Congratulations! You can officially wear white after today. At least, that’s according to an old American tradition. But while today is usually summer kick-off with barbecues and family gatherings, many Americans are continuing to find ways to truly honor all those who have served (and still are) our country in countless ways.
Commemorating those who have sacrificed time, talent, and even lives doesn’t have to involve elaborate and complicated gestures. Obviously, today isn’t the only day you can commemorate either.
The true meaning of Memorial Day, both today and all year round, can be simple, yet profound:
Memorial Day Commemorations
Praying for those who have died while serving our country or those who still are
Looking at photos or sharing memories of loved ones who once served
Visiting a cemetery / placing flags on graves
Educate yourself – read up on events and battles in American history and learn how various historical figures served the country
Reflect on what you’re grateful for every day
Donate or get involved in charities connected to veteran organizations
Think of one veteran you know/have known. Consider all the ways how your life would be different without that person.
Not all of us are cut out for military service. That doesn’t mean we haven’t also served our country in other ways. Reflect on what you’ve done in your own life that counts as service
How can you become more involved in your own community?
Without getting political, just reflect on the American values we all share
Think of people you’ve lost in your own life. How do you / can you honor a loved one’s life?
The Easter Bunny may have hopped off your lawn by now, but the celebratory joy, hope, and peace that define the holiday don’t simply disappear one calendar day later. In Catholicism, Easter is 50-day season, encouraging continued rejoicing in the power of Jesus’ resurrection and God’s love.
Many Christian reflections will remind you that although Jesus died for everyone’s sins, He specifically died for you. His love, like that of a shepherd who sets out to save one lost sheep of the flock, is personal. We each have unique spiritual relationships.
But how does a loving relationship with Jesus spill over into our daily lives and other relationships? While we can’t be perfect like Jesus, we are able to model the loving humility with which He served.
Could we take this powerful spiritual relationship and humanize it too much? Or, can we balance it with love and understanding, looking to Jesus as the perfect model?
In the mid-1980s, New Wave and Synthpop took the music world by storm, and one of the most influential (and of course British) bands that helped to shape and define that era of music is none other than Depeche Mode.
Known for their mysterious and sometimes dark poetic lyrics, Depeche Mode has explored many facets of human and spiritual nature. Although their “Personal Jesus” is undoubtedly one of their most popular songs, it has also received criticism for the way in which this spiritual relationship with Jesus is presented. Other critics claim the song is about addiction.
Is there any merit to these religious claims, or are we just not seeing the beauty in such a poetic masterpiece?
The soft echo at the beginning of the song hints that something divine is coming our way. Then enter the synthpop sound.
The first verse commences with the idea of faith as physical. If faith is to believe, then our ability to “reach out / touch faith” is a complete oxymoron. On one hand, it implies that faith relies on our ability to touch that belief, as if we’re insulting the actual point of faith. But, according to scripture, isn’t faith without works dead? We need to see or do to believe? Well, not always. After His resurrection, Jesus tells His disciple Thomas that “blessed are those who have not seen and yet lieve [in Him].” Yet, don’t we desire to simply reach out and touch Jesus? Disciples in the New Testsment were able to when Jesus performed miracles? No matter the case, we must believe without hugging Jesus.
Now we turn to prayer. Sure, we can hear each other’s oral prayers and intercessions, but we aren’t the ones to answer them. Is the song implying that God, because we can’t physically poke Him in the arm, can’t be trusted to answer those prayers? Do we need that physical person in front of us just to feel any better? That would go against religion entirely.
In the second verse, Gahan sings of being alone. A relationship with God or Jesus, however, is not meant to be lonely. God is love, and Christians encounter it through the Holy Spirit, which wouldn’t be possible without Jesus. God is not distant and angry. He wants that loving, personal, and spiritual relationship, which means, if present, you are not alone. You’re also not unknown. A God who knows everything about you, including the number of hairs on your head, is more intimate than a human lover.
Meanwhile, as the song continues, that lonely person is “flesh and bone by the telephone,” which hints at denying Jesus was incarnate, both God and Man, fully human and divine. You can’t form an intimate relationship with God if you see him as some far off power in the sky who is going to strike you with lightning at every wrong turn. This is why God sent His only beloved Son (Jesus) to be born into the world and connect with us through our own human nature.
