On my way back home while listening to the radio station the presenter of the radio program announced, “The next song to be played now is from the film “Qurbani” and the title of the song being “Aap Jaisa Koi” music by Biddu and singer Nazia Hassan. One just can’t forget this song and the singer which ignited the disco fever amongst the masses then.

So many interesting anecdotes came in my mind hearing the film Qurbani followed by this song “Aap Jaisa Koi” and the popular pop singer Nazia Hassan. My mind started thinking why not pen down short piece and share couple of anecdotes out here.

It was the Actor, Producer and Director of Qurbani fame namely Feroz Khan who had approached the Indian composer Biddu settled in London who was popular for the hit songs he had composed during late seventies.

Feroz Khan had two conditions set firmly for Biddu. First, the recording of this song would be done in London and not in Mumbai. Second, the playback singer would not be from India. While Feroz Khan was in look out for singer in London who could sing in Hindi. It was here that actor Zeenat Aman suggested the young singer Nazia Hassan to Feroz Khan. For the shooting of the movie Qurbani in London the producer had rented a place in Chelsea for the shooting duration.

Nazia Hassan began singing from the late 1970s when she appeared on several television shows on PTV as a child artist. She was just eight years of age then. The professional break came to her at the young age of fifteen years when she sang for the 1980 film Qurbani. The recording of this song took place in a studio at the corner of Oxford Street.

The theme of the song was the introduction scene for Sheela (Zeenat Aman) the gorgeous nightclub dancer in red gown whereas Rajesh (Feroz Khan) is in the club watching Sheela perform.

On hearing this lovely number from the young Nazia Hassan her Mother felt either she would make it as super hit or break it as a flop. Father was bit apprehensive as he did not want their kids studies to get affected in any way. What surprises is that music just a hobby for Nazia but her achievements in this craft was something that many would aspire to achieve it in their career.

The film Qurbani music album sold over ten lakh copies then. It was for the first time that a non-Indian and the youngest ever Nazia Hassan won the Filmfare Award for the Best Singer in the year 1981. The release of this movie Qurbani in June 1980 was indeed a grand affair. The Marathi Mandir theatre in Mumbai was house full for the next three months to full capacity. Not only the film but even the music was able to set the cash registers ringing at the Box Office.

With passage of time and with the growing popularity of the song Nazia Hassan was seen performing it live on the center stage. Qurbani made the word “Disco” popular in India and people raved about disco then.

The young singer from Pakistan Nazia Hassan captivated the hearts of millions across of the globe and became a popular star overnight. The song “Aap Jaisa Koi” (means Someone Like You) changed everything then in 1980’s. The prime spot in Binaca Geetmala for the next 14 weeks had Nazia Hassan topping the charts with “Aap Jaisa Koi” leaving behind Lata Mangeshkar at number two position for the songs of her film Aasha.

Post Qurbani in 1981 Nazia released her first music album titled “Disco Deewane”. Some of her hit numbers include Disco Deewane, Boom Boom, Ao Na and Lekin Mera Dil to name a few. It was only in the year 1992 post her album release Nazia left singing career. She completed her education in the UK, got a law degree. After an enormously successful career as a singer she later worked with the United Nations in the Security Council. She continued her social work even in New York and worked for children from UN platform. The Government of Pakistan has conferred upon Nazia Hassan the highest civilian award Pride of Performance.

Nazia Hassan passed away at a very young age. She succumbed to lung cancer in London on 13 August 2000. She had been admitted to North London Hospice in London N12 three days earlier when her condition deteriorated.

Nazia Hassan passed away early but still continues to remain forever young and beautiful in our minds. India Today nominated her as one of the 50 people who helped change the face of India while “Aap Jaisa Koi” remains India’s first international sound as far as music goes.

Tribute to this legendary singer Nazia Hassan. Had Nazia been alive she would have been 50 years of age today.

Mahakavi Subhramania Bharathi (11.12.82-11.9.21)or simply Bharathi was a modern Tamil poet recognised as National poet of India. He recognised Sister Nivedita, disciple of Swami Vivekananda as his mentor. He was a contemporary to Bengali poet Rabindra Nath Tagore. He had great reverence towards Madame Annie Besant and follower of Bala Ganghadhar Thilak. He worked along with extreme group members like V.O.Chidambaram Pillai and Subramaniyam Siva. He was living alternatively in Tamilnadu and Pondicherry. His poems are broadly classified as 1. Devotional songs 2. Patriotic songs 3. Biographical songs 4.Short narrations and 5. General songs. This article is a modest attempt to introduce this great poet to the readers who wish to know more about him.

Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi, as a worshipper of UNIVERSAL ENERGY.

“I saw a tiny spark and kept it safe in a tree hole in a dense forest,

LO! The entire forest was reduced to ashes.

Is there any difference in fire as a new born or old?

Thaththarikita thaththarikita thaththom”

– Thus dances poet Subhramania Bharathi, in praise of Agni (fire) one of the five elements of the Universe He has sung in praise of several Hindu Gods in a way unique to him. Nowadays in almost all the school prayers, his songs on Gods are rendered to invoke blessings of the Almighty.

Bharathi found a special awe and respect for fire in his poems even in his worship of the Almighty. Though he wrote poems on Hindu male Gods like Krishna and Muruga, his description of Goddess of Power is unique.

He visualised Goddess Shakthi as the ultimate cosmic energy. He often used to dance in mirth praising the cosmic energy as:

“Let us praise the Mahasakthi (Cosmic energy) who has created the entire Universe,

She is hidden in the great five elements which constitute the EARTH,

She is the source behind all movements, speed

And all attractive forces on Earth,

She is the force of our lives and she is the food which men take to live

“Wherever you see, merges and finally collapses into Shakthi only”

which concept resembles the concept of ‘singularity’ in Science.

In addition to Hindu deities, he sang in praise of Jesus Christ, Islam also in his usual way. He was a lover of the Universe with special reference to the motherland Bharath in which he was living. He called her Bharathamatha (mother Bharath) and sang ‘vandhe madharam’ (Praise to my motherland). The phrase Vandhe Madharam had a magical effect on Indians fighting for freedom and several freedom fighters sacrificed their lives holding tricolor, close to their chests and raising this magical slogan till their last breath while being attacked by British soldiers. Alas! modern Indian youth are to be reminded of the supreme sacrifice made by young freedom fighters of those days to get freedom from foreign rule.

Patriotic songs:

Poet Bharathi always liked to compare Indian freedom struggle to the war of Mahabharath, the great Indian epic. For him, the British rulers were Kauravas and Indian freedom fighters were Pandavas. He had liking for extreme approach whereas Gandhians preferred to go by passive non-violence. Hence we could see his forthright disapproval of non-violent struggle in his songs. He said:

“My heart Does not tolerate these baseless people who are afraid of everything” in a melancholic mood as a direct reference to moderates and those who were indifferent to the violent struggle. However his reverence to Mahatma Gandhi, the advocate of passive non-violence was unique. He equated him with God and says,

“Mahatmaji, you are the saviour of Bharath, which was under the grip of poverty, ignorance and so lying low and so was a ruined country. You came as the saviour of this country Long life to thee, Mahatma Ji!”

He was deeply in favour of armed struggle for getting freedom and his leaders were Bal Gangadhara Thilak, Guru Gobindsingh, Dadabhai naoroji, Lala Lajpath Rai, V.O.Chidambaram Pillai who were all favouring armed struggle.

Bharathi was deeply impressed by leaders from abroad too. He was taking vow to get freedom for India in the name of Mazzini, founder leader of YOUNG ITALY.

He sang an elegy on the fall of BELGIUM in the first world war.

But what brought him fame in the international arena was his song on Russian revolution.

“Mahakali (The Goddess of power and cosmic energy) put her eyesight on Russia,

The revolution had its overwhelming upraise for ages to come!

The tyrant of Russia fell down.”

He compared the tyrant to the puranic monster Hiranyan and revolution to Goddess of Power. Goddess Power conquered him and reduced him to ashes

‘Bharath’ of Bharathi’s dreams:

“We shall walk along the peaks of silvery hills

We shall send our ships to deep western seas,

We shall construct schools in all temples and

We will proudly say we are Bharathiyans (Indians).

We shall construct bridge across the sea to Srilanka (Ceylon)

We shall connect both by broad roads,

By using the flooded waters of Eastern rivers

We shall irrigate in Central plateau

We will have our own weapons, produce papers,

We shall develop Industries develop education

We shall never rest, nor bow down our head

We shall uphold Truth and show our mite.”

