You sure looked good, bound for Shilburn Town
Tryin' to drive that car while the rain came down
And you sure looked fine
Oh, yeah, you're readin' highway signs
And you sure looked good up on Crystal Beach
Reelin' in them fish, with your hair all bleached
And you sure looked fine
Hey, yeah, with your hook and lines
La da di dum da, la da di dum day
Every move you make, everything you say
Well, you sure are fine
Oh, yes, and you blow my mind
And you sure looked good out at Rainbow Falls
Past the parking lots and all the crowded malls
Yeah, and you sure looked fine
Um, hum, underneath them pines
La da di dum da . . .
You sure look good back in ol' Canton
With your new blue dress and with your lipstick on
And you sure look fine
Yeah, drinkin' cheap red wine
And you sure look good back in Meisha Shay
With your reindeer eyes on Christmas Day
And you sure looked fine
Um hum, like a Valentine
La da di dum da . . .
~ Steve Forbert
"Song for Katrina" is the title of this song from Forbert's third album, 1980's Little Stevie Orbit, but this is also a song for my daughter, Katrina, who turns 32 years old today. Happy Birthday, Katrina!
Steve Forbert is one of those highly under-rated singer/songwriters. His story is pure Americana. Still a young man, he left his home in Meridian, Mississippi, for the folk music scene of New York City in the late 70s. In 1980, he had his one big hit, "Romeo's Tune." (You know this song: Meet me in the middle of the day / Let me hear you say everything's okay / Bring me southern kisses from your room . . . ) He was referred to as "the new Bob Dylan." And then, despite his continuing skills as a songwriter and performer, he never reached that level of fame, and in fact, seemed to disappear into some little niche of under-appreciated artists. And he's still there. Last year, he released his eighteenth album, Flying at Night, and still, when I mention his name to a music-lover who does not live in the Northeast, there's just a blank stare. I have seen Forbert perform in small, intimate venues, and he seems content to be a kind of troubadour, happy to make enough to pay the rent. Forbert brings a joy and a charm to his performances. He has one of those voices that sounds like he is smiling while singing. Yes, he can still deliver.
And I delivered my Katrina 32 years ago today. I will spare you the details. But she's been blowing my mind ever since.
While I think "Shilburn Town" and "Meisha Shay" are fictional places, it appears that the Katrina of song has traveled or lived in many locations. The same can be said of my Katrina. From Annapolis to West Falls Church to Takoma Park to Silver Spring to Boca Raton to Delray Beach to Coral Springs to Durham NC, I have helped that girl move way too many times. Having just begun a teaching career in Durham, she may finally be settled somewhere. That's right, my first-born is now a high school English teacher, despite having watched her mother spend countless weekends drowning in thesis paper hell. (Can you drown in hell?) But she has that passion, that compassion, that will make her third career choice the one that sticks. And if she is truly like her mother, there will be no regrets.
So Happy Birthday, Katrina! I think this will be your year, one of joy and accomplishment and new beginnings. Bring your heart to your work, and don't forget to bring it to your personal relationships, as well. Your heart is big; it can live in both worlds.
And keep on blowing my mind. I love you!
Made me smile.
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