Random (but not really)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Do You Know What’s Awesome?

Stride piano is awesome.

Handful of Keys

Fats Waller

Written by Michelle at 8:09 pm    

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Categories: music  

Thursday, April 29, 2010

There’s a Price to Pay for a Wish to Come True…

Wishing Well

Bob Mould, from Workbook

Wishing well runs wet and dry
I wish for things I never had
Surrounds and wells up in my eyes
The screaming voice, it lies
Wishing well gets someone’s attention
Every wish you ever had
In a day of nights, in the darkest of light
Sits and cries, watch the lies

Could you give me a wish if I tell you what I want?
Will the price be no object?
I wish for dreams of light
I live for wishing well surprise

Deepest light, the secret lies
Wishing well gives you all that you desire
Homes and trains, and the greenest of plains
That you ever happened upon
The silent wish, it calls you out
Calls you out by name
Lays upon the plain, on the mountain high
City lights, wish delights

What if the waters and wishes appear?
Will the price be no object?
I wish for dreams of light
I live for wishing well surprise

Twist and shape on the winding twine
Around the spindle winds
Wish again, four times again
Four wishes deep into the well

There’s a price to pay for a wish to come true
Trade a small piece of your life
Roots in the soil, uprooting the soil
Mountain high, the mountain high
The wish is only to speak a kind
Kind of word, so benign absurd
The well, three wishes run dry
Wishing well is dry
When no grass grows, the weeds run in line
Wish three wishes, three wishes run dry

Written by Michelle at 10:45 pm    

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Categories: Depression,music  

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Love this Life

Love this Life

Seal my fate
I get your tongue in the mail
No one is wise
Until they see how it lies
Love this life
Don’t wait till the next one comes
Pedal my faith
The wheels are still turning round, turn round

And maybe the day will come
When you’ll never have to feel no pain
After all my complaining
Gonna love this life
Gonna love this life

And so they threw you in jail
Whatever you’ve done
It was a million to tone
And don’t you just love this life
When it’s holding you down
Pedal my faith
The wheels are still turning round, turn round

So maybe the day will come
When you’ll never have to feel no pain
After all my complaining
Gonna love this life
Gonna love this life

There’s something that you can do
Even if you think that I hate you
Stop your complaining leave me defenseless
When you love this life
Gotta love this life
Love this life though you’ll never know why
Gonna love this life
Gonna love

Written by Michelle at 7:26 am    

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Categories: Depression,music  

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Running through My Head..

May as well add this to the mix.

Hell, let’s just go ahead and wallow.

Written by Michelle at 3:57 pm    

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Categories: music,Non-Sequiturs  

Friday, April 16, 2010

Prince Week: Day 5

So why all the love for Prince?

First, Purple Rain was the first album I ever purchased (second was Crowded House, third was Pet Shop Boys “Please”) I wore out that tape, listening to it again and again.

Second, although I am by no means a musician of any sort, I played guitar for about 10 years, from the age of 8 or 9 all the way through high school. I can also figure out the basis of most instruments with a little bit of noodling around. (The reason I am not a musician is because I am incapable of getting past the beginner stage on any instrument.) But my history of musical training and playing gives me a tremendous appreciate for musicianship. My friend Andy used to tease me because I’d like music and he couldn’t understand why, then I’d go, “wait, just LISTEN to this bass line!” From the very start, I was awed by Prince’s music abilities. The guitar on Purple Rain never fails to astound me.

Third, Prince has never rested on his laurels, but has always sought move forward, to change his sound with every album. Which is why I am always astounded by people who say they don’t like Prince. Period. Every album has a different sound and a different feel? With that much variety how you can dislike everything? I admit, there are some albums I like better than others, and some albums that don’t do much for me, but it’s always something different, every album.

Fourth, as much as I sometimes find rock stars mortifying in their actions and behaviors, and as much as Prince can be way way way over the top, he is always a consummate showman. And as over the top as he is on stage, one hears very little about his private life. Nothing about drugs, nothing about alcohol binging, nothing about getting picked up by the cops for who knows what. Which leads one to believe that his over-the-top showmanship is just that: showmanship. You have to be impressed by anyone who manages to be in the public eye for so many years, and not have had illegal or immoral actions repeatedly smeared across the headlines.