Poets are of various types. Some write poems for money. Some poets write poems out of their immense love for the motherland and magnificent Nature and the Almighty. Such poets who write appreciating Nature have a Natural foresight and what they write in advance will come as true in later years.

We can see whatever Bharathi wrote in the above poem hundred years ago has become reality now. India has shown progress in all fronts especially in Science and Space Technology that India has already sent its satellite which landed on moon and the second is to land on Moon in the next six months.

His views on Woman Liberation:

He has got a special place in the role of Honour for great poets while considering woman His views on conjugal fidelity is very famous and quoted everywhere when the subject matter is discussed:

“When the question of sexual morality arises let us keep it common to both the sex” he declared when women were treated like slaves. His view on woman education also are noteworthy.

Walk with upright poser, look with straight eyes,

Don’t be afraid of anybody on Earth because of Morality,

Superiority because of flawless knowledge,

All these are possession of Modern woman”

Such women are known as Bharathi’s woman of New Age.

Bharathi’s poems are like an ocean. One can not go through the entire content in a short time. At least a glassful of his poetry has been given as above. If it kindles the interest in readers’ mind to go through the entire writing, the purpose of this article is achieved.

The related synonyms of the word great include famous, illustrious, eminent, distinguished, celebrated, impressive, talented, skillful, noble, exalted, heroic, majestic, and notable. The antonyms or opposite great include unimportant, small, slight, minor, awful, lowly, ordinary and tiny.

All the synonyms of the word great listed above are great indeed. Many of them are results while others are endowments or learned behaviors. This means that you can be great by being, doing and having these qualities and attributes.

There is a world acclaimed great man who left a model for greatness which we can copy. His greatness came to limelight while he was on earth. It is spoken about and sang in songs both in heaven and on earth to the present time. His name is Jesus Christ. His leadership principle is taught in tertiary institutions world over. His model of greatness is unequaled. He left a legacy that yours truly has used to achieve some good status today. Many smart and wise men and women are copying and using his model to great advantage.

What one word describes the model of greatness Jesus Christ used and taught while on earth? Did you guess right or wrong? That one word is called SERVICE. Service is the key to power. Like charity, his sister, service never fails. Remember the scriptures – a laborer is worthy of his wage.

One of the connections my research established about service is that service turns servants into masters. I usually analyze it with the fact that when the white man came to Africa, many of the noble and wealthy sent out their slaves and wayward children to go to the white man’s school. With the power of English word and numeracy, these slaves and servants replaced the white men when they left at independence. They call them civil servants today. The civil servant in Nigeria rules today. Check out all those who have held power in Nigeria. Join me to reflect – Tafawa Balewa, a school teacher became Nigeria’s first Prime Minister. Shehu Shagari, a school teacher became Nigeria’s first Executive President. Olusegun Obasanjo a retired soldier became the first man to be elected twice as President of Nigeria. All the aberrant military leaders of Nigeria were servants of the people who grew in their servant-hood until they had the capacity to take over power.

What is happening here? It is that if you serve, you grow in service and those you serve depend on you and this gives you the power to do just as you please. You can launch yourself into greatness through service.

Let’s go back to the Jesus Christ Model of greatness. The scriptures had it that while he was on earth, he went about doing good – healing the sick, feeding the hungry – both those who hunger after righteousness and those who are hungry for food – he made the lame to walk, the blind to see, the dumb to talk, the dead to rise. Above all, he taught the people the word of God through his gospel, bringing light unto their soul. He laid his life down for his brothers and sisters. Our Heavenly Father did not just give him back his life, He glorified Jesus Christ and gave him exaltation him into the same place where He lives. One word that described all that Jesus Christ did that he is now called upon by all who walk this earth, for which every knee shall bow at the mention of his name is SERVICE.

We have countless opportunities to serve others. The family is set up by God the way it is so that each and every one of us would start from our cradle to learn to serve one another. Then we have kindred, villages, communities, local governments, states and country. We have the Church and kingdom, quorum classes, institute classes and councils and youth and other social groups through which we can provide service.

When you obtain or is called upon to serve in any position, do not use it to enrich yourself, to steal public or church money and property. Use the opportunity to help and serve others and you would live large in the heart of the people and they would call upon you all the time and since a laborer is worthy of his wage, the more you are called upon, the more of everything you can obtain by giving righteous service. In fact, those who would be great are not content to give a day’s labor for a day’s wage. They go the extra mile.

