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.
Usually most of the songs stuck in my head come to me fairly organically, which is why I choose to blog about songs that play in my head in the mornings. But such was not the case Sunday morning when my son woke me up to ask me to get him a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It was a rude awakening, especially when the following jingle started playing in my head:
(Did you know that Debbie Reynolds was the voice of Charlotte in the 1973 animated film 'Charlotte's Web'? I didn't!)
(Did you know that the Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats) did the music to this film? I didn't!)
Today's song comes from "Charlotte's Web" I can't tell you how many times I watched this as a kid. Even when I got a little older and 'too cool' to watch animated films, it still was a film I would watch and enjoy when my little brother wanted to watch it. It remains in my heart a beloved film from my childhood and it's still a story that I love.
Anyway, "Chin Up" is the song that Charlotte, the optimistic and loving spider, sings as a way to lift the spirits of Wilbur the Pig. Here's the song stuck in my head.
I've been secretly hoping that a song by Huey Lewis would get stuck in my head so I could blog about it here, mostly because I like Huey Lewis and I find his music to be extremely catchy, but in a good way.
So I woke up with a song "Little Miss Can't be Wrong" in my head, knowing it was from my childhood and confident that Huey Lewis was the dude who sings it. Can you hear Huey Lewis singing this?
No? Well it's not Huey Lewis, it's the Spin Doctors! I was wrong.
But I haven't heard this song in ages. I was 12 when it was blasting all over the radio.
Radio killed the Radio Star. The Spin Doctors wore out their welcome when the radio played them time and time and time and time again. Do you remember how often they were on the radio? I do! It was a lot. A lot I tells ya.
The song itself is about a girl who can't be wrong. Do you know someone like that? I do. And I find it an incredibly difficult personality trait to have.
Here's another that came to me as quite a surprise-- this is from English rock band Elbow's 2005 album "Leaders of the Free World" Their lead singer Guy Garvey (great name!) writes all the lyrics and the band composes the music.
Some of their later albums are less mellow. But this is a good listen as a record. The song stuck in my head is track 4, called "The Stops" which is more or less about a deteriorating relationship, whether it's with a person or drugs, nobody knows!
"Goodbye, My Love" is the song that the character 'Mother' sings at the beginning of the Musical "Ragtime" If you haven't seen this musical, you really should- it's an entertaining and educational piece about America at the turn of the 20th century. The music is some of the best written for musical theater in the last 25 years. What's best about it is the merging of music from the era along with contemporary sounds.
Back in 1997, as a newly-graduated high schooler, I went to California to tour with my choir. We forked over some cash for the tour and were told that we would be seeing a Broadway musical. We anticipated it would be Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables, and were sorely disappointed to find out we would be seeing something called 'Ragtime'
Long story short- it was really good and I'm still a fan of the show.
So, if you're curious what's going on in this song, the character of Mother is singing just as her husband (Father) is leaving on an expedition to the north pole. Father leaving on this adventure forces Mother to go on a journey of her own and I suppose this song sets up her character. It's a fine song, probably not the first one I would share with you from this production, but since it's the one in my head, it's what you'll hear. But if you're looking for a pretty decent musical, and you're not already familiar with 'Ragtime,' I'd suggest taking a listen or two.
Here's "Goodbye, my love" from Ragtime. (the recording I found on YouTube rolls into another song about 2 minutes in)
There's only one Fiona Apple and I will forever be a fan of hers.
A quick, sad story and then I'll share the song stuck in my head.
During the first year of my marriage, in 2006, I managed a Costa Vida Mexican Restaurant with my brother. It was a fun job, one that I still miss to this day. There was a girl who would come in frequently on lunch break, come through the line and order her food. She came regularly, and I remember her because of her striking resemblance to Fiona Apple. She had the same big eyes, and pouty lips, which I first fell hard for when Ms. Apple exploded on the music scene back in 1996.
I never spoke to the doppleganger as she passed through line, until one day when she looked at me, smiled and handed me a piece of paper with her phone number on it. I can't say that something like that happened to me frequently in my life, but I was always surprised and beyond flattered when it did.
