For some reason tonight, this song came into my head & decided not to budge until I recorded my version of it. It resonates with me right now…a beautiful, sad melody written by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. The lyrics are below. Click HERE or on the below image to listen to the MP3 performed on my piano.
“Hey Jupiter” music & lyrics by Tori Amos (from Boys for Pele)
Arranged & performed by Laura Griffin
no one’s picking up the phone
guess it’s me… and me
and this little masochist
she’s ready to confess
all the things that I never thought
that she could feel
hey Jupiter
nothing’s been the same
so are you gay… are you blue
thought we both could use a friend to run to
and I thought I wouldn’t have to be
with you… something new
sometimes I breathe you in
and I know you know
and sometimes you take a swim
found your writing on my wall
if my heart’s soaking wet
boy your boots can leave a mess
hey Jupiter
nothing’s been the same
so are you gay… are you blue
thought we both could use a friend to run to
and I thought you wouldn’t have to keep
with me …hiding
thought I knew myself so well
all the dolls I had
took my leather off the shelf
your apocalypse was fab
for a girl who couldn’t choose between the shower or the bath
and I thought I wouldn’t have to be
with you… a magazine
no one’s picking up the phone
guess it’s clear he’s gone
and this little masochist
is lifting up her dress
guess I thought I could never feel the things I feel and
hey Jupiter
nothing’s been the same
so are you gay… are you blue
thought we both could use a friend to run to
hey Jupiter nothing’s been the same
so are you safe… now we’re through
thought we both could use a friend to run to
hey Jupiter
Last month, I went to see Ani DiFranco play live at a venue called the Granada Theater here in Dallas. She is an acquired taste, but is definitely one of the most talented songwriters & lyricists I’ve ever heard. I’ve seen her play about 6 times in concert over the last decade, and she never disappoints. I get so inspired watching someone be completely self-expressed and connected to their creative source, that I immediately want to go home & write music and poetry! The Granada sent me some wonderful free pics in e-mail I thought I’d share from the show along with some of my fav Ani lyrics.
“I do it for the joy it brings
because I’m a joyful girl
because the world owes me nothing
and we owe each other the world” -Joyful Girl, Dilate
“I opened the fire door to four lips
none of which were mine
kissing
tightened my belt around my hips
where your hands are missing
and stepped out in the cold collar high
under the slate grey sky
the air was smoking and the streets were dry
and i wasn’t joking when i said goodbye. “ – Firedoor, Ani DiFranco
“in the jukebox of her memory
the list of names flips by and stops
she closes her eyes
and smiles as the record drops
then she drinks herself up and out
of her kitchen chair
and she dances out of time
as slow as she can sway
for as long as she can say
this dance is mine” – Jukebox, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up
“the door opens
the room winces
the housekeeper comes in
without a warning
i squint at the muscular motel light
and say, hey, good morning
as she jumps her keys jingle
and she leaves as quickly
as she came in
i roll over and taste the pillow with my grin “ – Shy, Not a Pretty Girl
“squint your eyes and look closer
i’m not between you and your ambition
i am a poster girl with no poster
i am thirty-two flavors and then some
and i’m beyond your peripheral vision
so you might wanna turn your head
‘cuz some day you are going to get hungry
and eat most of the words you just said “ – 32 Flavors, Not a Pretty Girl
I’ve been a big fan of Natalie Merchant’s work for years (ever since Steve introduced me to her – thanks Steve!). Her songs are often filled with socially conscious lyrics matched with great melodies, and she is a tremendous performer live. I’ve seen her about 4 times in concert, and she is always having so much fun performing on stage that you just want to get up there & dance around & help perform the music yourself. *LOL*
Natalie got her start over 25 years ago when she became the lead singer of a band called 10,000 Maniacs. One of my favorite tunes she wrote for them is called Verdi Cries. It’s a simple one for piano & voice. I picked out the rudimentary chords on my piano & recorded my own version for you tonight. You can click on the picture or on THIS LINK to listen to the short MP3 of my interpretation. Hope you like it!
P.S. For those of you that follow my papercrafting designs, I’ll have more cards coming soon – I’ve just been having a lot of fun creating music this month!
