I finally got the "best" of "America" (1) CD, after years of wanting and forgetting, and yesterday listened to all 22 tracks. Some old favorites and some new ones. "The Border" initially caught my attention because some of the lines and rhythms reminded me of the sound track from "LadyHawke".(2) Good tune on it's own though. One immediately got me listening carefully: "Paradise".
This song was written in 2001,
Paradise
Caught between the fire and the ice
No need to think twice
Its where I want to be
Here is my take: the fire is the sun, and the ice is deep space. The Earth is positioned perfectly between these monster extremes, allowing Paradise to exist. Perfect balance between too hot and too cold. Perfect. Paradise. And this is EXACTLY where I want to be.
Problem: They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot.(3)
I won't go into the litany of human caused problems. You know them by now. But folks, I gotta tell you, we are about to lose Paradise. At the very least a different Paradise will take the place of the one I know and love. Might be better, might not. Personally, I would rather not trade this one in for a new model. But I am pretty sure that is what we have accomplished as a species.
I don’t know if Beckley and Bunnell had this in mind when they wrote it, or if "America" had this in mind when they recorded it. But that is what those lyrics mean to me. At least, one of the meanings.
Think about it.
Image: http://reality.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/ice-and-fire1.jpg
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment