Hell Yeah!

It's Friday afternoon and your work week is over. It's been a long stressful, tiring week.........one that has pushed and pulled you all over the emotional map. For some reason, it was your week to be the punching bag for the rest of the world. It feels like you don't have a stitch of energy left and the last thing you want to do is to talk to anyone for fear of overreacting and wanting to bite their head off for just getting in your space. You're zipped, zapped and feeling like a dishrag zombie. The only reply left in your repetoire is fuck off. Even your dragging footsteps seem to carry the sound.............fuck off. Your posture most definately does.......

And, as you make your way to your car, the skies open up and it begins to pour torrents down on you. You can't help but take it personally while you scramble to find the keys in the bottomlessness of your duffle bag........ARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!

Finally, inside the quiet dryness of your car with the rain pelting down splashing the windshield with the same fury as you're feeling inside, you turn on the ignition.

Quickly, a layer of burden slips off you, clearing your head enough to realize just how nasty you're feeling...............and how nasty you've been acting..............and how you want to change gears...........to feel the goodness of a smile. You lean down to the side pocket of the seat and pull out your favourite CD (sorry i-pod folks.....I want a car surround sound feel to this............). And as you're pulling out of the parking lot, turning onto an open street, heading towards a good stretch of road, the familiar wall of sound hits you right where you need it. In fact, it feels like it's cracked open a hardened shell that was encasing your spirit.

All of a sudden, you find yourself belting out a song with as much raw emotion as you can muster, throwing off caution......discarding all dignities................

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT!

NO YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT........

BUT IF YOU TRY SOME TIME,

YOU JUST MIGHT FIND

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED.......

Fists pounding, fingers drumming, body moving with joyful defiance! An anthem can save even the worst dog breath day!

I had a moment like this the other day.........different scenario than the one i conjured up to begin this piece. But, I was most definately in the foulest of moods, swimming in my own bile. On the way to take my son to his guitar lesson, I popped in a Neil Diamond compilation of oldies and before I knew it (much to the chagrin of my two loving and patient children) I threw myself into the role of backup singer to Mr. Diamond...........quietly singing along at first......

L.A.'s fine, sunshine most of the time

The feeling is laid back

Palm trees grow and the rents are low

But you know I keep thinking about

Making my way back,

But I'm New York City born and raised

But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores

L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home

New York's home but it ain't mine no more.......(then building up to his well known chorus crescendos........before i knew it, I was lost in the glory of an anthem!)

I am, I said

To no one there

And no one heard at all

Not even the chair

I am, I cried

I am, said I

And I am lost,

and I can't even say why

Leavin' me lonely still (you have to hold that last lonely note for poignancy sake......)

By the time we reached our destination, the seratonin factor had kicked in and I was feeling much better thank you very much, and was even ready to carry on a buoyant conversation. So, when the opportunity arose, I asked my friend Jeff to name a song that he can guarantee will lift his spirits and make him sing aloud. Knowing him pretty well, and having had a few conversations about music tastes and a couple of impromptu singsongs with him strumming his guitar, I didn't expect him to answer with Bohemian Rhapsody. YES! My laid back, outdoorsy folk singing, canoe paddling, wine swilling, guitar picking buddy confessed that when he reaches the top of a mountain after a long climb, he stands at the summit and belts out the words to BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY! Mamma mia, mamma mia...........let me go..........

After that wonderful testimonial, we started to make up my evergrowing list.........

Springsteen.....Born to Run, Thunder Road, Glory Days.....

Rolling Stones....Tumbling Dice, Jumpin Jack Flash.......Brown Sugar, and my favourite driving song........Start Me Up.

U2......Where the Streets have no names, Beautiful Day..........(my son Max's contribution to the list? Sunday, Bloody Sunday)

The next day, I sent out an email to a bunch of kooky folks whom I know would share their deep secret good feeling anthem songs with me. They did not fail me........... To date, I have received not only replies, some have even taken the time to SEND me their favourite anthems. My student intern graciously lent me his i-pod to listen to the recent anthem used in the Detroit Arena before the hockey game starts...........great fist pumping the air tune.........Hell, Yeah by Rev Theory. Thank you Nolan for expanding my repetoire and for giving me the title to this post. :)

So, in no particular anthem order (but have had a request to put together a CD compilation named "Open Roads") here are a few goodies shared with me along with a few others that I love.....most you will know, and some may be newbies to seek out..................PLEASE ADD TO THE LIST......WOULD LOVE TO KNOW YOU'RE ANTHEM SECRETS!

1. Only the Good Die Young.......Mr. Billy Joel (future thanksgiving dinner guest at my house)

2. Dude Looks Like a Lady.....Aerosmith (suggested by my ever loving comrade at work, lover of all things Springsteen, and who always has a calming affect on me and lets me yap away during breaks, quietly listening with a smile on his face! I asked him if I could sit in the back seat of his car and watch him belt this one out!)

3. Smells Like Teen Spirt and Come as you Are....Nirvana (thank you David for sending me the second mentioned tune to add colour to my office today)

4. Respect..........Aretha..........of course

5. Domino, Gloria, Let God Shine His Light on Me, Skiffle Sessions and MUCH more from Mr. Van the Man Morrison

6. Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, Modern Love, Heroes........David Bowie

7. Drive South, John Hiatt

8. 500 Miles.........Proclaimers

9. Tush.........ZZ Top

10. Addicted to Love......Robert Palmer (though this is a difficult one to remain seated behind the wheel of a car because.............well, I just want to jump up and play the air guitar)

11. The original Princess even offered up her favourite, one I'm sure she uses as background music during her pole dancing lessons.........a lovely little number by Blondie.......I Touch Myself. I didn't recognize it, so asked my husband who has a music library stored in his brain.......he sang it to me. What a nice guy, eh?

12. Please Don't Bury Me, Blow up your TV, That's the Way the World Goes Around......John Prine............love John Prine.........a perennial smile on the face for me.

Now, I want to share a couple of tunes with you..........you may have never heard them before. it's a little Maritime flavour, an area known for it's big boozey anthems. This is sung by the late great sadly missed Stan Rogers.........may you find stomping your feet and singing with big fat emotions! Here's the first one.........Barrett's Privateers.

And the next song is especially for Mr. Nice Breadbox.........oh, I can hear you singing it NOW! A film clip of the Northwest Passage.......

Would love to hear your anthem choice..................and if by chance you have a link to the song, drop me an email!

One more link..........to the annual Stanfest in Nova Scotia in July. Paul?!! Check out the list of performers. One of your friends is going to be joining in on some Maritime fun. I don't think I'll be in the Maritimes when he is, but will have to track him down soon!