Blogs are so passe and pretentious. Oh well, here's my blog about music that's stuck in my head when I wake up in the mornings along with adventures of the Cash family and wacky wacky crazy wacky shenanigans.
The Queen of Finding her way into my brain has had another victory today.
Irony- Regina means "Queen" in Italian. See how clever I am friends?
The song stuck in my head is "Small Town Moon" the opening track from Spektor's 2012 album WHAT WE SAW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS.
(Fun (boring) fact, this is the 8th song of Spektor's I've blogged about here and the fourth from this album)
This song catches so beautifully what Regina does so well. Namely:
-Her voice is just really nice, clear, pure with a great sense of pitch.
-Coloratura.... is that a word you can even use in pop? She does it a bit with all her songs and her
voice just rolls.
-Interesting subject matter, somebody who's left a small town for the big city.
-Quirky, unexpected twists in the song, my favorite being the way she repeats "baby baby baby baby baby baby...." so many more times than she should. Only Regina Spektor can get away with this sort of thing.
I guess I should let you listen to the song, now that I've talked your ear off about it:
Today's song comes from a delightful little fellow named Martin Sexton. He started out as a street performer in Harvard Square in the early 1990's. After recording some of his songs and selling more than 20,000 copies of his self-produced album, he was soon-after signed by a label and has been making music ever since.
Here's "The Beast in Me" from Sexton's 1998 album THE AMERICAN
This song appears to be about the artist's disdain for the city of Los Angeles. Almost as if going there, as an artist, is a necessary evil for him. At least that's my interpretation.
Fiona Apple tickled them ivories back in 1996 (at the age of 18!) with an incredible album called "Tidal." Today she weaseled her way into my brain with a beautiful and sad song entitled "Never is a Promise" from that same album.
This song was the 6th single released from the successful album. Listen carefully to the lyrics and then ask yourself if an 18-year-old is capable of writing this kind of music. Although Fiona Apple is still making music (I've blogged about some of her newer music here) nothing touches the kind of music she charged out with in 1996. I don't think she'll ever top it.
Today's song came as a surprise. I heard the melody going, but had no idea what the song was!
And I was surprised how easy it was to find. I had this lyric going in my head "I'm in love with a girl" and I could distinctly hear the part where the instruments stop in the song and the singer says "don't consider it cheating now."
So, I did a Google search: I'm in love with a girl song
Hundreds of results came up and I thought I was going to have to call my brother and try to sing the melody without lyrics to discover the song. I knew it was a grungy sounding song with heavy electric guitar and when I saw Google give me "Fell in love with a girl" by The White Stripes as a choice, I knew it was the song going in my head.
The song is only 2 minutes long and wow does it rock. The video is great too- Lego animated over a decade before the Lego movie was released. Check it out:
As is my tradition, whenever I blog about a song that isn't currently part of my collection, I make an effort to buy the album on which is comes and add it. This helps broaden my catalog of music and makes me listen to music I otherwise wouldn't consider. Currently I'm listening to the album "White Blood Cells" which I purchased and downloaded today. It's not normally the kind of music I enjoy, but I'm glad to have it the same. Such a strange hobby I have.
How "Fell in Love with a Girl" managed its way into my head this morning is exactly why I enjoy writing this blog. I don't know if I heard it on the radio, in a movie, on a commercial. The White Stripes a popular band, especially in circles of people who are much cooler than me. The band itself consists of Meg and Jack White, a husband and wife duo (him on the guitar, her on the drums) and they've had critical success in their songwriting. This song in particular has had widespread popularity and acclaim. In 2007, Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one one of the forty songs that changed the world.
My 7 year old daughter, Lucy, has a few thoughts she would like to add. Brace yourselves:
All they used was legos.It was awesome when I saw it.It,s so cool how they made the boy playing the guitar and the girl playing the drums! I was amazed.
Despite my indifference to her music, Adele has managed to weasel her way into my head now for the second time on a day when I blog.
I don't have anything against her music or her soulful, raspy voice. In fact, I'd say I like it. I just haven't really dug much into her music. Regardless, her song "Turning Tables" was playing in my head as I lay in bed this morning:
One unfortunate thing about having a blog like this, is having to write about songs that center around a regurgitated theme. Today's song is about a person coming to terms about the toxic relationship in which she's involved. It's effective as a song, and as I've probably mentioned before, hundreds of times on this site, I'm a sucker for any song that uses piano and strings.
"Turning Tables" was the 5th single released from Adele's successful 2011 album, "21" The song itself was written by Adele and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.
On a serious note, how does Adele get that rich, raspy sound? Did she catch a nasty cold as a child? Is she a chain smoker? Does she swallow sand? Did she yell really bad at somebody one time?
