The last weekly email: Enjoy this original poem of January 22, 2016 by C. Lilly J. Lekhan:
Hearts and Home
stars and stripes and something sweet
a rifle and a deer, or is it a bear?
a night sky, a ground breathing
and softly:
a vision of a possibility
tender and delicate
like a little creek
a creek
that
runs
by a house
where children play
#68 added to the list on 1/15/16 is here:
the sexiest song to hit my high school back in the day: “Angel” by Gavin Friday
Album: Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack
Year: 1996
try the official studio version on the soundtrack (not the remakes)
#67 added to the list on 1/8/16 is here:
read a version of this that is in verse rather than prose for a phenomenal exotic poetry experience: “Gilgamesh” compiled by Sin-liqe-unninni, in a dialect of Akkadian
Book: Gilgamesh
Year: 2100 BC
ask your local library for a version that was popular or sold well, that is in your language and was translated in the last few decades
#66 added to the list on 1/1/16 is here:
The MTV generation will never forget this one: “Bad” by Michael Jackson
Album: Bad [same as song]
Year: 1987
try the official studio version on the album, and um, the official music video
#65 added to the list on 12/25/15 is here:
an example of how Christian music has been going mainstream in recent years: “Blessed Be Your Name” by Rebecca St. James
Album: Greatest Hits
Year: 2008
try the official studio version on the album
#64 added to the list on 12/18/15 is here:
soldiers are angels sometimes: “Citizen/Soldier” by 3 Doors Down
Album: 3 Doors Down [self-titled album]
Year: 2008
try the official studio version on the album, and the official video from 2007 which is a tribute to the National Guard and features The Guard
#63 added to the list on 12/11/15 is here:
sunny and dreamy: “More Than Love” by Los Lonely Boys
Album: Los Lonely Boys [self-titled album]
Year: 2004
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video
#62 added to the list on 12/04/15 is here:
ethereal and zany–this band was a standard in Gen X car CD collections for awhile: “(Nice Dream)” by Radiohead
Album: The Bends
Year: 1995
try the official studio version on the album
#61 added to the list on 11/27/15 is here:
the legendary chorus that must be about something deep: “The Real Slim Shady” by Eminem
Album: The Marshall Mathers LP
Year: 2000
try the official studio version on the album, and the edited version of the official music video
#60 added to the list on 11/20/15 is here:
Gen X’s favorite World War II protest song, which was a common artistic convention in the Gen X art world in the 90’s–have fun figuring out how it applies for yourself: “Loser” by Beck
Album: Mellow Gold
Year: 1994
try the official studio version on the album, the official video, and Beck’s live performance with the BBC in April 2003
#59 added to the list on 11/13/15 is here:
was about the Vietnam War draft but could be a song for all the discrimination against the American working class: “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Album: Willy and the Poor Boys
Year: 1969
try the official studio version on the album, Fogerty’s live performance on PBS in Nov 2009, and Springsteen and Fogerty’s performance at the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden in October 2009
#58 added to the list on 11/06/15 is here:
probably the best spiritual poem to have come out of Britain, it is about the fearsome aspect of the Divine as manifested in Jesus Christ: “The Tyger” by William Blake
Book: Songs of Experience
Year: 1794
it is almost always printed in its original language, in a complete version, so any collection that has it included should be fine for experiencing this poem
Enjoy this original poem of October 30, 2015 by C. Lilly J. Lekhan:
How This Room Formed Itself
trapped in a prison
constructed from
the tyranny of your obsession–
and the thoughts grew up
as walls
and clamped down
in an iron ceiling–
and now you are squeezing
slowly,
without meaning to,
and whispering “my precious”
#57 added to the list on 10/23/15 is here:
sexy as hell: “Burn” by The Cure
Album: The Crow Soundtrack
Year: 1994
try the official studio version on the album
#56 added to the list on 10/16/15 is here:
probably Gen X’s favorite love song: “Lovesong” by The Cure
Album: Disintegration
Year: 1989
try the official studio version on the album
#55 added to the list on 10/09/15 is here:
don’t underestimate American country folk: “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams, Jr.
