ToT: Music To My Ears,

Topic:  How has music influenced your life?  What is your favorite song or artist?  Is there a certain song that inspires or motivates you, or just makes you feel happy, sad, etc.?

Well geez, Louise.  And I thought LAST week's topic was difficult.

Let me start by saying that I had a very lengthy and long-winded post all written yesterday and I couldn't bring myself to hit the PUBLISH button.  I just...couldn't do it.  I wrote it all and linked about 50 bands in it and then I realized that I hadn't answered the questions.  That is actually NOT unusual for me, but then I reread it.  And I realized that I didn't really SAY anything.  I just...blabbed. 

I don't like to blab.  I like to be deliberate in my words even if they are deliberate tangents and deliberate anecdotes.  I don't like to just talk to hear myself talk or write to fill the white space.  After all, I have MUCH to actually say...so why not just SAY it?

I am going to leave a small portion of my post from yesterday.  It is here in red:

Music.  I don't even know where to start.  I'm married to a guy whose life IS music (you know, after his 9 to 5).  He plays guitar and plays all sorts of songs by other artists that range from Frank Sinatra to Tool to Van Morrison to the Beer Run song by Todd Snider.  He also writes and plays his own original songs and some of them are very close to my heart.  And no, they aren't all love songs.  Some of my most favorite songs are the ones he wrote when his biggest influence was RATM.  Political, hatred-filled, angsty songs from the late '90s and early 2000s. 

Those?  Those right there were the days.  Right?

I was very attached to Chris' band when we were in college.  I went to EVERY show they played and was often the only person cheering them on.  I sat through broken strings and soundboard malfunctions and band members storming off stage because CleverTruth didn't get to play their allotted time frame.  I've been there.  I've done it.  And I'd go back in POINTZEROTWOSECONDS.  I loved every part of Chris being in a band.  It made him happy.  And what makes him happy makes me happy. 

Of course things are different now.  We have a child and bills and we're, you know, adults.  I'm not by any means saying that adults can't be in bands.  We have some friends who are in very successful bands.  But what I AM saying is that it is slightly more difficult to dedicate time, energy and money to something like a band when you have a full-time job and also have to pay for things like electricity and life insurance and tumbling class for a 3-year-old.  It's just...life.

That's all I'm leaving from yesterday's blabbing.  Because that is the part that is, to me, important.  Music helped bring Chris and I together.  It helped us learn to work as a team to accomplish tasks.  It helped me learn to support someone in everything they do.  It helped him learn to trust me when I would say sort of mean things like, "That sounds like junk.  You need to take that riff out and you need to take out some of the lyrics because it just sounds jumbled." 

And no, I don't a vast education or experience in the song writing/playing/performing area.  I basically just use my common sense and my love of all types of music.  And I'm honest.  That's the tough part.  Being honest about something...also being constructive.  I don't tell Chris something is terrible just to say it's terrible.  I tell him it's terrible and then tell him why and we work through it to fix it.  And by "we" I basically mean "him."  I just sit there and look pretty. :)

Moving on...

How has music influenced my life?  That's tough.  I was in an orchestra for 6 or 7 years.  I learned to work as a group to make a piece sound amazing.  I learned discipline and that it takes practice to be good at something.  I will also NEVER forget the sound of a tuning A (right, Michelle?).  I learned a bit about performance.  I made some life long friends.  And from all of that I take away some experiences I would've never had without our orchestra.

Also, music gives me something to relate to.  I am a lyrics person, so I first and foremost listen to lyrics.  Let's face it...I can't dance.  I do like a good rhythm, but lyrics are key to me.  I do have a sense of humor, though, so I do appreciate a good pop song that means nothing.  I just recently bought the LMFAO CD and I love it. 

Song lyrics are so important to me that I often speak in them.  I quote them.  In my mind, there is a song for every situation under the sun.  My blog is even named after a song.  I had a blog before this one and even before my Forty Weex blog that was also named after a song.  I don't have a great ability to write outstanding song lyrics, so I really appreciate those artists who can. 