Isn't that funny how I made a joke about her raspy voice?
I hope you liked today's blog post, I'd give it a 3 out of 10.
(I'm a few days late posting this. Here's the song stuck in my head from Sunday morning)
You know the song, but if you're ignorant like me you're going "who the crap is King Wenceslas?"
Well, I'll tell you:
King Wenceslas was actually the duke of Bohemia from 921 A.D. until his assassination (by his brother!) in 935 A.D.
So why does the song call him a king?
Well, I'll tell you:
Soon after Wenceslas' death, word spread throughout Europe about his kindness and he was considered a martyr. That's why the holy Roman Emperor Otto I was like "we should totally make this guy be a king even though he really wasn't." That's the thing about Emperors whatever they say goes, friends. So he was a king that was really a duke.
So what's the deal with the song?
Well, I'll tell you:
In 1853 this English dude named John Mason Neale decided that he'd write a song about "King" Wenceslas even though he had died nearly 1000 years earlier. And since John Neale had a thing for old historical figures and things, he decided he might as well rip off the melody from a 14th century Finnish songbook. Isn't that neat?
So what's the song really about?
Well, I'll tell you:
It tells the story of the good king and the efforts he makes to travel in harsh winter conditions on the day of the feast of Stephen (December 26th) to deliver goods to the poor. During the journey, his page, exhausted and cold, has to travel in the King's footsteps to keep going. It's not typical Christmas musical material in our society, but somehow it's endured the test of time and stayed part of our broad music catalogue.
My favorite lyric from the song is the last verse-
In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.
Just for funzees, I took a screen shot (from Google Earth) of what the basilica looks like that was built at the site of the martyrdom of Wenceslas in modern day Czech Republic. I'd love to go visit someday.
I don't think there's another song that starts with such indecisive lyrics.
And today I'm happy to share the song stuck in my head this morning, it's comes from an energetic, new-wavy English band called Everything Everything.
This track "Cough Cough" is percussion and synthesizer heavy. The lyrics are a bit cryptic, but the overall effect as a song works quite well. Have a listen:
Yes. That rocks indeed.
I'm going somewhere else today with my blog post. I feel unfocused and I'm sure this will be a bit of a ramble, but it's been on my mind, and it's my blog, so I'm going to share anyway.
About 6 weeks ago I was hit with horrible, debilitating depression. It happened to me last year and I thought it was just a situational thing. When it came back this year, with a vengeance, I was totally broken, lost, angry, upset and just sad. It's been the hardest thing I've ever been through, which is funny because really there's little wrong with my life. It's just imperfect like everyone else's... my brain has just decided to dwell on what's messed up about life and it's been really really really really hard, to say the least.
And this isn't a pity post. I'm doing what I need to do to fix my troubled mind. I just have to accept it, try my best to be strong and move on. Luckily I have all kinds of support every where I go. I really am so blessed and fortunate. That's the irony, I can point out all the reasons I should be happy but it just doesn't work when you're mentally ill.
As I've been reflecting on my life and my huge insecurities, I'm starting to realize that social media is a problem for me. I use it as a desperate attempt to get attention. This is unhealthy and has affected me more than I realized. Last week I closed my Facebook account. I figured it couldn't hurt. I'm just trying to make my life more simple and make my world smaller.
I suppose this blog is part of the problem as well. I want people to read it. I wish I didn't care, but I'm working on caring less. It's an outlet for me, so I'll keep doing it. But if I vanish all of a sudden from the internet world, you'll understand why.
Yes, you read the title right. This is really a song, and it really was stuck in my head this morning.
The song "It's a Privilege to Pee" is from a hilarious musical called URINETOWN. I had the privilege to see this musical in 2002 on Broadway. I'll always love the story and music from this show. I like to describe Urinetown as 'the cleanest dirty musical' I've ever seen.
If you're offended by the words 'pee' and 'poo' then you'll be disgusted by this musical. Other than those words, the show is clean and fun.
The story is about a society in the not-to-distant future where a water shortage has caused giant corporations to gain control of the water supply, in a sort of necessary form of regulation with monetary gain as a side-effect. The whole show is a goofy parody of capitalism and how giant, powerful politicians and corporations can control society.
The song I'm featuring today is from the first act of the musical and is sung by uncompromising toilet mistress Penelope Pennywise. She controls one of the toilets where people are forced to pay to use the restroom. Listen to this song, it's hilarious- also this singer rocks.
Dear friends, that's the end of today's post. Go enjoy the freedom you have of peeing without having to pay for it.
Today's song comes from musician Josh Tillman, otherwise known (in this case) as Father John Misty.
