Song of the Day 1/8/12

French is a beautiful languiage for song. Here is a look back to 1962 with Françoise Hardy's "Tous les garçons et les filles". The song is about the feelings of a young woman who has never known love and her envy of the couples which surround her.

Last year Jon and I saw this Scopitone video in the pre-movie mish-mash of delightful randomness at Central Cinema. I immediately loved it and Jon was able to track down the artist and song title. And, lo and behold, he actually had a copy of the song to share thanks to our mutual friend, Ben.



"Tous les garcons et les filles de mon age / Se promenent dans la rue deux par deux / Tous les garcons et les filles de mon age / Savent bien ce que c'est d'etre heureux / Et les yeux dans les yeux / Et la main dans la main / Ils s'en vont amoureux / Sans peur du lendemain / Oui mais moi je vais seule / Dans la rue l'ame en peine / Oui mais moi je vais seule / Car personne ne m'aime
Mes jours comme mes nuits / Sont en tous points pareils / Sans joies et pleins d'ennuis / Personne ne murmure je t'aime a mon oreille
Tous les garcons et les filles de mon age / Font ensemble des projets d'avenir / Tous les garcons et les filles de mon age / Savent bien ce que aimer veut dire / Et les yeux dans les yeux / Et la main dans la main / Ils s'en vont amoureux / Sans peur du lendemain / Oui mais moi je vais seul / Dans la rue l'ame en peine / Oui mais moi je vais seule / Car personne ne m'aime
Mes jours comme mes nuits / Sont en tous points pareils / Sans joies et pleins d'ennuis / Oh quand pour moi brillera le soleil
Comme les garcons et les filles de mon age / J'connaitrais bientot ce qu'est l'amour / Comme les garcons et les filles de mon age / Je me demande quand viendra le jour / Ou les yeux dans les yeux / Ou la main dans la main / J'aurais le coeur heureux / Sans peur du lendemain / Le jour ou je n'aurais plus du tout / L'ame en peine / Le jour ou moi aussi / J'aurais quelqu'un qui m'aime"

Song of the Day 1/7/12

There is almost always music playing at our house. Our home theater system came with a handy dandy iPod dock, so I often just put it on shuffle mode. This often has amusing results. My taste in music is quite varied so you'll often hear They Might Be Giants, Sisters of Mercy, of Montreal, Jimmy Buffet, Franz Ferdinand and Moby back-to-back.

Today's song is a result of pressing play and seeing what song popped up first. It turned out to be one of my favorite songs from the 80's, "Enola Gay" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. This songs has a highly addictive keyboard riff that I will hum and whistle softly for hours after hearing. It's quite a brilliant combination of upbeat music with the darker political statement.



"Enola Gay, you should have stayed at home yesterday
Aha words can't describe the feeling and the way you lied

These games you play, they're gonna end in more than tears someday
Aha Enola Gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way

It's 8:15, and that's the time that it's always been
We got your message on the radio, conditions normal and you're coming home

Enola Gay, is mother proud of little boy today
Aha this kiss you give, it's never ever gonna fade away

Enola Gay, it shouldn't ever have to end this way
Aha Enola Gay, it shouldn't fade in our dreams away

It's 8:15, and that's the time that it's always been
We got your message on the radio, conditions normal and you're coming home

Enola Gay, is mother proud of little boy today
Aha this kiss you give, it's never ever gonna fade away"

Song of the Day 1/6/12

Feeling silly tonight, so here's Flight of the Conchords with "The Humans are Dead".

Song of the Day 1/5/12

The 2012 Sounders FC schedule was finally released today. Now I'm all pumped up for MLS season!

It's obvious that today's song has to be Cock Sparrer's "Take 'em All", the chorus of which I sing proudly with the Emerald City Supporters every game that I attend.



"We worked our way up from east end pubs
To gigs and back stage passes
Ex-boxing champs, West end clubs
Americans in dark glasses
Driving ten grand cars, they drink in hotel bars
They're even making money in bed
They wouldn't be no loss, they aint worth a toss
It's about time they all dropped dead.

[Chorus]Take 'em all, take 'em all
Put 'em up against a wall and shoot 'emS
hort and tall, watch 'em fall
Come on boys take 'em all

Well tough shit boys, it aint our fault
Your record didn't make it
We made you dance, you had your chance
But you didn't take it
Well, I gotta go make another deal
Sign another group for the company
I don't suppose we'll ever meet again
You'd better get back to the factory.

[Chorus]
Take 'em all, watch 'em fall [x4]
[Chorus Repeat...]"

Song of the Day 1/4/12

Days like today call for a gentle, beautiful, comforting song before turning in for the night.

So today's song is "Sleep Tight, Tiger" by Helsinki band, Husky Rescue.



"Sleep tight tiger
Sleep tight tiger, sweet dreams till tomorrow
Sleep tight tiger
I love you, love you first thing in the morning
The day time the night time when the angels are calling
They whisper in the top of my tongue,
Tiny little worlds that tickle your ear drum
Sleep tight tiger
Sleep tight tiger, sweet dreams till tomorrow
Sleep tight tiger
Sleep tight tiger, sweet dreams till tomorrow
I'll be the teardrop in your pillow, the beautiful sorrow
I love you like I do in the noon
I am the shadow on your skin and I'll be gone very soon"

Song of the Day 1/3/12

I'm thinking my posts on weekdays will be quite a bit shorter due to to lack of time. My job is certainly not a "desk job", which makes my Internet use on Tuesday-Friday rather sporadic.

It was tough to go back to work after enjoying a 4-day weekend. Instead of succumbing to feelings of blah-ness I decided to listen to music to change my mood, particularly songs that I find it impossible to be grumpy while listening to.

Today's song is Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky". I've always had a soft spot for ELO since seeing the gloriously terrible movie "Xanadu" when I was young. I was full of giddy grins a few years ago when a Doctor Who episode revolved around a group of people who loved ELO. In tribute to this, the video for today's song is a fan-made video of scenes from that episode.



"Sun is shinin' in the sky
There ain't a cloud in sight
It's stopped rainin' ev'rybody's in a play
And don't you know
It's a beautiful new day hey,hey

Runnin' down the avenue
See how the sun shines brightly in the city
On the streets where once was pity
Mister blue sky is living here today hey, hey

Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?

Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, mister blue sky's up there waitin'
And today is the day we've waited for

Hey there mister blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Ev'rybody smiles at you
Mister blue sky, mister blue sky
Mister blue sky

Mister blue, you did it right
But soon comes mister night creepin' over
Now his hand is on your shoulder
Never mind I'll remember you this
I'll remember you this way

Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?
Hey there mister blue
We're so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Ev'rybody smiles at you
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba"

Song of the Day 1/2/12

The last several years I have been gaining more of an appreciation for electronic music. I used to dismiss it as a "lazy way out". I think the reason for my initial attitude was that I was exposed to a lot of bad techno during my college years and found the repetition annoying and the mechanical quality of the music to be missing out on the vital element of emotion. As a joke, Mike once composed and recorded a "techno" song in a matter of hours.

Fortunately I got past this. Bands like Fischerspooner, LCD Soundsystem and Ladytron showed me that electronically produced music could be good, innovative and even pack that emotional punch that I was missing before.

Today's song of the day is "Someone Great" by LCD Soundsystem. The melody is simple and repetitive, yet somehow this song reaches in and breaks my heart. It's about loss, secrets and how one must keep on doing all those mundane activities of life in spite of it all. I've linked to a fan made video since the "official" video, while stunning, cuts out over two minutes of music (including the most powerful verse, in my opinion). I suggest hitting play, minimizing your browser and just listening.



"I wish that we could talk about it,
But there, that's the problem.
With someone new I couldn't start it,
Too late, for beginnings.
The little things that made me nervous,
Are gone, in a moment.
I miss the way we used to argue,
Locked, in your basement.

I wake up and the phone is ringing,
Surprised, as it's early.
And that should be the perfect warning,
That something's, a problem.
To tell the truth I saw it coming,
The way, you were breathing.
But nothing can prepare you for it,
The voice, on the other, end.

The worst is all the lovely weather,
I'm stunned, it's not raining.
The coffee isn't even bitter,
Because, what's the difference?
There's all the work that needs to be done,
It's late, for revision.
There's all the time and all the planning,
And songs, to be finished.

And it keeps coming,
And it keeps coming,
And it keeps coming,
Till the day it stops.
And it keeps coming,
Till the day it stops.

I wish that we could talk about it,
But there, that's the problem.
With someone new I could have started,
Too late, for beginnings.
You're smaller than my wife imagined,
Surprised, you were human.
There shouldn't be this ring of silence,
But what, are the options?

When someone great is gone.

We're safe, for the moment.
Saved,
For the moment."

Song of the Day 1/1/12

I'm starting a Song of the Day Blog for 2012. Music is very important to me and I'd love to share the songs that effect me and stir something in my soul.

There's no better way to start this project off than with my favorite band, James. If challenged to list my top 10 favorite James songs, #2-10 are constantly in flux but #1 is always "Sound".

I discovered James in college while used CD shopping with my friend, Derek. I was amused by a poster for their "Laid" album and found the title track to be wonderfully fun. Several months later I earned a gig as an overnight DJ at the college radio station. It was then I gave the entire album a complete listen and was instantly hooked. James became a mainstay of my radio show. The radio station was also where I first met Mike and the music of James played an important role in our growing close and falling in love.

The album "Seven" quickly became my favorite. The first few listens "Sound" just kind of went by. It wasn't that I didn't like it, I thought it a lovely song, but it didn't reach out and grab me right away. I don't the exact moment that "Sound" first blew me away, but I do know that the music reached me and took over. It's a song you can become lost in. It's beautiful, comforting and heartbreaking all at the same time.

In fall of 2010 I finally got to see James perform live. The whole show was an amazing and emotional experience for me. When "Sound" started tears ran down my face. It was magical.




"Ape your father's sins, your mother's mood swings to perfection.
Fall into a spin, shed another skin, strip away all your protection.
Laugh at the wonder of it all.
Laugh so loud you break the fall and you see the gathering clouds.
Cry at the sadness of the world.
Cry so long you break it's cold and you hear the gathering sounds.

Do everything you fear. In this there's power. Fear is not to be afraid of.
Laugh at the wonder of it all.
Laugh so loud you break your fall and you hear the gathering sounds.

Come, dip on in. Leave your bones, leave your skin.
Leave your past, leave your craft.
Leave your suffering heart."