Single Picks

While I can't say that I'm a die-hard fan of these artists, they made these hits that I like.  Some songs were made by one-hit-wonders, while some songs were covers of the originals.  Some are classified as old standards, some other picks were influenced by friends, and some of the newer artists have simply grown on me, perhaps due to Monique's incessant insistence!

     1)     No Arms Can Ever Hold You     -     Chris Norman
     2)     When She Cries     -     Restless Heart
     3)     Wildflower     -     Skylark
     4)     The Captain of Her Heart     -    Double
     5)     Breathless     -     The Corrs
     6)     Reminiscing     -     Little River Band
     7)     Dance With Me     -     Orleans
     8)     Baby Come Back     -     Player
     9)     How Much I Feel     -     Ambrosia
   10)     Fool (If You Think It's Over)     -     Chris Rea
   11)     I'm Not In Love     -     10cc
   12)     High     -     Lighthouse Family
   13)     Need You Now     -     Lady Antebellum
   14)     Love the Way You Lie     -     Eminem & Rihanna
   15)     Empire State of Mind     -     Jay Z & Alicia Keys
   16)     What A Fool Believes     -     Doobie Brothers
   17)     Marry Your Daughter     -     Brian McKnight
   19)     Waiting For A Girl Like You     -     Foreigner
   20)     Every Time You Go Away     -     Paul Young
   21)     Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now     -     Jeffersuon Starship
   22)     I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore     -     REO Speedwagon
   23)     I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing     -     Aerosmith
   24)     Too Much Love Will Kill You     -     Queen
   25)     Right Here Waiting     -     Richard Marx
   26)     Tears In Heaven     -     Eric Clapton
   27)     Everything I Do (I Do It For You)     -     Bryan Adams
   28)     Bed of Roses     -     Bon Jovi
   29)     When You Say Nothing At All     -     Ronan Keating
   30)     Foolish Heart     -     Steve Perry
   31)     Thunderdome     -     Tina Turner
   32)     Seasons In the Sun     -     Terry Jacks
   33)     If I Were a Boy     -     Beyonce Knowles
   34)     Eres Tu     -     Mocedades
   35)     Alone Again Naturally    -     Gilbert O'Sullivan
   36)     Afternoon Delight     -     Starland Vocal Band
   37)     Don't Give Up On Us Baby     -     David Soul
   38)     Emotion     -     Samantha Sang
   39)     Native New Yorker     -     Odyssey
   40)     No Sabes Como Sufri     -     Maria Ostiz
   41)     Dreaming of You     -     Selena
   42)     Good Girls Go Bad     -     Cobra Starship ft Leighton Meester
   43)     My Love     -     Westlife
   44)     Shape of My Heart     -     Backstreet Boys
   45)     I'll Make Love To You     -     Boyz II Men
   46)     Unbreak My Heart     -     Toni Braxton
   47)     Love Is Stronger Far Than We     -     Esther Satterfield
   48)     Ordinary People     -     John Legend
   49)     The Man Who Can't Be Moved     -     The Script
   50)     Won't Go Home Without You     -     Maroon 5
   51)     Big Girls Don't Cry     -     Fergie
   52)     Someone Like You     -     Adele
   53)     Knocking on Heaven's Door     -     Guns n Roses
   54)     I Can See Clearly Now     -     Jimmy Cliff
   55)     Somewhere Over the Rainbow     -     Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
   56)     The A Team     -     Ed Sheeran
   57)     Just the Way You Are     -     Bruno Mars
   58)     Love Moves In Mysterious Ways     -     Julia Fordham
   59)     The Hurt     -     Kalapana
   60)     Let Me In     -     Mike Francis
   61)     The Boy From New York City     -     The Manhattan Transfer
   62)     Have I Told You Lately That I Love You     -     Rod Stewart
   63)     Father and Son     -     Cat Stevens
   64)     You Are So Beautiful     -     Billy Preston
   65)     Up Where We Belong     -     Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
   66)     Dreams     -     Fleetwood Mac
   67)     I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)     -     Meatloaf
   68)     Englishman in New York     -     Sting
   69)     Every Breath You Take     -     The Police
   70)     Insomnia     -     Craig David