Here the song seems to be focusing on a strictly human encounter that seeks to model Jesus. Just confess to anyone and don’t worry about anything divine. How would that work and be truly fulfilling?”
However, these are criticisms of “Personal Jesus.” At first glance, it sounds blasphemous, acting as though a romantic relationship alone could satisfy a spiritual one. Yet, we can flip this song on its head.
Although we’re not divine, we as humans are called to be Christ to others. We rely on each other for emotional support. We’re called to serve others by listening, caring, consoling, offering and accepting forgiveness. All of this is ALSO KNOWN AS LOVE for each other. The relationship in the song still meets those requirements.
A marriage is a covenant: a promise to each other and to God. We mirror the love God has for us in our relationships. So, by that theology, we all need people in our lives who are like a personal Jesus. A lover cannot replace Jesus. He is the Lord and Savior, after all.
So “Personal Jesus” isn’t completely wrong. There are hints at good intentions, yet it is a bit blasphemous on the surface, without any deeper interpretation.
And this is why it’s fun to analyze songs from all sorts of angles!
Before You Go…
Don’t forget to listen and subscribe to the Guilty Pleasures of a Classic Soul playlist, which compiles all songs featured on Monthly Mixtape! You can now listen on either YouTube or Spotify!
If you or someone you know has claimed to have been forced to walk to school uphill both ways, in the snow, and with one shoe that you had to share with your brother on the way home, then this post is for YOU.
2024 is nothing like 1924. History moves forward, and generations inevitably change. So much has evolved within the last 30-40 years alone! With technological advancements and lifestyle rearrangements, youth today will just never know how to do certain things.
Here’s a glimpse at the aptitudes some will not, or may not need, to develop.
Checkbooks
Online platforms and services have taken our daily lives by storm. Our streaming subscriptions are directly deducted from our checking accounts. Our paychecks are automatically deposited. All we need to do is provide a routing number or simply link our accounts on our own. In mere seconds we can transfer and receive money.
Why would a young person need to know how to balance a checkbook by hand? Online statements and activity logs show us exactly where our money is.
True, this automatic system isn’t without error. Humans can still misplace money. Maybe you thought you had more in your account than you did, but you forgot that you spent money on a birthday gift. Or perhaps a subscription fee doubled without you realizing it. People may not be physically writing down expenditures in a physical check register, but the inevitable need to manage finances remains.
Writing in Cursive
Okay, start the debate! Should cursive be taught in schools? In fact, Pennsylvania has been looking into requiring it in the curriculum.
A signature is a valuable identity marker–not taking forgery into account, of course. When told to sign your name, could you imagine freezing and staring at a paper. Sign? You mean I can’t print? How do I sign my name?
Fine, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but not every signature in life can be done simply by clicking a square. We write and sign our names probably at least once a day! It can’t be ignored.
Sure, kids can grow up and learn to scribble, but where’s the honor and dignity in that? Would you expect your favorite celebrity to draw a squiggle and pretend it spells anything at all?
Tune a Radio
Nowadays, music is streamed just about everywhere. Even local radio stations provide opportunities for listeners to listen via online media players. Tuning a radio to find a clear station is quickly becoming a task of the past.
Kids won’t need to bother with positioning antennas in the right direction or adjusting dials bit by bit until a station is perfectly clear without a scream of static.
Stereos and boomboxes are fading (unless you’re a DJ), thanks to supply and demand.
Read an Analog Clock
I teach 8th and 10th graders. Would you believe that some 16-year-olds don’t know how to read a clock that has hands instead of digital numbers? In my classroom, I have a cute and simple analog clock hung on the wall so I can glance up and keep track of my lesson timing. Students will ask me what time it is. Um… look on the wall….and then students begin discussing how they never learned to read an analog clock.
Not every clock in the world is digital, yet our pocket-sized cellular wonders are never far from our grasp. So do we even need analog clocks anymore? Besides, most kids prefer smart watches over basic analog ones.
Reference Books
Does R come before Q? With instant internet access, we no longer need to flip through dictionaries or encyclopedias. Ask Google what you’re looking for, and you’re good to go. But isn’t there something exciting about flipping through a book to find information? It’s almost like a scavenger hunt. True, it’s not always practical when searching for large amounts of information, but reference books, including maps, aren’t necessarily obsolete, just not as popular anymore.
