10-31-11 - "Thriller" ~ Michael Jackson

A bit of a cop-out post related to the "holiday" because I've had a busy day and it's after midnight and I have to pack for a work trip.  But hey, they don't call Michael Jackson the King of Pop for nothing - he was a master of his craft, and this song/music video/short form movie dominated the '80s.  I think 100 million YouTube views speaks for itself... but if you don't agree, check out the list of best selling albums of all time.  Thriller doubles up the nearest competition.  Wow.

And here's just the song, if you're not into cheesy romantic/horror flicks:

Happy Candy Day, yinz!


"Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together..."

10-27-11 - "You Make My Dreams Come True" ~ Hall And Oates

In honor of my housemate Matt's birthday, and the fact that all of us except him have a crush on Zooey Deschanel, and some of us may have a man-crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt as well, here's a sweet song which was featured in (500) Days Of Summer.  Hall and Oates have a surprising catalog - you might not realize how many of their tunes you know and love from various films over the years, or from actually living through the '80s.  They're even from Matt's hometown of Philadelphia (poor guys, the lot of 'em!)


(the music video is totally '80s and spectacular...)

(and here's the scene from the movie... kid can dance, eh?)

... and that's what true love is all about; dancing in the streets with strangers, and little animated birdies.  I think we all know that feeling, or at least wish we did...


"What I want, you got

but it might be hard to handle,

like the flame that burns the candle

the candle feeds the flame, yeah, yeah..."

10-1-11 - "How Soon Is Now" ~ The Smiths

We'll kick off October with some Smiths.  As often happens, I heard it on the radio in the car yesterday, and was like, "oh YEAH, what a great song that I haven't listened to in ages!"  So of course now I'm blogging about it.


The guitar parts are pretty intense, and you can read about how they were produced on good old Wikipedia.  Wiki also has info on the lyrics (some of which are paraphrased from George Eliot, who was actually a female writer in the 19th century using a pseudonym to be taken seriously - pretty interesting), and the covers, which include t.A.T.u. (remember them?  hoo boy.)  Lead singer Morrissey was interviewed and asked about that cover version, and hilarity ensued:


"The interviewer explained, 'They're teenage Russian lesbians.' To which Morrissey replied, 'Well, aren't we all?'"


But anyway, here's the song:

(long version)

"How Soon Is Now" normal version / music video (youtube)

"I am the son
and the heir
of nothing in particular..."

9-8-11 - "Higher Love" ~ James Vincent McMorrow

This one's a cover of an '80s song that you might have heard, in all its synth-pop horn chorus glory.  But you won't hear trumpets in this drastically altered version - McMorrow brings it down real low with simple piano chords and ethereal falsetto vocals.  It allows you to focus on the lyrics and the cry for the titular "higher love" - love that supersedes the many injustices in the world.  "Without it, life is wasted time..."

Original Steve Winwood version:

"I could light the night up with my soul on fire

I could make the sun shine from pure desire..."

8-30-11 - "Just A Friend" ~ Biz Markie

Got home from work and my housemate was spinning this track.  If you don't know it, you should, because it's a cautionary tale every man should heed (and of course, women can apply the same principle...)


These tragic lyrics of heartbreak come from deep within a wounded soul; it is clear that Biz Markie is trying to heal these wounds by warning others of the trap that befell him to spare them the same fate.


The straightforward rhythm and piano, part of which was updated from Freddie Scott's 1968 tune "You Got What I Need", lay the foundation for the song.  Markie's wig and breeches in the chorus show that his sense of style was not damaged due to the event:

Some of my posts are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but this is most definitely not one of those times.  You'll know them when you see them.


"I started throwin' bass
She started throwin' back mid-range
But when I sprung the question
She acted kind of strange..."

8-10-11 - "I Would Die 4 U" ~ Prince

Quickie tonight, because I just got home from a very awesome show featuring NYC bands These Animals and Field Mouse along with local favorite Big Hurry.  I went for Big Hurry, but came away a fan of all three bands.  Due to the laid back atmosphere and light midweek crowd, I got to chat with members of each band, and they were just swell.  If you're on the East Coast, Field Mouse and These Animals are playing DC tomorrow, and These Animals have a couple more dates this week - worth catching if you're nearby.


In honor of the spectacular cover BH played, here's the original version of "I Would Die 4 U" by Prince:

"I'm not your lover
I'm not your friend
I am something that you'll never comprehend..."

8-8-11 - "Where Is My Mind?" ~ The Pixies

The Pixies were largely before my time, so to speak.  But they have some quality stuff which I've discovered several years after it came out.  I can't flash my indie cred on this one and say "I was into that song before it was all mainstream in the Fight Club soundtrack," but hey, I honestly believe it doesn't matter where or how a person finds out about good music, just that they do.  So when your favorite underground band sells out and is featured on some insurance commercial or something, just chill, and be glad that more people will start listening to and hopefully supporting a great band to help them continue to write awesome tunes.

