"When You Wish Upon a Star" sung by Louis Armstrong.

This clip is from the animated feature, "Pinocchio" about a puppet who learns how to become a real person. This delightful film was produced and directed by Walt Disney.



When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you.

If your heart is in your dream,
No request is too extreme.
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do.

Fate is kind.
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing.

Like a bolt out of the blue,
Fate steps in and sees you through.
When you wish upon a star,
Your dreams come true.

Read and listen to the bio of the great Louis Armstrong.

Joan Baez, "Diamonds and Rust"

Well I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall

As I remember your eyes
Were bluer than robin's eggs
My poetry was lousy you said
Where are you calling from?
A booth in the midwest
Ten years ago
I bought you some cufflinks
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring diamonds and rust

Well you burst on the scene
Already a legend
The unwashed phenomenon
The original vagabond
You strayed into my arms
And there you stayed
Temporarily lost at sea
The Madonna was yours for free
Yes the girl on the half-shell
Would keep you unharmed

Now I see you standing
With brown leaves falling around
And snow in your hair
Now you're smiling out the window
Of that crummy hotel
Over Washington Square
Our breath comes out white clouds
Mingles and hangs in the air
Speaking strictly for me
We both could have died then and there

Now you're telling me
You're not nostalgic
Then give me another word for it
You who are so good with words
And at keeping things vague
Because I need some of that vagueness now
It's all come back too clearly
Yes I loved you dearly
And if you're offering me diamonds and rust
I've already paid.

When Joan Baez sings "The girl on the half shell", she is referring to this painting: Bottecelli's "Venus".

Killers - "Spaceman"

Oh oh ohoh oh oh oooah x4

It started with a low light,
Next thing I knew they ripped me from my bed;
And then they took my blood type,
they left a strange impression in my head.
You know that I was hoping,
That I could leave this star-crossed world behind;
But when they cut me open,
I guess I changed my mind.
And you know I might
Have just flown too far from the floor this time,
'cause they calling me by my name!
And the zipping white light beams
disregarding bombs and satellites!

That was the turning point;
That was one lonely night!

The star maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down!
It's all in your mind!"

Well now I'm back at home and-
I’m looking forward to this life I live;
You know it's gonna haunt me,
So hesitation to this life I give.
You think you might cross over,
You caught between the devil and the deep blue sea;
You better look it over,
Before you make that leap!

And you know I'm fine, but I hear those voices at night
sometimes... they justify my claim,
and the public don’t dwell on my transmission
'cause it wasn’t televised...

But, it was a turning point,
Oh what a lonely night!

The star maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad;
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down!
Its all in your mind!"
The star maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad;
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down!
Its all in your mind!"

My global position systems are vocally addressed;
They say the Nile used to run from east to west,
They say the Nile used to run… from east to west.

I'm fine,
but I hear those voices at night,
sometime...

The star maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad;
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down!
Its all in your mind!"
The star maker says, "It ain't so bad"
The dream maker's gonna make you mad;
The spaceman says, "Everybody look down...
It's all in your mind!"

(oh oh oh oh oh oh oooah x8)
It's all in my mi-i-ind,
It's all in my mind...

Michael Jackson, "Heal The World"

There is a lot of pain and some disturbing images on this video. However, the song and lyrics point to the possibility of a better world, a hope for a future free of war where children can grow up healthy and without fear, and where the good things, like free education and health care for everyone, will thrive. Thanks, Michael, for showing us the way with your beautiful and inspiring song.




There's A Place In
Your Heart
And I Know That It Is Love
And This Place Could
Be Much
Brighter Than Tomorrow.
And If You Really Try
You'll Find There's No Need
To Cry.
In This Place You'll Feel
There's No Hurt Or Sorrow.

There Are Ways
To Get There,
If You Care Enough.
For The Living
Make A Little Space
Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race.
There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living,
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me.

If You Want To Know Why
There's A Love That
Cannot Lie.
Love Is Strong
It Only Cares For
Joyful Giving.
If We Try
We Shall See
In This Bliss
We Cannot Feel
Fear Or Dread.
We Stop Existing And
Start Living.

Then It Feels That Always
Love's Enough For
Us Growing
So Make A Better World
Make A Better World...

Heal The World.
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race.
There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living,
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me.

And The Dream We Were
Conceived In
Will Reveal A Joyful Face.
And The World We
Once Believed In
Will Shine Again In Grace.
Then Why Do We Keep
Strangling Life
Wound This Earth
Crucify Its Soul.
Though It's Plain To See
This World Is Heavenly.
Be God's Glow.

We Could Fly So High
Let Our Spirits Never Die.
In My Heart
I Feel You Are All
My Brothers.
Create A World With
No Fear.
Together We'll Cry
Happy Tears,
See The Nations Turn
Their Swords
Into Plowshares.

We Could Really Get There
If You Cared Enough
For The Living.
Make A Little Space
To Make A Better Place...

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race.
There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me.

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race.
There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race.
There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me.

There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living,
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

There Are People Dying.
If You Care Enough
For The Living,
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me.

You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me
You And For Me

Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now"

Bows and flows of angel hair
and ice cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun,
they rain and snow on everyone.
So many things I would have done but clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall.
I really don't know clouds at all.

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels,
the dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real;
I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show.
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know, don't give yourself away.

I've looked at love from both sides now,
From give and take, and still somehow,
It's love's illusions I recall.
I really don't know love at all.

Tears and fears and feeling proud
to say "I love you" right out loud,
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange,
they shake their heads, they say I've changed.
Something's lost but something's gained in living every day.

I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life at all.

Joni Mitchell sings "Big Yellow Taxi"

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Hey farmer farmer
Put away the D.D.T. now
Give me spots on my apples
But leave me the birds and the bees
Please!
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

Late last night
I heard my screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi
Took away my old man
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I said don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

Joni Mitchell sings "California", 1971

Joni Mitchell




Sitting in a park in Paris, France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won't give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn't want to stay here
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here
Oh, but California
California I'm coming home
I'm going to see the folks I dig
I'll even kiss a Sunset pig
California I'm coming home

I met a redneck on a Grecian isle
Who did the goat dance very well
He gave me back my smile
But he kept my camera to sell
Oh the rogue, the red red rogue
He cooked good omelettes and stews
And I might have stayed on with him there
But my heart cried out for you, California
Oh California I'm coming home
Oh make me feel good rock'n roll band
I'm your biggest fan
California, I'm coming home.

CHORUS:

Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
Just gives you the blues
Just gives you the blues.

So I bought me a ticket
I caught a plane to Spain
Went to a party down a red dirt road
There were lots of pretty people there
Reading Rolling Stone, reading Vogue.
They said, "How long can you hang around?"
I said "a week, maybe two,
Just until my skin turns brown,
Then I'm going home to California"
California I'm coming home
Oh will you take me as I am
Strung out on another man,
California I'm coming home

CHORUS:

Oh it gets so lonely
When you're walking
And the streets are full of strangers
All the news of home you read
More about the war
And the bloody changes
Oh will you take me as l am?
Will you take me as l am?
Will you?

(I'll be putting more of Joni Mitchell's songs on this blog.
In addition to being a great singer and musician, she is
also a great poet. The war Joni Mitchell is singing about is the Vietnam War.)