Father John Misty's only album "Fear Fun" was recommended to me by a friend and I'm glad I have it as part of my collection, there are some great songs on it.
According to Wikipedia, Tillman took a lot of mushrooms, went driving down the coast of California feeling inspired to write a novel, but instead produced this album. The song stuck in my head this morning is the final track on the album and is called "Everyman Needs a Companion"
This track is straightforward just by the title, although it also gets somewhat biblical along the way. Who knows- maybe he's alluding to religion being a sort of companion to mankind? I'm pretty shallow so I don't understand stuff.
But the song's good, right? RIGHT?
A quick story. I am a man. I need a companion. I'm lucky I have one. Her name is Megan. I sure like her. We are pretty head over heels for each other, almost in a sickening way- and we were much worse during the courtship leading up to our marriage in 2005.
Well, one day we were at my parent's house with all my family- my parents, siblings, and their spouses. It was Christmas day (we were married a few days later on New Years Eve) and my family was having a great time making fun of our public display of affection.
Megan pulled me aside to give me a gift in the other room. The gift was a blanket she made for me (which I still have) and it was soft, nice, warm and I was really flattered that she had made it for me. My family could hear me from the other room spewing all kinds of sappy gratitude and love for this gift.
When we returned to the family room, where everyone was gathered, we were soon the brunt of a hilarious practical joke. My mom and dad, my brothers, sister and all their spouses were kissing, making out really- and quite passionately. Once we had gotten over the shock, we all had a really good laugh. The best part too was my 90 year old grandmother who was sitting there with an incredibly confused look on her face. She had no idea what was happening!
Hey friends. Today's song comes from a Vermont-based band headed by soulful Grace Potter. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals have been around for more than a decade, but have gotten quite a bit of attention in the last few years since signing with Hollywood Records in 2007.
I own their 2010 self-titled album and really like it's blend of soul and rock. Grace Potter's vocals and passion as an artist are evident on each track of this album. It really rocks.
So the song stuck in my head is the second track on the self-titled album, it's called "Oasis"
Here's a studio recording of the song that is more clear than the live version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FASKSeJhojQ
The song itself is about a person who's lost, perhaps stuck in a relationship, bad job, or just a lousy place, "lost in the desert" if you will. The Oasis represents hope of finding solace in a desert. It feels like a cliche, but works for this song. Personally, I love it, especially the way the band breaks down for about the last minute of the song.
Not much else to say here. I hope you like the song.
I'm on a huge Michael Jackson kick. I just finished an 800 page biography about his life and I've scoured YouTube and various web pages over the last few months as I've tried to understand this man's life. Sadly, I've never really delved much into his catalog of music- something I'm sure I'll remedy in the near future.
While reading about his life, I teetered between feeling that his life is a great tragedy and that his life was astonishing and triumphant. What entertainer has had worldwide renown like Michael Jackson?
So- obviously the song stuck in my head this morning was from The King of Pop himself. "Baby Be Mine" is the 2nd track on Jackson's 1982 album "Thriller" which still, so many years later (31 years!) is the best selling album of all time. And with what's happened to the music industry, I doubt it will ever be surpassed by another album. Time will tell, but I'll bet I'm right.
Oddly, today's song is one of the few tracks on this album that wasn't released as a single. And it's a great song! If I have my memory right, I think this is the 4th song from "Thriller" that I've blogged about here, which to me is saying a lot since I've not really ever been an active listener to Jackson's music (until now!)
OK, here's "Baby Be Mine" listen and enjoy.
I feel like I have so much more to say about Michael Jackson in this post, but I just don't have time. I hope I don't sound trite, but I will say simply this:
Here's to you MJ, a talented kid from working-class Gary, Indiana who has left behind a legacy that will never be forgotten.
I'm blogging on a Monday only because yesterday I had a song stuck in my head of which I had previously written about.
This will be brief. Today's song comes from Conor Oberst. If you're smart, then you know that he's from the band Bright Eyes. This is from his solo album. The song is called "Lenders in the Temple."
It's from Oberst's 2008 self-titled album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8GzpUvMsw
Clap your hands if you like this song. Stomp your feet if you don't.
I had a horrible night last night. The anxiety was enough- the flurry of songs playing in my head didn't help. There was one in particular that wouldn't stop playing, to the point that I was ready to rip my ear drums out.
It was a long night, to say the least.
I arose with this beast playing in my head though, from the talented Santigold. The song is called "Unstoppable" which you can find on her 2008 album SANTOGOLD.
Santigold's real name is Santi White. She used to go by SantOgold. I started looking up why she changed it from SantOgold to SantIgold, but I got bored and lost interest.
