Hi all,
I hope you're enjoying October! It's finally cooled down
in my neck of the woods and I'm happy about that.
Unfortunately, my sleep schedule is still messed up. I was
hoping the cooler weather would help but I still keep getting up
between 3:30 and 5:00. Eeek. So please excuse any
typos. Maybe Andrew is having an insomniac period,
too. ;-)
God bless,
Jenni
Hey there, everyone!
Happy almost Halloween! I know it might be surprising to
you all that I agreed to sit down and make a Halloween
playlist given my feelings on the holiday but my views
have definitely been evolving. JenniAnn and I have been
reliving our early days by mixing CDs for each other (yes, the
kids are horrified by how uncool we are) but I decided to put
this one online so I could share. To be clear, not every
lyrics reflects my personal beliefs but I like the general vibe,
as the kids say, of each of these songs. I hope you
enjoy! Stay safe this Halloween!
Love,
Andrew
1. "'Tis Autumn" by the Nat King Cole Trio- I wanted to start with
a soft, romantic song because one of my favorite things about
Halloween these days is dancing with JenniAnn. This song
makes me think of days spent playing in the leaves with the kids,
drinking cocoa, and then dancing in the ballroom after they've
gone to bed.
2. "Moondance" by Van Morrison- Naturally, I had to follow that up
with one of our favorite songs to dance to. It could be the
middle of a heat wave in July and this song comes on and I'm
transported to dancing in the ballroom with Laja while the kids
run around in costumes and neon ghosts hang from the ceiling and
the scent of cider and pumpkin pie fills the air. I love it!
3. "If I Go, I'm Goin'" by Gregory Alan Isakov- A more somber
tune, for sure. This song was in the finale of Mike
Flanagan's The Haunting of Hill House and I loved it
instantly. JenniAnn, Shel, Violeta, and I had a lot of
really important, emotional conversations because of that
show. I don't know whether houses are ever literally
haunted. But they're certainly filled with memories that can
haunt us.
4. "If We Were Vampires" by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit- Another
haunting one. Even though I know eternal life is the
reality, it's good to remember that we never know how much time we
have with those we love. I know Heaven waits. But I
also love my life right now and knowing it'll change one day makes
me strive to treasure every moment.
5. "Lucky" by Bif Naked- Laja introduced me to this one.
Undying love is something else...
6. "All Souls Night" by Loreena McKennitt- I just think this one
is really beautiful. And while, especially when there's so
much sadness and pain in the world, it's important to find reasons
for fun and creativity like Halloween, it's also good to remember
those who have passed on.
7. "Moonlight" by Stevie Nicks- JenniAnn put this on a CD for me
years ago. I was still very much in the "she's going to find
someone else to start a life with!" mode. Listening to this
now... I was very dumb. Ha. At least it
eventually worked out for us.
8. "Dreamer" by Ozzy Osbourne- I know I already mentioned this one
recently but worth a repeat. I want this dream to come true
for us all, too. The world can be a better place. And
I believe it will be some day.
9. "Casper's Lullaby" by James Horner- Such a haunting
melody. We've watched this with the kids many a time.
I'm sure it's gonna make me tear up in the future when watching
movies with Dad isn't at the top of their to-do list.
10. "Leaves in the River" by Sea Wolf- Ya know, I'm not sure why I
like this song so much. I know I love the layering of the
sound with the instrumentation, singing, and rain effects.
But I think it's something more. Something like... anemoia,
I guess. I also think the two characters wandering around as
everyone else sleeps, unaware of them, feels angelic.
11. "Autumn in New York" by Billie Holiday- Now this makes me
nostalgic for a time I did know! Of course I had to include
Billie here. She sounds as fabulous as ever on this
track.
12. "Love Song for a Vampire" by Annie Lennox- Yeah, yeah...
I know it was written to be about Vlad and Elisabeta/Mina.
But it's pretty universal, I think. You don't need to be a
vampire to need to be redeemed by love sometimes.
13. "Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte- Time for another fun
one. I chose this because of the memories. Every time
we watch Beetlejuice, the kids turns it into a dance party
when this scene starts and I love it.
14. "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush- Not only does this song have
special meaning to JenniAnn and me but... ghosts! I don't
think I would enjoy living in a manor haunted by Cathy and/or
Heathcliff. They seem like a lot. Great song, though!
15. "Sister Moon" by Herbie Hancock- Another great dance song for
the Halloween party.
16. "Dark Waltz" by Rebecca Winckworth- And now a very favorite
song to dance to. If I think about it too much I'll get
emotional and I want this to be fun so...
17. "Great Pumpkin Waltz" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio- Another one
that reminds me of the kids. We have to watch the special
every Halloween so no playlist would be complete without this
classic.
18. "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult- And, of course,
I'm gonna close with this classic that became the anthem for the
AOD Band. We gotta get back to that sometime, guys!
Azrael got himself a cowbell even!
This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for
inspiring countless numbers of playlists and mixed CDs that I
still listen to.
JABB Portal
JABB TOC
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(Photo Credits: The photographs used on this
page are from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS
Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water
Productions. They are not being used to seek profit.)