As a line worker at Costa Vida I would wear gloves, so I suppose Fiona Apple's twin didn't notice that I wore a wedding ring. So I told her thank you for the note, but took my glove off and showed her that I wore a ring. I was taken. The doppleganger turned red and rushed through the line, and I never saw her again. I suppose I shouldn't have told her that I was married, as to not embarrass her, but the truth is I would have gladly gone out with her, had I not already found the woman of my dreams.
Today's song comes from Apple's second album (from 1999) which has the longest title ever. "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You'll Know That You're Right."
Incidentally this record has, in my opinion, Fiona Apple's best collection of songs. It's really, really really good.
Today's song is the second track on the record, which is titled "To Your Love" Nobody does angry piano girl music quite like Fiona Apple. I love her for it:
It's pretty rare that I wake up in the morning without a song in my head. Such was the case today- a rare instance where I go "crap, there's no song, think of a song, think of a song, any song" and sure enough one comes immediately and this was the one today:
For the record, I've written about enough songs to compile what will be my 17th playlist related to this blog. If you'd like to listen to it on Spotify, here's the link to connect:
For some reason there are lots of songs about Amsterdam. I have probably 5 in my collection. Maybe I'll keep adding to my collection just by searching for more songs about Amsterdam.
Anyway, this one weaseled its way into my head a few weeks ago and it was one of the rare instances where the song was playing in my head and I didn't know what it was! I could hear the guitar riff clearly in my head and as I explored how my subconscious knew the song, I could the melody without words. It took me a minute to figure out that the voice I recognized (again, without clear lyrics) was that of Imagine Dragon's lead singer. So I took out my iPod and started playing all the Imagine Dragons songs I have in my collection until I figured out which song it was.
This is "Amsterdam" by Imagine Dragons-- not one of their radio hits, but still a pretty fantastic song and recording in my book. Enjoy friends!
If you and I hung out back in 1997 or 1998, I probably at one time would have played something for you from "Rent" the Musical. If you're not familiar with "Rent," it's basically a rock musical based loosely on Puccini's classic 'La Boheme' with the characters dying from AIDS instead of Tuberculosis, AKA a really uplifting story.
Kind of kidding, Rent can be a lot of fun, but it's not my cup of tea any more- I haven't listened to the music in years and sort of felt like I had outgrown it when I saw the mediocre (IMO) film adaptation in 2005.
The Song Stuck in My Head, happens to be sung between two characters who are meeting for the first time, Collins and the drag queen Angel. I don't remember exactly what's happening in this moment, but I think Collins got beat up and Angel has come to his rescue. They fall in love, after it's confirmed that they're both dying of AIDS. If you listen to the song, you'll hear them discuss the disease.
This is not a typical song- more like story-telling through music. But it was in my head, so here you go. (Specifically the line "You OK Honey, They take any Money?")
I hope you were uplifted, or confused by the song stuck in my head. I love you rascals.
Here's a goodie, from Queen's 1976 Album "A Day at the Races" Nobody does it quite like Freddie Mercury. It falls on track 8 of the record. Have a listen:
More music from "Curtains," the production in which I'm currently involved. This one is in my head all the time. It's called "A Tough Act to Follow" Good times.
Should I be proud or embarrassed about this cultural phenomenon that I'm about to share with you?
Back in 1988, just three years after the Superbowl Champion Chicago Bears nearly single-handedly destroyed rap music forever, a Mormon band from Salt Lake City put themselves on the Utah map with a silly rap about Mormons which led to nearly 100,000 cassette tape sales.
That means that this artist, (The Walter Hays Band) made at least 6 figures in sales on this "rap" Just let that sink in.
Also it was stuck in my head. And if you dare, take a listen:
I warned you a couple of posts ago that I was involved in a production and, as is custom for me, my brain has been bombarded with many of these catchy tunes from Ebb and Kander's musical "Curtains"
This one is kind of fun. In Curtains there is a show within a show and a song they keep rehearsing called "in the same boat." In the musical I play the composer who has made 3 different versions of the song, with three different melodies:
(Take some time to listen to all of these- it really is very fun)
Melody #1
Aaaand #2
#3
And then if you stick around to the end of the production, you get to hear all of this happening at once. Such a great moment. Music can be so much fun.
