Billy Joel-My Lives Boxset

[lizzytysh]

Hi Diane ~

Now that I have a little more time, thank you for posting the song about You're My Home. There are many overlaps between the song and our lives. It's ironic that he even uses "crazy gypsy in my soul" ~ that's something that's there in both of us, along with a phenomenal, colossal case of bad timing . His gypsying desires and mine have never quite aligned. I guess going on separate gypsy ventures, the way some husbands and wives take separate vacations, might have been worth considering at one time. However, that was then, and this is now . I love that song, though...and look forward to hearing it. Do you have it on CD, as in tranportable to Berlin ?

Reading your own story sounds like you finally conquered your fear of intimacy. What a difference, eh!?! As in a 5-year marriage ? I'm glad you connected with the resources to get that turned around in your life. What a sad, endless pattern it could've been otherwise. I don't think that's the issue with me, so much as my always having had him as the barometer [never a good plan], measuring others against him. Then, my being exceedingly discerning aka particular, and having no interest in being with someone, just for the sake of being with someone. I guess a lot of factors add up to my being 'single' more years than I've been 'otherwise.' The status of two of your formers is great ~ particularly, with a husband who's accepting of those relationships for what they truly are [and are not !]

Life is a learning experience and I consider everyone I know, and everyone I meet, to be my teacher.

I've always liked this attitude and agree. The lessons are pretty broad-based sometimes, and don't always arrive with a lesson plan.

Such special friendships are priceless.

I also finally got to where I could bear to listen to him talk about his former girlfriend. I don't always arrive at this loftier positions with my own, former boyfriends; and arriving at it with regard to his former girlfriend wasn't without challenge, either. However, now it's fine. Fair's fair, of course, too . I recall resolving that I was just going to do it, not restrict my breath , listen openly, even bring her up from time to time. The more I made a conscious effort in that direction, the easier it became all the way around.

I really enjoyed all the reasons you like Billy Joel and his songs, Teratogen. One of those, learning about you through what you like, kind of thing.

~ Lizzy

That 'twinge' factor can be a trip, no matter where it comes from .

[Teratogen]

diane, i always assumed captain jack reffered to jack daniels. i love jack. it's one of the better tasting whiskeys around... can be had straight, it's quite fine like that for me. could be about drugs, too, i guess, but i just assumed it was jack daniels. which, i guess, could make you die, too.... i mean, i understand why he might have thrown that line in there, since he had an alcohol problem.

[lizzytysh]

That was my assumption, too, Teratogen, when I was simply going by "Captain Jack" and the idea of dying. I had already written my comment, but decided to read the actual lyric, and the way it's used, seemed to require a needle, "just a little push...," a good description of the act of puncturing the skin. Unless he was speaking of mainlining JD . Oh, my....doubtful, that. I couldn't sort it, so deleted my comments before submitting my posting. It doesn't sound like he needed a "push" of any kind, to pick up his first or his 10th drink. So, what do you make of that terminology?

As hard liquors go [rarely something I like], after much coaxing, I tried it, and found Jack Daniels and Coke to be quite enjoyable. Pretty smooth.

~ Lizzy

[linda_lakeside]

Hi all,

I agree with all of you that Billy Joel was a great lyricist. His songs were stories similar to the songs of Harry Chapin. Piano Man is a great song of people and their dreams.

On Captain Jack - I always thought it was drug-related. It came out during that time when drugs were becoming prevalent in every club, on every corner (we're left with the result of those days)... I digress...

He was good when he was more 'simple' in style - "New York State of Mind" was a favourite of mine for a long time, but I must say, I could live without his cover of Light as the Breeze...

Linda.

[linda_lakeside]

Jack Daniels and Coke?!

There is only one way to drink Ol' Black Jack, and that's straight up!

SmokEy Whiskey Yeah...

[linda_lakeside]

At the risk of getting the boot for flooding the forum: Hi T-!!! Haven't seen you in yonks!

Linda.

[Diane.]

Lizzy said:

But life is nowhere near long enough to make all the mistakes, learn from them, and finally get some semblance of your dreams, plus fit everything else in, is it?


~ Yeah, I've been meaning to take that up with some, big guy, who I can't quite name .

Lizzy, I have Billy Joel on the top of my list for bringing to Berlin, before even toothbrush, passport and tree costume. I also have a crazy gypsy in my soul . I will PM you about the relationship thing.

T, I hadn't thought about that Jack Daniels possibility. Looks like the consensus is that it was about drugs, though. Jameson Irish Whiskey for me, please. On the rocks, easy on the coke. Aaaaaaaa.

