-
Wanderlust
-
The Monkees dabbled in trains too. We all know Last Train to Clarksville, but there was also this obscure one:
-
Hi David,
thanks for the music video by the Monkees. A bit weird, but good. As you already indicated with the video “The wreck of the old 97”, travelling by train can not only be beautiful, but also has dark sides or even dramatic moments, like in “Steam Engine”. Or this one…
-
I wonder if this is how the Great Train Robbery went down? 🙂
-
-
Some musicians also have a very special relationship with the railroad (that’s what I found in different sources):
What do Frank Sinatra and Eric Clapton have in common? It’s their fondness for model trains. They are all known to have their own train set in the basement or at least to spend a lot of time with the miniature trains. They are not alone in this in the celebrity world, as many well-known personalities count model trains among their hobbies.
Phil Collins also has a special connection to model trains. Like many other artists, Collins lacked the money for his first instrument at the beginning of his career. His mother helped out, but only with half the amount. Collins himself contributed the other half by selling his brother’s model train. Prosaically speaking, it was a model railroad that made Collins’ world career possible in the first place.
Fellow musician Neil Young takes his passion for (model) trains even further. On his estate there is a barn in which a huge miniature railroad layout is set up. His favorites are Lionel trains, considered the American version of Märklin. Young, however, is not satisfied with the equipment he can buy normally. He has developed several patents in this area, including on remote controls and couplers. Young is not only involved with model railroads, but is also fascinated by real trains. For example, it is reported that he frequently lays down next to real train tracks to record authentic train sounds.
Rod Stewart keeps it a bit smaller. He was caught by the model railroad fever already more than 25 years ago. The musician describes this hobby as very relaxing. On tour or between studio recordings he uses gluing, painting and tinkering to switch off and regenerate. To do this, he has to take parts of the track with him on tour. He likes to book his own room for the track so that there is enough space for the assembly and the fumes from fresh paint don’t disturb the star.
-
Hi Jurgen. Wow I never knew so many famous musicians were really fond of model trains. That video “Runaway Train” is great with that majestic steam engine train. That reminds me of the old “Royal Hudson” steam engine train that use to run daily from Vancouver to a remote town on the water called “Squamish” halfway up to Whistler. It is an authentic steam engine just like in that video, and took it once with my parents in the 90s for a day trip, and it was really wonderful.
I use to have a model train set in my childhood and into my early teens I enjoyed having. I set it up on the family ping pong table and remember how enchanting it was seeing it wind through a small town I created from different accessories. I use to enjoy turning out the lights, and the head lamp of the train would light up the room as the train went around the traffic. It really evoked my imagination. I’m still quite fond of them. There is something magical when you see a real big elaborate model train world with miniature towns setup, some of them look so real.
All this model train talk, and all the train related music videos here is really getting me motivated to do a cross Canada train trip in the not too distant future.
I remember this old folk song from early childhood about working on the railroad. I must have heard it on a cartoon. Here is a John Denver version.
-
Hi Jung,
I apologise for my late reply. There are delays not only on the train, but also in real life… 🙂
I feel the same way as you: I have many fond memories of my childhood when it comes to trains (and model trains). If you are really going to travel through Canada by train in the foreseeable future: don’t forget to send us photos. Or better, still a short video clip. Thanks also for the nice steam locomotive video (“I’ve been working on the railroad”). Steam locomotives are bursting with raw power.
By the way: Have you ever travelled through Korea by train? I imagine it would be very impressive. Are there actually high-speed trains in South Korea, like the Shinkansen in Japan? Unfortunately, I haven’t found any useful railway videos of South Korea, but I would like to present some beautiful impressions of this enchanting country (that is definitely worth a trip) and its capital Seoul. So sit back and enjoy.