I hope you took some time to enjoy something kind of fun and different today. Have a great week!
I love "Singin' in the Rain" more than the next guy- but I am somewhat critical of how the musical came to be.
Back in the golden age of Hollywood musicals, often times popular songs would be regurgitated and reused in many different musicals. I suppose people wanted to hear music with which they were familiar. Singin' in the Rain found itself being developed under this formula and most, if not all of the songs are taken from other works. Next time you watch the musical, pay attention to the way the songs move the plot along-- here's a hint, they dont!
Today's song, "Good Morning" was actually first heard in the 1939 (13 years prior) musical "Babes in Arms" which starred Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Here's how you first would have heard the song had you been there!
As a lover, and student of musicals, it's important to me that the music and songs are key to the storytelling and should be used as a tool to keep the plot running- it's what makes a good musical.
Now, if you were to put together a group of musicals that had been written around a series of already known songs (many modern musicals do this, see "Mamma Mia" or "All Shook Up" as an example) and try to decide which is the best of the best, "Singin' in the Rain" would likely top the list. It's a great film!
I've been cast in a dang play. This time I'll be playing Aaron Fox, a heartbroken songwriter from the 2007 Broadway hit, "Curtains"
Doing a show is a double edged sword for me. On one hand, I love the process of putting the show together and demonstrating my talents is fun and fulfilling. On the other hand, when you're involved in a community production, you sign-on for a 3 month, or more commitment. Performing is not a Friday night hobby-- you are all in.
So, I'll immerse myself into this role, this production (along with my wife, daughter and even my dad!) and plan on putting home projects on the back burner. I am very excited for this role- he is a smaller part and he gets to sing the most beautiful song in the show.
Today's song, however comes from the first act, when Aaron, his ex-wife (and songwriting partner) along with the show's producers scoff at a negative review of their production. It's called "What Kind of Man" It's not the most beautiful song in the show, but it's one of many catchy tunes, so if you read my blog, plan on seeing a few posts featuring showtunes from "Curtains" in the forthcoming weeks. Here's your song pals (there are some cuss words)
I think this ballad by Ben Folds is best described with his own words from an interview with Billboard Magazine:
"'Why didn't you tell me how I got fat?' is not usually how you start a ballad, so I felt like that disarms the listener and confuses others. I divorce myself from listeners who aren't tolerant of humor."
"I did notice universally that, especially when it comes to weight, people look in the mirror and get the angle just right, tell themselves it's all right, and then they go out. And people say 'Take my picture from this angle or don't take it from that angle,' and at some point, in time you get a perspective on it and you are like 'Holy s--t!' I also like to start with an awkward sentence to open up with because that's how I feel as a person."
If you know me well, you know about my love affair with all things Ben Folds. This song doesn't fall short- it's lovely, maybe one of the more gorgeous songs he's written. I hope you'll take a moment to listen- I think his funny lyrics are always surprising, funny, and more often than not, meaningful. This one starts out with "Why didn't you tell me that I got fat?"
I really like this song and I hope you'll take 4 minutes of your day to listen to it, I think this song showcases not only the man's skill as a songwriter but also arranger.
Let's travel back to 1979 (the year I was born!) when a little group from Minneapolis, Minnesota went double platinum with a disco-single called "Funkytown"
I don't care who you are, you have fun when you hear this song:
Maybe 8 minutes is a bit much- but it's fun, right?
Lipps Inc (pronounced Lip Sync) made 3 studio albums, but failed to even touch the instant hit they had with "Funkytown" which shot to number 1 in 28 countries. The group disbanded in 1985 and I'd imagine somebody is still making royalties from this earworm.
Sunday afternoon I turned this song on for my kids as we were driving home- immediately they were dancing and singing along. It's just a fun song.
2 years ago I was lucky to see Franz Lehar's opera "The Merry Widow" presented by Utah Opera. I was supposed to go with my wife, but she suddenly took ill and I was able to take my 8 year old (at the time!) daughter. We dressed to the nines and took our seats at Capitol Theater. I respect opera as an art tremendously- at times it can be long, but I think if you focus on what's incredible about it- THE SINGERS!!!- you will have an experience that is rich in both culture and history.
Such was the case for me on this particular night when the curtain rose for the second act and Soprano Caroline Worra sang quite possibly the most beautiful song I've ever heard, Vilja.
Here's what it sounds like. Take a moment to enjoy something beautiful and generally unappreciated by the masses:
Thanks, as always, for listening to the song stuck in my head.
Here's a goofy (catchy) little song by Thomas Dolby from his 1984 album "The Flat Earth"
The song is called Puppet Theatre and are you ready for a shocker? This song is about being a "puppet" and performing for someone and not being able to control your own destiny. Check every pop song about puppets for similar metaphors.
Writing music is hard. I want to make fun of this song, but I think the whole thing is just way dated. My wife could hardly listen to this, she made me turn it off. I don't think the song is bad, but it was definitely in my head pretty much all of yesterday.
There's your warning before you listen- and here's the song.
In 2012, music lovers were immediately drawn to Brittany Howard and her blues/rock band Alabama Shakes. I was hooked at track 1 and have been constantly listening to this band's 2012 and 2015 albums. They're good, just go listen to them dammit!
Today's song was a surprise, it's track 6 of the 2012 album "Girls and Boys" It's definitely an unusual song to have stuck in your head- under two minutes in length- the song is called "Goin to the Party"
It's about somebody getting drunk at a party. So neat.
Have you seen the delightful 2014 animated film "The Book of Life?"
It's good, and you should see it if you haven't. It is themed around the Mexican holida dia de los muertos. Disney and Pixar had their own film, Coco, also centered around this same holiday come out last year, probably casting a shadow on The Book of Life, maybe forever?!?!?!?
Anyway, there is music in the Book of Life. Lots of it is borrowed from other sources, life Mumford and Sons and Radiohead, but there are some original songs as well.
One such song was stuck in my head, titled "I Love you too Much"
I had the occasion this weekend to sing at a cousin's funeral, second cousin to be precise. I had never met him, but it was nice to be involved with the sweet and brief ceremony that took place Saturday at the North Ogden cemetery. I was backed by my brothers, dad and sister-in-law on guitars, banjo and fiddle. I think we put together a pretty nice number.
My mother's cousin asked us to sing Leonard Cohen's (now well-known) "Hallelujah" from his 1984 album Various Positions. I've never listened to Cohen's music. It's probably time, since I've heard he's a masterful songwriter.
You've probably heard this song, but have you heard the songsmiths' rendition of it?
Here it is:
Singing at a funeral always makes me reflect a bit more on life and death. If it doesn't do the same to you, something is wrong with you! (haha) This cousin was laid to rest at the North Ogden cemetery near the tombstone of my own maternal grandparents. I have an unusual tradition of leaving a coke can and a tube of flavored chapstick for them when I come visit. Grandpa loved his Coca Cola classic, and Nani was an Avon lady and she frequently gave me flavored chapstick as a kid. Here's a picture- I really miss these two.
I know not a lot of people read this blog and I'm OK with that- I do it mostly for me and my family. So I feel it appropriate to share the experience I had when I watched my grandpa die in 2005.
I had a great relationship with my maternal grandparents. They watched me when I was young, before I started school, while my mother worked. I remember always feeling happy to be there with them- I was loved and welcome.
When gma and gpa got older they moved closer to my home and I used to spend Wednesdays at their place where grandpa would work hard (even though he was in his late 90's!) to prepare a delicious meal that we could enjoy together. He would make soup, pasta, creamed corn, tuna fish sandwiches, and on days when he was tired he would give me a 20$ bill and send me to KFC to pick up a chicken pot pie- or on rare occasions he would order a pizza. Then we would eat and just talk. They were interested in me, my life, and what was happening at work and the University, as well as my complicated dating life. They were great company and I loved these lunches we got to share regularly from about 2002-2003.
