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A campfire under a night sky blazing with stars. It is both an opportunity to find your littleness and your bigness in the universe and to contemplate the significance of you – from a distance.
Music Credits:
From A Distance: James Galway, Vincent Fanuele & The Galway Pops Orchestra
From A Distance: The African Childrens Choir
About the Song: From a Distance
At a small concert I was at in Boulder, Colorado many years ago, songwriter Julie Gold shared the story of how she created the song “From A Distance”. She explained to her audience that she had been composing on a small electric keyboard with poor sound quality during the years she had been living in New York, since she had left Philadelphia. But for her 30th birthday, in February 1986, her parents arranged that the piano she’d grown up with, an upright piano, be delivered to her apartment.
The day after her piano arrived, Julie sat down to her treasured reunion. And, as if in celebration of two dear friends rediscovering the synchronicity of each other’s sounds, Julie and her beloved piano brought forth that very day the ballad “From A Distance”.
She wrote it in one hour.
But when music publishers and record companies did not seem especially interested, Julie’s close personal friend, quick, witty performer and talented singer/songwriter Christine Lavin, shared the song with a close friend of her own, folk songstress Nanci Griffith. Griffith, liking the song very much, chose to record it for her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind. It quickly became a favorite of Griffith’s fans worldwide.
In 1990 The Byrds released a boxed set and chose to record only four new tracks as additional material for the compilation. One of those tracks was “From A Distance”.
Later that same year Bette Midler recorded it. Within weeks it hit #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and then went on to win the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991.
“From A Distance” has been translated into numerous languages including German, French, Cantonese and Spanish, to name just a few. It continues to be translated and sung the world over and has, as of this date, has been aired over 4 million times.
And here are links to everyone’s versions of From A Distance:
Julie Gold’s version of From a Distance
(Amazon) and (iTunes)
Nanci Griffith’s version of From A Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance
(iTunes)
The Byrds’ version of From A Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance
(iTunes)
Bette Midler’s version of From A Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance
(iTunes)
James Galway’s version of From a Distance
(Amazon) and From A Distance (iTunes)
African Children’s Choir’s version of The African Children’s Choir (Amazon) and at the African Children’s Choir Website Store
In 1996, the composer and playwright Jonathan Larson gave the world a song which alters the course of lives, and will continue to alter the course of lives yet to come, around this globe. And, the day before his intense and thoughtfully powerful play, which includes this song of dynamic reflection, was to premiere – he died.
His show is RENT, his song is “Seasons of Love”.
Jonathan never heard the audience’s thunderous applause that opening night.
He never saw the repeated standing ovations night after night.
He never watched the “Sold out” signs go in the box-office windows of theatres around the world for over a decade.
He never read the glorious reviews and stunning reactions to the power of his masterpiece.
Jonathan did not walk down the aisle and bound up onto the stage to excitedly grasp the three Tony Awards presented to him for “RENT” for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score by the American Theatre Wing.
Nor did he have the chance to receive the thrilling notice of “RENT” being awarded two prestigious Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Book.
And, he never knew he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Jonathan’s song is about measuring one year, about the 525,600 minutes that make up one year.
If Jonathan had known that the 525,600 minutes prior to the opening of his show were the only minutes he had left would he have lived them differently?
We’ll never know.
But in those 525,600 minutes that Jonathan celebrates in song he filled the world with ideas, friendship, laughter, music, thought, love. And yes, since he was putting up a large production with a cast and crew who were looking to him for confidence and comfort, he probably had his fine share of fear, worry, angst and insecurity too. But, Jonathan lived those 525,600 minutes. He LIVED them!!!
Hell, he embraced them!!!
And, we are all the better for Jonathan’s willingness to share his 525,600 minutes!!
Additionally, I believe in his song he is asking us ALL to share ours with each other.
Now, lastly, it’s my opinion, Jonathan –
DID hear the audience’s thunderous applause that opening night…
SAW repeated standing ovations night after night….
WATCHED “Sold out” signs go in the box-office windows of theatres around the world for over a decade….
READ the glorious reviews and stunning reactions to the power of his masterpiece….
And IN SPIRIT WALKED DOWN the aisle and BOUNDED UP onto the stage to EXCITEDLY GRASP those three Tony Awards…..
DID have the chance to receive the thrilling notice of “RENT” being awarded two prestigious Drama Desk Awards….
And, DEFINITELY KNOWS he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
….AND THAT HE DESERVED THEM ALL!!!!
Thank you Jonathan.
The date of Death’s knock ever changes us.
The anniversary of sadness’ initiation,
the memory of loss’ entrance,
we find ourselves haunted by the echo of passage.
None of us escapes the staring-into-still-space realization when one whom we love dies.
We stand engulfed within the awareness that the one we love is no longer here.
Abruptly we realize they are nowhere that we can completely comprehend.
But we slowly have to let it sink in that they will not suddenly reappear. They have left.
They are gone.
They will not walk back as we know them.
And the world is different; the world is changed.
From that moment on nothing is the same.
There is a hollow emptiness.
Loss is a vast abyss.
They have stepped from our understanding,
from our world,
from our gaze,
from our arms.
However, they will not, they cannot, completely leave us.
For they’ve written their story in our lives,
sketched their laughter in our memories,
sculpted their thoughts on our imagination and
painted their love on our hearts.
So, honey, while this is the anniversary of the day you transitioned to a new place of learning, I see your smile in my dreams and feel your warmth on my shoulders. Thank you. I love you, still and always.
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It can be very difficult to be kind to someone who has been unkind to you; to someone who has betrayed you, hurt you. And yet, there is a gift in being able to remember that the person who caused that hurt set up a dynamic that allowed you to reach inside, find the hurt, turn it around and find a productive lesson. There is a gift in being able to remember that love is not just in one place in our life, but in many places and the opportunity is in continuing to bestow our love, our care on those who will not take it for granted, but will value it, understand it, and return it.
Have you ever found yourself in love with someone who does not love you?
This is a painful place to ponder, for no matter how many people surround you in your life, on this wounded wayfare you are forced to wander alone.
Rejection.
Loss.
Hurt.
Pain.
And these rips and tears in the private papers holding the ruminative stanzas that define our inner self can leave us scattered and crumpled.
Love is a mystery.
Love is perhaps, the greatest mystery.
When love pours into us, we brim until we overflow with its airy elating lightness.
When love infuses our vision, the colors of our world reflect a surreal bright trueness.
Love is the story woven into our lives and the definer of our world.
Moreover, all we can do with this glorious mystery is rejoice when it enters our lives, even if it disappoints us.
It is a gift given to us, in whatever form it comes to be ours.
Whether offered by us to another or offered to us from another.
Whether given to us or felt from within us.
For we can never, never forget, love is a gift and gifts are to be given.
So give. Give. Give. Give. Love.
And….receive, receive, receive…..LOVE.
Give it to the person who brought it to you, if only as an offer of ever kindness in your heart.
Now, give it to all the others who can benefit from your gift.
Your love is a gift for the world; please do not keep it to yourself.
Love does not have one purpose in you, or one person.
So reflect, be thankful and celebrate yourself. For you possess the warm heart and openness of spirit to embrace the love that moves within you.
You feel. You feel deeply. This is magnificent. You are magnificent.
Embrace the feelings of high that come with understanding that love came to live in you.
Hold this close in your heart and remember…..you do not choose love. It chooses you.
TheLastStation.com
