Clouds - Zach Sobiech

Zach Sobiech, whose goodbye song ‘Clouds’ touched millions, dies

Zach Sobiech, a terminally ill Minnesota teenager who touched millions of people with a farewell song he wrote to his family and friends, died Monday morning.

When he was told that a rare form of bone cancer had left him with only a few months to live, the Stillwater High School senior wrote a song titled “Clouds” in which he said good-by to the people around him. “Maybe someday I’ll see you again,” he sang. “We’ll fly up in the clouds and we’ll never see the end.”

Originally recorded on Sobiech’s cell phone, the song caught the attention of professionals who helped him record a studio version. It became a sensation, garnering more than 2.9 million YouTube users and making Sobiech an international media celebrity, with stories about him appearing everywhere from Billboard magazine to the United Arab Emirates Press.

Sobiech, who turned 18 on May 3, was found to have osteosarcoma in 2009, when he was hobbled by pain in his left hip. He underwent multiple surgeries and months of chemotherapy before being told that the cancer had spread to the point that the best that doctors could hope for was to slow the disease’s progression.

His death was announced on his Caring Bridge web page in a simple statement saying, “He was surrounded by his sisters, brother, parents and girlfriend. We love him dearly.”

Story via StarTribune, you can donate to Zach’s fund here…
http://www.childrenscancer.org/zach/

The Ledge - The Replacements

This is probably the most powerful Replacements song they ever recorded. A song with a strangely strong uplifiting tempo, but with lyrics telling the story about a young man on a tall building getting ready to jump to his death.

Consider this a PSA from Stuff about Minneapolis, you guys.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

All eyes look up to me
High above the filthy streets
Heed no bullhorn when it calls
Watch me fly and die, watch me fall

I’m the boy they can’t ignore,
For the first time in my life, I’m sure
All the love sent up high to pledge
Won’t reach the ledge

Wind blows cold from the west
I smell coffee, I smell doughnuts for the press
A girl that I knew once years ago
Is tryin’ to be reached on the phone

I’m the boy she can’t ignore,
For the first time in my life, I’m sure
All the love sent up high to pledge…

Priest kneels silent, all is still
Policeman reaches from the sill
Watch him try, watch him try his best
There’ll be no medal pinned to his chest

I’m the boy they couldn’t ignore,
For the first time in my life, I’m sure

I’m the boy for the last time in my life
All the love that they pledge
For the last time will not reach the ledge…

The Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler

The Duke Of Earl was a chart topping 1962 #1 hit song by Gene Chandler. Minneapolis native and five-time Grammy Award winner Bruce Swedien was the audio engineer on the track.

Look, not every song on here will be Prince or The Replacements, so enjoy the Minneapolis connection and some vintage doo-wop on this beautiful day.