I’ll Stop the World and Melt With You

Hello All,

I know this one is coming to you a bit late this week. There’s been so much going on. And while I should be dozing off because I have a gig early in the day tomorrow, I decided to at least start writing this.

Tomorrow is my first official gig of the year with the band. We have a few more planned and since I’m helping coordinate some of them I’ve been busy trying to handle some preliminary business. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how fast time moves. Which is probably why when we get the opportunity to look back at the past, we do it with such nostalgia. Most likely because it was gone in the blink of an eye, without us even taking a quick pause. Those of us who have have seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off know that he told us to do just that. And we probably didn’t even listen.-

I had plans to continue this shortly after or the day after the show. But here I am over a week and a half later continuing this while laying on a beach in Jamaica. This wasn’t planned, nor am I saying this to paint myself, and some eccentric or persistent writer. Nor am I doing this in the disingenuous fashion, that people see right through, which is more commonly associated with the things people put on YouTube that are considered ”Click Bait”. This is in fact one coming to you. I’m sure most of you do believe me open case you don’t see for your self.

I figured this pic was more believable with the Palm Trees in the background

This only solidifies the point I have been trying to make about how fast life moves. I’m sure if you’ve been reading for the past couple of weeks, you’ve noticed that my posts have been focused around me reminiscing about years passed in the flood of emotions that have gone along with it. Especially since Most of the time we are not wise enough to realize how precious the present is until it’s gone. But when we do, in that instance, it seems like time ceases to exist. If it involves a significant other, it’s as if you are the only two people on Earth. That feeling seems to last forever and nothing and no one else matters. Well I’m not a huge fan of some of that, I have learned it’s really not a good idea to base your happiness of some one else (thank you for that Peter Steele- from the liner notes of Bloody Kisses by Type O Negative . But we are all human and it does happen. It’s as if we have stopped the world.

I chose this title because of that sentiment of time stopping to enjoy a moment with someone else(even though those last few sentences make me sound like a hypocrite lol). I have been studying this song as a whole to prepare myself to play it at open mic, or while busking. I was torn between this song and the song “Time stand still” by Rush. That song deserves a mention here because of the lyrical content. I remember listening to this song years ago, thinking about how sad it is (maybe because of the changes I experiencing at the time). When I revealed that to a friend, he stated pretty much the point I am trying to make here. To saviour as many of life's moments as you can before it (as the song actually says) Slips Away. But I wasn’t sure if many people were familiar with this song, even those it was a great song by a great group(you don’t need to be a fan to know the song Tom Sawyer for example) and the amazing guest vocals by Aimee Mann, who even replied to an email my friends wrote her years ago .

After some careful consideration, I decided to mention both songs. Although the lyrics to Time stand still Are a bit more direct to the point I’m trying to make and have subjectively more depth. Somewhat like the message I was trying to make in my entitled Today. The song I’ll stop the world and melt with You by Modern English is more relatable when it comes to the typical “Boy/Girl” theme in music. Since according to Modern English lead singer Robbie Grey, the song is about having sex during a Nuclear War. At the time, the world was dealing with the Cold War, the Nuclear Arms Race and other issues that defined the times. That explains the “Melt with You” part. Which is a perfect line to be used in a food commercial(ironically this only happened recently that I know of). The most notable use of this song has to be in the movie “Valley Girl” starring Nicholas Cage. This helped everyone visualize the concept behind the song as his character was scene taking his love interest (played by Deborah Foreman) on various dates in a particular sequence of the film. If you haven’t seen it already, I suggest you do. I know it seems like just some 80’s teen romance movie, but it’s not. The characters are from different places and social castes that usually don’t mix. As a guy from the East Cost(who while writing this is wishing he could go back out there but just had to cancel an upcoming trip 🙁) didn’t know that kids from Hollywood and kids from the San Fernando Valley were so different. And I may add that Cage got this role without any connections with to his Uncle Francis Ford Coppola. He went in with his chosen surname, not his given one(which he was credited with in his minor role in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Hence, debunking any literal “Nepotism” his family may have been accused of at the time.

So to reiterate, it is best to “stop and smell the roses” as they say. I know the acts that these songs mention are somewhat impossible but at times, I’m not so sure of that’s entirely true. But it sure does move fast(as I’m saying this after returning back from my trip). Well, I do hope you’ve enjoyed this. The show went well btw and I hope to back on stage again soon. Thanks for reading and be well,

Nate,xoxo

And since I spoke so highly of these lyrics, I urge you to hear them for yourself :