Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Did I hook you with that question? A waiata is a Maori song. Waiata serve many functions. They can be used to support a whaikōrero (formal speech) or sung to express grief after a death. Waiata were used to help teach children, to urge people to take up a cause, or to mourn in times of loss. Waiata can record a tribe’s past by referring to ancestors, events and places.
Why did I ask? Well, I had to have some kind of lead-in. Besides, it’s relevant, and I’m getting there. My blogging shtick was always my “Three Things” style serial stories, where I collect three random things from readers, and let those things drive a spontaneously written serial story. It might look easy, but it can take a lot out of a writer. Unfortunately, I still don’t have the focus or the energy to start another serial.
So… I have another idea for letting you readers participate with short story prompts. Those of you who have known me for any length of time know that songs often get into my writing. So… (drum roll…) Send me a song! Not just a “because it’s pretty” or “because I like it” song. Here’s why I mentioned the waiata… A narrative type of song is preferrable, but songs that inspire you will do. It’s best if you can include a YouTube link, in case I don’t know your song.
No promises on anything. I haven’t been able to effectively write lately, but I need to be writing. Now, don’t assume I plan to read your mind and write whatever story you are thinking — because I won’t. My story probably won’t exactly reflect the story (if any) that is part of your song. Even so, let’s give it a try! Name your song in a comment, and include a link if you have one. We’ll see what kind of story results.
♦ ♦ ♦
Here are a couple of my stories that have a lot of music. They’re available in e-book and paperback.
Hullaba Lulu
Hullaba Lulu, a Dieselpunk Adventure is a wild and wooly 1920s fantasy story. Lulu loves to dance, and freely indulges in giggle water. She snores and burps and says whatever she wants — a snarky but good-hearted flapper.
Lulu, the heroine is inspired by the song, “Don’t Bring Lulu,” from 1925 ― so are her pals, Pearl and Rose. The song’s inspiration stops there, but the story is just beginning.
Universal Purchase Links
Kindle: relinks.me/B08JKP1RS4
Paperback: relinks.me/B08JDYXPZM
Brother Love, a Crossroad
“Brother Love – a Crossroad” is a mysterious “Twilight Zone-ish” short novella. It was inspired by the combination of Neil Diamond’s song and the blues legends of Robert Johnson and the Devil at the Crossroads. As in the real world, things in this tale are not what they seem. The setting is rural Mississippi in the 1950s. A group of outcasts are in a small southern town. They don’t realize they are looking for something. Will they find it?
Universal Purchase Links
Kindle relinks.me/B07V25SXFR
Paperback relinks.me/107952309X
♦ ♦ ♦
Leave a friendly comment, and hopefully a song. Thanks for spending part of your day here. Hugs!
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2022 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts on using music as inspiration for writing and inviting readers to share their own favorite narrative songs. Your serial stories sound like a unique and fun way to engage with your readers. I especially love the idea of using a song as the inspiration for a character, like Lulu in “Hullaba Lulu.” I’ll have to check out your books to see how the music influences the story. In terms of song recommendations, I would suggest “The Story” by Brandi Carlile. It’s a poignant and powerful song about the importance of telling our stories and being true to ourselves. I hope this suggestion inspires you and that you are able to find the focus and energy to start writing again soon.
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Welcome, Sebastian. Thanks for your kind encouragement. Lulu was a fun character to write, basing her outrageous personality (and her appearance) on “Don’t Bring Lulu.”
That’s a beautiful song you recommended. I wasn’t familiar with it. Have a great weekend. Hugs.
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Wow a fun and frolic post, Teagan. Nice to write short stories from songs and loved the way you described the girl who surely looks frolicky in her green dress. Lovely and fantastic. Thanks a lot.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kamal. Have a wonderful week. Hugs.
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Yes Teagan very nice. You too have a great week. 🤗
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I learned something new today: what a Waiata is! Thank you for that. As for songs, I’m a metal head and love the band Bad Omens. There’s a song that resonates deeply with me. I wasn’t sure if you would be open to metal suggestions, but if you are, I can send you the song and the link to it. This is such a great idea to get back into writing, and thank you so much for sharing with us! 😊
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Welcome, S. The songs are as much about flipping the inner switch that helps me right as they are about the music. Variety in genre is good. I don’t mind taking a look at a metal song, just leave the title or the link. Hugs.
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I love that, and sounds great!
