Celebration of "Soul Searchin"

[sodascouts]

I was thinking about this. I think it's interesting that one of Glenn's most outright 'personal' songs, Livin' Right, doesn't appears to have aged all that well given these results. Perhaps it's just a bit 'gung ho' and hard to relate to; I'm not sure. As opposed to another 'personal' song, River of Dreams, which I think would be near the top if we do this for the Strange Weather album.

I was also thinking about why LPWSIL (I think that is the first time I've ever used the acronym) doesn't rate highly. I quite like the song but it's a fairly ordinary lyric. Once again it has a superb bridge ('if I could have you back') but the rest of it plods along a bit.

The problem with Livin' Right is that most people don't salivate over the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn to jog. The song's lyrics just remind them that they're lazy and out of shape, which in turn makes them perceive Glenn as the obnoxious friend who's always drinking health shakes and saying things like "Do you know how many grams of fat are in that cheeseburger you're eating?"

I agree with your assessment of LPWSIL - great bridge, pedestrian verses.

[Freypower]

With Livin' Right I suppose it depends on whether you think he's 'lecturing' people and therefore sounds 'obnoxious'. You could say that in the lines 'you're never gonna make it/stayin' on the road you're on' he might be doing that but I think for the majority of the song he's talking about his own situation. This is very different from some Henley songs I could name where he DOES point the finger at people & tell them what they're doing is wrong (The Genie, Shangri-La, Frail Grasp, etc etc). I relate to Glenn's situation in Livin' Right far better than I do to those songs even though I am overweight & unfit. Perhaps I tend to see the lyrics in a broader sense of taking charge of your life rather than just literally about getting fit.

[sodascouts]

You're right, FP, it can definitely be applied to the broader notion of making any positive lifestyle change.

I think the video for this song, as funny as it is, affects my attitude toward the song. There's nothing subtle about the message of that video!

(If you haven't seen it, you can find it here.)

I actually like the video, though. Not only do we get to see a bit more of Glenn's bod than usual (a definite plus for female fans), it's got some really funny gags in it. My personal favorite is when he's getting passed by the old lady as he tries to run around the track. However, there's one moment when he's on a machine where he looks almost crazy-eyed in his fitness fervor!



Luckily, shortly after this moment, a guitar appears in his hands and all is well.

BTW, how about that "nightmare" sequence where Glenn is "bullied" by a bunch of sexy women in leotards? Poor Sugar. lol One of them, of course, turned out to be the future Mrs. Frey!

[Freypower]

There you go: think of the Dublin version of the song, where you get to see him dancing around with no guitar, and not the cheesy video, and you get a better idea of what the song is about!

[Brooke]

Wow, you guys can analyze songs so well! I can't even begin to discuss them with you. When I listen to music, I don't really pay that much attention to it as far as what it all means. I can tell you which songs I like or don't like, but that's pretty much as far as I can go with it. Which reminds me, I haven't even done that here!

I got this out to listen to it and it had been so long I didn't even remember some of the songs! I'm sorry Glenn!

1. True Love
2. Soul Searchin'
3. Some Kind of Blue
4. Working Man
5. I Did It For Your Love
6. Can't Put Out This Fire
7. It's Your Life
8. Livin' Right
9. Let's Pretend We're Still In Love
10.Two Hearts

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Okay - I'm updating the results with Brooke's list. The only thing that changed with her votes is that Some Kind of Blue slipped back into 3rd place by 1 point over I Did lt For Your Love. So, here's the way it is now ...

1. Soul Searchin' - 63 points
2. True Love - 60 points
3. Some Kind of Blue - 46 points
4. I Did It For Your Love - 45 points
5. Working Man - 43 points
6. Can't Put Out the Fire - 38 points
7. Livin' Right - 30 points
8. It's Your Life - 29 points
9. Let's Pretend We're Still in Love - 23 points
10. Two Hearts - 8 points

Again, this is ongoing and there is no end, so anyone who wants to add your list, feel free to do so.

[Glennsallnighter]

Ok, for good measure my results would be

1. True Love
2. Lets Pretend We're Still In Love
3. Some Kind of Blue
4. Can't Put Out This Fire
5. Soul Searchin'
6. Two Hearts
7. I Did It For Your Love
8. It Your Life
9. Workin Man
10 Livin Right

I know its a bit different from many of the others, and really with the exception of my favourite (TL) and my least favourite (LR) there's very little between the middle 8. I could do this again tomorrow, (or next week ) and have them in a different order!

[sodascouts]

The time is comin' to celebrate Soul Searchin'! It was released 24 years ago today!

To start the party - here's the full version of the video for True Love:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufTf6fs2NCc[/ame]

"Chucky ain't here, man!"

[Windeagle]

Hey, a celebration! I bought Soul Searchin' earlier this year in an effort to build up my Frey solo collection. To be honest, I didn't expect to like it that much, but I was pleasantly surprised. While the songs are not something I would have liked in my 20's when the record was released, they grab me now. Only the last 4 are ones I'm not thrilled with. Here are my songs in order, with a few thoughts attached:

1. Lets Pretend We're Still In Love - Talk about silly love songs, but I mean that in a good way. It's adorable and upbeat and makes me smile whenever I hear it.

2. Some Kind of Blue - The lyrics and delivery sound so heartfelt. You just want to give him a hug!

3. True Love - I didn't care for this one when it came out as a single, but it's grown on me recently. Can't help swinging in my seat as I'm driving along listening.

4. Can't Put Out This Fire - This is another one that makes me unable to sit still while listening. Interesting rhythms here.

5. Soul Searchin' - The song runs about a full minute too long, but before that, I love singing along to it and the message moves me.

6. It's Your Life - This one drags a little, but I love the lyrics. It breaks my heart. I'd love to hear a straight acoustic version of it. I bet it would be beautiful.

7. Two Hearts - Not bad, but not my favorite.

8. I Did It For Your Love - It was written for a movie and it sounds it. Enh.

9. Workin Man - It's Glenn doing Bruce Springsteen. Not bad, but Bruce does Bruce better.

10 Livin Right - Ah... no. I will admit that it helped motivate me to start doing the treadmill this spring, but beyond that, I'm not a fan of it.

[Tiffanny Twisted]

Oh to be that young blonde gal.

glenn just melts my heart when he looks like that