Dean's Not Fine

Imagine if your life was as filled with sacrifice and, well, bad friggin' luck as the Winchesters'. I've always admired the way that the boys keep fighting, many times in the face of apparently insurmountable odds. So serious is their work ethic, their sense of responsibility, that even their foes have learned not to bet against them. Bruce Hornsby's song "Fortunate Son" is inspired by the story of a Marine named Lewis Puller , who was the son of another legendary Marine. He followed his dad into service, and war, and lost both legs in Vietnam. His autobiography won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. He tragically committed suicide in 1994, at age 48. The story definitely carries parallels to John and Dean -- the good son, following his father into battle, and suffering the painful consequences. There's no glory to be found in this service, the hunting life. Just pain, heartbreak and sacrifice. Always the sacrifice.  Read Bruce's fascinating ac...

Ahhhh, life on the road. There have been many songs written about the grind of touring, from the musician's perspective. Less common is a song from the perspective of a dad. When Bruce Hornsby wrote "Sunlight Moon," he was an older dad of young twins. (Bruce is 63... Russell and Keith -- named after famous piano players -- are now 26.) It's a touching look at the moment of saying goodbye, and how hard it is when the kiddos are at that age when they don't understand why Dad's going away, again. Our favorite three dads have kids who are just that age. They work away from home -- and then spend most weekends away too, catering to us, a different kind of family, at conventions. From some of the bad behavior I've read about since I joined this fandom, I think it's important for us, as fans, to understand and appreciate what Jensen, Jared and Misha are sacrificing.  Nothing helps me remember that more than this song. The song is attached...

Well, we all know  how well I was dealing with Michael!Dean, through the waning months of Season 13 and all of Hellatus. I didn't like it. I didn't want it. It terrified me. And now that it's obvious that the other shoe still hasn't dropped, I'm more scared than ever.  But we did get Dean back. And now it feels like we can at least be with him through whatever comes next. The Bruce Hornsby song "Michael Raphael" centers on the "bad angel, good angel on your shoulder" concept... "Remember those cartoons..." Bruce sings at the start of the song. Our Raphael isn't the good guy that Bruce sings about, but his Michael rings pretty true. It inspired me to make this. The original song is embedded below. Headphones or earbuds work best.

I used to listen to music a lot more. All the time, actually. Eventually, my favorite artist pretty much took over all my listening time: Bruce Hornsby. I've seen him in concert about a dozen times over the years, the first time as a young lass in 1987 at Jones Beach, N.Y. Because his music is so eclectic, and has changed so much over the years, I didn't feel like I needed anything else.  And that's exactly how I feel about "Supernatural." Eclectic, always surprising, constantly evolving, it has shut out other shows for me and now consumes my watching world.  But I did get back into listening to Mr. Hornsby. And now, thanks to Show, his songs take on a completely different meaning. I hope you enjoy "Invisible," featuring a young Sam Winchester. (The original song is embedded below. Headphones or earbuds are best.)