Shuffle Synchronicities: Volume 1 - #226

"Love Me" by Norah Jones & The Little Willies - 08/31/21

"Love Me" by Norah Jones & The Little Willies

The Little Willies is/was an American alternative country supergroup formed in 2003, featuring Norah Jones on piano, keyboards, and vocals.

And is/was backed by Richard Julian on guitar keyboards and vocals, Jim Campilongo on guitar, Lee Alexander on bass, and Dan Rieser on drums.

The group formed around a love of country classics. Between members' regular gigs, the "loose-knit collective" found itself with a growing following, especially after the release of their self-titled debut album with this single, which was a cover of the Willy & Ruth original from 1954:

And which Elvis also popularized:

Treat me like a fool
Treat me mean and cruel
But love me

Wring my faithful heart
Tear it all apart
But love me

Today happens to be the birthday of my (ex?)-wife.

And dutifully or opportunistically, or both, or some other adjective I can’t think of right now, or that I should probably cut, as well as all of them (right, Hemingway?), I ordered her flowers from our favorite local flower shop.

If you ever go
Darling, I'll be oh so lonely
I'll be sad and blue
Crying over you, dear only

Somehow I miss her but also don’t.

So sad songs like these both resonate and don’t.

Maybe because they are sadly happy.

Or melancholically triumphant.

Or in one word: bittersweet.

I would beg and steal
Just to feel your heart
Beatin' so close to mine

This morning before I shuffled, I re-read some of the stories I wrote in my friend Al Brown’s writing class this past spring in which I riffed on some of my favorite writers’ ‘copyrighted work’ while also working through some divorce themes.

I thought of how “I would beg and steal” via this ‘illegal writing’ to be ‘feel closer’ to her ‘heart.’

If you ever go
Darling, I'll be oh so lonely
Beggin' on knees
All I ask is please, please love me
Oh yeah

I’m going to be picking up the flowers around 11 AM and dropping them off soon after. So we’ll see if there’s more to write.

Of course, I forgot to ‘repeat’ the Little Willies song as I started to write about it, and the next song that came on was:

“Bad News” by Kanye West

Which isn’t ‘good news’?

Didn't you know, I was waiting on you
Waiting on a dream that'll never come true
Didn't you know, I was waiting on you
My face turned to stone when I heard the news

When you decide to break the rules

'Cause I just heard some real bad news

People'll talk like it's old news
I played it off and act like I already knew
Let me ask you how long have you known dude
You played it off and act like he's brand new
When you decide, to break the rules

'Cause I just heard some real bad news
Real bad news
Real bad news
Real bad news

Oh, you just gon' keep another no you won't
Oh, you just gon' keep it like you never knew
Oh, you just gon' keep another love for you
Oh, you just gon' keep it like you never knew
While I'm waiting on a dream that'll never come true
Oh, you just gon' keep it like you never knew
My face turned to stone when I heard the news

Well, I dropped it off, the flowers, at her door.

Unmarked, without a card.

So as to show some restraint.

And to just brighten her day.

I went home.

And shuffled to:

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé

All the single ladies (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies
Now put your hands up

Up in the club (club), just broke up (up)
I’m doing my own little thing
Decided to dip (dip), but now you wanna trip (trip)
'Cause another brother noticed me
I’m up on him (him), he up on me (me)
Don’t pay him any attention
Cried my tears (tears), for three good years (years)
You can’t be mad at me

That’s probably enough for today, LOL.

Okay, that’s the two hundred and twenty-sixth Shuffle Synchronicities.