Which leads me to the fact that he doesn’t seem to care what you think: he does what he wants, and he seems to be very happy being himself, and living the dream of doing what he loves. Yes, that can not help but make one a little jealous, but it’s also something to be admired. Be yourself and say what you think. He does it, and I admire it.

But for me, it always comes back to the music.

Speaking of which…


(There’s no video here, just the song)

Written by Michelle at 6:00 am    

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Categories: music,UCF  

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Prince Week: Day Four

Here’s another cover, this time of “While My Guitar Gentle Weeps.” Jim & Jeri, please take note that Prince doesn’t sing a note–it’s all guitar. (Tom Petty is the main vocalist.)

Here’s something I think both Eric & I have been trying to get at with our series of posts: even those who say that “don’t like” Prince, probably like one of his songs as covered by another musician. And sometimes those songs were the launch pads for the careers of those musicians.

Chaka Kahn covered “I Feel for You”
Prince wrote “Manic Monday” for The Bangles
“Nothing Compares 2 U” launched the international career of Sinéad O’Connor
“The Glamorous Life” and “Love Bizarre” were both hits written by Prince for (and with) Sheila E
“Kiss” was covered by Tom Jones
The Goo Goo Dolls covered “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” *
Cyndi Lauper’s hit “When U Were Mine” is a Prince cover **
Living Colour did a rendition of “17 Days”
“The Cross” was covered by Soul Asylum
Mavis Staples has covered Prince songs, as has Tina Turner

There are plenty of other songs, but decided to limit the list to bigger hits covered by more famous artists.

In other words, I have a hard time believe that there aren’t a number of songs liked by those who claim not to like Prince.

________________________________________
* This is a great cover on the Goo Goo Dolls album Hold Me Up
** Eric discussed this cover in his Tuesday Prince post.

Written by Michelle at 6:00 am    

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Prince Week: Day Three

Here’s another cover, this time of “Thieves in the Temple”

Again, for Jim & Jeri, Prince isn’t singing, so you shouldn’t mind listening.

In contrast to yesterday’s post about sex, the other thing Prince is known for is songs about G-d.

Probably the biggest juxtaposition of sex and G-d comes on the album Around the World in a Day. Temptation goes from an almost graphic description of sexual temptation, to someone (presumably G-d of the Torah) putting the smack-down on Prince, and after lots of tortured screaming (which I admittedly do NOT like) ends thus:

I’m sorry
I’ll be good
This time I promise
Love is more important than sex
Now I understand
I have 2 go now
I don’t know when I’ll return
Goodbye

Way too Old Testament and Leviticus for me.

The other song on that album dealing with the issue of G-d is The Ladder.

Everybody’s looking 4 that ladder
Everybody wants salvation of the soul
The steps U take are no easy road
But the reward is great
4 those who want 2 go

This is done as a parable, and I’m not sure it’s the most coherent of his songs, but it’s very singable and one I enjoy listening to.

The one song I don’t particularly like and almost always skip is The Cross on Sign O’ the Times. I know some people who like it, but the lyrics are entirely too heavy-handed for my tastes.

The last song I want to mention however, is one of my favorites, and one I think that gets the tone just right.

I’m not a woman
I’m not a man
I am something that you’ll never understand

I’ll never beat u
I’ll never lie
And if you’re evil I’ll forgive u by and by

First of all, it’s got the best beat of any song on the album, and Purple Rain has a lot of strong songs.

Second, although it’s implicitly about G-d, it’s not explicitly about Christianity they way the song The Cross is. More importantly, the song is about living what is important. Unlike the lecturing tone of Temptation and The Cross, this is saying that G-d is love. That G-d is forgiveness.

Plus, like I said, it’s got a fabulous beat.

Today, Eric is talking about Prince’s musical talents, specifically his skill on the guitar.

Written by Michelle at 6:00 am    

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Categories: music,UCF  

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

And Now for Something Completely Different

Written by Michelle at 8:12 pm    

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Categories: music  

Prince Week: Day Two

No embedding, so you’ll have to click to see this video of Prince covering Radiohead.

The point (for Jim & Jeri) is to note the guitar. And here is Eric’s addition to day two of Prince week.

However, while I’ve got this platform, I’m going to expound a bit.

