By Daniel de la Calle
On last Wednesday’s post I forgot to mention the following astounding coincidence on the BBC’s “The End of the Oceans?” documentary: just as David Attenborough talks about Ocean Acidification Philip Glass’ Closing is played, a theme that is part of the A Sea Change soundtrack. Isn’t that something?
This led me to think about an alternative soundtrack to the documentary or some other possible creative work about the environment where images and music blend together. This morning, while riding like a modern day Sisyphus on wheels up my daily Olías climb I began to compile mentally a few obvious and not so obvious songs with a green undertone. I thought it would be fun to put them up on the blog, since I seem to be the almighty boss of this small virtual space these days.
I would love to learn about your own choices. Here are five of mine:
1 The Pixies: Monkey Gone to Heaven
From the days when partying had to be all night long, a great rock band, a fun rock song.
Here is the SONG, and these are the lyrics:
There was a guy
an under water guy who controlled the sea
got killed by ten million pounds of sludge
from new york and new jersey
this monkey’s gone to heaven
The creature in the sky
got sucked in a hole
now there’s a hole in the sky
and the ground’s not cold
and if the ground’s not cold
everything is gonna burn
we’ll all take turns
i’ll get mine, too
this monkey’s gone to haven
rock me joe!
if man is 5 [3x]
then the devil is 6 [5x]
then god is 7 [3x]
this monkey’s gone to heaven
2 Marvin Gaye: Mercy Mercy Me
The irresistible Gaye. Watch the strangeish VIDEO, read the lyrics:
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no
Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
3 The Beach Boys: Surfing USA
I know, I know, it should probably be Don’t Go Near the Water, but whenever I listen to Surfing USA I cannot help thinking that there would be a different sensitivity and level of awareness if everyone had an ocean across the USA.
VIDEO and lyrics:
If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be surfin’
Like californ-I-A
You’d see ’em wearin’ their baggies
Huarachi sandals, too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin’ U.S.A.
You’d catch ’em surfin at Del Mar (Inside, outside, U.S.A.)
Ventura County line
Santa Cruz and Tressels,
Australia’s Narabine,
All over Manhattan,
And down Doheny way
Everybody’s gone surfin’
Surfin U.S.A.
We’ll all be plannin’ out a route
We’re gonna take real soon
We’re waxin’ down our surfboards
We can’t wait for June
We’ll all be gone for the summer
We’re on safari to stay
Tell the teacher we’re surfin’
Surfin’ U.S.A.
At Haggerty’s and Swami’s
Pacific Palisades
San Onofre and Sunset
Redondo Beach, L.A.
All over La Jolla
At Waiamea Bay
Everybody’s gone surfin’
Surfin’ U.S.A.
Everybody’s gone surfin’
Surfin’ U.S.A.
Yeah, everybody’s gone surfin’
Surfin’ U.S.A.
4 Stina Nordenstam: 125
This is the song I was listening to this morning when I had the idea for an alternative soundtrack. Unfortunately, there is no Youtube video for it, since she is the mysterious and obscure Stina, but you can listen to her most “famous” song HERE.
They shut down the experiment
It had long gone out of hand
But the nation’s funds were well spent
To the pride of modern man
125 has crossed the channel
It’s the finest thing man made
And existence as we know it
Has reached another grade
We broke the code of meaning
Those who knew got paranoid
But we’ll use our finest scientists
To get back in control
125 has crossed the channel
A proud and giant bird
Gliding like a condor
Above the simple earth
125 has crossed the channel
It’s the finest thing man made
And existence as we know it
Has reached another grade
5 Joni Mitchell: Big Yellow Taxi
VIDEO and lyrics.
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
Put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see ’em
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Hey farmer farmer
Put away the D.D.T. now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Late last night
I heard my screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
I said don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
