Point Zero# 3: Forever Young by One Direction

  This is Point Zero. In this series I will go back to  songs that furthered my musical education. Each blog post will discuss the roads that led me to discover some of my favourite artists and groups. This series will also reminisce the good old days coupled with some reflections along the way. 

There's not much I remember when I think about 2011. Aside from long and slow summer afternoons and quiet Sundays, I can't remember memorable moments that happened during those 365 days. But recently, i realised I was just saying that because I was too preoccupied with stressful moments at school to really have time to look at 2011 from a more matured and objective perspective.

Now that it's been 13 years since that year, I can now say that 2011 was not a bad year at all. In fact, it was a year full of challenges and discoveries, which includes discovering One Direction through their version of the song Forever Young. 

The story of how I discovered One Direction is unlike the other stories I've already shared in the previous Point Zero posts. I discovered the band through a group of high school classmates who discovered the band on the internet. It was during the early days of One Direction craze in the Philippines, when the band was relatively new and only few knew the band. Local magazines i used to read were not yet covering them and only those who are active on social media sites (Tumblr and Twitter) were familiar with their songs.

I remember where in our school we were when my classmates started gushing about five unknown boys from far away: we were in our school cafeteria filming a project for one of our class. It was a few days after the weekends and they were talking about a group they discovered on the internet. They would say the names of the boys and gush about their looks. As one of their clueless classmates, I was curious about this  group they were talking about. Despite their descriptions, I can't form  an idea or appearance of One Direction members. Do they look like Justin Bieber or those Kpop boy groups I  see on TV?

When I got home, I searched the internet for this mystery boy group. This video was the first One Direction video I've seen, a performance of the song Forever Young. This video gave me an idea about their looks. Now the mystery boys have faces! They don't dance like these Kpop boy groups and they don't sing songs similar to Justin Bieber's.

Since I wasn't really into boy groups during that time, I never really considered myself as a fan like my classmates. I had my one Direction fave (hello, Niall !), but I never participated in Twitter parties and Tumblr discussions. The most of I did related to One Direction was tuning in to music channels to watch their music videos. I remember those summer mornings of 2012 and 2013 watching their videos play one after the other while singing my heart out. By 2013, the band was already big in the Philippines that I heard of their new music video (Best Song Ever) from younger students talking about it inside the jeep I was riding.

Looking back, I realised that although I wasn't a big fan, their songs were part of my teenage days. In some ways, even though it wasn't intentional on my part, One Direction influenced my life more than I imagined. For a time, their song Fireproof  was a compass I used when looking for new songs or artists to listen to. I remember looking for artists whose songs sound similar to Fireproof because I love that song. It remains to be my favourite One Direction song. 

Also, when I started listening to The Beatles' discography, their changing sound felt less intimidating because One Direction albums taught me to be more open when artists explore new ways to make songs. I try to apply that in my life as well, though I think there's still a lot to learn in order to master the skill effortlessly. 

Writing this now makes all the reminiscing bittersweet. 

Rest in Peace, Liam Payne

My big baseball player friend said

I should update this blog with recent ramblings. 

That's what I'm doing today. This post is about some recent life happenings. 

1. Last week, our busy morning at home was interrupted by a tragic news of Liam Payne's passing. It was unexpected and shocking to hear someone from a band from your teenage days to die tragically at 31. Although I was not the biggest One Direction fan, their songs were part of my teenage years and their lyrics formed part of the person I am today. I feel for my classmates who were the biggest One Direction fans because I am sure that this news is hitting them extra hard. Rest in Peace, Liam. 

2. I recently started Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. This is the first time I'm reading an Elizabeth Gaskell novel and I'm excited to discover how the story will unfold. It's often compared to Pride and Prejudice and as a P&P fan, I can't wait to discover the similarities and differences of the two. To do that, I have to annotate my copy. Sadly, since I am reading the book at night, before I go to sleep, I  don't have the extra mental energy to annotate anymore. 

[ The edition I have is the Penguin English Library Edition aka my favourite classic book edition ever]

3. Just earlier, I discovered that a podcast I used to listen to back in the day uploaded new episodes. The show's called Soul Music and the latest episodes feature two songs I like: Tender by Blur and Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez. I'll definitely listen to these episodes this week. 

You know, I feel really sad they don't always update this show. It's one of the best music shows out there. The song selection is great and the stories of their guests are heartwarming and relatable. I remember one episode from way back featuring Joni Mitchell's River. I was on my way home when I heard that episode and it led me to discovering more songs from her album Blue. Another episode I enjoy, one which they uploaded last year, is an episode on Nick Cave's Into my Arms. An other worldly song! 

The show also featured songs from The Kinks.  The episode on Waterloo Sunset is where I first discovered the show around 7 years ago, and the episode on Days from early 2020 featured both The Kinks and Kirsty MacColl's versions.

4. A few weeks ago, I discovered the song *Deportee written by Woody Guthrie. That song reminds me of Carlos Bulosan's America is in the Heart because although the song is about the Mexican farm workers, their experiences working away from home were not different from the story of the main character in the novel. 