What is your favorite song or artist?  That's even tougher.  I don't have a favorite song.  I don't even have a favorite artist.  I like different songs and artists for different reasons. 

For the sake of this entry, I'm not going to name many songs and/or artists.  To me, music is so much more than lyrics and instruments.  It's passion.  It's story telling.  It's expression of a vast array of emotions.  And if an artist can roll all of that into one, I'll probably like it. 

Is there a certain song that inspires or motivates you, or just makes you feel happy, sad, etc.?

A few songs stand out to me:

Alanis Morrisette - All I Really Want (a really good live version) - My anthem as a girl who just wants to be happy. :)
Dave Matthews Band - Crash  (official video) - A song that reminds me of the beginning of the life that Chris and I have made together.
Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World (a very moving video in regards to the Vietnam War) - The first dance at our wedding reception...and a reminder that no matter how bad things get, you should still try and see the beauty in the world.
Peaches And Cream - John Butler Trio (a live version that brings the tears) - The song that will forever be Jayna's song.  She's my little peach.  This song helped me through a miscarriage and a pregnancy...and it is the perfect representation of how I feel about having a child.
The Best Of You - Foo Fighters (official video) - A dedication to all the people who've brought me down over the years.  I don't have time or energy for your bullshit, thankyouverymuch. :)
Pressed Against The Sky - The Toadies (just...the song.  there is no video or good live performance of this song because it's pretty obscure unless you're a Toadies fan) - A love song by a wonderfully talented band...and it reminds me of Chris.
**All of those are pretty safe for work and kids.**

All of those have longer stories, but we could be here forever. 

That's one of the things that I LOVE about music.  It's an amazing process that our brains go through when you hear a song and you can instantly be transported back to a VERY specific place 10, 20, 30 years ago.  An example:  When Chris and I first started dating, I was at IU with him.  We were hanging out in the dorm room of another person we went to high school with.  DMB's Crash was playing.  I remember that exact moment.  I remember exactly where I was, why I was there, what I was doing, the smells, the feelings, everything.  And everytime I hear that song, I'm instantly take back to that rainy November night from almost 15 years ago.

I like every single song the Toadies have ever written/performed/recorded.  There is something about Todd Lewis' voice that makes their music so very appealing to me.  He could sing the phone book and I'd listen.  He can sing very well, but can also bust out the rock and roll scream.  And he's so very passionate about his music.  And the guitar playing?  Wow.  He can make a guitar sing...not just make music.  He can make a guitar sing.  If I wouldn't have found Chris, I'd still be chasing Todd (or Dave Grohl). :)


I've answered all the questions, but the truth is that I could probably write a book about music and it's influence on me.  In fact, in November, I'm thinking of doing 31 days of posts...all on the topic of music.  It could be interesting. :)

So...what do y'all like to listen to? 

Remember:  Use the list to the right to go read our other ToT posts!!  And we have another newbie this week.  Welcome Erica!!

Restitution of the Century

Let me direct you to this post. 

Read it.  I'll wait.  If you've already read that post and you want to wait with me, here's an awesome photo for you to enjoy:

Photo courtesy of Billboard.

(No...I'm not actually crazy.  I do know that you don't have to wait.  And neither do I.  I was trying to be...funny?  Or something. I really just wanted to post a picture of Dave Grohl.  You know what I'm talkin' about, Katy M.R.)

Done reading?  Good.  Y'all are slow readers. :)

Anyhoo...I haven't forgotten about missing that show.  I'll NEVER forget missing that show.  I'll probably mostly remember because I was gigantically pregnant and super sensitive and hormonal and stuff.  But regardless of why, I'll always remember giving my ticket to my super good friend Erik, who now resides in Germany and gets to be a househusband and drink beer on that bicycle beer cart thingy all day.  (Man...I hope he reads this.)  So he and Chris went and enjoyed the show and called me so I could hear a song...which really just made me cry more.  I appreciate the sentiment, but geez.

The Foos are touring again...3 years later...and I when I learned that they were touring, I patiently awaited the listing for the show in my large Midwest city.  Much to my dismay, all of the US dates have been released and Australian dates are being released.  They.  Aren't.  Coming.  Here.

I waited and waited thinking they'd add my city.  They always stop here!!

I waited so long, in fact, that by the time I was certain they were NOT coming here, all the other Midwest shows were long since sold out.  Meaning that I'd be missing the show yet again.

I've been trying to see this band since...oh, I don't know...since I was around 23 or something.  Since I became a diehard fan.  And it's just never worked out.

I was beginning to think that it was just destiny that I was never going to get to see the Foo Fighters live.  It just wasn't in the cards.

UNTIL.....(cue dramatic music)

Earlier today, my good friend K80 sent me a Facebook message telling me how dismayed she was that the Foos skipped us like we were yesterday's donuts.  I replied that I didn't really know what to say.  Her response??  "I do!!  Come with me to St. L!"

There was NO way I could swing that!!  The show is in less than 2 weeks.  I had plans that day with some friends I haven't seen in 35 years.  I have a 3-year-old and a husband who couldn't POSSIBLY live without me for less than 24 hours (that's sarcastic, Chris.  Don't hate).  No way was that going to work out.

AND THEN...(more dramatic music)

Well, I emailed up (see what I did there?  I used an old phrase with new technology) my friend I haven't seen in 35 years.  I told her the sitch.  And the I THREW MYSELF ON THE MERCY OF THE JENNA COURT and asked her not to hate me.  You know what that sweet lady said?  She said, "You're an idiot if you don't go to that show."  Okay, maybe she didn't call me an idiot, but she probably wanted to.  So we rescheduled and that was taken care of.

Next up?  The husband.  I already had my line of defense.  HE GOT TO GO LAST TIME WITHOUT ME.

End of story.

So...I'll be traveling to St. Louis with K80 in about a week to fulfill my lifelong dream of seeing the Foos live.  She'll never know what this means to me.  Hell, maybe she will, but still. 

I am super stoked.  Excited.  Anxious to be traveling that far without the hubs and the child.  Grateful.  Oh...and excited. :)

Stay tuned (in about a week) for photos.  Probably of just stupid things, but photos anyway.

February 2011 Six Pix

February was the debut of my iPhone.  There are pros and cons to that situation in the area of photos.

I take atleast 50 photos a month with my phone.  I run most of them through Instagram and post them to Facebook...all from my iPhone.  It's so much easier than uploading just one or two pictures from my actual camera just to put them on Facebook.

In the month of February, I took a total of 42 pictures.  That's NOTHING compared to most months.  But half of those were iPhone photos. 

Anyhooters, my point is that atleast I have the ability to take on-the-fly photos with my phone.  That means that I TAKE more pictures.  But that means that a lot of them aren't very good quality and rarely make it anywhere except to Facebook.

Here are February's Six:

Camera photo.  This was Chris' first time playing in 10 years in a band for an audience.  While the band has since parted ways, he gained so much musical knowledge and confidence in his playing over that time period.  Big things are coming for him.

 

Camera photo.  KT went with me to Chris' show to support him.  Even though it was in a high school gym.  In Martinsville.  On a Friday night.  She's a good friend.

iPhone photo.  Jayna and I made the Valentine's for her preschool friends this year.  These were for the boys.  On the back, they said, "Best fishes on Valentine's Day."

 

iPhone photo.  When I asked Jayna what she wanted to get for her friends for Valentine's Day, she said hair barrettes.  So I crocheted some flowers and glued them to barrettes.  The little girls still wear them.  The owl was the Valentine card for the girls...also made my Jayna ME.

iPhone photo. It's NEVER too cold to swing.  NEVER.  I love the perspective of this photo. It's whimsical to me. :)

 

iPhone photo.  This was the first thing that Jayna built all by herself with her blocks.  It's a robot.

As you can see, more photos from my phone than from my camera.

What did YOU do in February?

Mishmash Monday: Updates Out the Wahzoo

I don't know if that's how you spell "wahzoo."  I'm sure it isn't and that someone will correct me.  I'm sure of it.

I'm also not sure if "mishmash" is one word or two words.  I'm sure the same person who knows about "wahzoo" knows.  So they'll be able to kill two birds with on stone.

TEN DAYS.  That's how long it's been since I've blogged.  A long ass time. 

And to be honest, it's been because I just haven't felt like doing it.  Yes...I've been busy.  Yes...I've been preoccupied.  And yes...I've been busy.  Wait...did I....nevermind.  I don't really know what's going on. 

I have lots of things to say from the past 10 days.  Most of them probably deserve their own posts.  But not all of them will get that.  I'll do a Jayna post tonight or tomorrow because my kid is the most awesome kid I know and she always deserves her own posts (hell, at this point, she could probably narrate them for me to type.  She's a smart and sassy kid.).  But all the rest of this shiz is going in a bulleted list.  That's just my style.

• Interesting...I pushed the "bullet list" button up at the top of my blog post page and I suddenly forgot what I wanted to put in my bulleted list.  It's as if the pressing of the "bullet" button erased my memory.  Like in Men In Black.  I always thought it would be really helpful to have a neuralizer.  When I say something stupid, I could just pull out the thing and "flashy thingy" someone.  I'd be using that thing atleast 3 times a day.
• I planted some things about...well...10 days ago.  A tomato plant, a raspberry bush, some orchid gladiola bulbs and some other flower seeds I had lying around.  I only plant things in pots, so I don't have to wait as long as if I were going to plant them in the ground.  I grow tomatoes every year.  I asked Jayna what she wanted to grow this year and she said, "I grow berries mommy.  Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries."  I urged her to pick just one.  She settled on raspberries and I bought one of those "in the box"-looks like just a dead stick-probably won't grow raspberry bushes.  Hey...it was 5 bucks with 20% off.  It was worth a shot.  I was pretty certain when I planted it (in a giant pot for now) that it was completely dead and wouldn't grow.  After 10 days it looks MORE dead.  I wasn't even sure that was possible.  I don't have a particularly green thumb, but I can grow things and keep them alive for long periods of time.  This plant has had water and sun and lives on my back patio safe from the "wild."  All the other plants are atleast doing SOMETHING.  The raspberry...notsomuch.  So this weekend I bit the bullet and bought a live-from-the-nursery-already-green-and-growing raspberry bush.  Jayna asks me atleast once a week if the bush has raspberries yet that she can eat.  If I don't grow something that produces ATLEAST one raspberry that the kid can eat by the end of summer, I'm in major trouble.  Here's hoping the new raspberry bush grows quickly.
• Chris' band, Call Me Elmer, (like them on Facebook, please!!!!!) has their first paying gig on my birthday.  It's at the Columbus Moose Lodge.  I am excited for them!  They are very quickly and surely learning and perfecting 4 hours worth of songs to play.  Wish them luck if you see them on Facebook!
• I've changed my running routine and it's going smoothly.  Before a couple of weeks ago, I'd start running and just keep running until I almost passed out.  I'd stop to walk and I'd feel defeated...mostly because I felt like I wouldn't be able to start running again and run for any amount of time.  I'd run for about 15 minutes and then stop and walk.  I'd start running again after around 5 minutes of walking.  But I'd only be able to run for around 8 minutes before I'd have to stop and walk again.  I now run 10 minutes and walk 5 minutes.  Even if I'm not tired, I keep up that pattern.  I don't get so tired so quickly and my breathing stays constant.  If I keep up the pace and routine that I'm doing now, I'm set to finish the mini in around 3 hours...probably around 3 hours 15 minutes.  And if it takes me longer...who cares!?!  That probably sounds like a very long time to some of you, but keep in mind that 3 weeks ago I was contemplating not running it.  I was scared to death that I wouldn't finish.  The tweaking that I've done with the running is working wonders for my confidence and is very encouraging.  I even want to run more after the mini!!!
• Easter was fun this year.  Jayna is getting older and is finally catching on to the traditions of the holidays.  She had a great time finding Easter eggs at Nana M's house.  She got a lightning bug house from Nana B and she won't stop asking if we can go outside and catch some. :)
• If it doesn't stop raining soon, I'm going postal.  Thath is all.
• I am excited to begin helping lots of friends with their kids' birthday cakes/cupcakes.  I really love making and decorating cupcakes and it is awesome that I have friends who trust me and will let me help them make their kids' birthdays just a little more special...without breaking the bank!!  I do all my work for free.  That's what friends are for. :)