In 2005 grandpa got prostate cancer. He was 97 years old at the time, and although he had slowed down a bit, he was still strong, sharp and easy to talk to, as long as you raised your voice a bit so he could hear. Because of grandpa's age, the Dr's agreed that treating his prostate cancer would be hard on him, so they chose to just let it be. But soon after that, the cancer spread to other parts of his body. I remember him telling me that he could feel the cancer everywhere in his groin area- it had spread dramatically in a short period of time.
He spent a few days in the hospital before it was determined that his time had come, and he was sent home on hospice care.
We rallied the troops and together as family stayed with him to care for him as he quickly deteriorated and to care for my fragile grandmother as she came to terms with losing her husband of 60+ years. The night before grandpa passed, I stayed overnight with my Aunt Shanna, as we helped him to stand when he needed to urinate. It was a long, rough night, but I feel humbled and honored to have been there to help my grandpa that night- he was embarrassed that we had to help him do this- but I consider it a gift to have been able to care for him at his most vulnerable, as he did for me when I was a toddler.
The night of his passing, I was there with my mother, father and grandma. Grandpa was basically asleep, and when he would wake his words were slurred and in was clear he was in a lot of discomfort and frustration.
During a quiet moment, my mother got close to Grandpa's ear and said something along the lines of "daddy, you've lived a good life, it's time to let go. Don't worry about us, don't worry about mom, we will take care of her." Grandpa's eyes were shut, but it felt like he was listening.
A few moments later, he woke up and began speaking to people that didn't seem to be present. He seemed hasty and anxious to say what he needed to say, and without going into too much detail, he used words and phrases that are used in sacred LDS temple ordinances, before falling back asleep. This would be the last time grandpa would speak to us.
Not much time passed and then Grandpa suddenly became alert, his bright blue eyes opening wide, almost in awe as he stared about the room, almost like he was seeing something that we couldn't see. He looked around the room again, and again, completely alert, but unaware of the presence of me and my mother as we tried to communicate with him.
Then, completely calm and solemn, grandpa closed his eyes, took one breath. Stopped for a bit, then took his last breath, as I watched the life drain from his face and body. It was peaceful, beautiful. It was a gift to be there with him, my mom and this last moment. I wasn't scared- I was completely calm and almost joyful as I said my goodbyes to a man who was such a big part of my life, and who himself lived to be nearly 98 years old.
I miss the old dude, but feel grateful for the whole experience.
Some time ago I shared a song by Martha Wainwright called "Hearts Club Band" a song which I still listen to frequently, because, by golly, it's good- also it's her own song, not a cover of The Beatles' classic.
The song stuck in my head, also by Wainwright, is called "Radio Star" and is a song of her own as well, not a cover of the Buggles' 1979 classic (Video Killed) the Radio Star.
I really dig this song- take a listen, I love the way Wainwright structures this song and the way her raspy vocals wail throughout- I find her to be a tremendous talent-- see if you agree.
Hey pals. This is an oldie that started playing in my head Saturday night and carried over to Sunday morning. You likely know it maybe you don't know who sings it?
"The Look" was released as a single in 1989 by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was the fourth single released in what would be an enormous hit album "Look Sharp!" Check this album out, there are tons of songs you'll recognize and it produced a couple of number one hits, including today's song.
Every once in awhile a song, or particular lyric finds its way into my head and comes as a total surprise. Luckily the lyric was interesting enough that it wasn't difficult to find the song- since I had NO idea who it was.
♫ A Redder Shade of Neck on a Whiter Shade of Trash ♪
It's such a funny and clever lyric- of the couple of times I heard it (years ago!) it's definitely stuck with me.
The lyric comes from 90's indie-rock band Pavement, which is a band that my brother played for me a few times. My taste in music differs quite dramatically from my brother, although there are many artists that we both like, so there are places where we can meet in the middle too. But the dood is the most musically passionate person I know, hands down and he has some rad music in his collection, which he has been listening to and collecting from pretty much the day he was born.
