Before I explain how I was introduced to these next two recording artists, you have to understand that I was not a big purchaser of albums while growing up. I didn’t have a big collection of music and wasn’t familiar with many singers or bands.
But Divine Mother knew what I needed and arranged for me to access two pivotal albums through one of my party buddies: and they were/are Keep the Fire by Kenny Loggins and Gino Vannelli’s Brother to Brother (belated thanks to Scott Berlin, who never did get his albums back!).
I loved pretty much every song on these LP’s, both of which are chock full of amazing dance grooves (which fully supported my regular “dance therapy”). It’s really hard to narrow my sharing down to only one track per album, but I did it…
First is the title track from Kenny Loggins’ LP, Keep the Fire. Tuning into the lyrics now, I can totally understand why they struck a chord in me back then; they speak of embarking on one’s journey, holding to one’s vision, and having faith! (I also find it interesting that the cover artwork shows Kenny offering up a ball of light!) 🙂
Keep the Fire
There’s a river in
Evening ember glow
And you’re wishing you could see
How far it flows
Rolling on to an endless sea
You’d be well on your way
If you could only set sail.
But dreams can drift away
And sails can fill with doubt
Where’s your vision
If the embers flicker out?
Don’t let it slip from view
The horizons are waiting
Your river is fading
So keep the fire burning tonight
See just what comes into sight
Don’t take forever
Take it through the night
And believe the sun
Will rise with the dawn
That’s all you need to go on
But for tonight
Just keep the fire burning bright
With Gino Vannelli, I could offer a number of songs whose lyrics showcase his positive — dare I say, “spiritual”? — perspective (such as Seek and You Will Find or I Believe!). But, again, the title track of Brother to Brother is just so profoundly satisfying to me that I have to share it (and the words are uplifting, too)!
Brother to Brother
Brother to brother
Now we must join our hearts and hands
Yeah, if we love one another
We hold the key to the promised land
Think of all that we’ve been through
The shucks and jives and royal blues
Let us pray our time will come
When this world will live as one
Brother to brother
Now don’t let the devil get you down
Oh ’cause it’s bread and it’s butter
That makes this whole damn world
Go round and round
Do you know where we went wrong
Tell me why the lines are drawn?
And let us break our bound’ries down
And live our lives on common ground
Oh mothers and fathers
Where will tomorrow’s children be?
Oh brother, my brother
Let us live our lives in peace
Brother to brother