August has been vanquished, mercifully.
I could feel it yesterday as though just getting rid of that word August from the dateline lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. The same concerns are there and little has changed but there was just a subtle and perceptible psychic shift. Maybe the cooler temperatures and the slight breeze that hung around for much of the day added to the perception as well.
Whatever the case, it was good to see August depart and September enter the picture. The days and months ahead always seem to better fit my natural mood and demeanor.
I like to start the month by playing some version of the great old classic September Song, long one of my favorites. Written by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson, it was first sung, surprisingly, by Walter Huston in the stage production of Knickerbocker Holiday back in 1938. Since then it has been covered by literally many hundreds of musicians and singers throughout the world and most of them are pretty damn good versions. It’s just that good a song.
It’s a bittersweet and slightly melancholy reflection on the passing of time, that inevitable march to old age symbolized in the turning of leaves and the shortening of the days. These precious days, as the song says.
It’s a great pleasure going through the many versions online but I thought I’d share the Bryan Ferry version this year. I was never a huge Bryan Ferry fan but I did like some his work with Roxy Music as well as some of his solo work. His voice works well in this delicately sung version. Enjoy and remember to take some pleasure in these precious days.
Redtree Times 