EC/Raspberries songs that you have "lived"

[Gregkevinw]

we all probably agree that you can relate to songs better if you have actually experienced them, SO..........

which ec or rasperries tunes have you "lived"...

if you feel comfortable maybe you can include a "readers digest" version of your story behind the song.

i'll start...and choose one that is not an obvious one...

eric's "devil and the deep blue sea" ......

let's just say that the lyrics are "dead on"

[MAM]

Yup, Gregkevinw.D&TDBS is "Dead On". Covers my former life to the "T".

[LobsterLvr]

Wow! This thread really made me think! It's amazing how many songs Eric and the band have written 'just for me'! So instead of saying which songs I've 'lived', here are the ones I'm currently 'living':

"All By Myself"

"Boats Against The Current" (assuming it's about the end of a relationship)

"It Hurts Too Much"

"I'm Thru With Love"

and

"Someday".

As you can guess, I'm at the of a 25 year marriage and I'm not too happy about it. Hopefully the next time this thread comes around I'll be living "Starting Over".

Dave

[Gene]

For all these years Starting Over was a nice song that had the "F" word in in it. Now it really, really, has meaning.

I used to feel so "f***ing optimistic till she said goodbye. Never thought a love like ours would die.

I got blindsided a year ago. We were married five years, then, like they say in the movie Brother O' Where Art Thou... "She R-U-N-N O-F-T". We were best friends. I loved her and thought she loved me. We traveled. We had fun. I paid for her car, the house. I thought we had it all, but she said what we had wasn't enough. Haven't really seen her since.

It is the first line of the song that hits the nail on the head. As far as the rest of it... now I'm waiting to start over. Or I could just give a car to someone who hates me and skip the rest.

[marvin]

Gene and Dave, sorry to read that some of Eric's saddest songs are reflective of your present situations. Hang in there, and hopefully soon not only will you be living "Starting Over", but also, "Love is All that Matters", "With You In My Life"...etc.

Peace and Love,

Marvin

[Paul Sidoti]

Going through a recent break-up, "The Way We Used To Be" says it all. I personally believe this is Eric's greatest song ever written.

Paul

[marvin]

Paul I sympathize with your situation, and agree that "TWWUtB" is one FANTASTIC song. Hopefully the song helps you heal and move on to happier days.

Marvin

[mymooladi]

Wow this is going to be the tear thread. I hope things turn around for all of you soon and you find happiness, peace, and laughter.

June

[LobsterLvr]

Thanks June...I think a Raspberries concert in the NorthEast is just what the therapist ordered.

Dave

[Tom]

" You looked too young to know about romance...oh you know you did...but when you smiled I had to take a chance..I had to take the chance and be with you Tonight......."

My wife (25) and I (48) met seven years ago.

That line ran through my head the night I met her........

[JuliaD]

crap, guys, I've been in your shoes and I know it ain't easy. About 3 years ago I discovered quite accidentally that my hubby placed an ad online in yahoo, looking for a "fling". I only found it because I went to delete cookies and found cookies from yahoo, which I never use. To say I was devastated doesn't come close. It would have been so very easy to throw him out on his ass and take him to the cleaners financially. Having been married over 30 years, legally I was entitled to a hell of a lot, I know because I *did* consult with an attorney. But this was the man I fell in love with when Raspberries music was new... this was the father of my only child... and even when he delivered the ultimate slap in the face, staying overnight at his "girlfriend's" house the night of our 32nd wedding anniversary, I swallowed my pride and fought for my marriage.

I don't think I will ever forgive him for that night, but I've moved past it as much as I think I can, and when things got so bad I had to file a PFA against him in December 2003, I finally issued an ultimatum... either she goes, or you do... I told him the choice was his, but I couldn't live with his girlfriend in my life, and if he chose to go, I'd accept it, but he HAD to "shit or get off the pot" (pardon my language, but I'm trying to be honest here, and that's what I said). There was no room in my house for the black cloud that she had become, he was constantly holding her over my head. I told him he had till April 30th to make a decision. He's still with me.

I don't know that I will ever be in love with him again, but there is some satisfaction after hearing about how fantastic she was, and how he couldn't live without her, that when it came right down to it, he chose to stay. And it's not because I would have taken him to the cleaners, I told him I'd have legal papers drawn up stating I was asking only for the bare essentials till I got on my feet financially. It's been a very difficult year for me, but I've come away so much stronger. You will too.

I don't know that I've lived any Raspberries song... I could have lived "go all the way", but when I met him, Eric didn't offer

[aggiesjc]

This is an incredible thread, bringing raw emotions into the blinding light. JuliaD, my heart aches as I've just finished reading your story. I'm so sorry it happened to you, but you seem to be an incredibly strong woman. Apparently your husband made the right choice in the end.

J.

[darlene]

JuliaD, According to statistics, they usually do.(stay). And forget it, she couldn't have been any more fantastic than you are. The grass always looks greener (or at least, usually) until you get to the other side. And she's probably had her share of broken romances (and maybe a heart or two) also. No one escapes that kind of unhappiness. But, for me, EC and Razz music always helped me come out on the other side, much stronger. Remember, the guys who wrote these songs lived them too.

