Jim Colyer

After listening to this song, the only thing I remember is the hook.

http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D20 We're floating on a grain of sand in the vastness of space If future generations are going to inherit this place We've got to Save The Planet Do something while there's still time Save The Planet This earth is yours and mine The tropical rainforest is disappearing more everyday We'll never replace it, we'd better not burn it away Save The Planet The wonders of nature are free Save The Planet Have you ever planted a tree? If the skies are blue And the oceans too Isn't this a better home for me and you? If the air is clean And the land is green Wouldn't you like to be part of this lovely scene? solo I'm thinking of the animals that once roamed the African plain Their numbers have dwindled, pretty soon none will remain Save The Planet Do something while there's still time Save The Planet This earth is yours and mine Save The Planet The wonders of nature are free Save The Planet Have you ever planted a tree? Save The Planet Save The Planet Save The Planet Save The Planet Save The Planet, Save The Planet Save The Planet, Save The Planet Save The Planet, Save The Planet Save The Planet, Save The Planet Save The Planet Save The Planet Jim Colyer ascap

This is a traditional country song I had from the 70s. I dug it out in 1997 and recorded it with a girl named Rachel from Louisville. Rachel's inner circle thought she was the next Patty Loveless. That never happened, but Rachel is happily married today with two kids. I returned to Nashville and started writing Shania Twain influenced songs. I got rid of my bed and threw my mattress on the floor. I put a Shania poster on my wall. I thought if I am going to be a songwriter, I will live the hippie life. Shania http://img177.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=04510_tduid1670_ShaniaTwain02_122_403lo.jpg# SATISFIED http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D126 You've given me a home You've done it all for me Made heaven here on earth In Nashville, Tennessee Everytime you give your love I'm so happy I could cry I want you to know You keep me Satisfied You're working for our child I respect you for that Growing old together That's where it's at Everytime you come to me I feel so warm inside I want you to know You keep me Satisfied As we celebrate Each anniversary I'll be your perfect mate If this country girl can be Cos everytime you give your love The joy can't be denied I want you to know You keep me Satisfied Jim Colyer ascap

This is a wife rebelling against her husband, perhaps Frida rebelling against Benny. He drones on while she grows cold. This is one of those songs from the post-Visitors era. Maybe ABBA meant to do another album, maybe not. I am not even sure they knew. But those final songs had no top 40 candidates. They were cynical and pessimistic in a way that was foreign to early ABBA. "SHOULD I LAUGH OR CRY" reeks with sarcasm. a peculiar hardness. It is a legitimate response to a woman's partner becoming tyrannical. He vents. She feels only contempt. She may have liked his small philosophy in "Our Last Summer" but not now. The song's title reminds me of the two masks representing the dramatic arts. One is laughing, one is crying. Frida is laughing but not with Benny. She is laughing at him. She makes much of his stature. Benny is standing on his toes as if to appear taller. He is high and mighty. Frida compares him to an inflated balloon, full of hot air, on its way to the moon. We find the moon in other ABBA songs: People Need Love, What About Livingstone, Tropical Loveland, SummerNight City, The Piper and Soldiers. This is a different moon. The couple are preparing for bed, and Benny is in his pajamas. Frida probably bought them as a birthday present. That the trousers are too short is another indication that Benny is trying to tower over her. His pajamas are his warm and safe cacoon. Love and marriage have become a lie. Frida is tired and indifferent. Her pain is gone. Benny is far away. Of course, both couples in ABBA divorced, and their divorces reflected the general breakdown of marriage in all industrial societies. The 10 years of ABBA invites comparison with that of The Beatles. Both groups began with exuberant love songs while a gradual cooling produced more solemn lyrics. SHOULD I LAUGH OR CRY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_uiKm7wsmI He stands towering over me beside my bed Losing his head Tells me I must take him seriously Droning on the usual way He's such a clever guy And I wonder should I laugh or cry He's dressed in the striped pajamas that I bought Trousers too short Gives me of his small philosophy Carries on the way he does And me I get so tired And I wonder should I laugh or cry High and mighty his banner flies A fool's pride in his eyes Standing there on his toes to grow in size All I see is a big balloon Halfway up to the moon He's wrapped up in the warm and safe cocoon Of an eternal lie So should I laugh or cry Strange how dangerously indifferent I have grown Cold as a stone No more pain where there was pain before Far away he rambles on, I feel my throat go dry And I wonder should I laugh or cry High and mighty his banner flies A fool's pride in his eyes Standin' there on his toes to grow in size All I see is a big balloon Halfway up to the moon He's wrapped up in a warm and safe cocoon Of an eternal lie So should I laugh or cry

