I just filled in a survey for the Apple Genius Bar, and it turns out that cleaning the screen and the computer is part of the service. Cause they asked if it was done! Nice touch, I must say. I definitely recommend anyone to use this service if you have one near you. The repairs were also done quickly, and the customer service was very professional. A really different experience than bringing it into a mac dealer service shop.
"Nightshift" by The Commodores was written for Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson who both died in 1984 in their forties. Gaye was shot by his father in an argument, and Wilson had a heart attack and was in a coma for 9 years, then died.
I grew up on this song (it was on the radio and my mother probably owned it), but it was only a year or so ago that I heard it in the background at a restaurant and thought to go home and buy it that night. (iTuuuuunes!) I love it more and more, in part because I've reached the point in my life where I'm getting into classic soul artists. (I add on an appreciation for an older artist, or genre, every year. I'm saving contemporary jazz for when I'm 80.)
The music and the singing on "Nightshift" are both beautiful--I love the churchy feeling of reverence. But lyrically, the song is genius. Four minutes without a single cheap rhyme* or filler line:
In the first verse he... - works in Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" ("I can still hear him say: Talk to me so you can see what's going on") - pays tribute to the content and social impact of Gaye's songs ("he opened up our minds") as well as his delivery ("his heart in every line") - and by using their names, the song takes on this really intimate feeling... you're being given a glimpse into the heart and mind of the person writing the song, of how he felt when these two greats died young within the same year. It's a bit like listening in on a prayer.
Marvin, he was a friend of mine And he could sing a song His heart in every line Marvin sang of the joy and pain He opened up our minds And I still can hear him say Aw talk to me so you can see What's going on Say you will sing your songs Forevermore (evermore)
In the second verse he... - works in two of Jackie's songs ("Work It Out" and "Higher and Higher") - switches to second person, which now moves the song to an even more intimate level - refers to his electric on stage style which influenced so many artists and drove the crowds wild ("you set the world on fire") - and has one of the most beautiful, tender, perfect lines: "you came and gifted us"
Jackie (Jackie), hey what you doing now It seems like yesterday When we were working out Jackie (Jackie, oh) you set The world on fire You came and gifted us Your love it lifted us Higher and higher Keep it up and We'll be there At your side Oh say you will sing Your songs forevermore (evermore)
And then the chorus with its great image of death as being the night shift, and of these great artists still existing somewhere, "pulling crowds" and entertaining people. And considering how much influence they've had in music (see the Jacksons movie clip below) it's pretty accurate to say that they're still alive. Just look at Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology)" - how many songs are that perfectly relevant after 39 years? And as far as I know, soul singers didn't sing about trees dying back then--folk singers did that.
Gonna be some sweet sounds Coming down on the nightshift I bet you're singing proud Oh I bet you'll pull a crowd Gonna be a long night It's gonna be all right On the nightshift Oh you found another home I know you're not alone On the nightshift
In the repeat of the chorus, at the end, he then plays on the "night shift" metaphor: "at the end of a long day, it's gonna be okay" -- which I take both as a reference to the role of music in our lives, when things suck; or it's addressing the grief of losing someone.
Gonna miss your sweet voice That soulful voice On the nightshift We all remember you Ooh the songs are coming through At the end of a long day It's gonna be okay On the nightshift You found another home I know you're not alone On the nightshift
"What's Going On"
"Mercy Mercy Me"
"Sexual Healing" What awesome music, it would sound sexy even if there were no lyrics (though hear the gals scream at the first "baby.") Everytime I listen to the Ben Harper version I too think I'm capsizing. (And then I get up and dance! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!) And for those of you who prefer girls. And if you're Swis and your last name starts with B: this version. And if you're my dad: this version. And if you're in a uke band. So versatile.
Movie version of little Michael Jackson being inspired by Jackie Wilson's "Work It Out". (That's a great mini-series by the way. Joe Jackson is played by Freddie Boom-Boom Washington!)
Jackie Wilson "Higher and Higher" - look how effortlessly this guy sings and dances. You can see why they called him Mr Excitement. (I love the Otis Redding version too.)
And the first Jackie song I knew. She's sooooo fine. ("Reet Petite")
* I love Bruce Springsteen's "Fire" but it is a lyrical mess. But that's for another post.
