Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Delilah
Ah, but it’s those “overwrought, melodramatic vocals” that gave them so many of their hits. If I’m not mistaken, LTBS was released as a single and went nowhere. Perhaps if Henley used a sympathetic, more emotional approach to convey the song’s earnest Biblical message, LBTS would have been a hit too. Instead he sounds tired and cynical.
He sings in a higher key in “A Month of Sundays” and you can hear the vulnerability and brokenness in his voice.
Fair point about that type of singing being on a lot of hits; for these lyrics, a different approach was needed. He sounds cynical because that's what the song is until near the end. As for the message being 'Biblical' I suppose this is to do with the 'sheep without a shepherd' stuff. I am not the person to address this.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Pippin - that is a great story ... it's funny I don't remember when, where or how i first heard the news the Eagles were coming back but I do remember not being all that upset when they left lol. Perhaps because I'd been a fan since the 70's I simply accepted their decision and focused on seeing other bands I liked in concert. I also had settled down and was starting a family so I might have been a little distracted. In any event it was great to see them back on tour and I am glad I was able to see them live though without Randy and Bernie I always felt nostalgic. Still do ... they were so special.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
New Kid In Town
I remember hearing it on the news of the local NYC tv stations. If I remember right, the announcement started as "Hell Has Frozen Over". Everyone seemed to know what it meant. I was so happy I could not believe my ears. I think it was THAT big an announcement. I remember everyone talking about it at work the next day.
Pippin - A great story !
Dawn - TY, I could not remember all the particulars ! t's been a long time but I guess I should have remembered as we have talked about it enough here - lol !
You are welcome NKIT. I do not have the best memory and greatly appreciate all the info and stories you have shared here. If I can help by looking something up I am always happy to try. We have a great group here, I have learned alot from all of you.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Freypower
Fair point about that type of singing being on a lot of hits; for these lyrics, a different approach was needed. He sounds cynical because that's what the song is until near the end. As for the message being 'Biblical' I suppose this is to do with the 'sheep without a shepherd' stuff. I am not the person to address this.
I am not an expert on all things religious either, but Psalm 46:10 is "Be still and know that I am God..." Be still is a popular quote on inspirational items right now. The only reason I knew the verse was that I bought a pendant with "Be Still" on it for a friend whose husband is fighting a brain tumor. She wrote the entire verse out when she sent me a thank you note.
I was wondering if Henley even knew that it was a popular Bible verse given his seeming aversion to religion.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Don't forget though, Don did do the hymn "Unclouded Day" on his debut solo album. So, even if he's opposed to religion, he obviously has some knowledge of it, albeit, seemingly only head knowledge.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Very true, BB. Still kind of ironic that all these years later "Be Still" would become such a popular inspirational quote. Maybe a "God wink" to Don...
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
My My
I am not an expert on all things religious either, but Psalm 46:10 is "Be still and know that I am God..." Be still is a popular quote on inspirational items right now. The only reason I knew the verse was that I bought a pendant with "Be Still" on it for a friend whose husband is fighting a brain tumor. She wrote the entire verse out when she sent me a thank you note.
Thanks, My My, this is what I had in mind, although there are a couple of others. Also the lines about the sheep without a shepherd and wandering in the desert are Biblical references.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
My My
I was wondering if Henley even knew that it was a popular Bible verse given his seeming aversion to religion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BillBailey1976
Don't forget though, Don did do the hymn "Unclouded Day" on his debut solo album. So, even if he's opposed to religion, he obviously has some knowledge of it, albeit, seemingly only head knowledge.
I read that he does not like organized religion due in part, at least, to the fire-and-brimstone sermons that he heard as a child. Plus he may have studied the Bible in one of his literature classes. It does appear he has some familiarity with the subject. He grew up in a small Bible Belt town as did I, so I’m not surprised.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
His grandmother's favorite hymn was "The Unclouded Day" and I daresay if he had a typical upbringing in a small Texas town in the 40s and 50s, then the family went to church on Sundays.
And he nicked the chorus of "The Sweet By-and-By" by Bennett in "The Sad Cafe." I always wondered why he wasn't included in the songwriting credits. Surely switching the order of the phrases isn't enough to make it "original."
However, one need not ever have attended church to be familiar with the Biblical imagery that characterizes Christ as a shepherd.
In this song, we see him condemn Christianity as false along with other things that people are seeking to fill the void in their lives, reducing Jesus to nothing but one more "wrong god" with "starry-eyed" delusions of grandeur.
The "be still" line is not a nod to the Bible he's just disavowed. It's his replacement for the Bible. Heaven is not where you go to be with God. "Heaven [is] lying at your feet." You don't need anything external like a "starry-eyed messiah" who will just "meet a violent farewell." If you could just look away from such a messiah and "awaken" - if you could just "learn to be still" instead, then you'd find happiness. Take heed and maybe "someday you will." That's the message of this song.
Note: The opinions expressed above are my interpretation of what Henley is trying to say - not my own opinions. Quite the opposite. I'm not a fan of the song.
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pippinwhite
@Delilah -- We weren't one of the newspapers favored with an Azoff press release (too small. LOL.) However, when the entertainment writer at the Birmingham News got it from a friend, she freaked out and called our features department. That was in the days before we had voice mail, it was late afternoon, and I caught the phone call. "THE EAGLES ARE GETTING BACK TOGETHER!"
"Huh? What are you talking about, Mary?"
"The EAGLES! I got a fax from my buddy at the Denver paper from the Eagles' manager that said, 'Hell has frozen over'! What else could it mean?"
"Holy crap. Let us know if you hear anything else."
Lordy. I hadn't thought about that in YEARS. Lot of water under the bridge since then. He sent a follow-up in the next couple of days. She sent a copy of it, but our fax machine was a piece of crap and it was a fax of a fax of a fax and you could hardly read it. Still, I wish I'd kept it.
By the way, I didn't comment on this, but what a great memory - it blows my mind that she would know what Azoff meant without any more explanation! It just shows how big the band was - no more need be said!
Re: Celebration of "Hell Freezes Over"!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
sodascouts
His grandmother's favorite hymn was "The Unclouded Day" and I daresay if he had a typical upbringing in a small Texas town in the 40s and 50s, then the family went to church on Sundays.
And he nicked the chorus of "The Sweet By-and-By" by Bennett and Webster in "The Sad Cafe." I always wondered why they weren't included in the songwriting credits. Surely switching the order of the phrases isn't enough to make it "original."
However, one need not ever have attended church to be familiar with the Biblical imagery that characterizes Christ as a shepherd.
In this song, we see him condemn Christianity as false along with other things that people are seeking to fill the void in their lives, reducing Jesus to nothing but one more "wrong god" with "starry-eyed" delusions of grandeur.
The "be still" line is not a nod to the Bible he's just disavowed. It's his replacement for the Bible. Heaven is not where you go to be with God. "Heaven [is] lying at your feet." You don't need anything external like a "starry-eyed messiah" who will just "meet a violent farewell." If you could just look away from such a messiah and "awaken" - if you could just "learn to be still" instead, then you'd find happiness. Take heed and maybe "someday you will." That's the message of this song.
Note: The opinions expressed above are my interpretation of what Henley is trying to say - not my own opinions. Quite the opposite. I'm not a fan of the song.
Very interesting Soda, thanks for sharing your interpretation, thoughts and feelings.