Speaking of losing interest, I'm going to play this song for my ten year old (step) son and he's going to tell give you a review of this song, here you go:
so the song is called unstoppable bye sandgold i think my dad showed this to me and i was just like thinking what to do with this video it was kind of weird and creepy to me so this is what i think of the song so yeah this is my opinion of the song i am Peyton Newmon and im 10 and my birth day is June sixth 2004
The song spinning in my brain this morning comes from Scottish indie group Belle and Sebastian. They have some great songs and today's is no exception. Here's "I'm a Cuckoo" from their 2004 album DEAR CATASTROPHE WAITRESS.
This song is the second single released from this album. Lyrically it sort of details a character spinning out of control as he tries to reconcile or connect with a relationship. Take your pick.
Wow, there are lots of lyrics in this song.
What I like about this song is the way the lyrics just sort of roll, almost unstructured, as if a crazy person is blurting out a bunch of things, trying to make sense of what's bothering him, until he finally confesses "There's something wrong with me. I'm a cuckoo."
I also love the horns and just the general feel of this song. Not too bad. Not too bad indeed.
In unrelated news, I'm reading a 700 page biography about the life of Michael Jackson. Pretty much can't put the book down. I'm going to go read it again now. I'm a cuckoo.
I like that I have a blog. I don't like blogging all the time. I'm kind of dreading writing this post. So if you're expecting something amazing today, you might be more disappointed than normal.
Today's song comes from The Killers. I do like the killers. I do I do I do.
This is from their third album, "Day and Age" the song is called Neon Tiger.
Fun Facts about this song!!!!!
#1- The lyric "day and age" is in this song. Listen for it! They named the album after it you guys!
#2- According to most online forums, this song is about the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas! The neon represents the lights and excitement and enticement of the city while the tiger is the dangerous part of the city. Watch out!
#3- I like the way Brandon Flowers' voice sounds on this song- I like his voice in general. I like this song. I like this album. It's good.
Here is a picture of a Neon Tiger. I drew it myself.
Let us go back to the magic year of 1928 when sex was exploited in popular music. Was there ever a time when sex wasn't exploited in music?
This morning I woke up to a song you've likely heard that has somehow endured over 80 years in popular culture. Looking online I was able to count 50 different cover versions of this song before I got tired of looking.
Here's "Makin' Whoopee" and I chose to use Frank Sinatra's version of the song:
"Makin' Whoopee" is from the 1928 musical WHOOPEE! The musical itself is about a woman who is to marry a man she doesn't love, she abandons him at the wedding and wackiness ensues. I give the musical 3 out of 4 stars even though I haven't seen it. There is also a 1930 movie based on the musical. Having this song stuck in my head this morning has made me curious- maybe I'll try to find the film. I doubt there's a musical production where you can see this on the stage anywhere.
Back to the song itself, Gus Khan was the lyricist and Walter Donaldson wrote the music. The tune is catchy and the lyrics are clever as it tells the story of a man who falls for a girl, makes whooppe, and finds himself stuck in a life surrounded by children and household chores. Was the "whooppee" worth it?
Today's melody comes from Strauss. I wish I knew that when I woke up with this ear worm playing. Then I would be like "hey guys I'm tote cultured and listen to Strauss and stuff." But I'm afraid I had to ask my wife what the song was, and without hardly flinching she said "It's Blue Danube by Strauss." My wife is tote amazing.
And you know the melody- it's a rather pleasant one to have playing in your head as you arise.
This waltz was composed in 1866 by Johann Strauss and is about the Danube River, the second longest river in Europe. Did you know this? I did not know this. But, of course, my wife did. She's the neatest.
Take time to listen to all eleven minutes of this piece. It really is beautiful and relaxing and does a lot more than you would know based on the cameos this music receives in popular culture. The one that sticks out in my mind is Wakko from "Animaniacs" belching along with the melody.
Yes, clips like these are the reasons I know this melody, not because I'm a music scholar. Should I be ashamed of this, or is Animaniacs too awesome and so it's OK?
I hope I gave you a little culture today. And I hope even more that you have a good week.
There's something about the piano that I just love- probably why it's my instrument of choice.
Get an incredibly talented singer and writer behind the piano and I'm hooked.
Today's song comes from Sara Bareilles. I'm lucky to own her album because of my wife's good taste in music. Sara Bareilles has managed to break through to the mainstream with her talent and catchy songs, one of which was stuck in my head this morning. Here's "Bottle It Up" from Bareilles' first album LITTLE VOICE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf92q6Vrj2o
According to Bareilles herself in a clip I just watched, this song is about the sometimes tumultuous relationship with her record label. She confidently sings that her music is good but that she is being held back by their expectations- yet she does what she does because she loves it and will keep on doing it.
