Two songs featured on this list, "Shooting Star" and "25 or 6 to 4" place the focus on the that relates to being in the music business. The song by Chicago (25 or 6 to 4) is a jammin’ tune released in 1970. One might think the theme is about how crappy life can be, but it has a much more mundane theme. It appears to be about the band being on a deadline to finish recording a song for a record label by the start of business the next morning, and it is already 25 (or 26) minutes until 4 a.m. (thus the song title) and the product is not yet complete. The song has a driving tempo so it appears that the band has not yet lost hope that the goal will be achieved.

The song, "Shooting Star," by Bad Company is one of those classic songs that seems like a Friday-at-5 pm-crack-a-beer-open-feel-good-song but is actually more of a tearjerker. It is a story that is woven by the singer about a character with whom we can relate. Think "Jack & Diane" (John Cougar), "Don’t Stop Believing" (Journey) and "Livin’ on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi). It even has that sing-along quality, but that is where the comparisons end.

The way this song differs is by the fact that it is a tragedy and not a song of perseverance. It is tragic like the story of the character, Ziggy Stardust, and comes 3 years after the release of that incomparable album by David Bowie. The theme of this song relates to Chapter 6 of my rock journal (about Sci-Fi Rock-n-Roll where I highlight the album Ziggy Stardust) as well as the subsequent chapter (Chapter 7 - The Greats Create and Destroy) where I specifically address the fact that being a rock star is a very precarious profession.

In "Shooting Star," we are introduced to Johnny, a young kid who wanted to become a rock musician after hearing a song by The Beatles on the radio. Johnny buys a guitar, practices relentlessly and joins a band. As Johnny leaves home having told his mom that he was leaving to become a rock star, we hear the mom say the refrain of the song to herself, "Don’t you know that you are a shooting star. And all the world will love you just as long as you are …. a shooting star." The mom knows that a shooting star is not an actual star. It is an asteroid that either crashes into the Earth or burns out completely as it flies across the sky. And burn out is just what Johnny did. I feel like I have to say RIP, not just for the character in this story but for all those rock stars and those who aspired to be rock stars and who did burn out.

I know I called this list, "Rock Wisdom," so I suppose words of warning count as words of wisdom. I would agree with that categorization since I gave a fair amount of warnings about situations and lifestyles to avoid or of which to be wary in my rock journal. I would consider the community of rock aficionados to be somewhat of a working class group, if not actually working class then maybe they might be working class in their outlook. Something about the message in rock music is resonating with fans, and, as I laid out in Chapter 2 & 4 of my rock journal, the message is much more complex (and supportive) than the "sex, drugs and rock-n-roll" image of rockeros.

Given the difficulties that one encounters in life, it is not surprising that one common theme that is conveyed in this play list is that of escape. "Fly Like an Eagle," "Band on the Run," "Ventura Highway" and "Running on Empty" delve into different aspects of the subject. The song by McCartney & Wings takes on a catch me if you can storyline. Although it’s a bit unclear why anyone is after this band, we can’t help but root for them because they appear to successfully be evading the authorities. The songs by America and Jackson Browne are the prototypical rejection of the 9-to-5 lifestyle for one that is driven more by passion and adventure. Then you have “Fly Like an Eagle” by the Steve Miller Band that takes things to another level. We are not just going to reject the norms and expectations that society places on us. We are going to reject the notion that we have any limits at all, freeing ourselves from any limitations so that we are able to will into existence the world in which we want to live. Why not? If we don’t have a positive vision for the future, then how is it ever going to materialize?

I won’t say too much about the remaining songs except to say that hopeful messages reside in the songs "The Weight," "Give a Little Bit," "Hold the Line" and "Mr. Blue Sky." We are asked to share each other’s burdens in "The Weight" and to share love with each other in "Give a Little Bit," because it just makes life easier for everyone when you live life that way. "Mr. Blue Sky" conveys the sentiment that we might feel after a long rain spell in our lives that ends when we finally see the clouds part to reveal the blue sky. We are at the same time happy that the gloom is over but also questioning why it had to last so long. Although the song questions the suffrage endured, it has a very light and joyful tone suggesting that it is better to be in the here and now.

The last song that I have yet to mention is "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. That song aligns with the second entry in "The Code of Rock-n-Roll" from Chapter 2 of my rock journal which states that "rock-n-roll is about pleasure." This song directly addresses the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll idea in one fell swoop. The song appears to be about a group of friends partying too hard and living to tell about it (if only barely). Of course, the line that stands out and appears to be trying to tell us something is:

Looking "into the eyes of the sun" is what’s forbidden. As far as this song goes, it may be that the composer is suggesting that the pursuit of pleasure is something else that Mama would consider forbidden. And we know what the human tendency is when someone tells us that something is forbidden (especially your parents), it’s to do that very thing.