Birdsong Summer 2008

Dear Daddy-

I had fun putting this CD together for you…it's not the definitive Bird's Favorites (I'm not that committal), but I do love all of these songs.

Here's why I picked what I did:

#1 Wildflowers by Tom Petty- I bought this tape the year I moved to Florida, and this is my favorite song on it. I'm a big fan of Tom Petty's music, and if I ever learned how to play the guitar you gave me, this is one I'd like to learn. When you read the lyrics, you'll find that they're appropriate to my leaving NC for Florida. "Run away, find you a lover; Go away somewhere bright and new; I have seen no other; Who compares to you." I HATE using the term lover (remember that guy from the dorm who yelled, "Hi, Sarah, Lover," and you're like, "I'm her dad." Well, anyway, I guess you could say that I found me a lover in David…but I still hate using that term. Anyway, great tune.

#2 Someday Someway, Marshall Crenshaw- (The version I linked to is not as good as the one on the 1982 CD). CDJ introduced me to Marshall Crenshaw, one of his favorite singers. I always liked this song a lot. And even though you may not remember, we saw Marshall Crenshaw live on the Conon O'Brien show. He didn't play this song, though. That would be too predictable and too much what the audience wanted. MC is like that. Catchy tune, though.

#3 Bleed to Love Her-Fleetwood Mac- This is a song Lindsey Buckingham wrote and I heard it for the first time on the 1997 Dance live album. I fell in love with it immediately. The video is great…but he's making eyes at Christine McVee instead of Stevie. Probably because it's too painful to look directly at Stevie since it's obviously about her. Love it.

#4 Caleb Meyer-Gillian Welch-(Also not the version on the CD) Just to torture you I put two Welch songs on this mix. Seriously, though, she's up there as one of my favorite musicians. I read that this is a traditional ballad. Are you familiar with Caleb Meyer? I'm interested in hearing what you think of this version.

#5 Hallelujah-Jeff Buckley-He died in 1994, I think, but is revered as a true talent. This is by far the best I've heard of his, but I'd like to listen to more Buckley. Kind of reminds me of Bono and U2, no?

#6 If I Should Fall From Grace of God-The Pogues- I LOVE The Pogues—just a pleasing mix of rock and traditional Irish. I love the music part of the song first and the lyrics second. Listening to it makes me want to pick up my whistle and play along. The Pogues never let me down. (There's a GREAT duet by Sinead O'Connor and the lead singer of The Pogues that I'll put on your b-day CD).

#7 Breakdown-Jack Johnson-Simple song where the lyrics are more meaningful to me than the chords and stuff. He's asking his train to breakdown cause he needs it, but he can't stop it on his own. I understand exactly what he means. I love this line "And I got no time/that I got to get to/Where I don't need to be." Oh how I long for the feeling of not needing to be anywhere.

#8 Speed of the Sound of Loneliness-Amos Lee- (Couldn't find the Amos Lee version on YouTube and now I wish I'd put this one I linked to on the CD. Rats). I've played this for you, and I have to admit I like John Prine's version better. But I still think it's a beautiful mix of great music and great song-writing and I wanted you to have this version.

#9 What a Wonderful Man-My Morning Jacket- My friend introduced me to MMJ, and this was one of my favorites off of the "Z" album. Read the lyrics. Think he's singing about his dad? Ask that guy you know who sang with MMJ if this song is about someone's dad.

#10 Look at Miss Ohio-Gillian Welch- My favorite Gillian Welch songs actually come from her first record, "Revival," but I like this one quite a bit. I think of Johnny and Grace when I hear the line, "I wanna do right but not right now."

#11 Fix You-Coldplay-Remember a few Christmases ago when I got a Coldplay CD and you'd just read a review of the album in Rolling Stone? And the reviewer said something about how wonderful it was when the driving guitars and drums came in? Well just take a listen. That part is still wonderful. This song makes me think of Mama and me, and it's hard to know when the lyrics are resonating more with what I'm going through or what Mama went through. Kind of like a metaphor for the fluidity between mother and daughter…that I felt with Mama and also feel with Grace. "And the tears come streaming down your face/When you lose something you can't replace/When you lose someone, but it goes to waste/Could it be worse? Lights will guide you home/And ignite your bones/And I will try to fix you." See what I mean?

#12 Natural Child-Hobex-Another one I've played for you. A local band. Saw them live recently. Call it blues-like, blues-twinged, blues-based, blues-ish, blues-y…I just think it rocks.

Hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed making it. Happy Father's Day.
Love, Bird