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A Valentine for World Poetry Day

“Blue Valentines” by Tom Waits

She sends me blue valentines all the way from Philadelphia To mark the anniversary of someone that I used to be And it feels like a warrant is out for my arrest Baby you got me checkin in my rearview mirror Thats why I'm always on the run it's why I changed my name And I didn't think you'd ever find me here

To send me blue valentines like half forgotten dreams Like a pebble in my shoe as I walk these streets And the ghost of your memory baby its the thistle in the kiss Its the burglar that can break a rose's neck Its the tatooed broken promise I gotta hide beneath my sleeve I'm gonna see you every time I turn my back

Oh you send me blue valentines though I try to remain at large They're insisting that our love must have a eulogy Why do I save all this madness here in the nightstand drawer There to haunt upon my shoulders Baby I know I'd be luckier to walk around everywhere I go With this blind and broken heart That sleeps beneath my lapel

Instead these blue valentines to remind me of my cardinal sin I can never wash the guilt or get these bloodstains off my hands And it takes a whole lot of whiskey to make these nightmares go away And I cut my bleedin heart out every night and I'm gonna die just a little more On each St. Valentine's day Don't you remember I promised I would write you

These blue valentines Blue valentines Blue valentines

Image: A page from the handwritten lyrics to “Blue Valentines” by Inductee Tom Waits. From the Jeff Gold Collection.

Author Series: George Clinton

When: Monday, February 9th. 7PM

Where: Black Box Theatre of the Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), adjacent to the Library and Archives (2809 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland)

Tickets: FREE, with online RSVP

Rock Hall Members can RSVP starting at 10am EST on Monday, February 2.  Non-Rock Hall members can RSVP starting at 10am EST on Tuesday, February 3.

Clinton will be interviewed in front of a live audience. Following this program, Clinton will sign copies of his newest memoir, BROTHAS BE, YO LIKE GEORGE, AINT’ THAT FUNKIN’ KINDA HARD ON YOU? (Atria Books; ISBN: 978-1-4767-5107-8; $27.00), written with New Yorker editor Ben Greenman.  In this memoir, Clinton not only shares a host of astonishing and brutally honest tales about his life and times during the wild sex and drug-fueled ‘70s and ‘80s, but also provides one-of-a-kind insight into the inner-workings of the music industry.

Books will be available for purchase.

George Clinton revolutionized R&B, twisting soul music into funk by fusing together influences as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Phil Spector and Sly Stone. His Parliament-Funkadelic machine ruled black music during the seventies, capturing more than forty R&B hit singles (including three at #1) and recording three platinum albums. As a forefather of funk and godfather of hip-hop, samples of P-Funk can be heard on albums by Outkast, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, De La Soul, Fishbone and many others. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Is this the Greatest Photograph in Rock History?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Library and Archives’ Author Series will welcome Randal Doane for a discussion about his new book, Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret History of the Clash on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at 7 pm. The event will also be live streamed.

Current and Historic Music Magazines

The Library and Archives has a fantastic collection of both current and historic music magazines.

Come on over and take a look.  All you need is a free researcher card. You can learn a lot from perusing these titles.

Book Club Title for January!

Happy New Year!