Past Perfect Senses

We were supposed to review the West Side Story staged at the Meralco Theatre last 12 October 2008 (8 p.m.) but after a few days of quitty and give uppy after-lunches after I felt that picking apart a too-conscious Tony in a re-production of a 50-year-old play mightn't be the best way to deal with the blues.

And so instead I've chosen to help myself snap out of it by going back a near 20 years to listen to my first musical heroes, my mad hat trick, my guiltless pop pleasure --- Wilson Phillips.

After suffering through the download times at Youtube courtesy of a you-think-it's-slow-now-well-you-shoulda-lived-in-the-early-90s connection, I realized that 1) I still want to cut my hair just like Chynna's; 2) I was a fool to think I wouldn't lose my old WilPhil photos and other memorabilia when we moved house; and 3) I now love Wilson Phillips even more. I then decided that "Hold On" shall be my new alarm sound, for its timeless and universal, yet timely and apt words of wisdom (let's sing it):

...
You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness
You got yourself into your own mess
Letting your worries pass you by
Don't you think it's worth the time
to change your mind?

Someday somebody's gonna make you want to
turn around and say goodbye
Until then baby are you going to let them
hold you down and make you cry?
Don't you know
Don't you know things can change
Things'll go your way
If you hold on for one more day?
Can you hold on for one more day?
Things'll go your way
Hold on for one more day
...

and for the way Chynna really means it when she sings. Hey Santa, I want to have Chynna's boundless energy and sparkling enthusiasm for Christmas. Or for now. I want them now. Dear Santa, I want Chynna's boundless energy and sparkling enthusiasm now. Now. HELLO! Look at me. HELLO! I am so ZEN. This is BLOOD. This is NOTHING. Hello. Everything is nothing, and it's so cool to be ENLIGHTENED. Like me.

I love that they sing the songs live as they sing them on the album (Cf: Aimee Mann, Gin Blossoms. Don't cf: Counting Crows, Natalie Merchant/10,000 Maniacs [why?? :(], Sting [not that I listen to Sting], U2 [not that I listen to U2]). Because however could I sing along if the melody were changed? Unless... No, there is no "unless". There is no justifying depriving one's fans of the chance to do that.

[On performing live, allegedly, it's what broke them up in the first place --- exhaustion from doing five cities a day. :( ]

And so. I was rather disappointed that when they "came back" in 2004 they "came back" with an album full of remakes. Because I loved WilPhil for their own songs and for their own points of view. And, they already had a bunch of tracks written for it, too. But, precisely because they have those already written, and because they should be able to write a lot more, even though they might be over this phase in their respective lives, I am still praying that fate would bring them back to me with another album full of good stuff. Someday, someday, someday. I keep my fingers crossed.

---
See also: Evening Sun, That’s What You Are To Me