Good morning.

Sometimes my friends and I will be talking about a particular artist, and I will spew out some hyperbolic madness like, "OOOOHHH I would cut off my arm to see them live!!!!" Lately, I've noticed myself saying it more often than not; usually it's over an artist that's decent, but probably not worth losing a limb (Eddie Vedder, really?). Still, I think that some are....I was making a list of artists I would lose a body part to see (because that's what I do when I am avoiding my thesis), and I came up with this. Fortunately, nothing on my body is in danger of being removed as all of these people are deceased or not in their performing hay day anymore (*cough, cough* The Who). For the record, Prince would be on this list, but I've already seen him (and it was worth, like, eight of my fingers). So the list goes (in order)...

1) Michael Jackson (Thriller tour)
2) The Who (circa '69)
3) Otis Redding
4) Jeff Buckley

I think that (1), (2) and (3) are pretty obvious choices because each of the artists had legendary stage acts in their prime (if Otis Redding had a prime--he died at age 26). I don't know if Jeff Buckley can be considered a "great" performer, however, he was a great vocalist, and I would have liked hear him hit some of those high notes in person.

Here's a clip of Otis Redding singing "Try a Little Tenderness" somewhere in Europe in '67 (someone over at Stax was kind enough to throw this YouTube). I think it does a good job of displaying what made Otis so unique...he didn't have the greatest voice, but he knew how to work is range and could tear up a stage. My favorite part of this clip is after he murders the song and sends the audience into a frenzy (check out the blond in the front row). He exits the stage, only to come back twice more to pound the song into ground some more--each time a little bit harder.

Best part : "TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESSS!!!!!!"

I'm eating frosting. I made it from scratch.

Playlist: Lots o' Ryan Adams*
Rosalie Come and Go
Born Into a Light
Let Us Down Easy
Sink Ships
Come Pick Me Up
Natural Ghost
Battering Lines
Why Do They Leave
The Fools We Are As Men
The Bar Is a Beautiful Place


* from Heartbreaker (2000), Gold (2001), and Cardinology (2008). Songs are ordered from optimistic to pessimistic....and I mean that melodically...like, I ordered the tracks by how happy the melodies make me...most of the lyrics in this playlist are pretty pessimistic.

I'm an adult.

Lauryn Hill, "Everything is Everything"
On: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
What the song is about:The official credo of Hill...I kind of always thought of this song as kind of the"Don't Worry, Be Happy" for the hip-hop generation...Maybe? No?
Why I'm listening to it: I like her rap verse, especially...
Best lyric: "You can't match this rapper slash actress/ More powerful that two Cleopatras? Bomb graffiti on the tomb of Nefertiti/MCs ain't ready to take it to the Serengeti/ My rhymes is heavy like the mind of sister Betty." F*ck yeah, L-Boogie!



Evan Dando, "All My Life"
On: Baby I'm Bored (2003)
What the song is about: A grown man (not Dando, this one was actually written by Ben Lee) has an moment of clarity and checks his values system. He's dead inside an searching for a new (or any) feeling.
Why I'm listening to it: I'm still on that Lemonheads kick.
Best lyric: "To be filled with hatred/ For the time I’ve wasted/ And I’m so impatient/ For a new sensation"

I just ate a cupcake.

Mandy Moore, "All Good Things"
On: Wild Hope (2007)
What the song is about: Loss. Reflection Forgiveness. Mandy is thinking about the Mr. Wrong she used to be with, but is choosing to focus on the warm and fuzzy memories instead of the negative ones...then she spends the entire chorus wishing him well....I guess that's one way to handle it....
Why I'm listening to it: I've been a fan of MM2.0 since her adult-contempo pop album Coverage came out a few years ago (she won me over with her Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson covers). She's seemed to find a niche in the pop world that is mature but still appealing.
Also...she just married Ryan Adams, entering one of the strangest (yet cutest) unions I've ever seen.
Best lyric: "I can think of a million ways you proved you weren't the one/ To live inside of your shades of gray and never mind the sunshine that I'll find."
One more thing: Someone (I can't remember who) once jokingly referred to the cover art as "the Mandy who sold the world." So true http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifuxqq5ld0e



Madonna, "Human Nature"
On: Bedtime Stories (1994)
What this song is about:Madonna's ultimate declaration of her sexuality. Sex isn't bad, so stop trying to stifle her!
Why I love love love this song: This is my favorite Madonna track (and video--love the latex and cornrows) of all time. It used to be for the beat and the razor-like synthesizers, but recently (like, last month in my cubicle) I really started to appreciate the lyrics. Only Madonna could make a song that's both sexually and intellectually provocative...Her innocent questions ("Did I say something wrong?", "Did I say something true?", "Would it sound better if I were a man?") are given a seedier meaning over the sleazy melody...if you answer yes to any of them, you're probably giving into the gender bias in sexuality she tried her whole career to fight.
Best lyric: "I'm not you're bitch, don't hang your shit on me!" Can I get a T-shirt that says that?

It's spring break. I'm at my parents' house.

Daniel Merriweather and Adele, "Water and a Flame"
On: Whatever Daniel Merriweather's debut album will be called (??????)
Why I'm surprised I like this song: Because Perez Hilton recommended it...and while I love his commentary of fashion, movies, politics and Young Hollywood's sexuality, I usually hate his music picks because they're always generic Europop...but lo and behold, he picked a good one. I'm picky about my Britt soul singers, but Adele is one that have loved from the get-go because 1) she's fat 2) she's proud of being fat 3) she really can sing 4) she calls her music "heartbroken soul"... I'd pass her the millennial blue-eyed soul baton over Amy Winehouse (who would most likely grind it up and snort it) or Dufffy any day. Daniel Merriweather...not so much. He didn't blow me away with his Ronson collaboration remix of "Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before" (did Morrissey ever say if he liked that track?), so I haven't really been anticipating his debut album. I'll probably look into it now because of this track. I think it's become painfully obvious that I like break-up songs, and this one is well-written and hook-y.
Best lyric: I like the beginning..."Seven days has gone so fast/I really though the pain would pass/ It's been nearly an hour since I thought of you/ But you're not answering your phone/ I'd settle for a busy tone/ At by that I'd know that you're OK/ A girl like you aint busy anyway."
Just my two cents: I'm willing to bet some serious cash that, once they hear this track, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake will huddled together in a studio, tinker with the lyrics and try make this a hit single for themselves.
Ch-ch-ch-check it out: http://perezhilton.com/2009-03-15-listen-to-this-an-orgasm-for-your-ears

Ah, yes, the R&B pick-me-up playlist

Playlist: I'm my own best friend!!!!!!!
Mary J. Blige, "Work That"
Michael Jackson "PYT"
Beyonce, "Me, Myself and I"
Donny Hathaway, "Someday We'll All Be Free"
Thicke, "Be Alright"
Leela James, "My Joy"
Sly and the Family Stone, "Everybody is a Star"
Joan Osborne, "Everybody is a Star"
Nikka Costa, "Everybody Got Thier Something"

A happy one, yes?

Joe Jackson, "Steppin' Out"

On: Night and Day (1982)

What the song is about: It's a beautiful night...why stay inside? JJ and his love try to spice up their monontonous relationship by (gasp!) leaving the house.

Why I keep listening to it: I just like the melody. I've been humming it for a while, and I couldn't remember which JJ song it was...I had to sift through my records and find it.

Best lyric: It's not a great line, but I totally understand what JJ means when he says, "We are young but getting old before our time..."

WHOOOOAAAA Kelly Clarkson!

Kelly Clarkson, "Cry"
On: All I Ever Wanted (2009)
What the song is about: Break-ups hurt, y'all, and this one is the worst. She's crying!
Just a little commentary: I forgive KC!!!! After listening to a leak of All I Ever Wanted, I feel like she has truley atoned for that faux-Evenescence shit she put out in '07. Not everyone is a songwriter (*cough, cough* Beyonce) or a rockstar (*cough, cough* Pink)--some people are just damn good pop singers. Yay for re-finding your niche, Kellykins!!!! Don't ever battle Clive Davis again. He knows what he's doing. If he bring Whitney back from crack he can help you too!!!
Why I'm now obsessed with this track: It's good!!!! Like, really good. It made me cry at my cubicle!!!!! It's "Where is Your Heart, pt 2"...... (another lame but well-sung KC ballad).
Best lyric: They're all corny as hell.....but...
The best part of the song: All of it!!!! Sing girl, SING!!!!!!!!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch

Elvin Biship, "Fooled Around and Fell In Love"
On: Struttin' My Stuff (1975)
What the song is about: Pretty self-explanatory...a fuck-and-run guy meets the right girl and suddenly grow a heart.
Why I'm listening to it: I created "Ambrosia radio" on Pandora, and this song is one in a stream of soft rock hits that the station keeps repeating. I hated it at first...I thought it was kind of hokey...now it's growing on me.
Best lyric: "It used to be when I'd see a girl that I liked/ I'd get out my book and write down her name/ But when the grass got a little greener over on the other side/ I'd just tear out that page." That's just cooooollllllddddd-bloooooooded!


T. Rex, "The Slider"
On: The Slider (1972)
What the song is about: I have no fucking clue...and that's about as much as I know about most of T.Rex's lyrics.
Why I fell asleep listening to it: This is one of the first vinyls I ever bought...I didn't know who T.Rex was at the time, I just really liked the cover (and it was $1)...and T. Rex became one of my favorite artists EVER...I listen to this record whenever I just need to feel better. I felt kind of shitty last night.
Best lyric: Oh the lyrics suck...I'm sure he was just pulling words out a hat ("I have never never nearly nosed before"....WTF? Is that a drug reference....Actually, that would make sense...)
Best part of the song: I've always kind of melted during the intro, because it's so simple...the distortion is warm and fuzzy, the beat it steady....it's a just a good groove...you just know right from the beginning that's going to be a good four minutes.

I can not. I will not.

Guns 'n' Roses, "You're Crazy"
On: Appetite for Destruction (1987)
What the song is about: The basket cases we seem to wind up dating.
Why I am BLARING it: Because the dude who broke up with me a month ago--for his ex that he "was still in love with"--thought it would fun to send me a text message saying that he still thinks about me a lot and that MAYBE he made a bad decision. Really dude, a month? Have you already fallen out of love with her in four weeks? Or do you think you deserve two girlfriends? Holy crap you are a total douche...I didn't text him back.
Best lyric: "YOU'RE FUCKING CRAZY! CRRRRAAAAAZZZYYYY!!!!!"

It could be so sweet.

Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators, "If This Aint Love, Don't Know What Is"
On: Keep Reachin' Up (2007)
What the song is about: Reeeeeaaaaalllllll looooooovvvvveeee.
Why I love it so much: There are two tracks on Keep Reachin' Up that I love, "If This Aint Love.." and a song on the flipside of the record called "No One's Gonna Love You." It's a nice sweet and sour combination to listen to....a song about settling in to life with "the one" and then falling right out of it and dealing with all of the wreckage....I think I like "If This Aint Love..." more because it reminds me of...people.
Best lyric: "You fill the empty spaces in my heart/ I can't imagine life if we're apart/ Sit in the easy chair and hold my hand/ And I satisfied this love is bonafide."

I should go to bed.

I should get a new hobby.

Oh me oh my.

Morning Sunshine

The Rolling Stones, "Tops"
On: Tattoo You (1981)
What the song is about: Men are pigs..but more specifically, a big shot rolls through a small town and tries to lure a pretty girl out with him with his "hold my hand lines."
Why I'm listening to it: It's easing the pain of having to write the results section of my thesis. Damn I'm hating school right now.
Best lyric: "Every man is the same." See, even Mick Jaggar admits it.


Led Zeppelin, "Whole Lota Love"
On: Hiawatha Express (??????)
What the song is about: Sex. It's not much deeper than.
Why it's rotating shift with Tatto You on my record player: First of all, I would just like to brag that I own this album. On vinyl. HE is a live Zepp bootleg, but no one knows the exact date it was recorded or where...I'm guessing it's pretty rare...I keep researching it and I can't even price the damn thing. I own it by circumstance...I was briefly dated a guy who scored a stack of amazing records from his grandmother's basement, and he left them all at my place because he didn't have his own record player. When we crashed and burned a few weeks later, I considered HE part of my serverance package. Take that, sucker!!!!!
Best lyric: "Shake for me girl! I wanna be your back door man!"

Today is definitely turning out to be a low spark.

I'm hating school a lot right now. I think coming here may have been a mistake.

Phil Collins, "I Missed Again"
On: Face Value (1981)
What the song is about: Face Value was pretty much a musical obituary for death of PC's marriage...I was watching an in-depth profile on this album of VH1 Classic (because I'm lame) and he was saying how the hook line "I missed again" was a shorthand way of saying that he had missed again at love/relationships.
Why I keep listening to it: I love the horns! The thing that is so great about Face Value is that, although all the songs are cohesive thematically, he didn't try to make album with one "sad" sound. I like the fact that he made a depressing song that you can dance to.
Best lyric: " I think about it from time to time when I'm lonely and on my own/ I try to forget and yet still rush to the phone."
Also...PC tries to dance in the music video. Hilarious.


Traffic, "Light Up Or Leave Me Alone"
On: The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (1971)
What the song is about: Hypocrites.
Why I was listening to it this morning: Good groove, man. Just a good groove.
Best lyric: "You're up all night preaching you mind/ Come home in the morning with your latest find/ I'm gonna have to lay it yo you straight on the line/ Either light up or leave me alone."
Best part of the song: The whole thing is pretty amazing.

At the office. Avoiding my assignments.

Jill Scott, "Do You Remember?"
On: Experience Jill Scott (2001)
What the song is about: A couple that has grown, changed, and lost touch with each other over the years.
Why I was listening to it: This album was another HPB steal...It really made me appreciate Jill Scott and her vocal style. I enjoy artists that have the ability to use their voice as an instrument.
Best lyric: Honestly, I don't know many of the lyrics to this song. I just like the way that she sings it.
Best part of the song: Jill sparks a call-and-response session with the audience and makes them chant "Do you re-mem-ber me?" The women are great, but the guys are stellar.


Ambrosia, "You're the Only Woman"
On: One Eighty (1980)
What the song is about: After being with someone for so long, it's kind of pointless to question their love or pick fights about the small stuff...Just be grateful and enjoy the ride. "You're the Only Woman" was released as the B-side to Ambrosia's other cheese-tastic monster hit, "You're the Biggest Part of Me." I've always seen the combination of the two as sort of a one-two punch, "Let's Stay Together" for middle-aged white people.
Why I was listening to it: I take back what I said...MYSELF and middle-aged white people.
Best lyric: "When the pain of love surrounds you/ And the world may be unkind/ I'll put my lovin' arms around you/ Take you far from this place and time." Aww.


James Morrison, "If You Don't Wanna Love Me"
On: Songs For You, Truths For Me (2008)
What the song is about: JM's woman is pushing him away--but dammit, he's staying, HE'S STAYING!!!!!! (cue J-Hol/J-Hud impression)
Why I was listening to it: JM has been one of my favorite singers from across the pond since my friend Lee slipped me his debut album Undiscovered a couple of years ago. I don't think that Songs for You is a stronger album, but this is definitely a standout track lyrically and vocally.
Best lyric: "You can't push me too far/ There's no space in my heart where I don't wanna love you."
Best part of the song: When the chorus first rolls out and he wails/cries "I'M GONNA STAAAAYYYYY!!!!!", you're pretty much ready and willing to believe anything he says after that.


The Doobie Brothers, "What a Fool Believes"
On: Minute by Minute (1978)
What the song is about: A man is reunited with a woman he once dated. To him, she was everything and has been lingering on his mind for years. What he fails to see is that he was anything but to her.
Why I was listening to it: Michael McDonald is a guilty pleasure of mine. Also, imeem recommended it to me while I was listening to Ambrosia.
Best lyric: "As he rises to her apology/ Anybody else would surely know/ He's watching her go." Every time I hear that part I always feel SO BAD for the guy...being dismissed by someone totally sucks, and he is so dense he can't even tell.
Best part of the song: "No wise man has the pow-ah...." That falsetto!!!!!

I had a pretty good day.

Marvin Gaye, "After the Dance"
On: I Want You (1978)
What the song is about: MG locks eyes with a mystery woman from across the room..and makes imaginary plans for later.
Why I was listening to it: It seemed like good 'fro-picking music this morning.
Best lyric: "And I wonder would she want me (Ah, wonder if she, would go for me)/ If she knows what she needs is me?"...MG is really captivated by the woman, so much so that he spends the entirety of the song musing about 1) her beauty 2) the way she moves and 3) what she may be like in bed. Still, as much as he is in awe of her, he's not intimidated, and he assumes she wants him just as much as he wants her.
Best part of the song: When MG telepathically asks the woman "What you gonna do?" from across the room, he hits THE SWEETEST falsetto. Priceless.



Salt 'n' Peppa, "None of Your Business"
On: Very Necessary (1993)
What the song is about: Sometimes, girls like to f*** too. Quit hatin'!!!!!!!
Why it has replaced The Lemonheads in my truck stereo: It was $1 at Half Priced Books...I couldn't resist.
Best lyric: "I treat a man like he treats me/ The difference between a hooker and a ho ain't nothin' but a fee/ So hold your tongue tightly, wish you could be like me."