Saved means that you have found life in the shadow of death. Came out into the light of day. Self-preserved and preserved the inner fire, the spark from which the flame of being is created.
Saved means you have drawn an honestly paid lottery ticket. Won the fight against himself. You can now lend a helping hand to someone else, someone who right now, just like you yourself a moment ago, is fighting with himself.
Saved...
Finding meaning in everything.
For even now there is no longer anything unimportant.
Beth Hart is one of those saved. By ourselves. Her singing career, her fate and, or rather, the countless vicissitudes of that fate are a topic for a separate discussion. What’s more important to us is how it happens that across megatons of vinyl and oceans of music we manage to bridge a shaky and yet strong bridge. Connector of destinies, meanings, circumstances.
We will need exactly this one - Black Coffee (Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa album). The year is 2018. Saved, the sixth piece on the record, is ancient, coming to us like the light of stars that went out a long time ago. And did they go out?..
Saved was written in 1960 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller - the most powerful dinosaurs of rock and roll (Hound Dog, Kansas City, Jailhouse Rock, Loving You, Love Me, Treat Me Nice, Trouble, Bossa Nova Baby - that's all of them, list I could go on for a long time). This is very upbeat gospel music that is just crazy in tempo. Explosion. The cry of that same saved one, saved one. Souls. This is where the fun part comes in: if you take the text literally, you won’t understand anything at all. And it’s not a matter of who drank how many cases of whiskey, or who smoked how many cigarettes. The point, as always, is a matter of insight. In a fleeting insight that changes your personal, deeply personal life forever. A ray of light falls on something hidden for the time being in the darkness - and here you go! A diamond of unprecedented purity!..
After all, to tell the truth, we don’t die.
We just gain immortality...
I used to drink, I used to smoke,
I used to smoke, drink and dance the hoochy-coo,
I used to smoke and drink, smoke and drink, and dance the hoochy-coo.
Oh yeah, and now I'm standing on this corner,
Praying for me and you!!!
Beth Hart has gone through all the circles of hell, so SAVED as performed by her is more of a confession than one might expect. In my wildest guesses. What’s even more interesting is that Elvis sang in the show of his return from the total oblivion of soap cinema. Presley Aaron. Sang in 1968. Trying to shout and reach each of us: “And you can come back! Any of you! Every day! You just need...”
To want.
This is always the most difficult thing.
III that's why I'm saved I'm saved,
People let me tell you 'bout kingdom come,
You know I'm saved I'm saved,
Well, I can preach until you're deaf and dumb,
I'm in that soul saving army beating on that big bass drum!!!
What kind of twist is this? Screaming loudly about innumerable sins, and even worse - later admitting that he took the side of virtue. And light. And all kinds of spiritual repentance. So what now? And not drink a single gram? Should I smoke a Havana cigar?..
I used to lie, I used to cheat,
I used to lie, cheat, steal from people's feet,
I used to lie and cheat, lie and cheat, and steal from people's feet,
Well, now I'm steppin' on to glory,
Salvation in my beat!!!
To hell with you, really. Read the text, listen to the music. Pass its electric current through yourself. Adults - live as you want. Gospel. Do you understand? This is a conversation with God on a separate, specially dedicated line. The Lord doesn't care who calls - Elvis Presley or Beth Hart.
Or someone else, maybe even without a last name at all. It's a matter of revelation. And in the sincerity of the dialer...
You know... As many re-covers of SAVED as there will be, there will be as many bridges. From impossible to possible. From “where there is only hell and death” to “where there is only light and life.”
Pop culture can sometimes do a lot.
This is a short story about just one song.
Listen to decent music.
Because I'm saved, I'm saved,
People let me tell you 'bout kingdom come,
I am saved, I'm saved,
Well, I can preach until you're deaf and dumb,
I am saved, I'm saved, I'm saved!!!
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editors.