I mentioned in a recent post that I’m a huge fan of British singer-songwriter-producer Imogen Heap. One of her most popular tunes is an a cappella song called “Hide & Seek” from her album Speak for Yourself. She processed her solo vocals through her keyboards to create beautiful harmonies.
I realized tonight that my lil’ home recording studio has similar capabilities, so I gave it a shot. Here’s my version of Hide & Seek using a cheap microphone plugged into the vocal harmonizer on my Clavinova. Click HERE to listen to the mp3. Enjoy!
I love the song Dante’s Prayer by Loreena McKennitt. She wrote it in 1995 while traveling alone by train across Siberia. She later recorded it in Peter Gabriel’s studio in England for her album Book of Secrets.
Tonight, I was drawn to the piano to create my own interpretation. I recorded it in about an hour. The final version was a single take, so this is a bit raw with just my piano & voice. I like the end result, though, and I hope you enjoy it! Click on the image to the left to listen to the mp3.
“Cast your eyes on the ocean… Cast your soul to the sea. When the dark night seems endless… Please remember me.”
I’ve been on a music kick lately & wanted to share one of my fav artists with you. I first discovered Imogen Heap about 2 years ago. She has an incredibly unique voice, can play the piano brilliantly, & is one of the most talented producers I’ve ever seen (actually performing hundreds of performances live as a one-woman band with just her & her studio equipment). She is currently recording her 4th major album in the basement of her childhood home (in England) and is doing a video blog on You Tube showing her progress each week. Really fun to see her creative process.
Years ago, she was part of a 2-person band called “FrouFrou” whose claim to fame was a song called “Let Go” that was featured in the movie Garden State. Here’s an acoustic version of the song with just Imogen & her piano. It is so beautiful & raw that I had to share…. “There’s beauty in the breakdown.”
Every once in a while, I hear a song that blows me away…that stops me dead in my tracks. Almost Lover is one of those songs. I first heard the song (written by A Fine Frenzy ) a few months ago and I just couldn’t get the sad, haunting melody out of my mind. During my recent trip to Europe, I played it on repeat as I sat staring at the Irish ocean on Killiney Bay. I decided I wanted to do my own interpretation and share it with you here. I arranged the piece on my Clavinova piano with some basic string instrumentation. Hope you like it! Just click on the image below to listen to the mp3. FYI – you may need to increase the volume a bit on your headphones or speakers since the recording is not mastered. Hope you’re having a great weekend!
I don’t know about you, but I’m a complete sucker for sappy dramas. The first time I watched “A Walk to Remember” starring Mandy Moore – I think I cried for an hour straight!
We’re not talking an award-winning film, but something about the movie stayed with me…and I think a lot of it had to do with one of the songs on the soundtrack. It’s called “Only Hope”, and it has a beautiful, haunting melody and the lyrics tell about spiritual surrender. I decided to record my own version last night for piano & voice…and this is what I came up with. Click on the image to the right to take a listen to the Mp3. Thanks for dropping by!
Arthur William Edgar O’Shaugnessy. Isn’t that a fabulous name? He wrote a poem circa 1874 that caught my eye tonight & I set a portion of it to some music. It’s a very rough cut with my piano & a microphone, but I like the tune. I may add extra verses & a bridge later since this was kinda improvised & the last half is just piano. Click on the image to the right to listen to the MP3. A copy of the poem is below…
Ode
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
With wonderful deathless ditties
And out of a fabulous story
We build up the world’s great cities,
We fashion an empire’s glory…
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song’s measure
Can trample an empire down.
We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o’erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world’s worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.
Side note: I just looked up the poet in Wikipedia, and it ends up this poem was already set to music by the famous composer Edward Elgar back in 1912! *LOL* I’ll have to get a copy from the library to hear someone actually do the words justice!
I’ve been on a music kick lately & wanted to share one of my fav artists with you. I first discovered Imogen Heap about 2 years ago. She has an incredibly unique voice, can play the piano brilliantly, & is one of the most talented producers I’ve ever seen (actually performing hundreds of performances live as a one-woman band with just her & her studio equipment). She is currently recording her 4th major album in the basement of her childhood home (in England) and is doing a video blog on You Tube showing her progress each week. Really fun to see her creative process. 