-
One more train-related song from the Seekers:
-
Hi David,
thanks for the wonderful song by The Seekers. I listened to some of their songs in all the years and all the time without ever knowing who wrote this music, so I wanted to get a CD. Can you recommend me an album of the band? Otherwise I would just order „The Very Best“ of now. I especially like this song:
-
Hey, Juergen.
I discovered the Seekers on YouTube, so for the most part my knowledge of them is not arranged by album. I looked at their discography on Wikipedia and didn’t really see a concentration of my favorite songs on any particular album. There is a gradual evolution from covers of traditional folk songs, to original folk/pop from other songwriters, to self-written folk songs with somewhat unusual arrangements.
I bought a copy of their 1997 CD Future Road, and a box set of their entire 1960’s output called All Bound for Morningtown. But you certainly can’t go wrong with a “best of” compilation!
-
-
Hi Jurgen. Wow, thanks for those 2 videos of S Korea, the landscape video and night time drone video of Seoul makes me want to go back and visit. They do have a pretty extensive railway system through S Korea that range from an old economy line right up to their bullet train called the KTX that does about 300 KM/HR. In the half dozen times I’ve visited there, I’ve taken the train. They have a regular line train, similar to the trains in Canada that travel about 100KM/HR that takes about 4 hours to run the entire length of South Korea (approx 330 KM) from Seoul in the north to Busan (where I was born) in the south. It’s a great way to visit the country as it stops in many cities along the way and it’s fun to watch the unfolding scenery. It’s funny they made a fairly popular Netflix movie called “Train to Busan”, on that same line, about a zombie infection on the train. I am sure you can imagine the plot! LOL.
I haven’t taken the KTX yet as it’s an express that doesn’t stop in between, at least I don’t think it does, and takes just over an hour. Back in 1995 when I visited Japan, I did take the Shinkansen and remember as the train passed thru tunnels at 300 KM/HR, it felt like the windows and walls would flex slightly due to the pressure change created in the tunnel.
That super tall pyramid tower in the Seoul drone shot, I remember was being built when I visited there back in 2017, I think it’s one of the tallest structures in Asia now. The plaza at the base of the tower is a massive mall that is quite something to see. They have kind of Disney Land Theme Park around there too. The Autumn is always beautiful there with the Autumn foilage. They have quite the music scene in Seoul these days.
-
Hi Jung,
thanks for your great travelogue of S-Korea ( as I suggested: publish your travel memoirs and they will be read ????).
In Korea’s major cities, are the street and building signs actually bilingual, meaning Korean and English (or at least Latin characters)? If I would ever travel there (maybe in combination with Japan), would I have a chance to find my way around there? A friend of mine travels to Japan (Tokyo) frequently for work and told me that as a European it is not so easy to get oriented there (because of the own fonts).
Yes, high-speed trains have sophisticated pressure systems on board so that passengers’ ears don’t ring when they pass through tunnels. Italy’s version of the FRECCIAROSSA (“RED ARROW”) automatically hermetically closes all ventilation openings and door seals shortly before the tunnel passage, then generates a slight overpressure and the passengers hardly feel a thing during the tunnel crossing.
By the way, you wrote: “They have quite the music scene in Seoul these days”. Can’t you introduce a nice piece of Korean music here? Maybe folklore or something modern. I like Asian music (well, maybe not everything, but most of it). I would be very interested in what you particularly like and it fits wonderfully here to the topic Wanderlust.
-
The desire to explore the world and the longing to always get to know something new is probably as old as mankind itself. While people initially set out for pragmatic reasons to explore the world, such as finding new sources of food and settable land, the roots of today’s tourism can already be found in antiquity. Recreational and educational travel already existed in the Egyptian Pharaonic Empire. There is evidence of travels whose motives were luxury, pastime, broadening of experience and recreation. Privileged circles of the population first traveled for pleasure. They visited, as their inscriptions show, famous monuments and testimonies of ancient Egyptian culture, including, for example, the Step Pyramid of Sakkara, the Sphinx, and the Great Pyramids of Giza – structures that had been built a good thousand years earlier. The Greeks followed similar traditions. They traveled to Delphi to consult the Oracle, participated in the Pythian Games (music and athletic competitions), or went to the Olympic Games. So let’s do as the ancient Egyptians did and embark on a musical search for the roots of our culture, such as for example the 7 wonders of the modern world.
