RNDM THOT PTRNS

I don't normally like going to Yahoo! Music, because Yahoo, in their infinite wisdom, has completely neglected the Macintosh platform for years now. The chat rooms only allow you to type, no video or audio. I can only play about half of the games available. And any streaming video or audio in their movies or music sections are crappy quality at best.

So, last week, I noticed that they had a exclusive performance of Tori Amos doing a Jim Croce cover. I have a thing for cover songs. I love hearing how a musician interprets another artist's work. Some are good (Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Voodoo Chile"), some are bad (Sheryl Crow's "Sweet Child of Mine"), and some are downright weird (A hoe-down version of "Gin & Juice").

When I saw the Tori thing, I was a bit upset that I couldn't access it (thanks a lot, Yahoo). I love her music, and I know she's great at covers, like her takes on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Enjoy the Silence". And the fact that I grew up listening to Jim Croce, this seemed like a match made in heaven, right?

Maybe. I found an MP3 of the song on some fan site, and I gave it a whirl. The song was "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)". The original was about medium tempo, for a seventies, acoustic guitar driven song. It's a song about a guy asking a phone operator to connect a call from him to his ex, who ran off with his best friend. While Croce's version is a bit tongue-in-cheek, Tori's is torched up a bit.

All in all, I equate the new version to sassafrass tea. It was essentially the same base ingredients as root beer, but it's so much different yet good in it's own right. The problem is, whenever I drink sassafras tea, I get an almost insatiable craving for root beer.

So, this morning I went digging through the CDs and grabbed my Jim Croce collection. I almost forgot how great of a songwriter he was. Every song of his is classic, a how-to for any songwriter who wants my respect. I think it's just sad how his career was cut short by an untimely death, and that most of his notoriety came posthumously, not to mention the fact that his biggest hit, "I Got A Name", wasn't one that he had written.

All day long, I've been listening to his songs. I've even volunteered to run errands at work, just so I can sing along to them in the car. But there was one song that I had almost forgotten about, and the lyrics still ring true today.

Which way are you goin'
Which side will you be on
Will you stand and watch while all the seeds of hate are sown
Will you stand with those who say that His will be done
One hand on the Bible, one hand on the gun
One hand on the Bible, one hand on the gun

Which way are you looking?
Is it hard to see
Do you say what's wrong for him is not wrong for me
You walk the streets of righteousness
But you refuse to understand
You say you love the baby, but then you crucify the man
You say you love the baby, but then you crucify the man

Everyday things are changin'
Words once honored turn to lies
People wonderin' can you blame them
It's too far to run and too late to hide

Now you turn your back on all the things that you used to preach
Now it's let him live in freedom if he lives like me
Well your line has changed, confusion rings
What have you become
Your olive branches turn to spears when your flowers turn to guns
Your olive branches turn to spears when your flowers turn to guns

...something to think about, I guess.

Today's pic is just a self-pic, nothing fancy.