Hello,
I hope your holidays are wonderful! Now all that's left is New Year's, and I hope that you have a marvellous one of those as well.
Now's the time for the promised CMA recap, as I do annually. The show was actually really cool, and I made smores in my college kitchen microwave to accompany my watching. Fun, fun. It opened with a rocking number from Carrie Underwood's new CD, Play On, the song "Songs Like This." Accompanying her on their amazing guitars were none other than (guess who?) Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. The next performance was Rascal Flatts, with their "Why Wait," which is a song that will forever be accompanied by shots of Las Vegas for me, a la their music video in the style of the Hangover. Not that I've seen that film, but...I have seen the video often enough. Next up was Blake Shelton, with "All About Tonight." The song didn't really leave all that great an impression on me, so we're moving on. Following her fiance was Miranda Lambert, with what was at one point my favourite song from Revolution, "That's the Way that the World Goes 'Round." She's stunning, and that performance was amazing, too. If anyone deserves the accolades s/he receives, it's her. Mr. George Strait had the next performance, with "The Breath You Take," a beautiful song delivered with that touch of gentle passion that he exudes, convincing me enough to go and buy the song on iTunes. The last time a song at the CMAs did that, I fell in love with Taylor Swift, who performed later in the show (coming up soon). After George Strait sang the Zac Brown Band; their major hit featuring Alan Jackson, "As She's Walking Away" is as beautiful live as it is on repeat on one's iPod. Take it from someone who knows this. As it was November, it seemed fitting that "The Boys of Fall" came after that, with Kenny Chesney performing the song that used to make me cry so hard. It didn't then, because I was excited that it was the CMAs again. Following that up was the aforementioned Taylor Swift, whose album had come out a mere two weeks earlier. She sang, "Back to December," accompanied by the mandatory snowflakes and an exquisite live orchestra; she played the piano in a stunning white dress, and the full-bodied string orchestra behind her added such incredible depth to the song that it was the best rendition of it that I've yet heard. Eat your heart out. Next up was the unpredictable duo, Sugarland, with their catchy single, "Stuck Like Glue." Usually unconventional, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush had their set resemble a jewelry box, with Jennifer the ballerina. It was pretty astounding. Keith Urban followed, with his new single, "Put You in a Song," probably the most infectious song I've heard in a while. I like to dance to it... After him was Reba, who put her own spin on the Beyonce classic, "If I Were a Boy." It works much better as a country song, I have to say, despite my quite apparent bias. Unlikely duo Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson performed their major hit "Don't You Wanna Stay," and it was only the beginning of their incredible commercial success with it. I wouldn't have said that would happen, but the song really is tremendous. The drumbeats, the piano...wow. Impressive. The only thing I would critique is her choice of attire; I don't think the navy blue long-sleeved dress quite flattered her. But seriously, if the only thing I can find that I don't like is the dress (and I with no fashion sense in the least!), then you know it's a powerful song. Then was Kid Rock with "Born Free," followed by a new Brad Paisley song, "This is Country Music." The latter song stopped me dead in my tracks with the very first line ("you're not supposed to say the word 'cancer' in a song") and captivated me throughout. He's done it again. Lady Antebellum followed with "Hello World," a song I used to kind of like but now have heard far too often to ever want to hear it again. Incredible newcomers The Band Perry were next, with their heart-wrenching, "If I Die Young," a song I've grown to absolutely love, heart and soul. Carrie Underwood came back onstage, flaunting her disgustingly enormous diamond ring, with "Mama's Song." After this was Dierks Bentley, starting "Up On the Ridge" with his band all around one microphone a cappella. It was very evocative. The penultimate song was a tribute to Loretta Lynn and her classic, "Coal Miner's Daughter," sung by Loretta, Miranda Lambert, and Sheryl Crow. Closing out the show was Gwyneth Paltrow with Vince Gill and "Country Strong," the eponymous song from her new film. I think Miranda's expression, before she realised that the camera was on her, said it all.
Here is a recap of the awards:
Musician of the Year - Mac McAnally (no surprise, this guy has a record or something)
Musical Event of the Year - "Hillbilly Bone," Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Music Video of the Year - "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
Song of the Year - "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
Album of the Year - Revolution, Miranda Lambert
Single of the Year - "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year - Sugarland (because NO one saw that coming)
Vocal Group of the Year - Lady Antebellum
New Artist of the Year - Zac Brown Band (again, no surprise)
Male Vocalist of the Year - Blake Shelton (!)
Female Vocalist of the Year - Miranda Lambert
Entertainer of the Year - Brad Paisley (finally!!)
It really was Miranda's year. She's phenomenal.
This song requires no explanation, so I will not be providing one for you. Beyond this: It's sort of my own (very) private "Dear John." Have fun.
