Halloween may be now be gone, but my decorations aren't yet, so I figured I would stretch out the celebration just one more day in order to procrastinate having to yank webs out of my yard and remove paper skeletons from my walls.
This has always been a fun occasion for my husband and I, especially now with the kids.
We even give presents for the holiday.
(I got the soundtrack to "The Rocky Horror GLEE show"...yay!!)
I'll be posting pics later in the week of our festivities, but for now I wanted to share with you three of my favorite songs to hear/play at Halloween.
Though "Monster Mash" should be in this list, I've heard it just one too many times over the past week and would like to take a break from it for now. =)
So here goes...my short-version Halloween play list:
"I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
(yeah, CCR also did this song...but I'm a fan of this version in particular. And from what I've read, it was QUITE "out there" when it came out in the 1957.)
"Every Day is Halloween" by Ministry Though I grew up with the industrial/metal Ministry of the 90's, their 80's synth-pop beginnings aren't half bad! I love to hear this song...any time of the year.
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
Okay, so who HASN'T heard this song?
But hey, it never gets old in my opinion.
I just wish I had taken the time to learn the entire dance like some. (oh, and this video used to really scare me as a kid!) =)
Well I hope you (if you celebrated) had a fantastic Halloween.
I'm exhausted today actually.
But we did have a good time.
Time to start planning next year's costumes! (yeah right! didn't you read above where I said that I was a procrastinator?) =D
Though my opinions may steer my political leanings pretty far to the right, I find that many today think that means that this makes me an ignorant, hateful, war-mongering bigot.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I am first and foremost a Christian.
And the Bible tells me these things:
God is love.
God created us out of love.
God intends for us to love each other.
Sin is another matter.
Sin, and the architect of sin, the devil, are constantly struggling for control of our lives.
No one but Jesus has ever been perfect, or will ever be.
So in light of this, it is impossible for me to hate one of my brothers or sisters in Christ because of his sin.
Being a sinful person myself keeps me from truly being able to place judgement on another.
I do hate the sin though.
I hate war and fighting.
And I hate what sin does to obscure the love and happiness that God wants for us.
If for one moment we could all (left, right or middle) just stop and realize
that not one of us is perfect,
that not one of us is doing things exactly right,
then we might be able to see each other for what we truly are...
creations of love.
Every person that God has created is worthy of being loved.
BecauseGod first loved us.
If we will only gather ourselves into that love of God
and see that love in each other,
then it will be that much harder for the devil to overshadow it with hatred.
And for just a moment we could "let it be".
(I am well aware that The Beatles were not professing Christians, but the message of letting go of our hate for a person, if only to allow that person to live to see another day, is quite compelling, don't you think?) Excerpt is from the film "Across the Universe" "Let it Be" performed by Carol Woods & Timothy T. Mitchum
Over the weekend Terry and I celebrated our 6th year of marriage.
Sure there have been a couple of rough spots here and there, but overall we have been blessed with an incredible relationship.
I credit this mostly to the fact that we were such close friends before we began to really date.
I cherish our ability to just hang out and chat like old buds.
I once opened a fortune cookie that read:
"A good friendship is often more important than a passionate romance".
And I couldn't agree more.
I'm not saying that there's no romance in our relationship, because there is.
There is simple sweetness about our love that remains as fresh today as it did so many years ago when we began.
But that friendship, that is what I value above all else in our relationship...and that is what I think will keep us together to the end.
Anyway, this is a music post, so I wanted to use this occasion to highlight some of the songs that my dear husband has given to me over the years.
He has such a great love and knowledge of music.
I have often told him that he would do well in the music industry...production wise...because of his incredible ear for quality.
He doesn't skimp on quality one bit when choosing songs to "dedicate" to his wife either.
Though I'd love to share every song he's given to me with you, there obviously isn't enough time or space in this post.
So, here is just a sampling of the feelings and music that my love has shared with me...
Thank you for letting me give you a peek into our lovely little life.
I do love every moment of it...good and bad.
Enjoy the love in your life as well because you never know how long it will be there.
