Learning from MJ’s loss

I was at work, in a situation where I could not express shock or grief, when I first heard of MJ’s death. I just had to pretend as if it didn’t matter and conduct business as usual. Later that day, I walked jogged/walked 8 kms listening to Jackson for over an hour.

Everyday since then, I played a few of his tracks and I guess it never sank into me that MJ really died. I didn’t rush to buy his albums, since I already had most of them – but I did make a mental note to myself to collect some of his videos. MJ danced as well as he sang and I need to have his videos to keep.

In the last few days, some people told me how much they loved him and some people told me how they thought his acquittal on the lack of evidence didn’t prove anything. I didn’t know which side to take.

Though I didn’t watch his funeral on TV today, many sites I read seem to be carrying news about his funeral.

I guess I’m coming to understand that a state of denial wont last forever.

I never cared to know or understand the legal things surrounding Michael, but I can say with certainty that I was a fan from the first track and I loved the music he made.

The only thing I regret is that I never sent him fan mail, not even once. Not that it would have made a difference to him, but it would have made a huge difference to me. One thing I must learn from Michael’s loss, is to appreciate when I can.

Hacks for the music lover

I’ve done a lot of “weird” things to hear good music.

I ran and walked 5 kms,  sweated a lot, but my head band soaked it all up and my ears and the earphones felt dry. The fit was so snug and the earphones were so light that it seemed that music was in the air. When oxygen entered my system after a few minutes of walking, it was a serious high!

Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time

What I knew:
- Rolling stone Magazine released “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“
- I have every single song in my collection
- Most of these 500 songs were made at least 30 years ago
- The best songs of this race (I’m afraid) have already been sung
- There is also “500 Greatest  albums of all time”

What I didn’t know:

- The lyrics to the 500 Greatest songs are hosted here. Cool!

Sinhalse lyrics to Surangani

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UQsyot7C5I]

Well, if there ever was one open source super hit, it was Surangani. Every body just seems to love this song and make his own variation of it. Originally a sinhalese Baila, the song has been dubbed in many languages. I just finished listening to a version that was done by none other than Ilayaraja himself.

Lot of Indians are confused about the song, the song sounds, Goan, Manglorean, Tamil…

Surangani Surangani

Suranganita malu genawaa
Surangani Surangani
Suranganita malu genawaa
Surangani Surangani
Surangaita malu genawaa

Maalu maalu malu
dan genapu malu
Suranganita malu genawa

Lajja nadde me
Pare handanne
Vatin pitin bala sitinewa
Oya handenewa
Oyage as rathu venewa
Bala sitina matath handenewa

Lajja nadde me
Pare handanne
Vatin pitin bala sitinewa
Oya handenewa
Oyage as rathu venewa
Bala sitina matath handenewa

Surangani Surangani
Suranganita malu genawa
Malu malu malu
Dan genapu malu
Suranganita malu genawa

Mokada manda me
Malu noganne
Kenthhiyen wage innewa
Epa kiyanawa
Genapu hinda baninawa
Mage ange malu natanewa

Mokada manda me
Malu noganne
Kenthhiyen wage innewa
Epa kiyanawa
Genapu hinda baninawa
Mage ange malu natanewa

Surangani Surangani
Suranganita malu genawa
Surangani Surangani
Suranganita malu genawa

Surangani Surangani
Surangaita malu genawa
Malu malu malu,
Dan genapu malu,
Suranganita malu genawa

Surangani Surangani
Surangaita malu genawa
Malu malu malu
dan genapu malu
Suranganita malu genawa

Now if some one is kind enough to explain to me what these lines actually mean, I’ll include a translation…

What Simon and Garfunkel album am I?

I’m Sounds Of Silence!

Which Simon and Garfunkel album are you?

Sound of silence, undoubtedly…

Learning to fly

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7tTpow2fLo]

Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast, how
Can I escape this irresistible grasp?

Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to guide my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone

A soul in tension thats learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

Friction lock – set.
Mixture – rich
Propellers – fully forward
Flaps – set – 10 degrees
Engine gauges and suction – check

Mixture set to maximum percent – recheck
Flight instruments…
Altimeters – check both
(garbled word) – on
Navigation lights – on
Strobes – on
(to tower): confirm 3-8-echo ready for departure
(tower): hello again, this is now 129.4
(to tower): 129.4. its to go.
(tower): you may commence your takeoff, winds over 10 knots.
(to tower): 3-8-echo
Easy on the brakes. take it easy. its gonna roll this time.
Just hand the power gradually, and it…

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night

Theres no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss
Cant keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

The lemon tree instant

The description of this moment is borrowed from the Fools garden:

I’m sitting here
I miss the power
I’d like to go out taking a shower
But there’s a heavy cloud inside my head
I feel so tired
Put myself into bed
While nothing ever happens and I wonder

Isolation is not good for me
Isolation I don’t want to sit on the lemon-tree

I’m steppin’ around in the desert of joy
Baby anyhow I’ll get another toy
And everything will happen and you wonder

Music

Like antibiotics work on bacteria, music does work on me…

I’m the kind of guy that types faithhill.com in firefox and loses himself for 5 minutes. It happened today.

