Tuesday Tunes

My Father writes weekly emails to the Whanau. For any current or future international readers, whanau is the Maori concept of family, including extended family not related by blood, or a group who come togther for a common cause. Whanau has been at the forefront of my mind lately.

Eleven days ago, our tiny nation was rocked by a terrorist. The slim silver lining of this awful cloud, is that in the wake of this absolute horror we’ve seen a beautiful mourning. A national and global outpouring of grief and togetherness. This blog isn’t built to tackle tragedy, politics, or be a soapbox for my feelings on the whole terrible ordeal. I know that music can help grief. So today’s songs are all about sharing love to all our Whanau.

Song The First
Song: Pulse
Artist: Melissa Etheridge
Album: Single - 2016 - M.E. Records
Method of discovery: Googling songs about tragedy.

Song The Second
Song: What The World Needs Now Is Love
Artist: Jackie DeShannon (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David)
Album: This is Jackie DeShannon - 1965 - Imperial
Method of discovery: Honestly, “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery”

Research: Etheridge penned ‘Pulse’ in response to a shooting in a club in Orlando in 2016. A Terrorist claimed the lives fo forty-nine people who just wanted to party. ‘What the world needs…’ is also related to the same tragedy. Sixty-Five broadway stars produced a version to commemorate the victims. The proceeds of both songs were sent to benefit the affected communities.

Theory: Just quickly today, because I want to focus on the Lyrics. Verses of ‘Pulse’ I-vi-IV-bVII, drop the third chord to cover the chorus. The bridge is I-iii-ii-IV-iv. ‘What the world needs…’ changes over iii-vi for the tagline and puts a few IV’s and V’s in the choruses. The verses change the key centre down a fifth and start on a iii before rounding a jazzy ii-V-I twice and ending with a rather odd VI-vii and heading back into the chorus, which goes up a full step for the third one, fading out against the iii-iv.

Personal thoughts: The lyrics of these songs have really cemented for me the only reasonable response to this sort of anguish. Support and love for the those affected. In this case, those affected are the community of Muslims, which is geographically within, and emotionally together with, a larger community of Kiwis. When my workmates attended a Mosque for the two minutes of silence, it was strengthening to see everyone mourn as one nation. It’s relieving to see the rules changing, and our leadership’s response. and it all really is encompassed by the messages of the songs. I think the songs are pretty good anyway, but if you don’t like them, please share their messages:

What the world needs now is love …
Love will always win
Underneath the skin
Everybody’s got a pulse

Give it a go: If you want to take a moment to reflect, and feel some feels.

Give it a miss: If you don’t feel in the mood for some reflection.

[links]
Spotify: Tuesday Tunes, Pulse, What the world needs now is love
Wikipedia: What the world needs now is Love, Austin Powers, Melissa Etheridge
Other: SongFacts