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:

ITUNES

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 01 – Your Favorite Song

How on this green green earth can I possibly pick a favorite song??

I have many choices but I'm not going to bore you with all of them so I went with....

Wonderwall - Oasis (or Ryan Adams)

I have no particular reason just have loved this song since I first bought "What's The Story, Morning Glory"

It's pure class by a definitely unclassy person. I finally saw Oasis live at Coke Fest in 2009 just before they disbanded. I was bitterly disappointed with their whole performance but when Wonderwall came on the whole world disappeared and all that was left was that song.

It’s a beautiful song and the Oasis version is a classic. Ryan Adams on the other hand took the exact same song and made it very different. He made it sad and I think that is why I fell in love with his version. I have said before that I love music for it’s lyrics but this is proof that the same lyrics can be changed with one simple melody.

Have a look at both videos and let me know what you think

Oasis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPtTS0TYtU

Ryan Adams

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gVxRvNfFLg

OK, now for the useless information:

· The general consensus is that this song is about Noel Gallagher's then girlfriend Meg Matthews, who is compared with a schoolboy's wall to which posters of footballers and Pop stars are attached. Noel later married then divorced Meg Matthews. However, according to Q magazines 1001 Best Songs Ever, this was not about Matthews. Noel is quoted as saying, "The meaning of that song was taken away from me by the media who jumped on it. And how do you tell your Mrs. It’s not about her once she's read it is? It's about an imaginary friend who's going to come and save you from yourself."

· The music is based on Wonderwall Music, an instrumental album George Harrison wrote for the movie Wonderwall in 1968. This was the first solo album released by any of The Beatles.

· The concept of the "Wonderwall" is based on a '60s film called Wonderwall - from Psychedelia to Surrealism, starring Jane Birkin. She lives next door to a man who becomes fascinated with her,so he slowly makes holes in his wall so he can watch her through it. This is the "Wonderwall." Warning: this movie is supposedly terrible.

· In 2002, the British army produced a recruitment video that used this under footage of soldiers conducting exercises. The producers of the video didn't realize they needed permission to use the song, and when Oasis denied, they had to recall all the videos.

· The album is the second-best selling in British history. The best selling album in UK history is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles.

· This was the first single Oasis released in the US, and is their biggest hit in that country.

· Initially Noel wanted to sing this song, but he gave his brother Liam Gallagher the choice, and Noel ended up singing "Don't Look Back In Anger."

· What sounds like a cello was played on a Mellotron tape-playback keyboard, although the video features shows someone playing the cello.

· At live shows Noel plays his acoustic guitar on a Fender Telecaster. It's one of the few songs where he uses a Fender guitar rather than a Gibson.

· The opening track of (What's the Story) Morning Glory is the track "Hello," which starts off with the opening riff of "Wonderwall" playing extremely quietly; this stops once the guitar noise comes in.

· The original title was "Wishing Stone."

· In an interview conducted in Australia around the time of the release of Be Here Now, when asked which 3 songs he would like to be remembered for, Noel immediately responded with "Live Forever" and "Wonderwall" and then proceeded to list several others, including "Champagne Supernova," "Magic Pie" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol."

· At the very end of the song, the intro to "Supersonic" can be faintly heard being played on acoustic guitar.

· Radiohead recorded a bootleg cover of the song in which Thom Yorke sings many incorrect lyrics and cuts out mid-chorus when a background voice says, "Is this abysmal or what? It's always good to make fun of Oasis."

· Check out the sleeve artwork in the Song Images. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 8)

· This was prevented from reaching #1 in the

by Robson & Jerome's Double A-side, "I Believe" and "Up on the Roof."

· The song's music promo won the Best Video at the 1996 Brit Awards.

I know I said it before but it really is a beautiful piece of music and in the right time and place can bring a tear to anybodies eyes.

My favorite song will more than likely change tomorrow, but for now....

Today is gonna be the day...