Forever Young -- Alphaville -- Former anthem -- How embarrasingly sad

Open mind

I was up late last night (with one of my good friends, T. Keela) sorting through music and stumbled across "Forever Young".

(Note to self: Open Mind + Alcohol + Late Night + Sappy music = Crappy Posts)

What a memory jogger songs can be. I had an immediate flash back to the 80's and hangin' out at a beautiful lake with a bunch of JWs. Somebody had brought along this cool new "CD" (not a cassette mind you), by Alphaville. We must have listened to "Forever Young" on this guys boom box 50 times that weekend. Everybody loved it. Young and old. Sort of an "unofficial" Kingdom Song. How naive and gullible we were.

Here's the lyrics if you've never been subjected to them.

**********************************
FOREVER YOUNG (Alphaville)

Let's dance in style let's dance for a while,
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies,
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst,
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?

Let us die on let us live forever,
Don't have the power but we never say never,
Sitting in the sandpit life is a short trip,
Music's for the sad man

Can you imagine when this race is run,
Turning up our faces into the sun,
Praising our leaders getting in tune,
Music's played by the mad man

Forever young, I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever forever,
Forever young, I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever

Some are like water Some are like the heat,
Some are melodies Some are the beat,
Sooner or later they'll all be gone,
Why don't they stay on?
It's hard to get without a cause,
I don't want to perish like a fading voice,
Youth is like diamonds in the sun,
And diamonds are forever,
So many adventures couldn't happened today,
So many songs that we forgot to play,
So many dreams swimming out in the blue,
Let them come true
Forever young I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever
Forever young, I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever
Forever young, I want to be forever young,
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever
Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, forever...

************************

Oh yeah, we all lapped it up alright.

I should re-write a JWD version and call it:

FOREVER DUMB.

Sorry for the negativism this morning.

On a positive note, my teenage son has adopted a very troubling phrase (to JWs at least) into his conversations as of late.

"Before I die...."

Before he dies he wants to.......be a race car driver, published writer, etc.

And my wife and I are careful to:

1. Not "correct" him on the idea that he's actually going to die someday.

2. Not take a big JW dump on his dreams.

We also take any local dubs to task if they try any of those things either.

Later,

Open Mind

Open mind

Ok, just gonna give this one little.....

bttt

..... before it slides beneath the JWD waves.

OM

Nosferatu

Sorry, I thought you were talking about the Rod Stewart song. I remember debating whether I should or shouldn't be singing this for my Grade 6 Concert. I eventually did anyway. You can see why I was debating.

Rod Stewart - Forever Young

May the good lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
Surround you when youre far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As youd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart youll always stay
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
With a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love in vain
And in my heart you will remain
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young
Forever young
Forever young

And when you finally fly away
Ill be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell

But whatever road you choose
Im right behind you, win or lose
Forever young, forever young
Forever young ,forever young
Forever young, forever young
For, forever young, forever young

littlerockguy

OM:

It isn't that bad, I have it on my ipod, LOL. If you think that is bad, you should see some of the stuff I have on my hard drive!

VoidEater

The Alphaville album is in my library, too.

Open mind

Thanks for your support LRG & VoidEater. Glad I'm not the only one with slightly less-than-hip musical tastes.

Nosferatu,

I forgot about the Rod Stewart song of the same name.

I think both songs are really bittersweet testimonies to the vibrancy, promise and ultimately, the fleeting nature of youth. Hope of an after-life seems to be alluded to in each song, but inevitably......

Youth MUST PASS.

EVERY PERSON on the planet eventually comes to terms with this universal reality.

Well, everyone, that is except for the deluded people who were my/our world. Even elderly JWs who realize that their individual time is near still cling to the hope that the current crop of JW young uns won't have to lose their youth but will live right on into the Land of Lobotomies.

What a moron I was. I can't believe I didn't really start getting a handle on something so elementary until 1995 when the WT said, "Oh yeah, I guess you might have to die after all. ~~Sorry~~." (WT, as usual, left out the "Sorry" part.)

Oh well, at least I'm not messing up my kid's heads too badly on this particular issue.

And at least this thread didn't die as an infant! Thanks for helping to avert this potential tragedy.

OM

OnTheWayOut

I am not really into any modern music, and I don't know anything about this group.

I was going to post out of pity, but you finally got 3 others to post, so I won't bother.

Oops, did it anyway.

Open mind

Hey OTWO,

I'll take a "pity post" from you anyday.

Thanks,

OM

BFD

I had no idea WTF you were talking about here. And now that I've listened to it I still don't recognize it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7CuJ8cR9sg

Did you know there was a special dance version...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5Yx2TnN9mc

Before I die I want to see you and your family out of the cult.....

BFD

Forever Young -- Alphaville -- Former anthem -- How embarrasingly sad

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