It all sounds so simple...

...when I listen to the "Schoolhouse Rock" song, "The Preamble."  The way Lynn Ahrens sings it, the Constitution sounds so noble.  And, it is.  Recent Supreme Court decisions, however, remind us that so much depends on how a majority of justices interpret it.

I don't know how you'd convey that in a song, however.  "Schoolhouse Rock" tunes are supposed to be fun, three-minute educational primers.  Throwing cold water on the subject being covered isn't the agenda.

Online radio sampler highlights CLXXI

Wednesday morning standouts:

KCMP (St. Paul, MN)

• Hospital-Madison Cunningham (Cunningham's new song acknowledges that keeping it together isn't always so easy.  Bridal Party's "Tylenol" would sound smooth before or after this.)

KING (Seattle, WA)

• Enrique Granados: Spanish Dance No. 5, Op. 37, "Andaluza" (Jorge Federico Osorio, piano) (By dance standards, there's an appealing semi-quiet intensity to this piece and performance.)

WDCB (Chicago, IL)

• Groove's Groove-Richard "Groove" Holmes (A steady seven-minute organ groove that's equal parts jazz and R&B; the organ and walking bass line radiate coolness right from the start.)

WDIA (Memphis, TN)

• Mt. Airy Groove-Pieces Of A Dream (This instrumental's light keyboard touch, prominent bass, and infectious percussion hold up 40 years later.  The tune is pure 1982, and that's not to its detriment.)

WRBR (South Bend, IN)

• Shimmer-Fuel (One of the strongest examples of good hard rock from the '90s; it illustrates Robert Frost's observation, "Nothing gold can stay," convincingly through powerful vocals, crashing guitar, and strings.)

WXPN-2 (Philadelphia, PA)

• Timing-Alisa Amador (What do you do if you meet your ideal match at the wrong time?  Considering the lyrics and strong vocals on "Slow Down" and this track, Amador is an artist to watch.)
• Creepin' In-Norah Jones (One of her best-recorded songs and a great example of how Jones conquers an uptempo track.  Vocally and instrumentally, everything clicks from the first note, and the tune chugs along appealingly.  These are also the best guest vocals by Dolly Parton I've heard.)
  

The power of suggestion

I paused yesterday before playing a St. Louis Symphony Orchestra recording of Serenade No. 2 by Johannes Brahms. The CD cover was a painting of trees with red leaves.  For a second, I thought, "Maybe I should wait until Autumn to play this."

Then, however, I reasoned, "This cover painting is a suggestion, not a mandate.  Nothing says I can't play a Christmas carol in Summer or the national anthem in Winter, so why should this be any different?"

The second serenade it was, then.  I was pleased not to wait three months to hear it.

Context? CLXXIX

A few days ago, I found where I'd misplaced the dental floss.  Naturally, such an occasion required a grandiose acknowledgment.  I sang softly to the tune of Neil Diamond's "The Story Of My Life," "The flossing of my teeth..."

I know, I know...What a pedestrian reaction.  Leave it to me to think inside the box, I guess.

Context? CLXXVIII

After hearing a clip today of a celebrity's interview about how it feels to be 30, an AM radio host remarked, "Turning 30 is no big deal."

Obviously, this doesn't apply if you've triumphed over a serious illness in childhood or young adulthood.  It also doesn't apply if you escaped a strife-torn country despite remote odds of survival.

For the most part, however, the host is right.

Perspective with age II

Wasn't it just yesterday that I listened to KEZK's former easy listening format ironically?

Actually, no.  That was 1984, and I remember listening to an instrumental version of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and thinking, "This is fine for what it is, but are there listeners out there who think the original version is too raucous and needs to be tamped down with orchestral strings?"

Then again, the fact that I sometimes listened to KEZK for extended stretches of time might have made me a young fogey.  It's sobering to realize, at 51, that advertisers on an easy listening station could now target me legitimately.  I'm on the young end of their demographic, but still...

Persistent earworm alert CCLXX

Each year, on or before July 4, I watch the movie, "1776."  I was going to watch it next week, but after today's seismic Supreme Court ruling, I decided to watch it today.  The ironically titled song, "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men," has run through my mind since watching it.  While I can appreciate the performance of the tune, the song's sentiments never fail to anger me.

I'm sure I have plenty of company on that front today.