Songs for a Pensive Mood

Some songs make you pause what you are doing, and automatically, you step back to savor the music and lyrics.  Some inspire you, or make you cry.  Some drive you into a melancholy trance, while others make you relive bittersweet memories.  Most of these songs are difficult to sing, maybe a succession of high notes, or sometimes long protracted chords.  Most of the songs are typically sung with closed eyes, clenched fists or hands outstretched in the air.  These are haunting songs, songs I listen to when I am in a pensive mood.  I listen well, I think better.  This is my list, in no particular order:

     1)     I Believe     -     Perry Como
     2)     You Will Never Walk Alone     -     Soundtrack from Carousel
     3)     People     -     Barbra Streisand
     4)     You've Lost That Loving Feeling     -     Righteous Brothers
     5)     Climb Every Mountain     -     Soundtrack from The Sound of Music
     6)     Auld Lang Syne     -     Traditional New Year Hymn
     7)     Nobody Does It Better     -     Carly Simon
     8)     May You Always     -     McGuire Sisters
     9)     Muskrat Love     -     Captain & Tenille
   10)     We've Only Just Begun     -     Karen Carpenter
   11)     Stairway to Heaven     -     Led Zeppelin
   12)     Whiter Shade of Pale     -     Procol Harum
   13)     Both Sides Now     -     Judy Collins
   14)     Guantanamera     -     Sandpipers
   15)     Sitting on the Dock of the Bay     -     Otis Redding
   16)     Bridge Over Troubled Water     -     Simon & Garfunkel
   17)     Hotel California     -     Eagles
   18)     The Prayer     -     Andrea Bocelli
   19)     Send in the Clowns     -     Shirley Bassey
   20)     September Morn     -     Neil Diamond
   21)     Yesterday     -     The Beatles
   22)     I Only Have Eyes For You     -     Peggy Lee
   23)     Fire & Rain     -     James Taylor
   24)     How Deep Is Your Love     -     Bee Gees
   25)     Unchained Melody     -     Elvis Presley
   26)     For the Good Times     -     Kris Kristofferson
   27)     Release Me     -     Englebert Humperdinck
   28)     Morning Has Broken     -     Cat Stevens
   29)     By the Time I Get to Phoenix     -      Glen Campbell
   30)     You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore     -     Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
   31)     If Ever I Would Leave You     -    Soundtrack from Camelot
   32)     All I Ask of You     -     Soundtrack from Phantom of the Opera
   34)     Somewhere     -     Soundtrack from West Side Story
   35)     Let Me Try Again     -     Frank Sinatra
   36)     My Way     -     Frank Sinatra/Paul Anka
   37)     The Last Night of the World     -     Soundtrack from Miss Saigon
   38)     In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning     -     Julie London
   39)     Till I Loved You     -     Barbra Streisand & Don Johnson
   40)     Home     -     Soundtrack from The Wizard of Oz

Cult Songs

Some songs make such a distinctive sound that you instinctively know what the song is.  You either love them or hate them.  Here's my collection, in no particular order:

   1)     Long Haired Lover from the Liverpool    -     Jimmy Osmond
   2)     Zodiacs     -     Roberta Kelly
   3)     When Will I See You Again     -     Three Degrees
   4)     Everlasting Thrill     -     South Side Movement
   5)     Love To Love You Baby     -     Donna Summer
   6)     Love Won't Let Me Wait     -     Major Harris
   7)     House of the Rising Sun     -     The Animals
   8)     Show Me the Way     -     Peter Frampton
   9)     Knock Three Times     -     Tony Orlando & Dawn
 10)     It's Not Unusual     -     Tom Jones
 11)     Delilah     -     Englebert Humperdinck
 12)     Skyline Pigeon     -     Elton John
 13)     Da Doo Run Run     -     Shaun Cassidy
 14)     Kung Fu Fighting     -     Carl Douglas
 15)     King Kong     -     Jimmy Castor Bunch
 16)     Stay Just a Little Bit Longer     -     Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs
 17)     Disco Duck     -     Rick Dees & the Cast of Idiots
 18)     El Bimbo     -     Bimbo Jet
 19)     Theme from Shaft     -     Isaac Hayes
 20)     Play the Funky Music     -     Wild Cherry
 21)     I'm All Shook Up     -     Elvis Presley
 22)     That's the Way (I Like It)     -     KC & the Sunshine Band
 23)     Alone Again, Naturally     -     Gilbert O' Sullivan
 24)     Trying To Get the Feeling Again     -     Barry Manilow
 25)     King & Queen of Hearts     -     David Pomeranz

To me, these songs evoke many different reactions.

Some, like King Kong, Kung Fu Fighting and Disco Duck make me dance like a clown, while others like Everlasting Thrill and That's the Way (I Like It) bring me back to the days when I tried to act cool and macho (well, sort of)...  Some songs like Delilah and Knock Three Times are Karaoke mainstays--you instantly close your eyes and imagine that you were belting out the song to an auditorium full of screaming fans... unbelievable imagination, really... hahaha...

Some songs get lyrics changed--we used "amoy suka" singing the Elvis Presley piece, which just the whole meaning of the song.  Some songs are the butt of jokes--we used to believe that Trying To Get the Feeling Again was the perfect jingle for Viagra!  The sexually charged Love Won't Let Me Wait and Love to Love You Baby come across like a match made in heaven, and these songs make me emit a sly wicked grin whenever I hear the first few notes... hmmm....

Stay Just a Little Bit Longer makes me tap my feet and El Bimbo makes me stand up to put the (imaginary) hands of my dance partner over and around my head...  King and Queen of Hearts make me wish I were dancing and looking into the eyes of my high school puppy love...

When Will I See You Again and Skyline Pigeon put me in a reflective mood.  While the songs play, my mind freezes up and pauses--sort of like a mental check on the questions of life.

What songs do you passionately love?  Or simply hate?

Tony Bennett

There are some vocal artists that give me sheer pleasure just to listen to.  Tony Bennett is one of those artists.  Currently 86 years old, the man makes such great music that every time I hear his signature song I Left My Heart In San Francisco, I stop and close my eyes.  My other favorites--If I Ruled the World, and Song of the Jet Set (Rio de Janeiro)!  His Duets collection (volume 1 came out in 2006 and volume 2 came out last year) are very soothing to listen to, you can hear the clarity and feel the phrasing of his words even at his advanced age.  Note that he makes "oldies" music with a much younger generation (e.g. James Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Sting, Bono, Lady Gaga, KD Lang, Diana Krall, among others); it's just like he is passing the torch to the new crop of artists who, despite their coming from different musical backgrounds, still do not fail to pay respect to the American musical classics.  Make more good music, Tony Bennett!

Traincha

This is one lady that sings oh so beautifully!  Traincha is the singing sensation from Amsterdam.  She has worked with a lot of jazz artists, and is most popular for her collaboration with Burt Bacharach on a series of albums recreating new twists to his wonderful songs.  I got her album "The Look of Love" on a weekend sale, and I think I stumbled onto a gold mine!  One may argue that it is difficult to step into the shoes of Dionne Warwick, who imprinted Bacharach's songs with her distinct cocky but playful mood--but this young lady has a crystalline voice; her phrasing brings out a pleasant tempo that will make the Bacharach fan proud.  Truly a great find!