You Had Me
You had me at, "Hello, my name is Scott,"
I had so many dreams, but a nightmare is all that I got
when you had me playing a part in your fantasy world
but I was only an easily-misled little girl
every light faded and I developed a fear of the dark
the monsters all came, but it was you who tore me apart
CHORUS:
you had me crawling on the floor for you
while you fed on my weakness, thinking that would make you strong
I wished desperately for the passage of time, but it never flew
so from the start it felt already like you had me far too long
you had me for a single fall
but now I'm starting to wonder how you had me at all
it's surreal how a dozen red roses turned my life around
I was flying high but you soon introduced me to the ground
now you're the reason I don't ever look in the mirror
'cause even when you're gone, your reverberations continue to linger
you took everything I had in the time from October to March
leaving me as nothing but the victim of your deformed little heart
CHORUS:
you had me crawling on the floor for you
while you fed on my weakness, thinking that would make you strong
I wished desperately for the passage of time, but it never flew
so from the start, it felt already like you had me far too long
you had me for a single fall
but now I'm starting to wonder how you had me at all
BRIDGE:
I learned quick after the first couple days
that you are a hypocrite in every way
'cause you were delighted whenever I cried
and you burned with jealousy when it was my time to shine
you were good at pretending that I was so lucky
but you took me for granted every second that you had me
I could get used to your temper, but I don't think I could get used to your fist
it got harder and harder to explain away your undone lies and those familiar broken promises
CHORUS:
'cause you had me crawling on the floor for you
while you fed on my weakness, thinking that would make you strong
I wished desperately for the passage of time, but it never flew
so from the start it felt already like you had me far too long
you had me for a single fall
but now I'm starting to wonder how you had me at all
you had me for a single fall
but now I'm starting to wonder why you had me at all
now I'm better off, though you might not be
than I was during the time that you had me
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
All the girls that you've run dry have tired, lifeless eyes, 'cause you've burned them out. But I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don't look now: I'm shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town.
28 December 2010
22 November 2010
This Song's For You
Dear all,
The CMA recap is coming in the next post. It somehow doesn't seem right to be in this one.
A few months ago, I mentioned the estimable, incomparable, formidable, venerable, and exceptional Pat Burns. I said that I wanted to write him a song, for what he brought to our lives and to ensure that his achievements will never be forgotten. And I said that I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. Well, I got about four verses and a changing chorus, but it didn't seem right. It didn't seem to come from the heart. And it certainly felt false to be writing a song in which the last verse is singing to a dead man, when he wasn't. Until Friday. And so, this is my "thank you for everything, we love you, Pat Burns" post.
I also said I wanted it to be perfect.
So, in order to achieve that, I threw out the three pages that I had. And started from scratch, forgetting everything that I had written before so that I could truly make it heartfelt and perfect and written with love and true gratitude. I'm not saying that it's good compared to any Taylor Swift song, but for what I want it to say, I think it's appropriate.
For those who don't know, Pat Burns died (that's hard to write) on Friday, November 19th, after a six-year battle with cancer. He was 58 years old. But one thing that he would not have wanted was to dwell on the sadness (even though I've cried almost three times a day since I first heard the news). So, to focus on the highlights, he achieved his biggest dream on June 9, 2003, when his New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to win the Stanley Cup. Prior to this, he won the Jack Adams' Coach of the Year Trophy three times, with three different teams (the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins), which is a National Hockey League record. He won a career total of 501 games as a head coach - a remarkable number in and of itself, yet one that illustrates wordlessly how his brilliant career was cut far too short, because it should have been higher.
He took no prisoners as a head coach, and he certainly showed that same fight while trying to beat cancer.
This Song's For You
it's hard for me to imagine someone who doesn't know your name
or someone who can't attest to your passion for the game
because the character you had all but filled up the room
and so to commemorate that, this song's for you
your specific brand of candour made the world wait the bated breath
because we couldn't wait to hear just what you'd say next
you made it to the top no matter what you set your mind to
because you amaze me, this song's for you
CHORUS:
you packed two lifetimes into fifty-eight years
now I'm on the other end, choking back tears
I know you wouldn't want us to be sad after the hero falls
you'd rather we be happy that he lived at all
but like other heroes, forgive me if I'm wrong,
you lived the kind of life that should be immortalised in song
there's a quiet kind of resolve in your iron-willed spirit
that's matched by your booming voice and what you say with it
you can fight with words but you can kick some ass, too
and to continue your fight, this song's for you
CHORUS:
you packed two lifetimes into fifty-eight years
now I'm on the other end, choking back tears
I know you wouldn't want us to be sad after the hero falls
you'd rather we be happy that he lived at all
but like other heroes, forgive me if I'm wrong,
you lived the kind of life that should be immortalised in song
BRIDGE:
I watched you from afar
I admired all that you are
and you opened my eyes to the beauty of life
you held yourself with such grace
and put pretenders in their place
and there was so much elegance in the way that you died
how can a person fade when his presence in life was so strong
the world's a little less colourful, now that you're gone
as you were in life, so shall you be in death, too
I know it's not much, but this song's for you
CHORUS:
you packed two lifetimes into fifty-eight years
now I'm on the other end, choking back tears
I know you wouldn't want us to be sad after the hero falls
you'd rather we be happy that he lived at all
but like other heroes, forgive me if I'm wrong,
you lived the kind of life that should be immortalised in song
it's hard for me to imagine someone who doesn't know your name
or someone who can't attest to your passion for the game
I know it's not much, but this song's for you
I love you so much, Coach, this song's for you...
