Gem Music Video of the Week # 97: Dearly Departed
Song: Nightshift by The Commodores
(Songwriters: Clyde Orange
November 12, 2009
I’m on the home stretch now with these Gem Videos. Two months ago, I had a pretty good idea of what Gems to release for each of the 10 weeks leading up to # 100. I say ‘pretty good’, because this current week was the one week that remained up for grabs. I did, over a spell, come up with several potential songs for this week, particularly the one I ultimately settled on: ‘Nightshift’ by the Commodores. However, as time progressed to the present, I realized a theme for this song was going to be difficult to discuss, and so I (temporarily) scrapped it.
For a while I was actually enjoying the fact that I had no idea what I would do for Gem # 97. It was a mystery, but I was confident I would think of something. Then one morning on the way to work, I heard the song ‘Change’ by Tracy Chapman on the radio and realized again how great it was. I settled on it as the Gem for a short duration, with the thought that the title of the song would give me a perfect theme to write about: The importance of change; those times we have confronted and accepted it; those times we have struggled with it.
Events over the past two weeks had me reevaluate and switch back to the original idea for the Gem, that again being ‘Nightshift’. ‘Nightshift’ is one of the best songs I know to have been written about the loss of someone close. In the case of this song’s specific focus, the loss was two-fold, as The Commodores sang about their then (1984) recently deceased musician friends, Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson.
The events over the past few weeks for me were also two-fold, with one of my closest of friends losing his Dad, and another of my closest friends losing his brother. A few weeks earlier, Nancy
I’m not going to write much about this week’s theme except to say that the Gem touches on a very nice image of the afterlife: That of a ‘sweet sound going down’. I believe we all have music inside of us whether we play an instrument or not, and I would like to think it’s one of those things we bring with us when we leave this existence. I’m sure this would be the case for those family members of close friends who have recently passed on.
I’m not completely abandoning the other option for Gem Video this week though, since I believe it to be a fitting backup to my final choice: Not for those who have passed on, but for those of us left behind. I’ll call it Gem # 97B. The link and lyrics are below.
This one is for all those close to us who have moved on to greener pastures.
- Pete
Gem Music Video of the Week: ‘Nightshift’
Gem # 97B: ‘Change’
‘Change’ lyrics
If you knew that you would die today,
Saw the face of god and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?
Would you change?
How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?
If you knew that you would be alone,
Knowing right, being wrong,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you knew that you would find a truth
That brings up pain that can't be soothed
Would you change?
Would you change?
How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?
Are you so upright you can't be bent?
If it comes to blows are you so sure you won't be crawling?
If not for the good, why risk falling?
Why risk falling?
If everything you think you know,
Makes your life unbearable,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you'd broken every rule and vow,
And hard times come to bring you down,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you knew that you would die today,
If you saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you saw the face of God and love
If you saw the face of God and love
Would you change?
Would you change?
About the Video: Made for MTV-like video
Video Rating: 1
Best Feedback: Fred
Good one Pete, thanks. Am proud to be your brother...the way you worked things
with Mac this week was vintage-Pete
See you soon
And: Amy
To be a friend of yours is a gift from God. To be your sister, fills my heart with gratitude. I love you so much.
And: Andrea
Beautiful! Thank you Tina (who forwarded) and Peter. I love you tremendously.
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