BETWEEN THE LINES: A tribute to music artists
Music is the great stabilizer of society. It allows us to temporarily leave our fears, woes and disappointments on the shelf and transcend into the sublime. As the 54th Grammy Awards demonstrated Feb. 12, there is a variety of styles to the art form.
The show opened with Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, whose reputation for enduring live performances is his hallmark. After his performance, there was a tribute to Whitney Houston, who had passed away the day before. Her past marital and drug problems have been well documented, but her talent was unmistakable, even to the novice fan.
Her tragic death reminded me of a movie I saw in my youth that made quite an impression on me. "The Days of Wine and Roses," starring Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, portrayed the life of a married couple who journeyed from social drinking to severe alcoholism. In the end, Lemmon’s character was able to overcome his addiction, but his wife could not, demonstrating the difficulties in battling dependence problems.
However, the night belonged to Adele, the extraordinarily talented British songstress who captured six Grammys including best song, album and female singer. Adding to the drama was her recent recovery from throat surgery during the past three months as doctors not only did not allow her to sing, but rarely talk.
The night included two special tributes to the Beach Boys and Glenn Campbell. I have always contended that I was fortunate from a music perspective to grow up in the late 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s when the industry went through tremendous changes in style.
The Beach Boys’ music seemed to reflect those times as the Southern California group, led by Brian Wilson, turned out one hit after another such as "Good Vibrations," "Wouldn’t It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," "Little Deuce Coup" and "California Girls." Unlike other groups that would soon follow, the Beach Boys avoided political and anti-establishment themes, focusing instead on the California lifestyle — hot rods, surfing, the beach and girls.
The other special recognition went to Glen Campbell, who at age 75 is now suffering from Alzheimer’s. The Arkansas-born singer, whose hits included "Gentle on My Mind," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston" — the latter three written by Jimmy Webb — was instrumental in resurrecting the popularity of country music. His success led him to a three-year stint on CBS hosting "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour."
On a side note, the country singer was a replacement for the Beach Boys’ Wilson in the mid ’60s.
Consumers are passionate about their music and often gravitate to a certain genre. My tastes are varied, but I appreciate talent when I hear it. One does not have to be a music major to appreciate the talents of a Josh Groban, Houston or Adele. Taylor Swift is not one of my favorites, but her songwriting talent and delivery are quite remarkable.
As they say, different strokes for different folks.
Laughlin is a Christian Libertarian. He is an economist, teacher, father, husband and most recently a grandfather. He has written a weekly column for The Tribune for 13 years. He and his wife Gina reside in Meadowlakes. To contact him, email ablaughlin@nctv.com. He is an independent columnist, not a staff member, and his views do not necessarily reflect those of The Tribune or its parent company.