Driving a Stick Shift
Don’t ask me to say more about driving a car with a manual transmission. I’m too young for that and have no clue!
Sewing
Finally, many youth today don’t know how to sew their own clothes, especially if they weren’t offered a family consumer science class in school. I sewed a pair of pants for a student once because I was tired of seeing the same hole in her uniform slacks.
Truth be told, I’m no sewing expert. I was taught to sew a button in high school, but I had to look to my mom for learning the rest.
Without basic sewing skills, today’s youth will either throw away tattered clothes or wear them out completely. We don’t have to be sewing experts, but the ability to fix a tear is oddly gratifying–and practical!
Aptitudes must change with the times, but a little nostalgia won’t hurt either!
In literature, figurative language is widely used to build connections for the reader. Imaginative and flowery language help readers to make comparisons and engage with the text. Likewise, metaphors and other figurative devices allow writers to deliver strong emotions and express their message.
Because song lyrics are essentially poetry, music also makes great use of figurative language. Even if the singer isn’t the songwriter, singers usually take the written figurative language and perform it in a way that evokes meaning.
Rockabilly artist Johnny Horton was one of these singers. Even if he didn’t compose the lyrics, he knew how to keep the tone light-hearted or mournful.
Between the late 1950s and early 1960s, Horton’s popularity grew as he joined the ranks of pioneer Rockabilly performers (Rock + Country = Rockabilly). Many of Horton’s notable songs were ditties that retold the stories of past historical events, such as in “North to Alaska,” “The Battle of New Orleans,” and “Sink the Bismarck.”
On the flipside, Horton also had a knack for passionate vocals, especially for ballads and songs of romance.
Now combine figurative language and emotive country boy Johnny Horton….BAM! The result is beautiful and moving; Horton’s 1959 song “Whispering Pines” is no exception. This song is perfect for this time of year between a dreary January and heart-filled (or broken) Valentine’s Day.
“Whispering Pines” by Johnny Horton
“Whispering Pines” opens with a very haunting introduction on account of the descending backing vocals. That female voice immediately sets the somber tone. It’s almost like snow drifting to the ground!
Personification is a type of figurative language where an inanimate object or animal is given human-like qualities. This song is packed with personification, as winter “calls” and pine trees “whisper.” Not only does this language set the sorrowful mood, but it shows just how heartbroken and desperate Horton is at the loss of his love.
Nature, here, is also accurately portrayed in some cases, as in the mourning dove. Horton compares his own loneliness to the saddened coos of a mourning dove. The heartbreak isn’t an isolated experience because Horton is attempting to find connection and comparison in the outside environment.
When the wind blows through trees, there is a whispering sound as the pine needles sway back and forth. At least, this is the picture that Horton is picturing. That “whispering” is echoed in the backing vocals from the beginning of the song. Yes, the trees are being personified here and can’t actually whisper, but, again, Horton is making comparisons to nature. He is in such lonely solitude that all he hears is this whispering. His only friend and comfort right now comes from the trees blowing in the wind. Desperately, he laments about losing his love and begs for answers…even if he’s pleading to trees.
Although the imagery of the squirrel and his mate might remind you of a cartoon-type of romance, Horton is still making comparisons. It’s pretty bad if the squirrels have a better love life than you!
All around him, Horton sees love unfold while he only wants his to return. He can only rely on nature to help him. In other words, there isn’t much he can do. Whether or not his baby comes to him is no longer in his control. He has no choice but to let life take its toll.
The repetition of “whispering pines” and other alliterative sounds in the lyrics continue to echo Horton’s sorrow. Unfortunately, we don’t learn if there is a happy ending.
Before You Go…
Make sure you listen to and follow the Guilty Pleasures of a Classic Soul playlist!
“New Year, New You!” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? How many times have your resolutions fallen flat before January even ends?
One of the responsibilities of teachers is to plan and prepare. Non-teachers tend to forget that, without planning and creating student learning objectives, a classroom is already destined to turn into a train wreck, no matter what day of the year.
