What I'm listening to lately

I'm a sucker for a whistling song.



This is what my heart would sing if it could sing.



And I will always listen to this song. It's not new but this is the best lip sync EVAR!!

Covers

Sometimes covers are better than the originals.
Here are a few examples:

I do love Beyonce but I really hope that these guys make it big one day.



Only fitting to now include a cover of Beyonce's husband. This song was originally done by Jay-Z and now has been remixed using banjo. You gotta love that. I'm a sucker for a banjo.



This song was originally done by Depeche Mode and is great. However, I find myself listening to the Johnny Cash version time and time again.
Of course, I find myself listening to Johnny Cash A LOT and he will get his own entry at some point.



Janis Joplin (my personal hero and worthy of her own post one day) covered this song originally done by Kris Kristofferson. Her version is much better and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that can emulate her voice.



This song was originally performed by Otis Redding (who is awesome) but then Aretha, the first lady of soul, took it to a whole different level.



Then of course we can get into samples, mix-ups, mashes, remixes, etc. but that's another entry for another day.

Vampire Weekend

If this doesn't make you dance then you are dead. Monkeyface and I have weekly dance parties to this band. I went to their concert back in October and watched as 2 of my best friends created a giant dance party. I didn't run down the first time b/c someone had to film the start of the dance party but I did join them soon enough. We were at the new Raleigh Ampitheater and the people up front were going crazy. We were back on the grass inside the giant dance pit and the poor people in the middle just sat there watching the show b/c they didn't want to stand up in front of the person behind them. Shame on them! You should always move your butt to this music. The band thanked the eccentric people in the back at the end of the show and we went wild.





Jake Gyllenhaal anyone? YUMMY!!! and one of the Jonas brothers.



This song makes me go completely crazy and I have to dance quick quick with tiny running steps. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!

Songs that will always remind me of your dad

Sharp Dressed Man-ZZ Top


Your dad loved this song and used to play it ALL THE TIME. Your uncle and I were discussing this just yesterday. His favorite part of the song was when they said "black tie" kinda under their breath. He always sang that part and looked at us. Like-look how cool I am...ahhahah!

Centerfold-J. Geils Band


This is another one of those where your dad would stop what he was doing to either sing the song or watch the video if it was on TV. I mean, it is girls jumping around in lingerie so I can't blame him for liking this.

Blondie-Rapture


Now keep in mind that your dad is 9 years older than me so when I was still in primary school, he was already a teenager. Back then we used to drive to Asheville, NC at least twice a year and it was an 8 hour trek. We would be stuck in the back of the car for all of these hours and had to pretty much be quiet and not bug mom & dad. I remember singing this song with him. I also remember dancing around in his room when he wasn't there playing this record. I love this song and still know all the words. Blondie was pretty bad ass.

Songs that girls love

Wow! I didn't realize it had been 2 weeks since my last post. Life and work have gotten out of control. Sorry about that. If I could listen to music on my computer at home then this would be easier. I will give you two posts this week to make up for lost time.

Anyway...on to music that girls love.

Everytime I hear this song I turn it up and shut my eyes. You should too.




The song below will make every girl in the room go "Yay!" and every self-respecting male go "WTF?!" Most girls dance to it. Most guys will not. Their loss.



And this last song better make you dance or I will be very disappointed. I've never met a girl that can resist it.

What I'm listening to now-Part1

Ok so let's come back to the future. I've given you information on my 2 favorite bands but now it's time to let you know what's good right now. These are songs that are on repeat for me whether I'm in my car, listening to Winamp, or working out.



I like everything about Passion Pit and really haven't heard a bad song by them. Also-this video is kinda awesome.



This chorus makes me sing out loud in my car with your cousin. I need to put it on my ipod pronto. Of course if I do I may find myself singing out loud at the gym which wouldn't bother me so much as it would the person next to me.



This songs makes me want to dance like Molly Ringwald (the red head) circa 1985. Also you need to watch The Breakfast Club with your mom one day. She totally watches it every time it's on TV. Every girl does.


And the last song (for now):

The night I found out I was pregnant I had tickets to see LCD Soundsystem. However, after receiving such life altering news, I just couldn't bring myself to go out and dance (yet).
As you can see, I love music with funky beats. I can't help myself. If it can be danced to, I'm on it. Your cousin and I have had so many dance parties since he was born. This is why you must come visit and dance with us. I'll make you both music snobs...just you wait and see.

