# What's your "Freebird?"



## msjhord (Jan 26, 2017)

You know, that song that speaks to you like no other can.  The one that requires absolute silence until it's done.  The one that makes you stop in the middle of a grocery store full of people and sway to the music or sing along.  For some of us, under our breath because no one needs to hear us sing.  Maybe it's the vocals, the music, the tempo, the subject, or all of the above.  I'll go first with mine.  Feel free to share yours.

"Faithfully," by Journey.  But only if Steve Perry's singing it.  Because, seriously, Journey without Steve Perry isn't Journey.  It's some reincarnation of it, but Journey.  it.  ain't.

I've loved this song since I was seven years old.  Everything about it is awesome, and you really feel the emotion in Perry's vocals as he sings it. 

Now, what's yours?


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## Sam (Jan 26, 2017)

Just one? How about five? 
_
Mayonaise, _The Smashing Pumpkins. 

_Nutshell, _Alice in Chains. 

_Desperation_, Steppenwolf.  
_
Black, _Pearl Jam. 
_
Knocking on Heaven's Door, _Guns N' Roses.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Jan 26, 2017)

Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles

Do You Realize- The Flaming Lips

All the Young Dudes- Mott the Hoople


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## msjhord (Jan 26, 2017)

I do have more than one myself, but "Faithfully" is top of the heap.  Here's a few others.

"Just Like Heaven" by The Cure.  Best opportunity to see my white girl random dance skills in action.

"September" and "After the Love is Gone" by Earth Wind and Fire

"Amergin's Invocation" by Lisa Gerrard

"Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Roberta Flack (makes S & G's version sound stupid)



Just to name a few . . .


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## Bloggsworth (Jan 26, 2017)

Stardust by _Nat King Cole_ - Sublime.


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## msjhord (Jan 26, 2017)

Ohhhh, that man had a velvet voice.  My favorites by him are "The Very Thought of You" and "Mona Lisa."


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## Bard_Daniel (Jan 26, 2017)

Vaults of Heaven by Jim Steinman and sung by Rory Dodd.

Love that song.


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## Winston (Jan 26, 2017)

"Holiday in Cambodia" by The Dead Kennedys


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## JustRob (Jan 27, 2017)

_Can't Stop the Music _by the Village People. I enjoy disco dancing anyway but beyond that the lyrics are an upbeat statement about the pure joy of life in general, not just music. It's an inspiration to just get out there and do it, whatever "it" may be. Much better than a shot of caffeine to my mind.


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## Ariel (Jan 27, 2017)

Fleetwwod Mac's "Songbird."  This is the song I wanted to walk down the aisle to. 

Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine."  Any time I hear this I have to sing along.


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## midnightpoet (Jan 27, 2017)

I have a bunch, but as an unrepentant folkie "Farewell to Tarwhathie" by Judy Collins with the whale songs in the background.  My wife and I first heard it at an outdoor concert where you laid a blanket on the ground and had a picnic.  It was magical.


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## msjhord (Jan 27, 2017)

Ariel said:


> Fleetwwod Mac's "Songbird."  This is the song I wanted to walk down the aisle to.
> 
> Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine."  Any time I hear this I have to sing along.



I like that Withers song, too.  That and "Use Me."


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## JustRob (Jan 27, 2017)

For classical mood music my absolute favourite is *Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis* by Vaughan Williams. I normally find string music lacking in quality but the fantasia was written to be played by a three part extended orchestra and has a very full sound to it with sweeping chords that go on and on. It is of course mentioned in my novel as the prelude to a love scene while the young lady is waiting for her lover to arrive. Emotional stuff.


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## msjhord (Jan 27, 2017)

Listening to it now, Rob.  It's pretty awesome!!


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## moderan (Feb 10, 2017)

RED by King Crimson. The fury and complexity of that track never fail to amaze me. It elevates bad moods, aids my digestion, makes me play air guitar, jolts my brain out of ruts. Fripp's guitar sound is refined and pure, John Wetton's muscular bass never sounded better, Bruford slaps the skins with aplomb. My heart beats faster, exhilarated. I think my complexion even clears up.


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## walker (Feb 22, 2017)

midnightpoet said:


> I have a bunch, but as an unrepentant folkie "Farewell to Tarwhathie" by Judy Collins with the whale songs in the background.  My wife and I first heard it at an outdoor concert where you laid a blanket on the ground and had a picnic.  It was magical.



