Regina
9 years after the surgery that left a screw lodged up against my spinal cord (undetected, but ‘causing a myriad of health issues, including severe debilitating 8-24 hour migraines – intracranial hypertension curtesy of the screw tethering my spinal canal, and symptoms that only worsened with time) – I was in the midst of undergoing a series of surgeries I was terrified of (with good cause, in hindsight).
Driving down an appropriately dark & foggy highway I came across a song that stirred up emotions in me in such a profound and all encompassing way, that to some extent – aspiring to create something that’ll help someone else the same way has been my lifelong goal ever since. It’s the reason I started taking songwriting seriously, it’s the reason I went to music school, it was the genesis of who I aspire to be. It’s chorus became my battle cry.
That song was Regina Spektor’s “One More Time with Feeling”, from her album Far.
Since then I got to compose and film a tribute to her oeuvre, meet her once, and even engage in an annual correspondence, courtesy of her and her husband’s Jack kindness. When I wrote about my deteriorating health/paraplegia during March 2020, in the midst of the Covid chaos, she wrote me a comforting letter that pushed me to keep trying and not lose hope.
After the latest successful surgery, March 2023, I sent her and Jack a thank you letter, for all the time and compassion they’ve shown me. I also wanted – for a change – to divulge optimistic news about the surgery, and my new outlook on life. Not long after that I was on a flight back home, to rest and prepare for rehabilitation.
4 months later, on some idle Wednesday, I was just about to start rehabilitation & PT but was totally depleted of energy and motivation. Right then a letter from Regina came, the most amazing shot of adrenaline and motivation, full of compassion, comfort, love and hope. The very same evening, at a show in London, after relearning the song, she dedicated and played “One More Time with Feeling” in my honor. Out of all the unreal things that could have happened, hearing the recording from that show felt the unreal-est.
Later on I got several camera feeds of the song from Regina’s crew and some fans, and edited it to this compact motivation boosting video, that I watch anytime I don’t feel like getting out of bed or doing physical therapy. Works every single fucking time.
Dedicated performance of "One More Time with Feeling"
Regina has been in hot water the past couple of months, for her staunch support of Israel (and her shock at the way many in the world reacted to the 7.10 massacre with gleeful malice). She’s been speaking in interviews (both global and to Israeli outlets) about Israel’s right to defend itself, Hamas’ terroristic regime and how this whole situation awakened old memories from her days as a Jew under the Soviet Union.
She’s been an icon of leftist ideals and empathy ever since she first came to the public eye, and now those same voices she worked hard to amplify and support have turned against her, for her support of Israel. It’s heartbreaking. She deserves better. Please go follow her on Instagram/Threads/Twitter/Spotify and anywhere you can.
P.s.
The past year I’ve been working hard creating the greatest fan site ever made, it’s almost ready for launch, DM me if you wanna check it out.
This week will mark the first time I release new original music – in any shape or form – in the past 4 years. I’ve split my YouTube into 4 different channels – Two official ones (Hebrew & English) and Two channels strictly for demos/translations/sketches (Hebrew & English). You can find them here.
I’ve planned on starting to release songs & translations about 2 months ago, but once the war started everything else became unimportant. That said, in order to get back to feeling like myself again, and to try and keep on moving forward, I decided stick to the original plan. I will, however, put almost no effort into promoting it across social media (which is extremely volatile, toxic and nauseating these days anyways).
Most songs/productions/playbacks use a combination of live instruments, virtual instruments (VSTs), Band in a Box and vocals, amongst many tricks I gathered along the way during the time I couldn’t play any instrument.
1. Ballad of a Politician (מילים חלקלקות) – A song by Regina Spektor from her album “What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (2012)”. Seems like the world is and perhaps always was ran by narcissistic fascist egomaniacs trading deals in shady rooms. It certainly only gotten worse since 2012, and I have no idea how we can dig ourselves out of this mess. Hopefully one day, this song will be deemed irrelevant. I translated it a while ago, added some finishing touches and last minute changes last week.
Hebrew Version – English Version (Cover) – Side-By-Side Translation Player
2. Redeemed (יש לי סיכוי) – Written and composed by Eviatar Banai and featured on his first eponymous album, It is a song overcoming pain and grief and finding redemption within oneself. It’s a song about hope, and it’s been comforting me for decades now, ever since I first heard it.
Hebrew Version (Cover) – English Version – Side-By-Side Translation Player
3. False Starts (Original) – A while before the surgery that gave me a chance to dream again, I dreamt of this tune. In the dream, I’ve tried playing it again and again, never quite getting it and always starting over – hence the name – “False Starts”.
Thanks for reading / listening.
May we know better, peaceful days, soon.
-Yair (Screwup)