I still find it remarkable that, after having battled with every word and every phrase with the last version of this song, this version flowed and came out in the space of about an hour and a half. I guess if there's something to be said, it'll come out all on its own.
I also want it recorded that I came up with the idea behind this song (including the title) in late February/early March, so that's far before the Joey + Rory song of the same name came out. No copyright infringements.
Much love, and thank you Pat Burns,
Just Another Ordinary Girl
p.s. I thought I would introduce a new item on my posts, and that is their ending with a Taylor Swift lyric. After my recapitulation of Speak Now, I figured that it's too hard to pick just a few lines here and there, and so I decided to feature a little bit of [real] country music songwriting in each post. And perhaps not always necessarily just Taylor Swift. So, that's what's new.
Long live all the magic we made, and bring on all the pretenders; I'm not afraid. Long live all the mountains we moved, I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.
The CMA recap is coming in the next post. It somehow doesn't seem right to be in this one.
A few months ago, I mentioned the estimable, incomparable, formidable, venerable, and exceptional Pat Burns. I said that I wanted to write him a song, for what he brought to our lives and to ensure that his achievements will never be forgotten. And I said that I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. Well, I got about four verses and a changing chorus, but it didn't seem right. It didn't seem to come from the heart. And it certainly felt false to be writing a song in which the last verse is singing to a dead man, when he wasn't. Until Friday. And so, this is my "thank you for everything, we love you, Pat Burns" post.
I also said I wanted it to be perfect.
So, in order to achieve that, I threw out the three pages that I had. And started from scratch, forgetting everything that I had written before so that I could truly make it heartfelt and perfect and written with love and true gratitude. I'm not saying that it's good compared to any Taylor Swift song, but for what I want it to say, I think it's appropriate.
For those who don't know, Pat Burns died (that's hard to write) on Friday, November 19th, after a six-year battle with cancer. He was 58 years old. But one thing that he would not have wanted was to dwell on the sadness (even though I've cried almost three times a day since I first heard the news). So, to focus on the highlights, he achieved his biggest dream on June 9, 2003, when his New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to win the Stanley Cup. Prior to this, he won the Jack Adams' Coach of the Year Trophy three times, with three different teams (the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins), which is a National Hockey League record. He won a career total of 501 games as a head coach - a remarkable number in and of itself, yet one that illustrates wordlessly how his brilliant career was cut far too short, because it should have been higher.
He took no prisoners as a head coach, and he certainly showed that same fight while trying to beat cancer.
This Song's For You
it's hard for me to imagine someone who doesn't know your name
or someone who can't attest to your passion for the game
because the character you had all but filled up the room
and so to commemorate that, this song's for you
your specific brand of candour made the world wait the bated breath
because we couldn't wait to hear just what you'd say next
you made it to the top no matter what you set your mind to
because you amaze me, this song's for you
CHORUS:
you packed two lifetimes into fifty-eight years
now I'm on the other end, choking back tears
I know you wouldn't want us to be sad after the hero falls
you'd rather we be happy that he lived at all
but like other heroes, forgive me if I'm wrong,
you lived the kind of life that should be immortalised in song
there's a quiet kind of resolve in your iron-willed spirit
that's matched by your booming voice and what you say with it
you can fight with words but you can kick some ass, too
and to continue your fight, this song's for you
CHORUS:
you packed two lifetimes into fifty-eight years
now I'm on the other end, choking back tears
I know you wouldn't want us to be sad after the hero falls
you'd rather we be happy that he lived at all
but like other heroes, forgive me if I'm wrong,
you lived the kind of life that should be immortalised in song
BRIDGE:
I watched you from afar
I admired all that you are
and you opened my eyes to the beauty of life
you held yourself with such grace
and put pretenders in their place
and there was so much elegance in the way that you died
how can a person fade when his presence in life was so strong
the world's a little less colourful, now that you're gone
as you were in life, so shall you be in death, too
I know it's not much, but this song's for you
CHORUS:
you packed two lifetimes into fifty-eight years
now I'm on the other end, choking back tears
I know you wouldn't want us to be sad after the hero falls
you'd rather we be happy that he lived at all
but like other heroes, forgive me if I'm wrong,
you lived the kind of life that should be immortalised in song
it's hard for me to imagine someone who doesn't know your name
or someone who can't attest to your passion for the game
I know it's not much, but this song's for you
I love you so much, Coach, this song's for you...
I still find it remarkable that, after having battled with every word and every phrase with the last version of this song, this version flowed and came out in the space of about an hour and a half. I guess if there's something to be said, it'll come out all on its own.
I also want it recorded that I came up with the idea behind this song (including the title) in late February/early March, so that's far before the Joey + Rory song of the same name came out. No copyright infringements.
