Me Gusta! - The Pretender by Jackson Browne

Maybe its the 70s child in me but I just adore Jackson Browne's music. When I want to chill and relax, I'll often put on his music and listen as one song rolls off into the other. His gorgeous melodies and truly beautiful lyrics have brought me to tears so many times. I dont usually cry because I can relate to what he sings about. I have done that for sure, but usually I cry over the pure beauty of his craft. Jackson Browne is the whole package: a masterful composer AND lyricist. He's beautifully gifted.

I listened to Jackson Browne's music throughout my childhood. My dad had lot of his music. It will be argued that JB has recorded more acclaimed albums, but The Pretender is special to me because was my first JB purchase as a semi-adult. I bought the cd at a used record store in Isla Vista during my college years at UCSB. I spied that familiar cover and snatched it up for less than $10. Can I take a small moment here and wax poetically about what a freaking bargain music is? Certainly this album was a bargain for me, but Im talking about the greater rewards music delivers. In my opinion, music is the cheapest means of worldy bliss you can buy. Seriously! The Pretender cd has brought so much joy to my life and it was $9.99. Every time I hear those songs, my life feels elevated. Every single time. That cd is a gift that keeps on giving. In my humble opinion, all music is. Am I right? Can I get an AMEN? I mean seriously... you are buying joy, people! JOY! Ok... I digress.

The first year or two after I bought The Pretender cd I would listen to it straight through, over and over again. When I hear any song from the cd, I anticipate the next one in order. The playlist is engraved in my mind. Beyond the musical and lyrical craftmanship of The Pretneder, I totally love JB's voice. He, like George Harrison and James Taylor, has one of those voices that comforts me. Its familiar and soothing. When I hear one of JB's songs randomly on the radio or in the supermarket, no matter what song it is I'll stop and listen just to hear him sing. His voice relaxes me.

Favorite songs on The Pretender? Its hard to pick, so let me just point out some favs:

Linda Paloma - (((deep sigh))) This song gets me, baaad. Mostly, its the traditional Mexican instrumentation that makes my heart swell. I am Mexican, afterall. I may not look it, but my heart is puro Mexicana! When I hear this music, I can see the mariachis in my mind: the dude with the big bass guitar; the dudes with the violins. They are all there standing outside my window in their black charro outfits, serenading me. Ahhhhhhhh! When JB sings "I was the endless sky and you were my Mexican dove" - that's me. I am the Mexican dove: beautiful, flying, free. He's talking about me, didnt you know? hee Now let it be said that the actual lyrics of this song tell a sad tale, but I dont care. The melody and lyrics of this song pull at me every time. I adore it. I read once that JB grew up in a largely Mexican neighborhood and you can see the influence with this song. I love that.

Here Come Those Tears Again - In college (and after) I was involved with a guy who held this weird kind of svengali hook over me. T and I were wonderful friends for years and towards the end of college we dabbled in this on again, off again relationship that mostly succeeded in tearing my heart out repeatedly. He was a master at head games and I allowed him to kill so much of my self worth. T was toxic to me. After the many times I felt wronged by him, I would play this song and revel in the similarities:

Baby here we stand again like we've done so many times before,
Eventhough you looked so sure as I was watching you walking out my door.
But you always walk back in like you did today -
Acting like you never even went away.
Well I dont know if I can open up and let you in.
Here come those tears...
Here come those tears, again.

I recall listening to this song a lot in the car. I would basically scream the lyrics to myself - music blaring - trying to force the significance of the words into my mind. Eventually the message stuck and when I said goodbye to T, I never looked back. Sweet relief. Coincidentally, when I met Matt one of the many appealing qualities I found in him was how he wore his heart on his sleeve. He said what he felt and he didnt run away from it. Matt is still like that today. No head games. Me gusta. :)

The Pretender - Dude... how do I even attempt to talk about the merits of this song? Its impossible. Its got it all: beautiful music and vivid, lyrical imagery. I dont know for certain, but Ive always believed the song was about wanting to live a simple life of high ideals (like beauty, art and love) and the duality of being surrounded and ultimately grounded in a consumer, commercial driven world. Can you say Southern Californian lifestyle? Yesir! That theme is something I struggle with all the time. JB is a native Southern Californian. He knows of what he sings. A random factoid: Stephen Sills and David Crosby of CSNY sing back up on this song. Sometimes I like to try to isolate their voices in the background, but I never succeed. Its super hard to do. What else? Hmmm. I love the first line of this song "I wanna rent myself a house in the shade of a freeway..." Again, this is SUCH a Southern Californian visual. I totally understand that line. I honestly dont know what else to say: you just have to listen to the song. JUST LISTEN TO IT! But before I leave let me share one of my favorite lyrics from The Pretender song:

I wanna find myself a girl who will show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors of each others paint by number dreams.

JB and The Pretender are must haves for a music lover. Do me a favor - go give it a listen. :)
Happy Tuesday. :)