What have y'all been up to??

Five for Friday: Life

I've been absent, blog friends. 

I'd like to apologize as I know that you've all been sitting on the edges of your seats waiting to hear what's going on in my life.

Yeah.

Here's the breakdown:

1. The new Foo Fighters album, Wasting Light, was released last Tuesday.  I had had a rough day that day because Jayna was sick (see #2) and I'd been home with a whiny, albeit good, child ALL DAY.  My good Foo friend K80 knew that I hadn't had a chance to go buy the album, so she bought it for me and delivered it to me.  I'm forever indebted to her.  She even got me the enhanced limited edition that includes a piece of the original recording tape for Wasting Light.  Her gesture of friendship and genuine care hasn't gone unnoticed.  It is a fabulous album beginning to end, front to back, head to toe.  It has a semi-permanent place in my car CD player and I listen to it over and over and over again.  There are no songs that I skip, but my favorites are Arlandria and These Days.  If you are a Foo fan or are on the fence about whether or not to buy the CD, do it now.  I'll wait. 
2. Jayna has been sick with a cold since Monday.  Chris was concerned that it was something worse, so he took her to the doctor on Wednesday.  Nope...just a cold.  The doctor prescribed Benadryl for her to dry up some of the mucus and, in turn, to help with the cough.  I was super excited about this because it meant that Jayna would sleep instead of cough all night.  Little did I know that Benadryl makes some children (namely, MY CHILD) hyperactive maniacs.  She did finally go to sleep, but the crazy conversations she had with herself alone in her room were priceless.  At one point she'd been quiet for about 8 minutes.  I was relieved that she'd finally fallen asleep.  Out of the blue, I hear her scream, "APPLE FARTS!!!"  And then she laughed hysterically.  She did that for 30 minutes.  Then she was out cold.
3. I am running a 5K tomorrow.  Supposedly in the rain.  With thousands of people.  Should be great!!  I'm not nervous or anxious at all.  (Read:  I'm  anxious as hell.)  I don't even want to go.  I want to sleep in and relax.  After the Mini, I don't plan to run anymore races until next year's Mini.  They make me too...crazy.
4. Chris learned how to play a bluesy version of Walking on Sunshine.  This makes me happy.
5. I want to move.  We need a bigger house.  And if the opportunity presents itself, I'll be jumping on it.  Who knew a child's stuff could take up so much room?!?

2010 In Review Monday: Jayna's Favorite Songs

Jayna definitely has her own taste in music.  We do help her along, but she will hear a song and stick to it.  It is sometimes annoying...you know, listening to the SAME EFFING SONG literally 15 times in a row in just one car ride.  But it's very cute that she likes songs other than "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and such.

Her favorites for 2010 are as follows and are in no particular order:

