Stir It Up for Barack!
A few years ago I’d just turned 21 and had this mulatto moment. I share it with you today on my birthday. I recorded this at Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood.
I’d like to encourage synergy with the Obama campaign, especially around the acceptance event in Denver on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech, so I thought I’d put this out. I have a vision that we can get Diana Ross to mash in “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with my “Stir It Up”
Then I’d like to sing Daydream which was written hoping for a day like this 10 years ago, when hope seemed more distant.
Right click to download Daydream
[audio:http://groovyacousticsoul.com/organic/samples/01_Albums/Living_Room/09 Miracle.mp3]Right click to download Miracle.
Also I’m thinking that it would be nice to have some supporters cut videos to Daydream and Miracle using clips highlighting the issues that we hope to move in positive ways. The lyric for Daydream talks about a day when Martin’s dream is fulfilled. With all that’s going on in the media and campaigns, we know that is not going to be unequivocally August 28, 2008. But there is hope!
—
daydream
carry me up to be received
we’re drinking
coffee at 10am
newspaper deaths
thirty years, one day
a folk singer says i ain’t scared
and tears fall as i daydream
of martin luther king fulfilled
(can you feel…?)
carry me up to receive
‘cos despair as fate is nonsense to me
sun warms us through our windows
but my friend and i must go outside
with knowledge from these conversations
we must act at least in song
can you feel?
you’re not alone!
can you feel?
carry me up to believe
that words of peace stir collective souls
that we’ll be moved by nonviolent hands
that my passion’s not nostalgic
and tears rise as i daydream
and i begin to smile
can you feel?
you’re not alone!
can you feel
you’re not alone!
can you feel…
can you feel…
you’re not alone!
you’re not alone!
(c) 1998/2002 Jason Luckett
Beautiful job Jason, love your passion and your message! I’m the jazz singer out of Chicago, you left a message on my Barack Obama blog and I wanted to check you out and I’m so glad I did.
I’m living in your world as well. My wife is Icelandic American and our kids are growing up here but go there every summer and my daughter speaks reads and writes the language, so I have some sense of what you’re alluding to in your introduction to the song and I’m doing what I can to make my children’s introduction to this world’s and especially our country’s crazy take on race as painless as possible, so far so good but they’re only 9 & 5.
Hopefully Barack’s successful candidacy will move our country forward a quantum step. I have a sense that it’s happening. It’s all so very exciting.
Hey stay in touch! And keep writing and singing!!
Hey Jason,
I was in the stadium yestersday and you can bet we did sing Ain’t No Mountain in the halls waiting for Obamarama to commence. I also went to an event yesterday morning to celebrate the anniversary because Danny was in town and speaking there. They mixed What’s Goin’ On with the speech and later the Martin Luther King III came out. It’s funny, I did think of you when I was standing there and wishing you could see it too- music and people, history and magic. Hope you’re well. See you soon!