-
From the album “Tango in the Night”
-
-
Hi Jurgen, been a crazy week here starting a new job, my brain is a little fried. I’m a little behind here.
I’m not really that familiar with the current Korean pop music scene, though my brother is really into it following the music. It seems every young kid wants to be a pop music star there.
Here is a clip from one of my visits to Seoul a number of years ago, and street music scenes downtown like this is quite common. This was taken at one of the popular University districts that turn into quite a lively and fun scene at night.
The kids are really into the music and dancing. I know 60s and 70s classic rock music is also very big there among the population. Everyone would know music of the Beatles to the Eagles. If you can read English, you can pretty much get by in Korea in most places. I can’t read Korean at all, so I was glad most important signs like directions in the subway are in English and Korean, including most restaurants too.
-
Hi Jung,
thank you for your self-made music video. Yes, that’s how I experienced the young music scene in Asia: happy, carefree and curious. There are many talented young musicians we’ll never hear from here. Too bad. During our travels to South East Asia, we enjoyed watching local TV stations in the evening. Many music stations and also corresponding chart lists. Young bands and singers moving somewhere between traditional music and the influence of Western pop and rock music. An exciting balancing act. Unfortunately I never know which bands or singers I see and hear there, because I can’t read their names. Well, that’s life.
By the way, I firmly believe that if Mona and Lisa had access to the Asian music business, their music would be very well received there. Especially among the young people they would find great popularity. They are curious and very open-minded towards western music. I am sure they would find M&L very original and love them and their way of presenting music. The average age of the Mona Lisa fan base would drop sharply. ????
I found a nice video of the South Korean band „Nell“ here. The title of the song translates to ‘See you in 5 minutes’. What is the song about? Only you will know…
PS: I didn’t know you’ve started a new job. Yes I can well imagine that your brain is a little fried when you come home in the evening. I wish you good luck with the new job and keep my fingers crossed.
-
And a beautiful ballad by the band „Jaurim“. This band has an interesting repertoire and somehow doesn’t really fit into a genre. The songs „Something Good“, „Vlad“, „I’m my fan“ and „Stay with me“ are also worth listening to.
-
Hi Jurgen, thanks for sharing those 2 videos. I can recognize the lyrics are Korean, and it sounds beautiful. I agree, I think Mona and Lisa would be extremely well received in Korea. While KPOP is big in Korea and a few of the big KPOP bands are receiving international attention, the young generation today are really interested in western music artists, as Korean POP music reflect that interest in western music. For example, Jason Mraz is very popular in Korea, and some of his songs took root there first.
I tried a while ago to post some MLT videos on Korean social media but, I couldn’t read Korean so didn’t get very far, but I think I will try again harder using website language translation software. It would be great to get MLT traction there.
-
Hi Jung,
thanks for posting the song by Jason Mraz . I’ve heard this song on the radio many times without knowing who composed it. Now I know… ???? Thank you. Yes, that’s exactly the kind of music I meant: in Thailand or Indonesia, for example, it’s also very popular with young people. Western musicians have an exotic bonus there (I don’t mean that negatively) and that makes them kind of interesting for the people there.
