Pastoral. For a long time we’ve thought of that simply as pastures, poetry about streams and paintings of lush, lime green grass. Cows. Works by Virgil. A certain longing for the countryside. Shepherds. Hills rather than towns.
Yes all of that is pastoral, but the notion runs deeper.
Pastoral is about a certain longing, but not necessarily for the country. It’s about a longing for space – maybe internal, maybe external, maybe both – a patch of sky among the bricks and mortar. The space of quiet to form our thoughts, to articulate our own imaginations. The space to be unfettered, free of our projected selves, our images. The notion of pastoral is as much a yearning for weightlessness as it is about clear, cool streams in the meadow. It’s a yearning for the clear, cool streams of our internal sensibilities. It’s about truth and honesty and what endures. It’s pre-war not pre-fab. It’s as much about a lack of grittiness among much grit as it is about anything else. We all want to see the stars, even on a dark night of the soul or a light polluted evening among the urban thicket. Tilt your head, close your eyes. The stars are there, forming the great constellations. These songs might help you find them:
-1-
“Where We Go”
Seapony
Go With Me
-2-
“Waitin’ for a Train”
Jimmie Rodgers
Waitin’ for a Train
-3-
“Astral Weeks”
Van Morrison
Astral Weeks
-4-
“On This Side”
Tiny Vipers
Hands Across the Void
-5-
“Lay My Love” (Live)
Poi Dog Pondering
Liquid White Light (Live)
-6-
“America”
Simon & Garfunkel
The Best of Simon & Garfunkel
-7-
“No Nostalgia”
AgesandAges
Alright You Restless
-8-
“England”
The National
High Violet
-9-
“Westbound”
Melissa Ferrick
The Other Side
-10-
“Stars Fell on Alabama” (1957 Stereo Version)
Billie Holiday
Songs for Distingué Lovers
-11-
“Open Air”
Robert Deeble
Earthside Down
-12-
“Wildwood Flower”
The Carter Family
RCA Country Legends: The Carter Family
-13-
“Lost Coastlines”
Okkervil River
The Stand Ins
-14-
“I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town”
Ruth Brown
Ms. B’s Blues: Essential Recordings
-15-
“sparrow” (outro)
safe words
hollow leg
14 responses
Wow, Anna! This is so well done. Thanks for all the work that went into it. It’s such an interesting add to “The Rumpus” and the narrative in support of your musical selections is special.
Love it, Anna!
Outstanding, Anna! Great writing, as always, and I’m loving the playlist!!! Rocking out now, to it!!! Sublime!!
Love this – you made me think of a long long conversation I had in Austin, Texas once with a British record company guy who was visiting – we were talking about songs that transform and drinking Lone Stars with shots of tequila. I had had an incredible experience with This Mortal Coil’s version of Song to the Siren and we were coming up with songs and albums that one might sit and listen to in the dark, alone with, to get that same feeling. Astral Weeks came up as well as The Water Boys. It was one of those crazy nights in Austin when I stayed out all night and bemoaned the fact that a kindred spirit just encountered was flying back to London. Thanks for reminding me of that AND for a terrific read. xo!
Stacks of gifts are sitting on the floor in front of me & your mixtape is about to become my “Wrapping Soundtrack”. Thank you Anna! xox
Great playlist and theme, beautifully written.
damn fine
Anna, thanks for being my morning DJ while I wrote today! Can’t wait to hear more of these wonderful playlists. You are so in your element with this! Fantastic.
Love it Anna!
I so enjoyed an empty house tonight, with a woodstove fire, and cat, and dog, and Anna tunes.
thanks all — so glad you are enjoying the mix. tune in next week for “chicago”. xo
Love it! Thanks Anna, really nice mix. : )
I like the Tiny Vapors choice.
perfect listening for a monday morning in the saltmines.
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