Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Willie & Ray bringin' me to tears



All I can say is WOW!!!

If you are a Willie fan and you haven't seen this...you are missing a real treasure.

This was one of the best impulse buys I've ever picked up.

It was actually a broadcast for Willie's 70th birthday party.

There were several people that joined the festivites. The best of them all, though, has brought me to tears every time I've watched it. Now, normally, I'm not an easy person to bring to tears(Thanks to my Lexapro) but the trio of Leon Russell, Willie, and Ray Charles makes me cry every time. I thought it would get easier the more I watched it, but that hasn't been the case so far. They sang a song written by Leon called "A Song For You." It is even more poignant knowing that Ray would only be around a short time after this was filmed.

What really gets me is when Ray is singing his part....just as if he's singing right to Willie. There are a couple shots of Willie tearing up. And even one time I think he literally heaved to get his breath from the deep crying inside that he tried so gallantly to hide. That's when I lose it every time.

There are several other people who sit in with Willie that pull off some mind blowing performances. Norah Jones was absolutely fabulous. She's got such a gentle voice.....it blends very nicely with Willie. Another nice addition to the show was Steven Tyler with "One Time Too Many." Definitely the most shocking part was when Wyclef Jean came out and pulled off a reggae rendition of "All the Girls I've Loved Before." Last but not least, another one of my favorites, Paul Simon, came out to sing "Homeward Bound." Another tear-jerker.

This is by far one of the most touching music performances that I have in my collection.

I'm just so overwhelmed with the Willie, Ray, and Leon performance......I've rarely been pushed to tears by something I've seen on my TV. Live performances are different, on the other hand.....I've cried like a baby more than once at live shows.

Anyway, I felt the need to share my tears of joy with all of you. If anyone ever wants to borrow this, let me know. Or better yet, we could have a party at my house after I get it fixed up and we can all cry together......Love you all!!!!!

7 comments:

sela said...

Oo, Ooh, Ooh!! Let's do that! I'll skip my Lexapro that day...wait, maybe I should double up!!

I saw part of this on tv, and I loved it!!!! I've been thinking alot about Willie lately...weird. I actually thought about asking you for some Willie Nelson recommendations! I love him! Something about him always makes me feel sentimentel...

Andrea said...

Our grandpa LOVED Willie Nelson too!

sela said...

I didn't know that!

boneman said...

Dang! I dunno 'bout the cryin'n'all, but,
ZZ Top? Elvis Costello? ERIC CLAPTON? Paul Simon?

Sure! Can I borra it next?!?

Andrea said...

Alli-Gal, Your description makes me want this,, so put me in line for the rental. Oh ok I'll see if I can find it at Walmart or someplace. I especially want to hear the Ray stuff and Wyclef Jean (one of my favs).

Thanks for the heads up!

S-hooks...our granddad loved Willie - especially the song, "Georgia on my Mind".

I can remember hearing him playing and singing along on that big record player piece of furniture they had. He also loved "To all the Girls I loved Before" and "Always on my Mind"

Here's another surprise: He loved, loved, loved the Jimmy Buffet song Margaritaville!

alli-gal said...

Dad always loved Willie too. "Georgia on My Mind" is a song I remember listening to with Dad in his old flat bed truck on our way to Jack Bowley's house.

I knew Poppy liked Willie, but I had no idea about Margaritaville!!!

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