As you plan and prepare for the new year, consider the following method for writing goals and objectives. The ABCD method helps to clarify and specify goals in order to make them more attainable. It also ties into Bloom’s Taxonomy, if you want to get all fancy and discuss educational practices.
The most important thing to remember is that these goals can always change, and you don’t have to abandon them if they’re not going as well as you had hoped. This method allows for tweaks and adjustments. And if you have to scrap your goal and start over, then go for it!
ABCD Identified
A -> Audience
B -> Behavior
C -> Condition
D -> Degree
Audience
The audience, simply, is who should be accomplishing the goal. Teachers start their lesson objectives by saying “students” or “learners.”
Behavior
After identifying the audience, you must state the desired behavior of the objective/goal. Keep it short. You should only use one verb per objective. The behavior is literally the goal!
Condition
The condition (could be more than one) is the how of your objective. If you plan to lose weight, how do you plan on achieving that loss? This is where you start to specify your goal so it’s more tangible and attainable.
Degree
Finally, the degree component is the frequency and/or duration of the goal. In other words, how will you measure your goal? Degree is often one of the trickier parts of objective writing. It will include numbers of some sort, whether that be in the form of time, repetitions, or even percent of accuracy. This is also where you can tweak your goals. In some cases, a degree may not be necessary.
Teaching Example
Here are examples of what lesson objectives look like for teachers. Each part is highlighted as Audience, Behavior, Condition, Degree:
The students will be able to identify the parts of speech in a sentence by completing a labeling exercise every day for 5 minutes.
The learners will be able to infer the meaning of unknown vocabulary words by underlining the context clues, with 80% accuracy by the end of the 9 weeks.
New Year’s Resolutions Examples
I will be able to walk 6,000 steps a day by walking 5 laps around the building during lunch break.
I will be able to declutter my house by writing a list of areas to be organized and then spending 30 minutes a day on one of the listed areas.
I will be able to read one chapter of the Bible a day by listening to an audio version during my work commute.
Halloween feels like yesterday, and Thanksgiving is upon us. Let’s settle the debate once and for all before we hang up the candy canes and pack Fall away.
I’ve always been a candy corn fan, and it’s not Fall if I don’t buy a bag. Candy corn haters, however, think the treat is way too sweet and has a disgusting texture. Everyone’s entitled to opinions, or course, but what about meaning instead of taste?
As we prepare to gather around the family table and give thanks for another year around the sun, let’s consider a religious context for…yep, candy corn.
First, we must understand color psychology. This theory relates to how we culturize the colors we see. Red refers to anger or passion. Green reminds us of money. White is usually pure and innocent. Different cultures naturally view the meaning of colors based on their own traditions and values.
When looking at candy corn through a traditional lense, we typically think about Autumn, harvest, and Halloween. Have you ever thought about the Holy Trinity?
The tricolor design of the candy can represent the equilibrium between God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Working from bottom to top, God the Father is yellow, representing God as the foundation and author of life. The love between God and the Son (Jesus) creates the Holy Spirit (God’s presence, or breath). Therefore, the yellow and orange colors lead to the white tip of the candy, here representing the Spirit.
Crazy, right? We’re not done. Consider the color meanings.
Yellow: yellow is a bright color that symbolizes intellect, creativity, and joyful energy. God the Father is omnipotent or all-knowing. If creation stems from Him, then it only makes sense that yellow represents Him and His divine power.
Orange: orange is still a positive color, a combination of the loving red and the energetic yellow. It connects to rejuvenation and communication. God the Son, Jesus, came to earth to teach sinners and show them how to prepare for eternal life. From Jesus, we get the “love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself.” That love and optimism allows Jesus to communicate with God’s people and rejuvenate faith.
White: white is purity, innocence, perfection, openness, and new beginnings. The love of Father and Son are perfected through the Spirit. It leads to holiness, which is also pure and clean.
Still unconvinced? Just pop a piece of candy corn in your mouth and continue to mull it over.
When disturbing stories are narrated and performed by the right storyteller on screen, the words from the page become the essence of what they were meant to become. When director Roger Corman took Edgar Allan Poe’s Gothic, spine-chilling stories and transferred them to the big screen, Poe’s characters came to life like never before. But without the passionate performances of the irreplaceable Vincent Price, Poe’s creations would never have been portrayed so accurately.