* This version is from Woody's son, Arlo. I don't think there's a Woody Guthrie version that exists since the song was originally written as a poem. 

On Françoise Hardy's Soleil

I spent the middle of April thinking about Françoise Hardy's Soleil. Though the title of Françoise's song screams summer, the song itself reminds me of rainy Sunday afternoons. As always, her voice and the lyrics of her songs take me to a comforting space where I could relax and just feel at ease. 

One thing I realise recently is that  these days, I rarely spend time listening to Françoise songs. In the past–when I was still a university student– I used to spend most of my time listening to her albums while doing all my tasks. I particularly liked her sad songs from her 60s albums because those songs provided a space where I could just reflect on life and make something out of those reflections. As much as I loved school, it didn't provide me the space I needed to express myself creatively. Françoise songs gave me what I needed without anyone telling me what I should and shouldn't do, and without anyone grading whatever I was doing. 

Another reason why I love Françoise's albums is that I just really love sad songs. Happy songs don't just give me the same inspiration that I get from listening to sad songs. With happy songs, it seems as if the story ends when the song ends. Sad songs are not like that. The stories continue even after the songs end, and listeners are given the power to continue the songs. 

Anyway, my older-self agrees that I'm now past Françoise Hardy's earlier albums but I'm not putting pressure on myself to start playing her other albums. I'm just going with the flow and letting the waves take me back to her albums. If my older-self won't like her other albums, I guess that just means that my connection with her albums has already run its course, and that there's nothing wrong about it. It just means that I'm given the chance to discover other artists and new songs. 

June 12, 2024

Continuing this blog post today is very different now that I've just learned of Françoise's death. I'm listening to her songs as I'm typing this and it feels sad that this is how life is taking me back to her albums. This is the first time I'm experiencing grief over a fave singer's death. I'm not really sure what to feel. 

When I first discovered her songs about 9 years ago, I was 17 and was not really thinking about ageing. I never thought that people I admire: singers, writers and artists, would eventually die and that I'll mourn their passing. As someone who used to spend most of her time thinking about change and the passing of time, it's weird that I never thought of my fave signers and artists dying. I guess because I used to spend most of my time immersed in their works, I thought of them as my life's constants: People who are always there with me through their works. How can you think about people leaving you when they are always close to you and always with you? I never thought that it is through Françoise Hardy that I'll ask myself this question.

August 7, 2024

Today is the 9th anniversary of the night I discovered Françoise Hardy's Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles. I can't remember most of what happened during that night, all I know is that it was the start of what would become a deep admiration for 60s songs. I'm writing this while listening to The Byrd's Goin Back, and I think that song perfectly captured what I'm feeling right now: I feel young and old at the same time. 

I love Kenny Roger's THE GAMBLER

 ....because I think that we are all gamblers. 

Anyway, this post is not about The Gambler. I love that song but I currently don't have the energy to dedicate a blog post explaining why I love that song and why I think anyone should give it a try. What I am enthusiastic to write about today are the following: 

LISTENING

Sleepy me on a Monday morning chose to listen to JFK's speeches on my way to work. This week was the first time I really listened to any of JFK's speeches because it was only this time that I became curious about speeches. I used to think speeches don't matter, but now I understand how powerful well-written speeches could be.

The Rice University Speech, in particular, surprised me because I didn't know Space Race was really big during the Cold War. When I hear news about space explorations and satellite photos from the outer space, it never came to me that all these advancements we see now are results of the space race, and that people 60 years ago were just dreaming to do these whole space exploration thing. It makes one realise how far we've achieved since the 1950s and 1960s. It's cool and scary at the same time.  

So because I was already listening to JFK's speeches, I thought I should go and listen to Bob Dylan's Murder Most Foul. The song was released 4 years ago– during the early days of the lockdown– and it's about the JFK assassination. As someone who discovered JFK through Bob Dylan, I remember feeling really happy when Bob first released Murder Most Foul. It was like this unexpected cross-over I didn't know I needed during the lockdown. But as much as I enjoy Dylan songs, Murder Most Foul didn't hit me right away 4 years ago. I found it confusing and out of my depth. It was also 16 mins long, probably Bob's longest song ever, and the last thing I wanted to do during the lockdown was to listen to a long sombre song about JFK. 

Fast forward to 2024, I now appreciate this song and its length. I still don't consider it as a favourite, but I enjoy the way it was written. The changing narrators is really cool because there's a part in the song where the narrator is JFK himself. As a listener, it's a delight to see how this writing style can also be used in songwriting. 

I remember one book from years ago I saw at a secondhand bookshop, it's called Berlin by Rory MacLean. The book is about the history of the city and unlike other history books, I remember how its chapters were written in different styles.One particular chapter, the one about JFK's visit to Berlin, was written like it was a script from a movie. The changing writing style is a great way to tell a story, and I appreciate   writers who try to experiment with that.

WRITING

I just want to write and write because I'm about to empty my first ever Diamine fountain pen ink. It's one of the inks I bought 3 years ago, back when I thought it would only take 2 weeks of daily writing to empty a 50ml bootle of ink. Joke's on me.

