Tomorrow is Today

I've been livin' for the moment but I just can't have my way

And I'm afraid to go to sleep 'cause tomorrow is today

People tell me life is sweeter but I don't hear what they say

Nothing comes to change my life so tomorrow is today

I don't care to know the hour 'cause it's passing anyway

I don't have to see tomorrow 'cause I saw it yesterday

So I listen for an answer but the feelin' seems to stay

And what's the use of always dreaming if tomorrow is today

Still I'm waiting for the morning but it feels so far away

And you don't need the love I'm giving so tomorrow is today

Oh, my, I'm goin' to the river. Gonna take a ride and the Lord will deliver me.

Made my bed, I'm gonna lie in it. If you don't come, I'm sure gonna die in it.

Too late. Too much given. I've seen a lot of life and I'm damn sick of livin' it

I keep hopin' that you will pass my way

And some day if your dreams are leavin' you, I'll still believe in you

I don't care to know the hour 'cause it's passing anyway

I don't have to see tomorrow 'cause I saw it yesterday

Though I'm living and I'm singing and although my hands still play

Soon enough it will all be over 'cause tomorrow is today

Dear Blogosphere,

So, as a spring break activity and celebratory gift, I went to Randy's Records and bought a couple of new vinyls. I got Cat Stevens' Teaser and the Firecat, Buddha and the Chocolate Box, and Catch Bull at Four. I also got Billy Joel's Streetlife Serenade. I've been listening to the four over and over again, but tonight I decided to get out some other records I have. The first one I put on was Billy Joel's Cold Spring Harbor. Billy Joel is one of my favorite musicians. I grew up listening to Billy Joel, which was partially my parents' doing and partially my doing. I listened to River of Dreams obsessively (that may explain some of my personality! Ha ha). I also listened to The Bridge and An Innocent Man, as well as a "Best Hits" compilation.

In high school, I started listening to his older and more obscure stuff. Piano Man, The Nylon Curtain, Turnstiles, The Stranger, and others. During my senior year of high school, I got into my parents' record collections. I loved listening to what was new Billy Joel to me....

So, when I pulled out Cold Spring Harbor, I thought, "Man, I haven't listened to this in forever!" Here are the tracks:

Side 1: She's Got a Way, You Can Make Me Free, Everybody Loves You Now, Why Judy Why, Falling of the Rain.

Side 2: Turn Around, You Look So Good to Me, Tomorrow is Today, Nocturne, Got to Begin Again.

I was listening to side two and thought, this may just be my favorite Billy Joel album. Turn Around is fantastic, You Look So Good to Me is just adorable and upbeat, Nocturne is beautiful (Billy Joel's instrumental music is divine), and Got to Begin Again is awesome too. But, as I was listening to Tomorrow is Today, perhaps with the past few months' events, I realized what the song was actually about. I decide to venture over to Wikipedia to read about Cold Spring Harbor and learned a couple of interesting things. Aside from affirming what I thought the song was about (really? furniture cleaner?) I learned that the vinyl I had was from 1983 as opposed to the original release in 1972 (this was Joel's first solo album). The 1983 was remixed to make it more popular, without the help of Billy Joel himself. So, am I dying to buy the original release (it is in my Amazon cart as I type). I found the original version of the song on Youtube (not the one embedded above) and it is spooky. Much more "rock and roll," with strange rhythms and accelerandos, etc. So... this whole record thing may just start to get expensive as I am now in the market for a new turntable, not to mention the many records at Randy's that I wanted to buy (Paul Simon... Bob Dylan... Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass... John Coltrane... Quincy Jones...).

So... I guess that's it. I hope this was as interesting to read as it was to write.

...Now I'm listening to 52nd Street. Oh! I love Half a Mile Away! Enjoy the rest of this lovely Spring Break!

Love,

Natalie