Growing old–it’s mandatory if you want to stay alive.  Some people do it with more style than others.

Here are a couple of examples to take into consideration.  The first is that of Mick Jagger singing No Expectations. The song was first released in 1968 and was the flip side of Street Fighting Man. The highlight  was Brian Jones playing the steel guitar. The song was never one of my favorites.  That is, not until 2003 when Jagger gave the song, and his voice, pathos.  Thirty-five years had past since the initial version yet Jagger, instead of giving the idea of having aged, gave the impression of having matured.

BEFORE

AFTER

In 1971, Led Zepplin released Black Dog. Robert Plant a.k.a “I’m Sexy and I Know It” loved to sing “Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting” wearing tight fitting pants and an unbuttoned shirt. Yeah, because singing a song with words like that was pretty sweaty stuff.

Robert Plant BEFORE

Thirty-five years past here, too, and, around 2007, Plant began performing with bluegrass star, Alison Krauss. Once again he was singing Black Dog.  But this time Plant kept his shirt buttoned. Because when you reach a certain age, there’s no need to get sweaty.

Robert Plant AFTER

So what’s the purpose of this post? No real purpose. Just a simple reflection  about growing older.  And about affronting the inevitable change.