This is a common theme for musicians and it's crazy to me that record labels put songs like this onto the albums they produce. Are they that daft that they would think the song is about something else? Or are the artists clever enough to make the lyrics ambiguous enough to mask the truth from them? "Bottle It Up" certainly could be interpreted to mean something else. How very clever of you, Sara Bareilles.
Today's song comes from a little group you may have heard of. They are called "The Beatles"
This is "Eight Days a Week" from their 1964 album "Beatles For Sale"
Mathematically, eight days a week is impossible, but I haven't written off this song just yet.
Alright, I'm going to give away some music you guys!
Some lucky person will win four prizes and here they are.....
PRIZE#1- "The Songs Stuck in Brady's Head, Volume 8"
This is the 8th compilation of music I've put together of songs I've blogged about here. It's pretty good. I'd give it maybe a four out of ten.
PRIZE#2- "The Songs Stuck in Brady's Head, Musicals!"
Over the 2 and a half (yeesh!) years I've been doing this blog, I've assembled enough songs to fill a best of musicals disc. This is the first time this has happened so it's a real treat for those who love showtunes! Also, I'm just now noticing the huge zit on my forehead.
PRIZE#3- A 25$ gift card to iTunes!
This card will enable you to buy two and a half albums or about 25 songs. (If you're ever thinking of buying me a gift, iTunes gift cards are my most favorite thing. My birthday is March 22nd in case you don't know already)
PRIZE#4- A Random CD from my dusty old case of compact discs!
This has been a hit in the past here and it's been a few years since we've dug into the ginormous case of CD's I used to lug around before I upgraded the beast for an iPod. Here's how it works.... there are 280 discs in this case. All you do is pick a number between one and two-hundred-eighty and whichever number you pick is the disc you win! Can you find a diamond in the rough? Only if luck is on your side.
So..... here's how my contests work: To win, you have to either comment directly on this blog post, or comment on the link I'll share on my Facebook page- The Songs Stuck in my Head. In your comment, remember to pick a number between 1 and 280. I will then draw a name and mail the prizes to you.
I hope to spread all kinds of joy to the world through the magic of music.
The winner will be announced.... oh I don't know. Friday? does Friday sound good? OK, Friday it is- The 15th of August. Mark your calendar.
Today's song is from 1990. It's neat. It's about pie, but it's loaded with innuendo. Here's "Cherry Pie" from the heavy metal band, Warrant:
I did a little research on this anthem. At the time, the group was ready to release an album but the studio came to them saying they needed a hit on the record and they didn't feel like there was one there yet. Group leader, and singer, Jani Lane sat down and wrote "Cherry Pie" in 15 minutes. Bam! There was the hit. And it was a hit and it was stuck in my head this morning.
Heavy Metal isn't really my thing, but I do like cherry pie.
Pointless fact- after filming this music video, Jani Lane married the model in the video. Sadly, they divorced two years later. Too much cherry pie can give you a tummy ache. I'm just sayin'
Feeling uninspired tonight. Look for a compilation and giveaway next post.
Well here I am blogging again. How have you been? Well that's neat.
So apparently my subconscious really really likes musical theater these days. There was a time, yea, many a year ago when all I cared about was musical theater, so I suppose my punishment is to have to blog about songs from various musicals from time to time...
...and that's not to say that I hate musical theater entirely! But I never listen to it unless I'm at a musical. I just don't find it enjoyable to casually or actively listen to it unless I'm in a theater.
So, forgive me if it feels like overkill, but here's "Look Down" from LES MISERABLES:
This, of course, is the opening scene of Les Miserables. You probably know the story, so I won't bother with details. These guys are in prison, blah blah blah, life's hard, blah blah, they wish they were free, blah blah, Jean Valjean was jailed in spite of a minor crime blah blah, Javert is a weenie blah blah blah.
*SHIFTING GEARS*
So if you follow this site, you know that I find great joy in giving away semi-mediocre compilation discs with all the songs I've blogged about here. Truly, I look forward to it and can't wait until I've have just a few more to fill my latest compilation. These compilations are limited to rock/pop songs and I've never used musical theater. Well, I've decided the next contest coming up will include the latest compilation (Volume 8!) along with a Best of Showtunes compilation disc. Won't that be rad?
So, my apologies if you're sick of these musical theater posts. Most of the day I had that "Happy" song by Pharrel Williams going through my head so maybe I spared you from that annoying song (sorry if you like it.)
So, where was I? Oh, "Look Down" yeah, that was the song stuck in my head. Isn't it a sad song? Poor Jean Valjean having to work all those years while in prison *SPOILER* things get better for him though.
