Happy, happy birthday baby...(September 15)

“….You say it your birthday…. It’s my birthday too…” Does anybody else remember that from “16 candles?”

It's my birthday y'all! (I know my grammar and diction bothers you but it is my blog.) Anyway, I’m posting early because once my birthday hits I don’t know if I’ll be back to it until after Friday. So here goes.

Believe it or not, I’m a simple man with simple pleasures. So when people ask me what I want for my birthday I do have a list of things I want, but I seldom believe that most want to hear it. I also wouldn’t dare be bold enough to tell them that I would love to have an iPod Nano for my birthday for instance. I would never do such a thing.

So, my pat answer has always been that I want love for my birthday. Anyone that would have a desire to spend money and actually get something for me would have to be a special person in my life of course. But to make it easy, just give any expression of love that you deem reasonable. Doesn’t that sound nice? So I have done that for years, hasn’t resulted in a whole lot of birthday gifts but I know it does one of two things.

1. It takes the birthday gift pressure off of the giver.
2. It makes you both think about the quality of relationship that you have and what you think adequately shows how you feel about them.

This year though, things are different. I really do want love for my birthday. Not that I didn’t before, but it has come to mean something different. Something more discernable. Love from a place of charity rather than obligation.

So birthday wish and lyric of the week are combined today. Earlier this year I looked at this artist in a different kind of scornful view, until I went through some things myself. It has been my experience that some of the most beautiful forms of expression come from places of pain.
My people come from places of pain. I don’t think you can identify with the African American experience and not identify with pain. The beauty that proceeds has birthed some of the greatest art forms known to man:

· Negro Spirituals
· Gospel Music
· The Blues
· Rhythm & Blues
· Jazz
· Hip Hop.

So after some pain I saw Eric Benét Differently. I purchased his CD and it was worth every penny of the $14.00. In case you don’t know his story Eric Benét and his former girlfriend had a daughter in 1992, 15 months later she died in a car crash. Fast forward to recent days, Eric Benét was married to Halle Berry. She sought divorce after Benét confessed his battles with sex addiction. It has been seven years since Eric Benét released an album. From each of his three albums there were magnificently written lyrics. ”While you were hear” (Which is about his daughter and her mother) and “True to myself” were stand outs from his debut release.

But today on my birthday (or eve of, depending when you read this.) I want to identify with Benét’s current lead single. By the way, there is no ‘you’ or ‘her’ right now.

I Wanna Be Loved
Artist: Eric Benét
From his third Album "Hurricane"

Love once left me cold and gray
I had almost reached heaven
Just to feel it slip away
But life's too short to waste away
Being scared to take chances
Or so I've heard wise men say

I wanna be loved
Faithful and true
I wanna be loved
Ten million lifetimes with you

I wanna be loved
And after all I've been through
I'll let my heart take it's chances, just to be loved by you

Taste, touch, hear, see, feel me now girl
And you'll know I'm so ready To exchange lifelong vows, yes I am
'Cause now you've shown me how God has smiled
On this chance and this moment
For this I've prayed all my life

I wanna be loved
Faithful and true
I wanna be loved
Ten million lifetimes with you girl
I wanna be loved
And after all I've been through
I'll let my heart take its chances, just to be loved by you

(Bridge) I wanna feel there's a reason for living again
I want us to fly far away And I want my heart to sing the words only you can understand
So put your hand in mine, say a prayer tonight
So that we may find love

I wanna be loved
I want to be faithful and true
I wanna be loved
Ten million lifetimes with you baby
I wanna be loved
And after all I've been through
I'll let my heart take its chances, just to be loved by you

I want to be loved
Faithful and true I want to be loved
Ten billion lifetimes, ten zillion, ten trillion life times baby
And after all I've been through
I'll let my heart take a chance just to be loved by you
I'll let my heart take a chance just to be loved by you