"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles (as covered by Girl in a Coma)

George Harrison wrote "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" after The Beatles became immersed in Transcendental Meditation (TM). After months of trying to get in touch with your inner One-ness and becoming infinitely more wise in the process, there's a moment when you become despondent that others don't understand what you understand. In the moment, in feels like it was so easy to get to this point. You've forgotten that - in reality - it wasn't. It was full of a lot of pain and before that moment, your life was an endless string of struggles. That's where Harrison was when he wrote this song. He felt so at peace with himself, but walking through the world, all he saw was people in immense amounts of pain. Suffering that was usually caused by their own inner demons - low self-worth, anxiety, competition with everyone in the world. Lacking in authenticity, not knowing that who they were was more than good enough.

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping

While my guitar gently weeps

I look at the floor and I see it needs sweeping

Still my guitar gently weeps.

I don't know why nobody told you

How to unfold your love

I don't know how someone controlled you

They bought and sold you.

You've got to understand - in 1968, when The Beatles really got into the TM movement, they had spent several years under the influence of fame and excess. Lost in that world, they became jaded, as anyone would in that situation. They all felt as if they lost their passion for music and, in some ways, their passion for living. So, they went searching for something, like we all do eventually. Well, those who are awake, anyway. The Beatles decided to visit India and study TM under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. His time there marked a profound change in Harrison and, afterwards, began a period of prolific songwriting. When he came back, he started to read the I Ching and embraced the idea of relativism - that everything is in relation to everything else. Nothing is coincidental. Nothing is an accident. He made a decision to write a song based on the first words he saw when he opened a book, which were "gently weeps." Similar to how Stevie Nicks used bibliomancy to write "Rhiannon." In the lyrics, he laments the universal love for humankind that is dormant in all people but remains unrealized. It was his profound wish that everyone would see and embrace this capability. If Love conquers all, why hasn't it yet? I don't know, George....I don't know.

I look at the world and I notice it's turning

While my guitar gently weeps

With every mistake we must surely be learning

Still my guitar gently weeps.

I don't know how you were diverted

You were perverted too

I don't know how you were inverted

No one alerted you.

A few words about Transcendental Meditation - it's simple to do yet, for some reason, you have to go to a teacher to learn it. Like everything worth doing, the world commodified and commercialized it. The Beatles were partially responsible for that - their very public endorsement as the biggest celebrities of the time created a surge of interest....and, simultaneously, hordes of customers desperate to emulate The Beatles. And once people realize you can make money off something, they'll do it. But, as I said, it's simple to do. You sit in silence, repeating a mantra in your head, for about 15-20 minutes twice a day. Supposedly (and please be aware that I have never taken a paid TM class in my life), the TM instructor gives you the mantras to work with and that's what you're paying for, really. Ancient wisdom. But, my friends, that's what the Internet is for....you can look up mantras and the TM technique yourself. You can decide if it's worth the money to get private TM instruction. But I believe the search for inner peace doesn't have to cost money and I'd be wary of anyone who says otherwise.

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping

While my guitar gently weeps

Look at you all

Still my guitar gently weeps.

This version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" comes from Girl in a Coma's "Adventures in Coverland" album, which is exactly what you think it is - an album consisting solely of covers. As I've mentioned, I love Nina Diaz's voice, and GiaC's general style is highly influenced by rockabilly and surf rock. While Harrison's original recordings of the song were more folk music-inspired and the final version that made it to the White album had hints of progressive rock, the twangy guitar in GiaC's version hearkens back to the classic rock that influenced the young George, Paul, John, and Ringo. Additionally, I think Diaz's soulful crooning gives the lyrics more weight, somehow. You can really feel the worldly despair at the end.

