Just Giblets » Memes

30 Day Song Challenge Day 30 – Your Favorite Song at This Time Last Year

Michael — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:44:28 +0000

This is a silly challenge to end the meme with. In reality, my favorite song is my favorite song, and while it does change over time, it certainly doesn’t change in a year’s time. So last year, my favorite song was Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love, just like it is this year. That said, I did have a “favorite new song” last year… a discovery that made me really excited. An amazing song with an incredible video by an artist I had never heard of that just blew me away. So that’s the song I’ve selected for this Day 30 challenge. (And come back tomorrow, because I’ve got a little added extra in store for this meme).

The artist is billed as Fever Ray, which is actually the solo project for Swedish singer/songwriter Karin Dreijer Andersson. Karin first gained acclaim as one half of the electronic duo, The Knife, for which she sang lead vocals. I can’t remember how I discovered the video for Fever Ray’s second single off her debut album. The song is called When I Grow Up, and the video exemplifies the theatrical nature of Karin’s performances. It’s creepy, it’s primal, it mystical, it’s clever and I do hope you’ll take a look. I still enjoy watching this video every time I think about it.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 28 – A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty

Michael — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 01:27:16 +0000

I had my own rule for this meme, that I would only include songs for which I could post videos from YouTube. I am now breaking this rule for day 28, a song that makes me feel guilty. There’s really only one song that makes me feel guilty, and by guilty, I don’t mean guilty pleasures, because those don’t really make me feel guilty. During the break-up of my previous serious relationship, I felt plenty guilty, and I have a distinct memory of driving in my car, listening to Emm Gryner’s Science Fair album, and this song in particular, and bawling my eyes out. The song as a whole isn’t applicable to that situation, but in general it is, and some of the lines just pierced my heart. The song is called Revenge, and it’s not available on YouTube so click the link below which will bring you to Yahoo Music where you can listen to this heartbreakingly lovely song. I said Tori Amos’ Tear in Your Hand was lyrically spot on about what you feel when you’re going through a breakup, and so it this one.

http://new.music.yahoo.com/emm-gryner/tracks/revenge–8743615

30 Day Song Challenge Day 27 – A Song You Wish You Could Play

Michael — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:43:47 +0000

Come on, there are tons of songs I wish I could play. For day 27 of this meme I am choosing a song I really like, that I wish I could play, and wish I had written. Tori Amos floored me when her Little Earthquakes album came out, and while she’s done some amazing stuff since, that album really set a tone that has never truly been reached again. Her song, Tear In Your Hand is lyrically spot on about the feelings you go through after a breakup, and yet it’s done so poetically and hauntingly. And it’s another song that has got a great driving piano line. It doesn’t seem so difficult, and perhaps I could learn it if I took the time or found the music. But since I haven’t yet, and it’s probably my favorite song by Tori, it gets a spot in this meme.

Enjoy this awesome live performance with a full band from the Glastonbury Festival. Plus, this video has the lyrics too.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 26 – A Song That You Can Play on an Instrument

Michael — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:42:31 +0000

I was in a band in the early 80s, so there are actually a lot of songs I can play on the bass guitar, and a few I can play on the piano/keyboard. When we first started out our band, Psyclone by name, played a lot of covers. We played songs by Pat Benatar, Robin Lane & the Chartbusters, the Pretenders, Split Enz, Motorhead, Donnie Iris, Joe Jackson, Blondie… and lots more. What’s that? Motorhead? Oh yeah, we did a rockin’ rendition of The Chase is Better Than the Catch. I got to sing lead on Donnie Iris’ Ah, Leah, which was a lot of fun to perform. After the band broke up, I kept playing a little, learning songs by some of my favorite artists, but I didn’t have access to a keyboard for many years until just recently.

One song I had learned back in the early 80s, mainly because it was propelled by a great piano part, has stuck with me to this day. I still can play this song pretty much in its entirety by memory, although I do have the music and I recently pulled it out and did a much better job. The song is by Heart, and it’s a bit of a rarity as it was one of the early songs that Nancy sang. It’s from the album Bebe le Strange, and it’s called Raised On You. I love songs that are powered by the piano, and this one is a lot of fun to play.

Oh, what the heck. Here’s a really bad video for Ah, Leah too. This is a really great song, and I really loved performing it. I couldn’t do the screams at the end though, so Donnie, the other guy singer in the band had to do that part.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 25 – A Song That Makes You Laugh

Michael — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 01:31:10 +0000

As with other categories in this meme, there are lots of songs that make me laugh; the choice comes from deciding which one to post here. So again, I’m posting too. The first is a great, very funny song from an artist who has written many funny songs. Unfortunately, I can’t find a good video of the studio version of this song, but here’s a pretty good live version of this crazy song about a woman who suspects her boss at the shoe store leads a double life. Here is Jill Sobule and Karen By Night.

Another artist who has a knack for writing songs that are pretty amusing is Jane Siberry. On top of that she makes some pretty funny videos too, and this is one of my favorites: Ingrid and the Foortman.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 24 – A Song That You Want Played at Your Funeral

Michael — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 01:27:04 +0000

I’m not the kind of person who thinks a lot about my funeral, and when faced with the question on this meme, I actually thought of a number of songs I could have played at my funeral. One song did rise above all the others, and some my find it an odd choice for a funeral song, but I think it’s just perfect. Kate Bush wrote Moments of Pleasure for her mother who had passed away while making the album The Red Shoes. The song is a series of memories about people who she loved that had died. It’s quite poignant, but is also a celebration of all the special moments she has shared with people she has loved. Moments of pleasure.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 23 – A Song That You Played at Your Wedding Reception

Michael — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:40:23 +0000

There’s a slightly convoluted story to go along with this selection. The song I’m including in this post, The Magnetic Fields’ The Book of Love, was a song I asked my friend Chris Perry to play at my wedding. He surprised us by playing a different Magnetic Fields song, It’s Only Time, which was beautiful, and totally fitting. Then, when we had our reception, seven months later, Chris came prepared to play The Book of Love for us, which he did, beautifully. I think this is truly one of the most beautiful and romantic songs ever written, with sentiment, humor and a beautiful melody. It was meant to be played at our wedding, and instead it was played at our reception, but this is the song I’m including here.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 22 – A Song That You Listen To When You’re Sad

Michael — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 04:49:36 +0000

There are several songs I listen too when I’m sad, but one that always makes me feel better comes from Jann Arden, you guessed it, a Canadian singer/songwriter. Mend is heart-achingly beautiful and such a comfort after you have a fight with the one you love that feels shattering. It’s about the healing after the war. I love the way the vocals soar during the chorus, and the lyrics, so simple, yet so powerful. Now a caution before you watch the video: the only thing I could find was the song paired with a video of scenes from Dawson’s Creek. Just listen to the song, don’t watch the video and you’ll be all right. The other problems is that embedding isn’t allowed, so you have to click on the link below to listen to it. But please do, it’s worth it and it will instantly make you feel better if you’re sad.

http://youtu.be/6-6YcAyYJ0Y

And a picture of Jann just for the hell of it.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 20 – A Song That You Listen to When You’re Angry

Michael — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:55:24 +0000

Not only is this day 20 of my 30 Day Song Challenge, it’s also the 300th post on our blog. So there. Anyway, a song that I listen to when I’m angry… just about anything off Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine would qualify… especially Head Like a Hole, but there’s a song that strikes me as dripping with anger that is even cooler, and it has an awesome video to boot.

Dalbello is a… (wait for it)… Canadian musician who got her start as a teen pop singer (Lisa Dalbello) and matured into a sophisticated singer/songwriter/drummer (!) whose songs are direct, angry, compelling, and usually dealing with feminist issues. She’s got an amazing voice that just howls. Think Alanis Morisette about ten years earlier. The song I’ve chosen is called eLeVeN, and while it doesn’t scream with the same rage as Head Like a Hole there is a simmering fury underlying the vocals. I’m not sure what the significance of the number eleven is in the song, but Dalbello repeats the lyric, “I count eleven,” several times, and it reminds me of the warning, count to ten before acting rashly. And this video? It’s bizarre and oh so cool. Check it out.

30 Day Song Challenge Day 19 – A Song From Your Favorite Album

Michael — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 01:45:55 +0000

I’ve already posted one song from my favorite album, but since it’s my favorite, I obviously don’t mind posting another. Day 1 featured my favorite song, Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. That album is the title track from my favorite album, but another favorite song off that album is The Big Sky, which is today’s highlighted song. The Big Sky is such a raucous, joyous song, the type of song Kate Bush isn’t as well known for, and lyrically it’s both silly and profound. It’s got a pulsating, driving bass line, the layered drums that were so prevalent on Hounds of Love, and vocal gymnastics to die for. The video is tons of fun, an all-out celebration of things in the sky. It’s a great song to dance to, it’s a great song to blast at high volume, and Kate looks and sounds fabulous in the video. So please, enjoy, The Big Sky.