30 Days of Music: Day 9

A Song That Reminds You of Something Sad

I've never been "lucky in love".  Throughout high school, and the majority of college, I was labeled "friend" by whatever boy I had a crush on.  It was not fun, and never easy to watch the other girl get the guy I wished liked me back.  It was equally difficult to listen to the boy share his girl woes with me when I wished he would just see ME.  The topic is songs that remind me of something sad; well here it is.....my nonexistent "love life" through college and the sadness it caused!  The songs in this post are some that helped me deal with the sadness, and move on.

I love the movie My Best Friend's Wedding.  I laugh, and cry every time I watch it.  I can relate to it in SO MANY WAYS!  This first song comes from that soundtrack.  "You Don't Know Me", by Jann Arden.



"I Can't Make You Love Me", by Bonnie Raitt is next.  It's a beautiful song to begin with, but also a wonderful coping song!




"It Will Be Me" by Faith Hill was another song that got me through my sorrow.




Now onto songs that helped me get my head out of my sorrows and move on.



"The Power of Good-bye", by Madonna is a song that is very emotional.

Your heart is not open so I must go
The spell has been broken, I loved you so
Freedom comes when you learn to let go
Creation comes when you learn to say no

You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress you had to burn
Pain is a warning that something's wrong
I pray to God that it won't be long
Do ya wanna go higher?

[Chorus:]

There's nothing left to try
There's no place left to hide
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye

Your heart is not open so I must go
The spell has been broken, I loved you so
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress

[Chorus2:]

There's nothing left to lose
There's no more heart to bruise
There's no greater power
Than the power of good-bye

Learn to say good-bye
I yearn to say good-bye

And finally, the song that always helped me leave it all behind and move on.  "I'll Be Okay", by Amanda Marshall, also from the soundtrack for My Best Friend's Wedding.




I hope you enjoyed my sad journey today!

30 Days of Music: Day 8

Songs That Make You Want to Dance

Originally I was just suppose to pick one song that makes me want to dance.  Seriously?  Just one?  Nope, don't think so.  First off, I don't dance.   But there are many songs that make me want to tap my feet.  Below are a few of those songs.  Get ready:  my love for music from the 1970s will be seen here!

The very first song that came to mind when I thought about what songs make me want to dance was "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson.  If you're not wanting to dance within the first 30 seconds, then I don't know any song that will make you feel that way!!





I was introduced to this song when I was watching a figure skating show on TV back in 1996.  Those were the "golden years" of figure skating, when Scott Hamilton led the tours of all the famous names at the time.  Kurt Browning, one of those skaters, did a routine to this song, and I've loved it ever since.




Now for a little female inspiration.  ABBA did a song called "Dancing Queen" that gets people up off their feet each time they hear it.




A party favorite, YMCA always gets a crowd jumping.



(admit it, you did the YMCA movements with your arms, didn't you?!?)


And now for a trip into the early 1980s....to Whitney Houston.  How could I do a post about dancing songs and not put "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" in it?  I hadn't watched this video in a long time before writing this post.  Holy cow....the pink/purple/blue eyeshadow!  We look back now and wonder what we were thinking, but her look was so popular in the 1980s!!!




Finally, the song that got an entire room dancing...and won a Grammy.  If the final scene from Dirty Dancing doesn't inspire you to at least pretend that you know how to dance, I don't think there is hope for you!  If anything, every girl wanted to learn this dance, wanted Baby's dress, and to dance (and kiss) Johnny!!!  Patrick Swayze, you are so missed!

30 Days of Music: Day 7

A Song That Means A lot to You

When I was younger my family would travel to the Bay Area in California to visit my grandparents.  Every time we would cross over the mountains and change the radio station, my favorite song (at that time) would play at one point during the last hour of the drive.  It was really strange because it would happen every single time we went.  It became something to look forward to during the trip.

This song also holds a lot of meaning to me because it was my very first favorite song.  I have loved it since the first moment I heard it.  What girl doesn't want a man who will fight for her honor, or be the hero she's been dreaming of?  Goosebumps are coming!  From the soundtrack of the movie Karate Kid:  Part II, here is "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera.

The next song that means a lot to me is "November Rain", by Guns N' Roses.  This has more of a sentimental meaning for me.  When I was in high school, my friends and I would go to church dances.  "November Rain" was a VERY popular song and was usually played at each dance.

During this time, one of my oldest friends had a crush on me.  At 9 minutes long, this was the song where he would ask me to dance with him....because it was so long!  (He was always really clever that way!)  It became almost a routine because at each dance, this song would play, and over to me he would walk asking me to dance.  I'd hear the first 3 notes and know that he was on his way over.  And when most people would stop dancing around the 8 minute mark because it sounds like it's over, he knew it wasn't and would keep me until the song truly was over.  I hadn't listened to this song in a REALLY long time, and when I heard it a few days ago, I smiled as the memories came flooding back.  Good times, and a great song!

30 Days of Music: Day 6

Guilty Pleasure Songs

So, I was a teenager when New Kids On The Block were popular.  They were, and still are, my first loves!!  By the time these groups/artists came around, I was nearing the end of high school and not really interested in boy bands and young female pop artists.

That being said, I do have 4 guilty pleasure songs from the 4 main groups/artists in the industry during that time:  NSync, The Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears.  And I'm guessing that many of the people who read this post will also secretly like these songs!!












By the way, in the battle of NSync vs Backstreet Boys, I always liked The Backstreet Boys better.  I also like "I Want It That Way" better!

30 Days of Music: Day 5

An Acoustic Song You Love

I have been a Bryan Adams fan for many, many years.  MTV began a show in the 1990s titled "Unplugged" where different musical artists would come and perform their greatest hits "stripped" down, using the least amount of instruments, and using different instruments from the original songs.  The show was a great success, and many artists came and participated on the show.

Bryan Adams "unplugged" version of "Heaven" is one of my favorite versions of an acoustic song.  Below you'll find both; the unplugged version, followed by the original.

Enjoy!




I love the vulnerability that an acoustic song creates.  It feels like I'm right there with the artist when they were first writing the song.  It's raw, and full of emotion.  And hey, it's Bryan Adams, so there's another plus!




I've also always loved this version, even though the video is a little ridiculous.  The acoustic version wins for me though.

Which version do you prefer?