Apple Chime and The Living Years

Woah, have you ever started up an Apple product, of the laptop variety and heard the 'boot up' sound? It's the beginning of 'Living Years' by Mike and The Mechanics isn't it? Every time I hear it I start my rendition with the opening lines.....'Every generation, blames the one before'.............

I know I can mute the sound on start up but, I don't want to. I like that it reminds me of such a brilliant song and I have to say, and I believe me and the great composer Bert Bacharach both agree that the lyrics to this song are the finest ones written for years.

It was released in December 1988 and can you believe it only reached number 2 in the UK charts?? What?? I mean that's good but it is a number 1 smasher. It did reach number 1 in Canada and Australia and topped the US Billboard Chart. The song won an Ivor Novello Award in 1989 for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and so it should.  If you've not listened or sang along, really thinking about those lyrics and not had a bit of a leaky eye or your heart hasn't just given an extra beat then you need to go back to 'how to appreciate musical lyrics' school. It's just amazing.

The song was written by Mike Rutherford and BA Robertson and tells the tale of a man whose father passes away before resolving a dispute, the regret of not telling him the things he wanted to while he was alive and now it is all too late. It happens doesn't it? We just tend to take people for granted sometimes, not always in a mean way but because life just gets busy and we forget to say the important things to our loved ones. The things that matter. It's true, we can't say it when people die or we just don't get the chance so 'say it loud and say it clear', say it NOW, go and tell that special someone how you feel. Don't live with a regret otherwise you will sing this song for the rest of your life and get annoyed when you start your laptop up because it will be a constant reminder. I'm sure Mike and all his Mechanics would love you to keep listening but not regretting. 

If you have been living on a different planet or maybe too you to have heard this song you can view it here www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k

and thank you to the following link for some info regarding the song and it's history:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Living_Years


Enjoy and thanks for reading the first of my Music Monday, a great addition to the week if I do say so myself. Catch you tomorrow for Teapot Tuesday.......