Though I don't watch much television, there are a few shows that I just can't miss.
Two of them begin their new seasons this week.
I adore Modern Family, which starts on Wednesday I think, but my absolute fav show is GLEE!
I've been anxiously awaiting the season 2 premiere and tomorrow it will finally arrive!!
So I figured I would use this week's music post to share a couple of clips from season 1.
Can't say I was a huge Lady Gaga fan before Glee came along, but yeah, the show definitely helped bring her into my personal radar.
Here's one of the best Glee performances, in my opinion, from the last season.
Singing Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", here are the ladies and Kurt: (I have to share that my fav part of the song is Santana's solo - she's the one in all black)
Another performance from the same episode was this one by Rachel (Lea Michelle) and her biological mother on the show (Idina Menzel).
I am still in awe of how much these two look alike! Are they SURE they aren't related?? =)
Here they are singing the slowed-down piano version of "Poker Face"...also originally by Lady Gaga.
So yeah, I'm totally stoked about the premiere tomorrow night!
So if you want to know where I'll be between 7 p.m. & 8 p.m. tomorrow night...I'll be be Gleeked out in front of the t.v.
And I won't be accepting phone calls.
p.s.
A post will be coming later this week about recent happenings in our life.
This is the first week all month that I don't have something going on, so I'm definitely going to try to enjoy the downtime.
So I wanted to introduce a group called Pomplamoose to all of those who aren't in the know yet.
Well, until just a few months ago, I wasn't in the know either.
I don't know a whole lot about them yet, just that the singer, Nataly Dawn, has the coolest voice, they do lots of random song covers, and they tend to use an odd variety of instruments in their music.
Oh, and one other thing, even though I have their album "A Tribute to Famous People" on my iPod and listen to the songs quite regularly, I have found that none of it can be truly appreciated until watching the videos. Their videos all have the same theme, in that they are pieced together from their recordings of the song.
And these are some funny people.
So when I was trying to decide which song(s) I wanted to post here...I just couldn't decide!
Therefore, today I have created my first musical multiple choice.
I am posting as many of their covers as I feel up to today and YOU have the choice of which to play.
WARNING: You may end up listening to/watching ALL of them...they're just so dang good.
Gotta start with my personal fav:
And just so I don't leave out the fact that they DO write their own songs, here are a couple:
Whew! Well I'm exhausted...time for a nap!
Hope you heard something you liked.
Since we are all home together today, I don't have much time to devote the music post this week.
So I asked Terry to give me a song...any song that he wanted to share with the world (as small as my blog world may be).
This is the song that he gave me....
Oddly enough, after last week's post being on mix-tapes/CD's, he just told me that this song was supposed to be on the next one he was planning for me.
I grew up making and receiving them.
Traded them with friends, made them for crushes and recorded my own personal mixes in order to hang onto some memory.
But the most treasured ones were the ones given to you by your serious significant other.
Creating them took much time and contemplation.
Every song had to hold special meaning to your relationship.
And receiving that home-made mix of tunes was more important than a hundred store-bought "things".
Cassette tapes may have made way for discs, but they still serve the same purpose of being able to bottle a portion of your feelings and hand them over to someone else in a neat little compartment.
That's how it was for me anyway.
Well, that's still how it is actually.
From time to time, Terry and I still make each other mix discs.
I love how it always takes us back to the beginning times of our relationship.
I was 19 years old when I fell in love with him.
And as I told my daughter not long ago, no matter how old Terry and I get, in my mind he will always be 23 and I will always be 19.
Anyway, today I wanted to share with you a couple of the songs that I included on the last mix that I gave him.
In a month and 3 days we will celebrate 6 years of marriage, but we will also celebrate 16 years of devoted friendship.
Because before he was my husband, before he was my boyfriend...he was my dearest friend.
And none of this would be in existence without that friendship.
Songs to my love...
(Both of these videos were created by HiiCactus and are unrelated to the original artists...but aren't they the sweetest things you've ever seen?)
So I thought I would devote my post on this momentous day to her.
Well, to her name actually.