Much love, and thank you Pat Burns,
Just Another Ordinary Girl
p.s. I thought I would introduce a new item on my posts, and that is their ending with a Taylor Swift lyric. After my recapitulation of Speak Now, I figured that it's too hard to pick just a few lines here and there, and so I decided to feature a little bit of [real] country music songwriting in each post. And perhaps not always necessarily just Taylor Swift. So, that's what's new.
Long live all the magic we made, and bring on all the pretenders; I'm not afraid. Long live all the mountains we moved, I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.
13 November 2010
why I continue to write songs
.
[Edited by author 8 July 2011, 9:34 a.m.]
-------------------------------------------------------------
I have no clue.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
[Edited by author 8 July 2011, 9:34 a.m.]
-------------------------------------------------------------
I have no clue.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
10 November 2010
Speak Now
Two years ago, I wrote my very first non-song blog post. And its title was "Fearless!" This is because it was exactly a week after the release of Taylor Swift's shining sophomore album of the same name. And here we are, almost exactly two years later, and I'm here to do the very same thing for the triumphant third album of hers, Speak Now.
On October 25th, I had quite the adventure when I went to purchase it. I had looked up the opening time of my nearest Borders store (8 am), so that I could get there and be one of the first to obtain a copy. I was up at six, and got there on time, around 8:01. I searched the store high and low and even looked at the website, but all to no avail. They didn't have it. What to do? I went about my day, periodically checking the Borders website to see if things had changed. It wasn't until I was free again to do what I wanted, about 5 pm, that the website had changed to indicate that they had it (although, tragically, under the store at which I had intended to purchase it, there was a little note that said "SOLD OUT."), so I went there to - finally - get my hands on the treasure of the year. I was not discouraged by the website, but I was nervous when I got to the store and it was nowhere to be found, until the last place I checked. I was so ecstatic I started laughing, and the customer nearby looked at me like I was insane. Well, I was. I nearly ran all the way back home, because I was in such high spirits and in such anticipation, and because I just wanted to rip off the plastic packaging and have her change my life for a third time.
It has become a tradition for me to listen to a Taylor Swift album for the first time while sitting in front of a fireplace, holding a CD player (mostly my dad's, because it's the only one not broken in our family - he probably doesn't even know I have it, at this point, as it has been in my possession since Fearless, anyway). However, this year, I was not within a 100-mile radius of a single fireplace, and if I was, it was not in my knowledge, so I made do. I found a 10-minute fireplace video on youtube and played it on continuous loop. And it was almost like home. Almost.
But then I opened the CD case, and pulled out the booklet. I read the prologue a few times, and particularly loved this section: "These songs are made up of words I didn't say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person. To the beautiful boy whose heart I broke last December. To my first love who I never thought would be my first heartbreak. To my band. To a mean man I used to be afraid of. To someone who made my world very dark for a while. To a girl who stole something of mine. To someone I forgive for what he said in front of the whole world."
After I read through this, I pressed play on the CD player. And I found myself in heaven for the next 67:29. I heard "ah-oh oh" and I could feel my world lighting up yet again.
"Mine" - The first single, the first track, the first glimpse of a new Taylor. Of course, I could see the music video playing out when I closed my eyes, because I had watched that more than enough times, but the song speaks for itself without the video. Beautiful, optimistic, expressive. You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter, you are the best thing that has ever been mine.
"Sparks Fly" - If I had to say something negative about the album at all, I'd say that this is the weakest song on the album (which only goes to show how strong the album really is). I would expect it more from either Taylor Swift or Fearless, as it doesn't exactly match the other songs in terms of depth (it's not really about anything) and expression. That said, it's still signature Taylor, and that means it's still amazing. I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show.
"Back to December" - Incredibly poignant and moving. Everyone knows what it's about, but she presents it, truly, as an apology. Well, an unorthodox apology, but one that continues to resound long after the song is over. I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so right.
"Speak Now" - Gosh, I love this song. It's upbeat, optimistic, cute. This is going to sound incredibly odd, but it reminds me of wedding cake. Not merely because it's about breaking into a wedding/marriage ceremony, but because it's light and fluffy and sweet. Who honestly hasn't dreamed about storming a wedding and telling the groom (or bride) she (or he) is in love with him (or her)? I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion, but you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl. It ends happily, fortunately. And it's the inspiration for the album's title, and the catalyst for its theme.
"Dear John" - The girl in the dress wrote you a song. Depending on what you have been reading, this song is Taylor Swift's magnum opus, this song makes the album, this song really marks Taylor's maturation, this song is the certain departure from previous Taylor stories. For me, it's astoundingly written. The words are incredible. It is cutting and painful and cruel, but ultimately victorious. Maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame / or maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it away. It is a triumph, it really is. But, it's not the best song on the album. I found the bluegrassy elements of it refreshing, and the melody simple but stunning. I just wish the buzz weren't only focusing on one single song from the album, when all fourteen songs are worth the same amount of attention (which is a lot). You are an expert at sorry / and keeping lines blurry / never impressed by me acing your tests.