Cassandra prophesied the fall of Troy. No one believed her prophecies, and the Greeks went on to ransack the city in the Trojan War as recounted by Homer in The Iliad. "Cassandra" is in keeping with ABBA's theme of war with such songs as "Waterloo" and "Fernando." ABBA's Cassandra leaves on a ship at sunrise. It is raining, and her eyes are filled with pain. Trojan Cassandra was taken by the Greek hero Agamemnon as his mistress and murdered by Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, afer arriving in Greece. There is a hint of predestination as we are told Cassandra was lost from the start. There are lots of shadows in ABBA's music, and here the future casts a shadow. Which one of the ABBA girls is Cassandra? It is probably both of them because both Benny and Bjorn went on to stable marriages with other women. There is a reference to Cassandra's father. Frida'a estranged father, Alfred Hasse, came into her life after ABBA got famous. She and her father stopped seeing each other when ABBA broke up. "Staying Alive" may be a nod to The Bee Gees' monster hit. "Dreams you would weave" conjures up Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver." "Sell our secrets" is interesting. The women in ABBA songs cherish their private lives. They guard secrets, and it is by these secrets, probably sexual, that they identify their innermost selves. 1 "They wouldn't know her little secrets" - Nina, Pretty Ballerina 2 "Secrets that my paradise can bring" - Tropical Loveland 3 "My secrets he learned" - Just Like That ABBA was the city (Stockholm) incarnate. If the city is dead, so is ABBA. Their last day has dawned. The final hour! Troy and ABBA fall together! "Cassandra" makes use of alliteration: Street, singing, shouting, staying, shame, start, suffer, sell, secrets, sorry, sleep, ship, sailing, sister, sunrise, sails, slack, stood. This is poetry! CASSANDRA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2SQhnOxqiU Down in the street they're all singing and shouting Staying alive though the city is dead Hiding their shame behind hollow laughter While you are crying alone on your bed Pity Cassandra that no one believed you But then again you were lost from the start Now we must suffer and sell our secrets Bargain, playing smart, aching in our hearts Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood Now the last day is dawning Some of us wanted but none of us would Listen to words of warning But on the darkest of nights Nobody knew how to fight And we were caught in our sleep Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe You really had the power I only saw it as dreams you would weave Until the final hour So in the morning your ship will be sailing Now that your father and sister are gone There is no reason for you to linger You're grieving deeply but still moving on You know the future is casting a shadow No one else sees it but you know your fate Packing your bags, being slow and thorough Knowing, though you're late, that ship is sure to wait Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood Now the last day is dawning Some of us wanted but none of us would Listen to words of warning But on the darkest of nights Nobody knew how to fight And we were caught in our sleep Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe You really had the power I only saw it as dreams you would weave Until the final hour I watched the ship leaving the harbor at sunrise Sails almost slack in the cool morning rain She stood on deck, just a tiny figure Rigid and restrained, blue eyes filled with pain Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood Now the last day is dawning Some of us wanted but none of us could Listen to words of warning But on the darkest of nights Nobody knew how to fight And we were caught in our sleep Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe You really had the power I only saw it as dreams you would weave Until the final hour I'm sorry Cassandra I'm sorry Cassandra

Thinking of Billy Idol makes me remember how bad the 80s were.