It’s called Just Pretend by Bad Omens
Link: https://youtu.be/ekU1dQjMsOQ
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Great. Thanks for coming back with the link. Hugs.
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You’re very welcome 😊
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From all your wonderful stories and your ability to write, I do not know if I can make a suggestion that would be challenging enough. There are so many suggestions, good ones, too. I will be waiting for your story, they are always excellent. Now, my suggestion It is Christmas time! Here comes Santa Clause, Here comes Santa Clause! ! !
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Oh, that should be a fun one, Ms. Frances — and timely too. Thanks so much. I hope your December is off to a lovely start. Hugs on the wing.
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I hope I’m not too late for the party but I wanted to throw a song idea into the ring. How about I’ve Seen Fire and I’ve Seen Rain by James Taylor. I’ve always loved this song.
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There’s no deadline, Darlene. 😀 Especially for one of my all time favorite songs. I love to play it on the piano and make a medley with Candle in the Wind. (My version, the odd way I hear it in my mind, the songs match.) Thanks for coming out to play. Hugs.
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For some reason, I thought you would like this song as well. I think both songs would work well together as they are about the loss of someone dear. Happy Sunday!! xo
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I can’t beat all the fantastic song recommendations. ;-/ But i love the enjoyment! Thanks to you Teagan and the othe contributors! xx Michael
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Heartfelt thanks for reading and commenting, Michael. Big hugs.
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Oops from Australia!
A movie worth watching. My fave song in the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rus92ir574Yx
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“What a Man” the Sapphires. Cool video, Resa. Thanks, I wasn’t familiar with that one. Hugs.
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Hugs!
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No lack of choices here!
For some reason “The Sapphires” came to mind. It’s a real life story that was made into a movie. Four aboriginal women from New Zealand form a singing group to travel to Vietnam and entertain the troops.
This is their audition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75QmIPFDc3ox
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That’s a very cool song with a story. I knew you’d come up with something good, Resa. Hugs.
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Hugs!!
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Wowza! What a great idea, Teagan, and I love the songs that your fans have sent in already. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I hope the muse is feeling fit, and I look forward to your stories.
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LOL, the muse is still hiding under the covers, begging for more coffee, Diana. But I agree about the songs. Hugs.
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Maybe that’s whay my muse needs… more coffee!
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Haha. Mine has already had 2 large cups. I think she’s greedy. Not to mention determined to hide.
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🙂 The muses are not cooperating it seems. I hope the music coaxes her out.
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What a fun and creative idea, Teagan! You’re getting lots of songs to choose from. I can’t wait see/read what you do with them.
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Thanks for coming by, Deborah. Yes, this looking like fun. Happy December. Hugs.
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🤗
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Living Years by Mike and the Mechanics
Which helped after my dad died…
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My dad died a year or two before that song. Yes, it’s poignant.
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Oh heck… I could fill your comments feed. Ok, just two if I may…
Joni Mitchell (again) Both Sides Now
And… next comment
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LOL, I won’t limit you, Geoff. I love “Both Sides Now”. Actually I can see my twisting mind going somewhere really bizarre with it. Hugs.
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It could leave you up in the clouds of course
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Oooh, Teagan, you have opened Pandora’s Box with this post. I see lots and lots of songs. Anyhow, here is my choice, this is the song I always listen too and believe defines me as a person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv3CQyvDOfM
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“Open a New Window” from Mame. It’s absolutely wonderful that you describe it as defining you, Robbie. How uplifting! I can see this one taking my imagination to unexpected, twisty places. 😉 Hugs.
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Yay!!! I am so excited, Teagan.
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Hi Teagan. This sounds like a lot of fun. I’m not sure why sometimes I get the Youtube clip to come up directly, and other times I can only paste the link. I’m sure it’s a piece of cake because I see people do it all the time. I can always embed a video in my own posts, but there must be a trick I haven’t acquired in the comments.
My song is Somebody’s Baby by Pat Benatar. I chose it because I love the message in the video that everyone should be valued.
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The Youtube links are unpredictable, and seem to depend on several variables… Anyhow, yes, this one has a great message. Thanks, Pete. Hugs.
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You might find my latest original song somewhat offensive, but it has a pretty good story to it: https://soundcloud.com/user-334086053/kevin-and-karen?si=0f66b7043c8045798397afc43d7fd1f9&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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Ha! Outrageously funny, Tim. It made me think of a job years ago. One of the execs had a Ferrari that was hugely loud in the parking garage. Everybody called it his “penile extension.” Thanks for the link. Hugs.
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I think most of us have experience KaKa. Our office manager drove her 1969 Firebird to the office last week and got road raged by a Karen in a pickup truck. Way too many on the roads around here.
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Everywhere… With my PTSD, it was really hard for me to not give in to it myself… when I could still get out on the road and go. One of the shuttle bus drivers back at USPTO was terrible with getting blisteringly angry at drivers on the road. Riding on the bus she was driving could be a frigntening thing.
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I hear you on that. Well, I just remembered that I have another story song from when Spunk got sprayed by a skunk a couple of months ago. “Sleeping with a Stinky Cat” is Funk because it rhymes with Spunk and skunk: https://soundcloud.com/user-334086053/sleeping-with-a-stinky-cat?si=82f188df9945427daf57859bfbdc88bf&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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Haha, Timothy, I support this choice. Come on, Teagan, lets have a story to memorialize Spunk’s stinky experience.
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Spunk’s iffy on this.
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Smile
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Thanks for keeping some of the conversations going, Robbie. I appreciate that a lot.
Poor Spunk — and Laurie and Tim. I was so worried when he was missing. Spunk probably wouldn’t agree, but even getting skunked was a happy ending. 🐱 And Tim had a great sense of humor about it.
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He did, it was hilarious to read about. Push-Push has been to see me this morning. She is so sweet and tries to burrow into my shoulder. YOu gotta love cats.
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More than anything. ❤
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That was hysterical, Tim. Spunk might disagree, but still very funny. Hugs.
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Spunk was a sad kitty, but he bounced back pretty quickly. He’s been sprayed before. You would think he would have known better than to accost a skunk. Even if the skunk was tresspassing.
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I’ve always thought this would make a good story. (K)
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Hi, Kerfe. It’s good to see you. I didn’t get any link or title though. If you get a chance, come back with the name and artist, since the link apparently didn’t work. Hugs.
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Oh! I take that back. How weird… I see the Youtube link when I look at my blog page. But answering comments from inside WordPress, nothing is there.
Many thanks, Kerfe. I like Joni Mitchell.
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Joni Mitchell, “Let the Wind Carry Me”. I’ll try another link to see if it works.
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Nice choice, Kerfe.
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Thanks Robbie. (I love Joni Mitchell)
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I LOVE Hullaba Lulu and now I have just downloaded Brother Love – A Crossroad.
I love Caledonia, by Dougie MacLean. I hope this link works: https://youtu.be/wP8A9rtg0iI
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Oooh… another one I didn’t know, and it’s truly beautiful. I love his voice.
Yay! I think/hope you’ll fall in love with Jinx (and the others). There is so much music in that story. Dan was really great about letting me bounce ideas off him when he did the photos for the blog version. I’m so glad Lulu has a friend in you. Hugs on the wing.
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I also love Hullaba Lulu and Pip, both inspirational female characters who can teach us all how to live life.
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And Lulu seconds that… with a hiccup. 😀
Thanks Robbie, that means a lot to me.
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I agree wholeheartedly, Robbie!
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How about “The Isrealites”? https://youtu.be/B9YB-wwmV60
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Hi, Liz. Thanks for the link. To be honest, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take that song. I like Reggae music though. Hugs.
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I take it as a form of downtrodden working man’s lament. 🙂
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Yes. I got curious and Googled for the song’s meaning. “Rastafarians borrow the idea of the 12 Tribes from Judaism, hence the liberal application of the “Israelites” to refer to fellow devout Rastafarians, and sometimes also to poor suffering Jamaicans in general.” They go on to describe how the song applies to Jamaican cultural and income-level opinions of Rastafarians. It’s a cheery sounding poor person’s lament, but also very sociopolitical seeming song.
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858619305/
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Thank you for finding the background information about the song. For me, it should come with an earworm warning.
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How about “Amazing Grace”? It can be jazzy or soft or even operatic, but it’s a lovely, popular song. Hm, or maybe it just used to be popular, I dunno.
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Well, it is popular with me. Although I avoid religion and/or politics here. I might be able to do something with it though, even if it just creates the setting for a story. Hmmm… yes, it’s still got possibilities. Thanks, Priscilla. Hugs.