Using the BE, DO, HAVE method, start from where you are right now to be great by doing what Jesus Christ did – Serve and then you would have greatness. The savior Jesus Christ himself said that what he has done we would be able to do even greater.

Your Heavenly Father designed you for greatness. Your choice is to simply be what he has ordained for you by doing what our great exemplar, Jesus Christ, did and have the greatness that he has.

Now, that you know, I recommend you go to work.

The best home based business ideas begin with knowing your niche. If you are one of the many handicapped people who want to contribute, remember, you have certain skills, life experience, interests and values that others may not have, so finding your niche is going to be much easier.

Here are the 10 best home based (handicapped accessible) business ideas you may want to consider:

1. Bed & Breakfast- Especially for others with a handicap. If you live in a large home and love visitors, this is a ready-made, handicapped accessible business to help the disabled get out there and travel. A great work at home business.

2. Pet Sitting is a small business option for those who love caring for animals on a temporary basis. I know so many people who would like to go away for a weekend but have no one to leave their pets with who will love them as much as they do.

3. Jewelry Designer – Did you see the Oprah show about 10-year-old Shiloh Peppin who wants to grow up to be a jewelry designer? Her handicap of fused legs will not stop her from the career of her dreams, nor should it stop you.

4. Gift Basket Service – The entrepreneur can design them at home to specific niches and mail them to buyers or make them available in local specialty stores.

5. Internet Store – If you are computer savvy, consider opening an internet based business that sells affiliate items. You receive a commission for every affiliate item you sell to others. See my website for more affiliate information.

6. Life Coaching – Who knows better than you what it’s like to survive and thrive with a handicap or challenge of any kind? So many people are waiting for your encouraging words.

7. Song Writer – For those with a love of music, why not write & sell your music for a living?

8. Recording Artist – If you have a beautiful voice, you can make a living from becoming a singer. Perhaps your niche is jingles – hey someone wrote & sang all those McDonalds jingles. Or maybe your niche is spiritual music, rock ‘n roll or weddings.

9. Screen Writer – Write what you know. Tell your story. Everyone’s already told you that your life is like a movie. Why not share your story with the rest of us?

10. Motivational Speaker – There is a great need for motivational speakers. You could speak at churches, community organizations, business meetings and even write and publish a book or EBook to motivate others.

If you were born challenged or experienced a life altering event and became handicapped or disabled later in life, and you want to work, you can and should.

Think seriously about starting a small business from home. These are just ten simple business ideas.

I know you can come up with more home based business ideas that are specific to your skills, values and interests. Here’s to your business success.

Football season is here, which means that for the next several weeks – 90% of the male population of the US will spend an enormous amount of their “free time” watching games on TV (the bigger the screen, the better), attending football games (Friday=high school, Saturday= college, Sunday & Monday=Pro), and of course every day of the week they will be moaning,

groaning or crowing about their Fantasy League, uh, excuse me, in most cases – make that Fantasy Leagues… because it seems you can’t join just one.

Now, I grew up in a female dominated home – 3 women (mom, myself and my sister) and one male (dad, unless you count the dog…but he tended to be loyal to the person with the food in hand), and I have to admit, we did tend to make Dad as miserable as possible about his “obsession” with football. We whined and fussed every time he tried to watch a game, and sooner or later he would usually give up and let us watch “girl stuff”.

My first husband was never much of a sports fan, so for most of my adulthood, my exposure to football was minimal, but fast forward a few decades – new husband, new life…new lifestyle.

And suddenly I find myself in the midst of a VERY sports oriented family – with a particular emphasis on football. So, for the first time in my life, I found myself attending Friday night high school games, rooting for my stepson as he ran up and down the field, screaming at the refs even though I wasn’t always quite sure WHY I was screaming but hey! you do get caught up in the enthusiasm of the moment.

For 3 years, I never missed a game, through rain and snow, I bundled up and cheered the team on, sometimes to victory and sometimes to defeat. I grew to understand the game, and enjoyed being a fan more with every game. I clapped along as the team came to the home side after every victory and sang their fight song, and endured long, quiet rides home when they lost.

But – I never truly understood the “obsession” until my stepson’s last game in high school.

