I don't love you all that much

Dan Bern is known for writing songs on Apatow movies, including Get Him to the Greek and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. So it is understandable that a first listening of his "Jerusalem," the Weather on WtNV's fifth episode "The Shape in Grove Park," sounds like an ironic impression of 1960's Bob Dyan.  He purposefully messes with the harmonic rhythm by adding more and more lines to the oscillating I and IV chords, while singing in the high nasal voice with over-enunciated words on very static melodic lines.





The lyrics also encourage a humorous take: 

When I tell you that I love you / Don't test my love / Accept my love, don't test my love / Cause maybe I don't love you all that much

Don't ask what kind of music I'm gonna play tonight / Just stay awhile, hear for yourself awhile / And if you must put me in a box, make sure it's a big box / With lots of windows / And a door to walk through / And a nice high chimney / So we can burn burn burn everything that we don't like / And watch the ashes fly up to Heaven / Maybe all the way to India / I'd like that

All the ancient kings came to my door / They said "Do you want to be an ancient king too?" / I said "Oh yes very much / But I think my timing's wrong" / They said "Time is relative / Or did you misread Einstien" / I said "Do you really mean it?" / They said "What do you think we come here for / Our goddamn health or something?"

Everybody's waiting for the Messiah / The Jews are waiting / The Christians are waiting / Oh so are the Muslims / It's like everybody's waiting / They been waiting a long time / I know how I hate to wait / Like even for a bus or something / An important phone call / So I can imagine how darned impatient / Everyone must be getting

So I think it's time now / Time to reveal myself / I am the Messiah / I am the Messiah

Yes I think you heard me right / I am the Messiah / I was gonna wait till next year / Build up the suspense a little / Make it a really big surprise  / But I could not resist / It's like when you got a really big secret / You're just bursting to tell someone / It was kinda like that with this / And now that I've told you / I feel this great weight lifted / Dr. Nusbaum was right / He's my therapist / He said get it out in the open

I spent ten whole days in Jerusalem / Mmmm Jerusalem sweet Jerusalem / And all I ate was olives / Nothing but olives / Mountains of olives / It was a good ten days / I like olives / I like you too

So When I tell you that I love you / Don't test my love / Accept my love, don't test my love / Cause maybe I don't love you all that much

But, like most good humor, there is truth hiding deep in the bits.  Why do we test love, why do we need to label music, the commonality of religions, the possibility that anyone or everyone could be the Messiah.  I'm torn whether the truths are emphasized or apologized for by the humorous elements.  Of course, the same thing could be said about the Welcome to Night Vale podcast, that there are philosophical elements that are undermined or softened by ludicrous humor or horror elements.  I love humor, but I get frustrated sometimes when a strategy or beautiful thought is spoiled just for humor.  Is that the case with "Jerusalem"?  I don't think so.  I feel that Bern's passion is legitimate, so the humor comes out of that anger and frustration.

Bob Dylan, Attorney at Law

A family member and Dylanophile sent me this interesting International Herald Tribune story about Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts citing the Bard of Duluth in his dissent last week:

''The absence of any right to the substantive recovery means that respondents cannot benefit from the judgment they seek and thus lack Article III standing,'' Roberts wrote. '''When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose.' Bob Dylan, Like a Rolling Stone, on Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia Records 1965).''

Alex Long, a law professor at the University of Tennessee and perhaps the nation's leading authority on the citation of popular music in judicial opinions, said this was almost certainly the first use of a rock lyric to buttress a legal proposition in a Supreme Court decision. ''It's a landmark opinion,'' Long said.

Is this truly meant to be convincing? As the article points out, Roberts doesn't use the quote with the meaning Dylan had intended. Roberts twists a statement of anti-materialism into a justification for protecting a phone company's money. So why even bother quoting from a poet/songwriter with whom Roberts clearly doesn't agree? My guess is that Roberts is trying to fool himself, either that he is cooler than he really is, or that there is some poetic truth to his money-grubbing ways. Either way, it is just sad.

SatPod: Snow and Wind

We got hit by a snow storm yesterday and today, including blizzard winds.

1. "Snow Dreams" by Joan Tower, performed by Carol Wincenc and Sharon Isbin. A very cold duet for flute and guitar.
2. "Dance of the Tumblers" from The Snow Maiden by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
3. Dance Movements by David Snow, performed by the American Brass Quintet.
4. "Blowin' in the wind" by Bob Dylan, performed by Peter, Paul and Mary.
5. Gone With the Wind soundtrack, by Max Steiner.
6. "Gone With 'What' Wind" by Benny Goodman and Count Basie, performed by the Benny Goodman Sextet on Charlie Christian: Genius of Electric Guitar.
7. Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments by Frank Martin, performed by Richard Kapp and the Philharmonia Virtuosi.
8. Music for Eighteen Winds by John Harbison, performed by the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble.
9. Partita for Wind Quintet by Irving Fine, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
10. Quintet for Woodwinds by Jean Francaix, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
11. Scherzo for Woodwind Quintet by Eugene Bozza, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
12. SextourSextuor for Piano and Woodwind Quintet by Francis Poulenc, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
13. Symphonies of Wind Instruments by Igor Stravinsky, performed by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
14. Summer Music for Woodwind Quartet by Samuel Barber, performed by the New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble.
15. Symphony for Winds by Donald Erb, performed by the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble.
16. Variations for Wind Band by Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed by the Eastman Wind Ensemble.
17. Im Sommerwind by Anton Webern, performed by Christoph von Dohnányi and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.
18. "The Wind" by Russ Freeman, performed by Chet Baker on Chet Baker With Strings.
19. "Wind-Up" by Ian Anderson, performed by Jethro Tull on Aqualung.