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What a cool idea, Teagan. Music also gives me ideas and helps when I’m stuck sometimes. Not sure if you can work with this one, but here you go. My music tastes lean more towards hard rock – I get it’s not for everyone. Hugs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxUFzTBPTAg
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Oh good. I was hoping I’d learn some new (or new to me) songs that I’d like. Dead Man Walking, huh? I like it. But it doesn’t really seem like what I think of as hard rock. My ideas have been leaning toward dark lately, so maybe I’ll be able to do something with this one. Thanks, Teri. Hugs winging back to you.
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This song means a lot to me, Teagan.
t was so right, it was so wrong
Almost at the same time
The pain and ache a heart can take
No one really knows
When the memories cling and keep you there
‘Til you no longer care
And you can let go now
It’s wrong for me to cling to you
Somehow I just needed time
From what was to be-it’s not like me
To hold somebody down
But I was tossed high by love
I almost never came down
Only to land here
Where love’s no longer found
Where I’m no longer bound
And I can let go now
Best wishes, Pete.
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It’s great to see you, Pete. Thanks for taking time to include the lyrics. This is making me think of the Calliope character I made for one short story. Maybe she’ll come back for this. Hugs.
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I have always been inspired by Kat Stevens. Here is Morning is Broken.
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A great song, John. I agree — that one always feels like new beginnings. Hugs.
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😊
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I love this song, John. It’s on my funeral plan (what can I say, I’m organised).
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A great song for a service. Very descriptive of the next phase of life. Thanks for sharing, Robbie. Here is another I love. https://youtu.be/EfGDvDGE7zk
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Oh Happy Day! I haven’t thought about that song in ages. Wonderful.
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It is smile filled.
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Thanks, John, another great song.
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😁
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Reblogged this on Kim's Musings.
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Thanks for sharing from your place, Kim. Hugs.
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One I got the biggest kick out of as a kid, I doubt you’ve heard of the singer, Beatrice Kaye and her song, “Mention My Name In Sheboygan”?
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Thanks, GP. LOL, Sheboygan is one of those place names that always makes me smile. Just like Apalachicola or Timbuktu. Hugs.
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Sorry the comment took up so much space, I will not be offended if you delete it.
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Please, don’t apologize for that. It’s all part of the conversation.
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Sent you an email, Teagan 🦍🤗❤️❤️🤗🦍
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Adored Ape, I have the email and it’s fabulous. Hugs.
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🦍🤗❤️❤️❤️🤗🦍
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I’m not sure you will remember these two, Teagan. I love Steve Winwood. His solo album Arc of the Diver is one of my favorites. I was tempted to suggest several songs off of that album – you can’t go wrong with any. Way back when, when I was a kid he was with Traffic.
The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys
Before that, he was with Blind Faith and he is the lead singer on this classic.
Blind Faith ~ Can’t Find My Way Home
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Dan, I am a Steve Winwood fan. How could the idea of “high-heeled boys” fail to spark a story? And I have a special resonance with Can’t Find My Way Home. Many thanks for these. Hugs.
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I’ve been a fan forever, Teagan. He sings those songs like he’s living them.
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I think he probably did, at least to a degree. I particularly love this acoustic version from awhile back.
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That’s a great song. When you look at the catalog of songs he wrote or helped write, you can’t help but admire his ability. I’ve always thought I wouldn’t like those songs nearly as much if he wasn’t singing them.
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Reblogged this on Just Olga and commented:
Teagan Geneviene is looking for some inspiration for her weekend shorts. If you have a song with a narrative that speaks to you, share it with her.
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Many thanks for sharing, Olga. You are a gem! ❤
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I have to give it some thought, Teagan, but I am sure that there will be plenty of suggestions… Although, I’ll leave you with a song that always made me feel happy since I first heard it, and it seems an ode to the simple things in life. I’m not sure if it will inspire, but here is New Shoes by Paolo Nutini
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Oh cool! I didn’t know Paolo or the song. It’s a really fun one. Thanks, Olga. Yes, that’s definitely a story-song. Hugs.
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I will drop in one of my favorites. You may not use it but I hope you will enjoy it.
“The Briar and the Rose”
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Ooo. I haven’t played it yet, but the image on the video and the title are gorgeous. Thanks Maggie. I know this will be a good one. Hugs.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Call over to Teagan’s original blog post and leave a song for her to include in one of her tales – please read her article carefully and to find out the type of song (or even songs?) to select 😃
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Many thanks for spreading the word from your tree house, Ape. Hugs.
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🦍🤗❤️❤️🤗🦍
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