KEVIN McCORRY, HOST: I’m Kevin McCorry and this is ‘Jukebox Journey’
[MUSIC MONTAGE: Snippets of “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, “Light My Fire” by The Doors, “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix and “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys]
KM: We’re unstuck in time, jumping through decades and genres, meditating on a theme.
This week: To build a fire
[MUSIC: “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen]
KM: It’s a matter of making something from nothing, you tell them. You start from scratch. No light, no warmth. Just potential.
[MUSIC UP]
KM: From 1984, Bruce Springsteen
The boys are young, but they’ve seen you do it enough times, so when they ask if they can try themselves, you agree. But potential, you tell them, is nothing without work. So off they go to gather the resources they need.
Tinder, kindling….and…..
[MUSIC: “Fuel” by Metallica]
KM: Metallica, from 1997.
You’re in the woods. The cool of the evening is setting in. You feel a pang of hunger in your gut. They build a tee-pee of sticks in the fire ring with a nest of tiny twigs inside. Will it catch? You hand them the matches.
[MUSIC: “The One I Love” by Rosie Thomas]
KM: The 8 year old strikes one but it doesn’t light. You nod that he should try again. 2, 3, 4, 5 matches…and then…. he gets one to burn and spark the tinder.
[MUSIC UP]
KM: Rosie Thomas singing with Sufan Stevens in 2007, covering REM.
Now, though, comes the hectic part. They need to act fast.
[MUSIC: “Fire it Up” by Busta Rhymes]
KM: There’s momentum, but can they make it last?
The 11 year old blows softly on the flame as it dances and starts to grow. They take turns feeding it. It begins to look legit.
[MUSIC UP]
KM: From 1997, Busta Rhymes.
You help them add bigger logs and soon it starts to roar. The boys have earned a moment to sit back and watch, be transfixed in the power of the fire’s energy.
[MUSIC: “I Burn” by The Toadies]
KM: From 1994, the Toadies.
KM: The boys are hungry, but they’ve made the heat to cook on. It’s dark now, but they made the light to see by.
Now the duty is to guard the flame closely. Nourish it, so it can nourish others.
[MUSIC: “This Little Light of Mine” by Doris McMurray]
KM: From 1939, Doris McMurray, recorded singing the traditional in an East Texas prison by Alan Lomax.
The question then becomes: how long can you keep it going? The world keeps spinning. The rain falls.
[MUSIC: “Standing in the Rain Blues” by Bessie Smith]
KM: The wind blows.
[MUSIC: “Four Strong Winds” by Ian and Sylvia Tyson]
KM: Bessie Smith in 1928. Ian and Sylvia Tyson in 1964.
The boys succeed in making their fire last, and they bask in the accomplishment.
Potential turned to action.
You hope it translates, that the lesson sticks. The fire outside is one thing. The fire inside is the real battle.
[MUSIC: “This Girl is on Fire” by Alicia Keys]
KM: Alicia Keys, number 11 on the pop chart in September of 2012.
It can feel sometimes like everyone and everything is against you. You fight to carry the flame anyway.
Sometimes you doubt yourself too. But you find a way to keep it burning.
You hold tight to the nourishment the fire provides, the clarity of vision it creates…or as Tyler the Creator’s mom puts it on his 2024 album.
[MUSIC: “St. Chroma” by Tyler the Creator.]
KM: I’m Kevin McCorry, and this has been a Jukebox Journey on WHYY.
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