MAKING MEMORIES OF US

I’m gonna be here for you baby,
I’ll be a man of my word,
Speak the language in a voice you have never heard

I wanna sleep with you forever,
And I wanna die in your arms
In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm

And I’m gonna love you
Like nobody loves you
And I’ll earn your trust making
Memories of Us

I wanna honor your Mother
I wanna learn from your Pa
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw

I wanna stand out in a crowd for you
A man among men
I wanna make your world better than it’s ever been

And I’m gonna love you
Like nobody loves you
And I’ll earn your trust making
Memories of Us

We’ll follow the rainbow
Wherever the four winds blow
And there’ll be a new day
Comin’ your way
I’m gonna be here for you from now on
This you know somehow
You’ve been stretched to the limits but it’s allright now

And I’m gonna make you a promise
If there’s life after this
I’m gonna be there to meet you with a warm wet kiss

And I’m gonna love you
Like nobody loves you
And I’ll earn your trust making
Memories of Us

Written by Rodney Crowell

This song, “Memories Of Us” from Keith Urban’s 2004 release, Be Here, is I think one of the most romantic songs written in the last few years. While I don’t consider myself a country music fan, I do, on occasion find my ear latching on to a tune or two and feeling touched by the message or the melody. I think mostly it’s Keith Urban. His mix of rock/pop infused country music of late is what keeps me listening.

Yesterday Abby and I took a little birthday road trip up to Santa Barbara. No, it’s wasn’t to go to Oprah’s shindig for Barak Obama. Maybe if it had been for Hillary Clinton or John Edwards I would have wanted to go. This was a way to celebrate my birthday that fell on Thursday in a way that was fun and allowed us time to spare (yes, Thursday morning/night was awesome, but I did have to work in between). It was a ton of fun, not crowded and we did our usual lunch/dinner, shopping, beach/jetty walking and even managed to walk by a wedding in progress while listening to a High School football game over a loud speaker which was kind of cool and odd at the same time.

One of the coolest things about Santa Barbara besides easy access to kayak rentals, tasty seafood, and Santa Barbara Outfitters is Morning Glory Music right on State Street. I can’t walk around that town without stopping and loading up on used CD’s. In addition to new normal priced CD’s they always have cool stuff on sale – some CD’s go as low as $1.99. It’s easy to spend a ton of money there though I did resist spending too much.

While I did my usual ‘pick up a bunch of CD’s and then wander around contemplating whether I ‘need’ them or not’, or whether I’ve heard too much of something to want to own it at this point I did manage to spend under $23.00. It was my attempt at fiscal prudence that saved me from purchasing everything I laid my hands on. It was hard, but I managed to walk out of there with only three carefully chosen CD’s.

The first CD I practically ran into the store hoping they would have used and to pick up was Shawn Colvin’s latest, These Four Walls. The CD was everything I hoped it would be and more. She (and co-writer John Levanthal, Rosanne Cash’s hubby) is a songwriting goddess, she’s beautiful and she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met (see my entry from 23 Oct. 2006 entitled “Do You Believe in a Lover or just the curve of the word?” for more on that). While it was not as cheap as other CD’s I could have bought, at $9.99 it was better than downloading it from itunes. You see, I love reading liner notes – they enhance the experience for me - you just don’t get that when you hit a button and the music appears effortlessly.

The second CD, Keith Urban’s above-mentioned Be Here, was a no brainer because of “Making Memories of Us”. This would be the song I would play if Abby and I were playing our ‘why I bought this CD’ listening game which we play every time we buy new stuff. Last night, however – we just popped in the CD and kept listening on the hour and a half drive home – playfully pointing out the songs, but it’s not the same as sitting on the living room floor in front of the CD player. While not all of the Cd is my flavour – it does get a little too country for me at times – I’m certainly glad I bought it.

The third CD was, speaking of country, Vince Gill’s Let’s Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye. Why? Because it was $1.99 and why the hell not?

Overall it was a great, fun day. Unlike last weekend where it was too hot to move/think or write my blog, this weekend we are at a very tolerable and fan-only temp which is how I like it. I actually woke up chilled this morning. But that’s cool with me – and it’s how I like it.

On another note – RIP Pavarotti – you were a force to be reckoned with and truly once in a lifetime talent. I will miss you. No doubt you were greeted by many of my late family members when you reached those pearly gates of heaven.

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Sunday…CHEERS!!! Now it’s time to really watch my New England Patriots….HAPPY FIRST SUNDAY OF FOOTBALL SEASON, ALL…