Great writers wound us.
Their words cut into our bodies; their ideas become notions of ourselves. Cue Joan Didion. She stitches sentences through your brain. You emerge exhausted and charged — agreeing, disagreeing and questioning. Reading Didion invites a conjuring of her.
Wounded by her you know this: this world is going to require more of us than we believe we can summon, then more and yet still more. Picture a day–maybe it’s your last day to live–how would you know? Maybe it’s raining. Maybe the Santa Ana winds are blowing. We slouch, keep secrets and hide our true confessions. The world is cold comfort; the world is all there is. We are a people; we are a blot of individuals. It is all either dazzling, dizzying sun or pouring rain. There are few gentle mists in Didion’s world. For that, we are grateful. Read on.
-1-
“Tangled Up in Blue”
Bob Dylan
Blood on the Tracks
-2-
“Breakers”
Gem Club
Breakers
-3-
“All the Way From America”
Joan Armatrading
Me Myself, I
-4-
“Heights of Diamond”
Adam Haworth Stephens
We Live on Cliffs
-5-
“California Dreamin’”
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas Greatest Hits
-6-
“Malibu”
Hole
Celebrity Skin
-7-
“Again”
Etta James
Etta James: Love Songs
-8-
“Montana”
Youth Lagoon
The Year of Hibernation
-9-
“Dear Prudence”
The Beatles
The Beatles (White Album)
-10-
“Success Has Made a Failure of Our Home”
Sinéad O’Connor
Am I Not Your Girl?
-11-
“Slouching Towards Bethlehem”
Joni Mitchell
Night Ride Home
-12-
“Miami”
Al Jolson
Al Jolson Fifty Favourites
-13-
“Thank You for Your Love”
Antony & the Johnsons
Thank You for Your Love – EP
7 responses
Brilliant, suitably heart breaking, sumptuous mix. Thanks Anna.
nice selection of music for the piece. well done.
Burn it. Buy it. Bury me with it.
Anna, I know it’s probably supposed to be the other way around, but for me it is your narrative that infuses the terrific music you select. I keep coming back here several times between the Wednesdays. Thank you for sharing aural fixations with us. Maybe I’ll end up going to “Aural Fixations Anonymous”.
thanks, all, for the kind words. glad you enjoyed. david, it’s so nice of you to say that about the writing. i always liked liner notes, especially when they were liner essays…..they were among the first thing i read when i was learning to read as a kid because my hippie-ish parents always had LP’s around. so i really enjoy having some words with my music…..glad you do, too!
I am always blown away by your column!!! I love Joan Didion and you and your playlist have done her proud!!! Exceptional and once again jammin down to the playlist you chose!! LOVE IT!!! Thank you, Anna!!!
Love the playlist. Totally perfect.
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