OK, have a good night. I sure had a great time talking about this song.
Wow, 3 posts about Children of Eden in a 6 week span. I don't have a lot of time, but a song from this great Musical was playing in my head as I awoke this morning. The song is called "Spark of Creation." It's the song that Eve sings in the first act as she expresses her desire to have more, be more.
This is a great show, go see it if you ever get the chance. It was never my intent to overpost about it here on this site, but honesty is what I've promised, and honesty is what you'll get when I blog about songs. This was today's song. Listen to the words, they are particularly good.
Doc Pomus was a chart topping songwriter in the 50's and 60's that has written dozens of songs that you'd recognize, even though you wouldn't likely know his name. And he's the unintended subject of my blog post today.
Today's song comes from my man Ben Folds with lyrics by the English author, Nick Hornby and it's a biographical song about Doc Pomus. There's a documentary called "AKA Doc Pomus" that I just finished watching- wow what a life, what a character!
I'll try to be brief, but here are some reasons why this story is such a fascinating story to tell:
Doc Pomus was born in Brooklyn in 1925 to immigrant Jewish Parents.
At the age of 6 he contracted polio and was unable to walk unassisted (crutches, wheelchair) for the rest of his life.
Sometime in his teens he became enamored with the blues.
When he started performing in black-dominated clubs as a blues singer, he changed his name to Doc Pomus to hide his Jewish background.
He ended up writing over 1000 songs in his career for high profile performers like:
Elvis Presley, Ray Charles. BB King, Andy Williams, and many, many more.
As I watched the documentary, I was shocked at how many songs I knew that had been written by Pomus alone, or with various collaborators. His most famous song is "Save the Last Dance for Me."
He died in 1991 of lung cancer and was inducted to the Songwriters hall of fame the following year- he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame 10 years later.
And I suppose what I find most interesting is how Doc Pomus overcame the odds to find success in music, as a second generation immigrant who was crippled. It's a great story, both sad and lovely, and I recommend watching the documentary if you love music and have the time: "AKA Doc Pomus"
Now to get to the music stuck in my head....
....as you probably know, I'm a huge fan of Ben Folds' music and paired with Nick Hornby's lyrics he's produced some lovely songs. Today's is no exception. I would imagine that Folds was tempted to take a song about Doc Pomus and turn it into a bluesy/rock sort of thing. Knowing his music, I'm certain he's capable of doing such a thing. Instead, what we get with this song is a sort of rolling piano ballad with french horn.
In my short post so far, I've highlighted on some of the successes Pomus had as a writer. This song focuses more on some of the sadder aspects of his life, and has a very somber tone:
He could never be one of those happy cripples
The kind that smile and tell you life's OK
He was mad as hell, frightened, and bitter
He found a way to make his isolation pay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3WWnpfcYhE
I hope to have educated you in some way about the life of a legendary writer who probably didn't get the public recognition he deserved.
IT'S FOUR FOR ONE SUNDAY FUN DAY YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let's get right to it, yo.
First of all, I'm on vacation. I'm in Del Ray, California and it's just really neat here you guys!
We've crowded into a hotel room together and I didn't sleep very well. Neither did wifey poo, who claims that I was snoring and so was our 10 year old son. We were totally having a subconscious battle for who could snore the loudest.
Anyway, I did wake up a lot during the night. The first song playing in my brain was one we parodied (my family and my in-laws) at my Grandfather-in-law's 85th birthday party last night. It's "Ain't She Sweet" which is performed by The Beatles, but written by Milton Anger and Jack Yellen in 1927. Here's the version I'm familiar with:
Ok, next is the song that immediately followed in my head afterward. The melody to this song sounds so similar to "Ain't She Sweet" that it stuck in my head as well. It's the verse of the song and the way it resolves, it sounds really similar to "Ain't She Sweet" in my head. Here's "Traffic Light" by The Ting Tings.
Next, when I woke up later to make pee pee, this great song that is new to me (thanks to a whole slew of new music that was introduced to me by a new friend) was playing. I really like this song, here's "Whatever it Takes" by Ron Sexsmith.
And lastly, the song to which I awoke this morning- which as you know is the formula we follow here at thesongsstuckinmyhead.blogspot.com, LLC. I over shared today with other songs because this song is from "Children of Eden" which I already talked about two blog posts ago. If I weren't lazy and on vacation I'd link you up to the post from two weeks ago, but you probably don't care anyway, no offense to me.
Anyway, the song as I awoke is called "Perfect" and it's about Adam and Eve as they live day to day in the garden of Eden. Have a listen:
Did you have as much fun as I did on FOUR FOR ONE SUNDAY FUN DAY? It was sure neat. We made some great memories today.