Latin Beat

This was a hard mix to compile.  I haven't heard some of these songs in a long time now!  The Latin rhythm CD:


1)    Asereje - Las Ketchup
2)    Rico Mambo - Breakfast Club
3)    Let's Do the Latin Hustle - Eddie Drennon & the BBS Unlimited
4)    The Rhythm of the Night - De Barge
5)    El Bimbo - Bimbo Jet
6)    La Balanga - Bimbo Jet
7)    Macarena - Los Del Rio
8)    Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings
9)    La Bamba - Ritchie Valens
10)  America (from "West Side Story") - Trini Lopez
11)  Turn The Beat Around - Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine
12)  Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
13)  Oye Como Va - Santana
14)  Bem Bem Bem Maria - Gypsy Kings
15)  Djobi Djoba - Gypsy Kings
16)  Volare - Gypsy Kings
17)  Lemon Tree - Trini Lopez
18)  There Will Never Be Another You - Chris Montez

Music Icons

I was thinking out aloud about which music artists would represent certain generations, and here is my thinking--


1940s          Frank Sinatra


1950s          Elvis Presley


1960s          The Beatles


1970s           Donna Summer


1980s           Michael Jackson


1990s           Madonna


2000s          Lady Gaga


I know there are a thousand and one alternatives, but I guess these people impressed a stamp on my musical consciousness!

OPM English CD

I just read an article in Yahoo!  that by 2020, some analysts foresee that the CD and the DVD will go the way of vinyl records, and that music will be delivered via internet downloads.  Before that prediction happens, let me roll out my compilation of favorite OPM Hits in English:

1)     Beautiful Girl  -  Jose Mari Chan

2)     Each Day Is A Valentine  -  Martin Nievera

3)     No One Throws Away Memories (Hallmark)  -  Richard Tann

4)     Give Me A Chance  -  Ric Segretto

5)     I Will Always Stay In Love This Way  -  Baron Barbers

6)     Away From You  -  Jennifer Ramos

7)     Here And Now  -  Jose Mari Chan

8)     I Don't Love You Anymore  -  New Minstrels

9)     Points Of View  -  Joey Albert & Pops Fernandez

10)   Till My Heartaches End  -  Ella Mae Saison

11)   Let The Pain Remain  -  Side A

12)   A Samba Song  -  Bong Penera & the Batucada

13)   Hang On  -  Gary Valenciano

14)   Be My Lady  -  Martin Nievera

15)   I'll Never Say Goodbye  -  Nonoy Zuniga

16)   Farewell  -  Raymond Lauchengco

17)   Closer You and I  -  Gino Padilla

18)   When I Met You  -  Apo Hiking Society

19)   Till I Met You  -  Kuh Ledesma

20)   Refrain  -  Jose Mari Chan

FRC MOR CD

We had great times with my old friend Barbs, who always played the guitar accompaniment for us in high school, and we spent many a night in merriment, singing these songs with a couple of beers.  It was especially great when we'd took that 3-night vacation in Jim's Nasugbu beach house--all 20 of us rocking the night along.  Then in college, the guitar man was Jhicks, and we had lots of time drinking our scotch cum martini creation called "Landing in Normandy" in both the RSD main house and in Baguio.  Here's my Folk, Rock, Country, Middle-of-the-Road CD tribute to those wonder days:

1)    House of the Rising Sun  -  The Animals
2)    Danny's Song  -  Loggins & Messina
3)    Skyline Pigeon  -  Elton John
4)    Dust In the Wind  -  Kansas
5)    Miss American Pie  -  Don Mc Lean
6)    At Seventeen  -  Janis Ian
7)    A Whiter Shade of Pale  -  Procol Harum
8)    Wandering  -  James Taylor
9)    Bohemian Rhapsody  -  Queen
10)  Both Sides Now  -  Judy Collins
11)  Dance With Me  -  Orleans
12)  Save The Last Dance For Me  - Michael Buble
13)  Nightbird  -  Kalapana
14)  Oh Lori  -  Alessi Brothers
15)  Stand By Me  -  Ben E. King
16)  Sister Golden Hair  -  America
17)  Crying In the Rain  -  Everly Brothers
18)  You've Lost That Loving Feeling  -  Righteous Brothers
19)  Delilah  -  Tom Jones
20)  Release Me  -  Englebert Humperdinck
21)  Baby Come Back  -  Player
22)  Hotel California  -  Eagles