"Mean" - My mom says that this song is a perfect illustration of why this isn't a 'mature' album, because she doesn't think that a 'mature' person would resort to the word 'mean' to describe a bully. I beg to differ. I think the use of the word 'mean' is brilliant. And it's a fun, uplifting, light way to push back and to serve someone his own medicine. Plus the handclaps in the background are phenomenal! You have pointed out my flaws again, as if I don't already see them. I would use this song to shove the treatment I've received over the years back in people's faces, because it's not as hurtful as it would seem. I love this song, for its pure genius and for its simplicity. Sometimes the most amazing thing to say only takes a few words.
"The Story of Us" - I like the tempo, rhythm, and beat of this song. Normally, I would have thought it would be more natural to include a slower song after the tempo of "Mean," but it works. And this song rings true, standing alone in a crowded room is basically the story of my life. But I got chills when I figured out the encoded message ("CMT Awards"); literally, my blood ran cold, because I knew what it was about and that creeped me out a little. A little. It's like the "Forever and Always" of this album, only about someone else. I'm scared to see the ending / why are we pretending this is nothing? / I'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know how / I've never heard silence quite this loud.
"Never Grow Up" - Songs really don't get any better than this. Without this song, the album would not be nearly as good, as powerful, as strong, as beautiful. This song hits home, every. single. time. Never in a million years would I have thought that she and I would have this in common, that the beautiful little moments of childhood are worth returning to (don't lose the way that you dance around in your pjs getting ready for school). I cry every time I hear this song - literally. It's been over two weeks and over sixty listens, and I still get major tears in my eyes, because it feels like she's talking to me, like she knows what I've been trying to put into words every since I realised that nothing in life is ever going to be as perfect as it was when I was seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years old. (I have gotten better, though; it used to be sobs, now it's just a few solitary tears rolling down my cheeks.) This song is Taylor's best, hands down. Taylor's finest moment is track number eight of this album. Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room, memorise what it sounded like when your dad gets home / remember the footsteps, remember the words said, and all your little brother's favourite songs / I just realised everything I have is someday gonna be gone. That's my absolute favourite section of the song, and yes...here come the tears. No joke, let me get a tissue.
"Enchanted" - You know how some albums start off really strong and then kind of fizzle out by the end, so you really only like to listen more to the first half than any other part (Taking the Long Way is one of those, actually, and so is 5th Gear)? Well, throw those conceptions away, because Speak Now only gets better as the track numbers go up. "Enchanted" is original and creative, and supported by such a beautiful melody that is so intriguing all you want to do is to have this song on repeat. The idea is also creatively dealt with - the lingering question kept me up / two a.m., who do you love? - in a way that only Taylor could come up with. The background vocals are also extremely fascinating. Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you.
"Better than Revenge" - Everyone loves this song, if the ratings on iTunes are any indication. This song was the first that my sister told me she loved; "provocative" was the word she used. It's catchy and has a tremendous melody and rhythm, not to mention its astonishingly biting lyrics. It's great! Sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know / or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go / but they don't teach you that in prep school, so it's up to me / but no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity.
"Innocent" - Ah, yes, the song she performed at the VMAs this year, as a direct response to 2009's Kanye West-gate. It is gentle and (I read this adjective somewhere) loving, and issues sweet forgiveness in the classiest way possible. I would almost say that it was written in a similar frame of mind as "Never Grow Up," because the childhood imagery is prevalent (wasn't it easier in your firefly catching days / when everything out of reach someone bigger brought down to you / wasn't it beautiful running wild 'til you fell asleep / before the monsters caught up to you) and merely underscores her message - that 'life is full of little interruptions,' but that that's no reason to change who you are or how you approach situations. Time turns flames to embers / you'll have new Septembers / every one of us has messed up, too.
"Haunted" - Astounding, passionate, pulsating. This song hits you like a wave, and then another, and another, and another, until you're filled with the extraordinary rhythm and melody of the song, and then comes the tidal wave of the chorus. If there were no drumbeats in the music, the song would be good. But with them, it's sensational. I have yet to make heads or tails of the storyline, but I'm captivated by the lyrics and mesmerised by the melody. This is another one to have on repeat. I thought I had you figured out.
"Last Kiss" - Her use of 3/4 time is a rare departure from her signature rhtyhm, and it's incredible. It would be perfect to waltz to (most 3/4 songs are good for this, as the waltz is a 3/4 time-dance, but you don't want to break out in dance to EVERY 3/4 song, do you?). The lyrics express such an emptiness, and the coldness that you almost feel emanating from the headphones is almost a soundtrack to a fall afternoon, with the mist hanging over the trees and dew on the grass, with an overcast sky. The more I listen to the song, the more I love it, and if I'm any indication, its staying power is fantastic. I'll watch your life in pictures, like I used to watch you sleep / and I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe. Plus it mentions July 9th, which is a special date in my life.
