Day 28 - Both Sides Now
Judy Collins
1967
Disclaimer: All perspectives, opinions, and memories in this entry are mine and mine alone. Some content is rugged, raw, and - sometimes - NSFW, but it's all authentic and included with purpose.
Why It’s On The List:
This is the all-time best example of a cliché song pretentiously pretending to be profound that is actually really freaking profound. I discovered the Joni Mitchell version from the movie “Love Actually” first in my early 20’s and at the time I thought her cover was the peak representative of this track because it was so sad and so drawn out and so reflective.
But this song is yet another example of how I’ve changed and my musical tastes have changed as well over the years. With kids and work and responsibilities, I don’t have time for sad and drawn out anymore. Let’s keep it peppy and let’s keep it moving, Joni.
It wasn’t until one of my all time favorite drama series, “Mad Men,” used the Judy Collins version as the PERFECT conclusion to the season six finale that new life was breathed into this song for me.
And now I appreciate the whole totality of my personal experience with “Both Sides Now.” I like that I discovered it as a mopey twenty-something but I love that it has taken on new meaning for me as I take the turn into my 40’s.
OH DAMN, THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SONG, ISN’T IT???!!!
Listen to "Both Sides Now" here:
Favorite Line:
But this song is yet another example of how I’ve changed and my musical tastes have changed as well over the years. With kids and work and responsibilities, I don’t have time for sad and drawn out anymore. Let’s keep it peppy and let’s keep it moving, Joni.
It wasn’t until one of my all time favorite drama series, “Mad Men,” used the Judy Collins version as the PERFECT conclusion to the season six finale that new life was breathed into this song for me.
And now I appreciate the whole totality of my personal experience with “Both Sides Now.” I like that I discovered it as a mopey twenty-something but I love that it has taken on new meaning for me as I take the turn into my 40’s.
OH DAMN, THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SONG, ISN’T IT???!!!
Listen to "Both Sides Now" here:
“Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way
But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away”
Sweet justice. If that ain't the truth.
While We’re Here:
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way
But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away”
Sweet justice. If that ain't the truth.
While We’re Here:
Since we mentioned "Mad Men" above, here is my list of all time favorite drama shows as I hit 40:
*NOTE* Since I wrote this, both "Mandalorian" and "Prodigal Son" have debuted and I have thoroughly enjoyed both so far. One season is too soon to put either on an all-time favorite list, but both are off to good starts.
5. Justified - No tricks or twists. You know the bad guy. You know the good guy. Beautifully crafted modern western.
4. Elementary - 30-year-old Josh would punch 40-year-old Josh square in the mouth for having a crime-of-the-week procedural on this list. But, like I said above, 40-year-old Josh doesn’t have the time or bandwidth for a slow moving, ever evolving long drama like 30-year-old Josh did. Give me the crime and give Holmes and Watson an hour to solve it? Sign me up. I hate how much I loved this show.
3. Lost - "Lost" is actually the best show ever made but it has been ruined because every other show after it stole from it and kept improving it, making it harder and harder to rewatch over time. "Lost" is Bill Russell. Yes, Michael Jordan and LeBron are “better” but those guys wouldn’t have the game of basketball to be great at if it wasn’t for Bill Russell.
2. Mad Men - Should be #1 without a close second but, man, did they ever screw up that final episode. I have not been able to go back and watch the show again because I know it all ends as a freaking Coke commercial.
1. Better Call Saul - I know I’m in the massive minority but I have “Saul,” not "Breaking Bad" on my list. The problem is that you have "Breaking Bad" writers who only got better as they kept writing "Better Call Saul". “Saul” has two massive advantages over "Breaking Bad": (A) Their own writers matured and got naturally better at their craft, (B) The writers got to witness other shows like “Mad Men” and were able to perfect the slow, subtle, genius builds and burns that “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” were only getting to toy with and experiment with before them. If I could only watch one dramatic episode of television for the rest of my life it would be the courtroom scene from the Season 3 episode, “Chicanery.” Saul gets his brother to discredit himself without having to say a word and Michael McKean puts on a master class in the realistic unravel that is benefited by the depth and contextual foundation the show had spent two and a half seasons laying down for him to leap from. The series is THE. ALL. TIME. BEST. at showing the audience rather than telling the audience. There is never any exposition. There are never any plot moving conversations. There is never any grand moments of great reveal. It all just moves and breathes, like real life. I can't stress how much I love and appreciate this.
If You Liked This Song...
I'm sure there is a better term, but I'm going to call these my favorite "Hippie Rock" songs of the 60's and 70's:
- Crimson and Clover
- Ruby Tuesday
- Come and Get Your Love
- Dream On
- Landslide
- Daydream Believer
*NOTE* Since I wrote this, both "Mandalorian" and "Prodigal Son" have debuted and I have thoroughly enjoyed both so far. One season is too soon to put either on an all-time favorite list, but both are off to good starts.
5. Justified - No tricks or twists. You know the bad guy. You know the good guy. Beautifully crafted modern western.
4. Elementary - 30-year-old Josh would punch 40-year-old Josh square in the mouth for having a crime-of-the-week procedural on this list. But, like I said above, 40-year-old Josh doesn’t have the time or bandwidth for a slow moving, ever evolving long drama like 30-year-old Josh did. Give me the crime and give Holmes and Watson an hour to solve it? Sign me up. I hate how much I loved this show.
3. Lost - "Lost" is actually the best show ever made but it has been ruined because every other show after it stole from it and kept improving it, making it harder and harder to rewatch over time. "Lost" is Bill Russell. Yes, Michael Jordan and LeBron are “better” but those guys wouldn’t have the game of basketball to be great at if it wasn’t for Bill Russell.
2. Mad Men - Should be #1 without a close second but, man, did they ever screw up that final episode. I have not been able to go back and watch the show again because I know it all ends as a freaking Coke commercial.
1. Better Call Saul - I know I’m in the massive minority but I have “Saul,” not "Breaking Bad" on my list. The problem is that you have "Breaking Bad" writers who only got better as they kept writing "Better Call Saul". “Saul” has two massive advantages over "Breaking Bad": (A) Their own writers matured and got naturally better at their craft, (B) The writers got to witness other shows like “Mad Men” and were able to perfect the slow, subtle, genius builds and burns that “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” were only getting to toy with and experiment with before them. If I could only watch one dramatic episode of television for the rest of my life it would be the courtroom scene from the Season 3 episode, “Chicanery.” Saul gets his brother to discredit himself without having to say a word and Michael McKean puts on a master class in the realistic unravel that is benefited by the depth and contextual foundation the show had spent two and a half seasons laying down for him to leap from. The series is THE. ALL. TIME. BEST. at showing the audience rather than telling the audience. There is never any exposition. There are never any plot moving conversations. There is never any grand moments of great reveal. It all just moves and breathes, like real life. I can't stress how much I love and appreciate this.
If You Liked This Song...
I'm sure there is a better term, but I'm going to call these my favorite "Hippie Rock" songs of the 60's and 70's:
- Crimson and Clover
- Ruby Tuesday
- Come and Get Your Love
- Dream On
- Landslide
- Daydream Believer
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