An interesting phenomenon occurred a couple of weeks ago that I'm still trying to wrap my brain around. I found myself recalling fond memories that were sparked by an album I had never actually heard, let alone listened to. Allow me to explain...
As I said last week, I constructed my own soundtrack for the first season of "NCIS: Origins." The bulk of the songs used in the series (so far) were songs I already had in my CD collection. There were a few songs that I didn't own--there were a few I didn't even know. And while the playlist is still technically incomplete (the most egregious absence is Bryan Adams's love theme from the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), I wanted enough music to fill a CD. This required buying two more CDs on my part, one of which I actually had on vinyl and the other I should have already had, the latter of which is the beginning of the eventual focus of this week's "sermon."
The season finale of "NCIS: Origins" featured a song that sounded vaguely familiar to me--that is to say the singer's voice sounded familiar although I did not recognize the tune. I Googled the lyrics whilst watching the program to discover the song was by U2 and titled "All I Want Is You." It was the closing track to their 1988 album Rattle and Hum, which is an odd album in that roughly a third of the songs are live performances from the tour behind their landmark album The Joshua Tree.
U2 is one of those bands that I've only come to appreciate as an adult. I first heard The Joshua Tree in the winter of 2001 on a car ride from Cleveland to southern Indiana and thought it was excellent. In the intervening 24 years, I've bought a few albums here and there and have grown to really like them. Even if I didn't like their music, I deeply admire Bono for his charity work and his sometimes annoyingly self-righteous insistence on making the world a better place. (In fact, one of my favourite internet memes--and I hope and pray that this actually happened and wasn't just made up for the internet--says that during a concert in Edinburgh, Bono quieted the crowd and began slowly clapping his hands every few seconds. He said, "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies." From near the front row, a voice in a thick, Scottish accent bellowed, "Then fuckin' stop doin' it, you evil bastard!") Since I'm a fan of the group and owned a few of their albums, I felt compelled to order Rattle and Hum, figuring that I should have already had it in the first place. This allowed me to "complete" my soundtrack, which delighted me no end (the only other time I successfully did this was for the 1978 film Coming Home). I thoroughly enjoyed the album and have listened to it a few times now and "All I Want Is You," has been haunting me--I've awakened most mornings this past week to have it stuck in my head. It's a beautiful song, but even beautiful songs can wear thin after four consecutive days. I think I've finally been able to exorcise it from my subconscious, but as Arlo Guthrie once said, "That's not what I came to tell ya' about."
Henrietta (played by Anna Chancellor): You were even sweet to me, although you thought I was an idiot.
Charles (played by Hugh Grant): I did not.
Henrietta: You did! I thought U2 was a type of submarine.
Charles: Well in a way you were right. They're music has a very naval quality.
--from the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994
While in the process of ordering Rattle and Hum, an offer appeared from the online seller to buy another U2 album for an extra two bucks. When I saw the album in question, I figured I may as well add it to my cart. It was not one I had ever heard before, but when I saw the cover art, I immediately thought of my time in Cleveland. When I worked for Barnes & Noble in Richmond Heights, I became quite good friends with the assistant manager. I won't lie--I even had a bit of a crush on her. Not that she's likely to read this, but to protect her identity just in case, let's call her Marie. Anyway, Marie was a huge U2 fan and was super excited when this album was released in October of 2000. I have a vague recollection of her buying it as soon as we opened the store that morning. Since I wasn't really a U2 fan at that time, ordinarily I wouldn't have given it much thought but, as I said, I did have a bit of a crush on her, so I paid it--and her--a little more attention. Ordinarily, I would say that she didn't seem to be able to shut up about it but, as I said, I did have a bit of a crush on her, so I found this trait more endearing than annoying. Besides, I can't really judge, given the fact that I have similar reactions to new albums by The Stones, Bruce Springsteen, and Florence + The Machine. (Did I mention I had a bit of a crush on her?)
It was in remembrance of Marie that I spent the extra two dollars on my order--it didn't even change my shipping charge. I quite enjoyed the album. One or two songs really kind of hit me on a gut level. "Kite," in particular, is one of those songs that wound up meaning something to me that I'm sure was quite different from what Bono and The Edge intended when they wrote those lyrics. The fact that I can't even begin to describe coherently what it means to me and that it might mean something completely different to someone else--and who even knows what it means to Marie?--is a sign of great songwriting.
So this week, in honour of schoolboy crushes from long ago and new musical discoveries that should have been unearthed way back when, please enjoy U2 with their release from (GASP) 25 years ago, All That You Can't Leave Behind.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please, as always, remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock and roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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