Connecticut State Troubadour
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“When the City Comes” - Chuck E. Costa
(song about CT)
The song was inspired by the stark contrast that I noticed over the years between the old mainstays of the community, with roots dating back generations here in CT and the people and corporations that had moved in much more recently from the continued sprawl of the urban centers close by.
My initial reaction to all of this change was decidedly negative. I felt that things were better off staying the way they were. It wasn’t until I found myself applying for a job at my local Starbucks when I really needed health benefits that I began to understand, on a very personal level, the complexity of this change.
In the chorus of the song I sing, “Black and white captured your Grandmother’s face, Black and white have lost their hold on this place. When the city comes knocking the country packs a suitcase.” There was a time when things here were simpler; a time when not only the photographs were black and white.
I believe that this song is distinctive because it tells the story of the complex reality of progress and change here in CT; a predicament paralleled in countless communities throughout the US in varying ways. At the same time, the song vividly illustrates the physical and cultural beauty of this state.
And I believe the spirit of the song inspires listeners to think a bit deeper about these contrasts and maybe appreciate both the old and the new and appreciate a broader picture of the current reality we live in.
Talking about songwriting workshops and other Troubadour stuff with Ann Nyberg.
“Restless Heart” during interview with Ann Nyberg.
What is a Troubadour?
1 : one of a class of lyric poets and poet-musicians often of knightly rank who flourished from the 11th to the end of the 13th century chiefly in the south of France and the north of Italy and whose major theme was courtly love
2 : a singer especially of folk songs Origin of TROUBADOUR, French, from Old Occitan trobador, from trobar to compose
First Known Use: circa 1741
What is a CT State Troubadour?
The State Troubadour serves as an ambassador of music and song and promotes cultural literacy among Connecticut citizens.
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