Friday, June 07, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 10 – A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Deliver Me – Sarah Brightman

I must admit that I struggled with this a bit. I had to listen to many songs and the concentration alone was enough that none of them put me to sleep. Unless it’s a lullaby, a song really shouldn't put you to sleep. If it does, is it a good song?




I'm honestly not saying that this is a bad song but a little while after I had given up hope of finding a piece of music that puts me to sleep I was listening to my iPod on my way home after a particularly bad week and this came on whilst I was stuck in traffic and swearing at people pushing in. It made me instantly calmer and I found it poetic that I needed the words to this song at that moment.

I do think I have cheated ever so slightly but it made me chill out and dream of happier moments so in all fairness I think I have fulfilled the brief.



It’s a beautiful song and if you don’t know it I suggest you give it a whirl. Funny enough the first time I heard it was in a dance track by Sister Bliss and I spent many weeks searching for it when I was watching Brokedown Palace one day and in this movie was the Sarah Brightman version. I subsequently went and bought that album and it is still one of my all-time favorite albums. Hence the reason it’s still on my iPod.

My movie suggestion to you is Brokedown Palace if you haven't seen it already!

If you would like to buy the album, I would suggest the soundtrack as it is amazing:







Thursday, June 06, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 09 – A Song That You Can Dance To

Jump Around – House of Pain

I was going to go with some old school trance with this one. I had visions of my favorite songs from back in day that we all used to bust a groove to at some random nightclub. I then had a thought…

I recently went to a wedding of one of my best friends and her DJ played some awesome cheesy music that even the most hardcore of us couldn't help but to bounce around the floor and look super un-coordinated. This is what dancing should be for at the end of the day, you and your friends should have a laugh at the stupid Pulp Fiction eye swipe & seriously if you not dancing to the Grease Medley & very loudly singing at a wedding; you have not had enough red wine!!

For the purposes of music making you shake you booty I have added a sub category to this… Makes you smile whilst shaking your booty! For this you require “House of Pain”

Who doesn't know this? Who doesn't know at least one lyric and mumble madly through the rest of it?

It is a great song and I personally think it should take the place of the “Locomotion” as a wedding classic J


-   Initially this song samples Bob and Earl's "Harlem Shuffle," then later on it borrows elements from a number of other tracks including "Tramp" by Lowell Fulsome, "Get Off" by Prince and "You're No Good" by Harvey Arverne.
-   Amy Winehouse borrowed the bass line from "Jump Around" for her 2007 single "You Know I'm No Good."
-   This song is frequently used for commercials and to gee up crowds at sporting events.
-   This was featured in the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire. It's also been used in Happy Gilmore and Black Hawk Down.
-   House Of Pain were a Hip-Hop group formed in Los Angeles by Erik "Everlast" Schrody, "Danny Boy" O'Connor and Leor "DJ Lethal." This song is what House Of Pain is best known for, however after they spilt in 1996 Everlast enjoyed some solo success (including the hit "What It's Like") and DJ Lethal similarly as a member of the band Limp Bizkit.
-   This song is used on the TV show My Name is Earl, in which a stripper named Catalina dances to it by jumping up and down.
If you would like to buy this track I would recommend the full album:






Wednesday, June 05, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 08 - A Song That You Know All The Words To

Come Together – The Beatles

Which song to pick out of the thousands that float around your head on a daily basis? Do you show the world your “Pop Tart” ways by admitting to knowing all the words to Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe” or do you go with the hipster song choice that no-one knows? I decided to go with the one song that I am proud to know the words to!

This is a fascinating piece of music, its lyrics are very open to interpretation and I really do think that people misjudge Lennon’s mish mash of words. It’s about a politician and yes that politician did get arrested for possession of marijuana.

Come Together has no chorus and is entirely constructed of verse which at the time was unheard of. It reached number 1 in the US but only #4 in the UK due to the BBC ban on the song.

It is in essence “gobbledygook” as Lennon puts it, but this “gobbledygook” was a hit that reached #202 on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time & #9 on the 100 Beatles Greatest Songs. The continued fascination with it has led to it being covered so many times that it is undeniable.

Yes, I am very proud! I know all the words to this “gobbledygook” but I like it and it makes me smile! What song do you know all the words to? Hey I admitted the Carly Rae Jepson thing!





THE BEATLES
"Come Together"
(Lennon/McCartney)
Here come old flattop, he come grooving up slowly
He got joo-joo eyeball, he one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker he just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine, he got toe-jam football
He got monkey finger, he shoot coca-cola
He say "I know you, you know me"
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me
He bag production, he got walrus gumboot
He got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease
Come together right now over me
[Right!
Come, oh, come, come, come.]
He roller-coaster, he got early warning
He got muddy water, he one mojo filter
He say "One and one and one is three"
Got to be good-looking cos he's so hard to see
Come together right now over me
Oh
Come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah come together
Yeah oh
Come together
Yeah come together



Songfacts: 
-   Timothy Leary was a psychologist who became famous for experimenting with LSD as a way to promote social interaction and raise consciousness. Leary did many experiments on volunteers and himself and felt the drug had many positive qualities if taken correctly. When the government cracked down on LSD, Leary's experiments were stopped and he was arrested on drug charges. In 1969, Leary decided to run for Governor of California, and asked John Lennon to write a song for him. "Come Together, Join The Party" was Leary's campaign slogan (a reference to the drug culture he supported) and was the original title of the song. Leary never had much of a campaign, but the slogan gave Lennon the idea for this song.
-   After Timothy Leary decided against using this song for his political campaign Lennon added some nonsense lyrics and brought it to the Abbey Road sessions. Paul McCartney recalled in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs: "I said, 'Let's slow it down with a swampy bass-and-drums vibe.' I came up with a bass line, and it all flowed from there."
-   In a 1980 interview with Playboy magazine, John Lennon said: "The thing was created in the studio. It's gobbledygook. 'Come Together' was an expression that Tim Leary had come up with for (perhaps for the governorship of California against Reagan), and he asked me to write a campaign song. I tried and I tried, but I couldn't come up with one. But I came up with this, 'Come Together,' which would've been no good to him - you couldn't have a campaign song like that, right?"
-   John Lennon was sued for stealing the guitar riff and the line "Here comes old flat-top" from Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me." The lawsuit did not come from Berry, but from Morris Levy, one of the music industry’s most infamous characters. He owned the song along with thousands of other early rock songs that he obtained from many poor, black, and unrepresented artists. Levy sued the Beatles, or more accurately, John Lennon, over the song around the time the Beatles broke up. For years, Lennon delayed the trial while he and the Beatles tried to sort out all the legal and business problems that plagued Apple Records. Finally, in an attempt to avoid the court room as much as he could (Lennon felt like he was appearing in court more often than not), he settled with Levy. In return for dropping the suit, Lennon agreed to record his Rock N Roll album, which was just a series of covers of songs Levy owned. Lennon always wanted to make a cover album and was thrilled to have the opportunity, and Levy wanted the value of his songs to increase, and when a Beatle re-records a song that is just what happens. To make a long long long story short, Lennon recorded the album over the Lost Weekend, a year-or-two period when he was separated from Yoko Ono and lived in LA. During that time he was often drunk or high, and was rather sloppy and useless. Levy was getting frustrated with the lack of progress. Phil Spector was the producer, but in a fit of madness (which was not too unusual for Spector) he ran away and stole the recording session tapes. Levy invited Lennon to his upstate NY recording studio, and that is where he finally recorded the album.
-   The whispered lyric that sounds like "shoot" is actually Lennon saying "shoot me" followed by a handclap. The bass line drowns out the "me."
-   The Beatles recorded this on July 21, 1969 and it was the first session John Lennon actively participated in following his and Yoko's car accident 3 weeks earlier. John was so insistent on Yoko being in the studio with him that he had a hospital bed set up in the studio for her right after the accident, since she was more seriously injured than he was.
-   The line "Ono sideboard" refers to Yoko.
-   The British Broadcasting Company (The BBC) banned this because of the reference to Coca Cola, which they considered advertising.
-   This has one of the most commonly misheard lyrics in the history of popular music: "Hold you in his -armchair- you can feel his disease." It's actually "Hold you in his arms, yeah, you can feel his disease." All published sheet music had the "armchair" lyric, including the inner sleeve of the 1967-1970 compilation, which contained lots of other errors too, notably on "Strawberry Fields Forever." After John heard that his lyric was incorrect in the sheet music and other folios, he decided he liked "armchair" better and kept it.
-   The Beatles released this as a "double A side" single with "Something."
-   In 1969, this won a Grammy for best engineered recording.
-   When rumors were spreading that Paul McCartney was dead, some fans thought the line "One and one and one is three" meant that only George, John and Ringo were left. The line "Got to be good lookin' cuz he's so hard to see" was supposed to be Paul's spirit. A rotary phone was used to make the sound heard before each verse and after the chorus. The sound was accompanied by the bass Paul played. Kids, ask your parents or grandparents what a rotary phone was. (thanks, Patrick - Tallapoosa, GA)
-   Aerosmith recorded this song with Beatles producer George Martin for the 1978 movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which turned out to be one of the worst films ever. Aerosmith appeared in the film performing this song, agreeing to the role only because they couldn't resist the chance to record a Beatles song with George Martin. The weren't the only big names in the film - Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees were also in it.
-   The Aerosmith version of "Come Together" made #23 in the US when it was released as a single.
-   In 2001, Beck, Moby, Marc Anthony, and Nelly Furtado were scheduled to put on a tribute concert in Radio City Music Hall called "Come Together: A Night For John Lennon." Due to the terrorist attacks on America, it was postponed and dedicated to the people of New York City, with proceeds benefiting victims of the attacks.
-   Nortel used this in commercials, as did Macy's.
-   On an early demo version of "My Monkey" by Marilyn Manson (whose vocals were sped up to sound like "a demonic toddler"), Manson sang the second verse as an opener. It appeared on Demos in Lunchbox by Manson's former band, The Spooky Kids.
-   This has been covered by Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Guns N' Roses, Soundgarden, Marilyn Manson, Nazareth, and Oasis.
-   Though Ringo is best known for playing on Oyster Black Pearl Ludwig drum kit, he used for this his Ludwig "Hollywood" maple-finish equipment, with a 22" kick. Starr produced his distinctive late '60s drum muffling sound on tracks like this by wrapping tea towels (dishtowels) around his snares and toms.
-   The Arctic Monkeys performed the song during the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony. Their version reached #21 on the UK singles chart in the week after the event.


To hear this amazing song you only have to buy one of the best albums ever made:




Tuesday, June 04, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 07 - A Song that Reminds You of a Certain Event

Feeling Good - Muse

The hallmark of a great band is when they take a cult classic, cover it, and make it their own. Van Halen did it with 'You Really Got Me', Roxy Music did it with 'Jealous Guy', and Muse has certainly done it with 'Feeling Good'. One top notch rock musician has more talent than all the so called musicians in the charts stuffed together. They always have had and they always will have. Enough said. 

I liked Muse when I first heard them on BBC Radio 1. The first song I heard was called 'Unintended' but never really thought about them again until I heard they were coming to South Africa. I was extremely excited to see them live as they had been voted the best live show recently and convinced all my friends to come with even though they had never heard one song of Muses's. Needless to say that by the end of their set they had made many many fans and my sister and I ran out the next morning to buy "Haarp: Live At Wembley".

I will never forget Coke Fest 2008 all because of this one song. Matt Bellamy is truly spectacular when he is on stage and Muse is the best concert I have been to date. If you ever get a chance to go see them live you cannot let it pass you by





"Hyper Music/Feeling Good" is the ninth single by English alternative rock band Muse, and the fourth from their second album, Origin of Symmetry. It was released on 7" vinyl—as a double A-side—and double CD—backed with "Shine" and a cover of The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want"—on 19 November 2001 and reached #24 in the UK Singles Chart - the lowest of all four singles released from Origin of Symmetry.
"Hyper Music" was written by vocalist and guitarist Matthew Bellamy and "Feeling Good" was originally written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd and famously covered by jazz/soul singer Nina Simone. A softer, acoustic version of "Hyper Music" with a quieter guitar piece and a recurring keyboard piece was recorded under the title of "Hyper Chondriac Music" and featured on the second—the 'B-sides'—disc of the 2002 album Hullabaloo Soundtrack. "Feeling Good" was ranked as the fifth best cover version in a poll by Total Guitar in 2008. Later in 2010, Muse's cover of "Feeling Good" was ranked my NME as the greatest cover song of all time. Over 15,000 people voted.

I would recommend buying this following album to get this song: 




Monday, June 03, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 06 – A Song That Reminds of You of Somewhere



All songs remind me of something but when breaking it down to "somewhere" no song remind me more of somewhere than...

Good People - Jack Johnson


It was a running joke when I worked at the Harrow in West Ilsley (well to myself) that the Good People had left and all that was left was pure evil!! The "In Between Dreams" CD used to be on repeat and I loved it. Jack Johnson saved me from some very long boring nights and he also got me through some dire home sickness sadness! I still laugh everytime I hear this song. It was my own private joke and it still kind of is! Great lyrics throughout this entire album that leaved you feeling a little less stressed and somehow very Hawaii chilled :)

Johnson says the following about the song: "It's a little bit about reality TV. A TV show called Boarding House was being done in Hawaii. And the lady who was producing it asked if I wanted to play on the grand finale of the show. I said that I wasn't interested. She came up to me while I was having a conversation at this community gathering, which was a fundraiser for Sunset Elementary School. And then she interrupted me again and said that I didn't understand, that this was for national TV and that it would be a great opportunity for me. So that's where that line, 'You interrupt me from a friendly conversation to tell me how great it's all going to be' comes from. That verse is about how sometimes, even when you're trying not to pay attention to it, television and the entertainment industry and all that still sneaks into your world. It's obviously in jest and just a funny song. But it's about that feeling you get sometimes when you flip through the channels and there isn't one thing on TV that's not sensationalized or just completely about some of the lower parts of humanity. And you just start wondering where all the good people are."



To Buy This Album:

Sunday, June 02, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 05 – A Song That Reminds You Of Someone


Trying to figure out one person and one song was difficult as songs remind me of so much and so many people but I finally figured out that one song and one person. My song that reminds me of someone is....

74 – 75 – The Connell's



There seems to be many meanings of this song, one includes an American Football game and one other is about a girl at a high school reunion. For many years I tried to figure out the meaning and I also tried to create a meaning that linked it to that one person but have since given up.

I don't know and really don't care what the song means, all I know is that this song is a reminder to me that becoming obsessed with one person is not a healthy situation to be in and you can live with this obsession for some time. The most unfortunate part is that it was apparently a one way obsession.

I would listen to the song every day and hope that it would bring him back but it didn’t. I know what you saying is that I was completely detached from reality and I truly was.

The happy ending to this story is that this is a great song and besides all the obsessing this boy gave me he also gave me The Connells.

Just a piece of useless information; I was convinced this band was an Irish band and was one of the reasons I fell in love with them.

·         The Connells were a rock group formed in Raleigh, North Carolina by David Connell (bass), his brother Mike Connell (guitar), Doug MacMillan (vocals) and John Shultz (drums), who was soon replaced by former Johnny Quest percussionist Peele Wimberley. In 1990 they added Steve Potak (keyboards) to their line up.
·         This acoustic ballad became an unexpected smash hit in Europe, topping the pop charts in many countries across the continent including Germany, Norway and Sweden. In the UK it became a hit in 1995 but it failed to chart in the US, though another track from their Ring album, "Slackjawed" reached #9 in the American Modern Rock Tracks chart.
·         In 1995, this was featured in the James Mangold film Heavy.



To Buy This Album



Saturday, June 01, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 04 – A Song That Makes You Sad


I can't explain this properly; this song doesn't make me sad to actually hear it but every time I hear it (well one line) makes me cry every single time. Every time I see the video I am completely reduced to a blithering mess... Yes I am a proper girl!

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own - U2



It's so beautiful and written from such a sad place. All songs mean something to the person that writes them but you can see right through this meaning and it's really sad. It translates to a lot of people who are empathize with Bono on this issue of distant parents.   

It does help that U2 is my favourite bands that makes me appreciate this song even more. To add that cherry it is possibly one of U2's best albums and this album reminds me of an amazing time in my life.

I am an absolute sucker for sad music and have a huge list of songs that can bring a tear each and every time  As I have mentioned before lyrics are what move me and sad music lyrics come from somewhere inside and it amazes me every time how people can be so open with their feelings. It's beautiful and proof enough that there are wonderful people in the world.

·         This is a tribute to Bono's father Bob Hewson who died in 2001. Bono sang it for the first time at his father's funeral; it reflects on their tense relationship until just before his death, when Bono claims they became closer than ever before.
·         This was released as a single in every other part of the world except the US, where "All Because of You" was released in its place.
·        Bono's father enjoyed Opera music and used to sing as a hobby. This explains the line, "You are the reason the Opera is in me."
·         Bono: "His whole thing was, Don't dream - to dream is to be disappointed. That was really what I think was his advice to me. He didn't speak it in those words, but that's what he meant, and of course that's really a recipe for megalomania isn't it? I mean I was only ever interested in big ideas, and not so much dreaming but putting dreams into action, doing the things that you have in your head has become an important thing for me. The song was dedicated to him and it's a portrait of him - he was a great singer, a tenor, a working class Dublin guy who listened to the opera and conducted the stereo with my mother's knitting needles. He just loved Opera, so in the song, I hit one of those big tenor notes that he would have loved so much. I think he would have loved it, I hope so."
·         The Edge: "It's very hard when people refer to one of our old songs and say, 'Can you write another song as good as Where The Streets Have No Name or One? These are the kind of songs people refer to, but I think on this record, we may have a couple of songs which are equally as good, maybe even better. Insome ways I am still too close to really say for sure if I even believe it myself - and in the end what I believe is not that important, it's what everyone else thinks that will decide if the songs on this record are as good as our best work, so I am happy to just see what people think."
·         In 2006, this won a Grammy for Song Of The Year.
·     As a tribute to his father, Bono usually removes his large sunglasses during this song. His dad used to say to him, "Bono, why don't you ever take off those f--king glasses?


 To Buy This Album