   

OPM CD

And who can forget these Original Pilipino Music hits?  If I were a music producer, I would love to compile these songs on one CD:


1)    Pumapatak Ang Ulan - Apo Hiking Society
2)    Kung Sakali  -  Pabs Dadivas
3)    Balatkayo  -  Anthony Castelo
4)    Manila  -  Hotdog
5)    Anak  -  Freddie Aguilar
6)    Nakapagtataka  -  Danny Javier
7)    Ngayon At Kailanman  -  Basil Valdez
8)    Bato Sa Buhangin  -  Cinderella
9)    Muli  -  Ramon Jacinto
10)  Nananabik  -  Didith Reyes
11)  O, Lumapit Ka  -  Ella Del Rosario
12)  Buhat  -  New Minstrels
13)  Magkasuyo Buong Gabi  -  Rico J. Puno & Elsa Chan
14)  Umagang Kay Ganda  -  Tillie Moreno & RayAn Fuentes
15)  Swerte Swerte Lang  -  Joel Navarro
16)  Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan  -  Side A
17)  Binibini  -  Rainmakers
18)  Handog  -  Florante
19)  Kay Ganda Ng Atin Musika  -  Hadji Alejandro
20)  Kung Liligaya Ka Sa Piling Ng Iba  -  Imelda Papin
21)  May Bukas Pa  -  Rico J. Puno
22)  Paniwalaan Mo  -  Blue Jeans
23)  Bonggahan  -  Sampaguita
24)  Laki Sa Layaw  -  Mike Hanopol
25)  Bakit Ba Ganyan  -  Dina Bonnevie
26)  Pinoy Ako  -  Orange & Lemons


I'm sure that CD would be a smash hit, right?

Sweet & Super Sweet CD

How about a sweet CD for slow dancing?  I'm talking about memories of afternoon soirees, of a time when we were always out--late night romancing during our high school & college days, of taking time-out to pause with friends to drink, sing & make merry, of those telebabad days before YM and Facebook existed... Let's see now:
 
1)     I Just Got Caught Dancing Again  -  Hues Corporation
2)     This Time I'll Be Sweeter  -  Angela Bofill
3)     I'll Never Love This Way Again  -  Dionne Warwick
4)     After The Love Has Gone  -  Earth, Wind & Fire
5)     Just As Long As We Have Love  -  Spinners
6)     City Of Angels  -  The Miracles
7)     Whispering Waves  -  Donna Summer
8)     Three Ring Circus  -  Blue Magic
9)     One Last Memory  -  Impact
10)   Love Won't Let Me Wait  -  Major Harris
11)   Reminiscing  -  Little River Band
12)   Sharing The Night Together  -  Dr. Hook
13)   Don't Give Up On Us  -  David Soul
14)   How Deep Is Your Love  -  Bee Gees
15)   I Honestly Love You  -  Olivia Newton-John
16)   King & Queen  -  David Pomeranz
17)   It's Sad To Belong  -  England Dan & John Ford Coley
18)   Of All The Things  -  Dennis Lambert
19)   What Matters Most  -  Kenny Rankin
20)   Wildflower  -  Skylark
21)   Color My World  -  Chicago
22)   I Just Don't Wanna Be Lonely  -  The Main Ingredient
23)  The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye  -  Sergio Mendes & Brasil 77

Dance Memory CD

If I were a disc-jockey, what disco/dance songs would I compile for a memory-filled CD?  Well...


