Earlier this week my blogging pal Char over on Lesie’s World put up a post titled Friday’s Five Favourite … Albums, which I meant to go back to and comment on [as is my want!]  But I never got round to it due to the fact that I had far too much to say about what I was listening to, and why ………. I am so thinking of re-titling my blog ‘The Opinionated Woman’!

Any way, in the end, I decided to write this post – and I do hope you will follow the link and see what Char is listening to as well [when you’ve finished reading this]   🙂 

When I am at ‘work’ in my craft room there is always something playing either music or audio books or inspirational talks – but it’s mostly music.

The soundtrack of my life is a complex, wide ranging, genre hopping trip going far back in time and then racing up to today’s chart toppers – at a brief glance you will see my CD and itunes collection includes Robin Thicke, Pavarotti,  Faith Hill, Boyzone, Emeli Sande, Nick Cave, Van Morrison, Adele, Leonard Cohen, Kiri Te Kanawa, kd Lang, Matchbox Twenty, Placido Domingo, Bob Marley, Sting,  Johnny Cash, Dire Straits, Bee Gees [pre and post disco only], Rolling Stones, Bruce, Eric,  Elvis, Kris, various opera collections, some jazz, some folk music, country rock, country blues, all kinds of blues, and a bit of Mozart, Bach and Brahms, songs from shows, Irish music, Celtic music, Reggae music, Gospel music ……  I’ve got New Zealand musicians and Australian musicians, music from years ago and the latest releases from the latest new comers………..  and that is a brief scratch of the surface, it just goes on and on and on. 

About the only genre that I cannot give ear time to is that thing called gangster rap – 

In short there is music for every occasion and every mood and sometimes there is the random play option [especially on itunes] which delivers an astounding variation of musical sounds……. one minute I’m rocking out to the sound of the late, great Clarence’s sax on ‘Thunder Road’ and the next I’ve got tears in my eyes listening to Cecilia’s version of ‘Amazing Grace’

Orlando has a preferred play list too – certain singers come on and I get hassled to dance with him – well I dance and he is carried about in my arms, purring and looking particularly pleased with himself and harrumphing in a happy kind of manner from time to time.  For some reason he really likes Faith Hill and if I’m super busy I try to get to the computer and skip over her before he clambers up my leg …..

A couple or so years back, to celebrate my mumbly-mumble birthday we all had to make a play list of our top ten songs of all time.  Then we had to make a presentation of said play list complete with reasons why each song had been chosen.

I tell you, we all worked at this task for weeks if not months!  Me especially – after all it was my birthday and I had all those mumbley-mumble years of magical musical moments to sift through!   [ooooh, alliteration!]  And of course, I was over thinking it!

But in order to stay with the theme and keep this post under some sort of time control I will only give you the top five  from my latest amended list, so here we go:

No 1:  Eric Clapton – Layla

The weeping guitar solo in the original version has to be among the greatest riffs ever!  I was still very young and romantic when I first heard this and it absolutely broke my heart. In the right space it can still do so.

For a live, but different version this is a good watch :

No 2:  Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah

I love this song and collect versions of it.  In my humble opinion it’s pure poetry and one of the greatest songs ever written.  My ED took us to see him live in 2011 [on the occasion of yet another birthday] and I cried all the way through…..

There are so many great versions of this song – but kd’s is one of the greatest greats – do yourself a favour and have a listen to this:

No 3:  Andrea Bocelli  Con te Partiro

This one comes with a story:  One day in Florence I was wandering down one of those narrow cobbled streets not far from the Duomo at siesta time.  It was quiet and still, just the sound of my feet on the cobbles. As I approached the corner of the lane, from somewhere out of sight, I heard a beautiful tenor voice singing, his voice resounding and amplified by the tall stone houses and I stopped still, absolutely enchanted.   Around the corner came a dark eyed Italian, short and rotund, singing this aria.  He didn’t miss a beat as he looked at me standing there with my hands clutched across my heart.  He kept walking and singing and I kept standing and listening.  As he came up to me he winked and sang and kept on going.  I turned and watched him disappear around the corner of the lane and as his voice died away I realised I was crying.

No 4 The E St Band – If I Should Fall Behind

I’ve never been to a live concert, but enjoy several of their live DVD’s.  After an hour of rocking out it is always so lovely to get to this song and to hear all these beautiful voices solo.  I think this is one of the great love songs – no crap about unending love – just the real stuff.  If we should lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees …. wait for me.

Yes, it’s another one that makes me cry!

No 5: Delta Goodrem and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu – Bayini

Gurrumul is a blind native Australian poet and singer who has a world wide following and is hugely respected by all who know him. I’m a fan of Delta’s she is a song writer, pianist and has one of the most beautiful voices out there.  I love this recording and am taking this opportunity to maybe introduce you to something new 🙂

I realise there is nothing up beat or rocky in this list of five and I have lots that I love ….. these are all songs that either have made me cry or still make me cry – but the tears are ones that spring from the depths and experiences of living – and surely that is what music is all about?

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my music collection.  I have so many more I’d love to share, but life is calling and I must reluctantly leave the blogosphere for today…. Thank you Char for raising the subject and making me go there again, it’s been great fun!

Don’t be shy, tell me what you think of my favourite five – share yours too, write a post, link to You tube – give me more reasons to stay here…  🙂

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