Poe’s famous short story “The Masque of the Red Death” received such a filmic retelling. As with all literature that is retold through the silver screen, the differences between mediums can be beneficial to the merit of the plot; or they could totally ruin the entire experience.
Corman’s directed version of “Masque” is deeply rooted in the macabre, but where it strays from Poe’s gothic mind is both fantastic and a bit of a disservice.
Plot
Essentially, the plot of the story and movie are the same: Prince Prospero abandons his people during the Red Death epidemic and shuts himself up in his castellated abbey, along with all of his rich and noble friends. For months, they remain inside the castle, living in luxury. When Prospero holds a lavish masquerade for his guests, he can’t have been happier… until a cloaked figure appears. The figure turns out to be the Red Death, who then kills all of the guests, Prospero included.
The Seven Rooms
Rooms–not dwarves! In the story, Poe makes it abundantly clear that Prospero loves the bizarre and macabre, down to the finishings of the architecture. He constructed a hallway of rooms, all structured on angles. Therefore one room literally juts into another. Each room is a different color, with the final room being a pitch black room with a red window.
The rooms each have a singular window, by which light shines from outside via lit coals that produce light. There were no candles.
Corman’s film, however, only features five of the colored rooms. These rooms form one straight and level hallway, and there are candelabras to light the rooms. Although different from the story, these rooms still hold significance. The sequence of colors can represent emotions or the stages of life. No matter the exact layout, the rooms show the progression of Prospero’s eventual downfall.
This truncated depiction of the rooms does take away from fully showing Prospero’s eccentricity. As viewers, we’ll take what we can get.
The Clock
A large clock marks each hour with chimes that frighten the guests to the point where the music and revelry stop. The clock haunts them, reminding them of their mortality during this time of fast-spreading illness.
In the movie, the clock is not stationed in the black room. Instead it’s in the main ballroom where the masquerade takes place.
Character Development
In Poe’s story, Prospero is the only character who is featured. Corman’s addition of characters does deepen the impact of Prospero’s selfishness and true values.
At the beginning of the film, Prospero arrives in the village and harasses the people. He ends up imprisoning Francesca’s father and her lover, Gino. Prospero insists that she must choose which man should be killed. For Prospero and his wealthy friends, entertainment is the main focus. A fight to the death sounds great, right?
Plus Prospero is portrayed as a satanist in the film, while Francesca is a devout Christian. Both of their faiths are challenged as they butt heads. Prospero says there is no hope in the world and wants Francesca to convert. She, of course, tries to dissuade him; she sticks to her faith even after Prospero takes her cross necklace and forbids her to wear it.
Meanwhile, a decent portion of the film follows Prospero’s wife Juliana as she completes her rituals and commits herself to being the bride of Satan. The final stages of this process get very psychedelic as she is almost killed by several attackers in this foggy and trippy scene that is almost dreamlike. Once she surpasses the obstacles and is a true satanist, she steps out of the black room (here considered the satanic chapel) and is mauled to death by a falcon.
Eventually Gino, Francesca’s boyfriend, is released from Prospero’s prison and left to face the Red Death. His mission, however, is to find a way to free Francesca. He has some help from Death, the mysterious cloaked figure.
When Prospero confronts the cloaked figure in the black room, he at first thinks it’s one of his friends playing a trick on him. Then he grows excited, thinking the figure is Satan. As a devout worshipper, Prospero is pleased with himself that he brought all these souls (aka his rich friends) to the devil.
The Red Death then enlightens Prospero that Death has neither god nor master. It also doesn’t have a face. The Red Death then infects all the party goers who die. When Prospero manages to finally unmask the figure, he sees his own face, a reminder that we make our own heavens and hells. Regardless, death is inevitable.
But never fear–Francesca and Gino escape the castle unscathed. Prospero and his friends are dead, and the film ends with several personified Deaths cloaked in multiple colors, likely representing the rooms in Prospero’s castle.