So yeah, the song is probably a stoner song, but it also resonates with the themes of Fight Club, which is a somewhat disturbing movie but hits pretty hard for the corporate whores many of us are these days.  I'm not saying you should take the extreme measures of Edward Norton and Brad Pitt's characters in the film, but I will say that you should pursue what you love, not just punch a clock and while away your hours in monotony to afford worthless trinkets, a bigger and better TV package (to waste more of your life away), $8 a day of Starbucks, and a $70/month smartphone contract.  Life is too short to spend working for the man, and too precious to waste on the opiates shoved on us by our culture, government, and the sheer information overload of the 21st century.  I'm ashamed to say it's been months since I just sat down with a good book and read it, and probably weeks since I spent any length of time playing music myself - although I have caught some sweet live shows which revitalize my spirit during these times.  I have a good job I (usually) enjoy, and it provides me with opportunity to pursue my interests and spend time with people I care about, but it also can be mind-numbing at times... I need those live shows, evenings with family or close friends, or amazing albums to keep me sane when the drudgery starts to get to me.


Find your mind, then use it.

"Your head will collapse
When there's nothing in it..."

7-22-11 - "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" ~ The Smiths

So tonight I finally watched (500) Days Of Summer.  It's a pretty good film, especially if you're into soundtracks (which I am, of course, being a guy who blogs about music...)  It's not just a romantic comedy; it has something to say about our culture, the idea of "love", and how we often allow reality to be shaded by our desires - sometimes to our own detriment.

This song is what brings the boy and the girl together in the early going, and it's got some pretty great lyrics.  It blends romantic feelings with morbid humor, and, well... just check out the song (and the movie, if you haven't already.)

"to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die "

7-11-11 - "We Didn't Start The Fire" ~ Billy Joel

You may have preconceived notions about Billy Joel, or even about this song.  I challenge you to put them aside for a few minutes and give it a critical listen.  It's definitely vintage '80s style, and actually made someone's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".  In Joel's own words, "It's one of the worst melodies I've ever written. I kind of like the lyric though."  He's on track there - the lyrics are what make the song for me.  (to be fair, the music is catchy, in that awkward way of 80s tunes where if you're in the right mood you dig it, but if not you want to rip your ears off...)


I had a prof in college open a class session with this song.  It was an early class, and most of the kids were kind of dazed and confused and maybe didn't really get it, but I was jamming to it and knew we were in for a fun lesson.  But... you don't care about that.


Joel wrote the song when he turned 40 in 1989, and it's a three-minute rapid fire retrospective look at world history during those 40 years.  The gist of the song is that there's a lot wrong in the world; and "we" don't want to take the blame for problems which we didn't directly cause.  Humanity as a collective over the course of history has done a lot of damage, and yes, we all are responsible in some small part, but most of us are "trying to fight it..."  It plays out as a combination history lesson, morality play, and exhortation to do what you can to make the world a better place.


Surely you'll get some of the references, though if you're around my age you were just a little kid when the song came out so some of the stuff that happened before our time may not be immediately recognizable.  But if you're so inclined, wikipedia breaks down the entire song.


The video goes along with the theme, showing American families over the course of those years and some of the horrible events that occurred during that time frame.  And you have to love Joel sitting in front of a fire drumming on a table with his hands in the choruses:

"Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say?

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it..."

6-29-11 - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) ~ The Proclaimers

This is gonna get complicated.  But hopefully also fun.  Bear with me (or just scroll down and watch/listen to the song.)


I watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother tonight with my brother.  The episode featured this song* as a cassette single that got stuck in a character's car stereo and was thus the only thing they could listen to for the bulk of 199,999 miles put on the vehicle.


This song is great.  It's also featured on a countdown list called The 100 Worst Songs Ever.  That's how you know it's legit.


My college uses this song as an icebreaker for incoming freshman classes, by making upperclassmen, faculty and staff get on stage and do a choreographed dance (teaching such moves as the prairie dog and frantic skiier to the 1000 freshmen).  Sentimental memories there for me... I wish I had this on video.  It's quite a sight to behold.


The song is not only insanely catchy and a testament to true love, it's also educational.  I just learned the meaning of the word "haver", and I bet you didn't know the definition until you clicked that link, either!


The Proclaimers are a band comprised primarily of blond Scottish twins.  Guys, not girls... and pretty dorky guys at that.  But come on, who doesn't love twins?  or dorks?  It's pretty great watching the one stand behind the other's shoulder and sing the echos / harmonies in the music video....


OH!  Did I mention that Johnny Depp is in the video?  Guess the song made the soundtrack of 1993's "Benny and Joon" starring everyone's favorite actor...

In conclusion, this may in fact be The Best Song Ever.  Or maybe it's not, but it's still pretty great, eh?


"If I get drunk well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you..."


* - downside of Blogger: they are in bed with YouTube and do not allow embedding of videos from other sites like Vimeo.  Why can't we all get along?

1-16-11 - "Dance Anthem of the 80's" ~ Regina Spektor

Bringing you a combination of pop and ballads, piano and synth, and delightfully absurd sounds and lyrics, Regina Spektor is loads of fun.  This one's a fun and upbeat one, full of the quirks that distinguish Spektor from other artists who might otherwise seem similar.  Might be a bit of social commentary in there as well, but mostly it's just catchy.  Have a listen.

"And it's only a matter of whom,
and it's only a matter of when..."