1. Alligator Pie - Dave Matthews Band.  She still loves this song and will ask for it from time to time.  She calls it "the pie song."  If you listen closely you can hear a dog barking in the background at the beginning of the song...and that is why she likes it so much.
2. Honey Bee - Tom Petty.  Chris plays this on the guitar sometimes and she totally freaks out.  "Mommy...listen!!  What is it?  IT'S THE BEE SONG!!!!"  All while jumping up and down and smiling ear to ear. 
3. I'm Not Calling You A Liar - Florence + The Machine.  This is one of her newer favorites and she knows LOTS of the lyrics.  I worried at first because on of the lines is "I love you so much I'm going to let you kill me."  BUT....how long will I be able to censor music for her?  She's too young right now to ask questions about what it means and it actually sounds sort of like "kiss me."  So Chris sings it that way for her.  She does know lots of the lyrics and will dance in her carseat to this song."
4. Shake Me Like A Monkey - Dave Matthews Band.  Again...some questionable lyrics, but she really just loves it for the "stackophone."  :)  Oh, and "Everybody get together...gonna make love SHINE!!!"
5. I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders.  We played this for Jayna from our wedding CD and she called it "the marry song" for the longest time.  She seriously knows EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. to this song.  All of them.  Better than me.  And she thinks I'm singing it.  HA!!  She's got another thing coming if she thinks I can sing like Chrissy Hine.
6. Icky Thump - The White Stripes.  You should see the head bobbing that goes along with this!!  Hilarious!!  She also likes to say the name of the song.  It's pretty cute.
7. Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine.  Pretty much any song with a clap track is a hit in Jayna's head.  If she can clap to it and get 5 or 6 words right, she's happy.

What were your favorite songs in 2010??

Five for Friday: New Music

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to buy some new CDs.  I just can't help myself...

Florence + The Machine - Lungs.  She has an awesome voice.  Sort of reminds me of Feist but a little more...feisty. Haha.

Cake - Showroom of Compassion.  I've never pre-ordered a CD.  Until now.

John Prine - John Prine.  An old one, but new to me.  I heard a version of Spanish Pipedream done by the Avett Brothers and  now I'll probably have to have that version too.

Toadies - Feeler.  Vaden Todd Lewis is one of the most underrated frontmen that ever lived.

Shawn Mullins - Light You Up.  I'm actually ashamed to admit this...but the song Light You Up is very convincing. 

What are y'all listening to?? 


(I TRIED to add photos, but Blogger is stupid today. )

Five for Friday: Awesome Rap Songs

Listen up, youngens.  Rap music used to be outstanding.  I couldn't find it in my heart to choose just 5 songs, so I chose 5 albums.  Deal with it.

Now THIS is rap music (in no particular order):

1. Warren G - Regulate...G Funk Era.  I love, love, love this album...err, CD.  How old am I??  Anyhoo, I always listen to this CD beginning to end because the whole g darn thing is just ridiculously awesome. "This DJ be Warren G..."
2. House of Pain - House of Pain.  This is another one that I listen to beginning to end.  Nothing like a white Irish rapper who can totally kick out the jams. :)  "Put on your shit kicker and kick some shit..."
3. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP.  I don't even really need to say anything about this one.  Y'all know what's up.  "...all you other Slim Shady's are just imitating..."
4. Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle.  Complete and utter awesomeness.  "...threw on my white socks with my all blue Chucks..."
5. Dr. Dre - The Chronic.  Need I say more??  "Ain't nothing but a G thang, baby..."

All of you who are around my age and, at one time or another, enjoyed rap music will appreciate this list.  Everyone on earth should go buy (or ALREADY OWN) all of these CDs and listen to them when young children are absent.  Lots of rage and drugs and sex and all the things that make rap music great. :)

What are y'all's favorite rap songs/albums??

Five for Friday: Rap Songs

I know.  It's Monday.  Sue me.

I have a love/hate relationship with rap music.  It's sort of like a guilty pleasure for me...I love to listen to it even though I know it's ridiculous.  And it seems to be getting more and more ridiculous the older I get.  And I can't decide if it's because I'm getting older or if it's because the music is getting worse.  It's GOTTA BE THE MUSIC, RIGHT??