Talking Heads

To continue with the mixed tape theme that your dad gave me, I need to flip the tape over. Talking Heads is my second favorite band of all time. My third favorite is the next post.
And She Was is my favorite song by them. Can't really explain why other than it makes me want to lie in the grass and watch the clouds go by. It's always made me happy to listen to this song.

I would listen to the tape your dad gave me over and over again until it broke. I have worn out several copies of True Stories. Your uncle and I spent the first few months of our relationship holed up in his apartment listening to Little Creatures and More Songs About Buildings & Food


This is an essential song on every road trip mixed cd. It was created 25 years ago and still remains relevant. I find myself always singing this song at the top of my lungs.

I think you could pretty much listen to any song on the True Stories album and fall in love with them. You could also watch Stop Making Sense and figure out why I can't stop listening or watching.

The band officially disbanded in 1991 and ventured out on their own. David Byrne, the lead singer, has done some amazing solo work and I hope to one day see him actually perform live. I've met him and I've bought tickets to his concert but strep throat forced me to stay home. Why do I keep missing concerts of my heroes? David Byrne is a genius. He has produced a number of songs with Brian Eno (who is connected to EVERYONE in the music business), started his own record label, Luaka Bop, has a radio station, creates art, and writes a great blog






Not to mention all of the bands he has worked with and made great music!




Chris Frantz (drummer for Talking Heads) and Tina Weymouth (bassist for Talking Heads) married and formed the Tom Tom Club after the band fell apart. You should actually recognize the song below because it has been remixed into other songs so many times.


After Tom Tom Club they moved on to become Gorillaz. Which is still going strong today.





I could go on and on about how fabulous Talking Heads was. Do the research, play around and listen to them on youtube. You won't be disappointed.

R.E.M.

I have to start with R.E.M. I have listened to their albums over and over again. I actually know the names of their songs instead of the song number on the cd. I used to dance around to them in college and save my money to buy their bootlegs(I miss saving all my money to buy bootlegs).

When I was in elementary school your dad was in college. One weekend he brought home a mixed tape of some of the best music I had ever heard. It was the beginning of what would be my journey away from mainstream music.
One song in particular that stood out to me was It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I feel fine). It used to freak me out that someone could sing so many words in such a short span of time. I also felt a little weird that the kid was playing around in an abandoned house that eerily resembled the one that was behind Granny's house. I think once you hear this, it will be your mission to figure out all of the words. I remember sitting by my tape player rewinding it over and over again so that I could write down all of the words. This was before the internet and actually being able to type in a name of a song and instantly finding lyrics. It was a long process but totally worth it in my book.

Thus began my love affair with R.E.M. I have never had the opportunity to see them live but I swear that I will remedy that. Considering the only musician that made it down to our tiny town back in the day was Tiny Tim, I haven't attended as many concerts as I would like. (Fancy tidbit...I saw Tiny Tim perform in a 3 ring circus that Granny had free tickets to. I believe the name of it was the Great American Circus. So random and weird.)
I don't really appreciate their music too much after the GREEN album but you may. Another fancy tidbit...the cover of the GREEN album is actually bright orange. The reason is that if you stare at bright orange long enough, you will see green when you look away.

Other R.E.M. songs that make me leave my seat:






I absolutely love Kate Pierson and Michael Stipe together. We will talk about Kate Pierson another day. You should know about her too.

Here's a list of someone else's favorite R.E.M. songs. Do with it what you will...as long as dancing is involved at some point.

A little background

The idea behind this blog is that I am giving you (my niece) the gift of music. For the next 52 weeks I will be introducing you to new bands, old bands, different genres, and different eras of music. There will be music to listen to for different reasons. There will be music for different occasions. The point is to expose you to as much music as I can in one year. This is something that I wish someone had done for me when I was your age. At the end of the year I will give you all of the mp3s of the songs I have chosen here.

At least once during this next year, you & I will attend a concert together of my choosing.
At least once during this next year, you & I will have a dance party.
At least once during this next year, I will blow your mind.

Now I'm just putting the idea of new music in your head. It's up to you to figure out what you like, what you don't, what you want to explore further. Feel free to comment and tell me what you think, or don't. The point is, we get to listen to some really cool music together.