I really like your idea of posting the music videos on Korean social media. Of course, the chance of being heard there is small, but sometimes it’s the little coincidences in life that get things rolling. (The) One person becomes aware of a certain piece of music or a band and spreads it, and the initial spark is started. It’s definitely worth a try. When I made a round trip in Laos in 2019, there were a noticeable number of South Koreans traveling there (funny people walking around in groups all day, singing, clapping and laughing. So different from the European tourists there. I like it) and I asked myself what they found so interesting about Laos. A local told me that a few years ago a very popular Korean musician shot a music video in Laos. The video-clip probably went viral on social media and after that many Koreans traveled to Laos to get to know this country. Sort of like what happened before with Leonardo DiCaprio and his film „The Beach“. The film was shot on the island of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. Since then, unfortunately, you can no longer visit the island, because every vacationer in Thailand really wants to see Ko Phi Phi. Luckily, Thailand has many other beautiful islands that are less well known. But that’s how it is sometimes when life is ruled by chance. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time and everything runs like clockwork.
By the way, I was looking for the original lyrics of the song “Shining” by “Jaurim”. The video looks very melancholic and somehow it seems to be about lovesickness and loss. I was very curious (as always), searched the internet, found the original lyrics and the following translation: (The original lyrics should be something like this. Beautiful and fitting the mood of the whole song).
Someday not now, somewhere not here
Would there be a place that accepts me
Even if I don’t try to hide my empty soul
Would there be someone to hold meThe sun is burning over my scorched heart
Would I too have wings to fly awayThe sky is so beautiful full of stars
I’m just standing crying like a fool
When would this storm inside me die down
I’m standing alone in a cold worldDoubts that can’t be cleared, questions that have no answers
Would there be something that completes me
Lonely without reason, suffering from living
Would there be someone to hold meThe sun is burning over my scorched heart
Would I too have wings to fly awayThe sky is so beautiful full of stars
I’m just standing crying like a fool
When would this storm inside me die down
I’m standing alone in a cold worldSomeday not now, somewhere not here
Would there be a place that accepts meHere’s another beautiful song by singer Kim Yoon that she performed during a tour of Portugal. I think she has a great voice. I like it very much.
-
Hi Jurgen, thanks for translating those lyrics, really beautiful prose. The video captures how music captivates the passers by. It reminds me of when I visited Montreal in 2019. I came across this square in the middle of old Montreal where there were many side walk cafes and people walking around. There was a busker with his guitar and small amp outside and he started playing, and in an instant it transformed the atmosphere and my spirit lifted, as I felt it did with the others too, as people sitting on the side walk in the cafe watched the busker play his music. I can’t even remember the lyrics, might have been in French, but the music made magic of the otherwise chaotic ambient noise of the city traffic and buzz.
Music is such a wonderful thing, and it transcends language and cultural barriers and can bring people together in a shared bond. Also reminds me of my favourite quote:
-
Live music is always something special for me Jung, particularly when the spirit of the music is jumping from the band to the audience. And I find street musicians all over the world simply admirable: to stand somewhere and make music (especially if you are rather unknown). I think it takes a lot of courage, but also the belief in one’s own music and above all the fun of making music. And as you have correctly noticed Jung: This kind of music connects. No matter who happens to walk by the band, old or young, visitor or local: the moment people stop and listen, they are connected in a wonderful way and it can happen that complete strangers smile at each other and have fun together. Without the unifying power of music, they would simply walk silently past each other without ever becoming aware of the other’s presence.
Here I have a nice example for this: A few years ago I experienced and filmed the South African street musicians “Ilitha Lelanga” live in Cape Town. I was very impressed by this band because they created a great atmosphere. The memory of their performance shapes my remembrance of Cape Town to this day (as a „thank you“ I also bought two CD’s from them directly on the spot). Unfortunately I don’t know how to embed my video clips here without going the detour via youtube. So I just googled once on good luck: In fact, there are already a few videos of the bands on the internet. It’s nice to see that the group is still performing with almost the same line-up as in 2010. The following piece of music is a bit slower, but when the band really gets going: I’ve never seen a person playing the Marimbaphone so fast and passionately as the young musician in the foreground did (Marimba is the African version of the xylophone).
PS: Did you write down the quote? Very nice handwriting.
„Music washes the soul clean from the dust of everyday life“
– Berthold Auberbach –
Log in to reply.