Dave, Gene and Paul, three fantastic guys: It wasn't meant to be because something far far better is in your future--someone much more worthy of you--and you won't have to give her a car! As Chris DeBurgh put it, timing is everything. Your time is coming. Raspberries' time has come!

--Darlene

[darlene]

I've lived: "She Remembered" (okay, Marvin, I won't be angry if you snicker!), I'm Through With Love, definitely Boats Against The Current (Kathy knows about this one!), and Starting Over a few times. I *could* have lived "The Way We Used To Be," but I refused to even think about it, and did much better. Okay, once in awhile, I'd sort of wallow in it, but that was painful...

--D

[Amy Rocker]

I've lived "I Can Remember" to a T. I'm sorry about everyone elses experiences...

[mamacote]

......i still live "go all the way", "i wanna be w/ you", "tonight", "ecsasy", and "on the beach", as i'm still a tad on the horny side of things.......

[The NH Bushman]

For all these years Starting Over was a nice song that had the "F" word in in it. Now it really, really, has meaning.

I used to feel so "f***ing optimistic till she said goodbye. Never thought a love like ours would die.

I got blindsided a year ago. We were married five years, then, like they say in the movie Brother O' Where Art Thou... "She R-U-N-N O-F-T". We were best friends. I loved her and thought she loved me. We traveled. We had fun. I paid for her car, the house. I thought we had it all, but she said what we had wasn't enough. Haven't really seen her since.

It is the first line of the song that hits the nail on the head. As far as the rest of it... now I'm waiting to start over. Or I could just give a car to someone who hates me and skip the rest.

My advise is to take her target shooting on the first date. You know what they say about first impressions.

[The NH Bushman]

"I'm Through With Love" etc.

[marlene]

I guess if I'm being honest, most of Eric's/Raspberries songs describe my life at one time or another. THAT is exactly why I love them so much....the pain, the longing, the lighthearted fun....all of it.

I have to smile every time I listen to "I Was Born To Love You", because my husband sings it to me..(Isn't that sweet?) He doesn't quite have Eric's voice, though...

[Zuke]

OK,

That settles it. I wasn't going to admit this.. but...

But the RASPBERRIES should have been named ERIC CARMEN'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND and WE ALL belong(ed) to it. WE are the LONLEY HEARTS.

We all have been there. 32 years ago we were teenagers. I hope we know how to cope with some of this nonsense now. Some have found love and some still have the minor setbacks. I'm not saying that we're LOSERS, just that we've experienced that part of life and music helped us through. Like thereapy. That's why we like his music. The lyrics found the words that we were feeling. As a songwriter I appreciate how sometimes the stars line up just right and words come out that are a perfect fit.

I hope I don't upset anyone for the characterization but I had to say it.

Zuke

[Gregkevinw]

zuke,

i like to look at us as people who are'nt afraid to live life.... even though some of the relationships i've had have put me through the emotional ringer... in the end (once the hurting subsides), i've always been glad i took the chance.

to those of you that are hurting now, be patient, learning to let go is never easy, but one day before you realize it, you just arrive there.

keep an open mind and a willing heart

[darlene]

What a beautiful thought, and how true. ("I've always been glad I took the chance.") You should be. It's VERY good advice to tell someone to take that chance. (Sometimes, you only get ONE, and don't get the opportunity to go back.) I'm good at not letting someone know how I feel, and I can see that's a mistake. It's true that one doesn't get hurt, but at what cost? Ahh, those missed opportunities...

--D

[LostControl]

This post is probably one of the best ever on this board. Amazing what you learn about other people - especially when you think you're the only person in the world with problems.

JuliaD - I'm amazed at your courage. I would have kicked my husband out the moment I discovered he had another woman on the side. I can't deal with infidelity in any way. To me, marriage is about love and trust. I don't think I'd ever be able to fully trust someone again who had done what your husband has done. You truly deserve someone wonderful. I hope your husband has come to his senses and realizes this.

For me, "It Hurts Too Much" was my themesong for 1998-90. I broke up with my fiance, and both he and his family made my life a miserable living hell. The line, "But it's over now and I'm afraid I don't feel much of anything" still gives me chills, it's so real. As he tried to kill me, and I ended up trying to get a restraining order and eventually moving, you can tell it was a real sick relationship. Fortunately, I "Started Over" and now have been happily married for almost 14 years. "I was born to love you" is much closer to describing my relationship now.

[darlene]

I've always said that EC/Razz music always helped me out the other side of the clouds. It still does. The feelings expressed and the beauty of the music is so universal that it can only help someone through rough times.

--Darlene

[Jeff]

Well, unfortunately, EC or the 'berries never wrote a song called "I went out on a dinner date, and the date lasted 10 years longer than the night should have been" which I devote to my first wife -- Are we allowed a little hummour in this thread ??

But, "I was Born to Love you " describes my new marriage exactly, except for the part where "you walked in the door", as I walked into her door, and we have been together ever since that first day. (We have then had other "doors" together)

So, count me in for an upbeat post.