I don't generally listen to rap music in the car and stuff.  But every now and again, just to keep up with the youngsters these days, I flip the radio over to my local R&B/Hip Hop station.  (Note to self:  write a blog entry about what this particular radio station considers R&B or Hip Hop or rap or just nonsense.)  On Friday I was feeling a little loosey goosey (get it out of the gutter...) so I flipped over to the rap station.  In ONE hour I heard the most nonsense that I've EVER heard on the radio...EVER.  It is beyond me why some songs get played on the radio.  I heard one song that had more words bleeped out than it had not bleeped out (bleeped in?  what is the opposite of bleeped out?).  I heard something like, "And (bleep) (bleep) rollin' (bleep) havin' a party (bleep) in (bleep)..." and so on and so forth.  Amazing.  (Note to self:  write a blog entry about when a song is just too "explicit" to play on the radio and how may bleeps should be allowed before the song needs to have a radio edit version, i.e. In Da Club by 50 Cent.)

So, today's Five for Friday stems from rap music.  Five for Friday:  ridiculous rap lyrics I heard in the time span of ONE hour (and this really could be a 50 for Friday...seriously):

THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS ATTACHED ARE NOT SAFE FOR WORK.  PLEASE DON'T WATCH THEM WHILE ON THE CLOCK.  THE LYRICS ARE EXPLICIT.

1. Lil Wayne ft. Gucci Mane - We Be Steady Mobbin.'  "big house, long hallways/got 10 bathrooms I can sh*t all day."  How effin' ridiculous is that?  I'm not sure I need to say anything else.
2. Lil Wayne ft. A MILLION EFFING PEOPLE - Bed Rock.  "I Love Ya Sushi Rolls, Hotter Than Wasabi, I Race For Your Love, Shake And Bake Ricky Bobby."  I mean, I love Talladega Nights, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't good enough to make it into a song.  Unless you're Lil' Wayne, I guess.
3. Birdman ft. Drake and, yep...you guessed it, Lil Wayne - Money to Blow.  "Yes i make mistakes that i don’t ever make excuses for/Leaving girls that love me and Constantly seducing hoes/I’m losing my thoughts i say damn/Where my roof go?/Top slipped off like Janet at the super bowl."  Oh dear.  Constantly seducing hoes?  A "Janet at the superbowl/wardrobe malfunction" reference?  What is this world coming to?
4. Trey Songz ft. Fabolous - Say Aah.  "I got a table waitin, what you think about a convo/And if you like it baby we can take it to the condo/And if you like the condo/We can move the party to the bedroom/Imma beat ya body like a congo."  The funny part about this one is that the rest of the song talks about "pocketful of money" and "poppin' bottles of champagne."  And you only have a condo??  Wow...high roller. :)
5. Jay Z ft. Swizz Beatz - On To The Next One.  "Used to rock a throwback, ballin' on the corner/Now I rock a teller suit looking like a owner/No I'm not a Jonas brother I’m a grown up/No I’m not a virgin I use my cajones."  Poor Jonas Brothers.  I think it's the ultimate insult to be mentioned in a Jay Z song. 

What is the world of rap music coming to??  What happened to just rapping about marijuana and stuff??  And now every song has to feature someone???  I'm so confused.  Next Friday...my five favorite rap songs.  I know you can't wait. :)

What ridiculous song lyrics have y'all heard lately??

Bumper Sticker of the Day

This one will only be funny to some people.  Others will probably be indifferent because they won't get the joke.

Trust me, it isn't a good joke.  Just a joke.

The bumper sticker said:  TRUST ME.  I'M A DRUMMER.

I know alot of drummers.  I guess not a LOT.  But probably more than the average non-musical girl.  And on The Trust Scale of 1 to 10...1 being "no, you can't borrow my car at anytime ever even if I'm dead" and 10 being "sure, take my kid to King's Island and have a blast,"...I can say that drummers as a whole get a whopping -36 on The Trust Scale.  I think there is one drummer I know that may get a 2.  Meaning that if I were, in fact, no longer walking the earth he could potentially borrow my car.

And those of you who know a drummer know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.  Flakey, flakey, flakey...

But all you drummers out there know I love you.  :)

It makes a man say damn...

***This probably isn't totally safe to play if you're at a public computer or at work or something. I say "probably" because you really have to listen to the lyrics and be diligent to hear the bad stuff.