Takeaway
Combine Poe’s Prospero and Vincent Price’s Prospero, and the “Masque of the Red Death” would become complete. The intensity and grotesqueness of Poe’s diction and style can’t be replicated. At the same time, Price’s iconic eerie voice and spot-on acting couldn’t make for a better Prospero. Some of the differences between the film and movie aren’t significant enough to dilute the plot and theme. Roger Corman’s use of blood, fog, colors, costumes, and sets scream “1960s,” but not in a slasher or jump-scare horror kind of way. Faith, morality, death, and the human condition are all challenged, making for a timeless and noteworthy story.
Want to sweeten up your brownie recipe? Looking for a classic snack with a modern twist?
Enter the chocolate syrup and pistachio pudding brownie!
This simple recipe adds a nutty and gooey layer to a brownie mix that appears in an old Hershey’s recipe book.
So without further ado…
The Hershey’s Foundation
Many of the recipes in my grandmother’s old Hershey’s cookbook are great starting points for what I bake. Generally I use off-brands of products, not Hershey’s, and I substitute ingredients when possible. At times the amount of butter, chocolate, butter, and sugar can be changed to meet my own modern standards.
For these brownies, I followed most of the recipe above and then added pudding on top. See below!
Ingredients
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cups chocolate syrup
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 dash of salt
1/2 cup melted butter OR 1/2 cup plain applesauce
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 package pistachio pudding mix
2 cups milk (or as directed for pudding mix)
Steps
See captions in each picture for each step! 👩🏼🍳
In a separate bowl, mix the package of pistachio pudding as the box directs–typically requires 2 cups of milk. You can refrigerate it while you mix together the other sets of ingredients Mix the brown sugar, melted butter or applesauce, chocolate syrup, and egg in a separate bowlIn ANOTHER bowl, sift your dry ingredients Gently stir dry ingredients into the chocolate syrup bowl (a little at a time until dry ingredient bowl is empty)TIP: To make this recipe slightly healthier, replace the required 1/2 cup of melted butter with a 4oz container of applesauce. This is a direct substitution. A 4oz container yields about a 1/2 cup.If desired, stir in chopped walnuts (or any nuts) before pouring batter into panGrease and flour a 13 × 9 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees After spreading brownie batter evenly, take globs of the pistachio pudding and spread them over top of the batter Ta-Da!
Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Then cool, cut, and keep refrigerated. Enjoy! 😋
Waves are crashing behind a couple who kiss underneath the moonlight while a cinematic love song swoons in the background…..
Unless you’re Danny Zuko or Sandy Olsson and preparing to go back to Rydell high school and tell your friends all about those “summer nights,” the romantic scene above is likely one you mostly see on a movie screen (no offense, Grease).
Beaches are paradise (but don’t ask me, because I’ve never been to one), and many people get swept up in the sandy fantasies of love by an ocean. Unsurprisingly, these ideals are captured and longed for in the music scene as well. These beachfront songs are played over speakers all year long, regardless of the season.
As summer winds down for another year, I can’t help but think about connections between two classic beach songs that flow beautifully into one another.
The Shangri-las’ timeless “Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)” from 1964 has been memorialized in recent years with the famous “Oh no” line being used in TikToks and the like. Sure, the line still fits when it’s out of context of the song, but the classic hit itself shouldn’t be carelessly ignored.
Likewise, when remembering the 1980s, The Go-Gos’ hits remain highly popular, as do several tracks from lead singer Belinda Carlisle after she pursued a solo career. While “Vacation” and “Heaven Is a Place On Earth” will always be memorable favorites, we shouldn’t forget “Circle In the Sand” from a Carlisle solo album.
Details and imagery from each song create an intriguing push and pull effect, as if the story of one song leads straight into the story of the other. And if that isn’t enough to spike the volleyball over the net, we’ll also take a quick look at a hard rock rendition of “Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)” that will be sure to melt your ice cream cone!
What’s Monthly Mixtape? Each month on Confessions of a Classic Soul, Nicole reviews an underappreciated song from decades past. Her love for underrated songs, plus her literary analysis skills and music experience, allow her to find hidden gems within songs.
“Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)” by the Shangri-las
The Shangri-las, a female teenage trio from the 1960s, was headed by lead singer Mary Weiss. In “Remember…”, the classic track begins with an echo effect and background vocalization. In a fuller version, like in the video above, the girls provide spoken dialogue with Weiss saying, “I know you love me too.” This statement, very general, is neither positive or negative because we gain no context, especially with a silent background. However, it does set listeners up for potential themes of romance.
