Recently, I was in the car with a friend, chilling and listening to music, when one of my favorite songs came on. Just as I was about to say, "Hey, this is my favorite song!" my friend switched to the next song, which according to what she then said, was "such a great song". Huh. The song was a good one, but I liked the first one wayyyyy better. Wouldn't everyone? Guess not. Lesson number 973 of life: Everyone has different tastes. Especially in music.
So according to lesson number 973, many people probably wouldn't agree with the following statement. (That was a disclaimer, in case ya didn't catch it.)
Mordechai Ben David rocks the house aaaaallllll the way down. Seriously, man, I know some of his stuff just doesn't fit the current music style of 2006, but the classics never go out of style. Yerushalyim, We Will Never Leave You! Yerushalyim, At Yerushateinu, Lo Na'azveich, L'olam At Beit Chayteinu! Tamid, Tamid, Tamid B'Simcha! And.....the following poem. Not by me, but by MBD. (Well, that rhymed! He he:)
Trembling in the darkness/ A battlefield, who knows/ A soldier crawls ahead/for behind him, someone goes/ Oh, heaven/ Pounding is his heartbeat/ He whispers words of prayer/ It seems that all his life in a flash may disappear
Wait- the crack of dawn/ As it greets the weary trooper/ Now his comrades he can see/ Reunited all for victory/ There, beneath the sun/ In a moment/ He has conquered/ All his fear just slipped away / Like the night so swiftly turned to day
Trembling in the darkness/ Praying for the light/ It seems as if it may never come/ At the darkest of the night/ Oh yes, this galus, it surrounds us/ A battlefield, who knows/ We slowly inch ahead/ We believe it's really close
Wait- the crack of dawn/ Bright horizon/ Soon the sunshine/ Yes, Mashiach's on his way/ All the grief and sorrow slipped away/ The past is but a dream/ In Yerushalyim/ The Bais Hamikdash/ Yes, this galus slipped away/ Like the night so swiftly turned to day
Celebration/ Exultation/ Young and old dancing everywhere/ We believe it all/ Heaven standing tall/ Eternal paradise/ Euphoria/ The past is but a dream/ In Yerushalyim / The Bais Hamikdash/ Yes, this galus slipped away/ Like the night so swiftly turned to day
Pain so long forgotten/ Night forever gone/ Now here it is the crack of dawn...
I have nothing more to say, because this poem, this song, this tefillah stands on its own.
Ok, I have more to say, but only because I can't close my mouth (...or stop my hands?). No matter what your taste in music -Shalsheles, Chamillion, Shweky, Mozart, Matisyahu, Nickleback...
A little MBD never hurt anyone.
19 comments:
Not only can he sing amzazing but he is the ultimate performer!
Thank you for writing out the lyrics- they really are the most beautiful tefillah!
i know most of his songs - and think he's top notch
but i must say - it was very touching to read the lyrics properly
thanks
You obviously have good taste in music.
For a long time I thought roommates were mocking me when they said they did not like the music I enjoyed.
Now I've learned that taste can't be explained!(even though some people have horrible taste!)
Nice ode to Mordechai Ben David. I am not a big jewish music fan but some of his classics do rock.
I'm also noy a big jewish music fan...but I appreciate ur fervent nod in MBDs direction...
He definitely has the voice and the passion..and he definitely has molded Jewish music in his image these past 30 years..
My fave MBD is...
"Someday we will all be together...!"
What a beautiful beautiful song! Really inspires me everytime... wait, I think I will go l isten to it now on his English Collection album.
I like "Someday" a lot also and others songs.
Great post okee.
kasamba--unfortunately, I've never seen him perform! Shocking, I know, but I got into MBD when a dear, dear relative gave me his tape. I've been a fan ever since!
theonlywayiknow-I'm veeeery into lyrics. I can't listen to a song with icky lyrics, and a song with great meaning, a song that's truly poetry-like this one- is magic.
prag--one person's horrible taste is another's exquisite...what can we do? force feed all the "good" music into the ears of roommates until they whimper their approval in submission? maybe.
sw/fm--honestly, I really haven't scratched the surface in my MBD listening. I admit I'm more of a classics fan, but what I like, I like!
david--definitely. You don't have to be a fan of jewish music to notice how great his influence on the genre has been. To some extent, jewish music as a genre has not existed, really, for so long. It's cool how the "pioneers" of Jewish music continue to create more music to this day. Music is an inherent form of spiritual expression, and I can't imagine my spirituality today being what it is without all the music I've absorbed over the years.
frumgirl--also one of my faves! I was thinking of writing its lyrics also, but then I would also have to add Yehuda's "Higher and Higher", Shalsheles' "Dreaming", Joseph and the Amazing...'s "Close Every Door"(even tho it's not strictly "Jewish"), MBD's "Let My People Go"(for political significance), Journeys' "Memories", Journeys III's song about learning Torah-but-I-don't-know-the-name, and Matisyahu's "Chop 'Em Down" and "Got No Water" and from his new album, the one about an arrow and a bow...to name but a few.
(Prag, you still think I've got good taste in music?)
Btw, frumgirl--MBD has an English collection album???!!!
lvnsm--yep, someday is great--I always, always, ALWAYS almost cry whenever he gets to the words, "Avraham and Yitchak will be there to greet us/ Yaakov and his sons will stand by and smile/ Moshe Rabbeinu will lead us once again/ Yerushalyim, b'ezras Hashem"! I just can't take it!
okee -
so funny - you cry by lyrics too - well not funny i guess - probably lots of us do.
hey, you didn't mention one... it always makes me cry...
'little neshamale' - stunning.
Me too! It aint easy for me to find s/t that I really like.
it's strange, I grew up on jewish music ONLY. MBD was one of my early favorites. Now my tastes lean more towards the ones you mentioned at the bottom of your blog, (see my Nickelback post for prrof). However, as you say, there is something to be said about MBD.
I recently heard such a beautiful song by MBD but I can't remember the name. It's abut a father and son discussing the cup that Hashem cries into.
only way--yep, little neshamalah is great, and I think I can claim a tear or two by that one also. Baruch Hashem, there's a lot of great music out there to listen to if one is open to it. I have a friend who is idealogically opposed to all things Journeys. But she is sooo missing out on a lot of great stuff!
social mom-- you also like the neshamale song? Then you sound like a journeys person! Have you heard all four? Have you tried destiny (sometimes too corny but has a few gems)?
frum idealist--I was sort of the opposite. I didn't really grow up with any music at all, but when I first got into music, it was Linkin Park alllll the way! I still have a pseudo-spiritual attachment to some of their songs. It just drags me back in time about five years and makes my soul echo with it's beautiful, angry tones. So I try to avoid it usually...And then I (quote-unquote) "grew" into Jewish stuff, starting with Shalsheles (of course) and then a courageous foray into Journeys III (my fave Journeys tape). During senior year in high school, I'd alternate between it and Torah tapes during my fifteen to twenty minute drive to school. I was very holy back then!!
I only know the older journeys and I like those. I will tell you I am the greatest fan of deveykus. Nothing much else from jewish music.
100% - MBD is the king
Long live MBD
deveykus? never got into it, but hey, i'm still young--it's not too late!
and...oh, yeah, slim laney, you got it!!
funny you guys also mentioned deveykus. I was thinking that MBD and deveykus are both great. Man, there are a bunch of songs that I like from MBD. And with Deveykus, my fav is vol 4.
Oh it's the best gotta get the dveykus tapes. Start with #3.
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