56. Luck of the Draw by Bonnie Raitt

 56. Luck of the Draw by Bonnie Raitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ58TVYNFro&list=OLAK5uy_kAobGEvqF4GXZhBKd_081jFSs5lbLVxrM

Having just graduated from Idaho State with my teaching degree, I got my first full-time teaching gig in 1991 at Irving Jr. High. I was so excited to put my classroom together that I showed up at work 2 weeks early and started setting up my room before any of the other teachers on my team showed up. I brought my old stereo system and listened to music while I put up posters on the walls, decorated the big bulletin board, and set up my desk and working space. I had recently purchased the tape for Luck of the Draw for Julie, but I ended up taking it to work so I could listen to it while I puttered around the classroom and created worksheets and lesson plans on my 386 computer (which was the most powerful computer in the school, since they didn't have computers for teachers back then, and all the computers in the lab were several years old). There were other teachers on my team that eventually showed up, and when they heard Luck of the Draw playing in my room, they came around and told me how much they liked the album. It was one of those albums that both country and rock fans liked. They said to keep playing the music because they liked it, and they didn't have a stereo system in their room. So the whole area rocked out to the tape quite often as we put our classrooms together.

One day the principal heard the noise and came around to see who was up to what so early before school started. His office was at the other end of the building--which happened to be the longest Jr. High in Idaho, so we didn't see him down our way all that often. He was quite impressed that I'd brought in my computer, and after that first look at my classroom, he started putting all of the computer-related literature he got in my mailbox. Because of that, I ended up getting to go to some trainings on teaching with computers--something that the school district was just barely starting to figure out. And because I was the "computer guru" at my end of the building, I got a lot of teachers coming to me to ask for help with their computer questions. Anyway, I got a reputation for being an "innovative" teacher because I did stuff with my computer, and that eventually led me to studying instructional technology and deciding to stop teaching and get my PhD in it. 

So now whenever I listen to any of the songs from that album, I'm transported back to my classroom at Irving Jr. High. And in a way, it's because of Luck of the Draw that I got opportunities that led me to eventually go to grad school and become an instructional designer instead of a 7th grade teacher. But I look back on my teaching days with fondness, and while I now teach courses online for the college I work at, it isn't as much fun teaching college as it is to teach 7th graders, and if I could go back to teaching language arts again with my stereo playing Bonnie Raitt, I probably would.

The album received good reviews when it came out in 1991. It was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year, but it didn't end up winning that award. I think that's because Bonnie had won the 1989 Album of the Year with Nick of Time. And it's pretty rare for the Grammy voters to give out more than one album of the year awards to the same artist. Only six artists have done that, and only three had done that before Bonnie won--Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon. Both albums are excellent, but I think that Luck of the Draw is better than Nick of Time in a lot of ways, including the quality of the music, lyrics, and singing.

However, three songs on Luck of the Draw did end up winning three other 1991 Grammys, including (a) Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for "Something to Talk About"--a song that was also nominated for Record of the Year--(b) Best Rock Vocal Performance Solo for "Luck of the Draw," and (c) Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Good Man, Good Woman." 

But in my opinion, as well as in the opinion of may others, the best song on the album has to be "I Can't Make You Love Me," which features Bruce Hornsby on the piano. It's on several "Greatest Songs of All Time" lists, which I think is only right. Anyone that has felt the pain of unrequited love will understand the absolute perfection of the song. In fact, now that I think about it, I probably should have included this song on my Top 200 list. It's certainly more deserving than "Funky Cold Medina." Oh, well. Bonnie wins out in the end, because by being on my Top 60 album list, she's being recognized for 12 great songs instead of just one. 

Besides "I Can't Make You Love Me," I think two other underrated sad songs on this album are "One Part Be My Lover"--about a couple on the verge of a breakup--and "All at Once"--about a couple that's divorced, but the man keeps coming around to see the daughter, which makes it more painful for the woman. Toward the end of the song, there's the excellent line--"Why the angels turn their backs on some, it's a mystery to me." 

Now, don't get me wrong and think all I care about are the downers on this album. There are plenty of songs on the album with an upbeat feeling, and I like them all. But it's the quality of these sad songs that I think elevates the album to a Top 60 level. Maybe that's because they bring a balance to the album that reflects the emotional ups and downs of life, and that makes it feel like the songs are being sung by someone that's got real life experience and is capable of telling powerful truths, even when those truths hurt. 

Because of the heaping helping of truth we get on this album, it just gets better and better with time as I get older and have more life experience. The lyrics now have a much deeper meaning for me than I imagined that they ever would 30 years ago when I first heard them. And if this trend continues, then in another 30 years when I do another Top 60 albums list or Top 200 songs list or Top 3 things I can still remember but who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room with that catheter list, then "I Can't Make You Love Me" will definitely replace "Funky Cold Medina"--unless "Funky Cold Medina" is what my robot nurse gives me in the morning to help me pee. But will I really live that long? I don't know. I might make it to 85. Or I might keel over at 55. Who knows? It's in the luck of the draw.