![]() ‘Silly Boy Blue’, recorded in 1965 with The Lower Third, was about climbing up to the land of monasteries, with lots of imagery. “Sitting in front of me at the desk was a Tibetan lama, and he looked up and he said, ‘Are you looking for me?’ He had a bad grasp of English and in fact was saying ‘Who are you looking for?’ But I needed him to say ‘You’re looking for me.'”īowie was hooked, at one point contemplating becoming a monk, shaving his hair and dying it black, wearing robes, and even thinking about changing the colour of his skin. “I stumbled into the Buddhist Society in London when I was about 17. ![]() He read Heinrich Harrer’s 1952 book Seven Years in Tibet and in 1966 was telling England’s Melody Maker magazine that he wanted to visit monasteries up in the Himalayas and talked abut the sacrifice of monks who only ate once in three days. Little River Band – ‘It’s A Long Way There’ĭavid Bowie’s dissatisfaction with Western culture had brought him to Tibetan Buddhism in the ‘60s. I don’t know if King Solomon’s heirs ever got a dime.” 12. It was the first rock song to adapt biblical words for its lyric, and would be followed by Adelaide nun Sister Janet Mead’s rocked up ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ in 1974, which sold 3 million worldwide.Ĭhris Hillman of The Byrds later quipped, “I know Pete (Seeger) made his half of the publishing. It was attributed to being written by King Solomon in 10 th century BC while he was contemplating eternity and the circle of life. The lyrics certainly have splendour about them – and did so when they first appeared in Chapter 3 Verses 1-8 of The Bible’s Book of Ecclesiastes. “ To every thing there is a season / And a time to every purpose under the heaven / A time to be born, and a time to die / A time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted / A time to kill, and a time to heal / A time to break down, and a time to build up.”Įveryone raved over folk singer Pete Seeger, who is credited with writing the song. US mid-60s folk-rock band The Byrds’ 1965 ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ was considered a peace anthem that were the rage of the time, alongside cheerfully titties as ‘Eve Of Destruction’ and ‘Morning Dew’ warning us that nuclear bombs were not healthy for babies and other living creatures. Was it because Christ had started talking about the end of the world and hence become a liability? This was one theory set forward in an interpretation. In fact, the song was about the events that led to Judas Iscariot betraying Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver to the temple guards (leading to Jesus’ arrest and death) and with him topping himself. “In the garden I was playing the tart / I kissed your lips and broke your heart / You, you were acting like it was the end of the world.” The lyrics insinuated a lover’s tiff where one of them was accused of over-reacting: Under less inspired hands, the song could have taken a ‘the sky is falling Chicken Little’ approach. The end result, based around a riff developed by Bono, was considered good enough for the band to include on their Achtung Baby album. German film maker Wim Wender asked U2 to whip up some music for his next movie, Until The End Of The World. ![]() ![]() The title ‘Miles From Nowhere’ might sound like it was tailor-made for a road assistance agency ad campaignīu it was about a pilgrimage, the ups and downs of life and to attaining nirvana: “Lord, my body has been a good friend/ But I won’t need it when I reach the end.” 10. Cat Stevens – ‘Miles From Nowhere’/ ‘Moonshadow’īritish singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Cat Stevens born Steven Demetre Georgiou, began in a Roman Catholic household and went regularly to church as a kid.īut to avoid 2,000 years of guilt and to presumably widen his fashion sense from looking like Freddie Mercury’s understudy (a phrase from a Robin Williams routine) to homespun cotton wear, Cat Stevens went on to explore a number of Eastern religions and, after a near drowning experience, clambered on to the Islam Express in 1977. It was the first local rock track to feature a recorder, and came off Spectrum’s second album Milesago, the first Australian double album. “He was there at the start of my search / I’ve travelled so far and since then I veered / And when at the bridge, His step I will see / And though alone His love I will feel / Just have faith in the things I do” Just exactly who the “He” mentioned in the lyric remained unconfirmed but some “Hare Krishna” chanting just before the track began offered a clue. Opening with swirling organ and recorder, the song echoed the joy of a spiritual journey. After Melbourne ‘head’ band Ace Spectrum had a crossover hit with the Mike Rudd-penned ‘I’ll Be Gone’, they followed it up in June 1971 with ‘Trust Me’, which was written by drummer Ray Arnott, later to twirl sticks for The Dingoes and Cold Chisel. ![]()
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