If your first impression of Suzanne Vega was the hit song, “Luka”, from her sophomore album, Solitude Standing, than I highly suggest you check out her freshman release, Suzanne Vega. I believe it is one of the best releases of the last twenty years, well, twenty two to be exact. It’s hard to believe that the music that changed my life is that ‘old’ well – sort of ‘old’- I guess it’s all perspective since you still hear The Beatles on the radio. So – what is ‘old’? I’m not sure but this week I wanted to share with you what I believe to be some of the greatest lines ever written. A few of the lines that follow are words I have lived by since I first got my hands on the CD and some are just cool lines I’ve rediscovered whilst writing this blog this morning. Either way, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and I hope you check out the CD, or, have a long-overdue 1000th listening….
“It’s a one time thing, it just happens a lot” – track 1 – “Cracking”
“You stand with your hand in your pocket and lean against a wall, You will be Bogart and I will be Becall” – track 2 – “Freeze Tag”
“Even if I am in love with you all this to say what’s it to you?…And I tried so hard to resist when you held me in your handsome fist and reminded me of the night we kissed and why I should be leaving, Marlene watches from the wall, her mocking smile says it all as she records the rise and fall of every man who’s been here…” – track 3 – “Marlene On The Wall”
“Today I am a small blue thing…” – track 4 – “Small Blue Thing”
“There’s a sound, across the alley of cold metal touching skin and you can see if you look in her window that she has gone and cut her hair again, in straight lines…” – track 5 – “Straight Lines”
“I believe right now if I could…” – track 6 – “Undertow”
“We talk and talk and tell the truth, there are no shadows here…” – track 7 – “Some Journey”
“And he said ‘I want to live as an honest man, to get all I deserve and to give all I can and to love a young woman who I don’t understand, your highness, your ways are very strange’” – track 8 – “The Queen and The Soldier”
“And if you wonder what I am doing as I am heading for the sink, I am spitting out all the bitterness along with half of my last drink, I am thinking of your woman who is crying in the hall, it’s like drinking gasoline to quench a thirst, until there’s nothing there left at all” – track 9 – “Knight Moves”
“I am just walking through the smoke, finding out if this is it, because I’ve got this feeling that things are going grey, and I’d like to hear a straight line to help me find my way” – track 10 “Neighborhood Girls”
I can’t remember specifically when I last saw my dear friend Sabrina. It may have been our last night of work at our local Chinese restaurant, Mr. Lee’s. It was there, every Wednesday night, that she gushed as she flirted with David Letterman when he picked up his weekly take-out order. I can’t be sure, but I do know that I have missed our friendship all these years; her witty, intelligent banter and her doe-eyed blonde cynical view on the world. Back then I wasn’t sure why were friends - we seemed an unlikely pair. She had big, fluffy hair and was as preppy as you can get. Me – I was the musician with my black clothes and my artistic bent playing my guitar every chance I got.
Now as I reflect on that time I get it. I understand why we were friends. It was her witty, intelligent banter and her doe-eyed blonde cynical view on the world. It makes sense now as I recall how my stomach ached so hard from laughing at her world - from - a - bubble observations. How did we, two kids from a very uptight, Republican, old money town, escape with our humour and creativity intact? I have no idea. But I think it was because of friends (and neighbours) like her. I think no matter what age you are you find those that you relate to – you may not always know why – and you stick together. You muddle through, you lean, you stand up strong.
Sabrina found me yesterday. I checked my email (something I don’t always do on a Saturday because of all the time I spend on the computer during the week) and through the wonders of the internet and all of the networking sites out there she was right there in my inbox. It was wild. It was cool. It was shocking. There are a lot of people from my small home town that I remember but I’m never sure if they remember me – or would even care. She was one of those people.
When I reflect on our friendship why I ever doubted whether she would even think of me I’m not sure. I think it’s because I’ve been spurned when I’ve reached out to people from the past so I basically stopped doing it awhile ago. I’m very easy to find on the internet and if someone wants to find me they can so I leave it at that knowing if someone wants to find me I’ll be all too happy to be in touch with them.
I always wondered what happened to Sabrina, and I always wondered why we lost touch. I have no answers to that but when I looked at her networking page on Facebook (where she found me and my two other friends because I’m new to the site) I was pleasantly shocked to see that listed as her favourite quote was “I believe right now if I could I would swallow you whole…” It happens to be one of my favourite quotes of all time. Funny. Odd. Very cool. Yeah – we were meant to be friends way back when and I’m thinking we are meant to be friends again. Maybe when you find those people the ties never break – they may weaken because you loose touch – but I don’t think they ever break. Clearly.
By the way, did I mention we used to be neighbours (again) here in Los Angeles? Yep. She lived a few blocks away and I never knew it until this morning. She’s in Amsterdam these days, but thanks to the internet I’m guessing she’ll still feel like a neighbour. Now – if it were only Wednesday night at a Chinese restaurant the circle might be even more complete. Thanks for finding me, Sabrina, I’m awfully glad you did!
Thanks for tuning in...Until next Sunday…CHEERS!!
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