Gotta Serve Somebody

Rayland Baxter, Simon and Garfunkel, Liam Gallagher, and seasons of change

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody

-Bob Dylan

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That’ll preach! This song was actually quoted in a sermon this week (Minute 15:02). Style points to the preacher who uses Dylan in a sermon. Did you know Dylan went through a “gospel” period of songwriting? Apparently, John Lennon didn’t like the song “Gotta Serve Somebody” and wrote the response, “Serve Yourself.”

We like your song, Bob, and we also like the three songs featured in this week’s edition of The Music Swap. Don’t miss out on a goodie at the end from Chandler Nick on songs for seasons of change.

Willy’s Song by Rayland Baxter (Ben)

My selection this week was a recommendation from Kody. I didn’t know Rayland B. a couple years back, but he came through on our text thread. I’m now a fan, especially his early stuff. This is one of those songs my kids start singing along with in the car. (Admittedly, they aren’t tracking with the lyrics.) 

It’s foot-tapping good. 

I’ll throw in a fun fact for free: his father, Bucky, played pedal steel guitar for Dylan in the 90’s and has appeared on albums by R.E.M., Steve Earl, and Ryan Adams.

Also available on Apple Music.

The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel (Kody)

We love music over here on The Music Swap, but we’re admittedly not the experts. Here’s proof: I only knew this song was written by Simon and Garfunkel because I googled it after hearing it performed live by Penny and Sparrow which, by the way, is absolutely one of the best live covers you could ever see. Whether you listen to the original, watch the P&S cover, or this version featuring Mumford & Sons and Paul Simon, I’m confident the sweet and soothing melody will relax you on February’s final Friday. Watch out! If you listen closely, you’ll discover a much sadder song than your ears lead you to believe.

Also available on Apple Music.

Once by Liam Gallagher (Jonathan)

With all the criticism that Oasis faced in the 90’s as an overrated band, most now see what a force they were for that decade of British pop music. The Gallagher brothers were great and put out a lot of great hits. I have not paid much attention to their solo careers since Oasis broke up in 2009, but my selection today by Liam Gallagher has been on my playlist for the past couple years. It sounds like the song “Once” is most likely about Liam looking back at the good ole days with his brother Noel before their falling out. If so, it makes for a sad song, but it is so good.

Also available on Apple Music.

Bonus Track: Songs for Seasons of Change by Chandler Nick

Some people say that age 30 represents a major turning point in life, the end of young adulthood and the age of exploration. At 30, it’s high time to build a life that justifies the gambles you took in your 20s. Or so the cultural narrative goes. Whether it’s true or not, having just crossed the threshold of 30 myself, I’ve been thinking about seasons of change and the pivotal decisions these seasons require us to make.

Life-altering decisions are rarely made in a single moment of quiet reflection. For me, it’s a process that plays out day by day—and, of course, with an accompanying soundtrack. You might find me brooding in my car, my Civic’s speakers reaching maximum output; at my workstation, my growing Spotify playlist descending further and further beyond the edge of my screen; or on my living-room couch, my wife and baby humming beside me. Sometimes, while I’m sitting in any one of those places weighing the cost of one choice over another, a song comes on that seems to have an almost clairvoyant understanding of my current dilemma.

If you’re like me, these are the songs you “heart” and add to that one playlist you listen to when you’re really feeling the pressure of unexpected change. This is the sort of playlist you might as well title “Songs I Will Listen to as Often as Possible, as Loud as Possible, until the Soupy Foundation of Life Hardens into Solid Concrete Again.” This kind of playlist is for the major turning points in life.

No “turning point” playlist has ever made a decision for me. Even Spotify can’t come up with an algorithm for that (yet?). But I do know that music has helped me weather the season of change, endure the growing pains, and pick out some pleasant melodies in an otherwise dissonant time of life. Here are a few of those songs, with the lyrics that have made sense of the noise for me:

Changes by David Bowie

Changes (turn and face the strange)

Changes, don't want to be a richer man

Changes (turn and face the strange)

Changes, just gonna have to be a different man

Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel

So I went from day to day

Though my life was in a rut

'Til I thought of what I'd say

Which connection I should cut

I was feeling part of the scenery

I walked right out of the machinery

Journey by Lecrae

And if you’re going through it, cling to God, let Him hold you

It ain't the destination, it's the journey that molds you

At some point on all our journeys, we reach a crossroads. Whatever turn we choose to make, we don’t make that choice unless we think it will help us get somewhere worth getting to. But getting somewhere always entails leaving somewhere else behind. It means saying goodbye to a former way of life. It also means saying goodbye to every possible future, except the one we’ve chosen. At every turning point in life, forward progress costs something. But the songs we sing along the way are like good traveling partners. They can make the journey more pleasant. Much more than that, they can even help show us the way.

I’ve compiled some of my favorite traveling partners into a playlist for those of you facing changes.

Thank you for reading our newsletter. If you know someone in a music rut, invite them to swap songs with us. Also, don’t forget we have Spotify and Apple playlists featuring all of the songs shared by Ben, Jonathan, and Kody.

-TheMusicSwap