I LOVE this song. And I actually had to do some research as to who sings it and what the actual name of the song is. And, as I often am, I was curious about what he's doing these days or where he is...you know, dead? Alive? Still rapping? Bagging groceries? Anyway, his Wikipedia entry is sparse and I've not the energy to search further. He apparently still raps but I suppose it isn't good enough for the radio. BUT...as luck would have it, his 2004 release The Love Never Dies is for sale on Amazon. Hit the link to hear samples of the songs. I must warn you...I listened to some of the samples. And I thought they were Ditty. That should tell you something.

So, listen at your own risk. Especially his new songs.

Mr. Boombastic

Another one from early high school. I can't decide if Bob Marley would be *proud* of this reggae or if he would be super-effin-pissed. I think it's a toss-up, but I'm gonna go with the latter.

I'm a little sad to say that I owned this CD at one time. I actually still like Shaggy...this song just makes me laugh. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh. And laugh. It will forever remind me of my next door neighbor's boyfriend, Alex.




Enjoy!!

Yay!! A New Oldie!!

This one is from high school as opposed to middle school. Funny. I STILL love this song. BlackStreet is rad, yo.

Color Me Bad??

No...COLOR ME AWFUL!! And LIVE!!



And let's not beat around the bush..."I wanna sex you up." I'm pretty sure that can only be interpreted in one way. Am I wrong here??

A few things about this song...

* I believe that this song may have been one of the front-runners of my generation (that had lyrics that were NOT up for interpretation) targeting teens to have lots and lots of sex. I am surprised that my friends and I weren't mating like rabbits.

* Or maybe it wasn't aimed at teens. The song does tell us to disconnect our phones. And we all know teenagers don't do that.

* "Tick tock to the heart you don't stop??" WTF?? What does that even mean? I guess we could ask Snow.

* This is the second song I've posted that has been on the Arsenio Hall Show. I'm not sure what that even means, but I'm pretty sure I don't like it.

Happy listening!!

And if I ever...

...hear this song again, I'll still like it. I adore this song. Enjoy!!

(I can't post the actual video. Youtube has disabled embedding. I'm sure it's a legal thing...thanks Metallica for starting all of that legal shit with the internet.)

It's wiggity wiggity wiggity whack!!

This oldie goes out to my girl Laura...




Not only is it an oldie song, but it's on one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE oldie TV shows, In Living Color.

All I have to say is...some of them try to rhyme but they can't rhyme like this. What else needs to be said?

Today's Oldie

Today's song makes me laugh because I used to HATE this song. Probably mostly because it was so overplayed, but I still hated it. And I heard it today and sang along with it...and it's not that bad! You know me, I love an awesomely bad '90's song!!



All you '80's babies enjoy!!

Oldies...

Do I even have to say anything??




And while we're listening to Arrested Development...




That really takes me back. :)

Another Oldie

I heard this gem of a song today on The Oldies Station. This one is even more hilarious than the last one!!




So, I looked up the lyrics to this song because it sounds like he says, "a licky boom boom down" in the chorus. Guess what he really says? "A licky boom boom down." What the hell? What does that even mean?? I guess that's why he only had one song.

The Oldies Station

I like to listen to the radio at work. The problem? My radio is a huge piece of shit and only gets a few stations. One of the stations' that I can actually tune in to has the slogan "We play anything." And they are NOT exaggerating. I've heard so many songs on this station that I haven't heard in ATLEAST 10 years. That's so funny to me...it's like I'm listening to the "oldies" station. And that, my friends, makes me old.

I heard the song below a few days ago and have been singing it in my head ever since. As an old professor of mine would say (my Rock and Roll of the '70's and '80's professor...yes, it was an elective class), "That's a song you can really hang your hat on." You know, a hook?



If you are part of my generation, I HIGHLY recommend that you watch this video. I know a few of you shared my love of this song at one time or another. When I was looking up who sang this song, I learned that the song was released in 1991...18 years ago!!! Holy...yes, it's confirmed. I'm old.