Story Songs: That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be

Have you ever gone along with something simply because that's the way it's always been done? Of course you have. We've all followed the norm, at various points in our lives, whether it's the right thing to do or not.

That's how I interpret Carly Simon's "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." In this case, it's about getting married and settling down even though there are strong indicators that it may not be a wise decision. 

This heartfelt and melancholy song opens with the narrator walking through the living  room and notices that her father is sitting alone in the dark, smoking a cigarette, commenting:

 "I walk by, no remark."

Then the narrator walks past the master bedroom, where her mother is reading magazines: 

"I hear her call sweet dreams, 

But I forgot how to dream."

Then the chorus:

"But you say it's time we moved in together

And raised a family of our own, you and me -

Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be:

You want to marry me, we'll marry."

Then the narrator reflects on her friends from college who are married:

"They have their houses and their lawns

They have their silent noons,

Tearful nights, angry dawns.

Their children hate them for the things they're not;

They hate themselves for what they are"

That's followed by the chorus.

And then the narrator views considers losing her identity despite the other person's reassurances: 

"You say we'll soar like two birds through the clouds,

But soon you'll cage me on your shelf -

I'll never learn to be just me first

By myself."

And in the end:

"Well OK, it's time we moved in together

And raised a family of our own, you and me -

Well, that's the way I've always heard it should be,

You want to marry me, we'll marry,

We'll marry."

Simon composed the music and Jacob Brackman wrote the lyrics of this 1971 hit, her first, which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. She received a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Simon, along with Carole King and Joni Mitchell, led the way in recording introspective and socially relevant songs. Vanity Fair magazine referred to them as "the rebel angels."

Simon, who still performs and records, turned 70 on June 25. 

"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" lyrics

Spotlight on ELO

Electric Light Orchestra, or ELO, blended guitars, cellos, violins, drums, horns and keyboards to produce some of the most original and dynamic progressive rock music in the 1970s and '80s.

The group, formed in 1970 by Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, scored 27 Top 40 hits on the Billboard charts including seven that hit the Top 10. Interestingly, ELO never hit No. 1  in the United States despite selling more than 50 million units.  But they were certainly one of a kind.

Among their biggest hits  were No. 4 "Don't Bring Me Down," No. 7 "Telephone Line," No. 8 "Shine A Little Love," No. 9s "Can't Get It Out of My Head" and  "Turn to Stone," and No. 10s "Evil Woman" and "Hold on Tight." They also hit No. 8 with Olivia Newton-John with "Xanadu."

Among my favorites, in addition to their hits, include "Mr. Blue Sky," "Sweet Talkin' Woman," "Livin' Thing" and "Calling America."  And their rousing cover of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven" is unforgettable. 

Needless to say, if you've read previous "Spotlight on...." posts, ELO hasn't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not even nominated even though they've been eligible since 1996. Unreal.

I believe Lynne should be inducted in the Rock Hall simply for his solo work,  as a musician (ELO and Traveling Wilburys), producer, and songwriter. Read a great interview with Lynne in Billboard.

Now enjoy few music videos from this great band:

Roll Over Beethoven

Don't Bring Me Down

Telephone Line

Until the next time...

Story Songs: Fast Car

Singer-songwriter and social activist Tracy Chapman sang about the seemingly endless cycle of poverty as it relates to a young woman in "Fast Car."

The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1988. A year  later she received a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The song begins with the woman wanting to flee her sad surroundings and start a new life with her lover: 

"Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove"

We learn that the girl's mother left the family because of her alcoholic father but that she decided to drop out of school and take care of him. She expresses hopes and dreams of finding a new life:

"City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone"

But that doesn't happen as she finds work at a grocery store, he doesn't have a job, and they end up living in a shelter. And then we discover that she's back in the situation her mother experienced with her dad:

"You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere"

And in the end she says:

"You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way"

The song is so powerful because Chapman focused on one person and the struggles she faced to escape poverty. And true to reality, it is extremely difficult to break that cycle.

Chapman followed "Fast Car" with other noteworthy songs such as "Talkin 'bout a Revolution," "Baby Can I Hold You," and "Give Me One Reason."

"Fast Car" lyrics