The Power of Song: What a Wonderful World

I know, I know... the posts are beginning to lag behind life. I think that's a good thing. Summer goes on. Kyle's water polo obligations show no sign of letting up, and work is beginning to heat up.

On the frequent trips to take Kyle to practice, we're having more time to listen to and discuss music. And it's reminding me of why I love music.... so I figure at least once a week (or at least that's the plan), I'm going to take a song and ponder it, a la Nick Hornby's 31 Songs (the number one of which is, as it is in my list... but not my blog, Springsteen's "Thunder Road"). So to start off, let's hit:

"What a Wonderful World" by Joey Ramone.


OK, yes, I know. It's a cover version: Louis Armstrong did a pretty famous version in 1967 (used most effectively in Good Morning, Vietnam)... but even Armstrong didn't write it (that credit goes to George Weiss & Bob Thiele). But that doesn't bother me: some of the Ramones' greatest songs were covers ("Needles and Pins" and "California Sun" come immediately to mind).

In fact, the existence of such a well-known version is what makes this version so great. While Armstrong's is soft and incredibly lilting (and lifting), Joey' starts with a bang, crunching guitars setting up an insistent rhythm. Then a short burst of drums, another, then an almost syncopated rhythm. The guitar drops to a basic shuffle rhythm and the drums sort themselves out as well, and then his voice, as always, almost snarling, but always completely vulnerable, kicks in:

I see trees of green, red roses too.
I see them bloom, for me and you.
And I say to myself... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white.
Bright sunny days, dark sacred nights
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

And it's hope, pure hope. And with each chorus-line, the guitars get racheted up with power chords and the syncopated beat reenters.

Then as the power chords take over, the refrain kicks in:

The colors of the rainbow
Are so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people walking by
I see friends shaking hands
Sayin' how do you do
They're really sayin'......I love you.

The guitars and drums, swirling and unstoppable, run counterpoint to the softness of the lyrics here. To hear Joey sing "so pretty in the sky" sounds almost ironic--the "so pretty" sung over such raucous music--but remember that Joey was Punk's romantic (check out the Ramones' "I Wanna be your Boyfriend" if you need further proof). And while the tone is happy, so is the sentiment (the colors of the rainbow are on the faces of people... a truly international statement... and the casual greetings of people--handshakes and "how do you do"'s--are really statements of love).

And then, instead of any instrumental break, as in the Armstrong version, the song goes directly into the final verse:

I see babies cry while I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world.

and that last "world" gets repeated over the next couple of bars, and the voice gets overdubbed into a chorus of "worlds". And this is where the message is driven home: there is no instrumental break BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME. He sees the babies, and while he can watch them grow, he won't be able to watch them "grow up"... he knows that the babies will learn "much more" than he'll "ever know." What gives him this insight, this knowledge that the kids will learn more than he'll know?

Because he knows he's dying.

Joey recorded the song only weeks before he died of lymphoma in April of 2001. He had battled the disease for over four years, he knew the end was coming, he knew there was so little time left, certainly no time for guitar solos or instrumental breaks.

And he sings the last line one last time: stopping after "and I say to myself," stopping with the guitars and the drums, and you think for just an instant that is it, this is how the song ends, this is how life ends: abrupt and unfinished. But then his voice kicks in for a final "what a wonderful world" and it's strong, resilient, and the guitars and drums come back for one last flourish before stopping the song for the final time.

No fadeouts, no chorus droning on over and over. Just a finish. Completeness. Finality.

Two minutes and twenty-three seconds. Just over a hundred words. But powerful. Incredibly powerful. In my opinion, just about the perfect combination of song, singer, production, and back-story (one that includes Joey listening to U2's "In A Little While" on his deathbed). And just about my favorite recording of all time.

But my life isn't ending... I've still got time to talk about more songs (and someday soon: Flobots' "Handlebars", Springsteen's "Thunder Road", "The Price You Pay", and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" -- and maybe "Further on up the Road" -- and so many others).

Keep your ears and hearts open.