can you believe we are rolling into a new year already?!
oh how the time flies!
today's feel good tune is one i find to be completely relevant to what this blog is all about.
it's a song that on the surface seems incredibly simple and possibly redundant, but, really it's more complex than what it appears to be on first listen.
it's sung by a certain ten year old by the name of willow smith and her message is clear: when you're down and you feel like giving up- think again. whip your hair back and forth.
so i thought what better way to end this year, and to start anew with having the infectiously catchy yet inspiring anthem, "whip my hair" as the last feel good friday tune of 2010.
have a most radical new years! (but remember to be safe!)
and i will catch you on the first monday of 2011 for a music monday post.
(i will obvs be doing feel good friday still, so, no worries!) ;]
confession: i'm not up to speed on all the new music in mainstream media. i spend most of my time listening to cd's of bands i can't hear on the radio. (i know, who purchases cd's anymore? i do, okay?)
but, the other day for whatever reason i decided on my way to work i'd take a break from my cd's and listen to the radio.
and that's when i heard nelly's "just a dream."
now, you probably don't know this about me, but, when i was in junior high i L-O-V-E-D nelly & his music. "ride wit me," "hot in herrre," "dilemma," and "over and over again" with tim mcgraw were my JAMZ.
i will never forget the grammy's in 2003 when nelly and kelly rowland performed "dilemma" together... but, lets take a refresher course anyway!
i taped that performance on VHS, then watched it over and over again.
(sorry, i know, my puns are terrible.)
so, when i heard "just a dream," i was so ecstatic to hear new music by nelly. he sounds all grown up! it's definitely a more "mature" sound compared to the 2003 grammy performance.
he's got me curious about what's on the rest of his album, i just might purchase it if the rest is as good as "just a dream."
just thought i'd share a tune i'm really digging lately with all of you!
here's nelly's video for "just a dream."
have a lovely rest of the week, i'll catch up with ya on friday!
MERRY CHRISTMAS CHARLIE BROWN! erm, i mean READERS!
(for those of you who do celebrate christmas, and, if you celebrate something else, or, nothing at all, that is totally fine by me!)
there are two traditional movie viewings i need to partake in, in order for it to really feel like christmas.
the first being- "it's a wonderful life," and the second- "a charlie brown christmas."
the latter is a personal favorite of mine. i don't know what it is about charlie brown and his gaggle of pals, but, they warm my little heart right up!
on this christmas day, i want to share with you my favorite scene from "a charlie brown christmas!"
this is the famous scene where charlie brown learns what the true meaning of christmas is all about. (and where linus van pelt says one of my favorite quotes of all time.)
"i never thought it was such a bad little tree.
it's not bad at all, really. maybe it just needs a little love."
---linus van pelt
on this day, i hope you all stuff your bellies silly with delectable treats and are surrounded by all kinds of love!
earlier this month i told you i wanted to make you all the ultimate happy holiday play-list of cheer!
and so i put my family and friends to the test- i asked them what their favorite tunes are for the holidays, and boy, do i have a play-list for YOU!
i don't think the ultimate happy holiday play-list of cheer needs much of an introduction, so, without further adieu, here it is!
1. Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie and Bing Crosby)
2. All I want For Christmas (Mariah Carey)
3. A Wonderful Christmas Time (Paul McCartney)
4. Give Peace a Chance (John Lennon)
5. Feed the World (Band Aid)
6. Under Pressure ( David Bowie with Queen)
7. Last Christmas (Metro Station)
8. Baby It's Cold Outside (Chris Colpher & Darren Criss)
9. What Christmas Means to Me (Stevie Wonder)
10. Winter Song (Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson)
11. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Jack Johnson)
12. All I Want for Christmas is You (Vince Vance & The Valiants)
13. I Bought You a Plastic Star for Your Aluminum Tree (Michael Franks)
14. Christmas, Baby Please Come Home (Darlene Love)
15. Winter Wonderland (Jason Mraz)
16. The Chipmunk Song: Christmas Don't be Late! (Tegan & Sara)
17. Merry Christmas Baby (Hanson)
18. You Don't Have to be Alone (NSYNC)
19. The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
20. Happy Christmas: War is Over (John Lennon)
Bonus Tracks!