Weiss’s natural soprano vocal sets the mournful tone, and her youth can also be heard in how high her voice can soar. Her vocals perfectly relate to the teenage love song that is about to unfold. And hey, there are seagulls crying in the background!!
Sooner rather than later, we learn that her lover has gone across the ocean and just now sent her a letter telling her that their relationship is through. A letter?! Sounds like a bit of a jerk move. The song doesn’t allow us to know how much time has passed between the lover leaving and then sending the letter. Perhaps part of that mourning in Weiss’s voice lends itself to that long pause in between. All this time she thought the relationship was stable, or maybe she had been reeling, unsure of it because they were out of touch. Nonetheless, the repetition of the lines “let me think” shows that she is panicking. This confirmation of a sunken love is still a heavy weight.
Additionally, the “oh no” that repeats a few lines later represents that panic settling down into realization. Now she must come to grips with the words written in the letter. For Weiss, this love equaled life. She distributed her love (aka life and energy) into the relationship. Now that she can no longer invest that love/energy into the lover, she is unraveling. What’s her purpose? What can she do now? That life she had now seems worthless.
Throughout the song there are several parallels of the comings and goings of the relationship. Right now they’re apart, but at one time their lips met. They used to be together walking on the sand, but now they’re oceans apart. In the end, she must come to terms and realize that this relationship isn’t going to formalize into a happy teenage beach movie conclusion.
“Circle In The Sand” by Belinda Carlisle
In 1987, Belinda Carlisle’s powerhouse voice stood out even more once she pursued her own music apart from the legendary girl-group The Go-Gos.
“Circle In The Sand” begins with a light guitar introduction, perhaps reminiscent of the dreamy beach romance Weiss referred to before her relationship ended. Summer here is ending. While Weiss’s summer ended with a broken heart, Carlisle tells a bit of a different story.
The line “I won’t walk away again” is a commitment. She isn’t taking off across an ocean. On the contrary, Carlisle and her lover are bound together, never-ending, just as a circle is. Eternity is present here: a beginning and end that continues. The promises and dreams that Weiss holds onto come to fruition in Carlisle’s ballad. In fact, this song sounds like it could be an answer from Weiss’s lover. The message of remaining committed in a relationship is all that Weiss longs to hear from her far-away lover. She so desires that never-ending circle in the sand!
When Carlisle mentions the cold wind and tide moving in, she’s likely using this imagery to refer to challenges that arise in the relationship. Instead of allowing that tide to wash away the circle in the sand, she is embracing for impact and decides the bond is strong and worth it.
In further comparison, Weiss was walking with no direction while Carlisle is moving round in the circle. Carlisle’s relationship is a track on which it can stay bound and never-ending. Weiss’s, however, seems more like the teenage summer fling. It, quite literally, walked off into the ocean.
The Aerosmith Rendition of The Shangri-las!
Let’s just say that Mary Weiss and Steven Tyler are NOTHING like each other in the vocal department. However, Aerosmith is currently on their final tour of their career, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to reflect on their cover of the Shangri-las’ “Remember…”
Unlike the Shangri-las, there are no beach vibes, just the mournful ballad, now played on heavier guitars. During the chorus, Tyler is very quick on his entrances. The tempo of the walking-on-the-sand memories is increased. Although I criticized this rushed tempo at first, I realized that it makes this cover more manly. The quicker Tyler delivers these lines, the more the sexual passion and tension are infused. The mood isn’t so dreamy and hazy here as desperate and full of longing. The emotion isn’t heavily drawn out or whiny but edgy. You’re not going to hear his voice break as if he’s going to start sobbing. There are still vocal lifts and breaks, characteristics of Tyler’s iconic voice, but the sound is of a broken man trying to keep himself together.
This is definitely not a song many would expect Steven Tyler to tackle, but it certainly works in a rock world! Dream on!…
Before You Go…
Don’t forget to listen and subscribe to the Guilty Pleasures of a Classic Soul playlist, which compiles all songs featured on Monthly Mixtape! You can now listen on either YouTube or Spotify!