"Long Live" - Just as "Change" was a fitting ending to Fearless, "Long Live" is no less fitting an end to Speak Now. It's a tribute to her band after her Album of the Year win at the Grammys, but it could very well be about any one of her triumphs (or a triumph of any sort - especially of the underdog). I think it's probably her best writing yet (tied with "Never Grow Up"), lyrically. She employs such spectacular imagery - for a moment, a band of thieves in ripped-up jeans got to rule the world, for example, or we are the kings and the queens / you traded your baseball cap for a crown - and shapes the pictures with her sculpted words. It doesn't get much better than this, and it really instills such an insatiable desire for more Taylor Swift songs. I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.
I marvelled at Taylor Swift, was amazed by Fearless, but Speak Now blew me away, and has done nothing but take my breath away since around 7 pm on October 25th.
My final words on the subject are these: I cannot imagine anyone not loving this album, because it's a shining masterpiece. She has become the most fantastic musician, artist, lyricist, and songwriter (not to mention person), and this is a milestone that will be hard to surpass by anyone following in her footsteps.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
p.s. The 2010 CMA Awards are in a few hours, but I wanted to post this before then, because I didn't want to sully any Speak Now post with news from the award show. But you can be sure to find a run-down of performances and winners (with a bit of editorialising, but I'll keep it brief) here next time.
p.p.s. I figured out how to do hyperlinks! So that's why you have some words a different colour, because they're linked to other webpages that I found pertinent to include. Prepare yourself, because now that I have figured it out, I will be using this a lot more often. I may even go back and fix other posts, to allow for hyperlinks.
p.p.p.s. You may have noticed that I included a few more italicised portions of the lyrics in each blurb about the songs, but that's only because I couldn't only pick one line or phrase to repeat. They're all so stunning, and it's a true testament to Taylor's development as a songwriter. This is also the album that she wrote entirely by herself (no Liz Rose, no Hillary Lindsey, no other co-writers), and I think she should never change this precedent, because she's a genius. She's brilliant.
On October 25th, I had quite the adventure when I went to purchase it. I had looked up the opening time of my nearest Borders store (8 am), so that I could get there and be one of the first to obtain a copy. I was up at six, and got there on time, around 8:01. I searched the store high and low and even looked at the website, but all to no avail. They didn't have it. What to do? I went about my day, periodically checking the Borders website to see if things had changed. It wasn't until I was free again to do what I wanted, about 5 pm, that the website had changed to indicate that they had it (although, tragically, under the store at which I had intended to purchase it, there was a little note that said "SOLD OUT."), so I went there to - finally - get my hands on the treasure of the year. I was not discouraged by the website, but I was nervous when I got to the store and it was nowhere to be found, until the last place I checked. I was so ecstatic I started laughing, and the customer nearby looked at me like I was insane. Well, I was. I nearly ran all the way back home, because I was in such high spirits and in such anticipation, and because I just wanted to rip off the plastic packaging and have her change my life for a third time.
It has become a tradition for me to listen to a Taylor Swift album for the first time while sitting in front of a fireplace, holding a CD player (mostly my dad's, because it's the only one not broken in our family - he probably doesn't even know I have it, at this point, as it has been in my possession since Fearless, anyway). However, this year, I was not within a 100-mile radius of a single fireplace, and if I was, it was not in my knowledge, so I made do. I found a 10-minute fireplace video on youtube and played it on continuous loop. And it was almost like home. Almost.
But then I opened the CD case, and pulled out the booklet. I read the prologue a few times, and particularly loved this section: "These songs are made up of words I didn't say when the moment was right in front of me. These songs are open letters. Each is written with a specific person in mind, telling them what I meant to tell them in person. To the beautiful boy whose heart I broke last December. To my first love who I never thought would be my first heartbreak. To my band. To a mean man I used to be afraid of. To someone who made my world very dark for a while. To a girl who stole something of mine. To someone I forgive for what he said in front of the whole world."
After I read through this, I pressed play on the CD player. And I found myself in heaven for the next 67:29. I heard "ah-oh oh" and I could feel my world lighting up yet again.
"Mine" - The first single, the first track, the first glimpse of a new Taylor. Of course, I could see the music video playing out when I closed my eyes, because I had watched that more than enough times, but the song speaks for itself without the video. Beautiful, optimistic, expressive. You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter, you are the best thing that has ever been mine.
"Sparks Fly" - If I had to say something negative about the album at all, I'd say that this is the weakest song on the album (which only goes to show how strong the album really is). I would expect it more from either Taylor Swift or Fearless, as it doesn't exactly match the other songs in terms of depth (it's not really about anything) and expression. That said, it's still signature Taylor, and that means it's still amazing. I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show.
"Back to December" - Incredibly poignant and moving. Everyone knows what it's about, but she presents it, truly, as an apology. Well, an unorthodox apology, but one that continues to resound long after the song is over. I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so right.