Never thought I'd hear "Farewell to Tarwhathie" mentioned again in my life. I remember it back in the day on scratchy vinyl. It was the last song on one side of an album, if I remember correctly. Which album? No idea. Can't remember. After listening to "Farewell to Tarwhathie," you could sit in silence and meditate. Unless your needle got caught and wouldn't pick up off the turntable, but that's another story. Ah, Judy Collins. 

I have so many songs, mostly from that 60s, 70s era. Lots of Beatles songs, Neil Young, Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Rolling Stones, etc.

But I'll go with... FREEBIRD! I was born in Florida, after all. And lately I've been fascinated with Ronnie Van Zant's life. It just brings back memories for me. I can picture the members of the band in school and relate them to people I knew. I didn't go to high school in Florida, but I'm pretty sure I know how some of the people I knew in elementary and middle school turned out. Best.


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## Pennywise Purple (Feb 22, 2017)

A song by a melodic black band rings true to me.
'Waters of Ain' off the opus album Lawless Darkness.

14 minutes of pure darkness and magic riffing/vicious vocals. (drumming was on point like the stars) So shredding it!

I listened to that for 24hrs once. Just felt lost in its web of misery and obliteration.

Never had I heard modern black metal done so flawlessly.

Swedes Watain, reach a new elevation with this.

Lyrically, it's your typical Luciferian band from Scandinavia.
Just more interesting and layered.


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## msjhord (Feb 22, 2017)

walker said:


> But I'll go with... FREEBIRD! I was born in Florida, after all. And lately I've been fascinated with Ronnie Van Zant's life. It just brings back memories for me. I can picture the members of the band in school and relate them to people I knew. I didn't go to high school in Florida, but I'm pretty sure I know how some of the people I knew in elementary and middle school turned out. Best.



I know a guy who was one of their roadies back in the day.  He was supposed to be on that plane with the band and missed the flight because he was hung over.


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## walker (Feb 22, 2017)

msjhord said:


> I know a guy who was one of their roadies back in the day.  He was supposed to be on that plane with the band and missed the flight because he was hung over.



They were supposed to change planes the next day. They knew the plane they were using was bad. Ronnie Van Zant forced Allen Collins and a few others to get on board. He was "persuasive."

I don't see how the band could have gone on long term. If they didn't crash their plane, they would have burned out another way. It was just that kind of thing. But what music. I wouldn't call Skynnyrd my favorite band, but their music hits home for me in a way no other band can. When I learned that Ronnie van Zant liked to take off from practice to go fishing, that sealed the deal for me. It was flat out hero worship. I spent a lot of days trudging along creeks and the bay shore in Florida as a kid with a fishing pole in my hands.

One thing I learned from the Internet: Ronnie van Zant never wrote down a single lyric in his life. He wrote his songs in his head, and if he couldn't remember them, decided they must not be worth remembering. That seems incredible to me. The band would noodle around a hook, and he would invent a melody and lyrics in his head. When it was complete, the song was done. In my opinion he was a Hank Williams-level talent both as a songwriter and authentic American voice (Hank Williams Sr., of course) and led a similar life in many ways.


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## Terry D (Mar 6, 2017)

If I Could be Where You Are -- Enya  Listen here. If you've ever lost someone very close to you I don't know how you could not cry listening to this song.

Stairway to Heaven -- Led Zepplin  Listen here. Okay... okay.. I know it's a cliche, but I was 18 and in college when this was playing every 10 minutes. Still a great song.

Sounds of Silence -- Simon & Garfunkle  Listen here. And I very much like Disturbed's cover of it here. SoS is my all time favorite.

And I nearly forgot, Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress by the Hollies  Here


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## bdcharles (Mar 6, 2017)

Terry D said:


> Sounds of Silence -- Simon & Garfunkle  Listen here. And I very much like Disturbed's cover of it here.



Yeah I love that Disturbed cover. I heard it forst on BBC Radio two and, coming as it did right after something by Iron Maiden, I thought the world was ending. Heavy metal? On _my _Incredibly Pleasant Radio Mild FM? The DJ liked it so much he had to drop it in.

My Freebird is "Three Days" by Jane's Addiction. The last time the LM did a Choose a Song prompt, I did that. In reality the song is about a three day drugs-and-sex bender but in the state of extremis that comes over me when I listen to it, it seems it's about man's progression from cavemen hunting, to modern people, and on to some post-evolutionary _satori_. It's like an entire history of the human race in an eleven-minute alt-rock epic frenzy.


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