Obviously I am a fan of music in general.
You may be thinking, "who isn't?", but that's where you would be mistaken.
There are different types of musical tastes in this world.
And I'm not talking about genres...rap, country, rock, etc.
I'm talking about being either a casual music fan, a hardcore music fan, or worse yet...a-musical...that is, a life void of music.
I have only ever known of one person to whom the last description applied, but after a few months' exposure to me and my incessantly singing friends, she came around.
I think she had just never been awakened to what music could do for a person.
Anyway, the casual music fan is one of those that will tell you that they "like pretty much all kinds of music", yet can't pinpoint any specifics on favorites or aspects of their liking.
Then there's the hardcore fans.
They KNOW what they like and they KNOW what they don't like.
They can list some of their all-time favorite musicians at a moment's notice and will also list their favorite songs by those artists.
They have either seen their favs in concert or dream of the opportunity (especially if their favs are long gone).
And what point am I trying to make?
I am and always have been...a hardcore music fan.
So when I was a 22 year old pregnant with my first child, I was dead-set on giving her a musical name.
Mostly that meant that she was going to be named after a song.
Actually, "she" was supposed to be a "he" and was going to be named Jonas.
As in "My Name is Jonas"...the Weezer song.
But she had other plans for us all by turning out to be a girl.
Fortunately I had prepared names for either gender.
I still remember where I was when I heard this song....
Driving home from work one day, that song came on the radio.
I had already at some point been enlightened to the meaning of the song.
Many think it is about an actual girl, but "Cecilia" is actually a reference to the patron saint of music, St. Cecilia.
He is singing about his struggle with musical "writer's block" and the frustration of the elusive musical inspiration.
Then "jubilation, she loves me again"...the inspiration flows finally.
So the moment I heard that song that day, I knew that was it.
I hoped it would hold some meaning in her life...that she would embody my love of music somehow.
Well, she loves music, for sure.
But I'm thinking that if there is a patron saint of talking, she should have been given that name instead.
And her middle name?
Oh, I mean names.
2 middle names.
Couldn't narrow it down.
Cecilia Regina Claire
Claire was my mom's suggestion.
And since I was most obsessed with the Latin language at the time, I really loved that it had the Latin meaning of "bright".
Regina (the "g" pronounced like the "g" in good) is Latin for "queen".
But guess what?
It's also a song.
One of my favorite songs.
Sung by The Sugarcubes...Bjork's band before she went solo.
Huge Bjork fan here.
Bjork sang a few songs with female names as the title.
Cecilia could have been Charlene or Regina or Isobel or...well, you get the picture.
Here is the song "Regina" by The Sugarcubes:
So here's to my talkative, musical, bundle of joy.
My junior high pre-teen.
And here's to hoping that she will one day grow to live up to the potential of her hugely important name...or at least not grow tired of telling people that they are pronouncing her Regina wrong. =)
Since my dad's birthday this year has fallen on "Music Monday", I thought it fitting to share some of the songs that I grew up listening to with my dad.
I have many fond memories of sitting in front of the record player listening to music with him.
I most definitely got my love and appreciation of music from my father.
I always thought it funny when he would hear a song on the radio and could tell me exactly what year it came out and what was going on in his life at the time.
But now I find myself doing the same thing.
Anyway, I picked out a few songs/artists that I particularly attach to my dad for various reasons.
The first is one of our all-time favorite musicians...Glenn Miller.
I was fortunate enough to be raised on Big Band music.
Though it was even before my dad's time, he too had an appreciation for the classics as do I now.
My exposure to Big Band also helped me relate more to my grandparents, as I usually knew and loved many of the songs that they had grown up with.
My dad and I both loved this particular song...especially the section featuring "The Ink Spots".
Another fond memory I have of time with my dad is the many hours he spent pushing me on the swing at my grandparent's house.
He would push me for what seemed like forever while I sang songs at the top of my lungs.
What songs?
Whatever came to mind usually, but I tended to pick the next two songs more often.
Both of my parents can be so silly at times and I inherited my share of that trait.
And they both loved silly songs.