I just wish I could take a long break and unwind….

Suraj ki garmi se…

Year 1988. I was watching Chitrahaar on Doordarshan. I watched for the first time the video clip of this song from film Parinay – an experience I still remember and enjoy till today. After many years, I heard the song again on Music India Online today – truly humbling…

जैसे सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया
सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया
ऐसा ही सुख मेरे मन को मिला है
मैं जब से शरण तेरी आया, मेरे राम
सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया

भटका हुआ मेरा मन था कोई
मिल ना रहा था सहारा
भटका हुआ मेरा मन था कोई
मिल ना रहा था सहारा
लहरों से लडती हुई नाव को जैसे
लहरों से लडती हुई नाव को जैसे
मिल ना रहा हो किनारा
मिल ना रहा हो किनारा

उस लडखडाति हुई नाव को जो
किसी ने किनारा दिखाया
ऐसा ही सुख मेरे मन को मिला है
मैं जब से शरण तेरी आया, मेरे राम

सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया

शीतल बनी आग चंदन के जैसी
राघव क्रुपा हो जो तेरी
शीतल बनी आग चंदन के जैसी
राघव क्रुपा हो जो तेरी
उजियालि पूनम की हो जायें रातें,
जो थी अमावस अन्धेरी
उजियालि पूनम की हो जायें रातें,
जो थी अमावस अन्धेरी
जो थी अमावस अन्धेरी

युग युग से प्यासी मरुभूमि ने जैसे
सावन का संदेश पाया
ऐसा ही सुख मेरे मन को मिला है
मैं जब से शरण तेरी आया, मेरे राम
सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया

जिस राह की मंज़िल तेरा मिलन हो
ऊस पर कदम मैं बडांऊ,
जिस राह की मंज़िल तेरा मिलन हो
ऊस पर कदम मैं बडांऊ,
फूलों मे खारों मे पतझड बहारों मे
मैं ना कभी डगमगांऊ,
फूलों मे खारोन् मे पतझड बहारों मे
मैं ना कभी डगमगांऊ,
मैं ना कभी डगमगांऊ,

पानी के प्यासे को तकदीर ने जैसे
जी भर के अम्रुट पिलाया
पानि के प्यासे को तकदीर ने जैसे
जी भर के अम्रुट पिलाया
ऐसा ही सुख मेरे मन को मिला है
मैं जब से शरण तेरी आया, मेरे राम

सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया
ऐसा ही सुख मेरे मन को मिला है
मैं जब से शरण तेरी आया, मेरे राम
सूरज की गर्मी से जल्ते हुए तन को
मिल जाये तरुवर कि छाया

Temple of the king

When I heard this song at Landmark, Gurgaon, I was instantly hooked. The song was played several times over in the three hour duration that I was in the store. The music sounded familiar, yet it was vaguely unfamiliar and the tune drove me crazy for a good few hours. I memorized a portion of the lyrics so I could get back and do my home work.

It was Doogie White singing Temple of the king for Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow.

The vocals had a magical effect on me. After about a dozen repeats, the song left me senseless as if I had been hit with a hammer. It did fill the void “of not having my type of songs”. Its been my biggest musical influence this year second only to Green day’s Boulevard of broken dreams. I’ve memorised the song by heart now. Peace can reign again.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-hwCl6J8pY]

Edit on 25th September 2007

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7qtwJ9EQPg ]

One day, in the year of the fox
Came a time remembered well,
When the strong young man of the rising sun
Heard the tolling of the great black bell.
One day in the year of the fox,
When the bell began to ring,
It meant the time had come for one to go
To the temple of the king.

There in the middle of the circle he stands,
Searching, seeking.
With just one touch of his trembling hand,
The answer will be found.
Daylight waits while the old man sings,
Heaven help me!
And then like the rush of a thousand wings,
It shines upon the one.
And the day has just begun.

One day in the year of the fox
Came a time remembered well,
When the strong young man of the rising sun
Heard the tolling of the great black bell.
One day in the year of the fox,
When the bell began to sing
It meant the time had come for the one to go
To the temple of the king.

There in the middle of the people he stands,
Seeing, feeling.
With just a wave of the strong right hand, he’s gone
To the temple of the king.

Far from the circle, at the edge of the world,
He’s hoping, wondering.
Thinking back on the stories he’s heard of
What he’s going to see.
There, in the middle of a circle it lies.
Heaven help me!
Then all could see by the shine in his eyes
The answer had been found.

Back with the people in the circle he stands,
Giving, feeling.
With just one touch of a strong right hand, they know
Of the temple and the king.