Safe and Sound

It is New Year's Eve and I just watched White Oleander on my Netflix. I have seen the film many, many times. I find it haunting and beautiful, and this song plays through the end credits. I love it. I'm feeling a bit like this melody right now. Farewell 2010...Safe and Sound, Cheryl Crow

A Cold December

No explanation needed!

A Cold December by Matt Costa...

Adventures in Solitude

I love this title. I feel it describes my life. I think I'm definitely most at ease by myself. I was never much for crowds, and as soon as I am in my apartment, my "nest," I just feel freer. Ah, and it's Friday night, a night when I love to listen to music when I have the chance, and it's always the perfect time for some New Pornographers. So here you go...

The Youth

I just got done watching "The Kids Are All Right." I had wanted to see it long ago when it was in the theater but of course never got there. I really liked it. And the soundtrack is great. I wanted to post something from it and just couldn't really decide, so I just closed my eyes and picked, and here is The Youth by Mgmt.

On Your Porch

I forget the first time I heard this song, but I remember crying. And I remember hearing it again and crying. And yeah, since then, I've heard it a lot. And cried. I can't help it, I'm a song sap. The part where he sings about his dad...seriously, just typing that has brought tears up in my eyes. I'm hopeless. So here is Friday night's selection...On Your Porch by The Format

Heart and Soul

Ah, looking back with great affectionate to my decade, the 80s. I was ages 7 through 17 in this decade, to me the most significant in development. And absolutely the most significant for music. I still hold so many songs dear. So many songs tell a story of where I was at that time in my life.

This song finds me sitting on the back porch at my parents' home with two childhood friends...sisters. We used to play my "box" (portable radio/cassette player) and sing everything on the radio. We'd play our mix cassettes on there...ones we had taped from countless request hours with DJ Mitch from Power 92. One of the sisters especially liked this song, and she and I do this one together...I'd do background and she'd do the main part. What a wonderful time of life, even if then things seemed so dramatic. And what two wonderful girls who are still my friends to this day.

Heart and Soul by T'Pau

">

Radio Song

Because I don't want to depress In-Sung any further ;-) I shall post a more upbeat song.

I absolutely groove to this song. Anyone who knows me knows I will shake it up without shame, regardless of where I am. The last time I recall hearing it, i was cleaning my apartment. I stopped right then and there and danced myself into a breathless sweaty mess, and it was great!

The Promise

I promise one of these days an upbeat song will be posted again. But at this moment I can feel the welcome slight chill of the beginning of fall. It is dark and quiet in my house. And this is the song that fits tonight.

The Promise, Tracy Chapman
">

Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.
---Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard

Let It Go

Sting. Stang. Stung. RIP 9/2/2006.

Seen Enough

I don't really watch specific things on TV. I'm not a big "Lost" fan (I think that show is over now anyway) or Grey's Anatomy or whatever else. Of course I'm a total House fanatic, but I haven't been able to view it regularly because Claire is still up when it starts. So I usually flip around on the remote and land on random stuff. I landed on Bones last week. Bones used to be on after House. I don't know what time slot it occupies now. I just never really bothered to watch it. I caught the last ten minutes of it last week at a time when I wasn't even inspired enough to channel surf. I'm glad I did, because I discovered this beautiful song by a group called Dryer...Seen Enough.

Don't Dream It's Over

We have to go back into my awkward adolescence for this one. 1987 if you must know. I refuse to believe that was 23 years ago, so don't even try to convince me.

My friends and I used to go to under 21 dances at this sports complex called Grand Slam---us teeny boppers referred to it simply as "Slam," as in, "So, like, can your mom drive us to Slam tonight? Make sure she drops us off way at the bottom of the parking lot so no one sees us getting out of her car."

I can't recollect if that was the first time I had seen Jeff Kubay. He was a friend of my brother's who was three years older than me. At the time, I was a freshman and he was a senior. That was major back in those days. I had a huge, huge crush on him (when I say huge, I mean I all but turned into Glenn Close's character in Fatal Attraction, but I digress).

The whole story goes that at first I think he dug me, but then I stalked him to the point where he couldn't stand me. Then I think once I came home from college and he was all into me again, but by then the thrill was gone.

But the story began with a slow dance. He came up to me that first night I saw him at "Slam" and asked me to dance. We danced to "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House. And though Jeff and I were not to be, my love affair with Crowded House and Neil Finn is still going strong all these years later. And every time I hear the first strain of this melody, I'm taken back to when I was 14 and the joy that first dance brought me....Don't Dream It's Over.

">

Under My Skin

I knew I wanted to add a Rachael Yamagata song here. I had "Worn Me Down" in mind first. "Worn Me Down" is so catchy...it is a convertible song...as in, put the top down, put the song on, cruise down a long stretch of highway with no traffic lights. It was also popular on the hipster shows...O.C., One Tree Hill, that kind of stuff. That's why I kind of changed my mind on posting that song, but I looooove Rachael Yamagata. She was originally introduced to me by an old friend back in 2004 when Rachael's Happenstance album was released. I love many, many women singer/songwriters. A lot of the women I do like, their voices are a bit interchangeable. But not Rachael's. I always know her voice, and I always love her songs. This is another of my favorites, Under My Skin.

">

Famous Blue Raincoat

I was introduced to Famous Blue Raincoat about 10 or 12 years ago when I was still living in Pennsylvania. I went with a friend to listen to two of her coworkers perform. The guy played guitar. The girl sang. She had a marvelous voice. Sounded a bit like Natalie Merchant. They sang a lot of Toad the Wet Sprocket and Dave Matthews Band. And then she started talking about a Leonard Cohen song that Tori Amos covered. She then started singing Famous Blue Raincoat. I fell in love right then and there with that song and the love affair continues. I have even tried to study the origins of the song, Mr. Cohen's meaning. Google it if you want...you'll find a million explanations, but no consensus. What I can tell you is that it's a letter, and it is beautiful.

">

Black Star

Please tell me what it is about this sing that keeps me from breathing until it's over? If you see me with earphones on and my face is awash with undigested emotion, blame it on the Black Star.

I love Radiohead...I especially love the acoustic version they perform of this song:

">

And probably unlike most true "music people," I actually love covers...if I like a song, the more people singing it, the better (unless Britney Spears decides to do a rendition of it; then I will just cringe).

So I was happy to hear Gillian Welch's lovely interpretation of Black Star. I like some of her music, though she tends a bit too bluegrass-y for me. But I think she captured the soul of this song perfectly.

">

Captain Jack

My love of Billy Joel comes directly from my Mom, who was a fan from way back in the day. My favorite Billy Joel music was all "pre-Christie"...before he met Christie Brinkley in the mid 80s and his music seemed to become a little puppy dog love mushy for me. Not that I still don't like him or any of that music...I just prefer his older stuff. Nylon Curtain. Cold Spring Harbor. The Stranger.

A great jukebox pick at the bar...Captain Jack...in this case, the live version.

">

Rue St. Vincent

You know when I'm writing on a Sunday that it will be with a certain solemnity. Claire's daddy brought her home from his weekend with her, and he left about a half hour ago. My child is so happy when both of her parents are with her. It's melancholy, but I think I hide it well.

Her dad and I shared a love of similar music. I like to think we introduced each other to some new favorites...from him I got Metric, Placebo, Blonde Redhead...from me he got The National and my Garden State soundtrack.

Back in the day before romance became extinct, we made each other CDs and would listen to them in the dark. There is no one more sentimental than me when it comes to someone personally choosing songs for me, so it was very special. I don't think I have that CD; at least I can't find it anywhere. But I remember many of the songs. And one of my favorites was Rue St. Vincent by Yves Montand. During those hours in the dark, I spoke of how I wanted to dance to this with him on the sand at our wedding. I still dream of that, even though a dream is just a dream...

">

My Soundtrack

My music blog begins. Like most, I enjoy many different types of music. One style keeps resonating. What should I call it? It's theatrical. It can border on operatic. And it usually draws the most emotion from me. It began so many years ago with Freddie Mercury. Queen's music dominated my high school experience. The voice from God is how I feel about Freddie. And the accompaniment matched the drama of the voice. Listen to Who Wants to Live Forever. Seven Seas of Rhye. Teo Torriatte.

This continued and I grew to love the music I felt tore into my soul, whether bellowing or a bare whisper.

There is an artist I love named Vienna Teng. She is a beautiful songwriter with a sweet, strong, nectar voice. One of her songs falls into what I'm trying rather unsuccessfully to describe. I find it best to listen to this at night in the darkness. I feel as if I could be in a fantasy movie...Highlander, Dune, something mystical. This song affects my mood and is a regular on my play lists.

Vienna Teng, My Medea