One of the songs that my dad liked was "Tie Me Kangaroo Down".
We would listen to the 45 over and over again.
Well, just for him, since he also is a Beatles fan like me, I found this funny version of the song that Rolf Harris recorded with the Beatles.
And if you are unfortunate enough to have never heard the original, here is the link:
One of the other songs that I would sing while on the swing was this one.
Such a fun song and not many lyrics to memorize.
This performance on The Ed Sullivan Show is great. (apologies that the sound doesn't quite match the video...not my doing!)
Janis Joplin.
My dad loved her when he was growing up.
I inherited that love.
He likes to pretend that the late sixties/early seventies never happened to him, but I have evidence to the contrary...
I think this was an attempt at a band photo at some point.
My dad is the on the bottom right crouching down.
He was the bass player in a band for a few years.
He even played for a couple of years after I was born.
He gave it all up for me.
It was time for him to "grow up"...or at least that's what I was told.
Anyway, back to Janis...yeah, we are both fans.
I found this cool performance she did in Stockholm of one of my favorite songs.
She was genius.
So as you can see, my dad was a big part of developing my love and taste in music.
Mostly he helped me keep a musically open mind.
So his gift to me is now my gift to him.
Thank you dad for everything.
I hope I get to share many, many more birthdays with you!
But this isn't the dope-smoking, Rastafarian, Bob Marley stuff.
Not that there isn't a time or place for Marley.
He was the master.
But there is a new development in reggae that seems to be pulling in some types of people that otherwise wouldn't give this genre a chance.
Like me.
Neither of these artists are particularly "new", both have released more than one album.
But both are now among my top ten artists.
Definitely.
Vampire Weekend
Yes, they have a weird name.
But even weirder is the fact that though they sound reggae-ish, they are actually more influenced by African rhythms...and get this, classical American music.
Interesting blend, huh?
Makes for some amazing indie pop sounds though.
Today I'm sharing songs from their first album because as of now, it's my favorite of the two they have put out.
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (I wasn't able to embed the official video here, but the song's here anyway)
A-Punk
(Fun song, funny little video...and they use a portion of it on PBS Kids!)
The Kids Don't Stand A Chance/Oxford Comma (Obviously not the album versions of these two songs, but I do love this impromptu "concert" for one. It also shows off the singer's brilliant voice.)
Matisyahu
Now this is Reggae.
But not your weird uncle's Reggae.
This is Hasidic Jew New Yorker Reggae.
Yeah, and you thought Vampire Weekend was odd.
But don't count this one out.
Though I'm obviously not Jewish, I tend to find my own interpretation of his songs, which are, by the way, immersed in Jewish themes.
He sings about God.
The Old Testament God, but God nonetheless.
Though the acceptance of Jesus Christ divides us, I can still find use in his songs because I always feel myself praying and praising every time I sing along.
And it's good stuff.
Refuge (He speaks of and quotes King David's psalms in this one.)
King Without a Crown (Not the album version, but a performance at Stubb's in Austin, TX. I prefer this one to the original. This, so far, is his biggest hit...Top 40 even. If it helped even one person discover God, great. If they found Jesus at the same time...all the better.)
So next time someone offers you a taste of a genre of music that you might not usually be interested in, go on and take a chance.
Music is always evolving and you just never know what might happen when you try new things.
Take care and have a beautiful week!
An Ewok was the reason I now know that there is no Santa.
(sorry mom for snooping and finding that "From Santa" gift long before Christmas when I was 8 yrs old)
Anyway, I didn't have a lot of time to research look for videos on youtube for this post, so I thought I would share this awesome song with those of you who haven't seen it yet (and I know many have since this video has almost 10 MILLION views).
The song was originally created by Moosebutter who are kind of a parody/comedy singing troupe.
But this skinny kid named Corey Vidal came along and decided that he was going to recreate the original video.
Now the original contains four people singing four parts, but Corey "sung" (as in lip-synced) all four parts separately and put them together so that he looks like one of four identical quadruplets singing the song at the same time.
