YOU ARE HERE: zharth.net / Zharth's Music Log / Week 91 (Seven Heavenly Virtues)
(Originally finalized on August 20, 2024)
Preface: While we've got Heaven on our minds... way back in the original run, I did a theme based on the Seven Deadly Sins. It was a lot of fun. For a while I've contemplated doing a companion theme based on the Seven Heavenly Virtues - but they've never been as popular as the deadly sins. However, I think I've come up with enough songs, so let's give it a go!
Monday: Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands To Yourself [Georgia Satellites, 1986]
Comments: This is not my favorite song (although it has a good "bar blues" feel), but that's appropriate, because it reflects what might be my least favorite of the Heavenly virtues - chastity (or purity), which stands in opposition to lust. Not that I don't think that we should practice dignity and self-control when relating sexually to others, but religion has done so much irreparable damage to the sexual health of the population; it's part of the problem and not the solution.
Tuesday: John Lennon - Cold Turkey [released as a single, 1969]
Comments: The first time I heard this song on the radio, the DJ joked that it was about eating a bad turkey sandwich, but the meaning is pretty obvious. Standing in opposition to gluttony is the Heavenly virtue of temperance (or abstinence, but not specifically from sex). Another way to think of it is moderation, which I am fond of. You're allowed to enjoy the good things in life, you just can't allow them to take control of you.
Wednesday: Kansas - Dust In The Wind [Point of Know Return, 1977]
Comments: One of the all-time great pieces of acoustic music - and one of the most philosophical - Kansas' reminder that all we are is, ultimately, dust in the wind perfectly embodies the Heavenly virtue of humility, which stands in opposition to pride. With a reminder that the deadly sins are sins of excess - a reasonable amount of pride in your accomplishments is healthy - it's also important to maintain perspective, and realize how little we are in the grand scheme of space and time.
Thursday: The Beatles - Let It Be [Let It Be, 1970]
Comments: As previously established, I'm not the biggest fan of The Beatles, and I'm not a big fan of piano ballads, either. That said, I do think this song has a nice message, reflecting the Heavenly virtue of patience (or forgiveness), which stands in opposition to wrath. It may be one of the more challenging virtues to master, but it can be one of the most rewarding. There are times when understanding accomplishes more than obliterating your opponent.
Friday: The Rolling Stones - Dead Flowers [Sticky Fingers, 1971]
Comments: Look past the country veneer and focus on the lyrics, and you'll realize how great this song is. Envy tears us down and makes us bitter, until we grow to hate those who have more and better, and the things we want. Standing in opposition to it is the Heavenly virtue of kindness. It's easy to be kind to those who are less fortunate, but it takes real strength of character to show kindness in the face of those who do not treat us well. I learned this from my brother.
Saturday: Peter Frampton - (I'll Give You) Money [Frampton, 1975]
Comments: From the album that preceded Frampton Comes Alive! (on which this song also appears), here's a song that embodies the Heavenly virtue of charity, which stands in opposition to greed - it's simply a matter of give and take. The hypocrisy of corrupt religious leaders who steal from their own congregations is horrifying, but one must also be careful to listen to the needs of those one is helping, to ensure that one is not simply feeding one's own savior complex.
Sunday: Rush - Working Man [Rush, 1974]
Comments: Looking back, I can recall many years of my life when I said that sloth was my sin of choice. Curiously, I find that a little surprising now, as I would no longer describe myself as lazy. Standing in opposition is the Heavenly virtue of diligence, represented spectacularly by this track from Rush's debut album. Although life often feels like Sisyphus rolling a boulder eternally uphill, we should be grateful for the toil, because there is time enough for rest in the grave.
Honorable Mention: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man [Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd, 1973]
Comments: Considered for humility, ultimately I couldn't pass up using Dust In The Wind. Anyway, I think this song works better as a sort of catch-all. I like it, in spite of its conservative-leaning lyrics; I used to play the guitar solo with a brother/sister duet who would perfom this song at an open stage. "Be a simple man" is a nice sentiment, that can be soothing at a certain point in one's life. But I also think it's not a bad thing to dream big, and feed your ambitions. Sure, you might be setting yourself up for a life of disappointment; but nothing great was ever accomplished without a little chutzpah.