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.
I only own one album by Tom Waits. I never thought I would like his stuff, but if you can get past his gravelly voice, you'll find that he's an immensely talented and extremely versatile songwriter.
The song stuck in my head is from his 1983 album SWORDFISHTROMBONES. It's called "In the Neighborhood." My kids always laugh at the first lyric of this song.
"Well the eggs chase the bacon, in the frying pan" in fact my 8 year old made a drawing of it for me!
It's with this strange lyric that Waits sets the scene for a strange song. The music sounds almost like a carnival or circus and insinuates more or less the circus-like neighborhood in which the singer lives:
Well Big Mambo's kicking his old grey hound and the kids can't get ice cream 'cause the market burned down
It's safe to say that Tom Waits lives in an interesting neighborhood.
There's a couple Filipino girls gigglin' by the church and the window is busted and the landlord ain't home and Butch joined the army yea that's where he's been and the jackhammer's diggin' up the sidewalks again In the neighborhood
I dig the song. There's a couple of "gd's" in the song- just to forewarn those with sensitive ears. The music video is a perfect reflection of what's happening in the song. A sort of distorted carnival of some kind. Enjoy.
A song playing in my head frequently these days has been one I learned in high school. I had forgotten the Christmas Carol until recently joining the church choir where we are learning some really cool music. This is one of the songs. Have a listen and then we'll talk about what the heck is up with this song!
This medieval melody is extremely old and I dig it. Its origins go back to 1582 from a Finnish songbook of holy music. The lyrics, originally in Latin glorify Christ and his birth.
Man oh man I love Aimee Mann- I'm a little late posting but here is Aimee Mann's song "Stupid Thing" which is from her 1993 album WHATEVER.
I really love this song- and to celebrate my love for this song I'm going to do a little blog giveaway!
I'm going to give away another compilation disc but I'm starting a new set. Here is the compilation disc you could win. It's called "Now That's What Brady's Subconscious Calls Music! Volume 1" The word is out about this compilation and critics are hailing it as "pretty OK"
Here's a picture of what your disc will look like:
To be clear, this is a compilation of songs I've blogged about here over the last half-year or so. My mom listened to it and described it as "above average"
Along with the CD you could be the lucky recipient of a 25$ iTunes card. This way you can download what you want rather than listen to the garbage that's on the compilation disc.
The way to win is simple- you just "Like" or "Comment" or share on the posts I share on Facebook, either on my blog page "The Songs Stuck In My Head" or my personal Facebook page. Or you can make a comment on this blog post to automatically be entered. I'll try to get the stuff to you before Christmas too.
Also if you're my friend on Instagram, Vine or Twitter you can find me @lurpino where I will be sharing posts about this contest. You can comment or "like" any of those posts as well to be eligible to win. YES THIS MEANS MULTIPLE ENTRIES ARE POSSIBLE! Feel free to unfriend and unfollow me if I get annoying.
I'll contact the winner this Sunday- December 20th!
This weeks post is brought to you by the jazz standard "I'll Be Seeing You." You know this one, right?
Maybe you've heard this version, by Bing Crosby:
Or this version by Billie Holliday:
Or this version by Dean Martin:
Or this version by Rosemary Clooney:
Or this version by Michael Buble:
Or this version by Bernadette Peters:
Or this version by Liberace:
Or this version by Stevie Wonder:
ANYWAY. You get the point.
(For anyone who cares, this song originally was in a Broadway musical called RIGHT THIS WAY in 1938. The play bombed and closed after only a few weeks, but the song remained. The music is by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal. If I were smart I could tell you more about these fellows. If I weren't exhausted, I would do some more research.)
I suppose this is two songs in one. And there's something special about the song (recording?) I'm about to share.
This song gets stuck in my head a lot. And it's not the traditional "Angels We Have Heard On High," it's this recording by Amy Grant. In fact, one early morning about 4 years ago this song was stuck in my head and it inspired me to start a blog about random songs that play in my head. Yes, you can blame this song for 3 1/2 years of time I've wasted here.
Anyway, here's the song. Half of it is a cool orchestration of Martin Luther's anthem "A Mighty Fortress is our God" and the next half it rolls into a piano-based pop version of "Angels We Have Heard on High." For those who care, at about 2:20 in the song is the piano riff that rolls through my head frequently:
Oh, forgot to tell you that this recording is the final track from Grant's 1983 Christmas Album.
Let me tell you about this album and the abusive nature it had on my childhood. See, I have one sister, and come November 1st she would blast Christmas music every year! I love this sister, dearly, but this was her favorite Christmas album. Maybe it still is? Anyway, she played it A LOT, sang along and enjoyed the Christmas season while ruining mine!
Of course, I'm half-kidding. It was my own cynical fault for letting it bother me. I'll be honest too, in my old age I'm starting to miss her holiday music. Mostly I just miss her. Not that I don't see her- we're just adults, busy with our kids and life. But she really is somebody special and just the kind of sister any brother could ever want/need. She was fun, kind and a good example to me. Mostly importantly, she has always been my friend.
She's a good lady- everybody's friend and an amazing mom. I'm proud she's my sister, Christmas music and all.
So to sum up:
-Brady's blog was inspired by Amy Grant
-Brady's blog is a waste of time for both him and his readers
-Amy Grant's Christmas album ruined Christmas for Brady
If you're a fan of Ben Folds, you'll love his new song "Not a Fan." If you're not a fan of Ben Folds, let me explain to you why his new song "Not a Fan" is groovy.
The song paints a picture of an evolving relationship. And it does it to a waltz.
The first verse is the relationship as in its infancy. The singer admires his girlfriend because she has exquisite taste, even though he doesn't enjoy the performer that she seems to admire. It bothers him, but he loves her and respects her: "It's part of what makes you beautiful to me."
In the second verse, he doubts himself. His girlfriend and her friends are "so well read" while he grew up on "sugar cereal and tv." He wonders what she's doing with him, when she is so hoity-toity in her tastes.
Then comes the bridge where the singer is starting to get annoyed by the girl's fandom (of course we don't know WHO, if anybody Folds is singing about) and he's starting to see that he's so irritated that the relationship is doomed to fail.
During the third, and final verse, his true annoyance at her admiration for this artist is bringing out his anger. He's annoyed and doesn't want to have anything else to do with it. He's a shallow jerk. "So go get your t-shirt signed, fan girl. I may or may not be here when you return."
The relationship is over and so is the waltz. Who writes a song like this? I love it because it can be the little things that annoy us. It's such an honest telling of a troubled relationship that falls apart over something so silly. I think this sort of thing happens all the time, sadly.
Here's the song, along with a WARNING that there are swear words. In particular at 2:48 and then at the end he drops the BIG ONE at about 3:21. I don't want anyone to be offended. I want this blog to be a HAPPY PLACE FOR EVERYBODY!
If you listened I hope you enjoyed Ben Folds angry waltz.
Today's post comes from fun.. You may think that I made a grammatical error in that last sentence. I did not. Here's the thing about fun.: The band fun. has a period at the end of its name. Isn't that fun? Fun. is fun. Also fun. is fun..
PS- fun. has a great song that is lots of fun and it was stuck in my head. If you're in a fun mood for fun. then have a fun listen to this fun. song.
It's called Carry On:
Have a fun week my friends. OH! Guess what's fun for me? We're moving into our new home this week. Fun things going on my fun friends. Fun. and fun..
Next time you see me you can make fun of me for this one.
This melody has likely made Michael Bolton a fortune- not only did he help write the song (along with some dude named Doug James) but it's been an enormous hit for artists all around the world.
Today's song comes from the delightful Australian indie band, Architecture in Helsinki.
These guys the Aussie B-52's, although I'm sure they hate being labelled this way. But the similarities are unparalleled. The song is called "Hold Music," a homage to the music you hear on hold, I suppose. Who knows. Oh, the music video is lots of fun- glad it got stuck in my head otherwise I never would have seen it.
"Hold Music" by Architecture in Helsinki. from the 2007 album PLACES LIKE THIS
The version I know of this song is by 1980's rock duo Hall & Oates.
The song is called "Family Man" It's from 1983- Here's how it sounds and a delightful video to accompany it:
It wasn't until just now that I found out that this is actually a cover of the same song, released the prior year by British musician Mike Oldfield and sung by Maggie Reilly. Here's the original:
This is a pretty morbid song about a somebody dying in a car crash. It's by Barenaked Ladies, who are great performers and songwriters. Not afraid of humor or irony, the band has used a sort of carnival sounding music complete with organ as the backdrop for this tune. Do listen if you please:
This song also showcases Steven Page's great voice- his is one of the best rock has to offer in my opinion. I think his talent has been masked a bit by Barenaked Ladies' humorous and goofy approach to music. He is no longer part of the band, and frankly I don't care to hear any of their music unless he's involved.
Oh, if you care, this comes from the Ladies' 2001 album Maroon and is the final track, sort of....
I say "sort of" as a way to vent something that used to be so cool, seemingly a lifetime ago, HIDDEN TRACKS!
