The Good News Is…
Randy VanWarmer
Today I want to talk about music. I have been a bit stressed out lately, so I really look forward to the time I set aside to work out and listen to music I enjoy.
Not too long ago I heard a song that was a blast from the past: “You left me just when I needed you most.” If you’re not familiar with the song, here's a youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBOQgL731Ac. It was a top 10 song in the United States in 1979, when Randy was just 24-years-old. After that, he never had a really big hit. Instead, he wrote songs that others recorded like Alabama and the Oak Ridge Boys.
One of those that I really like is “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPtxlsS1mE0.
Anyway, after hearing the song, I wondered what other music he had written, and it turns out that it’s quite a lot, and there’s some really great songs that never hit it big. A couple more I really like are “Echoes” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR4JCjNNgRU and “I Am” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOpAymsUj-Y
Turns out he has dozens of songs that I like just as much as the one he wrote that hit it big. That got me to thinking about how many of us are like Randy. We may have some success, but it’s limited, so we think we have failed in some way because others haven’t recognized our accomplishments. But that’s not true. The success is in the creation and in the trying and in doing our best no matter what we’re doing.
Randy contracted leukemia and died in his forties. One thing I found out about him during my research that the nurses in the hospital used to argue over who would go in to care for him because he was so nice to everyone. That’s the kind of person I want to be.
I think a screenplay about his life would be a very inspiring story, and I would love to write it, but I’m having trouble finding people who knew him that will respond to my inquiries. So, this post is my small tribute to the greatness that was Randy VanWarmer, who represents the great potential in all of us!
Joke: My boss’s idea of a perk is to extend our coffee break to 5 minutes.
Quote: Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies.
Advice: Do your best work always, so that you can be proud of your accomplishments.