The game was over, the weather was cold and drizzly, the song was done, and the seniors walked back out on the field one last time, helmets in hand. They stood there, silently, exchanging hugs and pats on the back, and one by one, they knelt to one knee and just looked around, as the lights blinked out around the stadium.

The silence was deafening – and the emotion overpowering.

Most of these boys had played football together since the age of 9, practicing and playing as a team for long months every year, sharing bumps and bruises and injuries, big wins and bigger losses, developing a camaraderie that few women will ever experience.

And now suddenly – it was over. Most of the boys would never again don the pads and the uniform, never again be part of that team spirit. If you play baseball – you can play some form of it for the rest of your life, but football is over for most men with that last Friday night game in high school.

And so is born the obsession with all things football – it’s an ongoing quest to recapture even just a small piece of that team experience in high school, the closeness, the camaraderie that made it worth all the work.

In just a few brief moments that night, I suddenly understand the deep chasm left in these young men’s lives, the sudden emptiness in their hearts, and I felt sadness for a loss that I could never truly comprehend.

My stepson was fortunate – he now plays college ball on Saturday so the “last game” has been delayed a bit. I still don’t share the same enthusiasm for weekend football marathons as my husband and his two sons – but at least I find it easier to understand their passion/obsession, and that goes a long ways towards a peaceful, happy weekend at home.

Of course, having more than one TV has also helped….

Karen Peck and New River have released their first new album in over two years. The album is entitled, “Journey of Joy”. I spoke with Southern Gospel music’s favorite soprano, Karen Peck – she has been nominated for Favorite Soprano eighteen years in a row! – on the day that Journey of Joy was released.

The first thing that I noticed about Karen Peck was her hearts desire to reach people with the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From her heart , the Word comes forth, both in her music and in her speech. Her gentle, humble spirit comes through in all that she speaks and sings.

I asked Karen Peck about the first single released to Southern Gospel radio from the Journey of Joy album. The song is entitled Last Night. “Last Night” was written by a very wonderful friend of mine, she’s also a great songwriter. Her name is Marsha Henry. She wrote the song that Jeff and Sheri (Easter) sing “Roses Will Bloom Again” and co wrote the song we sang years ago, “God Likes To Work When Nothing Else Does”. She’s also written a lot of other great Gospel songs.

“She has been very sick and the doctors haven’t been able to diagnose her, so for a year she hasn’t been able to work and she’s just been really down and out. She wrote this song, ‘Last Night’ and called me and said ‘Karen I’ve written a song I think you might like.’

Karen said that the first time that she heard the demo that she began to weep. She recalled how when they were in the studio recording the song that the Spirit of God fell on the studio and they “had church”. “The only thing I can compare it to is when we recorded the song, “Four Days Late” in the year 2000. Four Days was so powerful in the studio and we had a similar situation with “Last Night”, recalls Karen Peck.

“Last Night” as well as most of the songs on “Journey of Joy” have a rather progressive sound. The songs are definitely Southern Gospel but also show growth from her last album, “Good To Be Free”. Karen commented, “We want to always grow in the Lord and as we grow in the Lord then every area of our lives seems to grow and get better. Our constant prayer is ‘Lord let these songs minister to someone’s heart'”.

“Journey of Joy” contains songs that are bound to bless the listener. I enjoyed the song, “Then He Moved” which features the voice of Devin McGalmery. This young man shows a voice that will make those interested in Southern Gospel music take notice. His vocals on “Hold On” remind me of Jason Crabb.

Other songs on this Southern Gospel album that stand out are “When The Stone Rolled Away”. This may be the strongest song on the CD and showcases the harmonies that this trio is capable of. “Whispered Prayers” is a moving song with a unique ending that features a call to salvation by the Reverend Billy Graham.

I asked Karen Peck what has been on her heart lately, what has God been doing in her walk. ” I want to please God”, Karen smiles. ” I want to have faith in knowing. It’s easy for me to believe for others. I can believe that God is going to come through for others. I can believe and won’t doubt at all. I have friends that are going through situations and I pray for them and I believe with all of my heart that God is going to bring them through. But then when situations happen in my life then I start questioning, ‘Well God – Lord help me’ its so much different when the shoe is on the other foot.

