When it Sounds Good, it is Good

The above quoted Duke Ellington was right.

I come from a family that lived, breathed, exhaled and played music constantly. Music has colored almost every moment of my life that has a memory attached. My childhood overflowed with it. Fats Waller, Chopin, The Andrew Sisters all bring back memories full of sunlight, rain, smiles, pain and the sweetest understanding. It also explains what kind of freaks make up this family.

One of my first memories is of my mother singing Roger (I’ve Always Been Twenty Minutes Ahead of My Time) Miller’s ‘King of the Road’ and ‘You Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd’. ‘Do-Wacka-Do’ meant Mom was in an exceptionally good mood. She would dance and sing behind the wheel of our keylime green station wagon on the way to the store, on the way to Aunt Mildred’s house, on vacation. If she was happy, she was singing and dancing.

Another very popular car song was Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk the Line.’ It was then that I first noted the human habit of lowering chin to chest when the deepest notes are attempted. With every repeated verse, as Johnny’s voice went lower, Karen’s chin followed suit. By the last refrain the bottom half of her face was swallowed up in her shirt. But, damn, could she reach those low notes! Johnny would have no doubt given her a nod and a smile for her efforts. Even when she sang the New Christy Minstrels alternative lyrics. I still remember my Mom speeding along the freeway singing:

“I keep my pant's up with a piece of twine.
I keep my arms wide open all the time.
I keep myself quite willin' all the time.
Because you're mine, please pull the twine.”

As I kid I didn’t know what it meant, but I had a sense that it was naughty. When she laughed and said, “Don’t sing this in front of your father,” I nodded solemnly and then grinned. It was my first secret.

When Dianne and I were still small enough to be smothered by Uncle Doug’s St. Bernard every Christmas, the Jordan clan took a trip to Texas. As we drove over the state line my, Mom grabbed my hand and held it to the dashboard. She said, “Now you’re the first one on the family in Texas!” Wow, was I proud! The Stones ‘Ruby Tuesday’ played in the background and cemented that song as one of my favorites in a strange childhood.

Home wasalways filled with music. The New Christy Minstrels, Harry Belfonte (I thought he was beautiful), Odetta, The Kingston Trio, Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles. There was one very special Paul McCartney and Wings song that my parents would play if all four of us were good. As you can imagine, this didn’t happen very often. There was an occasion when my parents came back from a night out to find the rug in the living room rolled up and seated on top of it the well-trussed babysitter. The four of were waltzing around on the bare wood floor, oblivious to everything but the music. No Wings music that night!

But, if we were good, Mom would pull out her 'Uncle Albert' 45" and play it over and over for us. Instant joy! That’s when the four us really began to dance!

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
by Paul McCartney

We're so sorry Uncle Albert
We're so sorry if we caused you any pain
We're so sorry Uncle Albert
But there's no one left at home
And I believe I'm gonna rain
We're so sorry but we haven't heard a thing all day
We're so Sorry Uncle Albert
But if anything should happen we'll be sure to give a ring

We're so sorry Uncle Albert
But we haven't done a bloody thing all day
We're so sorry Uncle Albert
But the kettle's on the boil and we're so easily called away

Hands across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hands across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Admiral Halsey notified me
He had to have a berth or he couldn't get to sea
I had another look and I had a cup of tea and butter pie
(the butter wouldn't melt so I put it in the pie)

Hands across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hands across the water (water)
Heads across the sky

Live a little be a gypsy, get around(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around
Live a little be a gypsy, get around(get around)
Get your feet up off the ground
Live a little, get around

Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Hand across the water (water)
Heads across the sky
Ooo------------Ooo-------------

I asked my Mom years later if I was going to be named George if I’d been a boy. She raised a brow and looked at me like I was nuts. This still happens quite often. Time to expound.

“You know, you named Jon and Paul after John Lennon and Paul McCartney. So I’d be George and Dianne would be Ringo.” Perfect kid logic.

“No,” she laughed. “If you were a boy, you’d have been named Howard.”

I believe the look on my face at that point would best have been described as disgruntled. I am no Howard. One of many reasons I’m so thankful I was born female.

Sometimes my Dad got in on the singing in the truck action. He was no dancer but that man could cut his own mellow Armand kind of groove. The surefire instigator of a song burst was Willie Nelson. Willie has
been beloved by the Jordan family for decades and is still a unifying musical force. ‘Whiskey River’, ‘Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys’ and about a million songs are burned in the Jordan consciousness. The one that really rang my Dad’s bell was Willie’s cover of the Roy Rogers song, ‘Don’t Fence Me In’.

