“Is ‘Hallelujah’ a Christmas song?” asks a friend. He has a doubtful look on his face. He heard the song as part of a Christmas compilation. Leonard Cohen aficionado that he knows I am, he figures I would have an answer. As a piece of music, ‘Hallelujah’ is a story all its own. The … [Read more...] about The Minor Fall/the Major Lift
November 18th 2016
Thirty-two years ago today I got married. I was three weeks away from turning 35. My husband likes to joke that I had the date chosen when I proposed a few months earlier but that’s not quite the case. Here’s the way it played out: We met in 1982, and I confess to having had that ‘this is the … [Read more...] about November 18th 2016
The holy or the broken
It’s taken me a long time but I think I’ve figured it out: my mom’s affinity for musicians who are good songwriters and poets but TERRIBLE singers has something to do with her being a writer. Let’s be real for a second … when you think of a “good” singer you think of someone like Etta James or … [Read more...] about The holy or the broken
