Last week, Jim (NewEpicAuthor, A Unique Title For Me) set a theme of termination (my selection). This week, he gives us the theme of spices.
It was a gift when I saw today’s prompt.
Being from Liverpool, I grew up with The Beatles, and greatly admired John Lennon’s voice. And when his elder son, Julian, started recording, everybody was blown away by how alike they sounded, so I was pretty much a fan by default. Even today’s choice has hints of Strawberry Fields about it.
Julian doesn’t have anywhere near the commercial appeal that his father had, but nevertheless he has come out with some blinding tracks over the years, including this one from 1991. Let that date hang there for a moment, because if you follow the lyrics, the song addresses issues of both the environment and poverty. So, how long have they been around as issues? Forever. You can judge for yourselves, for all the rhetoric, how much has actually changed.
This song was written by Julian Lennon in collaboration with Mark and Leslie Spiro. I couldn’t find much about Leslie, but Mark is certainly an established musician/songwriter – the tracks of which he has been a part have sold more than 100 million copies. Saltwater originally reached #6 in the UK chart, #1 in Australia. You might have heard of it more recently than 1991, after a 25th anniversary version was re-released in 2016.
We are a rock revolving
Around a golden sun
We are a billion children
Rolled into one
So when I hear about
The hole in the sky
Saltwater wells in my eyesWe climb the highest mountain
We’ll make the desert bloom
We’re so ingenious
We can walk on the moon
But when I hear of how
The forests have died
Saltwater wells in my eyesI have lived for love
But now that’s not enough
For the world I love is dying
(And now I’m crying)
And time is not a friend
(No friend of mine)
As friends we’re out of time
And it’s slowly passing by
Right before our eyesWe light the deepest ocean
Send photographs of Mars
We’re so enchanted by
How clever we are
Why should one baby
Feel so hungry she cries
Saltwater wells in my eyesI have lived for love
But now that’s not enough
For the world I love is dying
(And now I’m crying)
And time is not a friend
(No friend of mine)
As friends we’re out of time
And it’s slowly passing by
Right before our eyesWe are a rock revolving
Julian Lennon, Mark Spiro, Leslie Spiro
Around a golden sun
We are a billion children
Rolled into one
What will I think of me
The day that I die
Saltwater wells in my eyes
Saltwater wells in my eyes
Mister Bump 
I didn’t know this song, but it is very touching.
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I listened to him on Spotify before I posted this and I thought only 3 or 4 of his songs were presentable-decent. But isn’t it amazing how alike they sound?
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I love this song it’s so bang on. How strange he and his father had a difficult relationship and then he writes a song and arranges it just as his father would of….that’s only my opinion. Great choice.💜
The problems he addresses have been with us always, ever since man discovered money, sadly they always will. Recent events prove so, UK , they locked us down too late and comming out of lockdown too soon….sorry I shall stop now.💜
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I think you’re right. I suppose it must be difficult for any child, when mum and dad get divorced, to know where they now fit in. And yes, we are mini-me’s. But throughout this, our government has not shown much leadership and the overriding conclusion is that people must think for themselves. I’m sure this is deliberate since the people in charge of both the UK and the US want a smaller state.
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You may well be correct about our leaders, sad isn’t it. You are also right about Lennon and Lennon jnr. 💜🌹
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Well, our leader was in denial for 3 months before he did anything about it and then pushed our state governments to reopen after less than a month. Okay, I will stop now. 🙂
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It’s an absolute nightmare, so much miss information 💜
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I just read that Julian Lennon discovered a growth on his head, forcing him to have emergency cancer operation in order to remove it.
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gosh, I must admit I hadn’t heard of him for years, but I suppose he’s never been mega-high -profile. Presumably he is in the US? I tell you what, your fifties is a bloofy dangerous age!
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How sad. Hope he recovers.
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Recorded in 1991 but universal and still applicable. Seeing the people walk by with masks was jarring. Who could’ve predicted??
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Good song – new one for me, though I’ve heard some of his other songs and like them a lot.
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Interesting that there are people in the video wearing masks. How appropriate to our living conditions these days. Very nice song. He certainly has a style much like his dad’s.
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Yes I noticed that too but, but in ’91, I have no idea why. Any guess?
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Asbestos and lead paint that was used in buildings from decades earlier was being discovered and removed. Many buildings were being torn down and rebuilt. The asbestos was a serious health problem causing respiratory problems and lung cancer.
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It’s sad that Julian isn’t recognized more flor his music. I had the “Valotte” album and it was nothing short of brilliant. And yes, he does sound a lot like his father.
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I believe John would be so proud of his son for this song. It’s so well-produced and the lyrics are political.
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Yup, Julian seems tuned-in. It’s a shame he’s not higher profile.
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