“Dust in the Wind” by Kansas
I close my eyes only for a moment, and the moment’s gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind

Now, don’t hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, and all your money won’t another minute buy

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind (all we are is dust in the wind)
Dust in the wind (everything is dust in the wind), everything is dust in the wind (the wind.)

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Kansas (band)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on album-oriented rock charts and later with hit singles such as “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind“. The band has produced eight gold albums, three sextuple-platinum albums (Leftoverture, Point of Know Return, The Best of Kansas), one platinum live album (Two for the Show) and a million-selling single, “Dust in the Wind“. Kansas appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the 1970s and 1980s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. “Carry on Wayward Son” was the second-most-played track on classic rock radio in 1995 and No. 1 in 1997.

Influence

Kansas’ two most popular songs, “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind,” have been covered by other artists, and featured on film and television soundtracks.

“Dust in the Wind” has been covered by Sarah Brightman, Scorpions (Acoustica), Christian artists Acappella and Billy Smiley, progressive trance DJs Gabriel & Dresden, former New York Yankees Center fielder and jazz guitarist Bernie Williams (The Journey Within), and ex-Kansas lead singer John Elefante (2006). It was sung by Will Ferrell during the movie Old School. It was prominently featured in several episodes of the television series Highlander and was referenced in the film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. It gained additional exposure when used as the music for a Subaru commercial. Comedian Tim Hawkins did a parody of the song called “A Whiff of Kansas” which is on the Pretty Pink Tractor album and the Insanitized live DVD. A music video to the song which mirrors the actual “Dust In The Wind” music video is featured on the Insanitized DVD.

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Dust in the Wind

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Dust in the Wind” is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album Point of Know Return.

The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 22, 1978, making it Kansas’s only top ten Billboard Hot 100 charting single. The 45-rpm single was certified Gold for sales of one million units by the RIAA shortly after the height of its popularity as a hit single. More than 25 years later, the RIAA certified Gold the digital download format of the song, Kansas’s only single to do so certified as of September 17, 2008.

Background and writing

A last-minute addition to the track lineup for Point of Know Return, “Dust in the Wind” would also be its greatest success.

The guitar line for the song was written by Kerry Livgren as a finger exercise for learning finger picking. His wife, Vicci, heard what he was doing, remarked that the melody was nice, and encouraged him to write lyrics for it. Livgren was unsure whether his fellow band members would like it, since it was a departure from their signature style. However he did offer it to them and the song was accepted and then recorded.

“Dust in the Wind” was one of Kansas‘s first acoustic tracks; its slow melancholy melody and philosophical lyrics differ from their other hits such as “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Point of Know Return“. A meditation on mortality and the inevitability of death, the lyrical theme bears a striking resemblance to the well-known biblical passage Genesis 3:19 (“…for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”), as well as to the famous opening lines of the Japanese war epic The Tale of the Heike (“…the mighty fall at last, and they are as dust before the wind.”) and from a book of Native American poetry, which includes the line “for all we are is dust in the wind.”^[Also, the 1973 song, “Karn Evil 9 (3rd Impression)” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer has repeated ‘dust’ and ‘wind’ themes, and uses exactly the same phrase “dust in the wind”.

The guitar track comes from two guitarists playing six-string guitars in unison, one in standard tuning and the other in Nashville tuning, to create a chiming sound similar to a twelve-string guitar. The instrumental bridge contains a distinctive melodic line and harmony for violin and viola.

Kansas also released a live version of the song on their album Two for the Show and a symphonic version on Always Never the Same.

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“Dust in the Wind” is one of the many songs of contemporary times that has beautiful and meaningful lyrics.

The protagonist of this song contemplates on the transient and fleeting nature of Life. It is true that Life comes with no guarantees or with any certainties. The only certainty that comes with birth is death. All men are mere mortals and are born to die someday. The only thing that remains constant are the seas and the skies. No amount of money can buy Time. Time and Tide wait for no mortal. Life seems to fly by so fast that even a dream can’t be held onto for a moment; it flies by and remains as nothing but a curiosity. The fate of all human beings is “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” We come with nothing into this world and leave this world with nothing. Each human being is like a drop in the ocean – we are just one among a million others. Each one of us should learn the art of simplicity, modesty and humility. It is also a lesson to us all to treasure each moment of our existence on this Earth – it is through God’s Immense Grace that we are blessed with health and the Immeasurable Gift of Life. We should all – at some time or other – learn to count our blessings instead of wasting so many years of our lives on useless property disputes and legal wrangles, especially those battles concerned with one’s inheritance and money, in general – the latter only feeds Greed and serves no good purpose.

The bottom line here is simply this fact – LEARN TO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE LONG BEFORE IT BECOMES SOMETHING THAT YOU HAD. LIFE IS JUST TOO SHORT FOR ANYTHING ELSE.