A nightly pause from the news to give the reader/viewer a bit of classic entertainment.
An evening pause: This instrumental music, used as the theme music for the 1970s television show, Soul Train, has only one significant vocal line: “People all over the world!” I think the visuals used here, of Earth taken from the International Space Station, make that line seem especially appropriate.
Hat tip James Stephens.
An evening pause: I especially like the use of digital sounds mixed with the standard orchestra.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: Another appropriate piece for the start of the week. Performed live, 1982.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: I think the words from Moscow on the Hudson (1984) sum this music video up very well: “Strange but wonderful.”
Hat tip Max Hunt.
An evening pause: The robots shown in this video are almost frighteningly good at what they do, which might be one of the many reasons Google is apparently trying to sell the company.
Hat tip Tim Vogel.
An evening pause: For the Fourth of July, this song from the 1976 movie version of the 1972 musical, 1776. Not only did the musical capture the essence of the men who made independency happen, it is also a rollicking and entertaining work of art.
I last posted this piece last in 2010. Time to watch again.
An evening pause: Performed live 2009. I think this is a good way to start the weekend.
Hat tip Frank Kelly.
An evening pause: Performed live, July 2, 1977 at the Oakland Coliseum. It’s Thursday evening, the week is almost over!
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evening pause: How about some classic American Big Band music to get us through the middle of the week?
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause Some good stand-up comedy to lighten the first half of the week.
Hat tip Tim Vogel, who emailed to say “One of our friends sent this to us because we are having a 4th ourselves.”
An evening pause: A nice transition from Judy Garland yesterday, and what I am posting tomorrow.
Hat tip Frank Kelly.
An evening pause: From A Star is Born (1954).
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
As always, I am open to evening pause suggestions from my readers. If you have one, say so here in a comment, but don’t post the link. I will email you to get it.
An evening pause: From the Martin Scorsese documentary, The Last Waltz (1978).
Note that if a band tried to write a song like this today, sympathetic to the southerns who died during the Civil War, they would probably find their careers destroyed. So much for artistic freedom, and having empathy for all souls.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evenig pause: Recipe by Sunita Marie, whose youtube channel simply says, “Music is fun.”
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: From the youtube page: “[Actor Sir Anthony] Hopkins said he had been an admirer of André Rieu for several years and wanted to meet him, so he sent him some music that he wrote with Rieu specifically in mind to perform and his dream came true when André Rieu masterfully performed it with his orchestra.”
Hat tip Danae.
<An eveing pause: I have to admit that I almost didn’t schedule this, since I don’t particularly like the song. However, that’s my taste, and besides, the trumpet player makes up for it.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: It is especially nice to watch how quickly the audience joins in to sing along.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: On this anniversary of D-Day, it is worthwhile to go back in time and relive that time to understand better what our country then stood for. Below is President Roosevelt’s radio speech to the nation, announcing the D-Day invasion and its apparent initial success. What is striking is that he spends little time talking about what happened, nor does he spend any time extolling the triumph of his administration. Instead, he humbly turns his speech into his heartfelt prayer for the lives of the soldiers, the people at home, and the people in Europe who are suffering under Hitler’s rule, reminding everyone of the nation’s real goal: “A peace that will let all men to live in peace, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.” He then ends the prayer with these words, “Thy will be done, almighty God. Amen.”
This speech tells us as much about the nation that Roosevelt lived in as it does about Roosevelt himself. He knew his audience, and he knew they believed deeply in freedom, truth, human rights, and moral commitment. He also knew they would be honored to join him in this prayer, with the same humbleness as he was expressing. He knew they would not be offended, whatever their faith, because the important thing was to have good will and to strive for a just conclusion of the war.
If only such things could happen today.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