Here's a history lesson, kids. Back in them days, when I was a kid, we used to listen to our music on "Compact Discs" or CD's! Hoo boy was it exciting to get a new "CD!" We would take our CD and unwrap the cellophane and then try to pry a sticky label off before we could open it.
Shining and glimmering we would insert the CD into a "CD PLAYER" and through the magic of *digital electricity* we would listen to music. There was no spotify, there was no iTunes! It was a happier time.
Every once in a while, especially during the 90's, there would be a surprise at the end of a CD. It would come as a total shock! It was called a *hidden track* So you would be happily listening to your 12 track album for example and the album would end, OR SO YOU THOUGHT! Instead you would hear empty noise for some time and eventually you would be surprised by a *hidden track* and you would magically be given an extra song! It was a beautiful, glorious gift from the artist to his fans! It was better than bacon on a Wednesday morning! You felt cool if you were the first of your friends to discover the track, if your head didn't explode first from all the commotion and excitement!
But the excitement was short-lived, my friends. The digital age crept up on us and when we don't stream our music we rip it and store it into our computer. This makes keeping our music very convenient but the tracks with the hidden track are now annoying because it's impossible to separate the tracks and you're left with dead space between songs, and usually a mediocre song that isn't technically part of the album. Does this make sense?
I'm running out of time, but what I'm getting at is that this track "Tonight is the Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel" is followed by a hidden track in my collection. They extra song is called Hidden Sun, just so you know.
Some people think because of the blood moon that happened tonight that the world is ending.
I have my doubts.
Ironically I woke up with a song today by Lindsey Buckingham. It's from his 2011 album called "Seeds We Sow." The song is titled "End of Time." I hope this song playing in my head is just a coincidence and that the world isn't really ending.
Here's the song:
If this is my last blog post, it's been a fun ride.
A few weeks ago he released a new album "So There."
It's fantastic. Truly. I apologize in advance for the likely barrage of posts that will follow. I love his music and I find his melodies not only good, but catchy. And since I'm so obsessive compulsive to blog about the exact song stuck in my head on Sunday mornings, I'm certain more are to follow.
So fun facts about Mr. Folds new album:
- He ditched the guitars and opted for a classical sextet called yMusic to join him.
- The album includes 8 chamber pop songs and 3 classical pieces which he recorded with Nashville Symphony
- Lyrically, I think this is the best I've ever heard him.
- Musically, this is very fun and interesting.
The song stuck in my head this morning is the opening track from the album and it's called "Capable of Anything."
I hope you dig. I sure dig.
If you listened to the lyrics, you'll find that the song has to do with a relationship gone wrong where one party is judging and blaming the other for the couple's collapse. The person's response is to throw it back at the accuser saying he/she is capable of causing harm just like anyone else. My favorite lyric is this one:
The thick and holy good guy
I want so bad to be,
But I was weak and wrong,
And when I end it all
It only made you righteous now
You get to blame your life on me
Ben Folds has been married and divorced four times. Who knows why, his business not mine, but sadly the relationships don't seem to work out for him. I think it's done wonders for his music and makes for an interesting story/perspective. Maybe he's happier alone.
As for me, yesterday I found myself on the scariest roller coaster. Normally I don't get scared by this sort of thing, but this ride, Cannibal- at Lagoon in Farmington Utah- is freaky-scary.
The picture doesn't do it justice. That first drop from the top of the tower is 208 feet, which is the highest roller coaster drop in the United States. I want you to think about that for just a moment, 208 feet! The anxiety and anticipation of being lifted (in an elevator) that high and just dropped like that, was perhaps the most frightening thing I've ever done. I really was so scared that I don't know that I'll ever do it again!
I hope a few of you will get a kick out of today's post.
Back in 1987, I believe, I and my brothers were given a Nintendo Entertainment System by Santa Clause. If he had known that the Nintendo would turn us into video playing zombies, I'm certain he would have given us something else instead.
Yes, I played a lot of Nintendo when I was young. The one good thing I can say it did for me is that I spent a lot of time with my brothers playing it together. I actually miss those days quite a bit- not much to worry about in life except completing challenging Nintendo games.
Video games have become so sophisticated that I don't even go near them. In my day (I feel old) the graphics weren't great, the games weren't too challenging and we liked it dammit! We liked it! The 8-bit music wasn't too elaborate as well, but many of the repetitious melodies have stuck in my head after all these years.
Today's song comes from a 1987 NES game called Ultima Exodus. It's role playing game and we loved it!
In the game you choose various medieval characters; knights, wizards, warriors etc. who wander around a magical kingdom fighting monsters. The fight sequence music, being horribly repetitious, wandered into my head this morning.