So- the song is called "Shady Lane" and comes from Pavement's 1997 album "Brighten the Corners" I wish he were here to help me with these lyrics but more or less this couple goes out to eat and he's poor and she's not, or at least she's better off than he is.
From there wackiness ensues. Listen to the song- find an interpretation. I'm glad it got stuck in my head because I was forced to listen to it closer and I like it!
When I was a Kindergartner, I attended Washington Elementary School in Pocatello, Idaho. My memory is garbage when it comes to what happened last week, but I have fairly vivid memories of my childhood, including these formative years for me in Pocatello before my family moved the following year to Utah.
Today's song is kind of fun, because it comes from that time in my life. Around that time there was a singer-songwriter named Peter Allsop who had released a children's album that my parents purchased for us. I LOVED these songs and between me and my brother & sister we practically wore the tape out on the cassette we owned. These songs are permanently tattooed to my brain.
Just now, I couldn't remember how we came across Peter Allsop's music. In my memory, there was a an event at my school, and he was there selling cassette tapes of his albums. The memory is pretty vivid to me, but I just asked my brother and he says that he doesn't remember this. The year was 1985 and I was 6 years old, so who knows. More than likely I only imagined meeting him, or I got him mixed up with someone else.
OK, I'm rambling. Today's song comes from Peter Allsop, from his 1983 album "Wha'D'Ya Wanna Do?" This is a great album for kids, I highly recommend it!
The song stuck in my head is called "Be Gentle, Robin!" have a listen little buddies....
Nobody misses his early 80's MTV watching days more than me! Here's an oldie that was stuck in my head on Sunday morning, that came quite as a surprise!
This is Carl Carlton, released the same year of MJ's "Thriller" from 1982.
I have some catching up to do. Maybe a sign that this blog will fall flat into the dust-- for now I still like sharing songs so here's the latest.
This comes from Sondheim's 1962 Musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
It's the finale to Act I where meathead army captain Miles Gloriosus comes to claim his bride. Here's what the song sounds like y'alls.
4/22/18
Pleasantly surprised to find Oasis' 1995 hit "Wonderwall" stuck in my head. Here it is for nostalgia and cause it's a great song:
4/29/18
Here's another goodie, this is the opening track to The Stone Roses 1989 classic self-titled album. It's called "I Wanna Be Adored" Listen listen listen:
Today's song is unique in that it was a tune I had heard for years without hearing the actual recording of the song. My ol' dad used to sing this one all the time ♪Western Uniooooooon da da da da da du du du du du da da da♫ I loved waking up to this one in my head and promptly found the 1967 hit (by Five Americans) on YouTube and bought the song to add to my collection.
At Easter dinner with my parents and brothers we talked about the song and before long everybody had guitars out and it quickly turned into a jam session. I come from a cool family.
We recorded it, and here it is to enjoy.
And here's the original group performing the song. It's a catchy one.
For the record, Five Americans disbanded in 1969, two years after their hit, and only two of the founding members are still alive.
I had fun sharing this song with you. Have a good one pals.
3/25/18- I woke up thinking about the recent Facebook security breach and this random song by They Might Be Giants wandered into my brain. The song is related to Government secrecy and is coincidentally called "The Shadow Government."
Let's pretend you and I are having a conversation about They Might Be Giants and you ask me to share with you some of my favorite songs by the legendary band. Would "The Shadow Government" be one of those songs? Absolutely not! (But it's still pretty OK song I guess)
But this is what's fun about my blog right? I DON'T GET TO DECIDE WHICH SONG TO BLOG ABOUT, MY CRAZY BRAIN DOES!!!
So, mon amie, here's the song stuck in my head, which is from TMBG's 2007 album "The Else"
I can't tell you how much that one hurts for me. I love that little iPod- I hope I can fix it or get a new one soon.
Sooooooo- I've been doing what normal people do which is to stream music. I've been listening to Spotify (where every stream earns the artist $.006, which makes my soul feel kinda icky) and revisiting a lot of music from my youth.
Friday I streamed the Proclaimer's (identical twins from Scotland) 1989 album, "Sunshine on Leith" and of course, the hit song '500 Miles' was stuck in my head all weekend.