Linda, I agree that BJ's Light as the Breeze is not that special, it is listenable though, and I was happy that one of my heroes had covered another's song.

Can't leave without posting more BJ lyrics, Goodnight Saigon, this time, about the US marines in Vietnam:

Goodnight Saigon

We met as soul mates

On Parris Island

We left as inmates

From an asylum

And we were sharp

As sharp as knives

And we were so gung ho

To lay down our lives

We came in spastic

Like tameless horses

We left in plastic

As numbered corpses

And we learned fast

To travel light

Our arms were heavy

But our bellies were tight

We had no home front

We had no soft soap

They sent us Playboy

They gave us Bob Hope

We dug in deep

And shot on sight

And prayed to Jesus Christ

With all our might

We had no cameras

To shoot the landscape

We passed the hash pipe

And played our Doors tapes

And it was dark

So dark at night

And we held on to each other

Like brother to brother

We promised our mothers we'd write



And we would all go down together

We said we'd all go down together



Remember Charlie

Remember Baker

They left their childhood

On every acre

And who was wrong?

And who was right?

It didn't matter in the thick of the fight

We held the day

In the palm

Of our hand

They ruled the night

And the night

Seemed to last as long as six weeks

On Parris Island

We held the coastline

They held the highlands

And they were sharp

As sharp as knives

They heard the hum of our motors

They counted the rotors

And waited for us to arrive



And we would all go down together

We said we'd all go down together

Yes we would all go down together

[lizzytysh]

That song brings back feelings of sadness from those days, and resonates with the sadness of these days, Diane. I'd be interested in the lyrics to one he could write about the Iraq War.

Lizzy, I have Billy Joel on the top of my list for bringing to Berlin, before even toothbrush, passport and tree costume. I also have a crazy gypsy in my soul . I will PM you about the relationship thing.

Oh, good, on that entire paragraph !

Ah, well, perhaps it was an intentional mixed metaphor by Billy ~ a 'choose your poison' message. Substance abuse will kill you ~ in the end, it hardly matters which it was.

Well, Linda, I don't know. The drink wasn't my idea to begin with ~ perhaps, the Coke mix is an American or Welsh thing; or, a southern American and Welsh thing ~ however, not being much of a hard liquor drinker to begin with, I must confess it didn't occur to me to say, "No, that's alright ~ just give it to me straight."

I haven't heard Billy's cover of "Light as a Breeze" ~ hard to believe the bugger could ruin that beautiful song....not that that's what you said, Linda .

Linda ~ you Forum Flooder you .

Well, here we are with another delightful little chat , and I didn't even have to make a typo for us to get here ! Life just gets better all the time .


Love,
Lizzy

P.S. Diane ~ I've read and answered your e-mail ~ Thanks !

[Teratogen]

lizzy, jack and coke is a great combination (i prefer jack and dr. pepper, seeing as it's my favorite soda), but like linda said, jack straight up is the perfect alcoholic beverage to drink straight... maybe except for southern comfort, but i like my whiskey. i forgot about the "just a little push" line in "captain jack." you say it's a vivid description of the needle puncturing the arm. if it WERE drug-related, then the push would describe the thumb pushing on the whatchamacallit on top of the syringe to inject the fluids. BUT.... nobody says that he's being 100% literal here. if it's about drugs and not jack daniels then that's fine. he already mentions pot smoking in the song, and really, whether you're sniffin', snortin', inhalin', smokin', drinkin', or swallowin' something to take your mind off of the problems you've got, it's gonna "take you to your special island," am i right? hahaha.

linda, i actually liked his version of "light as the breeze." it was the first time i'd heard the song, before hearing cohen's. i don't necessarily see a problem with it. cohen always keeps his music simple, so screwing up something simple is too hard to do when you're a better-than-good musician. billy joel's version is more intense. i don't mean faster or heavier or anything like that, but he really gets into the lyrics and it's very believable that the singer is experiencing these things. and the way he sings it helps to animate the visuals as well.

[linda_lakeside]

jack and coke is a great combination (i prefer jack and dr. pepper, seeing as it's my favorite soda

No, his cover of Light as the Breeze wasn't awful, not as bad as Bono's cover of Hallelujah. Just a case of "I prefer Leonard's version", much, much more.

Linda.

[lizzytysh]

Well, Teratogen, the "push" could be the initial puncturing [after lining up the needle, et al....a literal push is required for the needle to enter the vein ~ or, it could be the push of the plunger, for the fluid to enter the vein -- either or both work]. Still, what do we do with the "Captain Jack" part? Switching of substances is just that, it truly doesn't matter which....well, except for crack cocaine and crystal meth ~ the behavioural effects of those are off the chart.

~ Lizzy