Here it is- I dare you to listen to all 3 minutes of it- then imagine that the fights went on much longer than that in some instances.
I really loved this game. And I remember it being especially challenging. Despite hours (days, years?) of play I don't recall ever defeating it.
Quick story- teasing and repetitious Nintendo music nearly killed my little brother!
There's a game called "Pro Wrestling" on the old Nintendo. In the game you can pick various wrestlers to fight a match. It's really exciting you guys! But if you are getting wasted by your opponent your character will weaken and become helpless until he is pinned and the match is over.
Here's a sampling, pay close attention to the annoying and repetitious music:
OK, so here's the story. Bucky (my older brother, probably aged 12 at the time) was fighting Devin (my younger brother, probably aged 5 at the time.) Bucky, being older and meaner, was just wailing on Devin's wrestler. The fighter was weak and couldn't do anything but stand there while he kept getting punched, kicked, slammed, bitten, or whatever could be done to him.
But here's the mean part, Bucky wouldn't pin Devin, he just kept beating on him, making the match go on forever. Adding insult to injury, Bucky kept singing along to the annoying music in his loudest voice while the match continued.
Devin, even though, and perhaps because he is the youngest, is naturally the most competitive of all us boys. He was red faced, and frustrated that he was utterly helpless as this match continued for what seemed an eternity.
Devin was chewing a piece of gum and because of the ongoing torment he started choking on the gum- I mean really choking, he couldn't breathe and his face turned red. Bucky acted quickly though and began using the Heimlich maneuver on Devin. It happened in a flash, but soon the piece of gum was dislodged from Devin's throat and fell out onto the floor of our family room!
Man, those were the days. Nintendo and Brothers. I miss it like crazy.
I had a dream last night that I was sitting in a group of performers and some people were trying to put together a production of "Pirates of Penzance." They were ready to do a run through rehearsal of the show and didn't have anybody to fill the role of Frederic. I had played the role before and so I volunteered for the part.
But when we got to the part where I was to sing Frederic's ballad, I couldn't do it. I couldn't remember the words and I was making a fool of myself after boasting that I knew the role. I woke up in a panic and realized that in my dream I was trying to sing the wrong song. What I was trying to sing was the tenor's ballad from "The Mikado" which is also a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta from the late 1800's. Nanki Poo, the hero from The Mikado introduces himself with this song in the first act, "A Wand'ring Minstrel I." Enjoy the song stuck in my head:
I was lucky to be involved in the chorus of a teenage production of "The Mikado" in 1994. It's a silly show (like all Gilbert & Sullivan) about the lord high executor of Japan whose task is to behead anybody who flirts. It's probably G&S's best known work. It really is fantastic. I happened upon a photo of the cast I was in. It's below- I'm front and center (in black) for those who care. I was 15 years old at the time and loved being on stage with so many friends. Incredibly, I still recognize most of the people in this picture. I miss these days....
If you're looking for a good movie, there's a great Mike Leigh film called "Topsy-Turvy" that not only covers the interesting working relationship that Gilbert & Sullivan shared, but also the process of putting together the premier of The Mikado in 1885. It's an entertaining and fascinating homage to the theater. I highly recommend it.
What else? I enjoyed a nice weekend getaway to Lava Hot Springs with my lady. It was a nice break from parenthood, but we're back home and back to it.
Huzzah, It's time to talk about The Divine Comedy again!
I love this band. Really, it's just an Irish man named Neil Hannon who performs as The Divine Comedy.
When you have the kind of epidemic I have where you love music and songs constantly play in your head (I'm serious, next time you see me, just ask me what song is playing in my head, I'll tell you. It's always something...) more often than not, you can't explain where the song came from. Let's see if I can explain well how today's song found its way into my head.
This morning's song is The Divine Comedy's "Absent Friends" which is the title (and opening) track from their 2004 album. Last night I woke up in the night with horrible allergy fits. It was about 4:30 that I decided that rather than keep my wife awake with my sniffles and sneezes (my throat was itchy too, it's the WORST!) I would head downstairs to turn the television on.
I looked through our collection of DVD's and chose the 1963 classic "The Great Escape." I got about 5 minutes into it before falling back asleep. Thank goodness!
I awoke about 3 hours later. The movie was over and the title screen of the DVD was repeating with the uncanny score (by Elmer Bernstein) to this great film.
ANYWAY, I'm rambling, but immediately the lyric from the song "Absent Friends" came into my head which references THE GREAT ESCAPE:
Steve McQueen, jumped the first one clean
But the great escape he'd tried to make was not to be
Maybe next time, Steve.
OK, here's the song and he sings the lyric I've referenced right about 1 minute and 30 seconds:
I love this song. I'm curious, if you feel like commenting how you feel about the song and in particular Neil Hannon's voice? A few people I know who've heard music by The Divine Comedy have complained about the sound of his voice. Is it distracting enough that you couldn't like the music? I think it's a fantastic voice, maybe just not the kind one would be used to in popular music....
Also, take the time if you're really bored to reference all the characters Hannon talks about in this song: Woodbine Willie, Jean Seberg, Steve McQueen, Laika the dog and Oscar Wilde. Interesting song making a tribute to many interesting character.
OK, I've rambled enough today. Good night magic internet land.
Today's song comes from a dandy little emo (alternative grunge?) band called Saosin.
It's the final track from their 2009 album IN SEARCH OF SOLID GROUND:
Ringing in at eight minutes and thirty seconds, this is likely the longest pop song I've ever blogged about.
In my opinion, few songs can be longer than 5 or 6 minutes without getting pretentious or even obnoxious. This song fits the bill for me. Musically it isn't doing enough to warrant over 8 minutes.
Maybe there's something I'm missing. Maybe the song is just eight and a half minutes too long?
If anyone in internet-land has something to add to what I've already said, feel free.
Few artists have grown on me quite like Sara Bareilles. As a music lover, I suppose the temptation is to write off artists who have had mainstream success. My guess is that we who've invested so much into music don't want to share something we love with those who don't understand it, or appreciate it the way we do- if that makes sense? Sara Bareilles is an artist in the true sense though. She writes some great songs, her voice is powerful and strong, her melodies are catchy and she plays some wickedly good piano.
What's not to like then? Why do I feel like I have to explain what I like about her?
There are music snobs and music lovers. I would hope I am the latter.
Today's song is a great song. It's called "Lie to Me" and it's from Bareilles' 2012 EP "Once Upon Another Time." This song is sexy. The end. Listen to the part where the stings come in. Isn't that fantastic? Also, I dig the slow, steady drumming on this track. The lyrics are relatable- being in a relationship where you don't want to hear the truth about what your partner has to say, for fear that it will hurt. Wanting him/her while at the same time despising her/him for using you. Much darker than some of Bareilles' other songs, and man I love it.
I'm at sort of a stand still with this site (and I hate the word 'blog') It's been a labor of love for the last 3 years or so. I've sort of started to feel trapped. I love to share music and I think this is a good way to do it, but I also know people like to be entertained.
Lately I've been tempted to make it be about my day-to-day life: this week I did this, or that, or whatever. But that seems overly-indulgent, when having one's own blog is already totally pretentious.
Well, I don't have it in me to entertain, so here's an update on my life.
WE SOLD OUR HOUSE THIS WEEK!
It sold in 5 days- much quicker than we had ever anticipated. It's exciting and we'll walk away with enough cash to pay off most of our debts, except the cars. I'm happy about that.
Now here's the sad part- we had this perfect home picked out in Farmington. We made an offer- they accepted with a contingency that we sell our house within a certain time frame. They would remain open to other offers in the meantime. We were sure the house was ours after our house sold in 5 days, but alas, they took another offer and we lost the home. I'm totally bummed and now we're likely to be homeless in the next few weeks if we don't find something fast!
I will miss our humble little abode, the place we've called home the last 8 years- where our 2 youngest learned to walk- and where my kids have enjoyed and loved their school, church, friends etc.
Did I bore you with this pretentious blog (I hate that word!) post?
The neurotic Jazz-Queen of strong opinions found her way into my head today. (Her name is Nellie McKay, she really is fantastic.) Her song, stuck in my head is called "Suitcase Song." In this moment I'm way too lazy to delve too much into the lyrics. She sings in Spanish in the song and says "me falta una maleta" which I think means, "I'm missing a suitcase."
So, maybe Nellie McKay was traveling abroad and one of her suitcases got lost?!?
This is one of her less politically charged songs. Here's "Suitcase Song" the song stuck in my head today along with an intro from Nellie. The song starts about about 2 minutes in, if you don't care to hear her talk.
I only have one of McKay's albums, her debut "Get Away From Me." I really do recommend the album. It's ambitious, clever, full of catchy music and she released the thing when she was only 19 years old.
This song is called "Sad Eyes" and it's by Josh Rouse (probably the most underrated musician I follow) from his 2005 album NASHVILLE. This album is one of my favorites, likely in my top 10. I was happy to have Sad Eyes playing in my head today. The breakdown at about 3 minutes into this song gets me every time.
In the simplest way, the song is about somebody trying to cheer another person up. It's sweet, simple and just lovely. Have I mentioned I love this song?
Not much else to say folks. Thanks for reading/listening.
Today's song comes from Rhett Miller, probably most famously known for his band, Old 97's. This song, however, is from his 2006 solo album, THE BELIEVER.
The song is about someone who's lost love and is deeply broken by it, as if he were a star falling from an incredible high, to a depressing low: Just like a meteor shower, get it? Good.
Here's what the song sounds like:
I don't know why that video is left of center. I'm too dumb/lazy to fix it.
This track is exactly what made (makes?) Ben Folds Five fantastic- the song is called "Uncle Walter" and it's from the band's self-titled debut album. Holy crap this song is 20 years old....
Anyway, it opens with Robert Sledge's distinct distorted bass and Ben Folds' uncanny piano. Lyrically it paints the picture of an Uncle (Walter to be exact) who sits in his arm chair, drinking while watching TV. He's loud and opinionated and the protagonist of the song is stuck having to listen to him go on and on about his life experiences, the things he's seen on TV and his disdain for heroine. This self-titled album is full of many fantastic songs, this one included, and I would dare say that in spite of its brilliance it's one of the less interesting tracks on the album. Still, it would mean a lot to me if you would listen to it, because it's fantastic and it was stuck in my head as I rolled out of bed yesterday. Quintessential Ben Folds Five y'all.
How I ever got by without music like this in my life, I'll never know.
It's from the Killer's debut 2004 album HOT FUSS. This is the first song I ever heard by this great band and I was hooked immediately.
Many of you know that I'm a Mormon, and so is the Killers' lead singer, Brandon Flowers (or brother Flowers as I lovingly refer to him.)
I can't help but believe that this song is about Christ. I could be way off, but listen to the lyrics.
My favorite is the final line:
Over and in.
Last call for sin.
While everything's lost,
the battle is won,
with all these things that I've done.
I'm not gonna apologize for my religious interpretation of this song. I will always hear it this way. I also love that Brandon Flowers can be a hard-core rock star and a Mormon.
Here's another video in case you haven't seen it.
I do love the killers. Yes indeed. Keep rocking, Brother Flowers.
Are you tired of me blogging about songs that have to do with the lack of sleep I get as a parent?
Too bad. Here's another today. It's from The Postal Service, the supergroup consisting of Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie, electronic musician Jimmy Tamborello (AKA Dntel) and Jenny Lewis (one of my favorites!) of Rilo Kiley. In 2003 they released their only album GIVE UP.
Today's song is the third track from that album:
All right, enough of the serious stuff. My favorite time has come ANOTHER GIVEAWAY! It's a magic time when I've blogged about enough songs to fill a compilation disc and give it away along with other crap I'm trying to get rid of around the house.
"Compilation Disc!" you might say. What year is this, 1999? No, it's 2015 but I'm still nostalgic for a good compilation disc. So what I do is take the last 18 songs I've blogged about most recently and configure them in a good order so that you have your very own disc of songs to listen to as you commute, work or go on a road trip or whatever.
So, I'm happy to present to you "The Songs Stuck in Brady's Head: Volume 10!"
And this one is a real treat! It's full of more radio hits than any of the other compilations I've given away here. It's also my most retro, with several hits from the 60's 70's 80's and 90's. But don't worry, it has some of that more obscure stuff too, if that's your thing.
"This compilation disc is really, really good"
-Barbara Bush.
Compilation disc #10 comes along with 10 CD's I have lying around the house. 10 is the magic number:
Here are the albums you will win:
For your classical fix: "Puccini and Pasta" a compilation of great Puccini classics!
For your rock/ska fix: Rodeo Ruby Love's "This is Why We Don't Have Nice Things"
For your indie rock fix: "The Moon and Antarctica" by Modest Mouse
For your hip hop/rap fix: "The Black Album" by Jay-Z.
For your 90's nostalgia fix: Counting Crowe's "Recovering the Satellites"
For your 70's hard rock fix: "Led Zeppelin III"
For your electronic/alternative fix: "Amnesiac" by Radiohead
For your love 'em or hate 'em fix: "Crash" by Dave Matthews Band
For your rock/pop fix: Weezer's Red Album
For your bluegrass/folk fix: A delightful little EP called "Ahoy" by Punch Brothers
"6.5 out of these 10 albums are pretty OK"
-Dom Deluise
And lastly, with the magic giveaway number being 10, I reckon we'll give you 10 pieces of Hi-Chew Candy or something like that.