"Love Shack," released in 1989, had to be one of the worst.

http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D209 We have a daughter together She's so pretty and sweet So we act friendly Everytime we meet We've got to let her know Both her parents care Someday you and I Will have a grandchild to share In a way I still love you I still dream of you at night In a way I still want you I long to hold you tight I still think about those good times I miss you everyday In a way I still love you But Only In A Way Some go forever Others just don't last It was so good at the time We can't bring back the past It wasn't money nor in-laws No, it was something else Darling, you and I Were meant for someone else In a way I still love you I still dream of you at night In a way I still want you I long to hold you tight I still think about those good times I miss you everyday In a way I still love you But Only In A Way In a way I still love you But Only In A Way Jim Colyer ascap

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5M_rT89kxY Country Girl (Shake It For Me) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrP7q2XgePA

Skyfall is the 23rd James Bond film going back 50 years. All the Bond films pit Agent 007 against an archenemy of mother England. They have increasingly become a string of action and violent scenes marking the decline of the British Empire. How long can western civilization sustain $200 million movies? The movie gets its title because Skyfall is the name of the orphanage in which James Bond grew up. I think Daniel Craig makes the best Bond. He has an edge and a vulnerability the others do not.

[quote name='.::BeatFactory::.' timestamp='1355494500' post='229162'] A 24-year-old man was arrested for trespassing at Taylor Swift's Nashville home early Friday morning after he told police he took a bus from Wisconsin to be with the country star for her birthday.Jacob Kulke was arrested at 1:45 AM after allegedly&hellip; </p> [url=http://www.tmz.com/2012/12/14/taylor-swift-trespasser-arrested/]View the full article[/url] [/quote] It is taking me a long time to get used to Taylor Swift, but I am gradually accepting her.

Hillary is 65. Time to retire!

ABBA's identification with the city is complete. The city throbs, and so does the beat. They are singing about Stockholm. This island city extends its invitation. Bjorn is obviously flying back to Stockholm and ready to land at Arlanda Airport. He is looking through the clouds at his sprawling city. It is a revelation, beautiful. It is constantly growing even if it is because of illegal immigration. The city is organic, a living thing. I came to live in bustling Nashville during the ABBA years and became familiar with crowded streets and never ending noise. I contributed to its melting pot, walking its streets and talking the language of country music. I have walked the streets of Stockholm also, and Nashville and Stockholm have much in common: people, cars, hotels, parks, cocktail bars and funny smells. Stockholm is worthy of worship in "I Am The City." Its citizens shop at NK, the department store on Hamngatan. By night, they dance to ABBA music in local discotheques while grabbing pieces of the fatted calf. This vision of Stockholm is very different from the one in the song "Tiger." In "Tiger" night life has its dangers. It could be alcoholism, prostitution or the loss of one's identity. The city becomes a jungle. Still, ABBA are city folk and cease to function without it. I AM THE CITY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6PLBXCXGRQ Coming through a cloud you're looking at me from above And I'm a revelation spreading out before your eyes And you find me beautiful and irresistible A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size And you feel a strange attraction The air is vibrant and electrified Welcome to me here I am, my arms are open wide Somewhere in the middle of the neverending noise There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats And a million voices blend into a single voice And you can hear it in the clamor of the crowded streets People come and take their chances Sometimes you win sometimes you lose a lot Come make your own contribution to this melting pot I'm the street you walk The language you talk I am the city The skyline is me and the energy I am the city The famous hotels and the cocktail bars And the funny smells And the turmoil, the cars and the people The air that you're breathing is me Yes I am the city you let me be People feed me with their lives I am a hungry soul And they all worship me and pay their homage day and night Every day I knew a lot of tired shopping feet But come the night they will be dancing in the neon light Dazzled by the crazy magic They're grabbing pieces of the fatted calf And in the wind if you listen hard you'll hear me laugh I'm the street you walk The language you talk I am the city The skyline is me and the energy I am the city The famous hotels and the cocktail bars And the funny smells And the turmoil, the cars and the people The parks and the squares that you see All the sounds that you hear And the air that you're breathing is me Yes, I am the city you let me be I am the city You let me be I am the city The famous hotels and the cocktail bars And the funny smells And the turmoil, the cars and the people The air that you're breathing is me Coming through a cloud You're looking at me from above And I'm a revelation spreading out before your eyes I'm the street you walk The language you talk I am the city Yes I am the city you let me be And you find me beautiful and irresistible A giant creature that forever seems to grow in size The skyline is me and the energy I am the city You let me be Somewhere in the middle of the neverending noise There is a pulse, a steady rhythm of a heart that beats I'm the street you walk The language you talk I am the city Yes I am the city you let me be And a million voices blend into a single voice And you can hear it in the clamour of the crowded streets The skyline is me and the energy I am the city You let me be

