Music That Touches You (1 Viewer)

[saintmdterps]

I always liked the song "Rooster" but when I found out it was about Jerry Cantrell's father's experience in Vietnam, and how that haunted him I found the song to be much more engaging indeed. Cantrell's dad was a machine gunner in Vietnam and his nickname was Rooster. "Walking tall machine gun man, they spit on me in my home land..."

 

[saintmdterps]

The song "In the Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics will still tear me up. It was released 4 years after my father died of lung cancer.

… I wasn't there that morning
When my Father passed away
I didn't get to tell him
All the things I had to say

… I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo
In my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

 

[gboudx]

I always liked the song "Rooster" but when I found out it was about Jerry Cantrell's father's experience in Vietnam, and how that haunted him I found the song to be much more engaging indeed. Cantrell's dad was a machine gunner in Vietnam and his nickname was Rooster. "Walking tall machine gun man, they spit on me in my home land..."

But wait, there's more to the story, as told by Jerry himself:

Jerry Cantrell's father did hear the band perform this song. Jerry told the story in Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine: "He's only seen us play once, and I played this song for him when we were in this club opening for Iggy Pop. I'll never forget it. He was standing in the back and he heard all the words and stuff. Of course, I was never in Vietnam and he won't talk about it, but when I wrote this it felt right... like these were things he might have felt or thought. And I remember when we played it he was back by the soundboard and I could see him. He was back there with his big gray Stetson and his cowboy boots - he's a total Oklahoma man - and at the end, he took his hat off and just held it in the air. And he was crying the whole time. This song means a lot to me."

 

[JenningsTruckers]

This morning I was watching a video by the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps. Due to the pandemic, they are not touring (no drum corps toured in 2020 and only a limited number participated in 2021). The name of the music in this production is an original piece called "Wait for Me". I found it to be a beautiful and moving piece.



It got me thinking about other music that's moved me. The same song may be moving to me at some point in my life, but less so (if at all) at other points.

What music has touched you? Moved you? Got you up and dancing? Brought tears to your eyes?

When I think of moving music I think of soft love songs and that would be songs by Bread , Jim Croce and Dolly Parton's songs " He's Alive " and " Coat of many colors " .

 

[saintmdterps]

When I think of moving music I think of soft love songs and that would be songs by Bread , Jim Croce and Dolly Parton's songs " He's Alive " and " Coat of many colors " .

Jim Croce's "Operator" or Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" both tell wonderful, evocative stories and are each very moving in their own way

 

[JenningsTruckers]

Jim Croce's "Operator" or Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" both tell wonderful, evocative stories and are each very moving in their own way

Agree !!

 

[ChrisinNOLA]

Also, Anything by the Moody Blues

 

[Saintman2884]

I always liked the song "Rooster" but when I found out it was about Jerry Cantrell's father's experience in Vietnam, and how that haunted him I found the song to be much more engaging indeed. Cantrell's dad was a machine gunner in Vietnam and his nickname was Rooster. "Walking tall machine gun man, they spit on me in my home land..."

Yeah, his name was "Rooster" because his hair when he first arrived in Vietnam was shaped and resembled that of a rooster. Cantrell's father's experiences partly led to his alcoholism and depression after the war and he, along with his son, believes his PTSD war-related symptoms were one primary cause for his marriage ending and Cantrell relocating with his mother and siblings to PNW from Oklahoma, where he'd been born.

I've always viewed "Rooster" as a kind of more mature, melodic, "grudge" answer to Metallica's "One"--where the song's intentions, focus, and protagonists aren't one-dimensional, background settings are more complex and the song's main story focus suffers traumatic, difficult loss but not in some horrific, almost ungodly fashion you see in Johnny Got His Gun, the movie whose source material are interspersed all throughout " One".

Rooster comes across as more-relatable and believable than "One" does. Then again, Vietnam was a vastly different conflict in terms of engagement, forms of strategic and tactical warfare then essentially 4 years of senseless, static, God forbid rigidly-minded and uncreative trench warfare of WWI in France, and the Flanders region of Belgium (only non-German occupied region of Belgian territory overrun and dominated by the Germans militarily during the entire 1914-18 WWI Western Europe timeline and most German-occupied areas of Belgium werent ceded or turned over until after the Nov. 11 Armistice which took place in a remote, secluded train carriage near Compiegne, France.

 

[Madmarsha]

Show me on the sheet music where the music touched you.

 

[Saintman2884]

Also, Anything by the Moody Blues

I suppose, that like me, you personally have seen the intrinsic beauty, sound, and rapid, vappy countryside images of Tuesday Afternoon and not come to the conclusion it was wanting.

 

[rajncajn]

Jim Croce's "Operator" or Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" both tell wonderful, evocative stories and are each very moving in their own way

Don McLean's American Pie and James Taylor Fire & Rain (Well, pretty much anything from James Taylor) for the same reasons.

 

[Twyst]

 

[rajncajn]

I always liked the song "Rooster" but when I found out it was about Jerry Cantrell's father's experience in Vietnam, and how that haunted him I found the song to be much more engaging indeed. Cantrell's dad was a machine gunner in Vietnam and his nickname was Rooster. "Walking tall machine gun man, they spit on me in my home land..."

One of my favorites as well. I always thought it'd be a good background for a movie.

 

[rajncajn]

Also big fan of anything Hans Zimmer does. I'm a sucker for a good soundtrack.

 

[ChrisinNOLA]

I suppose, that like me, you personally have seen the intrinsic beauty, sound, and rapid, vappy countryside images of Tuesday Afternoon and not come to the conclusion it was wanting.

Justin Hayward has a phenomenal voice. He still has it today too okay well almost.