Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross introduced these Five Stages of Grief in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. And though the theory was never fully embraced by the scientific community, it did take hold in the popular imagination. In the nearly five decades since its conception, the Kübler-Ross model has been applied not just to death, but to loss of all kinds — ultimately becoming a familiar trope in countless movies and TV shows.
Contrary to popular belief, the author herself never claimed that these five stages happen to everyone, nor that each person experiences them in a predictable order. Still, there’s something comforting about the notion that loss can be overcome, if only we’re patient enough to wait for that elusive fifth step.
At the risk of further watering down an already misunderstood concept, here again are the Five Stages of Grief: this time, told through the songs of the “Piano Man” himself, Mr. Billy Joel…
Ron Sexsmith’s 2004’s Retriever LP is the ideal primer on the work of the Canadian singer-songwriter, and certainly among best work of his career.
Delivered with his trademark McCartney-esque melodic knack, his insightful takes on (as he puts it) “the business of the heart and of the soul” come across as earnest, honest, and emotionally compelling.
“Hard Bargain” is a tribute to a stubbornly determined love that refuses to accept failure. In the hands of another–or lesser–songwriter, the self-loathing touched on here would have been the song’s focus. But in Sexsmith’s hands it is merely given proper proportion in the greater context of a remarkable love affair:
Each time I’m headin’ for nowhere/Doomed and determined to go there/Seems I never get far/’Cause you drive a hard bargain
How’s a guy supposed to fail/With someone like you around/I’ve tried, I’ve tried to no avail/You just can’t seem to let me down
“Imaginary Friends” is a cautionary ode to friends who “meet you when your ship comes in, but never meet you eye-to-eye”. “From Now On” is radio-friendly and had a topical feel in Iraq-War 2004. “Whatever it Takes” channels Bill Withers, adding another color to the album’s palette. And “How on Earth” extolls the amazement of finding a “love divine” in this vale of tears.
Unabashed romanticism is splashed across this album; it seems to come from a place of domestic bliss indeed. But Sexsmith’s understated style is always engaging, never cloying.
Sexsmith is a consummate song craftsman, combining the lyrical precision of Motown or Tin Pan Alley masters with an honesty that rings true. The songs sound lived-in here, as if the work of a man either revealing his own relationship status updates, as it were, or proving to be a talented illusionist. And that’s what a true songwriter does: either finds the universal in the personal, or makes the universal sound personal enough to feel real.
The warm, faintly antique-sounding folk sound of Sonny Condell and Leo O’Kelly is intact on 2017’s The Dark Dance LP, as if it hadn’t been forty-four years since their last album (1973’s Strong in the Sun, commemorated on a page linked below).
Over their brief, three-record major label stint, they evolved somewhat from the pure acoustic sound heard here to more of a full-fledged rock band configuration, albeit one fronted by two guys wielding acoustic guitars. But their songs seemed most comfortable in the most rustic of settings: mostly acoustic with spare ornamentation to distract or detract from the haunting melodies and the spell of two voices intertwining harmonies.
In the wake of the death of Walter Becker, we look at two websites who appraised and ranked Steely Dan’s albums, noting that the lists are very different from each other. It’s not surprising, perhaps, given the chameleonic nature of the work of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Some of it leans heavily toward jazz and some is more straight-ahead rock. Some lyrics are maddeningly obtuse and some more coherent. These things come down to personal taste sometimes. Which list do you agree with? How would you rank the work of this great band?
One night Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler went into a bar and saw a lovely woman with long, blond hair…from behind. He was about to go up and hit on her when the woman turned around and revealed her true identity: Vince Neil of Motley Crue.
“Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel
Yes, the video stars supermodel Christie Brinkley, who inexplicably married Billy Joel. But the song itself was inspired by Joel’s previous girlfriend: supermodel Elle MacPherson.
Every Moment Has A Song 