The "Official" Knight Agency CD

As I noted some time back, during the annual visit to Georgia by our California agent, Nephele Tempest, I put together and distributed to all members of The Knight Agency a CD whose songs each reflected some aspect of the company's overall vision. In doing so, I was thinking not only of Nephele, who regularly faces the challenges associated with working a continent away from her comrades in the home office; but also of Pamela Harty, whose considerable abilities as a literary agent are matched by her expertise as a manager and co-administrator of the office; and of our three young employees, financial wiz Samantha Jenkins, marketing maven Julie Ramsey, and manuscript coordinator extraordinaire Elaine Spencer. Actually, I often refer to the three youngsters (they were all born the year I got out of the army and entered college) by the nickname "Charlie's Angels". This is not so much because they're all attractive, intelligent young women--see for yourself--but because each is quite different from the other, possessing skills and experiences that, though they might have been undervalued in some other business context, constitute a unique and prized contribution to the company. (The girls have in turn nicknamed my wife Deidre Knight, president and chief visionary of The Knight Agency, "Charlie.")

So here's the song list for our "official" CD (Deidre and I are already planning a second one), along with an explanation of what each song means to me, and why I selected it for inclusion in our company soundtrack.

Short Skirt/Long Jacket—Cake (2002): Besides being a very fun song, “Short Skirt” portrays an image of success, of confidence, of a young woman moving forward in life. She’s changing her name from Kittie to Karen, and her MG for a white Chrysler Le Baron, because she’s starting to see what she really wants, and she’s willing to work hard for that uninterrupted prosperity, getting up early and staying up late. My personal favorite metaphors are “fingernails that shine like justice” and “eyes that burn like cigarettes.”

Burning Down the House—The Cardigans with Tom Jones (mid-1990s): One of the best and most unusual combinations—a Swedish alternative band backing a Welsh lounge singer covering an old Talking Heads hit. Though people don’t usually notice the lyrics, a friend of mine in sales pointed out long ago how motivational the song is, with its call to “jump overboard” and seek something beyond the expectations of most people sitting in front of their TV sets or on their way to work every day.

Time Has Come Today—The Chambers Brothers (1967): A classic that sends the same message that Deidre did in announcing the Agency's word for 2006: NOW.

Something’s Comin’—Vic Damone (1950s): Though the song is originally from West Side Story, this version comes from Vegas, Baby! in Capitol's outstanding Ultra-Lounge series. As with the more well-known "Viva Las Vegas" (Deidre and I are particularly fond of Shawn Colvin's ironic-sounding version of that one), the optimism of a would-be high roller trusting his luck on a roulette wheel seems more than a little hollow. Yet the sentiments expressed here acquire a new meaning when viewed from the standpoint of someone investing their energies in an enterprise capable of helping them reach many of their goals.

Sunday in New York—Bobby Darin (1950s): A reminder of a future reward for “the girls of TKA.” Deidre had promised them that if we hit our sales goal in 2005, she would take all of them to New York--not just Pamela and Nephele, who go there regularly on business, but "Charlie's Angels," two of whom have never even been to The Big Apple. And though we can’t promise they will actually be there over a Sunday, we did hit our goal, and they are going this fall.

Feets Don’t Fail Me Now—Little Feat (early 1970s): Another reference to New York here, along with the message to keep on rolling forward.

Are You Sure—The Staple Singers (1960s): A powerful gospel song whose message is hard to miss.

The Ballad of El Goodo—Big Star (1971): This is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite groups, a call to persevere against strong odds and stick by your guns. It sounds like the reflections of a person who’s lived a lot of life, yet the man who wrote it, Alex Chilton, was younger than the three members of TKA’s younger generation.

Rudie Can’t Fail—The Clash (1979): Another personal favorite by a personal favorite. This is from London Calling, an album that had a huge influence on me in high school, not just musically but also with its underlying theme of optimism tempered by experience.

One for Me—The Pierces (2000): I discovered these two talented young sisters through Deidre, who brought home their first CD years ago. Besides being a passionate, heartfelt song, “One for Me” seems like a powerful expression of a woman’s desire to achieve fulfillment in all parts of her life and to have something for herself that is uniquely her own.

In the Aeroplane over the Sea—Neutral Milk Hotel (1998): The title track from a critically acclaimed but obscure album. The words express thoughts that never become trite: that one day we will all die, and that until then, our job is to bring as much beauty and love into the world as we can. Listen to this one some time on headphones so you can hear all the cool sounds that make this song musically more interesting than another with a similar theme, “Flowers in the Window” by Travis.

You Get What You Give—New Radicals (1998): This is an old fave of Pamela’s, dating back to a time when Deidre and I were brand-new parents--I remember first seeing the video on VH1 during a 2:00 a.m. feeding. As for the message, as with many of these songs, it’s pretty hard to miss.

Seven Nation Army—The White Stripes (2003): Nearly four minutes of solid adrenaline. Sometimes I put this on when I want to psych myself up for something: “I’m gonna fight 'em off / A seven-nation army couldn’t hold me back.”

Spirit in the Sky—Norman Greenbaum (early 1970s): One of the great one-hit wonders of all time, a song made all the more delightful by the fact that its spiritual lyrics are likely to offend atheists and fundamentalists alike. As I write this, it occurs to me how many songs on this CD make some reference to death. Obviously I’m not trying to be morbid or maudlin, but maybe there is an underlying message here: we live our lives against the backdrop of eternity, and it’s important to make every day count.

All Down the Line—The Rolling Stones (1972): Pure fun, from the last of the Stones’ truly great albums, Exile on Main Street. One afternoon when a couple of our employees were feeling a little droopy, I put on this song and asked them if they still felt tired after hearing it. They didn't; if this tune doesn't make you want to get up and dance, you're probably already asleep.

Everybody Got Their Somethin’—Nikka Costa (early 2000s): Another fun song, this one from the soundtrack of a great female-empowerment movie, Blue Crush. When Deidre and the kids and I were going to the beach in 2003, we had to take both cars because we didn’t yet have an SUV and couldn’t fit everything into one. Somewhere in the vicinity of the interchange between I-75 and I-10 in northern Florida, I looked to the left to see my wife and daughters driving by, all three of them bobbing their heads to this song.

Add Some Music to Your Day—The Beach Boys (1970): From the group’s woefully underappreciated Sunflower album. Some people might dismiss this song as overly sweet, but I think the lyrics are pretty cheeky, with their references to music at the dentist’s office and so on. And anyway, who can really argue with the premise that the world could be a better place if we’d all add some music to our day?

You Set the Scene—Love (1967): The last song on this CD is also the last and finest from Love's Forever Changes, a record that critics and hardcore music fans routinely place on a level with the best work of the Beatles, Dylan, and the Stones. Seldom has a rock song ever put forth such profound ideas, both in the first portion, with its searching questions, and in the powerful affirmations of the second half: “This is the only life that I am living / and I’ll face each day with a smile / For the time that I’ve been given’s such a little while / And the things that I must do consist of more than style…. / There are places that I am going….”