I assume the titles that follow belong under this banner and their inclusion needs no apology. Yes, a few are a tad maple syrupy, but I am Canadian, eh! They run the gamut from intimate bonds to group affiliation to the standards that bind;

Ray d'Entremont , Bio and Archives--September 14, 2026

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I will have to cut the frequency of these lists. I have a new priority. My wife had a stroke. We are focused on helping her heal as much as possible and prepared to do whatever it takes. Many are praying for her and prayers are welcome as spring flowers. The bond is strong! The hospital staff are impressive, but this being Canada, are seriously overworked. I’m reading a book by Dr. Norman Doidge, whose specialty is neuroplasticity.

It may aid us on this journey. If you recognise his name, it may be because he wrote the foreword to Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules for Life.” Doidge builds on work by behavioral neuroscientist Edward Taub, whose “use it or lose it” therapy at the University of Alabama earned him a Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association in 2004. This playlist is about bonding—survival itself for our forebears.

Consanguineal and affinal bonds soon enlarged the pack. Groups hunted better. That led to rallying behind a strongman, organizing cooperation, or raiding neighbouring camps for goods and wives. Once plant and animal tending let one family feed many, specialization followed: tools, weapons, settlements, primitive governance, Campfire stories created solidarity—meaning in myth.

Eventually raid became trade—both sides won, Feudalism morphed to the nation state—prideful banners into patriotic flags. I assume the titles that follow belong under this banner and their inclusion needs no apology. Yes, a few are a tad maple syrupy, but I am Canadian, eh! They run the gamut from intimate bonds to group affiliation to the standards that bind.

The Star Spangled Banner--Robert Merrill:

During the War of 1812, lawyer Francis Scott Key boarded a British truce ship to seek an American doctor’s release. The British bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours and detained Key so he could not reveal their position. Key watched through the night; at dawn the stars and stripes still flew. He scribbled a brief poem and finished it later at his hotel. The tune was a British drinking song. And there you have it: “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Coat of Many Colors--Dolly Parton:

Dolly was a great songwriter. I have loved Dolly as a person—like forever. At ten she was singing in church and on local television; at thirteen she had played Grand Ole Opry. The day after high-school graduation she moved to Nashville, met her husband for life on the first day, and soon began her recording career. Over sixty years she struck gold with songs like “Jolene,” and “Coat of Many Colors.” Imagine teenage Dolly on the road with a bunch of virile young male musicians. 

She handled it like a trooper. When she left Porter Wagoner she wrote him "I Will Always Love You." That's class. Film followed, including her 1980 “9 to 5” with the title song she wrote. She earned........

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