Cover Songs | #2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2

The second cover song that I’m learning is one of the oldest songs that I know.

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2

have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire

I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
But yes I'm still running

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

Source: Musixmatch

It is one of the first songs by U2 that I figured out. The lyrics are confusing and repetitive. Despite growing up listening to it, I never studied the lyrics. It’s also very high for my vocal range, making emoting challenging. Plus, Bob details a dinner that he had with Bono, which kinda changed his music trajectory. Bob respects Bono a lot. And I do too, after studying the last verse.

Cover Songs | #1 “Everlong” by Foo Fighters

Bob Dylan left me wanting to study and perform songs. I have been doing that for my own songs for a while. But I haven’t paid much attention to covering others’ songs. In his Chronicles – Vol 1, he talks a lot about performing covers. So I have been working on some songs for a few days now.

The criteria for choosing songs are simple.

1. I need to be familiar with them in terms of listening.
2. I need to have been inspired by them.
3. I know the chord progressions overall.
4. I don’t know the lyrics well and/or I can’t emote the lyrics well.

I have had a tough time deciding on what songs I want to learn how to perform. So far, I have chosen four songs.

I’ll share the first song today with notes on why I chose it.

Everlong - Foo Fighters

Hello  
I've waited here for you  
Everlong

Tonight, I throw myself into  
And out of the red  
Out of her head, she sang

Come down and waste away with me  
Down with me  
Slow, how you wanted it to be  
I'm over my head  
Out of her head, she sang

And I wonder  
When I sing along with you

If everything could ever be this real forever  
If anything could ever be this good again  
The only thing I'll ever ask of you  
You've got to promise not to stop when I say when  
She sang

Breathe out  
So I can breathe you in  
Hold you in  
And now  
I know you've always been  
Out of your head  
Out of my head, I sang

And I wonder  
When I sing along with you

If everything could ever feel this real forever  
If anything could ever be this good again  
The only thing I'll ever ask of you  
You've got to promise not to stop when I say when  
She sang

And I wonder

If everything could ever feel this real forever  
If anything could ever be this good again  
The only thing I'll ever ask of you  
You've got to promise not to stop when I say when

Source: LyricFind

This song is dark and mysterious. It's on the higher side of the scale for me. The lyrics are confusing, and to be honest, a bit choppy. Sorry, Dave. Finally, I have rehearsed this on cajon for an acoustic performance where a friend/acquaintance was singing.

The Lady at the Pool

I noticed the lady feeding the stray cats. I have been smiling at her for a couple of days in consecution. Today I felt like I had enough to hang around and have a conversation.

So I asked, “Do you have names for these cats?”

She looks at me bemused. She says, ‘Yes, this is Lisa, and that one is Spotty. The dog’s called Skip.’

‘Did you know that one of them has a litter in the men’s locker room?’

‘Yes, that’s Spotty over there.’

‘I’m glad that the people at the complex are letting you feed them here. They have been pretty unapproachable and indifferent to me.’

‘I know what you mean. It takes time. It’s the way they are. They are nice people, don’t get me wrong, but they are not friendly at the outset.’

‘What is your name, if I may?’

‘Margaret. And yours?’

‘Call me Kris. I have a long name. The South Indian problem.’

Just like everyone else, she says, ‘Oh yeah, I have South Indian friends too.’ She goes on to list a couple of names.

‘I would love to offer you help if you need to feed these.’

‘Oh thanks, that’s very kind of you.’

I realize that I haven’t quite explained why I’m so wet. ‘I’m sorry I’m wet; I forgot my towel.’

‘Oh, that’s no problem. I’m sweating too. I’ll be drenched in sweat after my workout at the gym.’

‘Ah, I see. Are you a lifetime member?’

‘Yes, why?’

I have been considering becoming one. I love the way mornings are when I go to the pool. ‘Well, I tried to ask them how to get one. But they brushed me off.’

‘Maybe I can introduce you to the decision makers.’

‘That’d be great, thanks!’

We exchanged our numbers and we parted ways. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll have a lifetime membership at a complex that will double up as a gym and swimming pool. And maybe a tennis court. Finally, something nice!

When circles collide

Today I was part of a meeting with the top management and one of my best friends. My friend was giving his expert opinion about a business opportunity we are exploring. It went well.

Before the meeting, I was a bit anxious. Two circles were colliding and my sense of not belonging to either was acting up. I want to take care of my friend more than I want my top management, mostly because my friend was the odd one out.

I wrote my friend before the meeting, asking him if we wanted to meet me alone (virtually) after the larger meeting. He agreed. When we met, it felt like things had become normal again. All the pressure disappeared.

Now we are both looking forward to discussing the two books that we can’t wait to discuss: The Legends of Khasak and The Covenant of Water.

External Validation

External validation.

