Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Emmylou, I Love You

My relationship with Emmylou Harris began in Germany last year, when my friend Liz taught me one of her songs as we were walking through a small German town, trying to get un-lost.
We love singing together Liz and I. There she is looking lovely. And here's a link to us singing one of our favorite tunes, "Above All," because we are such good Christians:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=507524415270

Yes, so the song was called "Boulder to Birmingham," and I loved the lyrics and the melody... So sad...

"I don't wanna hear a love song

I got on this airplane just to fly

And I know there's life below

But all that it can show me

Is the prairie and the sky

And I don't want to hear a sad story

Full of heartbreak and desire

The last time I felt like this

It was in the wilderness and the canyon was on fire

And I stood on the mountain in the night and I watched it burn

I watched it burn, I watched it burn.


Anyway, flashfoward almost a year later, and I decide to look up some of Emmylou's songs, because I don't know any of them. And because I had a mean case of the blues and needed something to console my inner-being. I ended up buying eleven of them off of itunes, and now she's all I listen to. She is the most beautiful woman, with the most heartbreaking voice. Listening to Emmylou makes me want to become a country singer. Not a mainstream country singer like Carrie Underwood and all those hacks. But a real one like Emmylou, or June Carter, or Tammy Wynette, or Dolly. I love all these women. They're real women who have experienced broken hearts and mend their broken hearts through music.
One of my favorite songs by Emmylou is "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues." Tom Robbins wrote a novel with the same title. I am such a cowgirl at heart. Maybe it was my upbringing in the scorching hills of Santa Barbara. But I do want to move to Montana, where there is only prairie and sky, and live on a ranch, and brush my horse all day long.
My other favorite is "Two More Bottles of Wine." Enough said.

3 comments :

Moorea Seal said...

basically... you and brenna need to be better friends. kindred spirits i dare say.

Maryann said...

This post definitely made me order all her CDs I could find on Summit. One of my favorite songs of hers is "Born to Run (To Feel Free)."

The Librarian said...

I'll move to Montana with you! Emmylou Harris is gorgeous...I'm so inspired by that generation of women. I've been listening lately to the album by Allison Kraus and Robert Plant, Raising Sand, which is quite intriguing and lovely. Perhaps you would like it, too.