“So what I’m praying now is – I’ve probably lived half of my life on this earth. I just pray that the next half of my life will count, will really count for Him. I want to please God with my faith. I want to have faith, believing that no matter what I face in my life, that He is there for me and He will take care of me, and not ‘maybe’ but that He will”.

Its this desire to please God that shines in this Southern Gospel album, “Journey of Joy” by Karen Peck and New River.

First Released On: 20th April 1998

Duration: 05:29

Variations/Remixes:

Scream Team Remix – A remix credited to both Primal Scream and Brendan Lynch operating under the name Scream Team. Massive Attack would repay Primal Scream the remixing favour on their Exterminator track in 2000. Appears on all single releases.

Mad Professor Mazaruni Vocal Mix – UK dub producer and well known Massive Attack remixer puts his own style down on this particular remix. Included only on the promo and 12″ single releases, until the arrival of the Singles 90/98 Box Set where this remix was included on CD.

Mad Professor Mazaruni Instrumental Mix – Similar to the vocal mix, except the vocals, while still present(despite being billed an instrumental) are used more as echo effects throughout the song, typical to a lot of the Mad Professor’s repertoire. Appears on all single releases.

Edit – A truncated version of the song for radio playback. Trims off much of the beginning and end of the song. Included only on promo releases.

Credits:

Written by Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Elizabeth Fraser

Produced by Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, Andrew Vowles and Neil Davidge

For the Collected version of the song, additional credits are:

Remastered by Mike Marsh at the Exchange and Tim Young at Metropolis Mastering.

Sampled:

Jazz piano player Les McCann’s song “Sometimes I Cry” was sampled for Teardrop. It appears primarily on Les McCann’s 1972 release Layers. It is not credited officially by Massive Attack.

Covered:

Teardrop has been covered several times by many artists usually only as a live performance. Artists which have performed Teardrop live are Elbow, Incubus, Jamie Cullum, Jose Gonzalez and Our Lady Peace. The most recent cover is from 2007 by English singer/songwriter Newton Faulkner. There are also a large amount of amateur singers covering this song, as can be evidenced by doing a search for such covers on YouTube.

Perhaps the most notable cover of Teardrop is by Massive Attack themselves, as Teardrop is sampled on the Massive Attack song, Bullet Boy.

Vocalist(s):

Elizabeth Fraser

Lyrics:

Love, love is a verb

Love is a doing word

Feathers on my breath

Gentle impulsion

Shakes me makes me lighter

Feathers on my breath

Teardrop on the fire

Feathers on my breath

Nine night of matter

Black flowers blossom

Feathers on my breath

Black flowers blossom

Feathers on my breath

Teardrop on the fire

Feathers on my

Water is my eye

Most faithful mirror

Feathers on my breath

Teardrop on the fire of a confession

Feathers on my breath

Most faithful mirror

Feathers on my breath

Teardrop on the fire

Feathers on my breath

You’re stumbling in the dark

You’re stumbling in the dark

History:

Teardrop began life as a simple harpsichord riff plucked by Neil Davidige one April day in 1997. Mushroom who was the first in the band to hear this solitary riff, took an immediate liking to it and he and Neil Davidige set to further work on it adding sombre piano chords and beats. The working title for it at this time was “No Don’t”. Mushroom’s (whose attachment to the song was very high) number one choice for vocalist for the song was none other than Madonna, who Massive Attack had previously worked with back 1995 on “I Want You”. However, both 3D and Daddy G who had both now heard the early demo of the song at this stage, had another vocalist entirely in mind, Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. In the two against one split, eventually Mushroom lost out even though not before sending the backing track for Teardrop to Madonna who was apparently in love with the track and was disappointed when the rest of Massive Attack informed her that they already had a vocalist for the song. This is just one of the many occurrences one could cite for Mushroom’s gradual disliking for Massive Attack and of course, gradual departure from the band in 1999.

Elizabeth Fraser wrote and sang the lyrics for Teardrop soon after famous singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley, her boyfriend at the time had perished in a drowning accident. Some speculate that the lyrics for Teardrop were reflective of her mood at the time and might even subtlety be about Jeff Buckley’s death.

Additional Info:

Teardrop was the first single released to promote Mezzanine, even though it was not the first single release from the album, what with Risingson being released nearly a year before in the summer of 1997.