Album: The Pressure Is On
Year: 1982
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video
#54 added to the list on 10/02/15 is here:
yes, they are happy out there in the middle of nowhere: “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver
Album: Back Home Again
Year: 1974
try the official studio version on the album
#53 added to the list on 09/25/15 is here:
heartwrenchingly beautiful: “Grey Street” by the Dave Matthews Band
Album: Busted Stuff
Year: 2002
try the official studio version on the album
#52 added to the list on 09/18/15 is here:
reminds me of listening to Berklee students jamming genius in Boston: John Mayer’s version of “American Pie” by Don McLean
TV Appearance: The Late Show with David Letterman
Date: April 18, 2015
you can find this on YouTube under The Late Show with David Letterman’s account
#51 added to the list on 09/11/15 is here:
hot, free, and romantic: “Gypsy” by Shakira
Album: She Wolf
Year: 2009
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video in English and Spanish
#50 added to the list on 09/04/15 is here:
a lovely song about a guardian angel’s love: “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix with the Jimi Hendrix Experience
Album: Axis: Bold as Love
Year: 1967
try the official studio version on the album
#49 added to the list on 08/28/15 is here:
bad-ass: “I Shot The Sheriff” by Eric Clapton, originally by Bob Marley
Album: 461 Ocean Boulevard
Year: 1974
try the official studio version on the album
#48 added to the list on 08/21/15 is here:
sexy rock love song: “All My Love” by Led Zeppelin
Album: In Through the Out Door
Year: 1979
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video
#47 added to the list on 08/14/15 is here:
depressing but creative–a not so intimidating intro to Goth: “Hurt” by Trent Reznor with Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Downward Spiral
Year: 1994
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video which is live, and a 2nd possibly official video with tattooed words on a body
#46 added to the list on 08/07/15 is here:
free, wild, alive, and feeling the pain of life: “Dream On” by Aerosmith
Album: Aerosmith (self-titled debut album)
Year: 1973
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video, and the Boston Marathon Bombing Tribute with Southern California Children’s Chorus
#45 added to the list on 07/31/15 is here:
sometimes it needs to be said: “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey” by Cole Swindell
Album: Cole Swindell (self-titled debut album)
Year: 2014
try the official studio version on the album, and the official music video
#44 added to the list on 07/24/15 is here:
captures the romance of the city: “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel
Album: Turnstiles
Year: 1976
try the official studio version on the album, the live footage from the “America: A Tribute to Heroes” telethon on 9/21/01, and the live concert footage from the Shea Stadium Performance featuring Tony Bennett in July 2008
#43 added to the list on 07/17/15 is here:
spiritual, almost mystical–listen to this on a Sunday: “Mary Did You Know” by CeeLo Green
Album: CeeLo’s Magic Moment
Year: 2012
try the official studio version on the album, and CeeLo’s official video (this is not the preview video from the movie “The Bible”)
#42 added to the list on 07/10/15 is here:
a ridiculously cool-sounding Christmas song: “Christmastime” by The Smashing Pumpkins
Album: A Very Special Christmas 3
Year: 1997
try the official studio version on the album
#41 added to the list on 07/03/15 is here:
uniquely Irish: “God Be With You” from The Devil’s Own Soundtrack
Album: The Devil’s Own Soundtrack
Year: 1997
try the official studio version on the album
#40 added to the list on 06/26/15 is here:
tender and beautiful: “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston, originally by Dolly Parton
Album: The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album
Year: 1992
try the official studio version on the soundtrack
#39 added to the list on 06/19/15 is here:
a song that rises up above the heart-wrenching reality of all our ordinary lives: “Levon” by Elton John
Album: Madman Across the Water
Year: 1971
try the official studio version on the album
#38 added to the list on 06/12/15 is here:
a classic–authentic and courageous: “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin
Album: Pearl
Year: 1971
try the official studio version on the album
Enjoy this original poem of June 05, 2015 by C. Lilly J. Lekhan:
Anjou Poem: Hate
Love Swirls for Love’s Eyes Alone
#37 added to the list on 05/29/15 is here:
a beautiful and powerful song of a woman’s love and loyalty: “My Immortal” by Evanescence
