Category: music

blame it on the rain, yeah yeah

It's raining here and flooding in Georgia, a state I love.  It's raining everywhere.  I've been in a crappy mood all week and I blame it on the rain.  You know what that means.  Yep, time for an 80's raindance party!  Put on your gold lame raincoat and get your groove on, baby.

Let's let the original kings of lip synching kick it off. 

That's right. Whatever you do, don't put the blame on you.  That rain can't be good for the instruments they weren't actually using.

And this is the song that's been in my head all week.

Is it just me or does Dave Stewart look like a creepy stalker in the video? That's right, I said it — creepy stalker.

Prince would kick my ass if I didn't include him in the dance party and the last thing I need is Prince on my case. It's a slow jam, you know, 'cause Prince likes it that way.  And if you want to send out any long-distance dedications, now is the time.

http://www.myvideo.de/movie/1252470

Damn, that's a long video.

I think we can all agree we need to break up the melancholy mood with a little up-tempo number. And I think we all know what that means — the dragtastic "It's Raining Men."

So, that's the rain post. Stay tuned for the "Here Comes The Sun" post , that is, if the sun ever comes out for more than half the day.

80’s Sunday Rewind: the you’re so vain, I bet you think this post is about you edition

Who wants to bet Typepad puts a limit on characters allotted for post titles after this one?  

 I'm almost positive those of you who have been read the 80's Sunday Rewind for a while wouldn't take me for a closet Carly Simon fan, but then again, I'm full of surprises aren't I?  There are a few Carly Simon songs that when I hear them stay with me for days, and it's one of those days.  Not a bad day, but a sad day.  We all have them, I'm no different from any of you.  

The first song up is "Coming Around Again," which fits my life right now.  Why?  Let's go to the lyrics, shall we?

Baby sneezes
Mommy pleases
Daddy breezes in

So good on paper
So romantic
But so bewildering

I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again

So don't mind if I fall apart
There's more room in a broken heart

You pay the grocer
You fix the toaster
You kiss the host goodbye

Then you break a window
Burn the souffle
Scream a lullaby

I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It's coming around again

So don't mind if I fall apart
There's more room in a broken heart

And I believe in love
But what else can I do?
I'm so in love with you

I know nothing stays the same
But if you're willing to play the game
It will be coming around again


Apologies for the shitty video quality, but this is the only complete version of the video I could find.

So, that's the sad song for today.  It fits.  If you know me personally, you know.  If not, just know everything's okay, just having a breaking windows, burning souffles, and screaming lullabies kind of day/week/month/year — whatever.  That should suffice.  

The next song is "Let The River Run," which is from the movie Working Girl, an 80's classic starring Melanie Griffith (pre-lip injections), Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, and Joan Cusack.  This song is one of my favorites for some reason.  It's hopeful.  And this video has enough 80's fashion and hair for all of us and don't blame me if you see it and run out and buy frosted eyeshadow and jackets with shoulder pads — blame Carly.   Oh, and am I crazy or is there something cool about a guitar solo by a guy in a trench and fedora on a ferry?  Just me?  Shut up.

a little Moz for your Tunes Tuesday

So, I'm still recovering from ScrapFest! but I think I owe my readers a little perfection on Tuesday. 

Y'all know I love the Morrissey.  He's perfect for my melancholy day.   That's a good word for it. 

Here's "Suedehead" from 1988's Viva Hate (is there a better album title than that?  No, I think not).   This was a good theme song for a good while.  The lyrics are pretty great, "Why do you come here
When you know it makes things hard for me ? When you know, oh Why do you come?"

This video is from the Jools Holland show.

80’s Sunday Rewind: the Replacements

The Replacements are a band I've loved since my love of music started, around 1986-87.  I'm always surprised when fellow music lovers haven't heard their stuff or don't remember them, because the Mats were simply fabulous.  Paul Westerberg has one of the best rock and roll voices around and he wrote some great tunes back in the day. 

Here are a few of my faves, starting with "Achin' to Be."

http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:9829

And this is the demo (better) version of "Can't Hardly Wait."

"I'll Be You" is a great song (watch the video quick! WMG is taking down the original vid faster than you can say Westerberg!).  I played this record OUT in '89.  Yes, I said record.  "I'll Be You" is from the fantastic album Don't Tell a Soul.  Westerberg sings the line "I'm dressin' sharp and feelin' dull" which I love, as well as "rebel without a clue," which Tom Petty heard and borrowed the line for "Into the Great Wide Open." My favorite lyric is "a dream too tired to come true," which is sad and lovely all at the same time. Anyway, have a beautiful Sunday and I'll tell you what we should do, you be me for a while and I'll be you.

tunes you need Tuesday: ‘hard candy’ edition

I've written about my Counting Crows before and y'all know how I love them.  Maybe it's because I discovered them when I needed something, maybe it's because Adam Duritz can write a lyric that gets me, maybe it's because they're underrated and who doesn't love a band who does their own thing despite the what the critics say? 

200px-CountingCrowsHardCandy Here's what I do know: Hard Candy was released in June of 2002, just before we moved to Canada and for some reason it rose to the top of my music collection and was decidedly my soundtrack for a good year.  It's a summer album, I think.  And since we're closing out summer, it's a good choice for Tunes Tuesday.  It's good stuff. 

It featured the hidden track, "Big Yellow Taxi," a Joni Mitchell cover, as well as several other songs I immediately loved.  "Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood (Up All Night)" is one I have to play several times when it comes up on the iPod and "If I Could Give All My Love to you or Richard Manuel is Dead" is awesome. 

The album still rocks.  Go get you some Hard Candy.

Here are a few of my fave tracks.  The title track, "Hard Candy" has a great line "she is something all together different, never just an ordinary girl"  — because who would want to be an ordinary girl?  And "you put your girl up on a pedestal and you wait for her to fall" is pretty damn telling, just listen.

"Miami" is just a plain good.   You need to hear it, baby, then we'll shut it down in New Orleans. 

Next up is "Why Should You Come When I Call,"  a song I've identified with on occasion.  It's a sweet song of love and codependency. Really.

And my favorite, "Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood (Up All Night)" is last but not least.  It's a fantastic song to drive to, sing to, dance in the kitchen to.  What? like you've never danced in your kitchen.  It's a good insomniac song (which you know I am), a good song about wanting to get high (but it's too late), and a good song for a Tuesday.  Enjoy your Tuesday. 

80’s Sunday rewind: Morris Day and The Time

People, there are lots of bands I like for many reasons and then there is Morris Day and The Time. 

Morris Day and The Time are the jam.  If you need an education on The Time, you’re in luck today, peeps.  And when you’ve finished with today’s post, do yourself a favor and watch Purple Rain.  If you’re the ONE PERSON in America who hasn’t seen Purple Rain — rent it.  Don’t make me call you out on my widely-read blog, friend.  I digress, Morris Day and The Time were not simply Prince’s funk pet project, they were (and are) a fabulous band.

The first video is “The Bird.”  I fully admit  that “this dance ain’t for everybody, just the sexy people” is something I say at least once a week.      

Now, you’ll have to cover your virgin ears for part of this clip, but it’s too awesome to leave out.

And if you have virgin ears, it’s best you skip this clip — my favorite from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.  Don’t you ever say a bad word about the greatest band in the world, Morris Day and The Mothereffin’ Time!

80’s Sunday Rewind: wouldn’t it be good edition

It's a short 80's Sunday Rewind today, alas there is much to be done for ScrapFest! 

I've had "Wouldn't it be Good" by Nik Kershaw in my head for a couple of days.  It's one of my all-time favorites; the Danny Hitton Hitters cover is on the Pretty in Pink Soundtrack, but Kershaw's original is the best.  The theme of the song, as Kershaw puts it is a common one and well put:

Wouldn't it be good to be in your shoes even if it was for just one day:
And wouldn't it be good if we could wish ourselves away.
Wouldn't it be good to be on your side

The grass in always greener over there.
Wouldn't it be good if we could live without a care

80’s Sunday Rewind: John Hughes edition

As I drove home from Shreveport this afternoon, I put my 80's playlist on the iPod after the first hour on the road and something occurred to me: there are a great many songs I adore from John Hughes movies.  If you read my earlier post about the influence of Hughes' films, you know I love the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, but it's also worth mentioning that Hughes introduced many bands to America's youth in the 80's. 

What would the ending of Sixteen Candles be without Thompson Twins "If You Were Here"?

And my favorite scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off wouldn't be the same without the instrumental version of this Dream Academy cover of The Smith's "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want."  It's the museum scene — you know it as soon as you hear the melody.

I'll leave you with my all-time favorite.  I've written about this before, but it's The Rave-Ups (one of my fave bands) song "Positively Lost Me," which they play on stage at Cats, the club in Pretty in Pink.  It's the song playing over the scene where Andie brings Blane to the club.  This song is great for many reasons: 1. it was not included on the soundtrack 2. they were in the film because they were Molly Ringwald's favorite band 3. until very recently, the song wasn't available on iTunes and was considered rare 4. lastly, listen to the lyrics .  Jimmer lists things the girl has lost, it's brilliant.  The things are just things, but it also tells you quite a bit about their relationship, then he nails the last line with "you lost my face, you lost my laugh/and then you lost my confidence."   And also brilliantly, the song is playing while Duckie tells Andie off.  Great scene.  Here's the song.

"You lost a lot when you lost me
Six paperback books and a dying tree
A looking glass and a diamond ring
You lost me and you lost some dreams

Oh, you lost your cool, you lost your keys
And then you lost a sense of honesty

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece
A picture frame and a couple keys

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece
A picture frame and a couple keys
Stole a couple of dollars that I won't see

Two blankets and a bookshelf piece
A picture frame and a couple keys
Stole a couple of dollars that I won't see
You lost a lot when you lost me

You lost my face, you lost my laugh
and then you lost my confidence"

goodbye, John Hughes

One of my heroes passed away today. 

John Hughes was a brilliant screenwriter and director and I know much will be written about him in the coming weeks about his contribution to the film industry, his impact on my generation, and the group of actors he introduced to America.  And while I marvel at those things, what sticks out in my mind is how he was able to develop characters like Andie Walsh, Samantha Baker, John Bender, Philip F. Dale, and of course Ferris Bueller. 

Those  characters had depth you don't see much in film anymore.  That saddens me.  Ferris wasn't just a guy who wanted to skip school any more than  Sixteen Candles was a movie about a girl's birthday.  Hughes made us care about his characters.  I was 12 when Pretty in Pink came out and saw it at the old Joy Theater in Shreveport, LA.  I knew little of the social dynamics of school at the time, which was the theme of the film — but I knew I loved Molly Ringwald's character because she believed in herself.  She was cool.  She had style.  When I reached high school, I appreciated the movie on different levels.  I understood the social element, the romantic element, and the setting.  PIP was the first movie I HAD to have the soundtrack of, which, as I have blogged before, I have replaced more than any record, tape, or cd I've ever owned. 

Hughes got teens.  He didn't talk down to them, he didn't dumb-down his movies.  He presented his stories and gave us something to think about as well entertainment.  I miss that in film and hope someone will take up his mantle. 

I've found a few of my favorite short scenes from my favorite Hughes films for you tonight.  The first and the last are great scenes without dialogue, the others are great lines.  Enjoy.   And watch a Hughes flick this weekend.