The producers behind the 1999 Academy Awarding winning film “American Beauty” had intended to use Teardrop as the main musical theme to accompany the film. Massive Attack objected to the song’s use in the film after reading a brief synopsis of what the film was about. After seeing the finished film, 3D would later comment on how it was a mistake to deny “American Beauty” the use of Teardrop, when the film turned into the big critical success of 1999 at the box office.

Live Appearances:

Teardrop was first played live at the Olympia in Dublin, Ireland on 15th April 1998. For the majority of dates on the 1998/1999 tour, Elizabeth Fraser was not available due to the fact that she was pregnant at the time. She did however put in a memorable appearance at the Royal Albert Hall gig in June 1998. Her vocals on Teardrop for this tour, were done instead by Debbie Miller. On the 2003 and 2004 tour, Liz Fraser was still not present, and now her vocals were substituted with Dot Allison’s. For the 2006 tour Elizabeth Fraser would finally return to performing live and singing her vocals for not only Teardrop but the other Liz Fraser tracks on Mezzanine, and proceeded to do the whole tour with Massive Attack.

Quotes:

3D on Teardrop – “It’s a moment of light relief from some of the other moments of the album really. It was quite a simple track musically to create and we weren’t sure what to do with it” [ChannelV TV – June 1998]

Mushroom on the choice of Liz Fraser over Madonna for vocalist – “It sounds good now” [Q Magazine – January 1999]

Daddy G on the bust-up with Mushroom during the making of Teardrop – “At the time, it seemed like an act of treachery” [Q Magazine – January 1999]

In the spirit of gratitude to the masters that have gone before us, and in the hopes of helping inject a moment’s worth of tranquility and reflection into a world that desperately needs some, I hereby present two poems by Turgut Uyar – one of the best poets who ever wrote in Turkish.

ONE DAY, EARLY IN THE MORN’

by Turgut Uyar

Let’s say I knock on your door early one morning,

And wake you up:

That is, the fog still hasn’t lifted off the Golden Horn

The ferry boats are blowing off their horns

It’s still the wee hours of the dawn

The bridge would still be up.

If I knock on your door one day early in the morn’ …

Let’s say my trip has taken me a while

The train has crossed over iron bridges in the night

Villages on top of the mountains with five or ten houses,

Telegraph poles along the route

They were running to keep up with us.

Let’s say I sang songs out from the window

Let’s say I kept dozing off and waking up again

My ticket was third class,

So much for poverty.

Let’s say I couldn’t afford that meerschaum necklace,

So I bought you an apple from Sapanca.

“Haydarpasa here I come,” is how I arrived

The ferry boat shimmering at the pier,

Somewhat of a chill in the air,

The sea smelling tar and fishes

Let’s say I crossed to the other side with a row boat from the bridge

In a single breath I climbed up our hill…

If I knock on your door in the wee hours of one morn’

“Who is it?” you’d ask sleepily from the other side

Your hair mussed up, still feeling groggy

God knows how beautiful you’d look my love,

If I knock on your door early one morning,

And wake you up from your sleep,

That is, the fog still hasn’t lifted off the Golden Horn

The factory whistles are blowing.

—

(translated from Turkish by Ugur Akinci)

# # #

BY THE THOUSANDS

by Turgut Uyar

Thousands of Mondays have passed from my life

Which one was it, I can’t tell

I just remember eating a cherry with a worm inside

That means it’s pretty old

And also all the stuff that doesn’t make sense

The lower part of a girl’s knee, for instance

And the ugly way a guy was smoking a cigarette

How one lives in this world under tutelage

Which crazies withstand this and how

It’s not my business to figure out anybody’s lineage

Shaping up my own story is enough for me

A beautiful afternoon

While remembering a beautiful old evening

Then things filled to the brim

Like the water-jugs

My insides well up

This should have an end, I say

But an end to what?

To these stone steps at least

—

(translated from Turkish by Ugur Akinci)

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Gospel music culture often refers to the Christian music that sprung from the early African American church, which was later adopted by most modern churches and influenced a lot of gospel and R&B singers. Gospel music culture is known for its unique beats and the contagious tempos that will have people swaying and dancing along with the choir. Spiritual music is primarily influenced by African music brought by African slaves. The use of the drum, dance and clapping distinguish gospel songs from other forms of music. Gospel music culture experienced a moment of repression in the early years of slavery where most slave owners separated their slaves from each other in order to make integration to the new culture easier. However, slaves found a way to practice their music, which was perhaps the only thing they had in common that they could remember, whether it was singing and dancing after work or at night, in places where they would not be easily heard by their owners. Owners later realized that slaves were more efficient if they were allowed to sing. This led to an infusion of African music with the traditions of Christian religion and the English language that formed the foundations of gospel song.