Album: Fallen
Year: 2003
this song is so powerful that I recommend listening to it without any video
#36 added to the list on 05/22/15 is here:
a passionate song about the sorrow of the breaking down of a love affair: “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt
Album: Tragic Kingdom
Year: 1996
try the official studio version on the album
#35 added to the list on 05/15/15 is here:
a song about what we make with the gift of this life: “Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis
Album: Rise and Shine
Year: 2002
try the official studio version on the album
#34 added to the list on 05/08/15 is here:
the perfect statement of cowboy Christianity: “The Old Rugged Cross” by Alan Jackson
Album: Precious Memories
Year: 2006
try the official studio version on the album
#33 added to the list on 05/01/15 is here:
a fantastic interpretation of the song–both simple and pure: “Amazing Grace” by Alan Jackson
Album: Precious Memories Volume II
Year: 2013
try the official video on alanjacksonVEVO, and the official studio version on the album
#32 added to the list on 04/24/15 is here:
After feminism, when girls had become truly capable and were fighting to be allowed to be so: “Just A Girl” by No Doubt
Album: Tragic Kingdom
Year: 1995
try the official studio version on the album
#31 added to the list on 04/17/15 is here:
honest and inappropriate true art: “I’m On Fire” by Bruce Springsteen
Album: Born in the U.S.A.
Year: 1985
try the song without the official video first–try the official studio version on the album
#30 added to the list on 04/10/15 is here:
one of the best books I’ve ever read, though very morally corrupt: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Book: Lolita
Year: 1958 (New York publication)
#29 added to the list on 04/03/15 is here:
poignant and pretty–a compelling blend for a topic this big: “The Long Road” by Eddie Vedder, with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Album: Dead Man Walking Soundtrack
Year: 1996
try the official studio version on the album
#28 added to the list on 03/27/15 is here:
a cool song from an animated movie: “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia
Album: Anastasia Soundtrack
Year: 1997
try the reprise version by Deana Carter at #10 on the album, or if you like a chorus, try the movie version at #3 on the album
#27 added to the list on 03/20/15 is here:
original and special: “Somebody That I Used to Know” (featuring Kimbra) by Gotye
Album: Making Mirrors
Year: 2011
try the official studio version on the album, and the official video
#26 added to the list on 03/13/15 is here:
too deep for radio: “Christmas Song” by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
Album: A Very Special Christmas 3
Year: 1997
try the official version (which was recorded live) on the album, and listen to it by yourself without any visuals
#25 added to the list on 03/06/15 is here:
Gen X x-mas! YAY!: “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses
Album: A Christmas Record
Year: 1981
try the official studio version on the album
#24 added to the list on 02/27/15 is here:
this book is a must-read, and way better than all the adaptations: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Book: The Great Gatsby
Year: 1925
#23 added to the list on 02/20/15 is here:
please don’t deprive yourself any longer, read this short story: “Bartleby” by Herman Melville
Book: The Piazza Tales
Year: 1856
#22 added to the list on 02/13/15 is here:
the song everyone listened to 12 times in a row after they first heard it: “Yesterday” by The Beatles
Album: Help!
Year: 1965
try the official studio version on the album by yourself without any video
#21 added to the list on 02/06/15 is here:
easy, breezy, and painful: “Dear Marie” by John Mayer
Album: Paradise Valley
Year: 2013
try the official studio version on the album
#20 added to the list on 01/30/15 is here:
a common theme in art with a new modern twist–taking love for granted for work, and being left with work in your bed: “Best I Ever Had” by Gavin DeGraw
Album: Make a Move
Year: 2013
try the official studio version on the album, and the official video
#19 added to the list on 01/23/15 is here:
a piece of history: “Blowin’ In The Wind” by Bob Dylan
Album: The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Year: 1963
try the official studio version on the album, and Dylan’s first national US TV performance in March 1963
#18 added to the list on 01/16/15 is here:
a story told so compellingly it vibrates out of the song: “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
Album: Tracy Chapman
Year: 1988
try the official studio version on the album