#293) "The Lucky One" by Alison Krauss and Union Station - My oh my, what Midwestern white boy with any poetic sensibilities whatsoever hasn't wished he was, or strove to imagine himself, or tried desperately to be, the guy in this song, the "lucky one"...who comes and goes as he pleases, with "not a care in the world, not a worry in sight", always smiling, friendly with everyone, friends with no one, the complete and total player, but not so much that you hate him for it.
I did, anyway...spent a lot of time in high school dreaming of drifting around, making my goodbyes as dramatic and satisfying as my hellos. I became a father at seventeen, however, so those years in my twenties that might otherwise have allowed for - and been devoted to - a carefully crafted and picture perfect indifference to the petty hassles, leaden realities and inconvenient truths of personal relationships and life in general, were influenced greatly by what ended up a quick and seismic shift in my priorities. There was plenty of "worry in sight" by the time I graduated high school...the myriad concerns of parenthood, bills that could not be paid, bills that had to be paid, etc.
Not that I feel I missed out on too much. First of all, I've had my moments. If I drop tomorrow, I won't be able to say I feel I've been cheated out of anything (other than perhaps more time). And secondly, like so many other songs, "The Lucky One", a radio hit for Krauss in 2001, idealizes something that in reality is fraught with the same complexity and unpredictability of human emotion as any other situation we find ourselves in as life goes on. Nobody just drifts around, free as a bird, contentedly keeping everyone at arm's length. Resentment, possessiveness and competitiveness, loneliness, desire and regret...they all rear their ugly heads at some point, sometimes all at once. Not to mention you have to work, make money, maintain a certain stabilization...unless you just live off the grid, which though the concept has always intrigued me, I've never seriously thought about. And to be honest, no woman I have ever known has (or would have) been so philosophical, and so plaintively chill, about "the lucky one" drifting in and out of her life as Krauss would have us believe she is here. The song is pretty, as are Krauss's vocals (as always), but it's all a bit too tepid, actually, for what's purported to be going on. ;-)
"For you, the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing..."
#294) "Oh Atlanta" by Alison Krauss and Union Station - "Oh Atlanta" is, to me, the perfect driving song. It doesn't mean anything in particular, evokes no memories, stirrings or impulses, it's just great to listen to. Even better if you're on the road with many miles to go. Interestingly, Krauss' voice doesn't sound right for the song, and yet she makes it work.
If nothing else, I'm a Braves fan, so yeah, oh Atlanta, indeed.
"Oh Atlanta, I hear you callin' / I'm coming back to you one fine day..."
