But I could not recall who sang it. I thought maybe it was from a Queen song, so I spent almost an hour listening to various songs in my Queen collection. I thought maybe “Killer Queen”, but no. Nothing. Search engine searches were also coming up empty.
If you’ve ever had just a small part of a song stuck in your head, then you may know it can be very difficult to find the song by the notes alone. You cannot just type in the notes into a search engine, you know!? Searching for “sounds like Queen” however brought up Mika’s name and it was only moments from that search that I discovered this was the song stuck in my head and I had the lyrics wrong…
Why don’t you like me?
Why don’t you like me?
So if you cannot find that song stuck in your head, just add “sounds like” to your search!
He is totally the musical child of Freddy Mercury though. I love Queen, so I don’t think that is a bad thing at all.
“Sara Bareilles was inspired to write Love Song after failing to produce successful hits, and one critic said that she needed to write “a marketable love song”. Bareilles has stated that that statement gave her the drive and anger necessary to write Love Song, proving that she could indeed write a hit, and that she had no double standards.”
This has got to be one of G’s favorite songs. She lights up every time it comes on.
While trying to search for this song I discovered The Chords and “Sh-Boom” really kicked off Doo Wop’s popularity in the 1950s. The song is definitely one of the earliest Rock and Roll hits.
I found this video on the “origins of Sh-Boom”. I love how the origins are inspired by little sounds in the their lives.
I am so tired this morning. Perhaps some Vampire Weekend will be like the water splashing in my face to awake me, or a cup of musical coffee. Nah, they’re more like a cup of musical coffee splashing in my face and making me all sticky. Regardless I am to tired to care.
Once upon a time you could not go to a party without this song blaring. Imagine, if you will, a whole house full of people jumping all at the same time as the house threatens to give up and break under the stress. Ah the good old days, before this song was designated for brief air play as filler to rouse a crowd e.g. at sporting events. Anything played at such events makes it seem tame or even lame, but before we play it at little Billy’s 3rd birthday party, let’s review some lyrics…
…
Cause I got lyrics and you ain’t got none
So if you come to battle bring a shotgun
…
I gots the skill, come get your fill
Cause when I shoot ta give, I shoot to kill
…
Try’n to play me out like as if my name was Sega
But I ain’t going out like no punk bitch
…
Now Billy, remember, it is not nice to call Grandma a “Punk Bitch”!
I would have to say I was obsessed with this album when it first came out. (I believe G was equally obsessed too.) I have listened to this album start to finish possibly more than any other album in my collection. It is just so good. He’s funny, honest, real… refreshing. He is the voice I hear telling me to discard all the crap society is pushing on me, all the expectations of others, and just live. I should just be who I am and live the life I wish to lead. He is an inspiration. I find the roughness of his voice beautiful and the perfect compliment to his piano.
G and I had the opportunity to see him in concert a few years ago and to meet him (in a ‘meet and greet’ line afterwards) and we found ourselves to be dumbfounded fans, totally speechless, though he has truly touched our hearts. I recall his live rendition of “The Consort” was particularly good.
…enough with the love letters to Rufus, and on to the songs…
I am currently reviewing the list of songs on the album, and I usually pick a favorite 5, but in this case of the 12 distinct songs (the 13th track is a reprise of “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk”, so it does not count), I cannot bring myself to cut the list any shorter than 8. Even then I am tempted to just list all the songs. The album is THAT GOOD. More than any other album, I was obsessed first with one song, then another, then another, then another, and it went on for months and months. I can honestly say that between 2001 and 2003 I was obsessed with each one of these songs at one point. G and I had to have our own CDs so we didn’t have to share.
Did I mention it is good yet? Great? Excellent? Remarkable? Am I beating a dead horse? Oh but don’t take my word for it. Listen to the following songs and you decide!
Here are my 8 favorites from the album, with “Thriller” being my favorite.
I like many of the songs represented, however, the one song sung by Annie Lennox that truly blew me away, both when I fist heard it and now, is “Into the West”, which is the closing song on the “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” soundtrack. If you’ve actually sat down and watched the full 11 hours 38 minutes (extended version) of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, then you know that when you get to the closing it is a heavy moment in all regards. This song is perfect for it. When the song reaches this section, it is so powerful and so full of great triumph and sorrow…
What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home
I would be lucky to have such a great song play for me when I sail into the west.
Now I know Annie did not write it alone. It was written by Howard Shore and Fran Walsh along with Annie, but regardless I cannot imagine a better singer for this song. A great song can be wasted on mediocre performers. This one was not!
I like to throw out Hannah Montana’s name as one of the extremes in music that I listen to. It has a certain amount of shock value among my peers, and I enjoy that. Yes. I genuinely like this song and have heard it many times. It even spent some time on my iPod. It is sort of Dixie Chicks meets pre-slut Britney Spears I think.
Yes she is possibly a complete fabrication of a large corporation, and yes I usually frown upon most large corporations trying to fabricate “art”. Corporately produced music tends to have that plastic wrap feel to it, and frequently falls short of being at all interesting. The passion is missing. But in “teen pop” the plastic wrap feel is almost a must. Just like singles cheese. Sure it is no substitute for aged brie, but sometimes I just want a grilled cheese with some plastic singles cheese while I listen to my Hannah Montana. At least I do. I guess I am truly an American after all.
Plus I think most people unfairly discard Hannah Montana but haven’t actually heard any of the music or seen the TV show. Listen to the song first before you judge, and who knows, maybe you will like it. And for those of you who love Hannah, brace yourselves. Miley Cyrus (AKA Hannah Montana) is getting older and former Disney stars have a tendency to “go bad” at some point. Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, etc. etc. Vanity Fair’s pictures could be just the beginning.
Oh and for the record, me listening to Hannah is all G’s fault.
It is funny (and nerdy) right from the start. The opening is so musically nerdy, emulating and parodying so many rap songs…
…ugh ugh, yeah yeah, this is a sad jam…
Some other lines that just cracked me up…
…can we switch controllers…
…they’re grabbing my hand saying don’t hit yourself…
…I just was intimidated by your three vaginas, Larry, Curly and Moe…
Finding the “can we switch controllers” line funny shows my true geekdom. Only a true geek would understand.
I also love the little things in the video, like the surface of the moon being made up of bare back sides. Brilliant! It definitely requires repeated viewings!
I feel like some Nine Inch Nails this morning and I think “Closer” is their crown jewel. Perhaps I want NIN because I feel a bit like the spinning pig’s head in the video?
Some of you may recall the video was too much for MTV and had to be censored. Fortunately the one above is fully intact: nudity, gagged Trent Reznor, and monkey on a cross!
And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
Makes me think of G everytime with her brown (and green) eyes, who incidentally bought me this album, “Plans”.
I kinda liked Death Cab for Cutie until I heard this song. Now I say I love them. This song is my favorite by them. I got to meet them briefly at a concert in 2006 and I actually have a picture of my friend, Ben Gibbard, Chris Walla, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr and me before the show. I’d post it, but I kind of like being all anonymous, so you’ll just have to picture six hot guys in your mind. The show was awesome too. They played much longer than a lot of bands do, covering every single they’ve had and then some. If I recall they basically played everything off of “Plans” too. Ben is truly a great singer and an entertainer and I was impressed with Jason McGerr’s drumming style. It was the kind of show you wished would just go on and on and on too.
There was a great bit in one of the songs where Ben pulled out a mini drum set, and he and Jason had a bit of a drumming battle going on. It was awesome. I think back to that concert when I now practice my drums. I need to practice more. This day job thing really gets in the way! Paying the bills is optional, right?
Listen on Blip.fm!