First things first, I’m hard pressed to understand why someone would despise Prince. I can understand not liking an artist’s voice–I cannot stand Bob Dylan’s voice. nails on a blackboard–but I like many of his song when they have been recorded by other artists. I can get not liking an artists style of music, except that Prince has written songs in so many musical genres that seems a rather ridiculous statement as well.

So I’m going to take a shot in the dark about what I’m guessing bothers at least some people: sex.

Prince really likes to write and sing about sex. A lot. Hell, his 3rd and 4th albums were “Dirty Mind” and “Controversy” so it’s not like he’s hiding his themes.

But here’s the thing: Rock & Roll and R&B have a history of misogyny. But here’s the thing about Prince’s music: for the most part he doesn’t write about women, he writes to women. And to be honest, I often find it disconcerting, since I tend towards prudishness. But if you listen, what he’s pretty much saying is that he loves women, and let him tell you all about what he wants to do to you (assuming you are a woman).

But there’s something else to note as well.

Consider Little Red Corvette released in 1982. Did you ever notice that he blithely throws out the use of condoms as an expected occurrence? Or Sign O’ the Times from 1987, which implicitly mentions AIDS, and male to female transmission (via needle sharing, but still). And I love I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man: “Wouldn’t be satisfied, with a one night stand, and I could never take the place of your man.”

And he has had women in his bands–not just token females there to look good or female back-up singers or female lead singers with a male band but female musicians. It’s a more common occurrence, but still far more rare than one would expect.

So despite the sex–or perhaps because of it–Prince has always given off an attitude of respecting women, which is something that certainly wasn’t common when he was starting out.

Written by Michelle at 6:00 am    

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Categories: music,UCF  

Monday, April 12, 2010

It’s Prince Week!

I’m going to take a slightly different tack from Eric, who is also celebrating Prince week.

For those of you who are not on Twitter, Eric and I were taken to task by Jim & Jeri for our love of Prince. And this is the song that started the whole thing off. Except, of course, that I was listening to the Prince version.

And here’s Eric addition to Prince week: Medical advice by the Purple One.

Written by Michelle at 6:00 am    

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Categories: music,Non-Sequiturs,UCF  

Thursday, February 25, 2010

This Is All Eric’s Fault

Written by Michelle at 6:00 am    

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Categories: music  

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Bigger Better Faster More

Since I’ve finally ripped (most of) my CD collection, I’m rediscovering all this music I used to love.

I’ve also made a fabulous playlist for the gym, and as I listen to it, I keep going, “Ooh! I love this song! Oooh! I love this song too!”

It’s strange how my brain classifies some music automatically as “music to play in the car while driving really fast with all the windows down” which is different from “music that is good to dance to” or “music I love to sing along to” or any other category my brain can come up with.

But I was really thinking about “music to play in the car while driving really fast with all the windows down.”

Here are some of my favorites in that category.

Whitesnake – Here I Go Again
Don Henley – Boys of Summer
Sugar – Good Idea
Green Day – Welcome to Paradise
Replacements – Alex Chilton
Pearl Jam – Alive
Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock
Faith No More – Epic
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Taste the Pain
White Zombie – Black Sunshine
Cowboy Junkies – To Live Is to Fly
No Doubt – Just a Girl
ZZ Top – La Grange
Tina Turner – What You Get Is What You See
Urge Overkill – Positive Bleeding
Smiths – How Soon Is Now?
Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name
U2 – Pride (in the Name of Love)
Cracker – Lonesome Johnny Blues
Dada – Dizz Knee Land
Toadies – Possum Kingdom
Proclaimers – 500 Miles
Posies – My Big Mouth or Definite Door
L7 – Shitlist
Masters of Reality – Doraldina’s Prophecies
Yes – the entire 90215 album
Prince – the entire Purple Rain album
Tom Petty – the entire Southern Accents album

I know there are lots more I’m missing–I had lots of lots of tapes, which are all gone, and they included almost all my heavy metal. And really, what’s better than heavy metal for driving fast?

Now, just to clarify, I do NOT listen to these songs while driving anymore. I listen to public radio.

And I haven’t gotten a ticket in more than a decade.

Written by Michelle at 9:50 pm    

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Categories: music  
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