Dancing in the Dark

Today is Triple Play Thursday on The Sound, so I was enjoying their U2 block and stayed on for Bruce Springsteen. I am an admirer of Bruce Springsteen but not a super-fan; I own two albums ("Born to Run" and "Born in the USA") and have a few favorite songs ("Born to Run" topping that list and many others) but have never seen the man or his E Street Band in concert and don't know about all the bootlegs and rarities and imports and all that. But when I hear one of the Bruce songs that I love, I turn it up and sing along.

One of those songs was part of today's triple play—"Dancing in the Dark." I've liked this song since I was a kid when the video was being played all the time and the world was first introduced to Courtney Cox. As I've gotten older and learned the words and felt the words more and more, I've grown to love the song.

A lot of us are in a physical, spiritual, emotional or metaphysical place we don't care for very much and want desperately to change. Wanting to change and actually making change happen are two very different things, which is what "Dancing in the Dark" is all about for me. I've been waiting for that spark, that jolt for so long, maybe I have to ignite it myself.

I'll keep you posted.



One more thing, there are just 11 more days until Bono turns 50 and the African Well Fund's Build a Well for Bono's Birthday fundraiser ends. The support so far has been amazing but AWF can still use all the support it can get to reach its goal of raising $50,000 in honor of this amazing man's big day to fund a clean water and sanitation project in Zimbabwe. For more information, including how you can make a donation, click here. Thank you!!

For the Boys

Just wanted to throw out a few things relating to two of my favorite boys tonight. First, the African Well Fund is 26 days into its 50-day campaign to raise $50,000 in honor of Bono's 50th birthday to fund a clean water and sanitation project in sub-Saharan Africa. If you'd like to learn more about this campaign inspired by an amazing man, click here.

Second, John Mayer wrapped up the winter leg of his tour this week in Chicago and posted a great thank-you note to his fans on one of his blogs. As a fan who attended one of his shows (and will be buying tickets Monday for a summer date), I appreciate that he takes the time now and again to say thank you to all of us and hope to one day be able to thank him as well because his music has ridden along with me during some bumpy times, and will continue to. The note was heartfelt and sweet, so I wanted to share it:

Greetings from the land of decompression…

The Battle Studies winter tour is a wrap!

As a thank you to everyone who came out to a show on this tour, my friend 13th Witness put together a little video memoir of the times we had on the road.

To those who came out…It’s safe to say I had some great times and some not-so-great times on this run. Every second on stage was an uplifting and beautiful experience for me, as I hope it was for you. My new favorite part of playing shows is looking around and watching you. It’s impossible to take a second of this for granted when I can see you letting loose and dancing and singing along and getting to watch that weight on your shoulders lift for 2 hours.

Everything in my life seems to happen in multiples of 1,000. The good happens 1,000 times greater and the not-so-good seems to follow that math as well. But the most amazing part of working in those multiples is getting to meet so many different types of people who come to my shows. I have met fans who tell me their stories of how my music got them through unthinkably tough times, and those who are celebrating the best times in their lives with me.

The days of my “talkin’ loud and sayin’ nothing” are over. I have been given a big voice that reaches so many different walks of life, and I never want to lose sight of that.

Thanks for standing not only in front of me, but also by my side…

See you this Summer?

John

Accompanying that was a cool video featuring candid snippets from the tour, all set to "Edge of Desire," one of my favorite songs off of "Battle Studies" (I love its restrained intensity), so I wanted to share that, too.

National Express

Working at home has many benefits, including being able to stream radio. Today, I have been listening to Ireland's RTE 2fm for the first time in about five years. One song they played took me back to my first trip to Ireland and our bus' theme song, "National Express" by Divine Comedy.

I haven't heard that song in seven or eight years, but perked up as soon as the tune started in. This was the song that woke us up in the morning and got us excited for our next destination. Hearing it today, I saw the faces of my tour mates, the piles of peet being harvested on the side of the road, the flocks of sheep, the puffy clouds.

I can't believe it's been so long since I was last in Ireland. Though I've only spent a few days there in my entire life, it's stuck with me. I should go back.

So wake up everybody and get ready for your next exciting destination with "National Express."