Jay was telling me that I needed some. To overcome my feeling shitty despite doing well in most things that I’m trying to do. Today, I wore this shittiness on my face and my boss picked it up. He asked me what was going on. Initially, I said everything was okay, but eventually, I went back to him and explained what I was feeling.

I have systematically manufactured an ecosystem where I don’t interact with society on social media. When I do interact with the few people that I meet in real life — mostly Jay’s family — I pretty much don’t talk about anything that I do.

That’s probably because when I have in the past, I got little to no response. I don’t think anyone really cares about other people’s stuff. On the other hand, when others tell me about their stuff, I at least pretend to show interest.

You know, I’m still supposed to start publishing my music on all major streaming platforms soon. How soon? I don’t know. I wanted it to be September, but that’s not happening. It’ll be great if I can manage something by December.

But until then? Keep working at it. Slowly. But I’ll still continue to feel shitty most of the time.

The instructor

“Be loose. You are keeping your legs too stiff. Aim to slice the water. Look at your friend doing it properly.” It was my first day of trying to float with kicking.

We had been matched up in pairs. One of the pair was supposed to push themselves off while holding a floater, and with the help of kicking and breathing, we were expected to reach the other end of the pool. The partner was expected to guide the floater and apply a gentle tug, primarily when we needed to get out of the path of another swimmer.

I wasn’t even sure that I was being talked to, but I was. My mate–the person who was holding my floater and gently guiding me across the pool–echoed the comment. Then I saw the instructor who was speaking to me. He was an older instructor, someone whom I had not observed at the pool so far. Maybe it was the first time that he was there when we were.

He looked in his ’60s and was almost six feet tall. Unlike the instructor who has been teaching me and our batch, this man stood at the side of the pool walking along people making laps and yelling at them, correcting them. My friend confirmed that he was a well-known swimming instructor, and had worked in famous swimming pools in the city. I wondered how he knew so much.

Over the course of the next half hour or so, I realized that he was fluent in instructions in at least three languages–Marathi, Hindi, and English. I realize that he must have had experience teaching a lot of people.

Just like the last two days, I was struggling in my first few attempts. But just as any other day, I seemed to naturally improve my technique–in terms of staying “relaxed” and “synchronized” in terms of kicking and breathing–at around the half-hour mark. But the words of the instructor helped me focus better and achieve more perfection.

At the end of the 45 minutes, I had done a few one-breadth laps without breaking. Thank you, dear instructor!

This City

This city is not meant for me. I have known it for quite a while. Initially, the thought was more like homesickness on viewing the wider grayer horizons. Then the noise, the bustle, and the relentless impatience that the city seems to take joy in nurturing.

The lure of a verdant hilly terrain is becoming more attractive with every turn and every day. To not have your neighborhood celebrate things for almost half the year would be most welcome. To not have loud bands and events occupy your ear- and mind-spaces.

Today is yet another one. Elephant god sycophancy. Only one of the three words is worth keeping.

Hypothesis: Happiness

Happiness is a state when there’s least friction to what you want to do and and the decisions to be made in the process are the fewest.

Small decisions. Little time spent. But it all adds up. Your energy gets drained too. So does your resolve.

Large decisions are fewer but are usually more creatively satisfying. Lots of energy spent. But it’s worth it.

Friction is like small decisions, and is often ignored. Not much time spent to smoothen things. A constant trickle of time, energy, and resolve.

The kite

She sat there perching on the weathered fence atop the building immediately north of mine. I wanted to believe that she and I had made eye contact, as if such a thing is what avians and bipeds did regularly.

At first, I wasn’t able to put the contradictory inputs together. That high pitched shriek can’t come from such a grand, majestic bird, can it? My brain couldn’t conjure a lion with the sounds from a kitten.

The rest of the world was quieter, at least relatively. It was dawn and the traffic wasn’t heavy. The other birds were louder but in a difference frequency spectrum.

I had stepped out into the kitchen balcony to pick up some basil and rosemary for the omelet I was making to take for lunch. It hadn’t occurred to me, at that point, that I was preparing a mini-raptor for consumption.

I had been feeling good about producing sounds, thanks to the relentless work of my vocal coach. So I felt like I should try. Surely, I can make something similar to what the bird was making.

I failed. I think the bird’s cries were about an octave separated from what I could, and I don’t have such a bad range for a baritone. After this experience, I was thronging for evidence to confirm my initial suspicions.

Instead, I received conclusive negative evidence. She turned toward the east, showing her beak gracefully curving beak, and repeated. She did so once more before deciding to take off.

I was left wondering what she was chasing

In the Pines Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Call me a charlatan if you will for I did not know that this song existed until earlier today.

That’s the same me that learned the guitar by playing and singing along to this.

Imagine that.

Thank you Bob Dylan for making me listen to Woody Guthrie on Spotify, which gave me this joy of revelation.