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?