Hello everyone! I am the daughter of the blogger who writes this and you know what? I am taking over for a day. Now don't freak out, everything will return back to normal...eventually. So today my dad woke up with the song Pompeii, by my favorite band, Bastille in his head. Hearing this I insisted that I write this post. For those of you who don't know Bastille consists of four members; Dan Smith, Chris Wood, William Farquarson and Kyle Simmons.
Dan Smith, 14 July 1986 (age 27) – lead vocals, keyboards, percussion (floor toms), producer, songwriter
William Farquarson, 22 September 1983 (age 30) – bass, keyboards, guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Chris "Woody" Wood, 6 July 1985 (age 28) – drums, backing vocal
Many of you have probably heard this song on the radio over, and over, and over again. Many of you have probably not realized who the artist that created this masterpiece is, well eternal shame on all of you, in fact; DIS-HONER ON YOU, DIS-HONOR ON YOUR COW, DIS-HONOR ON YOUR SENSE IN MUSIC! Anyways the music video is a very serious, dramatic, clip. I personally think that the song is really for you to determine the meaning personally, I do know that it is meant to tie into our modern world and its technology, I could go on and on but I'm just going to post the video now.
I'm just going to let that sit in for a while........................................................thought about it enough yet? No? Well too bad, I am moving on. This song personally is not my favorite from the Bad Blood album that Bastille released in 2013. Some of my favorites are Icarus, the Weight of Living (parts one and two), Flaws, and *gasp* Bad Blood. A friend of mine had the opportunity to meet the band at their one of their concerts. Her poster for the concert has hence named us Bastille fans, who know of the poster, Bastallions. (The band looks quite majestic with their heads on horses if I do say so myself)
I do really like this song though. The lyrics easily refer to the story of Pompeii. Black clouds over the hills, walls tumblin down. It is just one intense form of poetry with an amazing musical background in sync to it as well. A wall actually did fall down during the eruption and the ashen clouds.
So I honestly don't know what my dad keeps going on about in these posts but they last forever so I am just going to keep talking and call it good. Bastille's style reminds me slightly of Imagine Dragons, which is probably why I absolutely LOVE both of the bands. One of their songs has been very popular on the radio as well. On Top of the World is a very good song but like all good songs get replayed until you can't bear to hear the song anymore. I am a little sad to admit that I am starting to feel that way about Pompeii. Don't get me wrong I ADORE the song I just need to stop hearing it on the radio, give it a few days, then listen to it and fall in love with it once again. Well I am done talking. I hope I didn't annoy the heck out of you readers. Signing off, I'm Zoe Newman, and you have been watching Disney Channel!
Today's post is gonna be kind of neat because I get to shamelessly plug a show my wife is opening this week!
Last night I was lucky to be part of an exclusive group that was allowed to see the opening premier of "Children of Eden" at Centerpointe Theater in Centerville. This was a unique musical, like nothing I've ever seen. The fact that this cynic enjoyed it says to me that there's something special about "Children of Eden"
Check out that gorgeous blonde. Yep, that's my wife. She plays Eve, you know, like Adam and Eve? Yes, that Eve.
Anyway, I'm getting distracted. So... the first act of CHILDREN OF EDEN is the story of Adam and Eve and the second act is the story of Noah and the Ark. Without spoiling anything, the story becomes a beautiful parable about man's existence and struggle in life. In it, one generation learns from another and seems to evolve as it learns.
Behind all this intelligent story telling, is a beautiful score by Stephen Schwartz, who is probably most famous for his musical WICKED, or GODSPELL. From what I've heard, this show is his "baby" and he loves it more than any of his others in spite of its relative obscurity. It was fun to see something special like this and I left wanting to watch it again and catch all the profundities I missed the first time through. I enjoy being challenged artistically.
My famous and gorgeous Megan as Noah's Wife in the second act
OK, so I suppose I'll share the song stuck in my head as I arose today. It's from the first act of this show and is the moment where God, soon after introducing Adam and Eve to the Garden of Eden, shows them all the animals in the garden and asks that the animals be named. I've heard my wife go over this, and other songs from this show, time and time again over the last few months while she's been rehearsing. I'm actually surprised I haven't blogged about one of these songs before now.
Anyway, here it is folks, listen if you please:
The Naming, from "Children of Eden"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRhiFT2LUTc
One last thing.... my wife was fantastic as Eve and Mama Noah in this production! Her singing was spot on, and her acting was the best I've ever seen. She never ceases to amaze me. And I'm most biased to her, but the rest of the cast deserves a shout out. I don't think I've seen a more talented and dedicated group of performers in a "community" production. A special shout out to my 7-year-old daughter who played a rabbit boarding the ark as well (I wish I had a picture)
If you live nearby, this show is well worth your time. I highly recommend it.