The old soul returneth! As generational divides deepen and kids morph into the “iGen,” or technology-oriented, population, rest assured that young old souls exist (isn’t that why you’re here anyway?). Today’s youth, namely individuals 40 and under, aren’t all blind to the methods and appreciations of generations past. In fact, they have their own wisdom and experiences that keep the classics shining, sometimes in a new light and context.
While it’s true that Confessions of a Classic Soul has been hibernating these past few months, I’ve since gained many insights as to the presence and growth of people my age who are undoubtedly Classic Souls.
From the new friends I’ve met to occurrences in media and pop culture, here are my findings…
Loving the Classics
We all know that if “it’s broke, don’t fix it.” This is the motto for hundreds of old souls who firmly believe that the way products and art forms were created years ago are more genuine than modern forms, hence “withstanding the test of time.” In recent years, a surge in classic rock, cars, and the 1980s have surfaced among youth.
Not convinced? Clearly you haven’t met:
TH: who just made a mega Spotify playlist of tracks from the 1960s-80s. There is plenty of Beach Boys and Toto to keep spirits up. 🎶
DA: physical therapist who refurbished a record player/stereo for use within the rehab facility. 🏋♂️
RJ: budding violin virtuoso who isn’t afraid to play a composition from an opera. 🎻
DS: who probably can’t even name the number of records he owns or how many concerts he’s been to. Dedication is attempting to travel to the west coast to catch one of the final Dead and Company shows. 🤘
JS: who can tell you anything you want to know about Jane Austin and Pride and Prejudice. 📕
EL: what ISN’T she obsessed with? 😍
GS: it’s yellow, but this Corvette has been places! ⭐️
LW: whose 2023 graduation scrapbook is full of photos from a Polaroid! 📸
SMG & NG: Renaissance-themed wedding 💍
Pop Culture
From movies to trends, there is no doubt that the classics are resurfacing and reentering our mainstream culture.
Flip Phones
In 2015 I received my first phone for my 16th birthday. It was indeed a flip phone, which of course set me apart from my Apple peers. Flip phones started as an awesome upgrade from the brick-like cell phones. Heck, even cool TV detectives used them (hello, Horatio Caine and CSI)! As Apple and Android continued to produce more and more modern devices, flip phones quickly became less popular and were associated with the elderly.
Record players and records have made a major comeback in recent years. This alone shows that, while online streaming is convenient, there are enough old souls who still like the physical aspect of their media.
I’ve also heard rumors that cassettes are making a comeback! Pencil, please! ✏️
Additionally, just consider the fads in getting the music into ears. Headphones were the cream of the crop in the 1980s. How else were you going to use your Walkman?! Earphones came next, and now airpods that connect to Bluetooth have taken the world by storm. Yet, even on a college campus, I’ve seen a resurgence in large headphones 🎧. As long as you can hear the tunes, right?
Old Tropes and Sequels
TOO MANY SEQUELS AND REMAKES! Many old souls, including young ones, are skeptical of modern remakes and sequels. The list of shows and movies that have been rebooted or reimagined in the past five years alone is stunning. What have we seen lately?
Disney movies getting live-action transitions, from The Lion King to The Little Mermaid 🧜♀️
West Side Story got a modern makeover
The Star Wars Saga saw three more original movies, plus independent movies like Solo and Rogue One, not to mention shows like the Mandalorian and a Kenobi backstory.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the female-led versions
Law & Order reboot, which still includes actor Sam Waterson.
Night Court reboot, which still includes John Larroquette as Dan Fielding.
CBS has plenty of Star Trek spin-offs!
Amazon’s Rings of Power as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings. However, it has received many complaints. I never finished the series and couldn’t get past an age difference not portrayed as Tolkein had written.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Harrison Ford is well into his 80s! Let the character retire already!
Coming soon: both Grease and Willy Wonka backstories
The list could go on and on. We old souls aren’t against reboots or reimaginings. The issues are that 1) we’d like to see more original stories that play off similar themes from the stories above, and 2) modern retellings sometimes come with inconsistencies or details that feel unnatural when compared to the original plot.
Not sure where the old souls are? Just take a closer look around you. I promise you, we exist. We might be quiet about it, but we are here!
Confessions of a Classic Soul 