The music? Well, it was compiled from multiple songs...all by John Williams, the man who composed the scores for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws, etc.
The lyrics, created by Moosebutter, combined with John Williams' genius, makes for an amazing song...and funny to boot. You have to watch it a few times to pick up on the small nuances that give light to the Star Wars characters (listen especially close for Luke's part...so funny).
I loved this song enough to acquire the mp3 and put it on my ipod. Now Cecilia and I can belt it out in the car whenever we like. Good times.
Here is Corey Vidal's recreation of the Moosebutter song:
And if you're one of those types who likes to remain true to originals, here is the Moosebutter version:
I don't know about you, but I think Corey is much easier on the eyes than the Moosebutter guys...but I have to give credit where it's due and this group did an awesome job with this.
Have an amazing week and may the force be with you. =)
The easiest way for me to explain it is that moment when you hear a song and you are instantly catapulted backwards through time and feel like you are listening to your parent's radio (or your own radio if you're old...haha).
I love me some throwbacks...and the better music these days (in MY opinion) has been taking task with reminding today's generation of the history of the stuff they call music now.
Rewinding memory to a day when rock and roll was groundbreaking and inspiring...that is an amazing feeling.
Today I will introduce you to some of my favorite throwbacks as of late.
And I assure you that all of these songs are from recent years and are NOT from the era that they sound...THAT is the coolest part of this music!
King Khan and the Shrines
I've been diggin' this group for a couple of years now.
I was amazed and intrigued by the fact that a current band could recreate this sound so well.
I'll let the music speak for itself now...
(and feel free to get up and dance if you like:)
Band of Skulls
A pretty recent addition to my collection.
As soon as I heard them I thought of my husband.
He is the throwback king.
He loves old garage rock, rockabilly, punk, etc.
He doesn't always dig my personal choices in artists, but he actually came home with this CD the day after I had him listen to it.
This is a great new band.
The have kind of a White Stripes sound.
But this song in particular made me think of another band from recent years called Wolfmother.
If you haven't heard of them and like this song, definitely check them out on youtube.
They have an old Led Zeppelin, late 60's/early 70's feel.
Love it.
She & Him
Before rock music went crazy in the mid 60's, it was sweet, polite and pleasant. (if you don't believe me, check out the Beatles discography and see at what point all heck broke loose on their music)
This duo is so reminiscent of that innocent era, it's ridiculous.
And before you go racking your brain to figure out where you've seen that singer, I'll give you a hint:
Almost Famous...the kid's stewardess big sis?
Bridge to Terabithia...the music teacher?
Okay, so if no bells are going off, her name is Zooey Deschanel and yes, she is also an actress.
And who knew she had such a cool voice too?
Oh, and just so you don't get away from here without hearing an actual oldie, here is She & Him's version of "You Really Got a Hold on Me" (originally by The Miracles circa 1962). (my apologies that the song cuts off at the end, but it was the best clip I could find)
Well, my friends, thanks for experiencing this flashback with me.
I do hope you'll join me on my next trip...no matter which direction in time or sound it takes us!
I probably have musicals on the brain this week because my mom (the one who raised me on musicals) was generous enough to take Cecilia and I to see Wicked this past weekend.
I didn't know much about the storyline and hadn't heard any of the songs, aside from "Defying Gravity", beforehand.
Gotta say, it was impressive as a whole...though I don't think I'll be obsessing over the soundtrack of this one.
But I do have my particular musical obsessions.
There are those certain movies/musicals that I will sing along with until the day I die.
Today I will highlight a few.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Man how I love this one. This is probably the top of the heap for me.
Just this morning I was in the car on the way home from the grocery store belting this one out.
Glad my kids are used to listening to my loud singing.
Wonder how long it will be before the pre-teenager starts getting embarassed of me (or for me)...haha.
My favorite one to sing along to from this show:
Dancer in the Dark
I confess, I am a huge Bjork fan, ugly swan dress or not.
But what, pray tell, can get better than Bjork...singing...in a movie?
If you haven't seen this one, check it out.
I bawled my eyes out for the last half hour.
