blog, this author is only about ¼ mile from “one-o-one” (Highway 101) in Santa Barbara, California.
The Nineties
Candle in the Wind (1997*) (Elton John) (B: 1947, Middlesex, England) and Bernie Taupin
(B: 1950, Lincolnshire, England). Note: This song was originally written and released in 1973 in honor of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier. However, the even more famous version of this song was written and released in 1997 in honor of Diana, Princess of Wales).
“Goodbye England’s rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart.
You called out to your country
And whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name.
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candle’s burned out long before
Your legend ever will….”
Country Western
This Week’s Blog – Some of the Best-Said, Short Lines Ever
Feels So Right (1981) (Alabama) (Group) (Years Active 1969-2004, 2006-2007, 2010 –
Present)
“Whisper to me softly,
Breathe words upon my skin”
Don’t Rock the Jukebox (1991) (Alan Jackson) (B: 1958, Newnan, GA).
“I don’t feel like rockin’
Since my baby’s gone
So don’t rock the jukebox
Play me a country song”
It’s Your Love (1997) (Tim McGraw with Faith Hill Lyrics)(Tim McGraw – B: 1967, Dehli, LA) (Faith Hill (B: 1967, Ridgeland, MI).
“Better than I was
More than I am
And all of this happened
By takin’ your hand.”
The Most Beautiful Girl (1973) (Multiple Artists and Multiple Release Dates) (Charlie Rich)
(B: 1932, Colt, AR – D: 1995, Hammond, LA)(Age 62).
“I lost my head and I said some things
Now comes the heartaches that morning brings”
Explanation and Background of These
“The Best Lyrics of Modern America” Blogs
As noted above, song lyrics are the real poetry of Modern America, and about nine years ago, in 2010, when I started my research for my books, Dead Serious and Lighthearted – The Memorable Words of Modern America, I spent much of the initial year assembling, sorting, and selecting those “memorable” song lyrics to be included in my books.
However, I eventually decided that it was necessary to exclude song lyrics from my books. This was done partly in deference to the needs of book brevity and in bowing recognition to the unavoidable subjectivity of making such selections. But it was also done because most songs are almost definitionally “intra-generational” in that they remain the separate and proud province of each generation. They are a part of each generation’s formative and collective memory – but not beyond that.
Nevertheless, as a result of that year of research, I assembled a relatively massive collection of what may be, by some measures of broad consensus, the greatest song lyrics of Modern America.
I have decided to start presenting them here for your remembrance and enjoyment. I confess that this is partly triggered by the fact that I have already done the fun, but painstaking, work of such assemblage. However, these lyrics blogs are also triggered by the fact that America needs – maybe now more than ever — to reach back and enjoy something or, as best said in 1967 by the Beatles in their song A Day in the Life” — “I read the news today, oh boy.”
Thus, starting about a year ago — on October 9, 2018 with Blog No. 83, I have started posting some excerpts of this author’s humble suggestions of The Best Lyrics of Modern America.
– – –
New Blog Feature – The Fancypants Word of the Day
Picaresque (Adjective; Origin: Spanish)) 1) Related to a mischievous character; 2) A type of fiction concerning the adventures of roguish but likeable characters.
Examples of uses in sentences:
“His new novel was full of picaresque characters ….”
“She wants to settle down, but she’s constantly drawn to picaresque sorts who will never give up their life of adventure.”
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