Here's a song from Tegan and Sara. Have you heard of them? They are hands-down, without dispute, the best pair of identical twin, Canadian, lesbian singers you'll ever hear. Hands down.
Joking aside, they do rock and have some great songs, one of which was in my head this morning as I arose. It's called "Northshore" and here's what it sounds like:
It's also Tegan and Saraoke time (I just made up that word, you can use it but you must pay me a dollar every time you use it)
I love being a Dad, and it wouldn't be possible without an incredible woman in my life, and let me tell you- I have one. And she indulged me today by performing this song with me. Yep, she's rad.
(Disclaimer, the sound is awful, but I don't care. We had fun. Also we grew impatient and this was our best take. No hating allowed)
I hope everybody has a really really neet Father's day, expecially those Dad's out there!
I don't have a lot of time and I'm posting a day early. I'm on my way to lake Powell and won't have internet access while there. I know, rough life, right? But I really like the song that was in my head this morning and has been running through my head for the last couple of days.
It's from Beck's new album "Morning Phase." This album is mellow and just sounds really good to me. Of all the artists I listen to, Beck uses his time to record in the studio most effectively. Usually I just like the music to speak for itself, but for some reason I really appreciate the sounds he produces with his recordings. Listen carefully to this track, "Heart is a Drum" for subtle things, like the way his voice reverbs and harmonizes, and piano and other instruments that highlight the simplicity of this song.
Where did you come from ?
Where did you go?
Where did you come from, Cotton Eye Joe?
For me, it takes me back to high school when I had energy to kick my legs high like the stereotype of a hillbilly drunk on moonshine. Do you know the song I'm talking about?
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, in 1994 a Swedish techno group, appropriately called Rednex had an international hit with a song called "Cotton Eye Joe.
Here it is, if you dare listen:
This song was a staple at High School dances. Hoo Boy did we kick our legs and dance to this song!
So, here's what's interesting about the song I woke up with in my head this morning. It's by incredibly underrated songwriter, Josh Rouse. The title: Cotton Eye Joe. The lyrics? The same as I posted earlier, but a totally different twist on the song, more mellow, more relaxing, more beautiful.
This song comes from Josh Rouse's 2010 album "El Turista." Many of this album's tracks are in Spanish. Rouse was based in Nashville during the peak of his career in the early 2000's, but he married a Spaniard and has been in Spain ever since (as far as I know, I don't follow him as well as I should.) This album is a sort of dedication to his time in Spain. It's a great album! I highly recommend it. Like, really highly. Like really really highly.
"Cotton Eye Joe" is the 8th track on the album and the song stuck in my head this morning:
The video I found is slightly different than the recording than the version on the album, so I guess you'll have to buy it to find out what it really sounds like. You won't regret it. Buy the whole album!
One last word about the song "Cotton Eye Joe." Before today, I thought the song had originated with Rednex, but in fact, I was wrong. Cotton-Eyed Joe is an old American folk song that dates back to before the American Civil War. Did you know that? I sure didn't!
Who knows why, on a Sunday morning in late May I have the lyric "All The Leaves Are Brown, And The Sky is Gray" going through my head as I wake up? It's been a beautiful Memorial Day weekend so far with perfect weather.
But let's go back to 1966 when this song, "California Dreamin" by The Mamas and The Papas was hugely popular. If you don't know this song, then you grew up in a cave, or in one of those countries that doesn't let you listen to music.
This song is considered, by Rolling Stone Magazine, to be the 89th greatest song of all time on a list of 500 songs. Isn't that neat? I personally would have ranked it 88th, but that's just me.
I just bought the album on which this song is found, 1966's "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears." It only cost 5.99 on iTunes, so I thought, why not? It will be fun to listen to these guys.
Things I didn't know about the Mamas and the Papas:
-They were only together as a group for about four years and in that time they released 5 studio albums and in that time they scored more billboard charting hits than many artists with lifelong careers.
-Of the four original members, only one is alive today- Michelle Phillips, who still nets royalties from this song some 50 years later (she is credited with her than husband John Phillips with writing "California Dreamin")
-Mama Cass (Cass Elliot) another female member of the band, died suddenly in 1974. Most people know this and an urban legend is that she choked on a ham sandwich and died. This is not true. She died of a heart attack at the age of 32.
-I'm feeling very 1960's today with the skinny jeans and black boots. (This has nothing to do with the Mamas and the Papas, this is more to do with my own indulgence cause it's my blog you know?)