Don't Fence Me In
(chorus:)
Oh, give me land, lots of land
Under starry skies above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me ride through the wild open
Country that I love,
Don't fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evening breeze-
Listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees,
Send me off forever, but I ask you please,
Don't fence me in.
Just turn me loose,
Let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the western sky.
On my cayuse,
Let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise.
I want to ride to the ridge
Where the west commences,
Gaze at the moon till I lose my senses,
Can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences,
Don't fence me in.

Wildcat Kelly, back again in town,
Was sitting by his sweetheart's side,
And when his sweetheart said:
"Come on, let's settle down,
Wildcat raised his head and cried:
(chorus)

When he would sing this song, I knew my Dad had a slice of peace in his heart. His soul was light while Willie sang and that was something all too rare for him. I owe Willie a lot for that.

As we all got older, we began to branch off into four musical directions that didn’t really conjoin until our twenties. The few groups that crossed over were the Clash, Van Halen, Queen, Led Zepplin, David
Bowie, Kiss, the Ramones and Kate Bush. Wow, Kate looks lonely with all those guys.

We all listened to Bad Company on the clunky eight-track player as we played Frisbee. Pink Floyd ‘Relics’ got slammed in, as did Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’. We listened to FM Radio (WQFM and WLPX) as we built haunted houses in the basement and snuck beers on the patio. When the boys went out on weekends, Dianne and I stayed up to watch The Midnight Special and Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert. Mom and Dad left the cable box on and we got to see ‘The Story of O’ and ‘Emmanuelle II’, as well. Rather eye opening, to say the very least.

Jon was all about eighties synth in college. That has become a perenial obssesion. There's a smattering of guitar, of course. But XTC was always a mainstay.

Senses Working Overtime

Hey, hey,
The clouds are whey.
There’s straw for the donkeys,
And the innocents can all sleep safely,
All sleep safely.

My, my,
Sun is pie.
There’s fodder for the cannons,
And the guilty ones can all sleep safely,
All sleep safely.

And all the world is football-shaped
It’s just for me to kick in space
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste
And I’ve got one, two, three, four, five
Senses working overtime
Trying to take this all in.
I’ve got one, two, three, four, five
Senses working overtime
Trying to taste the difference
’tween a lemon and a lime
Pain and the pleasure
And the church bells softly chime.

Hey hey,
Night fights day.
There’s food for the thinkers,
And the innocents can all live slowly,
All live slowly.
My, my,
The sky will cry
Jewels for the thirsty,
And the guilty one’s can all die slowly ,
All die slowly.

And all the world is biscuit-shaped,
It’s just for me to feed my face,
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste,
And I’ve got one, two, three, four, five,
Senses working overtime
Trying to take this all in.
I’ve got one, two, three, four, five,
Senses working overtime
Trying to taste the difference,
’tween a lemon and a lime,
Pain and the pleasure,
And the church bells softly chime,

And birds might fall from black skies,
And bullies might give you black eyes,
But to me it’s very, very beautiful ¡¦
(england’s glory!)
Beautiful ¡¦
(a striking beauty!)

And all the world is football-shaped,
It’s just for me to kick in space,
And I can see, hear, smell, touch, taste,
And I’ve got one, two, three, four, five,
Senses working overtime
Trying to take this all in
I’ve got one, two, three, four, five
Senses working overtime
Trying to tell the difference
’tween the goods and grime
Turds and treasure
And there’s one, two, three, four, five
Senses working overtime
Trying to take this all in
I’ve got one, two, three, four, five
Senses working overtime
Trying to taste the difference
’tween a lemon and a lime
Pain and the pleasure,
And the church bells softly chime.

Earlier, Ted Nugent was a Jon favorite. A great way to wake us in the morning when there things to be done and no parents to keep us from doing them. Much better than Mom’s choices to get us out of bed when things needed to be done will there were parents to make us do them. Disney’s ‘Electric Light Parade is one 45 that, when I come across it in, I would still like to smash to bits. Oh, the insidious sweetness of that burbly joyfest.

Frank Zappa was Jon’s Guru. Todd Rundgren his Hero. Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson his best buds.

When I asked him, he remembers ‘(Life is a Rock) But the Radio Rolled Me’ and ‘The Night Chicago Died’ as his childhood music memories.

