An Alternative Look at David Bowie's song, Changes

This post was going to be about David Bowie’s song, Changes. I love the song. It’s brilliant how the lyrics are just vague enough to be open to individual interpretation, of which there are many.

Some believe that the Changes lyrics focus on the obsessive nature of artistic reinvention, which Bowie mastered. More common interpretations include taking a hard look at the process of aging and how you’ll handle the changes that go along with it. Even deeper, the lyrics examine a young man's attempt to figure out how he'll react to moving from the ‘cool, hip’ side of the generation divide to the ‘old, outdated’ side.

My plan was to take an excerpt of the Bowie lyrics and wax academic about the primary text and sub texts, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah.  

BUT…

…this is so much more fun. As I was researching the lyrics I noticed some word discrepancies—especially after the Ch-ch-ch-changes hook. I always thought the lyrics were:

> Turn and face the strain
Ch-ch-changes

It turns out, I may not be correct. Here are some of the alternative suggestions:

> Turn and face the strange
As in - move out and face the unknown.

> Turn and face the change
Which is an obvious repeat of the hook

> Turn and chase the grain
Guessing that Bowie drinks whiskey with a beer chaser

> Turn and get my cane
The refrain Bowie will sing when he gets older

Other notable interpretations:

> Turn and take the train
> Turn and face the stain
> Churn your face in Spain
> Turn and face Loraine
> Time to eat chow mein

Okay, I’m easily amused but these are laugh out loud funny to me. Here, take a listen and tell me what you think the mystery lyrics in David Bowie’s song, Changes are.

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This post was written for The Writers' Post group on Facebook, and this week’s topic is changes.  If you want to connect with other bloggers and join the fun, go to The Writers' Post Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.

Winnie the Pooh on Loyalty

The word loyalty means different things to different people. That may sound harsh and you may disagree but that’s the way it has played out in my life. One could argue: then the person wasn’t really loyal. That’s true, and there’s the rub. There are times when you believe someone is loyal and you find out otherwise. There are other times when someone’s loyalty surprises you, in a good way. 

The word itself is not hard to define:  

Loyal is an adjective. Marriam Webster defines the word as an unswerving allegiance; faithful to a person to whom fidelity is due; faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution or product. Showing loyalty.

Loyalty is a noun, defined as the quality or state or an instance of being loyal.

There are many examples of true loyalty and mistaken loyalty in literature. One of my favorite examples of true loyalty in literature is the relationship between Winnie the Pooh and Piglet in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” books.    

Many authors have used Milne’s characters to illustrate a point (for example: “The Tao of Pooh,” “The Te of Piglet”). That’s because his genius is multilayered in its simplicity.

One of the messages that resonate with me is the way Milne’s characters—living in The Hundred Acre Wood—demonstrate the power and importance of loyal friends. Here are a few of my favorite “Winnie the Pooh” quotes that get right to the heart of what loyal friendship is all about:

~If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.

~Promise you won't forget me, because if I thought you would, I'd never leave. 

~If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever.

~If you live to be one-hundred, I hope I live to be one-hundred minus one day, so I never have to live a day without you. 

~We'll be friends forever, won't we, Pooh? asked Piglet. Even longer, Pooh answered.

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This post is in participation with the Group Blogging Experience, and this week’s prompt is loyalty.  If you want to blog with us, go to the GBE2 Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.

Classic Pooh image courtesy of justpooh.com. The pictures are free to use for educational purposes and personal use.

French Words that Americans Use: Fun with Words

I've noticed many of my friends peppering their daily conversations with French words and phrases, sometimes unknowingly. I'm sure I do it too. C'est la vie.*

Hors D'oeuvres

Though often mocked and intentionally mispronounced, the French phrase hors d'oeuvre is commonly used by Americans. Translated, hors d'oeuvres means small portions of food served as an appetizer or offered at a cocktail party. If an invitation says 'heavy hors d'oeuvres' you know the party will have plenty to eat but you won't get a sit-down meal. 

Bon Voyage

Before leaving on a long trip you may hear the words bon voyage. Literally translated into the English language, this French phrase means 'good journey.' Bon voyage has been borrowed from the French and is often used by Americans to mean 'have a good trip'.

Déjà Vu

Déjà vu is the feeling of reliving a prior experience. It's a peculiar feeling of familiarity, though you are likely experiencing the event or circumstance for the first time. Déjà vu has become such a common term in the English language that it's hard to describe what it means without using the phrase déjà vu itself. Can you do it? Give it a try in the comments section.

Merci Beaucoup

Americans often use the French word merci or the French phrase merci beaucoup as a substitute for thank you. Merci translates to English as 'thank you' and the translation for merci beaucou' is 'thank you very much.'

Bon Appétit

The French phrase bon appétit is often said to one another before a meal. Bon appétit literally translates to 'good appetite' or 'hearty appetite'. Americans say bon appétit before eating as a way of saying 'enjoy your meal' or 'have a nice meal.'

*The literal translation for C'est la vie is 'it is life.' Many Americans use c'est la vie to mean 'that's life' or—if you want to use the Urban Dictionary as a reference—'oh well, $hit happens'.

For example-

Me: I can't believe I gained 3 pounds!

You: C'est la vie. Get over it.

Speaking of food (weren't we?!), I like my pie a la mode, s'il vous plait. 

 

Project 2996: A tribute to 9/11 victim Anna Williams Allison

Today I am writing a special post in participation with Project 2996. This project is the brainchild of a fellow blogger, designed to honor the lives of the people who died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Project 2996 is intended to celebrate the lives of the people who perished on that tragic day. To remember the victims as people, not just a list on a page. This is a tribute to Anna Williams Allison.

By all accounts, Anna Williams Allison was a woman who lived life to the fullest. An energetic adventurer with an independent streak, Anna, 48, wanted to see the world.

Shortly before the 9/11/ 2001, Anna and her husband Blake—a wine appreciation instructor at the Cambridge Center in Massachusetts—traveled through France. During their journey, they visited Paris and Alsace. In a quest to do it all, the happy couple also visited Champagne, where Champagne is made and Burgundy, where Beaujolais is produced.

Anna's husband Blake remembers her optimistic attitude: Every day was a new opportunity for her. Because there were new opportunities, there was always hope of doing something good. That's the way she lived her life.

Blake especially wanted people to remember Anna’s infectious laugh. He says: If she got going it just consumed her body and her being. She convulsed with laughter. You couldn't help but hear that and feel a lift of spirit.

I am honored to be a part of Project 2996. Researching about Anna Williams Allison touched me. My tribute cannot adequately convey this woman’s zest for life and positive outlook. She is more than words on a page, more than a name on a 2996-long list; she is a real person. I'm sure if I'd had the good fortune to meet Anna, we would have been friends.  

Stephen King uses Social Media in New Ways

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a giant Stephen King fan. For aspiring writers, I highly recommend Stephen King on Writing. In fact, as I reread recent blog posts, it’s clear that I need to read On Writing again (for the 3^rd time).

I’m just finishing Lisey’s Story (Lisey's Story by Stephen King, a Review) and will start on Duma Key soon. Yep, I'm a fan.

There are countless reasons I think Stephen King is a master, most of which are writing related. But I also think he’s a free thinker, not bound by traditional convention. As the cliché goes, he thinks outside the box.

I don’t know much about Klout so this is not an endorsement. It’s very cool, however, that King is using social media to market his new story, Mile 81. He's also previewing his new book 11/22/63 in this same manner. Here’s the official press release: