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!)
(this week’s feel good friday is extra special, it's my thanksgiving edition!)
i’m going to let you in on a little secret, thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. the reason is this; thanksgiving is all about good food, good drinks, and most importantly- good company. when you boil it down, it’s really just about taking some time to spend with the ones you love. (what could be better than that?!) so, my hope is that you all had a most wonderful thanksgiving, ate the most scrumptious food until your bellies wanted to pop, and were able to spend it surrounded by the ones you love, and the ones who love you!
since this is the thanksgiving edition, i thought i’d do something extra special for all of you folks today. earlier this month i asked my friends to share with me a song (or 2) that puts a smile on their face, or is their defense against the darkest and gloomiest of days. here’s a little playlist brought to all of you by my friends. if you’re having a rough day, where you just feel like you wish you were “normal” or could just “fit in” and maybe “disappear,” remember that i care about you and accept you for exactly who you are! and my friends want to support you as well!
hope you enjoy the play list, and can refer to it whenever you are having “one of those days.”
1. “Be Ok” By Ingrid Michaelson
2. Almost anything by Frank Turner, but try Photosynthesis first:
3. Anything by this guy (shameless plug for my pal mike)
4. “The Sound of Sunshine” By Michael Franti & Spearhead
4b. Speaking of M. Franti, my friend says “Say Hey I Love You” is awesome! (and i totally agree!)
5. “Dog Days are Over” By Florence and The Machine
7. “Here Comes the Sun” By The Beatles
8. “Something About You” By Level 42
9. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” By Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
10. “End of the Line” By Traveling Wilburys http://bit.ly/2A8JxR (my friend swears to goodness it’ll change your life! and once again, i couldn't agree more!)
11. “Shark in the Water” By W Brown
12. “Mr. Bly Sky” By ELO
13. “It’s the Sun” By The Polyphonic Spree
14. “Dream Big” By Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband
15. “Steer” By Missy Higgins (this is one of my personal faves!)
enjoy! and hope if you go shopping at any point today that you are uber careful, its dangerous out there today.
well would’ya look at that? it’s friday once again! thank GOODNESS! (am i right?!)
before i delve into this week’s feel good tune, i wanted to reflect for a brief moment- this is my seventh week of blogging about feel good songs on fridays. i hope you are all enjoying my selections and whatnot. (and if you ever and i mean ever have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know, leave a comment, etc.)
but, i just wanted to do a quick reminder of why i started feel good fridays. for those of you who are just starting to tune into my blog, i started feel good fridays because of the suicide epidemic among lgbtq youth last month. it truly broke my heart to hear about and read about all of those kids feeling so trapped by bullying because of their sexuality, supposed sexuality and/or gender expression that they saw no way out except for ending their lives.
so, i started dedicating my blog on fridays as a place where perhaps someone who is struggling might find it and be able to read kind words and warm wishes to maybe aid them through the struggle.
ok, my reflection is over.
this week’s feel good tune is from a band that i’ve literally grown up with. no, i don’t mean i knew them personally, i just mean when they became famous in 1997 i was around their age. we were children at the same time, we went through the awkward teenage years at the same time, and now, they are in their mid to late 20’s (as am i) and they are still making music.
in fact, just this past monday, i went to northampton, mass. with a few friends to see this band and rocked out at the calvin theatre with them. (it was one of the best nights of my life, it’s right up there with my first tegan and sara concert- which coincidentally was at the same place, as well as lilith fair this year.)
this week’s feel good tune is called "great divide,” and it’s by hanson. (yes, that’s the band that sang “mmmbop,” yes, they are still around and yes, they still make music. and it’s good.)
i chose this tune for today because it's a song about hope. its about finding hope in the least likely places, and its about holding onto that hope you've found to help conquer the great divide. this song touches on the way we as humans can sometimes only care about ourselves, or, if not ourselves, only the other individuals who are like us. it suggests we open our minds and see that people are people whether they are like us or not.
the lyrics that got me, and struck me the very first time i listened were these:
i find hope and it gives me rest i find hope in a beating chest i find hope in what eyes don't see i find hope in your hate for me have no fear when the waters rise we can conquer this great divide
here's their music vid!
so, i hope you take a listen and like what you hear. it truly is a well-written song that gives me hope when i'm feeling down and out. perhaps it'll do the same for you!
also, before i forget, there's a new website that i've recently fallen inlove with. its called revelandriot.com. the creators are e.e. storey and sarah fobes. (if you're a tegan and sara fan e.e. storey might sound familiar- she does all of T&S' merchandise and album cover designs.)
here's a little blurb about them from their "about" section of the site:
revel and riot; parade and protest; joyful and incensed – we celebrate love and life, and yet none of us are untouched by frustrating, painful, and often terrifying reminders of homophobia, transphobia, hate, ignorance and violence. in our reporting we make a distinction between ‘revel’ topics (i.e. parties, parades, festivals, art, music, pop culture, legal battles won, inspiring stories) and ‘riot’ topics (i.e. exposing homophobes, protests, campaigns, suicides, hate crimes, topics that call us to action) to emphasize these contrasts and draw attention to the continued need for social activism. Revel & Riot aims to be a living collection of LGBTQ inspiration.
it's a real fantastic website, if you are intrigued in the slightest, i suggest you check it out. :]
alright, i think that's it for today! take care readers, have a most radical weekend! much love, xoxo
(i apologize about posting this later than usual. i had the day off from work and needed to do some serious cleaning.)
this week's feel good tune is by a band called "fun."
the track i've chosen is a song that is PERFECT to blast real loud and just rock out to. (there's a slight possibility i'm speaking from personal experience...but, you'll never know, will you?)
what i love most about it, more than the lyrics, more than the guitar riffs, and more than its rad beat, is the actual music video. its fantastic.
i know, at this point you all are probably chomping at the bit aren't you ;]
the song is titled, "walking the dog."
my favorite lyrics are:
if you could see me-whoever i am.
its not like a movie, its not all skin and bones
so come on love, come on, come on, come on!
na na na na na na, i will not let you go.
na na na na na na , i will. not. let. you. go.
if you need a pick-me-up, here's my humble suggestion:
1. go to a safe space, like, your bedroom
2. turn up the volume on your computer real loud
3. watch the "walking the dog" music video
4. and rock out to your heart's content (my personal favorite moves are: the robot, jumping, high kicks, fist pumping, and sometimes i do the air guitar.)
5.(this one's a bonus) this pick-me-up is really awesome once you got the lyrics down! (ohhh man, i've spilled it, now you know i was talking from personal experience. oh well! sharing is caring, right? and who better to share with than you all!)
so, i hope you enjoy the video-and if you ever have a bad day, i hope you remember this little pick-me-up suggestion.
its from me to you folks, with lots of love!
take care! enjoy the rest of your friday, and have a lovely weekend!