I felt like I had lost my best friend by the time it was over.
Quite embarassing doing this at the theater...but I honestly had no power over my emotions.
This clip is my absolute favorite part of the entire movie and was also the point at which I lost all control.
(a little backstory so that you'll understand the clip just a bit...in the movie, she is nearly blind and depends on sound to get through life (though no one else knows how blind she is). she is also obsessed with musicals and tends to hear music in everything.....SEE THIS MOVIE!)
Moulin Rouge
Beautifully done movie.
Great use of "modern day" songs/music in an old setting.
Awesome love story.
Best song of the whole show:
Jesus Christ Superstar
This was probably one of my first experiences with a real musical.
My mom and I listened to the album when I was small and we even were able to see it on stage at one point.
I understand that some find this musical sacreligious.
It is scripturally incorrect in many areas.
But what it doesn't miss and even sheds some much needed light upon is the fact that the followers of Jesus were just mortal men...same as you and I.
Most of the disciples went on to spread the Gospel of Jesus until their deaths and I can appreciate the value of that...but they were not perfect by any means and I am certain that they all had their weaknesses and doubts about their ministries at one point or another.
Judas...the traitorous one.
He was the epitome of the "manhood" of the disciples.
Human nature is sinful and selfish and Judas had a hard time letting that go as a disciple of Jesus was called to do.
This song opens the musical with a taste of that humanity.
I do not agree with the things he states, but I do understand that as a sinful man he had these concerns and doubts about where Jesus was leading them.
Judas' life (and end) should be an example of what sin can do to us.
We must have faith, dear friends, that God's path is the most secure one.
(oh, and Carl Anderson, as Judas, has a magnificent voice!)
Thanks again for lending an ear to my musical opinions.
If there is a musical subject or genre you would like me to cover at some point, please let me know.
Have a wonderful week!
We don't have cable or satellite TV at our house (yep...bunny ears and a converter box for us), but from what I recall from experience at my mom's house, you can have hundreds of channels at your disposal and still can find NOTHING to watch.
This is how things are with my iPod sometimes.
I have 1350+ songs in this tiny, handheld device and there are times when I will flip through songs for 5 minutes straight until I find something I feel like listening to.
I have whittled down my collection too...meaning that I have eliminated all those songs from each album that I either don't like or am ambivalent towards.
But like on TV when you always end up watching reruns of your favorite shows when all else fails, I always end up listening to the same songs over and over.
These are the songs that I will almost never skip past.
The iTunes library lets you sort out your songs however you choose and this is my top 5 according to "play count".
Now some may find it odd that some of my long time "favorite" artists aren't even in this list...come to think of it, I find it odd as well. But it is what it is...and my favorites are slowly evolving I guess.
So here goes...
My iTunes Top 5
#5
Way to Blue ~ Nick Drake
This isn't the original album version, but is from the collection released by his sister a few years ago of his personal home recordings. I do absolutely love this version much more than the original.
(i was unable to embed the video here, so you will have to use the link to watch)
I was privileged enough to see Damien Rice in concert in a small setting and it was the most amazing show I have ever seen (this can only be said when you are actually moved to tears during a concert).
Then to top it all off, Terry and I stalked Damien down in the freezing cold in the parking lot afterwards while he talked on the phone. When his call ended, Terry got out of our car and got him to autograph my CD. He even drew a little picture of a person flying a kite. So cool...
#3 Famous Last Words ~ My Chemical Romance
An epic song to end an epic album. Don't know why this album appeals to me so much, but I love it from beginning to end...and it may be the only album I can say that about.
#2 We Are Going To Be Friends ~ The White Stripes
Such a sweet little song...and the only song I have ever attempted to play on a guitar. (not that I ever really figured it out...not knowing how to play the guitar and all)
#1 First Day of My Life ~ Bright Eyes
Okay, so this was the first time that I actually watched this video and by the end I was in tears.
Guess I was just feelin' the love, so to speak.
Love the concept of this video especially since this is one of mine and Terry's songs.
Amazing song.
Enjoy.