"I've eaten Hi-Chew candy before"
-Jennifer Loves-Hewitt
So, I'm not sure if I've made it clear, so here's what you can win if you enter this contest:
-Compilation Disc
-10 CD's
-10 Hi-Chew Candies
-Bragging Rights
How you enter is really really easy, just like other giveaways- simply Comment, or "LIKE" this post on my FACEBOOK PAGE where you'll where I've shared this blog post. I'll then randomly pick a winner and ship you your winnings to wherever you are in the world. (or meet up for lunch or something if you live close by)
*NOTE- REMEMBER TO COMMENT OR "LIKE" ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE-NOT MY PERSONAL FB PAGE.....
I love when people enter these contests, so don't be shy. It's just for fun and a neat way for me to connect with my friends SLASH the world.
There is so much I could tell you about the hectic week I've had. I've barely had time to think about myself- let alone this blog.
Long story short, wife has spent the last week in the hospital with a blood clot. She's still there now. I miss her and I now recognize how incredibly dysfunctional our lives are without her.
She'll be fine, it will take some time though.
I'm happy to share today's song which comes from the talented and
little-known, Nashville-Based, Ben Shive. A friend of mine gave me a copy of Shive's
incredibly good and obscure 2011 album THE CYMBAL CRASHING CLOUDS.
This song is the opening track on the album, it's called "Listen!" and
you should, because it's the best song I've ever heard that uses train
horns and arpeggiated pianos to underscore the song! The best!
No really, it's a great song and the chorus gets stuck in my head a lot. I don't mind one bit:
It saddens me that an artist like Ben Shive is lost in a sea of musicians. Although this song is available on YouTube, it's been there 3 years and only has 811 "views" Sad sad sad.
But the good news is that I've now introduced this artist to the one person who reads my blog regularly, my mom!
Come, friends- let us travel back in time to the year 1982, when a delightful little fellow named Billy Joel proved that playing the piano was incredibly cool. For today's song, though, he traded the piano in for a synthesizer (so cutting edge in 1982!) and managed to come up with a very cool keyboard riff in the process.
This is "Pressure" from Joel's album THE NYLON CURTAIN. It's the 3rd track from the album. It's a good one. Please listen:
This song in particular was inspired by Joel's early days as a songwriter and the pressure he felt to have to produce material, and earn a living as a starving artist. But lyrically he manages to prove that life in general is full of all kinds of pressure.
I'll be honest. Adulthood not been what I had hoped or expected it would be. In fact, I have been really disappointed by it.
Not to be a drag, but the other day I called my Dad, exhausted by what life expects of me: four kids, a wife, mortgage, car payments and other debts, taking care of the yard/house, callings in church, demands at the job, dieting and trying to stay in shape, trying to write a good blog post etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
You get the point. It's life- it's what I signed up for, and I called my dad hoping that he could tell me that it gets better. He was honest: it's always tough but it's important to try and enjoy the journey.
Holy crap though, am I tired!
But I'm going to try harder. The pressure will always be there and it's important to keep trying and enjoy it the best you can. I have it pretty good: A nice job, beautiful wife and kid and 5 bazillion reasons to be happy.
While most of the time these songs I write about here are totally random, often times they have relevance. Such was the case today.
Tragically, a well-loved great Aunt of mine died yesterday. Cheryl Stone was her name. She was a respected vocal teacher in my hometown, and she died unexpectedly of complications from pneumonia yesterday morning.
I've been thinking about her all day and the influence she had on my family. We loved her and her husband Roi, who were the best kind of people there are: kind, loyal, honest, and good. Roi died last year. He had been sick for some time so when we lost him it was expected. Cheryl's death yesterday came as a complete surprise.
At Roi's funeral, my wife and I got to sing this lovely song, "There! I've Said It Again." It was a love song that Cheryl and Roi shared. It was in my head this morning as I thought about this great lady who was not only an aunt, but a voice teacher and friend for me in my youth. I will miss her very much.
I love you Aunt Cheryl. This one is for you. I hope you and Roi are dancing to this song as I'm listening to it.
Hey my blog-reading friends! I sure hope you're day is going neat! MINE IS!
You're in luck too, because today is special. It's "two for one Sundee Fundee"
(Thanks to Lucy for the fantastic drawing!)
If you grew up in Idaho in the 50's and 60's like my dad did, you pronounce Sunday "Sundee" and that is one of the reasons why we celebrate 2 FOR 1 SUNDEE FUNDEE, but mostly we celebrate it because I share TWO songs that were stuck in my head this morning. Huzzah!
So, look at this face and don't be deceived:
You may think to yourself, "my, that is a cute little kid!" I think it often, but a lot of times I am reminded at what a monster this adorable little child is. Today was such a day when he wandered into my room at 5:30 this morning insisting that we watch his favorite show- The Octonauts.
Immediately, the theme song to this show wedged its way into my brain. Here is what the song sounds like:
In case you've never heard of this show, I'm warning you- DON'T ALLOW YOUR 3 YEAR OLD TO EVER WATCH THIS SHOW. He will never stop watching it. It will be on your television all. the. time. And then when it isn't on, he will pester you again and again until you turn it on for him. And then, even when he's settled for not watching it, he will be humming the melody from it while he plays with his toys.
(I tried to capture a video of him singing this song, it didn't work. Seriously, he hums, or sings this melody all the time.)
So, 5:45, I turned on the Octonauts for the cute little monster and went back in bed. Luckily I fell back asleep. Normally I can't do that.
Which takes us to song#2..... the song stuck in my head when I woke up a second time...
...this one comes from Guns n' Roses. You're likely familiar with the song "Paradise City"
I'll bet you 100$ that this is the only blog post in existence that talks about both The Octonauts and Guns n' Roses.
Two For One Sundee Fundee is magical. And so are you!
There's nothing worse than a totally contrived and uninspired writing of any kind, so I'll spare you one of those kinds of posts today. I'm feeling tired after a long week so just enjoy the song stock in my head from this AM. "I Want You Back" from The Jackson 5. It's a good one:
It's pretty rare that a church hymn weasels its way into my head in the morning, which is a surprise, since religion and music in church is such a big part of my life.
Today's song is called "We Are All Enlisted." It's hymn number 250 in the hymnbook with which I'm so familiar. I've been an organist at my LDS congregation for the last 7 years. It's a challenging song to play, mostly because of the fast tempo and dotted quarter notes.
Here's what the song sounds like:
A little about the song itself, and then a quick funny story....
The hymn was written by William Batchelder Bradbury in the 19th century. He was a well-known religious writer and musician who had been raised himself by a father who led a church choir. He wrote several religious hymns in his life.
I couldn't find much about the hymn, like the year it was written or any stories about it or anything. A quick search tells me that 4 of Bradbury's hymns have found their way into our LDS hymnbook. As far as I can tell, you can't find this hymn in other places besides LDS hymnbooks, but I didn't look terribly hard. I do wonder, however, if he would be happy to know this or upset as some of the Christian world seems to dislike Mormons. I hope he would be pleased about it.
I have a semi-blasphemous joke about some of the hymns we sing in church. I think a lot of them sound like old drinking songs. This song definitely fits into this category in my book- but I digress.
OK, a quick story. I've shared this with lots of people, but I think it's a fantastically embarrassing story and I love the reaction I get from people as I tell it:
I bite my fingernails. I bite them like my life depended on it. It's a terrible habit and I've always done it. I've tried to stop several times in my life to no avail.
Well, a few years ago my oldest daughter challenged me to stop doing it. I didn't want to let her down so I took her up on the challenge. I went a good month or so without biting them, to the point that they started to look like "normal people fingernails."
Usually I am tempted to bite them when I am stressed, nervous or just plain bored. This particular Sunday, church had been pretty boring and I so I started biting my nails. I hadn't realized I was doing it, that's how bored I was! Soon the close of the meeting had come and it was time for me to play the closing hymn.
I rushed to the stand where the organ sits and played my little heart out. I hadn't noticed that my fingernail was bleeding as I tickled the organ keys with my graceful and musically dexterous fingers. Needless to say, I got blood on the organ keys.
I didn't notice though until I half-opened one of my eyes while my head was bowed during the closing prayer. So I did what any person would naturally do in the same situation: I wiped the blood of the keyboard.
BLAAAAAAAH! The organ blared its loudest sound, interrupting the reverence of the prayer. I quickly folded my arms and caught a glimpse of members of the congregation who had started giggling. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud, and used one hand to hold the key in place as I wiped the blood stains off with the other.
A friend stopped my in the foyer "a little anxious there huh?" We had a good laugh, but I know my face was bright red from the whole situation.
This song has been in your head before. If it hasn't you are a liar.
Here's "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from 1987's beloved classic Dirty Dancing.
I've never seen this movie (don't tell my wife! She'll make me watch it!) but I've definitely heard the academy award winning song from the movie. Here it is if you dare listen.
I'll give you a dollar if you can tell me who sings this song.
Don't know?
Of course you don't.
So I'll tell you. It's a duet between Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
This song is nearly 30 years old. So is the movie. When it came out in 1987, I was 8 years old. My daughter turns 8 in a few months. I'm starting to feel old.
