Music From My Youth:
The Allman Brothers - These Days
You may not want to admit it or maybe you just haven’t given it a second thought but you have to come to the realization that we are fortunate to live in the times that we are living in. More specifically, we are living in this technological world of media. It wasn’t that way seventy years ago as we take for granted some of the advancements that we can’t live without. Sometimes the things that we want are just a keystroke or finger swipe away. One of those finger swipes is access to music. Music was an integral part of me for a long time. As a kid, I joined the school band in seventh grade starting off on the trumpet. As each upperclassman in the band graduated, I was moved up on the brass section from trumpet to trombone to the baritone horn to finally tuba. Playing that instrument through high school earned me a music scholarship to college. But it was the high school that opened me up more in expanding my appreciation of rock and roll music.
Growing up in the predominately black urban city of East St. Louis, Illinois, and attending Lincoln Senior High, our school wasn’t particularly unique at all. It was your standard everyday high school that wasn’t insulated by the violence surrounding it. We just accepted it as part of the fabric of East St. Louis. As the typical days rolled on, one of my classmates did something that may have altered a life or two. You just don’t know what impact you may have exposed on malleable minds. On this particular day, he brought in a turntable and a stack of albums to the gym. In reflecting back on that time, I don’t think he got permission to bring in that turntable or use it as he did. I am not sure if he cared or not, he just did it.
He plugged it in and proceeded to play from his stack of albums and what he played was something new to me. There was Satana — Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Mountain — Nantucket Sleigh Ride, Led Zepplin — Stairway To Heaven, The Doors — Riders On The Storm, the immaculate Jimi Hendrix — Purple Haze, and more. My classmate had just opened up a door to a new world of sounds that led to new adventures. It was this initial offering that ignited the fire to rock and roll. R&B was the dominant music at the time but this was different. As my horizons evolved, I started listening to more rock.
Depending on who the artist was, a lot of rock music hand nuance to the lyrics. There was a suitableness to it, a lot of double meanings. Sometimes a song would find its connection with you and that is what The Allman Brothers Band did for me with the song, These Days. High school wasn’t necessarily a happy time. Things went on and not necessarily for the good. Unlike schools of the day where you have counselors attending to students during tragic events, we weren’t afforded that luxury. Starting in sixth grade, I had a friend who shot and killed his brother by accident. No professional attended to our needs. In junior high, a classmate brought a gun to school and pointed it at the head of another classmate sitting in front of me. He didn’t pull the trigger and placed it back into his jacket. Nobody said a word. That classmate was dead a few weeks later due to gun violence. One classmate was killed in a car crash. He was a basketball prodigy destined for greatness. Another classmate overdosed. High school just added to the turmoil with violence. Rock music became this escape from the chaos.
The Allman Brothers, These Days, became my mantra to life then as it does now. Unlike Cardi B’s WAP, the lyrics had weight, value, and meaning to it. There was meat on these bones. As old as this song is, it still has meaning and significance to the listener. The first two lines of the song grab you, “Well I’ve been out walking, I don’t do that much talking these days” Those first two lines are me. I don’t do a lot of talking to old friends anymore. Maybe it’s because there is no commonality anymore, maybe there is a shift in politics, or maybe there isn’t anything to say anymore.
There are some more significant lyrics as we continue on: “Well I had a lover, I don’t think I’ll risk another these days.” It seems like this song is mirroring my life. I was married, never again. I had lovers but I’m not committed. The last one, we mutually ended with a clean break. In the final analysis, it felt like empty calories in the relationship.
The most memorable lyrics to this song are the last two lines which read: “Please don’t confront me with my failures, I’m aware of it”. I always say” I’m aware of them” because failures come more than once.
The Allman brothers had a lot of hits during their heyday, Whipping Post, Midnight Rider, Ramblin’ Man, and Melissa to name a few and many of these songs still hold value. Melissa and Midnight Rider still carry the day. The music eventually took me out of East St. Louis. Many years later I would wind up being the executive producer and head comedy writer for a morning drive-time show at an Album Orientated (AOR) rock station The station is no more. Clear Channel flipped it to a Tejano station. For them, rock died but for some of us, it still lives on.
So, what are your childhood songs? What became your mantra song?
