Today's Music Ain't Got the Same Soul

Ah, Motown in the 60s and 70s. Nothing better. Not sure about now. For the most part, I only listen to oldies. I know some of those old groups are still out there. Like the Temptations. We went to see them on Sunday. One of them (the guy in the middle of the photo) was in the original group that has been performing for 58 years. Assuming that he was 18 when he started (and I don't know, I'm assuming) then he would be 76 now. Good for him! Great job!

But one thing that really stood out for me was the song lyrics. My Girl (my favorite) - "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day." The Way You Do the Things You Do - "You got a smile so bright, you know you could have been a candle."  Lady Soul - "You are my life, you make me whole".

No bitches and hoes. Except for a few "social commentary songs" it's all about how good that woman makes you feel and how lucky you are to have her or how awful it's going to be to lose her.

 Assuming that popular music is a reflection of society, I have to wonder what happened. The 60s and 70s were decades of great social upheaval and strife - far from idyllic. And what I'm going to say next is a broad generalization but I think that back then, song lyrics reflected our ideals more than our reality.  Anyone else have any thoughts on the subject?

Remote Control

As we were driving through Kansas and Wyoming (and some parts of Colorado) I noticed vast farms and ranches. In Kansas I saw a  big farmhouse, several barns and outbuildings, some grain silos and then nothing else for miles around. In Wyoming I saw a mailbox and a fence - and some cows. Apparently the house was too far away to be seen from the road.

I wonder what it would be like to grow up in a place like that. I'm guessing it takes a long time to get to school. Or maybe the kids (assuming there are kids) are home schooled. I wonder what it would be like to live in such a place as an adult. You'd almost certainly be working on the farm or ranch because other places of employment would be too far away, unless of course you could work from home. You might have issues with your neighbors' animals getting into your fields, but you wouldn't get your panties in a wad over your neighbor's failure to mow his lawn or the color he painted his house because you'd probably never see it. But what do you do if you need an ambulance? Or the fire department?

I grew up in a small town with plenty of neighborhood kids to play with. I could ride my bicycle into town. I could walk to school and stop at the local soda fountain for an ice cream on my way home. When I was in sixth grade we moved to a more rural area. I thought we had moved out in the sticks. We had just under five acres but there were still a few friends within walking distance and I don't think anyone at school lived on hundreds of acres. I took a bus to school because it wasn't safe to walk - but it didn't take all day.

And now I'm back to living in a small town. At least it's small for now. (Not as small as it was when I moved here 36 years ago.) But all the changes are good. We've got three restaurants within walking distance. (Four if you count the one we don't go to.) An international airport is less than an hour away. Two grocery stores, nail salons and additional restaurants are less than 20 minutes away. There's a shopping mall and several cinemas about 30 minutes away with new ones that will be closer "coming soon".  Plus a shoe store (DSW) just opened up in that 20 minute range. What else do I need?

I don't think really remote living would suit me.