This song is catchy my friends, but it's a good one.
Just got back from a trip to Italy and I'm playing catch up.
3/4/17 "Make Me Smile" by Chicago.
I watched a documentary on my plane ride about this fantastic band, which is still going strong some 30+ studio albums later. "Make Me Smile" was released in 1970 on their second album. LISTEN!
3/11/17 "Filthy" by Justin Timberlake
I blame this one on my wife. Who knew that Justin Timberlake's music would start to grow on me. Megan has been playing this song frequently (along with the cool music video) for the last couple of weeks and it found its way into my head.
SIDE NOTE: The older I get, the more I find myself to be less of a music snob and more of a music lover. 10 years ago if you told me I would be listening to Justin Timberlake and enjoying his music, I would have slapped you. Twice. But I'm to the point now where I'm over being cool about music. I just love it- no matter what.
Anyway, this song "Filthy" is from Timberlake's new 2018 album MAN OF THE WOODS and is the opening track. LISTEN!
OK, I'm caught up on songs. Now I'm gonna be a regular old blogger and tell you a story.
I just got back from Italy. It was a business/pleasure trip. It felt like a homecoming. Man, I love Italy- lived there for nearly 2 years and ache and long for it regularly.
We started in a charming town near Venice called Conegliano, that's where I was staying for work- after visiting the area I rented a car and me and the wifey just set loose across the Italian countryside. It was a blast!
Here were our stops: Ascoli Piceno, Positano, Pompeii and a town called Avellino.
Avellino would never be a typical visit for American tourists by any means but it has a particular level of importance for me.
In late 1998 I was a Mormon Missionary in Italy. I was 19 years old and it was my first time away from my family and my first time in a foreign country. This is a fairly typical situation for someone who has grown up Mormon. I first arrived in Italy in early October and spent 6 weeks in the mountainous southern city of Potenza before I was transferred to nearby Avellino and made into a trainer for a new ("greenie") missionary.
Without going into too many details, I'll tell you that I had a horrible few months in Avellino. I spent my first Christmas away from home (I was horribly homesick) and I did not get along with my companion. The LDS church in Avellino was fragile, to say the least. Another missionary (young, 20 year old like me) was the branch president there and we had a handful of inexperienced members of the church.
Work was tough- I barely spoke Italian and most of the people in this city had been conditioned to ignore us as we walked past them on the street or knocked on their doors trying to teach them about The Book of Mormon. There's an Italian form of patriotism that is ingrained in them and they are naturally turned off by the idea of joining another church. Long story short, for an optimistic and convicted Mormon teenage boy (holy moly was I young) converting Italians to Mormonism was trying.
OK, so let me get to the point of this story- I spent two difficult months in Avellino- It was cold, bleak, lonely and just downright sad- easily the hardest time of my life up to that point.
Nearly 20 years have passed. The fledgling LDS branch in Avellino is now closed and the missionaries are long gone. I have no idea what happened to those in the area who had been baptized into our church- either they stopped going or started travelling hours to the nearest branch. I have only my memories of a trying two months for what seemed like nothing.
Who knows why, but the memory of Avellino just hurts. And when I figured I was going to be close to the city while visiting, I asked my wife if we could go visit. Of course, she was cool with it because she's the best.
We arrived Saturday evening last week. As we drove to the city center, close to were my small apartment was situated, everything became completely unfamiliar to me. We drove around for a bit trying to find a parking space and ultimately found ourselves outside the city center. We started wandering, while I looked at a map hoping to find something, anything that could pin-point where familiarity lied.
Then we wandered into Piazza Della Libertá- and immediately I was overwhelmed with emotion as I remembered where I was. I wandered, with my good wife in tow, toward the northeast corner of the square where Via Santissima Trinitá, the street I called home for two short months of my life, is found. Soon, I found my apartment as I became engulfed with emotion. The tears welled in my eyes as I ached for that sad, lonely 19 year old that was just a shadow of a memory of what I had become 20 years later.
