Recently Eclectica got a new episode, spontaneously inspired by the arrival of Mother's Day. Well as there was a pretty decent amount of data on the actual show-posting, I thought I'd share a few things here with you, that I might not get the opportunity to over on Eclectica's main page.
If I could play anything on the topic of mothers, (podsafe or no):
- My #1 choice would be Disney's "Baby Mine," from the "Dumbo" soundtrack. For those of us who've felt like outcasts at one time or another in our lives, this song typifies the ideal of motherly love, maternal protection, gentle solace, and unwaivering, omni-present acceptance. This tune almost always makes me bust up crying and sticks a wrench right into my heart, And no one (imho) can ever do it better than they did in the original animated movie recording.
- Next would be Shawn Colvin's "Seal Lullaby." Who ever thought that a selchie would be attached to songs about seals??? ;) This is an emotionally rich tune w/its gorgeous, evocative lyrics, & evokes much of the same feelings as the Disney song does. But as my first phrase probably gave you a hint at, this piece depicts the languid image of seals being rocked to sleep by Mother Ocean. When I first heard this song, I had to have it. Given the holiday, this song would be -perfect- for today. :)
- Thirdly, Tracy Bonham's "Mother Mother" would have to step in. Let's face it, no relationship with anyone is Perfect. And sometimes even relationships with the people we love the most can.. rub us the wrong way. So to express the less-than-perfect aspects of many mother & child relationships, this song would be quite appropriate for Mother's Day. ;)
- After that would come Gypsy, with "Heaven's Gift." This is a song from a mom to her child- one that will certainly put a lump in your throat, if not bring a tear (or two) to your eye. What kid doesn't want to be the apple of a parent's eye? And what parent doesn't wish they could express just what feelings lay in their hearts for their beloved children? Well this song expresses exactly these.
- Then there would be Kathy Kallik, with "Use a Napkin (NOT Your MOM!)" I heard a portion of this briefly last year during this time and (unfortunately) lost track of it. Well having heard this again on the morning of Mother's Day this year, I was determined to track it down. It's just too funny to ignore, and illustratively choice. ^_^
- Fnally (for this set, anyway) I'd add to these rankings Christine Lavin's "Sometimes Mother Really Does Know Best." This made me laugh and groan and think of my mom all at the same time. :) This was my first exposure to Christine's work (that I'm aware of), and you can be sure that because of these last two selections (which I heard on SideTracks, coming out of WV today), I'll be looking into other works of theirs henceforth! Plus, my mom just went to a Christine Lavin show & got pulled up on stage! So I think it's an omen. ;)
There are a lot of other beautiful lullabies and touching mother-related songs I'd choose (like "In My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride, "I Turn to You" by Christina Aguilera, "You Raise me Up" by Josh Groban, "Wind Beneath my Wings" by Bette Midler, that "Butterfly Kisses" song whose singer I can't recall the name of right now, and Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me." But these are mostly pretty well-known songs, and I'd like to speak the words of my heart with songs that cut straight to the quick of my meaning, which these do. Plus, I prefer using music that hasn't been splathered all over pop culture yet. (Both to help boost popularity for the musicians who created them, and because they haven't become trite or overly used.)
I hope you enjoyed the selections I played for you over on Eclectica, and as always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, ideas or suggestions you may have. Oh! And you can also find the show on iTunes and Facebook, just by searching for "Eclectica, Diversity Audified."
Thanks everyone, and happy Mother's Day!
Yours Forever in Song,
DJ Selchie