[quote name='Jim Colyer' timestamp='1337538485' post='211665'] Donna was identified with the disco era, and this made it tough for her in the 80s. Personally I thought disco was great. Donna's passing at 63 was untimely. Maybe they will induct her into the Hall of Fame now. [/quote] Well, Donna was inducted. Too bad she's not around to enjoy it!

Truth comes out. Shania Twain's autobiography, titled "From This Moment On," has little in common with the promotional bios that came out in the late 90s. The fairytale is over. I was impressed that Shania wrote this book by herself, without help from a seasoned author. She is articulate. Wordy. It is almost as if she is writing to and for no one, just putting down her life as it happened. To begin with, her real name is Eileen Edwards. Not Shania Twain. Her mother married an Indian named Jerry Twain after she and Eileen's father divorced. One thing that irked me was how Shania (Eileen) kept referring to Jerry as her dad. She beat it like a drum as if trying to convince herself. "My dad. My dad. My dad." "My father, My father. My father." I felt like throwing the book across the room and screaming, "He's not your father!" I found myself talking to the picture on the cover. She does not look like that, but it is a beautiful image. Shania paints a different picture of family life from the ones in previous bios. Her "family" was dysfunctional. There was not enough money to pay bills. There was never enough food, and Shania was jealous of kids who were well fed. Jerry and Shania's mother argued. They fought. And the fights got physical. Jerry was abusive both to Shania and her mother. He would drag her mother out of bed by her arm while she was in the throes of depression. At age 14, Shania insisted that they leave Jerry. Shania and her mother fled to Toronto without letting Jerry know where they were. Shania met her first love and went on the pill. She matured early, performing in bars and living in an adult world. Sex, alcohol and drugs were everywhere. Finally, she and her mother went home to Timmins. Shania writes about the frustration with her first album for Mercury. The songs were no good, and she knew it. The fairytale began when Mutt Lange showed up. The Woman In Me, Come On Over & Up! were a phenomenon. Their success exceeded her dreams. It was also hectic. A blur! Shania got what she wanted but attests to the loneliness and isolation of fame. Shania and Mutt ran out of songs after Up! and since their marriage was based on music, it had to end. With her autobiography, Shania reverted back to doing what her idol Dolly Parton does, selling the poverty of her youth. Shania knew she and Mutt were drifting apart. He made the first move. If he had not, she would have. Of course it hurt her pride, something she has plenty of. Shania did not blame Mutt. She blamed Marie-Anne. Traitor! Backstabber! Truth be told, Shania and Mutt left each other. Their era ended in an affair for him and in hatred and confusion for Shania. There was only one road ahead for her. She had to rework her catalog of classic hits and head for Las Vegas in a 90s revival. Shania was the female Elvis and had to re-assume that role. She had to marry Fred, Marie-Anne's jilted husband. The two were cemented by fate and mutual pain. Shania, Mutt, Fred and Marie-Anne switched partners! It was bizarre! There are better singers, dancers and better-looking women. Shania has just enough in all these areas to qualify as a total package. What adjectives describe Shania? Ambitious. Hard-working. Self-absorbed. Strong-willed. Driven. Emotional. Insecure. She is an opportunist. She is impatient, stubborn and wants it her way. Maybe we are all like that. Shania is willing to leave people behind to go to the next level, be it a boy friend of 6 years or manager/friend Mary Bailey. She gave up Mutt for their son Eja. She may eventually move on from second husband Fred. Shania is smart, insightful. She is open and honest. She sees herself as a "surviver." At least, to this point. Sadly, no one is really a survivor. Shania wrote that she had the body of a 25-year-old until she was 42. She will be 47 when she hits the stage at Caesar's Palace. MY SHANIA http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=46

I was intrigued when I learned Bjork is from Iceland.