1. Christmas Truce of 1914 (Garth Brooks)
2. The Most Wonderful Day of the Year! (Rudolph)
(Entire albums that were suggested by my friends- Mariah Carey- Merry Christmas, Bing Crosby- Bing Crosby Christmas, Hanson- Snowed In, NSYNC- Home for Christmas, Glee- The Music, The Christmas Album, & Nat King Cole- The Christmas Album.)
WHEW!
well, we made it folks! that's the end of the ultimate happy holiday play list of cheer!
so, i told you if you helped me hit the 1000 view mark on my blog, i'd have something special for you today, and, since my blog is officially over 1000 views as of yesterday, i'm writing you a little something!
but when i said that yesterday, i sure wasn't expecting to have this lovely morsel to share, but, it looks like christmas came early folks!
i'm sure you've heard by now, but, if for some reason you haven't...
okay, so, now that i've made that fantastically wonderful announcement, i want to share with you one of my favorite things, which is also the "something special" i had planned for you in case the milestone of 1000 views actually happened! haha.
do we have any "arrested development" fans out there?!
if you've never heard of it, or never watched it, check out these clips, and you'll certainly want to!
(well, i hope so anyways. and, you should, its literally laugh out loud funny.)
this show is one of the very few i can watch over and over and over again and still find new things to laugh about.
in case you've never seen it, here's a brief synopsis (which, also incidentally happens to be part of the opening credits!)
"...And now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together... It's Arrested Development."
so, one of the running jokes in the show is "the chicken dance."
each family member has their own version of what they think "the chicken dance" is.
in the third and final season, we get to see a scene where the father's chicken dance is finally revealed, and a chorus of chicken dances ensue.
here is that scene!
now that you've seen that scene, (see what i did there?)
i hope you enjoy this remix of all the chicken dances that occur throughout the show!
this is my way of saying, "thank you for reading!"
i got a lot of stuff for you wonderful folks today, so, i'm just gonna dive right in!
hope you're ready!
sometimes a feel good song isn't only about the lyric and melody combination.
sometimes a feel good song can stem from an adoration and respect for the artist(s) singing the song.
(you probably already see where i'm going with this don't you? ;] )
this summer i went to a jack johnson concert. it was really such a fantastic experience, and a fab show to boot! my love for jack johnson's music is going on 8 years and to finally see him in concert was truly lovely.
so, when it was announced that tegan and sara were going to open for him in australia, i got so jealous of the people able to see one of those shows. (yes, for those of you wondering, the pun was intended :] )
luckily for me, and luckily for you, someone was able to catch a moment that i will probably treasure forever, and the moment that is this week's feel good friday tune!
jack johnson and tegan and sara singing "girls just want to have fun" by cyndi lauper together.
(and, if for some reason you haven't seen/heard the original "girls just want to have fun" i'm providing that video here as well!)
and if i'm being perfectly honest, whether its sara, tegan and jack singing the song, or cyndi lauper herself, "girls just want to have fun" is bound to make anyone want to get up and dance like a silly goose. am i right? so, listen, dance, and feel good doing so!
okay, now that you know the feel good friday tune, i have a couple of other things i'd like to share with you, because, 'tis the season, right? sharing is caring!
first, remember that student run telethon i was telling you about? the WAVM Beacon Santa Telethon? (where my 'rents played holiday tunes?) well, the students raised $28,000 for families and folks in need during this holiday season! so if any of you helped in any way, thank you!
second, my revel and riot shirt came in the mail last week, eeeek! so stoked! here's a photo of me proudly wearing my new shirt!
and lastly, i'm hoping to make an extra special feel good friday blog for you for christmas!
just think of it as a gift from me to you! :]
i'm looking to make the ultimate happy holiday play list of cheer for all of you, so if you have any suggestions of favorite songs and the artists that sing said songs, please feel free to leave a comment here, or get at me via twitter (@mrolla)
have a lovely friday, merry weekend, and please, remember to feel good today!
