One of my favorite guitar songs a bunch of years ago happened to be a tune called Heavy. I remember coming back from the record store (yes, I do remember record stores) with the CD of a band called Collective Soul. I’d been a fan. Even got a chance to go backstage and meet them once at a gig in Los Angeles. Nice guys. The moment I put the CD in and heard Heavy, I was like “What the fuck?!?” I really dug the opening guitar riff, it was Heavy and it had a very modern sound. Loved it right from the start. So, here are the lyrics from Heavy in all their glory for this Throwback Thursday.
Heavy
Complicate this world you wrapped for me I’m acquainted with your suffering
All your weight it falls on me It brings me down All your weight it falls on me It falls on me
Hold me up to those whom you’ve deceived Promises you break you still believe
All your weight it falls on me It brings me down All your wieght it brings me down It brings me down All your wieght it falls on me It brings me down All your weight it falls on me It falls on me.
All your wieght it falls on me It brings me down All your wieght it falls on me It falls on me.
Songwriters: MONAHAN, PAT/STAFFORD, JAMES W/COLIN, CHARLIE
A couple of years ago I was privy to a little trip that involved myself, my mother and my sister. We attempt to make at least one trip a year as a little familial unit. The particular trip I’m thinking of was down highway 12 in the state of Utah. On this particular trip we stayed in a little B&B type place in Boulder Utah, not Boulder Colorado. It’s a very small farming community on the south side of Boulder Mountain. While staying at the B&B I was sitting out in the yard around a fire pit. Up walked a local who sat down with a guitar and started up a conversation. He found out that I’m a musician and asked me to play a couple of songs. We had a little fun talking music. This trip also happened to be the first time that I had heard the song Little Bird by Annie Lennox. I enjoyed it so much that I used it as a soundtrack to a slideshow of pictures I made from the trip. There’s something about her delivery on this song that just smacks me inside and makes me want to hear the song over and over any time I happen to play. That’s dangerous.
Little Bird
I look up to the little bird That glides across the sky He sings the clearest melody It makes me want to cry It makes me want to sit right down and cry cry cry I walk along the city streets So dark with rage and fear And I… I wish that I could be that bird And fly away from here I wish I had the wings to fly away from here
But my my I feel so low My my where do I go ? My my what do I know ? My my we reap what we sow They always said that you knew best But this little bird’s fallen out of that nest now I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed So I’ve just got to put these wings to test
For I am just a troubled soul Who’s weighted… Weighted to the ground Give me the strength to carry on Till I can lay this burden down Give me the strength to lay this burden down down down yeah Give me the strength to lay it down
But my my I feel so low My my where do I go ? My my what do I know ? My my we reap what we sow They always said that you knew best But this little bird’s fallen out of that nest now I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed So I’ve just got to put these wings to test
Taking a look back into pop music history I’m digging out a tune by an artist I have a strange respect for. Growing up guitar didn’t really lend me to wanting to listen to Michael Jackson. However, learning more about him and his career changed that. Once I was finally out of music school I really started getting into artists/bands that were more about the song and not the means in the individual guitars involved. As it so happens, this song is one of my favorite Michael Jackson tunes thanks to the percussive groove that propels it.
In fact a whole lot of my own writing stems from getting an amazing groove going. Much like Michael’s core work. The sense of rhythm that gets your body moving and your head bobbing. My personal feeling is that if the music isn’t moving you in some way. shape or form, then it’s likely doing something wrong. Michael was a definite master of this. No question about it.
They Don’t Really Care About Us
Skin head, dead head Everybody gone bad Situation, aggravation Everybody allegation In the suite, on the news Everybody dog food Bang bang, shot dead Everybody’s gone mad
All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us
Beat me, hate me You can never break me Will me, thrill me You can never kill me Jew me, sue me Everybody do me Kick me, kike me Don’t you black or white me
All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us
Tell me what has become of my life I have a wife and two children who love me I am the victim of police brutality, now I’m tired of bein’ the victim of hate You’re rapin’ me off my pride Oh, for God’s sake I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy… Set me free
Skin head, dead head Everybody gone bad Trepidation, speculation Everybody allegation In the suite, on the news Everybody dog food Black male, black mail Throw your brother in jail
All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us
Tell me what has become of my rights Am I invisible because you ignore me? Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name I can’t believe this is the land from which I came You know I really do hate to say it The government don’t wanna see But if Roosevelt was livin’ He wouldn’t let this be, no, no
Skin head, dead head Everybody gone bad Situation, speculation Everybody litigation Beat me, bash me You can never trash me Hit me, kick me You can never get me
All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us
Some things in life they just don’t wanna see But if Martin Luther was livin’ He wouldn’t let this be, no, no
Skin head, dead head Everybody gone bad Situation, segregation Everybody allegation In the suite, on the news Everybody dog food Kick me, kike me Don’t you wrong or right me
All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about All I wanna say is that They don’t really care about us
Writer(s): Michael Jackson, Michael Joe Jackson Copyright: Mijac Music
