River ~ Battle of the Bands

In the back of my mind I knew that Battle of the Bands was getting closer (and then closer). However, this has been a heck of a month. I started classes this month. Turns out going back to school is just as tough as I thought it would be (that translates to tougher). Yikes. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to last here in blogland. I have so many things on my plate in the best of possible ways.

But, I'm in for this month. I guess it's one month at a time.

This is another song I've wanted to use for a while just because I like it so much. I fell in love with it when Robert Downey, Jr. sang it on Ally McBeal. Or I fell in love with Robert Downey, Jr.'s character of Larry on the show. It's all rather confusing in my head.  And then I was crushed when RDJ had to leave the show due to his addiction and mandatory jail time. It was rougher on RDJ I'm sure, but I felt crushed at the time. I've blogged about this before (a long time ago), so I don't feel the need to rehash it all again, but I'm so happy that he's had this tremendous comeback personally and professionally. Sadly, it didn't work out so well for Larry and Ally, but you can't have everything.

After listening to his version of River (again), YouTube shot me over to this gem. You don't have to watch it as it has NOTHING to do with this battle. It has everything to with RDJ and Ally and one of my favorite scenes. Also, one of the only scenes from that show you can find on YouTube, which irritates me when I think overly long on it. But, nothing to do with this battle. Oh Lord, he was fine (and is still *not bad*;). This just sets my poor little heart atwitter all over again.



 Anyway, I think one of the reasons I fell in love with this song was that it foreshadowed his leaving the show. That probably should be a reason to dislike it, but I'm a tad bit complicated. So, the song for this battle is River. As it references Christmas approaching (which it is), I feel like this is the best month to use it. I'll use an actual Christmas song next month.

This song was originally recorded by Joni Mitchell. I figure everyone has heard her version, so not going to use it in this battle. I will use RDJ for all the reasons I've given you.

Without further ado:



But, who to pit against him? I've listened to several versions of this song. Point of fact, Train just came out with a Christmas album and this song is on it. But, I think Sarah McLachlan does a really lovely job with it, so I'm abandoning Train (are you shocked???) in favor of Sarah. It's crazy times here in da hood.



Okay, so now that you've listened to Robert Downey, Jr. and Sarah McLachlan it's time to decide who performed it best. You get to vote by way of comment. Bring it people:)

If you want to see who else is participating in this round of Battle of the Bands, click HERE and visit Stephen T. McCarthy. He keeps up with the list:)

This is 600 and Battle of The Bands XI

Holy Tomole! It is January, 2014.  Happy New Year!!!

This is also my 600th post. (How is this possible????)

And it is time for the eleventh bout of Battle of the Bands.

Given that this is a very special day... the first of the New Year... I thought long and hard about what song to post here today. I wanted something representative of how the New Year feels.  Music is all about feeling, no?  But, getting the Exact Right Feeling was a bit of a challenge.

I ultimately decided on the song The Prayer of St. Francis, which also goes by Make Me A Channel of Your Peace. I looked it up on Wikipedia and this is what that site had to offer about this lovely song:

The Prayer of Saint Francis is a Catholic Christian prayer. It is widely but erroneously attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi. The prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912, when it was printed in Paris in French, in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell), published by La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe (The Holy Mass League). The author's name was not given, although it may have been the founder of La Ligue, Fr. Esther Bouquerel.

A professor at the University of Orleans in France, Dr. Christian Renoux, published a study of the prayer and its history in French in 2001.^[1]

The prayer has been known in the United States since 1927 when its first known translation in English appeared in January of that year in the Quaker magazine Friends' Intelligencer (Philadelphia), where it was attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Cardinal Francis Spellman and Senator Albert W. Hawkes distributed millions of copies of the prayer during and just after World War II.^[1]:

One of the numerous English translations^[2] of the Prayer is reproduced below:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, truth;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

It was adapted and set to music by Sebastian Temple, ©1967 by OCP Publications as Make Me A Channel of Your Peace. It is an anthem of the Royal British Legion and is usually sung every year at the Service of Remembrance in November at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

The song has been recorded many times, but I wanted two DIFFERENT versions for you to listen to here.  So, first up is a female quartet called All Angels.



versus Sarah McLachlan:



This is not the only battle taking place in the blogosphere today. You can also get in on the action by visiting these sites (and I encourage you to do so!):

Faraway Series

FERRET-FACED FASCIST FRIENDS

Tossing It Out

DiscConnected

The Creative Outlet of Strat Player

However, before you rush off to those sites, please take a moment and vote for your favorite in this battle. Did you like All Angels or Sarah McLachlan? Why did you prefer one over the other?  Yep. I have an Enquiring Mind and I Want To Know!