Hurricane Irma is now a Category 1 storm, but it has done its damage to Florida, and has certainly disrupted life through Florida, and up through Georgia and the Carolinas.
What with Harvey, Irma, and the coming Jose, this has been a hurricane season for the ages, and it still has several months to go.
This is a bad segueway, but the word "hurricane" has been used in popular music, but it was generally used for effect; I doubt that anyone will have any songs named directly after Harvey and Irma when all is said and done.
One song that comes to mind is "Rock You Like a Hurricane" by the Scorpions, which was a huge hit on FM rock radio back in 1984, and managed to hit No. 25 on the national Hot 100 charts during that year.
Being that this song was produced by a German band, I don't know if they even really know what a hurricane is, but I am sure that they received a storm of money for their efforts based on the success of this tune.
There have been a couple of other songs with the word "Hurricane" in the title over the years. This short list includes Bob Dylan's "Hurricane" (1976, No. 33, which dealt with Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, a person who the singer thought was wrongly imprisoned), Click's "Hurricane" (1963, No. 95) and the foreboding "Hurricane is Coming Tonite" by Carol Douglas (1975, No. 81).
A couple of songs mention hurricanes in their lyrics, including Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" ("I hear a hurricane a-blowing, I know the end is coming soon") and the Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash" ("I was born in a cross-fire hurricane, and I howled at my ma in the driving rain").
I am sure there are many others that I am missing, both by title and lyrically, but these are the only ones I can think of right now.
Now, if you want to extend the search a bit, the use of "wind" or "windy" in titles and lyrics is probably endless, way beyond the word hurricane.
And when I think of the word "windy" in a song title, I have to go with the Association's "Windy," which hit No. 1 in 1967.
Even its lyrics are so appropriate to describe Irma, in kind of an eerie way, even though it was written 50 years before the fact. I guess if Irma had a brain and was describing herself, this is how it would all come out:
"Who's peaking out from under a stairway
Calling a name that's lighter than air
Who's bending down to give me a rainbow
Everyone know it's Windy
Who's tripping down the streets of the city
Smilin' at everybody she sees
Who's reachin' out to capture a moment
Everyone knows it's Windy
And Windy has stormy eyes
That flash at the sound of lies
And Windy has wings to fly
Above the clouds"
Yes, that is a somewhat good description of Irma, in particular the last verse.
There are plenty of other songs with the words "wind" and "windy" in its title, but I think the Association song pretty much says it all.
Wind can be a nice thing, cooling us down, and even helping us to create power and electricity when harnessed in the right way, but when the wind becomes excessive--like during a hurricane--all bets are off.
I wish those in the path of this horrible storm the best, and I will bet that no one will be writing songs looking at hurricanes and wind in a positive light anytime soon.
Well, there is "Harvey and Sheila", that's a storm of a different sort, which I wanted to turn into an anthem for the NY Mets- "Harvey and Wheeler". Then, there is "My Friend Irma", but she goes with AL and not Harvey.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Buffett's "Trying To Reason with Hurricane Season" and "Surfing In a Hurricane" are more on point
ReplyDeleteSongbird, where were you on Friday when Larry had DACA on his mind?
Deleteif you had something to say, Allen .. er ... Jim Bo, you could have chimed in without following on her coat tails.
DeleteI was too busy gearing up for the DACA support rally on Saturday. Did you see the picture in Newsday? I'm the one holding the Planned Parenthood sign. Learned how to say the Pledge of Allegiance in Spnaish!!! "Yo prometo lealtad a la bandera de los estados Unidos de America, y a la Republica que representa, una Nacion bajo Dios, entera, con libertad y justicia para todos."
DeleteLarry, I have three questions:
(1) when your parents moved the family from Rochdale Village to Long Island, why didn't you protest? why didn't you make them stay in Queens?
(2) You've had months to look for a job since you found out your company is winding down its operations. Why haven't you found one yet?
(3) You should move to Florida. There are jobs for people like you in Florida. You have to leave New York and go to Florida to find work.
Are those questions offensive? Are you looking to argue with me because of what I just suggested?
Glad you feel that way. Because that's what you just did to the Dreamers.
Yes Songbird,I did see the picture at Songbird's Crazy World; congrats on getting involved.
DeleteRobin, you are foolish. I am backing them, feel that they should be able to stay here as they earn their citizenship. What more do you want me to say?
DeleteAnd to answer the questions:
1) If you only knew ... we left because where were lived was not safe for my mother and sister. My sister was attacked in school in what today would be considered to be a sexual crime even though very little happened. I wanted to stay and go to high school with the kids I grew up with. I was overruled.
2) The job market is a difficult one for people in my age/job category. I have not given up the ship yet, though.
3) Yes, the New York job market is difficult, by moving is not the solution.
As you can see, your questions are 100 percent irrelevant to the question at hand—I know why you put the in, to align what I am going through with what these people have gone through--and how about putting your observations in the proper Rant? I didn't because you put your questions to me here, so I answered them here.
You are a bit of a phony, but we won't go into that here. As most people in your way of thinking happen to think, "Do as I say, not as I do" fits pretty smugly on you. But again, I won't elaborate, because it will make you look even more foolish than you already do.
Have a nice day, and dream on ... and while you do, re-read what I wrote. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I am sympathetic to their plight, but the time has come for them to "pay up or shut up." Show that they really love this country and become citizens. Otherwise, they will continue to be here illegally, and they will be rightfully deported.
And let's not forget what the acronym they fall under stands for: "Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals." Do you know what "deferred" means? It does not mean cancel or forget about it. It means, that action will be put off for a time. It has now been put off for five years, and the action is now!
Larry, You Made Songbird's point. It is irrelevant why you left only that you had no choice, which is precisely the point.
DeleteNo it isn't. These are people who came here as underage illegals because their parents came here as illegals. Their parents may have believed that they had no choice in the matter, but they came here illegally, and thus broke the law, and perhaps still do. These kids were place in a program that allowed them to stay here while, presumably, the administration that created the program decided what to do with them, which they never did. They plunked it right in the lap of the next President, and rather than declare all of these people illegals and throwing them all out of the country, he is trying to work with all sides for a fair a logical solution. What that has to do with my circumstances is only know to you, and to you alone. And since when is citizenship for these people a punishment, as you and so many other fools believe it is?
DeleteThose children who were brought across the border had no say, just like you who migrated some 45 years ago had no say.
DeleteYou are confusing two things that had nothing to do with each other, further trivializing whatever you are trying to say.
DeleteIt isn't hard to understand. We are not going to blame children who are here through no fault of their own.
DeleteNobody is blaming them. They were put in a holding pattern by the Obama Administration for several years, that time is up, and the problem of what to do with them was placed on Trump, who passed it off to Congress. And again, citizenship is a punishment? Read what the acronym DACA stands for. It was a temporary program. They could be removed right now; but right now, they are being allowed to stay until Congress works it out. What is the problem here? Obama should have rectified this long ago.
DeleteYes, I could have named them, I just decided not to. Yes, it's a very subjective Rant today.
ReplyDeleteI forgot Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane." I guess I couldn't get each and every one, nor did I set out to do that. But that one, admittedly, I should have remembered.
ReplyDelete