Keeping Up

     My song list is almost exclusively made up of  #1 hits. These tunes are instantly recognizable and part of the joy of performing them is seeing the audience's reaction. For instance I can almost guarantee I'll see a woman's face will light up when I hit the first notes of Stevie Nick's "Landslide".

    

"Landslide"

Typically, I give a short intro about the song without giving away the title or artist so it's a bit of a surprise when I start. These are songs from well known bands and singers, many of whom are still touring today, 50 years after their initial success. That this music resonates for so many is because it was popular when they were young and carefree. Most of us stop listening and other things become more important in our lives; careers, family and other interests. Another big reason is that pop music is associated with courting.

    But the music industry is continually creating new recordings, and new artists become popular as each generation comes of age.  Some songs lend themselves to being reinterpreted and can become part of a later time. One recent example is Tracy Chapman's hit "Fast Car", that was redone as a country song and found a whole new appreciation. Songs like these can become "standards", part of the larger culture. This is less prevalent these days, I think for two reasons: 

    First, the amount of music being released is enormous and second, it's more derivative of earlier work and so less likely to catch on. This isn't a criticism of quality, more that it's difficult to be original and fresh. Another reason is that a hit song isn't interpreted by other artists at the same time, which was common in the past, which led to songs becoming timeless, like "Autumn Leaves".

    For me this means that as I've embarked on a mission to include some newer songs I've found it a challenge to find ones that I think will both fit my style and complement those from my generation, but not impossible. As a result I've added songs from Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and, yes, Taylor Swift that I believe will stand the test of time. 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY