Don’t worry, all, there are a few proper posts coming very soon. But I couldn’t let this gem go unnoticed. Everything in this video is amazing, anyone who disagrees has clearly had a full frontal lobotomy.
I have fallen a little bit behind on the 30 Days of Music meme. I could make excuses involving being busy, but let’s just say I had absolutely no idea what song to pick for day 10 (A song that makes you fall asleep) which I found kind of dumb. What do other people pick? Enya? Yani? I’m sure that if I listened to all of the music I own, I would find a song that makes me want to go to sleep, whether in a good way or not, but let’s face it, I didn’t want to do that. So I have skipped on to the next day:
Day 11 – A Song from your Favorite Band = Männer sind Schweine by Die Ärzte
Well we all now by now that my favourite band of all times is the German punk rock trio Die Ärzte. Let me now introduce you to the first song I ever heard of theirs, the song that started a major obsession when I was 14 in 1998 and took me all the way ton Europe in 2004 to see them play dozens of times.
Männer sind Schweine means “Men are Pigs” and the song is a kind of feminist song about how men are all jerks, liars and slobs. The film clip is one of the few (possibly the only?) one to have Lara Croft in it that was approved by the creator of Lara Croft’s character. Apparently he allowed it because he was a fan of the band, although I don’t know how true that is nor do I care to find out. It’s totally ridiculous, but that’s why Die Ärzte is so popular in Germany. They absolutely do not take themselves seriously, produce songs in the more random genres and make big-budget movie-style film clips. The song is off the album 13 which pretty much shaped me into the person I am today, if you’re ever goingto have a listen to this band, I cannot recommend this album any more.
Uh oh, guess who forgot a day? Oh well, I’m sure you will forgive me. To make up for it, I will two days in one.
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Oh how I used to love this song. I requested it so much back in the days when Channel V was called RED, I am amazed my mum didn’t kick my arse for racking up a huge phone bill. I only realised I knew all of the words still when I randomly listened to it a year or so ago, after many years of not hearing it. Such a sexy song that makes me wanna get freaky ;)
Day 09 – A Song that you can Dance to
OK this was hard. There aren’t many songs I do not love to dance to. But I did hear this song at a Body Attack class this week and felt the urge to get up and dance (in fact Sarah, my gym/best buddy, started singing and grooving to it while we were meant to be doing sit up’s). I listen to this song HEAPS right before I go on a holiday, for obvious reasons. The end bit makes me really want to dance, like that embarrassing spazz dancing you do when you think no one is watching/you’re totally wasted.
I am the type of person who listens to music to make me happy. I don’t listen to angry music, or any kind of music that could potentially make me feel worse than I already do. I like to sing along, dance a little, and feel joyous afterwards. As such today’s challenge is a tough one! Of all of the songs that make me happy when I hear them, I think I will go with the silliest one of all:
Day 2 – A Song that makes you happy = Piercing by Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte are my favourite band. I have loved them since I was 15 when some friends came back from their exchange trip to Germany with their CD “13″ and some other amazing merch. No two songs of theirs sound alike, and while they call themselves punk rock, they’ve played just about every genre and sub-genre you can possibly imagine. I find it hard being a fan of theirs in Australia as they’re really only famous (and I mean ridiculously so) in Germany and some surrounding countries, and being one of about four fans of a band in a whole country is a bit depressing. Still, I have three tattoos dedicated to them and still feel a whole lot of joy when I hear their music.
This song is pretty straight forward, it’s about a guy whose girlfriend convinces him to get his penis pierced which later gets infected. The line “This thing was made for lovin’, Du sollst es nicht versklaven” which means “This thing was made for loving, so you must not enslave it” was my favourite line ever and I used it on everything from my email signature to my LJ title (which I’ve kept, as a matter of fact).
There will plenty of other appearances by Die Ärzte in this challenge, don’t you worry!
I had a bit of trouble with this one until this song popped into my head:
Day 2 - Your least favourite Song = Big Yellow taxi by Counting Crows
OH MY GOD. I hate this band and this AWFUL song so much. I’d rather listen to a million bad pop songs until my ears bleed and my brain explodes before I’ll listen to this song in full. Even the name of it enrages me. Big yellow taxi? Fuck off. The lead singer creeps me out with his douchey dreadlocks and weird, dopey eyes. Oh god, I’m getting so angry about it all, I have to stop!
Anyone who reads my blog knows I love music. I love almost every kind of music and I love to share my musical discoveries with anyone who will listen. Because I have been in a little bit of a rut with my blog (I’ve been blaming my busy new job, but it’s been five weeks now, it’s starting to become a fairly flimsy excuse) I decided I would do that meme everyone seems to be doing on Facebook – 30 days of Music. Don’t worry though, I will continue with my rants, fashion watching and what-not. But this will hopefully get me back into the swing of posting more AND help you discover new and worldy music (since 60% of what I listen to is German).
Day 1 – Your favourite Song = Jein by Fettes Brot
Fettes Brot are my second favourite music group (if you don’t know who my favourite one is, you mustn’t know me very well, in which case all will be revealed soon). They’re a German hop hop group from Hamburg who I discovered years ago during my obsession with all German music. When I think of hip hop, it’s their music I think of. It’s melodic and while they are rappers, it’s easy to listen to (something I can;’t say for a lot of Aussie hip hop, unfortunately). “Jein” is a mix of the words Ja and Nein (Yes and No) and it’s about making trying to make a choice between something fun vs being sensible (ie. cheating on a girlfriend, sleeping with your best mate’s sister and ditching your gf to go to a party). But I mostly love it because I think it’s sexy as hell. Just ignore the terrible film clip…
Oh and I just discovered they released a live version last year. Nowhere near as wonderful as the original, but still very good. The clip is 1000x better at the very least!
I thought I would share the song I am currently obsessed with. I caught the end of the clip on Video Hits the other morning which I instantly thought was a wannabe Black Eyed Peas (and we all know what I think of them). But the one thing that did stroke me, in all of the thirty seconds I heard/saw was that they were probably a whole lot better than BEP but I quickly pushed them out of my mind. Later that very day however, my sister comes to visit and starts talking about this song she posted on my Facebook, the exact same song as it turns out. She’s telling me it reminds her of House Play and their infamous dance-off scene so I get her to show me it but due to the internet being slow as a wet week I don’t really get to watch it properly except for the part where they’re all shuffling which I admit looks pretty neat.
Then yesterday I decided to watch it properly and without interruption. Yep, you’d better believe I’m obsessed with it! Before I go into vivid detail about why I love it, you should probably watch it first:
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO
So after I had a big ol’ whinge about loathing that Black Eyed Peas song and clip “I’mma Rock Right Now” or whatever the hell that claptrap was called, why do I like a song that at first glance appears like a total rip off? Well for one thing, the song doesn’t change 86 times, nor does the clip ljump around liek it’s on fast forward. These guys wake up 28 days after their song is released and everyone is constantly shuffling which I must admit, it about as scary as a world taken over by zombies. Then they start shuffling and there’s an epic group dance scene (where they do indeed do the Funky Charleston briefly). There are some amazing dance moves like the guy who flips off his elbow and I will be perfectly honest, I think the fashion is fantastic. I am not ashamed of my love of over-the-top sci-fi-esque 80s fashion they’re wearing and wish I could get away with wearing some of that stuff (ain’t no way in hell anyone will ever see my ass in a pair of zebra print leggings).
I also love the fact it’s all about having a good time, dancing and nothing much else. Oh and there is such a wide variety of people in the clip. Basically if you can shuffle dance then you’re in, even if you’re not a waif or especially easy on the eye. I also like the fact it’s made a dance style (ie the Melbourne Shuffle) which I always disliked but upon seeing it done so well, I wish I could do it too. I guess if the people I’ve seen do it were in big groups instead of by their drunken selves, I might have appreciated it more! It’s also really neat to see the behind the scenes for the clip. I never thought such a simple dance moved needed to be choreographed so thoroughly. Oh and check out the choreographer Hokuto Konish, boy is fine as hell and check out that awesome hair!
Unfortunately the other songs by LMFAO aren’t quite as awesome, “I’m in Miami Trick” got overplayed to death (I actually learned a hip hop dance to it well before it became popular so I feel a certain smugness about it). Then there’s “La La La” which ain’t too bad but instantly reminded me of Lisa Frank.
I have so many fond memories of Lisa Frank stickers and backpacks in high school. WHY did I throw it all out???
So that’s my music discovery for the week. Stay tuned for when my sister and I manage to learn the dance and end up youtubing it after too much wine/sugar!
OK so we all know about Rebecca Black and her unfortunate song Friday. I am actually of the opinion it’s not that bad, I mean it is pretty crap but it definitely is not the worst song someone has sung and posted on Youtube in all seriousness. In fact if she got a few singing lessons and wrote her own songs (I’m 100% sure a 13 year old could write better lyrics than the dick who wrote Friday) she wouldn’t be that bad.
So in defence of an innocent teenager who is the laughing stock of the enture internet, I would like to present to you all, the worst music videos on the internet as picked by me:
Treasure by Namata
This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things to ever get uploaded to Youtube. It is so bad it’s AMAZING! The only bad thing about it, in my opinion, is how it can stay stuck in my head for days after listening to it just once. I really hope this guy gets a record deal one day. And that he never stops dancing like that because it is mesmerising.
Give It To Me by Madonna (feat Pharrell)
Bad songs and music videos aren’t just for the realm of the pathetic wannabe popstar, here we have a stunning example of how one of the most famous popstars of all times paired with one of the best urban producers can get it so wrong. The song itself makes me want to scrape my ears off with a soup spoon, let alone the eye-raping video. Good lord Madonna, they’re called pants, try wearing them for a change now that you’re 50 years old.
No Way No Way by Vanilla
How about this little treasure from the late 90s. Anything that samples Mah Nà Mah Nà that isn’t aimed specifically at kids has got to be bad and this is just about the worst. Actually, it’s been voted the worst music video a number of times. Check out those outfits… I was sure that sort of stuff went out of fashion in 1993 but clearly Essex is a good five years behind everything ever.
Je Suis Une Dolly by Dolly Rockers
Well I don’t even know where to begin with this little treasure, also a talentless British girl group. Sometimes Pommy accents make songs sound brilliant, but most of the time they make a song sound like complete arse. Uneducated, chavish arse. And look at how wacky they are, dancing on the tube! I find it amusing how 60% of the reaction shots are of people looking appalled, the rest of pervy men taking photos on their phones. Which incidently, appears to be how this clip was filmed. Oh and look, they actually got a budget and remade the same clip with a new song.
Party Like a Millionaire by The Millionaires
Want to know something really sad? Ke$ha wasn’t the first one who started trash-pop. Oh no, these young ladies were around before she got her big break with Tik Tok and before she ruined my eyes/eardrums with We R Who We R (seriously, that is not a song, it is autotune over the sound of a garbage truck with bad product placement scattered everywhere). I can’t even comprehend this song, I mean, what did their parents think when they heard the first line? As much as I hate Ke$ha, at least she keeps the tight-pussies and hard-dick lyrics to herself. Meanwhile, if you’d like to make yourself feel smart and extremely articulate, take a look at their Millionaires Dictionary video. Good god.
Bearforce1 by Bearforce1
OK so I’ve focused on the ladies way too much. How about something that is aimed so specifically at a certain target audience, it pretty much alienates about 99.9% of the entire world. I personally don’t think it’s that bad, in fact for a gay bear dance song, it’s probably the top of it’s game. Also, their pastel shirts and white pants are just adorable. But if you’re hoping to make your straight, male friends uncomfortable, this clip will do the trick.
Imma Be Rocking That Body by Black Eyed Peas
This clip just proves that no matter how much money you pour into a music video, the shittiness of the song still radiates through. Seriously, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on here? And then try and explain how the Black Eyed Peas became this bad? I don’t even think it’s Fergie’s fault any more, they’re all responsible for turning the group so shit. Someone needs to confiscate their SFX mic and explain to them songs don’t need to change style 7 times to keep the youth of today interested.
Because I could probably keep adding to this list forever, I will leave it with this hilarious version of Friday. Gang Fight!
So if you’re one of those Rebecca Black haters, please just think about what Simon Cowell said about her and her song:
He advised Black not to “listen to anyone over the age of 18. I’m being deadly serious. Whatever she’s done has worked. Whether you like her or not, she’s the most talked-about artist in America right now. Nobody over the age of 18 should understand her or like her. So she should just do it her way.”
Bad music videos ain’t anything new, there are millions out there far worse than anything a 13 year old Californian girl could ever hope to create. Instead of hatin’, celebrate how she is just adding to the list of hilarious awful tings we will all reminisce about when we’re old folks.
Did you think you were going to get away with me not mentioning Lady Gaga or her new single? HA! I was almost last for work this morning as I stumbled upon it as I was doing my breakfast-and-facebook thang and chose to watch it instead of leaving on time.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the song when it came out, but as expected it has grown on me and I really like it now. I can’t say I love it yet but I know I will, just like I did with Poker Face (I thought it was terrible and sounded just like Just Dance but bow thoroughly enjoy screeching it loudly at inopportune times). I was delighted by her performance of it at the Grammy’s and so was very excited about the video. Like with the song, it took me a few tries to make a decision and yeah, I love it. It’s a bit crazy and I admit I do not get a lot of the symbolism and stuff, but it’s weird, dark and quirky which is fine by me. I LOVE the skeletons in suits, I want to do that for Halloween this year! I also couldn’t get over Gaga’s body – oh my lord. If I had an arse half that good I;d never wear pants either! And her stomach. Goodness me. Let’s just say I worked extra hard at gym tonight after watching that video a few times!
The downfall with the clip though, is her dancing. She is not a dancer and even though I’m sure she practices a lot, she never will be. I cracked up at the 5:53 point when she’s spazz dancing for no apparent reason. I just think she should worry less about having elaborate dance routines in her clips when it’s just not her forte. She’s a singer and a performer, so let’s leave the dancing to those who need it to pep up their otherwise boring-as-hell film clips!
Photo from Cazwell.comI accidentally stumbled upon an unknown treasure trove of music the other day. It all started with this song Cotton candy by Amanda Lepore:
At first I was all “What the hell is this and who is that woman with the massive boobs and lips” but then I looked her up and was fascinated by her story (this interview is great, she explains what surgeries she’s had to go from a man to this Jessica Rabbit/Marylin Monroe lookalike). The song itself is so damn catch, even if she’s not exactly a very good singer. The clip is also amazing, I would have a clip almost exactly like this if I could! The colours and the style, oh my!
From there I discovered Cazwell who is a white, gay rapper from new York who is close friends with Amanda Lepore (she’s in most of his clips as well). I love the fact he raps about being gay and has some of the sexiest men in his clips. As a red-blooded woman there’s nothiong much better than good looking men with amazing bodies dancing and writhing around in a music video. It’s pretty much the complete opposite of the standard rap music video and I love it. This one is my favourite:
His other songs are great too, especially I Seen Beyonce at Burger King and if you want to see some good lookin’ men in next to no clothing then you must check out Ice Cream Truck. Apparently Lafayette played one of his songs in an episode of True Blood which makes me love his music even more (and also True Blood for working Cazwell in). I aim to buy his album “Watch My Mouth” ASAP!
From there I finally checked out Raquel Reed’s music videos:
I hate to admit it, but I’ve been a closet fan of hers for years. I used to try and hate her because I hate efagz like Audrey Kithing and Hannah Beth but it looks like Raquel Reed has some talent and let’s face it, her style is amazing and super cute. Oh to be that slim and wear what she wears! So the song itself is pretty cool though the distortion in the music kind of overwhelms her singing. from what I can tell from her 2nd single Do It Dirty she’s actually a decent singer. But the thing I love the most is the film clip. Ahhh how much do I love her style and colour choices. Shame her other song The fast Lane is such utter balls. Hopefully she will break away from the efagz mold and get better and better.
I know every blogger has done this before, but usually they’re boring and full of lame advice about wearing sunscreen and drinking lots of water which you should already know. I thought I’d mix it up a bit by explaining the Dos and DON’Ts through my recent experience at Summafieldayze which took place at the Gold Coast on January 2nd.
DO: Dress appropriately
Basically you can’t wear skinny jeans to a music festival in the middle of summer. I went to my first Summafieldayze in tight jeans and Chucks and almost died from overheating/sand in my shoes. I quickly learned you need to dress light and comfortably, though don’t be a massive dag about it if you can avoid it. As tacky as they are, those fluro kids had it right with their singlets and shorts and slip on shoes. Also, don’t wear thongs when you know there’s a good chance of rain/mud. You will lose them and have to risk walking through pee later in the evening.
DON’T: Wear new shoes
My friend did this and while they looked comfortable, they gave her such bad blisters she couldn’t walk for days afterwards. Wear shoes that are well-worn and comfortable while also being disposable should you lose them in a massive mud pit. If you know it will be raining and therefore muddy, gum boots are great but make sure they fit as those suckers can cause nasty blisters.
DO: Medicate Yourself
If you suffer from any medical conditions, take what you need with you in a safe compartment of your bag and don’t rely on the ambo’s there to help you. I get migraines and only took some weak-ass pain killers with me which did bugger all when I was hit with a killer migraine of doom at the end of the night. Sitting on a bus with drunk/high festival-goers when you have a migraine blows big time, so assume the worst and take extra precautions (especially if you have a life-threatening condition, naturally).
DON’T: Forget to plan
It seems obvious, but I made this mistake very mistake the other day at Sumamfieldayze. For some reason we couldn’t find the timetable on the website so didn’t know who was on when until we got a timetable from someone else on the bus on our way there. As a result we missed one of the main acts we wanted to see because we assumed they’d be on a lot later than they actually were. We also left an hour later than we originally wanted to, and because the Gold Coast is just hopeless with organising festivals 90% of the time, it took us THREE hours to get from Surfers Paradise to the Spit, which is really only a 5-10 minute drive on a regular day. If we’d spent more time working out the plan instead of buying and consuming booze, we would have made it there a lot earlier and not had to hang around screeching morons for three too may hours. On the upside though, we managed to find someone willing to take us to the festival gates by jetski which was hilariously awesome.
DO: Drink before you get there
If you’re planning to drink at a music festival like this one, make sure you have saved your pennies. For a crazy $10.50 you can get a can of a premixed drink that is only mid-strength. Oh yes. I suggest having a few drinks before hand to get the day started and then go easy at the festival because you will send yourself broke if you try and get wasted there. Other options included getting into the VIP area which usually sells full strength drinks for less or just take drugs. Seriously, anything over $8 for a mid-strength drink is highway robbery and only encourages people to take drugs. I’m not saying I am condoning drug use, I’m just saying that for a lot of people it’s more economical to have a pill for around $30 than try and get drunk at a festival. For another perspective on this, check out this article by Sam Cleveland on The Punch.
DON’T: Rely on your phone too much
By the end of the night it’s likely you won’t be able to get reception, or like me your phone will go flat because you used it to take photos/update Facebook. If you’re worried about losing your friends, agree on a meeting point and wait there at the end of the night, or else just make your own way home. I have notoriously poor luck with mobiles at festivals, namely because friends give me their to hold which is a right pain in the butt when you end up losing them!
DO: make sure you have the next day off
I have tried to go to work the day after a big festival and it sucks. If you can do it, take the next day off work and recuperate. No one likes a hungover asshole in the office so get over your misery in the privacy of your own home and then get back to your routine the day after.
DONT: Go to a festival if it’s not your thing
I’ve gone to festivals with friends who were only going for one artist, and generally hate the style of music that dominates the day. Man it’s a massive downer. They either end up getting watsed and acting like a crazy fool and missing that one artist they came to see anyway. Or they bitch and moan about all the “losers” there, how shit the music is and what a terrible day it’s been. Nip this in the bud with a friend who’s looking at going to the next festival because they like whoever’s headlining. Remind them of all of the other acts who they hate and show them photos of patrons from previous years. Or even better, tell ‘em to get a life and stop hating so much. Both are good.
| Originally published at rubyvelour.com |
Let me tell you a little story about a cool thing that happened to me today. I was asked to grab something from the chemist by my boyfriend after work. Luckily for him I needed to needed to grab a few things so ran up before they closed. As I walked in I saw this guy with the above shirt. Now, unless you’re German or really into German music, you won’t have a clue what that shirt is about. Briefly, it is a shirt of my favourite band Die Ärzte who is a German rock band that I have worshiped since I was 15 years old. They’re the reason I made my way to German back in 2004 (where I saw them live 10 times!) and I actually happen to have three tattoos related to them. So seeing a guy in this shirt at the chemist near my house was pretty damn shocking. In fact the only other time I ever saw someone in a shirt of theirs was a German girl who was lined up before me at an ATM last year. Despite the fact I hate approaching strangers, let alone initiating polite conversation with them, I asked him “Is that a Die Ärzte shirt” and we had a bit of a chat about the band as we were both pretty excited that we’d randomly bumped into someone who knew this obscure German band in lil old Brisbane.
But that’s not even the best bit. he then asked me if I know Fettes Brot. Well, of course I do, they’re my favourite hip hop group of all times (and yes, also German). So much so my ringtone is their song Da Draussen! He then tells me about how something similar happened to him a few years ago where he was in a club wearing a shirt with their Demo tape icon on it when someone went up to him and asked him if he knew Fettes Brot. Now, it might just be a massive coincidence but I’m pretty sure that was me back in 2004, right before I moved to Germany at my work going-away party! Sure, there might be another Deutscher hip hop fan out there, but I doubt it. It was me, for sure!
So that was a cool and completely random twist to the end of my day. It makes me a bit sad and nostalgic for Die Ärzte as it’s really hand being a fan of band that sing in another language that no one knows anything about. It’s such a shame too, because one look at their merch and you know they’re going to be an amazing band! Oh well I’ll just crank them up nice and loud on my drive to work tomorrow morning :)
| Originally published at rubyvelour.com |
So this morning I woke up with both “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West and “The Power of Love” Huey Lewis. Yes that’s right, two of the most different songs ever produced. Am I the only person who gets two songs in their head at a time? Particularly of two very different styles/eras? I admit I know how they both got in my head, because I heard them at work. Yep that’s right, we listen to music at work! This probably seems like no big deal to most people but it’s a HUGE deal to me. Music makes my day go so much faster and I’ve not had the ability to listen to music at work since that last job I had up until late last year. Being able to listen to music while I worked was just about the best thing at that job and as glad as I was to get out of there, I missed music in the workplace terribly.
So at my new job we listen to the radio. I am not a huge fan of the radio, what with all that repetition, the morons who have “shows” and waste my time by talking absolute crap and then those damn obnoxious adverts that cut through me like razor blades. I thought that after a few years of rarely listening to the radio that maybe I’d be over it, but I’m not and commercial radio, particularly in Brisbane, bites balls. Luckily for me though, we discovered internet radio which has (foolishly) been put into my control! I know I am always about 5 years late on technological advances as a general rule, but I cannot believe I did not know about this!
So anyway, I have made some observations about pop music since I’ve been listening to the radio so much. Most notably is how badly they overplay certain songs. Sure we all know they do that, but it came as a bit of a shock to me when I realised how overplayed some songs really are. No one anywhere ever needs to hear “California Gurls” three times in one work day on the one station. No one needs to hear that song at all, but that’s really just my own personal opinion. And speaking of that song, I am amazed at how some stations don’t play the Snoop Dogg rap bit. What, are black people too scary for the listeners of anytime radio? Or is it just Snoop in particular that freaks out all the old cows in offices who tend to tune into stations like 97.3 and B105?
Another gripe is how often they plays the songs of Train. I didn’t even know who this band was until I got sick of this one song and found out who they were through the power of Google. Then I Googled the lyrics of another song I liked an discovered it was by Train as well! I cannot understand how two songs from the same band can range between being quite good to totally crap. Nor why they both get played so friggen much. This also applies to songs like “I Wanna be a Billionaire” and “Nothin’ On You” which I used to like until they ruined them with multiple plays every fucking day.
And last but most shockingly of all, I have heard Nickelback played a LOT. I honestly had this idea in my head that no one listened to them and they just released albums and kept touring anyway. Well, I figured they’d have a fanbase of redneck Yanks scattered around the States, but c’mon, Aussies can’t be that dumb. Turns out I was wrong, if how much they get played is any indication. My god that band fucking sucks. I’d choose to listen to all of Katy Perry’s music on repeat and possibly even out up with her for a day than hear any Nickelback song ever again.
So that’s my thought on music for the week. I’ve been out of the loop for a good nine months and as expected, not much has changed. Thank god for internet radio, even if I have to put up with the shittiness that is iTunes to use it!
Over and out!
For today’s Music on My Mind I am not going to go through the songs I’ve had in my head lately as such. The other day I asked people on my Facebook to tell me their favourite RnB songs from the 90s, which is pretty much the best era for RnB in my opinion, and as a result I rediscovered some of my all time favourites. I often wish RnB and hip hop would revert back to the carefree days of the early 90s where it was all about good times and having fun and being in love and going to house parties. I really miss those feel good tunes, I really can’t think of any from the last 10 years from urban music. I’m sure there’s plenty but since none come to mind it seems they’re probably few and far between.
So I thought I’d share some of my favourite feel-good RnB tunes that you’ll either remember fondly or fall in love with for the first time:
I am a big fan of Will Smith in general and I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like at least one of his songs from when he was the Fresh Prince. This one’s especially good. I always wanted to go to these sorts of carefree parties where you just lounge around in your bikini and dance all sensual-like for the boyz.
Ohhh I was so obsessed with this song when I was… well I guess I was about 13 when it came out. I taped it off Red (what is now called Channel V in Australia) and would watch it on repeat so I could learn all of the words.
OK so I defy anyone to say they don’t love this song. It’s the ultimate laid back RnB song about going to house parties and having fun. Gosh I wish this happened more in my life!
Aaahhh Kid n Play! I only really got into them in the last couple of years when my boyfriend got me to watch House Party. I’d always wanted to see it as a kid because I saw TLC were in the 3rd movie but mum thought they were a bit too mature for me and my sister so we never got to rent those videos. Now I am obsessed! And almost know all the steps to the Funky Charleston from the first House Party.
Speaking of TLC, they were my all time favourite as a teenager in the mid-late 90s. It wasn’t til a few years later that I discovered how awesome they were in the early 90s! Check that crazy fashion!!! I love it so much I once got my workmates to dress up as old-school TLC at work.
OK so I was never really into Boyz II Men because I was never into RnB ballads which I assumed was all they did (I did appreciated them more when I realised it was them singing in “Hey Lover” by LL Cool J which is one of my all time favourite songs). This one is so much fun and guaranteed to make me dance every time I hear it. I also just noticed as I re-watched this now, that Another Bad Creation is in the clip! Awww.
Yet another girl group! They had it goin’ on back then! This time it’s SWV who were awesome, in fact I listen to their album a lot even to this day. This is my favourite of their songs, though the “Human Nature Mix” featuring Michael Jackson is also pretty unreal.
I didn’t discover this song or Tony! Toni! Toné til a few years ago and loved this some immediately (I do vaguely remember it from when I was younger, shame I wasn’t more attentive back then). I very much admire the fact they play their own instruments.
I hope you guys didn’t think I’d forget about Michael Jackson!?! This is in my Top 10 o All Time Favourites. I waited up late to see the premier of this back when it wad first released. I may even have the tape I recorded it on somewhere still. I used to practice that dance so often! I loved this whole album, very New Jack Swing which was quite different for MJ. This epic clip doesn’t really match any of the others, but you can’t beat the lyrics for good times.
And last in today’s list is one of the greatest RnB feel good songs ever! This is such a classic and I always feel sad that Bobby Brown went down the path he (and Whitney) did. Such an awesome singer and check out that dancing. Oh yeah, goooood times!
Please tell me your favourites! I don’t even care if they fit the “feel good” theme I was rollin’ with today, I just want to know what you loved from that era so I can (re)discover some classics!
After deciding to do this, I’ve paid a lot closer attention to the songs that get stuck in my head and was pretty shocked (maybe even a bit disturbed) but the kinds of songs I kept getting in my head. I must have had “The Garbage Man Can” from the Simpsons in my head almost every single day. It was weird. I tried jotting most of them down though a few of them I only wrote down an artist name like “Snoop Dogg” and so I’m not sure what song I had in my head at that time (I’ve tried to work out which Snoop song it was but youtubeis being a bitch, so let’s just pretend it was “Gangsta Luv” shall we?).
Anyway, the most memorable ones this week were:
Last Monday morning I had Lady Gaga’s “Money Honey” which I guess is to be expected as I tend to have one of her songs in my head more often than not though I can’t remember the last time I heard that song, come to think of it.
On Tuesday morning I woke up with “Rude Boy” by Rihanna in my head which has pretty much stayed put ever since. What can I say, I love that song. I vaguely recall trying to dance like she does in the film clip on Saturday night in one of Brisbane’s shittiest nightclubs. Oh yeah.
Later in the week I had a bit of a blast from the past with “Glamorous Life” by Sheila E and “Like A Virgin” by Madonna (which always becomes “Like A Surgeon” which is definitely the best version of it). Neither of these songs were in any way justified, though I was pretty excited the following day to see that Sheila E is touring! A premonition maybe? I like to think so.
And unfortunately that’s where I lost track! I promise to keep tabs better this week so I can share you the massively daggy jukebox that is my head! Stay tunes for a week of such wonders, such as “Crush On You” by Aaron carter. Yes you read it right, that was the song I had in my head tonight. Just because I thought of saying “you found me out” to someone, BAM the worst song in the whole world went and got stuck in my head D:
I love music (as I keep reminding everyone) and apparently it really loves me back. Almost every morning I wake up with a new and totally random song in my head, and more often than not I cannot explain how it got there. Take this morning for example. For no reason that I could come up with, I woke up with “On My Radar” by Britney Spears in my head. I don’t listen to Britney actively, if ever, so I was bewildered by the presence o this song to say the very least. Not that I should be, considering I find I can on justify one out of every five songs I find playing over and over in my head. But still, I can’t recall having heard the song in ages, if anything I would have expected my person fave like “Womanizer” which I like to sing loudly at inappropriate moments!
So, because it amuses me and I don’t feel like I write enough about music, I am going to keep track of the songs I find in my head, particularly the ones I wake up with and the ones that are a little bit obscure (in the sense of how they got there not a in how unknown/indie they are). As part of this I will explain my connection to the song (if any), my guesses at how it got there and maybe even some little-known facts about the song/artist to jazz it up a little.
Today I had “Telephone” by Lady Gaga/Beyonce in my head. Not a huge shock since I love that song to death, but I’m not sure how it got stuck and why I feel compelled to yell the words to it as much as possible. Actually, maybe it’s because I keep thinking (and laughing) about this all week:
Fucking hilarious! Stay tuned!
| Originally published at rubyvelour.com » Click here « to leave any comments. |
It's taken me some time to write some sort of review for Lady Gaga's concerts (she had two in Brisbane and I went to both). I blame the fact immediately after that crazy weekend, I caught a bastard of a cold which is still hanging around and pissing me off. But there's also the fact I needed a few days to come down from the high I felt from seeing her live.
Check out the rest of my photos here!
| Originally published at rubyvelour.com. » Click here « to leave any comments. |
| Originally published at rubyvelour.com. |
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