Hi Deb,
I agree with you wholeheartedly on Refuge of the Roads. The sound is sublime
and it's a perfect "wrapping up the journey" song. There are days when I use
the "heart and humor and humility" advice too, along with Joni. The way the
music dips into that phrase is so soothing.
As for *your* dog list... oh let me try to rescue a couple of these:
The Arrangement, a dog? My appreciation for this song is mostly nostalgia
rather than wanting to listen to it every day because long ago it helped me
answer my BIG question of "How Do I Live My Life?" Joni's song crystallized
what I did not want so I kept that in mind and leaned into the
non-materialistic, arrangement-free, always looking for spirit-nourishing
experiences, direction that was pulling me. Very simplistic then and now, and
I'm still living that way. And that portentous piano buildup... you just know
something important's coming. And Joni sounds SO sincere singing this song;
it's kind of like she's wailing... well, she IS trying to save someone's
soul.
And I love Heeeeellp Me! It so perfectly describes the pleasures and perils
and insecurities of falling in love, and I love the way she sings it too, all
breathy and sounding a little nutty when she squeaks high just like someone
falling in love can sound. And the guitar strumming at the beginning is like
a fast heartbeat... again, one of those falling in love symptoms.
The only least favorite song I can think of is Talk to Me because I always
want to tell Joni to get herself out of there and find someone who DOES want
to talk to her. Lose that mysterious silent type that's supposed to be so
appealing; and I hate that chicken squawking thing she does; really, girl,
what are ya thinkin' about yourself there? Recently, though, I listened to
DJRD and heard Talk to Me again and I thought, hmm, not a bad sound. Guess
I'm easy some days where Joni's concerned.
Debra Shea
NP: Eva Cassidy, Songbird, "Fields of Gold" over and over. Finally, I found
this cd and it really is as beautiful as everyone on the list said it is.
Time After Time is great too. What an amazing voice!
Deb Messling wrote:
> The quickest way to generate action on a slow JMDL day is to start one of
> these "least favorite" threads. Everyone's sure to come to the defense of
> some of the songs on the dog list. The achingly beautiful Refuge of the
> Roads, a least favorite? It breaks my heart!
>
> Here's my dog list:
>
> The Arrangement
> The Circle Game
> Help Me (indeed)
> The Windfall