yesterday at work i played the board game, "are you smarter than a fifth grader?" with a large group of the residents shortly after they had dinner.
two ladies came down early to get a good seat.
grandma 1 quizzed grandma 2 before the game.
grandma 1: "so, we're gonna see how are brains are workin'? QUICK! what'd ya have for suppah?" grandma 2: (confidently) "soup and a chicken sandwich." grandma 1: "WRONG! it was soup and a seafood sandwich. looks like we're in trouble already."
but, i'll have you know, they were all smarter than a 5th grader. take *that* jeff foxworthy!
happy weekend! oh, before i go, i want to do a quick plug for an event truly close to my heart- it's called the WAVM Beacon Santa Telethon. it's happening all day today straight through tomorrow. this is a telethon run by kids from 6th grade to seniors in high school. (i participated in it when i was in 8th grade all the way through high school when i got to host it.) the telethon is 40 hours long and is dedicated to raising money for those who are less fortunate in hopes they may have a better holiday season.
if you would please check out http://www.wavm.org/ there are places for you to either make a donation, or to bid on some really rad items. (still doing a bit of christmas shopping? take a gander, ya might see something that would make a good gift, and the money paid will go to a family in need. it's like 2 gifts in one!)
last thing, i promise! you can stream it on your computer with this link. (aaand my 'rents will be performing holiday tunes from 4pm-5pm EST if you're interested.) i may be a little biased, but, i think they are quite good. :P http://wavm.org/telethon10/tvwebcast.html
today's feel good friday tune is a song perhaps you might have heard before, sly and the family stone's, "everyday people," but, the version i'm focusing on is the cover by the one and only joan jett.
don't get me wrong, i love the original by sly and the family stone, in fact, i'll post their video in here:
but, there's just something about joan jett. she adds a certain edge to the song with her rock essence that just oozes out of her.
what i appreciate about joan jett is her unapologetic nature to just be who she is, and she doesn't care if you take it or leave it. she's just going to do her thing regardless.
it shows an unwavering strength not too many people have. she holds her own in a world where men are the dominant competitor. rock'n'roll has few ladies to it's name, but joan jett refused to be bullied by that and still rocks hard even today.
ok, i'll stop gushing about my adoration for joan jett. (but i just think all that is so fitting for the reason i started this blog, and will maybe give some of you hope and a new rocker attitude! ;] )
she covered sly and the family stone's "everyday people," and i love it, so, my hope is you will too!
here it is!
ENJOY!
oooh-sha-sha, we got to live together!
happy friday! and have a most radical weekend! (even if you're working, like me, this weekend! lets try and make the most of it, yeah?!)
my very first concert was a beatles tribute band show.
i tell you this because the beatles themselves, their music, and their message(s) to the world played a huge part in my growing up.
my dad is in said beatles tribute band. he started it before i was born. i remember around the age of of 5 i told people my dad was paul mccartney. well, i mean, he would perform on stage with three other guys singing beatles' songs for hundreds of people. (and i was 5 ok?!)
before grade one i knew the beatles' catalog in its entirety. if you were to have asked my six year old self to sing you any beatles song, i could.
my favorite movie as a kid- besides the mary martin version of peter pan, and besides my one my little pony vhs, was the beatles' movie, "HELP!" i L-O-V-E-D that movie. my whole family and i quote it whenever we can, still, today. (if you haven't seen it, and like the beatles, you totally should, its hilarious. also, watch "a hard days night," its quite funny.)
but *why* am i telling you this? its not friday and its clearly not a grandpa/grandma says post either.
today is the 30th anniversary of john lennon's death. and, even though he and i never walked on this earth together, he was such a huge part of my childhood, an important part in my growing up, and his music resounds in my heart.
i think about him often because i wonder what he would be like today if he were still alive. he was always changing, evolving not only his sound, but his ideals and his message to the world. he was a political being and used his voice- not only in his music with songs like, "woman is the n***** of the world," and "imagine," but, he also was known to put up billboards around nyc to support the cause he was speaking up for.
i just imagine what he would look like, sound like, dress like, and most importantly, what he would say to this generation of people, if he were here today.
so, to tie this all together, i want to share with you a song that paul mccartney wrote for his dear, dear friend john lennon after he died.
it's called, "here today."