Side tangent - While I was listening to this song (both out loud and in my head), I began to think about the idiom "heart of gold." Someone once said I had a heart of gold and I always thought that was a good thing. It sounds like a good thing, doesn't it? You would think it means that  I have a pure, good heart that is precious and valuable and needs to be protected. But then I was thinking that gold is one of the heaviest metals, atomically speaking. A gold bar is extremely heavy - you couldn't easily steal a bar of gold, because no one is that strong. So to be carrying around a heart of gold would be like always carrying this weight around in your chest. That's exactly what it feels like. If that's the case, I suppose it would be better to have a heart of stone. You don't have to carry around so much with you. You'd feel lighter. Oh, the places my mind goes when it's not doing anything....

As I write this, I feel strange. There was an eclipse today, the first New Moon of 2019. I don't know if that means something but an eerie calm has come over me. A sort of peace. A feeling that anything could happen - the world could end tomorrow - and I'd still know everything is going to be okay. And I'm ready for it. I can't describe it but I know it's true somehow. I don't really know what's happening to me. Anyway, I'm putting both the Beatles version and the GiaC version so you can hear the differences between the styles. Enjoy!

Girl in a Coma Version

The Beatles Version

"Wolves" by Selena Gomez and Marshmello

I'm only slightly embarrassed to say I like Selena Gomez. True, her earlier stuff is....not good. Although "Love You Like A Love Song" is a favorite guilty pleasure of mine, I can readily admit that it is not creative gold. But a lot of her new stuff has been really good. There's another song I'd like to write about, perhaps in a month or two (I hate repeating artists, if you couldn't tell) but I've been wanting to write about "Wolves" for a while now. I'll get into why in a minute. However, I have pinpointed why her songs have been so good lately - she's writing them herself. Okay - a lot of them are collaborative. She's a lyric writer - not a musician - so understandably, she needs someone (in this case, the band Marshmello) to figure out the right musical notes to put with her lyrics. But the words are all hers and it feels so much more raw and genuine.

As you may be aware - even if you don't follow pop culture - Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber have been in an on-again-off-again relationship for like 10 years. Since they were super young, and when you're young, 10 years is a long time to be hung up on someone. But they can't stay away from each other. Perhaps I'm romanticizing, but the Universe must think they belong to each other. But he still needs to figure himself out and she needs to stop wanting to fix him. When you listen to the lyrics, you can tell she still loves that damn Bieber kid....for some reason. And, yes, every song she writes is about him, to him, for him. That's why they feel so honest.

I also love the imagery she uses. I flip between favorite animals - this week it's a fox, now it's an owl - but I consistently always love wolves. I think something in me identifies with them, for some reason (naturally, I'm House Stark). Popular culture has galvanized in our mind that wolves are loners, but they're not - they need their pack or they won't survive. I'm pretty sure that's why she chose the wolf as the symbol for this song. Although, I'm not sure why she said she's running through the jungle - wolves typically live in forests and grasslands. It was probably an artistic choice but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

Let's talk about the video. First, it's in a poorly lighted indoor pool. Second, holy crap is it sexy - but it's unintentionally sexy. I mean, yes, I'm pretty sure Selena is trying to seduce someone behind the camera (::cough:: Justin ::cough::) - which makes me super uncomfortable because she has such a sweet, childish face. I know that's unfair - she's only a few years younger than me, but it's hard for me not to remember her as a sarcastic teen in "Wizards of Waverly Place." Even though she does look very seductive, there's also a kind of sad desperation in it, too. Perhaps that's what makes me all squirmy - I feel so bad for the pain and longing she's feeling. I just wanna wrap her up in a big hug and say "Dollface, he doesn't deserve you...."

Additionally, this video has some serious fashion moments. Normally, I'd be bitching that she's writhing on the wet ground in a $4000 Versace dress, but I'll make an exception. Just this one time though. I would totally steal the red bra/suit combination and the fluffy lingerie/pool wrap that she wears. I know those are bad descriptions - you'll understand when you watch the video. Of course, Selena looks beautiful the entire time, even though I don't like the wet hair look (because it looks like you're not fucking trying). Also, could someone explain to me why she disappears all creepy at the end of the video? Is she supposed to be a ghost? Oh. My. Gawd. That would just make too much sense! I know that's the kind of ghost I would want to be - the sexy/beautiful ghost lady who haunts a high school gym....

"Wolves" Video