I would call Madonna the most overrated artist of all time. At 54 she is still making headlines. It is hard to believe.

My niece once told me The Smashing Pumpkins were her favorite group. To this day I have never heard a song by them.

http://jimcolyer.com/sitebuilder/flash/player?f=/music/flash/playlist.xml%3Ft%3D134 I gave my 20s to Vietnam To Lyndon and Richard and a million lies I came back home, and they laughed at me A belly full of booze, LSD Judgment Day is coming Judgment Day is at hand Judgment Day is right around the corner All across this land I gave my 30s to the woman I loved She had my child and walked out on me I just couldn't please somebody's in-laws Our divorce was like World War 3 Judgment Day is coming Judgment Day is at hand Judgment Day is right around the corner All across this land 35 years of driving hard 35 years of paying dues 35 years of being on the outside 35 years with nothing to lose solo I spent my 40s with the underground Living for the future and sweet revenge Now I'm walking the streets of Nashville Move over, you bastards, gimme some room Judgment Day is coming Judgment Day is at hand Judgment Day is right around the corner Right across this land Judgment Day is coming Judgment Day is at hand Judgment Day is right around the corner And God help 'em! Aw... Jim Colyer ascap

I went to your site and gave it a look. Jim

I gave it a listen. It took me back to my time in Africa in 1968.

Never heard of him

I saw the Kardashians on TV a few nights ago. I was not impressed.

Dick Cavett interviewed ABBA in Stockholm in 1981. After the interview, ABBA performed 9 songs in front of a studio audience. "Slipping Through My Fingers" was one of the songs. It is from The Visitors, ABBA's final studio album. Bjorn wrote "Slipping Through My Fingers" about his daughter Linda. Linda was born in 1973, so by the time "Slipping Through My Fingers" came out in 1981, she was in school. Bjorn, barely awake, has breakfast with his daughter and sees her off to class. He feels sadness, that odd melancholy for which Swedes are famous. He also feels guilt. He has not been the father he wanted to be. And yet, he is grateful for the laughter they were able to share. Kids grow up. They keep changing. No parent can freeze the picture, not even a member of ABBA. Bjorn remarried after divorcing Agnetha and had two daughters by his second wife. The guilt he felt about Linda foreshadowed his divided allegiance. SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNaNVuWes_U[/url] Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness And I have to sit down for a while The feeling that Im losing her forever And without really entering her world Im glad whenever I can share her laughter That funny little girl Slipping through my fingers all the time I try to capture every minute The feeling in it Slipping through my fingers all the time Do I really see whats in her mind Each time I think Im close to knowing She keeps on growing Slipping through my fingers all the time Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table Barely awake, I let precious time go by Then when shes gone there's that odd melancholy feeling And a sense of guilt I cant deny What happened to the wonderful adventures The places I had planned for us to go (slipping through my fingers all the time) Well, some of that we did but most we didnt And why I just dont know Slipping through my fingers all the time I try to capture every minute The feeling in it Slipping through my fingers all the time Do I really see whats in her mind Each time I think Im close to knowing She keeps on growing Slipping through my fingers all the time Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture And save it from the funny tricks of time Slipping through my fingers... Slipping through my fingers all the time Schoolbag in hand she leaves home in the early morning Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...

Donna was identified with the disco era, and this made it tough for her in the 80s. Personally I thought disco was great. Donna's passing at 63 was untimely. Maybe they will induct her into the Hall of Fame now.