Three little birds sat on my window
And they told me I don't need to worry
Summer came like cinnamon, so sweet
Little girls, double-dutch on the concrete
Maybe sometimes we got it wrong, but it's all right
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Ooo, don't you hesitate
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans
I hope you get your dreams
Just go ahead, let your hair down
You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow
Blue as the sky, sunburnt and lonely
Sipping tea in the bar by the roadside
Just relax, just relax
Don't you let those other boys fool you
Gotta love that Afro hairdo
Maybe sometimes we feel afraid, but it's all right
The more you stay the same, the more they seem to change
Don't you think it's strange?
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans
I hope you get your dreams
Just go ahead, let your hair down
You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow
Just more than I could take
Pity for pity's sake
Some nights kept me awake
I thought that I was stronger
When you gonna realize that you don't have to try any longer?
Do what you want to do
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans
I hope you get your dreams
Just go ahead, let your hair down
You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow
~ Corinne Bailey Rae et al
It was 140 years ago, on November 29, 1877, that Thomas Alva Edison demonstrated his hand-cranked phonograph for the first time. Think about that. Unfortunately, there were no rock and roll songs to pay tribute to his contribution at the time, but Corinne Bailey Rae came to my rescue. Girl, put your records on, thanks to Thomas Alva Edison! I knew this song since it first came out, and yet I was still surprised to see that that was eleven years ago. You can find it on the eponymous album released in 2006.
The opening lines of the song are a reference to a song by Bob Marley & the Wailers from their 1977 release Exodus. I like the connection; Marley always makes me happy. And although "Put Your Records On" is somewhat "poppy," I still like it. The video makes me want to go on a bicycle ride! But despite its upbeat sound, the song addresses the pain and confusion of finding one's place in the world. Music to the rescue. In my world, there is nothing more consoling, more comforting, or more distracting than music to soothe my soul.
For me, a person whose brain has a limited section for physics and other complicated subjects, the vehicles through which we access music are a result of pure magic. There is no other explanation. I am old enough to have lived through 78 rpm records, 45 rpm singles, transistor radios, LPs, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, boomboxes, CDs, iPods and satellite radio. All magic.
My dad loved Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, Engelbert Humperdink, Hank Williams, and Wayne Newton. We listened to those records. In honor of my dad, who died 45 years ago today, I want to say thank you for the music.
And thank you, too, Thomas Edison.
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