Slaves developed work songs, which they sang while laboring out on the fields. As they got more Christianized the songs evolved into something more that held a deeper Biblical context while preserving the message of the harshness of life and labor and oppression under their White owners. Gospel music culture began to evolve even more when slaves began to gather in congregations in tents after work to hear the gospel being preached. There they learned about the old classic Christian hymns that they would later infuse with the musical techniques that they brought with them from Africa. Improvisations of old ad classic hymns led to totally different songs and new arrangements for the hymns.

A large part of gospel music employs the call and response technique, which is a technique between the soloist and the congregation. This is a direct influence of African music that was carried over to America by the slaves. The soloist was allowed to improvise with the text and the melody of the song during the call and response technique.

Gospel music began with Thomas A. Dorsey, considered to be the Father of Gospel Music who composed such gospel landmarks as “There Will Be Peace in the Valley.” Dorsey was a consummate musician who often played the blues and performed with Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. Attending the gatherings of the National Baptist Convention led him to change his music preferences and he started writing gospel songs, among them “If You See My Savior”.

Spiritual songs gained little importance prior to the civil war. After the war ended new interest in gospel songs flourished and the music slowly started to gain recognition outside of the slave circles. The abolishment of the slavery helped paved the way for the popularity of gospel music culture because by then slaves were allowed to sing their gospel music freely.

In the United States, Anna Jarvis was credited for conceiving and advocating this special day for mothers. The day was recognized as a holiday in 1914. Allegedly, Anna was heartbroken about how the day became a marketing sensation over time and that ever more people chose to buy and send a card, a gift, or flowers to their mother in order to feel good about what they did. The idea was to make mother feel more loved and special on that one day than she had done for her children. Over time, the commercialization of the holiday soured Anna on what she created, and she tried, but failed, to remove it as a holiday.

But, just as no two mothers are alike, the convenience of gifting has not stopped us from celebrating our mothers more on this special Sunday in May. I have memories of my mother tied to this day, from my childhood up to today. My mother was my protector and friend. Even before I had memory of that I can see it on my face and on her face in photographs. She involved me in her life, put me first most of the time, sang to me, encouraged me, and taught me to find joy in this world. I think she knew, and most mothers know how important it is to teach love and joy soon, before the world teaches competition, defensiveness, and goals like getting something for yourself. Mother is about giving all for someone else – you.

My mother gave birth to two more sons, each spaced three years after me. When she brought her new baby home, I saw the glow on her face and the love in her eyes that once was all mine. I learned later, what I could not understand then, that she never stopped loving me with all of her heart. Love does not fit neatly into a measuring cup. There are no limits to love unless we put limits on it. I wish that I understood that at ages three and six. Seeing her love for my baby brothers was for me too, and by watching it, I could see the effect she had on my brothers and a glimpse of how great her heart was for her child. My mother will be 84 next month, and her loving heart is still great.

As I grew up, I saw concern and even fear in her eyes when I left her care to go to school, to play football, and when I got so sick that all that she could do for me was not enough. I saw boundless joy in her when I married, and especially when my wife put my baby son, then my baby daughter in her arms. But, something changed then.

Just as she had to divide her attention as a mother when my brothers were born, I had to put the mother of my children first. Later, I saw how my mother’s eyes dimmed as her mother began the last years of her life. She wanted to do so much for her mother, but life is like a baton that is passed from one runner to another. Once the baton is passed, we don’t see the one who passed it so clearly because with the baton, purpose also passed. Her mother is still remembered by her on Mother’s Day, and every day, I think.

As I write this article, early on Mother’s Day, 2019, I get ready to call my mother on the telephone. She lives two states south of me and my wife, where she cares for one of my brothers whose life became one of sickness for him and great sorrow for her. My children will honor their mother today, and I will be part of that. I wish that I could hold onto the baton longer for my mother, but it has already been passed. Anna Jarvis did a good thing for mothers, and for our mothers, we should do what we can, all that we can, to tell our mothers that we love them, and that we always will. #TAG1writer.