(Life Is A Rock) But The Radio Rolled Me
B.B. Bumble and the Stingers,
Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers,
Lonnie Mack and Twangin' Eddy,
Here's my ring we're going steady.
Take it easy, take me higher,
Liar liar, house on fire,
Locomotion, Poco passion,
Deeper purple, Satisfaction,
Baby baby, gotta gotta,
Gimme gimme, gettin' hotter.
Sammy's cookin', Leslie's Gore,
Ritchie Valens, end of story,
Maha Vishnu, Fujiyama,
Kama Sutra, Rama Lama,
Richard Perry, Spectre Barry,
Righteous, Archies, Nilsson Harry,
Shimmy shimmy, loco boppin',
Fats is back and finger poppin'.
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me:
Gotta turn it up louder,
So my DJ told me;
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me:
At the end of my rainbow
Lies a golden oldie.
FM, AM, hits are clickin',
While the clock is tockin', tickin'.
Friends and Romans, salutations,
Brenda and the Tabulations,
Carly Simon, I behold her,
Rolling Stony centerfolder,
Johnny Cash and Johnny Rivers,
Can't stop now, I've got the shivers.
Mungo Jerry, Peter Peter,
Paul and Paul and Mary Mary,
Dr John, the nightly tripper,
Doris Day and Jack the Ripper.
Got to go sir, got to swelter,
Leon Russell, gimme shelter,
Miracles in smoky places,
Slide guitarists, Fender basses,
Mushroom omelette, Bonnie Bramlett,
Wilson Pickett, stomp and kick it.
Life is a rock but the radio
Life is a rock but the radio
(Whoo!)
(Doo doo doo, doo doo doo)
Arthur Janoff, primal screamin',
Hawkins J. and Dale and Ronnie,
Peter Phil and Mack and Tray
And Denver John and Osmond Donny,
J.J. Cale and ZZ Top,
And L.L. Bean and Dee Dee Dinah,
David Bowie, Steely Dan,
And sing me proud, oh C.C. Rider.
Edgar Winter, Joanie Summers,
Ides of March and Johnny Thunder,
Eric Clapton, pedal wah-wah,
Stephen Foster, doo-dah doo-dah,
Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda,
Surfer Girl and Little Honda,
Tighter tighter, honey honey,
Sugar sugar, yummy yummy,
CBS and Warner Brothers,
RCA and all the others.
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me (Life is a rock):
Gotta turn it up louder (Life is a rock),
So my DJ told me (Life is a),
Woh-woh-woh woh-woh.
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me (Life is a rock),
At the end of my rainbow,
Lies a golden oldie.
(Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh-ooh-ooh)
[Spoken] Listen, they're playing our song...
(Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh-ooh-ooh)
Gonna take you higher.
(Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh-ooh-ooh)
Gonna take you higher...

Rock it, sock it, Alan Freed me,
Murray Kaufman tried to lead me,
Fish are swimmin', Boston Monkey,
Make it bad and play it funky.
B.B. Bumble and the Stingers,
Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers,
Lonnie Mack and Twangin' Eddy,
Here's my ring we're going steady.
Take it easy, take me higher...
(Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh-ooh-ooh)
Gonna take you higher.
(Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh-ooh-ooh)
Gonna take you higher...

Jon and Paul tried to tape ‘The Night Chicago Died’ from the radio on this crappy little tape player/recorder and they never quite succeeded. They did some other stuff with that tape player/recorder that we won’t get into. Strange boys. The room Jon and Paul shared was decked out
in fluorescent light posters and fishnets full of weird stuff. I would creep in to borrow Electric Light Orchestra, Yes and Cheap Trick. Lord, even Rush’s 2112. Ultimately, Jon remained the most open-minded as we all grew.

Paul steeped himself in Iron Maiden, Blue Oyster Cult and Blondie. I know. He’s a weirdo, too. It’s a part of our genetic makeup. There was some Tom Petty and he was always a Bonnie Raitt fan. But, Paul was a hard ass. It was Paul’s way of telling the world to leave him the hell alone. For the most part, the world did.

I was a musical gad about. I am horrified to admit I was a Leo Sayer fan. At one point I knew how many chest hairs Peter Frampton had. And, I can admit on these pages to an enduring love of Talk Talk, Crowded House, Split Enz, very early R.E.M. and Supertramp. I still own CD's by all of them and I still listen to them. Even in the Quietest Moments. When I came home from yet another ‘I am so misunderstood’ day in high school, Supertramp was the balm that soothed my soul.