"and if i say, i really loved you and was glad you came along, that you were here today, for you are in my song." --paul mccartney
finally, it feels like it's been forever since i posted a feel good friday blog, but, alas, it was really only just seven days ago!
this week's feel good tune is by a band that i happened across 5 years ago accidentally during my first college radio show.
(little background history for ya- in high school i was REALLY into our radio/tv station, and loved it so i majored in broadcast media in college. at our high school station you didn't need to bring your own music with you because we had a whole library full of cds and albums, sigh, remember those? anywho, at the college station, it was necessary to bring your own music, except, no one told me, so i didn't.)
but, on the bright side, this was how i found and then fell inlove with a band called "steel train."
you see, there was a library full of cds and albums at my college's radio station, but, they were mostly promotional cds that only had three songs on them, and most of them were bands no one had ever heard of.
so, i started perusing the shelves looking for albums that had appealing covers in hopes that their music matched their album cover. (i know, its a strange statement, but it makes sense to me ok? ;] ) steel train's twilight tales from the prairies of the suncaught my eye and it was love at first song. i pretty much played their entire album that show and from then on it became a staple on the show. i would always play "better love" right before closing my three hour shift.
so, that's how i fell inlove with steel train. and i've been lucky enough to see them open for some of my favorite bands! they opened for hanson and tegan and sara (in the same year, how awesome!) since then i've seen them a few times, and i'm fortunate enough to see them tonight! eeek so very stoked!
speaking of which, i gotta get ready, so i'll spill this week's feel good tune :]
it's steel train's "children in the 90's (i'm not the same)"
my fave lyrics are:
we are born with a melody,
we were children in the 90's
we're gonna hear it again tonight
i want to hear it again tonight
we're gonna take it all back tonight
this song is another one of those songs that is just perfect to turn up real loud and rock out to.
as i’m sure you all are aware, christmas is 24 days away, and hanukkah begins tonight!
it seems as though every year “holiday awareness” creeps in earlier and earlier. this year alone, i saw christmas ornaments put up in some of my favorite stores the day after halloween. of course, as you know, thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so, to feel like it had been skipped was a little insulting. but i digress.
now that i’ve had my day of thanks, and it is the first of december i feel as though i’ve passed “go” and can collect my $200 dollars. (or in this case, i’ve celebrated thanksgiving and can now break out my holiday music.)
because i’m a 90’s child, i still adore my nsync christmas album as well as my hanson “snowed in” album. i do of course love the classics like nat king cole, and frank sinatra, but there's something exciting about your favorite band or musicians singing a holiday tune.
and boy, did i receive a special treat this year! i trust you’ve all read about my affinity & respect for the sisters quin, or, how they are better known- tegan and sara. (if not, click here: http://bit.ly/gaREhR)
while i was stumbling through the interweb one evening recently, i happened upon a youtube video of tegan and sara (along with their mother & ted) covering "the chipmunk song (christmas don’t be late)" the song is featured on an album titled, "gift wrapped II: snowed in" it has many other well known artists cover christmas tunes, like regina spektor, the goo goo dolls & the spill canvas to name a few.
the video is below this adorable picture of tegan and sara with santa claus.
here's the song:
and here's the website if you're interested in purchasing the album "gift wrapped II: snowed in," http://bit.ly/e1clVk
obviously this was much to my delight and i had it on repeat for a couple of days. after the initial excitement of having a t&s song to add to my holiday music collection, i got to thinking:
what are some of your favorite holiday tunes? and when do you break'em out? do you wait till thanksgiving? the day after? the week before?
just curious as to what your traditions are!
hope you have a lovely rest of your week!
(and for those of you celebrating hanukkah, i am a lover of latkes, so, if there are any extra... i'll take'em!)
happy new year's eve readers!