"Speak Now" - Gosh, I love this song. It's upbeat, optimistic, cute. This is going to sound incredibly odd, but it reminds me of wedding cake. Not merely because it's about breaking into a wedding/marriage ceremony, but because it's light and fluffy and sweet. Who honestly hasn't dreamed about storming a wedding and telling the groom (or bride) she (or he) is in love with him (or her)? I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion, but you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl. It ends happily, fortunately. And it's the inspiration for the album's title, and the catalyst for its theme.
"Dear John" - The girl in the dress wrote you a song. Depending on what you have been reading, this song is Taylor Swift's magnum opus, this song makes the album, this song really marks Taylor's maturation, this song is the certain departure from previous Taylor stories. For me, it's astoundingly written. The words are incredible. It is cutting and painful and cruel, but ultimately victorious. Maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame / or maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it away. It is a triumph, it really is. But, it's not the best song on the album. I found the bluegrassy elements of it refreshing, and the melody simple but stunning. I just wish the buzz weren't only focusing on one single song from the album, when all fourteen songs are worth the same amount of attention (which is a lot). You are an expert at sorry / and keeping lines blurry / never impressed by me acing your tests.
"Mean" - My mom says that this song is a perfect illustration of why this isn't a 'mature' album, because she doesn't think that a 'mature' person would resort to the word 'mean' to describe a bully. I beg to differ. I think the use of the word 'mean' is brilliant. And it's a fun, uplifting, light way to push back and to serve someone his own medicine. Plus the handclaps in the background are phenomenal! You have pointed out my flaws again, as if I don't already see them. I would use this song to shove the treatment I've received over the years back in people's faces, because it's not as hurtful as it would seem. I love this song, for its pure genius and for its simplicity. Sometimes the most amazing thing to say only takes a few words.
"The Story of Us" - I like the tempo, rhythm, and beat of this song. Normally, I would have thought it would be more natural to include a slower song after the tempo of "Mean," but it works. And this song rings true, standing alone in a crowded room is basically the story of my life. But I got chills when I figured out the encoded message ("CMT Awards"); literally, my blood ran cold, because I knew what it was about and that creeped me out a little. A little. It's like the "Forever and Always" of this album, only about someone else. I'm scared to see the ending / why are we pretending this is nothing? / I'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know how / I've never heard silence quite this loud.
"Never Grow Up" - Songs really don't get any better than this. Without this song, the album would not be nearly as good, as powerful, as strong, as beautiful. This song hits home, every. single. time. Never in a million years would I have thought that she and I would have this in common, that the beautiful little moments of childhood are worth returning to (don't lose the way that you dance around in your pjs getting ready for school). I cry every time I hear this song - literally. It's been over two weeks and over sixty listens, and I still get major tears in my eyes, because it feels like she's talking to me, like she knows what I've been trying to put into words every since I realised that nothing in life is ever going to be as perfect as it was when I was seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years old. (I have gotten better, though; it used to be sobs, now it's just a few solitary tears rolling down my cheeks.) This song is Taylor's best, hands down. Taylor's finest moment is track number eight of this album. Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room, memorise what it sounded like when your dad gets home / remember the footsteps, remember the words said, and all your little brother's favourite songs / I just realised everything I have is someday gonna be gone. That's my absolute favourite section of the song, and yes...here come the tears. No joke, let me get a tissue.
"Enchanted" - You know how some albums start off really strong and then kind of fizzle out by the end, so you really only like to listen more to the first half than any other part (Taking the Long Way is one of those, actually, and so is 5th Gear)? Well, throw those conceptions away, because Speak Now only gets better as the track numbers go up. "Enchanted" is original and creative, and supported by such a beautiful melody that is so intriguing all you want to do is to have this song on repeat. The idea is also creatively dealt with - the lingering question kept me up / two a.m., who do you love? - in a way that only Taylor could come up with. The background vocals are also extremely fascinating. Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you.
"Better than Revenge" - Everyone loves this song, if the ratings on iTunes are any indication. This song was the first that my sister told me she loved; "provocative" was the word she used. It's catchy and has a tremendous melody and rhythm, not to mention its astonishingly biting lyrics. It's great! Sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know / or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go / but they don't teach you that in prep school, so it's up to me / but no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity.
"Innocent" - Ah, yes, the song she performed at the VMAs this year, as a direct response to 2009's Kanye West-gate. It is gentle and (I read this adjective somewhere) loving, and issues sweet forgiveness in the classiest way possible. I would almost say that it was written in a similar frame of mind as "Never Grow Up," because the childhood imagery is prevalent (wasn't it easier in your firefly catching days / when everything out of reach someone bigger brought down to you / wasn't it beautiful running wild 'til you fell asleep / before the monsters caught up to you) and merely underscores her message - that 'life is full of little interruptions,' but that that's no reason to change who you are or how you approach situations. Time turns flames to embers / you'll have new Septembers / every one of us has messed up, too.
"Haunted" - Astounding, passionate, pulsating. This song hits you like a wave, and then another, and another, and another, until you're filled with the extraordinary rhythm and melody of the song, and then comes the tidal wave of the chorus. If there were no drumbeats in the music, the song would be good. But with them, it's sensational. I have yet to make heads or tails of the storyline, but I'm captivated by the lyrics and mesmerised by the melody. This is another one to have on repeat. I thought I had you figured out.