Even in The Quietest Moments
Roger Hodgson

Even in the quietest moments
I wish I knew what I had to do
And even though the sun is shining
Well I feel the rain --- here it comes again, dear
And even when you showed me
My heart was out of tune
For there’s a shadow of doubt that’s not letting me find you too soon
The music that you gave me
The language of my soul
Oh lord, I want to be with you.
Won’t you let me come in from the cold?

Don’t you let the sun fade away
Don’t you let the sun fade away
Don’t you let the sun be leaving
Won’t you come to me soon

And even though the stars are listening
And the ocean’s deep, I just go to sleep
And then I create a silent movie
You become the star, is that what you are, dear?
Your whisper tells a secret
Your laughter brings me joy
And a wonder of feeling I’m nature’s own little boy
But still the tears keep falling
They’re raining from the sky
Well there’s a lot of me got to go under before I get high

Don’t you let the sun disappear
Don’t you let the sun disappear
Don’t you let the sun be leaving
No, you can’t be leaving my life
Say that you won’t be leaving my life
Say that you won’t be leaving my life
Say won’t you please, stay won’t you please
Say won’t you please, stay won’t you please
Lord, won’t you come and get into my life
Lord, won’t you come and get into my life
Say won’t you please, stay won’t you please
Say won’t you please, stay won’t you please
Lord, don’t go

And even when the song is over
Where have I been --- was it just a dream?
And though your door is always open
Where do I begin --- may I please come in, dear?

Wow, what a fine example of all the pain, insecurity and angst I felt! I would head for the stereo, put on those huge, clunky headphones and leave the world for the comfort of music. The people that wrote those lyrics understood my pain and articulated it beautifully. I am not ashamed to admit that this song in particular would elicit tears on almost every occasion. Roger Hodgson was my hero. Until I found Brian May. He was my hero for a loooonnnnng time. ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ was and still is one of my all time favorite albums and May is my guitar god for building a guitar from an old cabinet alone. This change in music heroes demonstrated an inner change from tears to… well, let's just say that I wasn’t that much of a weeper anymore.

Long Away
Words and music by Brian May

You might believe in heaven
I would not care to say
For every star in heaven
There's a sad soul here today
Wake up in the morning with a good face
Stare at the moon all day
Lonely as a whisper on a star chase
Does anyone care anyway?
For all the prayers in heaven
So much of life's this way

Did we leave our way behind us?
Such a long long way behind us
Who knows when now who knows where
Where the light of day will find us?
Look for the day

Take heart my friend we love you
Though it seems like you're alone
A million light's above you
Smile down upon your home
Hurry put your troubles in a suitcase
Come let the new child play
Lonely as a whisper on a star chase
I'm leaving here, I'm long away
For all the stars in heaven
I would not live I could not live this way

Did we leave our way behind us?
Such a long long way behind us
Leave it for some hopeless lane
Such a long long way such a long long way
Such a long long way I'm looking for
Still looking for that day

I still think of this song every time I see the moon. Sigh….. what a cheeseball. I have to admit though… many men have sunk to the floor in grateful supplication when they heard I not only knew of Brian May but that my favorite Queen song was ‘Brighton Rock’.

Dianne was and, I guess, still is an odd, cool creature. She has been and always will be a huge Cheap Trick fan. She went through a Journey phase. But, her transitional years can be clarified by the mention of two major albums. Lou Reed – ‘Blue Mask’ and Patti Smith – ‘Easter’. Dianne says ‘Blue Mask’ was the seed of much bad poetry. I say ‘The Heroine’ is a painfully beautiful but kind of down song. A touch depressing. ‘Privilege (Set Me Free)’ was an anthem of internal strife and chaos we both understood deeply. That was a turn out the lights, light the candles and inscense and listen with your whole soul kind of song.

Privilege (Set Me Free)
Word and Music Patti Smith

I see it all before me:
the days of love and torment;
the nights of rock-and-roll.
I see it all before me.
Sometimes my spirit's empty;
don't have the will to go on.
I wish someone would send me
energy.

Give me something.
Give me something to give.
Oh, God, give me something:
a reason to live.
My body is aching.
Don't want sympathy.
Come on. Come and love me.
Come on. Set me free.
Set me free.

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul.
He leadeth me through the path of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

Hey, Lord, I'm waitin' for you.
Oh, God, I'm waitin' for you;
waitin' to open Your ninety-eight wounds
and be Thee, be Thee.
Lead me, oh, lead me.

Leave me something.
Leave me something to live.
Oh, God, give me something:
a reason to live.
I don't want no handout;
no, not sympathy.
Come on. Come and love me.
Come on. Set me free.
Set me free.
Come on. Set me free
Set me free . . .

Oh, I'm so young, so goddamn young.
Oh, I'm so young, so goddamn young.
Oh, I'm so young, so goddamn.
Set me free.

In the presence of my enemies,
Thou anointest my head with oil.
My cup runneth over.
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life.
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Ah, damn, goddamn, goddamn, goddamn.
Here I am.

She moved on to Tom Waits (a living lyric legend) when she was in a good mood. When she was in a nasty mood and the intention was to keep everyone from befouling her airspace with their presence, the turntable spun Nurse With Wound and Christian Death. Now, you must realize, Dianne and I shared a room. Howard Jones and The Crusties don’t always mix. Well, I loved the Crusties. Dianne loathed Howard Jones. What can I say, I am a total geek. I’ve learned to embrace my geekiness. But bless Dianne for giving me some modicum of taste. The two of us went to parties in our teen years where we were chased out by the police and ended up being chased by an entire crew of police (about 50) the night our favorite club, Yano's, was closed. The cops said it was over capacity. They showed up wearing mirrored sunglass (it was night) and smashing billyclubs into their palms. My first real riot. My first real shout match with a cop. He told me, as a teen, that I didn't have any rights. This was after I watched his compatriots beat the shit out of a groups of kids. Ya know, Wendy O. William's styles. Don't think that didn't shape a large portion of my life.

While all of this turbulent music swam past in the Jordan household, my Mom caught and held on to some for herself. Chiefly, Billy Idol and the Cramps. But, one song stands out in my memory. Mom was in the tub, catching a few z’s, when a song came on the radio blasting the house with some T-Rex riffs. My Mom heard this song, jumped out of the tub, grabbed a towel and yelled throw a slightly open door,

“Find out who sings this song! I love this!”

It was the Hollies.

Long Cool Woman
(clarke / cook / greenaway)

Saturday night I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Sitting in a nest of bad men
Whisky bottles piling high

Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the da man
When I heard this woman singing a song

A pair of 45’s made me open my eyes
My temperature started to rise
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9, beautiful tall
With just one look I was a bad mess
’cos that long cool woman had it all

I saw her headin’ to the table
Well a tall walking big black cat
When charlie said I hope that you’re able boy
Well I’m telling you she knows where it’s at
Well suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
A jumping out of doors and tables
Well I heard somebody shooting a gun

Well the da was pumping my left hand
And then she was a-holding my right
Well I told her don’t get scared
’cos you’re gonna be spared
Well I’ve gotta be forgiven
If I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9 beautiful tall
Well, with just one look I was a bad mess
’cos that long cool woman had it all

Had it all

My Mom searched high and low for a copy of that song. This was well before MP3’s and it seemed her search would be fruitless. But who should come through for us but our friends at K-Tel? On a compilation record featuring the 'original hits by the original artists' she found the song she’d searched so long for.

Soon, she was bopping down the road listening to ‘White Wedding’, ‘Human Fly’, ‘Love is a Stranger’ and, still, ‘King of the Road’. When I went to visit my brother Paul recently, I went to put a CD on and found a treasure trove of music I’d forgotten. Music I didn’t know he loved. Whiskeytown? Luscious Jackson? Butthole Surfers? Is this really Paul?

Jon is still quite happy with everything he’s ever listened to and notes few regrets in his record collection. He has all of the records Paul and I gladly gave up. His collection broadened considerably when Ruth added her stash to the mix. But, ultimately, the most eclectic collection belongs to Dianne. Everything from Middle Eastern belly dancing music to Sly and the Family Stone to Kronos Quartet to Led Zepplin to Brother to the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s and Neil Young.

I don’t own as much music as everyone else. But, there is so much music in my head lending a constant sound track to everything that goes on in my life I don’t need a vast collection. I am the human jukebox. My latest selection includes My Morning Jacket, The High Llamas, Emmy Lou Harris, P.J. Harvey, The Pogues, Keane and 16 Horsepower.

When Johnny Cash and Warren Zevon, a part of every Jordan soul lost some light. Those men still had so much music left in them and so much to give. When they died I felt like yelling, “Hey, I’m not done yet!” There is so much we’ll never get to hear and absorb and we all have so much left to learn.

As I watched interviews gone by with Mr. Cash, I didn’t cry, although tears welled in my eyes. He turned away from the things that would have destroyed him and found life and love. Mr. Zevon defied his death sentence long enough to make new music with old friends and see twin grandchildren born. They were beautiful men and their passing hurts. But the music they made remains to heal everyone left behind.