After snapping a few photos of these once-familiar places, I wandered back into the piazza, sat down near the fountain and just let out years of pent up hurt. It was sad and beautiful and felt so good to let it out. I can't explain how or why I needed to do this- I suppose I just needed to make peace with Avellino and with other parts of myself that are evolving as I try to understand what religion means to me and why I spent 2 years preaching Mormon doctrine to the Italian people (who I love dearly)
I quickly snapped this photo of me and my lady in Piazza Della Libertá before collecting myself and going to get some dinner with the woman I love, who's supported me through so much and was right there for me as I let a part of me that was hurting find some peace.
It's a quick two for one Sundee Fundee from blog headquarters here where you get to hear about two more songs wedged in my brain from last Sunday and today.
Last week the song was from master song-writer Billy Joel. A lot of people make fun of him, especially his lyrics, which can be a little sappy, but you can't deny the man's talent.
The song I'm featuring is from hit 1983 album "An Innocent Man." It's the penultimate track and is called 'Leave a Tender Moment Alone.' I'd probably summarize the song as just a nervous dood wo's riddled with self-consciousness around his girl. I can relate!
Here's the song y'alls. I hope you like it, or that maybe it brings back a good memory- I was surprised that it was going through my head:
The next song, from just today... comes from the man I consider to be the more underrated songwriter on the planet. The guy is a master lyricist and amazing at making melody-- it's Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy- The guy's amazing y'all.
Today's particular song is from THE AMAZING 2001 album "Regeneration" It's track 6 and is called "Eye of the Needle" The title, I believe comes from a reference in the bible, Matthew 19:24:
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
The narrator of the song is at church, puzzling to find a connection with God and struggling with those he sees at church who are wealthy. "The cars in the churchyard are shiny and German" It's a good song, but Hannon rarely fails in his music.
If anyone is out there (Hello?? Hello?) leave your thoughts about two great songs.
Forever Plaid-a-looza continues here at thesongssstuckinmyhead.blogspot.com
Sunday morning, I had the second song in the show running through my brain.
I had a hard time finding the origin of this song. I almost wish there was a website for songs, just like imdb has for movies. Anyway, there have been multiple covers of this song over the years, but the original appears to have been done (written?) by Benny Goodman in 1945.
Here's what it sounds like, friends.
I hope you thought this post was neat. I'm caught up on all the ones I was behind on. I plan to start blogging regularly every Sundee, neato friend.
I'm completely immersed right now in this production of Forever Plaid. I'm having a great time doing it even if it's such a big time commitment.
If you've seen 'Plaid' there are many funny moments, and one in particular that I find quite hilarious and inspired the song stuck in my head for 1/7/2018 (in what has now become the 6TH year of my blogging)
In the show, The Plaids talk about how they started singing music for a "whole new generation" (referring to the 60s) which leads into a cheesy arrangement of The Beatles "She Loves You" which reeks of 1950's fluff. It's one of my favorite moments in the script and it's also very fun to perform.
Anyway, the dang song was stuck in my head. Here's the Beatles' version:
Here's the song from Dec 31st that was stuck in my head, it's from the Musical "White Christmas" which I saw my wife kill it as Betty in earlier this season.
Here's the song, Count Your Blessings (instead of Sheep)
Every once in a while I'll have to make a blog post about a song that's stuck in my head and I'm totally unaware what the song is. This one took me some time, but I finally figured it out, and now that I know I hang my head in shame as I share this post with you.
So, some time ago I went through a brief love affair with Thomas Dolby, the English singer-songwriter who you'd likely know because of a bizarre hit he had in the 80's called "She Blinded Me With Science"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMWGXt979yg
I ended up buying and downloading Dolby's 1984 album called "The Flat Earth" with some bonus feature tracks. One such track was performed by his alternate ego Dolby's Cube, and featured on.....wait for it..... the Howard The Duck film soundtrack.
So here, my friends, is the song stuck in my head
from December 17th (wow I'm getting behind) by Dolby's Cube (Thomas Dolby) called "Don't Turn Away" a tender little love ballad weaseled in the depths of my subconscious, and now here on this blog for the world to love:
