And now we've lost Christine McVie!

Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about the unexpected death of Irene Cara.  And now, I'm writing about the wonderful and incomparable Christine McVie, who passed away in a hospital yesterday at age 79 after a "short illness".  At this time, the actual cause of death hasn't been officially announced, but I did read that Christine was in "poor health" over the summer and was having trouble with her back.

I just want to take a short moment to post about how much I've admired Christine McVie's incredible contributions to popular music.  There's never been a time in my life when her songs haven't touched me in some way.  When Fleetwood Mac was white hot, I was a small child living in England.  I can't listen to songs like "Over My Head" or "You Make Loving Fun" without thinking of the woman who wrote them and remembering my sojourn living in her native country.  

I've always felt that Christine McVie was extremely underrated.  Stevie Nicks got a lot more attention, because she was pretty much the front woman of Fleetwood Mac, wearing outlandish Welsh "witch" costumes, dancing, and and singing out in front of the crowds.  Christine, by contrast, was always behind her keyboards, quieter, more reserved, understated, but always impeccable and classy.  She was a songwriting powerhouse, and always willing to chip in on projects with other musicians.

It's funny, because yesterday, I posted a review of Stephen Bishop's autobiography, On and Off, on my main blog.  Bishop can always be counted on to post on the social media accounts of other celebrities.  It was because of his condolences on Christine McVie's Facebook page that I "heard" about her passing so quickly.  

Christine McVie was certainly old enough to pass naturally... but that doesn't mean that anyone was ready for her to go.  I was shocked when I read the news, and genuinely saddened, even though I know this is a part of life.  I guess reading about the heroes of my youth passing the bar is a reminder that my time is coming.  But I do feel so fortunate that I was around when Christine McVie was at the top of her game.  She has left an indelible mark on music that won't fade for many generations.  That is extraordinary.  Her death was announced about twelve hours ago, and YouTube is already flooded with tributes.

Songbird...

You Make Loving Fun

Over My Head

Got A Hold On Me

As Long As You Follow

Don't Stop

And one of my personal favorites, Brown Eyes

Rest in peace, Christine McVie.  There's a new songbird in Heaven today...

One Love (Unfaithfully Yours)

I'm making a very quick post right now so I don't forget this...  About 30 years ago, there was a movie out called Unfaithfully Yours.  On the soundtrack was a minor hit by singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop, who's written a bunch of modern classics.  He also wrote and sang this song...



The song is called "One Love" and I remember hearing it a lot on the radio about 30 years.  And then it disappeared.  That makes it definitely "Dungeon of the Past" material...

I was happy to find it on YouTube, since it doesn't seem to be easily purchased these days, even on Amazon.com.  My sister, Sarah, thought this was a "cute" song.  I guess it is in a cornball kinda way.

Anyway, enjoy...  Now I feel like finding more lost gems!

Gender Benders...

I like to sing songs that were made famous by men... which means they don't always have appropriate pronouns.

I think this is a pretty song.  I like Stephen Bishop, though his career seems to have been adversely affected by MTV.

This song is a classic... sung by a guy with really long hair who sounds like a female, but it's not a girly song at all.

This song was written for a man and sung masterfully by Alison Krauss, who also doesn't mind gender benders.

I also tried "Let's Just Kiss And Say Goodbye" today...  It worked surprisingly well, though I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those jumpsuits.  

Stephen Bishop...

I've always admired Stephen Bishop's voice...

I love this song for its sheer beauty, even if it does define life in the 70s...

And of course he is famous for the love theme for Tootsie, a film that came out when I was 10...

Yikes!  Welcome to the early 80s!

And here's a lovely version of "Separate Lives", a song that was later recorded by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin for the film, White Nights.

Stephen Bishop also provided some music for the hit film, Animal House.  Oddly enough, I had the soundtrack for this film long before I ever saw it.

I love me some singer-songwriters!