1 bottle down, 11 more to go.

READING

I started reading Graham Greene's The End of the Affair but I stopped when I reached the third part because things got confusing. These days I don't pressure myself to try to understand confusing storylines and dialogues. I used to challenge myself with trying to make sense of everything , but now I give myself time and space to do other things, and continue the novel once my mind's a little more clear and accommodating to confusing and challenging ideas. So far the strategy is really helpful. Less pressure= happier life.

To end this post, Kenny Rogers in The Gambler said we should know when to walk away, and with that I'll end this post. Thanks, Kenny!

I Love John Wesley Harding!

Yup, you read that right. After years of trying to make things work with John Wesley Harding, the sky has finally cleared and our relationship is now smooth and blissful. 

Ok, I'm not referring to John Wesley Harding the singer nor John Wesley Hardin the outlaw, but John Wesley Harding the album. Yes, here's me again doing another post enumerating my media consumption because this type of topic is what keeps this space alive. Not gonna lie, I want to write other types of content, but it's hard. 

Anyway, as you've read from the title, the highlight of my March 2024 is re-discovering the 1967 album called John Wesley Harding (JWH) by Bob Dylan. I know, it's a Bob Dylan album again. Don't worry, this post will feature other albums by other artists as well. 

Back to JWH, it's a surprise album. I never really paid attention to it since I used to think it's not as cool as Dylan's other 60s album, but I guess there's really a time and season for everything under the sun. Since discovering it last month, I already listened to countless podcast episodes discussing the album and of course, playing it non-stop. There's a mono version available on Youtube, and I say thank heavens because All Along the Watchtower sounds better in Mono.

Speaking of its sound, there's something different about JWH. There's a quote from Llewyn Davis that's perfectly applicable to it: "if it was never new, and it never gets old, then it's a folk song." To be fair, the songs from JWH were new when it was released in 1967 but it sounded old. 57 years later, it still never gets old because of its timeless feel. I started looking for other Dylan albums that capured the overall atmosphere of JWH, but the search was difficult as I can't think of other albums that has similar sound and vibe. The album that succeeded JWH, Nashville Skyline, sounds different. Even Self- Portrait sounds different.

Am I sad about it? No, because I'm not the only one looking for a JWH-like Dylan album. There's a reddit post on r/bobdylan asking for album recommendations similar to it. The OP probably must've felt the same urge I felt when I realised I love JWH. You know, when you've reached the end of a beautiful movie or a book, you want to search the ends of the earth just to capture the feeling again. I felt that after rediscovering JWH. 

By the way, the fans were happy to send in their recommendations: from The Basement Tapes to Bootleg Series Vol. 15, but they don't 100% sound like JWH. So I guess the next step is to try and listen to albums from other artists. That's something to look forward to.

Like I said earlier, this is not a JWH-centric post, so let's move on from that, because we've now come to the part of this post where I'll share all the other album discoveries last month.

First, I spent a week listening to Birdy's discography, particularly her Young Heart and Portraits albums. Young Heart is currently my favourite album of hers because it's the one closest to my usual song preferences.The songs from this album revolved around nature and how it's related to personal experiences like growing up and leaving things behind. I played this during the first week of March and it captured the seasonal transition from chilly February to hot and humid March. 

Portraits, her latest album, was a surprise since it's the one that sounds different from all her previous works. It sounds closer to Kate Bush's Hounds of Love as its sound leaned more towards electronic and synth compared to the folkish and rustic sound of Young Heart. The evolution of Birdy's sound is cool because after all these changes, there's element from her works that still screams Birdy. Piano ballads are present in both albums, but they work really well with the other tracks. I like that about Birdy albums. From Birdy's works, I learned that although it feels frightening forging a new path, seeing other people succeed outside their comfort zones is inspiring.

Second, The Gilded Palace of Sin by The Flying Burrito Brothers is good– beautiful album cover and interesting opening track. I found that there exists a speed corrected version  of Christine's Tune available on Youtube, and I prefer it than the album version. But you know, though their voice sounds better in the speed corrected version, the album version leaves stronger impression. It's the better version for an opening track. I wouldn't give the album a try had they used a different version or a different song for an opening track.

Also, I didn't know that Gram Parsons used to be a member of The Byrds. I'm taking this as a sign to  listen to The Byrds' later albums. Actually, I already did. Since The Gilded Palace of Sin is often compared to The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, I gave The Notorious Byrd Brothers a try, for a change. I was on my way home from somewhere when I listened to the full album for the first time, and one thing I noticed about it is how the album sounds like one long song. You can't tell where the songs begin and end. I don't always find albums that sound like The Notorious Byrd Brothers but I have to admit, it made identifying the tracks difficult. Aside from the track called Going Back, I can't remember the title of other songs from that album. 

The same is true with the tracks from Olivia Rodrigo's Guts (spilled). Aside from obsessed and so american, I can't recall the 3 other tracks from her deluxe album. What I can remember– and now sing by heart– is her song driver's license. I'm 4 years late to the party, you guys. 

I guess that's all for this entry. I feels good to go back to this space again to do word vomit. I should do this more often.