Amelia Earhart
Memoirs in music
The lyrical poetry of Mike Marcellino: "Amelia" (September 2009)
To mark our recording eight lyrical poetry songs during the past two years, I am reviewing the recordings for those who may have missed the initial releases of the songs or my want to revisit them, read the lyrics or learn the backstory of the songs.
It's finally dawned on me that what I'm doing with the help of some very talented musician friends is to put my memoirs to music. I've scratched my head over trying to put our music in a genre, but I can only say they are lyrical poetry songs.
In September 2009 I finally fled the lake effect snows fed by arctic winds across Lake Erie east of Cleveland, Ohio to rediscover my first love - the ocean and surfing in St. Augustine Beach, Florida. Except for music trips to New York City, I'm rediscovering a lifelong passion of being a surfer.
I got the inspiration to write "Amelia" after visiting the International Air and Space Museum in Cleveland. The photo of Amelia (shown above) was in a biography at the museum. She looked like and had the courage of an angel. As I rode my bike along the shores of Lake Erie and through the Cultural Gardens, I kept stopping to add another verse. We recorded the song in the home studio of musician and singer songwriter David Dowling in St. Augustine. Tomas Texino composed the music for "Amelia"and all my songs, except for "Flatbush," recorded a month later in New York City with Randall Leddy composing the music.
"Amelia," the first of eight lyrical poetry song recordings was released for streaming only on September 23, 2009. We have not yet released our recorded songs commercially in digital or CD form. "Amelia" ranks 6th in popularity among our eight recordings as tracked on our music site on ReverbNation.
You may listen to "Amelia Earhart, soft silver wings" on the music player at the top of this blog.
There's lots of information about our band and music on the site, just click on the link below. We've love to hear from you and what you think of our avant-garde lyrical poetry music.
You may also wish to visit our music page on Facebook and please do "like" our page as it helps awareness of our band and music grow.
Amelia Earhart, soft silver wings
By Mike Marcellino
Amelia Earhart,
Love your picture
in flight.
love your goggles,
love your lips.
Love how you circled the world,
single handed.
Amelia
amelia
amelia
Like that leather
air cap.
You’re a goddess, a woman
soft white,
ahead of your time,
such afterglow
night
in shinning armor.
Meet me on a northern coast,
not far from the equator,
above the island
where they made King Kong.
You’re Atlantis, risen
in my South China Sea.
Amelia
amelia
amelia
Oh, your last flight
Oh, your last flight,
what a night
Looking at your picture
in my book,
soft silver
soft silver
wings.
Your lips, painted colors
light, pretty pink.
Those eyes,
imagine,
sigh.
Your nails, natural,
fingertips.
taking you with me.
Amelia
amelia
amelia,
soft silver
soft silver
wings.
Your words,
Courage
Courage is the price that Life extracts for granting peace.
The soul that knows it not, knows no release.
From little things.
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear.
Not mountain heights where bitter joy can hear
The sound of wings.
How can life grant us boon of living, compensate
For dull grey ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul’s dominion? Each time we make a choice, we pay
With courage to behold the restless day,
And count it fair. - Amelia Earhart, 1927
You made the crossing
not alone.
Meet you over the Atlantic.
Amelia
amelia
amelia,
Soft silver,
soft silver wings.
Copyright 2009 by Mike Marcellino, “Amelia Earhart, soft silver wings”