1)      Souvenirs  -  Voyage
2)     Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You  -  Teri De Sario
3)     The Best Disco In Town  -  Ritchie Family
4)     The Hustle  -  Van Mc Coy
5)     The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP)  -  MFSB
6)     September  -  Earth, Wind & Fire
7)     Saturday Night Fever  -  Bee Gees
8)     Come To Me  -  France Joli
9)     Native New Yorker  -  Odyssey
10)   Rock the Boat  -  Hues Corporation
11)    Papaya  -  Ursula Dudziak
12)   E=mc2  -  Giorgio Moroder
13)   Push Push In the Bush  -  Poussez
14)   Born To Be Alive  -  Patrick Hernandez
15)   Love Is The Ultimate  -  Ultimate
16)   You To Me Are Everything  -   The Real Thing
17)   Good Times  -  Chic
18)   You Sexy Thing  -  Hot Chocolate
19)   Mac Arthur's Park  -  Donna Summer
20)   Midnight in Manhattan  -  Seventh Avenue
21)   YMCA  -  Village People
22)   Enough Is Enough  -  Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer
23)   Dancing In Paradise  -  El Coco
24)   Never Gonna Give You Up  -  Rick Astley
25)   He's The Greatest Dancer  -  Sister Sledge


I recall that we spent countless nights with our friends at Lost Horizon (Philippine Plaza), Where Else? (Manila Intercon), 1571 (Manila Hilton), Q (Regent of Manila), Jungle Bar/Apres (Manila Hotel), Cellar (Century Park Sheraton), El Camarote (Holiday Inn Manila), Valentino's (Manila Midtown Ramada, Calesa Bar (Hyatt), Coco Banana, Garahe & On Disco, among others.  We were penniless, so we had to save up for the entrance fees for ourselves and our dates; and once inside, we would nurse one beer the whole night, spend more time on the dance floor, swing to the boom boom of the bass speakers...

You're So Vain

You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and....

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive
Well you said that we made such a pretty pair
and that you would never leave

But you gave away the things you loved and one of them was me
I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee and....

You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you.....
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

Well I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you're where you should be all of the time
And when you're not you're with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and....

Carly Simon's No. 1 hit in 1973 has always been the subject of intense debate.  She had just married James Taylor at that time--so which of her previous lovers did she refer to?  Kris Kristofferson?  Warren Beatty?  Mick Jagger?  Cat Stevens?  I had for several years believed it was James Taylor because James did fly to Nova Scotia.  This was my cousin Fernando's theory, which I have believed from 1974 till a few years ago when I was corrected by a friend who believed it was Warren Beatty.  She has publicly given 3 clues--the name has the letters "A,"  "E" and "R," which would eliminate Kris Kristofferson & Cat Stevens, and just leave Warren Beatty and Mick Jagger (who sang background vocals on the song).  What do you think?

Don't Stop Believing

I just learned that Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" is the now officially the most downloaded MP3 song on the internet.  The song had achieved some measure of success in the 80s when Steve Perry was the lead vocalist of the band, but in this internet age, it's the version by the new vocalist Arnel Pineda (member since 2007) that has caught the attention of the digital population.  It's been 5 years since Arnel was plucked from obscurity to take over from Jeff Sotto; Arnel was the lead singer of the Olongapo-based cover band The Zoo when his YouTube covers were noticed by Neil Schon, the group's lead guitarist. Truly, the internationalization of the Journey is strong proof that Rock is no longer a monopoly of the Americans, and is now a big part of World Music.

American Pie

I've always been fascinated about Don Mc Lean's timeless song about the 1959 plane crash that led to the death of Richie Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bobber.  Subconsciously, I always clench my fists when I hear that portion of the song play!  Now a Michigan town was recently named by some smart-ass expert as one of the dying cities of America, and 5,000 residents turned out to prove the critics wrong.  Don Mc Lean sang a song about death, and of the things that outlive us all.  Check out the video, and be amazed at the unity amidst racial diversity--this is so "American Pie!"  Click right here for the YouTube version-- Grand Rapids Lip Syncs American Pie

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


-- Max Ehrmann (1872-1945) as narrated by Les Crane (1971 spoken-word recording)