"Last Kiss" - Her use of 3/4 time is a rare departure from her signature rhtyhm, and it's incredible. It would be perfect to waltz to (most 3/4 songs are good for this, as the waltz is a 3/4 time-dance, but you don't want to break out in dance to EVERY 3/4 song, do you?). The lyrics express such an emptiness, and the coldness that you almost feel emanating from the headphones is almost a soundtrack to a fall afternoon, with the mist hanging over the trees and dew on the grass, with an overcast sky. The more I listen to the song, the more I love it, and if I'm any indication, its staying power is fantastic. I'll watch your life in pictures, like I used to watch you sleep / and I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe. Plus it mentions July 9th, which is a special date in my life.
"Long Live" - Just as "Change" was a fitting ending to Fearless, "Long Live" is no less fitting an end to Speak Now. It's a tribute to her band after her Album of the Year win at the Grammys, but it could very well be about any one of her triumphs (or a triumph of any sort - especially of the underdog). I think it's probably her best writing yet (tied with "Never Grow Up"), lyrically. She employs such spectacular imagery - for a moment, a band of thieves in ripped-up jeans got to rule the world, for example, or we are the kings and the queens / you traded your baseball cap for a crown - and shapes the pictures with her sculpted words. It doesn't get much better than this, and it really instills such an insatiable desire for more Taylor Swift songs. I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.
I marvelled at Taylor Swift, was amazed by Fearless, but Speak Now blew me away, and has done nothing but take my breath away since around 7 pm on October 25th.
My final words on the subject are these: I cannot imagine anyone not loving this album, because it's a shining masterpiece. She has become the most fantastic musician, artist, lyricist, and songwriter (not to mention person), and this is a milestone that will be hard to surpass by anyone following in her footsteps.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
p.s. The 2010 CMA Awards are in a few hours, but I wanted to post this before then, because I didn't want to sully any Speak Now post with news from the award show. But you can be sure to find a run-down of performances and winners (with a bit of editorialising, but I'll keep it brief) here next time.
p.p.s. I figured out how to do hyperlinks! So that's why you have some words a different colour, because they're linked to other webpages that I found pertinent to include. Prepare yourself, because now that I have figured it out, I will be using this a lot more often. I may even go back and fix other posts, to allow for hyperlinks.
p.p.p.s. You may have noticed that I included a few more italicised portions of the lyrics in each blurb about the songs, but that's only because I couldn't only pick one line or phrase to repeat. They're all so stunning, and it's a true testament to Taylor's development as a songwriter. This is also the album that she wrote entirely by herself (no Liz Rose, no Hillary Lindsey, no other co-writers), and I think she should never change this precedent, because she's a genius. She's brilliant.
21 October 2010
I Thought You Were (White Picket Fence)
Let's play a little game. I want you to come up with as many possible answers to this question as you can: What is today?
Ready, go.
This is what I came up with: It is Thursday. It is two days after the release of Sugarland's new album, The Incredible Machine. Three days to Speak Now.
Yes, I am boring. But this is how my brain functions. I think of days in terms of country music. You don't?
That said, I'm going to progress right into business, because there's so much to cover. I really should blog more often than just once a month, but I really can't write more quickly than that. And I don't really post unless I have a song...except I will do just that next week, because it'll be after the release of Speak Now! (Can you tell that I've had very little sleep over the past week - or past few weeks - and that this is the most stream-of-consciousness I've ever posted? Applause.)
So, first things first, I would like to alert my fanbase (ha, ha, I'm a stand-up comedian) that the new Sugarland album, Incredible Machine, is...well INCREDIBLE. It oozes Sugarland-ness in the best possible way. I read a critique from the New York Times that was none-too-pleased about the album, but I beg to differ. It said things such as, Kristian Bush's background harmonies take away from the dynamic of the songs and from the luster of Jennifer Nettles' voice, or that the songs are more of an homage to bands such as No Doubt and similar rather than country or even previous Sugarland products. I was astounded by exactly how wrong - in my opinion, that is - this guy was! The inclusion of Kristian Bush's vocals add such an extreme depth to the songs that was not utilised in the previous albums, and really creates new levels of melodies, which only underscores the message of the album. As for the reflections of other genres' bands' songs in the album, what is wrong with that? And while I may not be the most knowledgeable about No Doubt and therefore cannot comment as to the verity of his statement, I can say that "All We Are," the opening song, is more indicative of a Queen influence. The rest of the album, however, is more similar to the band's sophomore effort, Enjoy the Ride, in theme and in melody, which I welcomed and found very comforting. Sugarland distancing itself from country music? Hardly. (However, he also said that the bandmates are not the best songwriters in terms of the lyrics, and this is something I must agree with...except in the case of "Little Miss," which pretty much struck home with me and gave me goosebumps and almost shook me to my very core.) So yes, run - don't walk! - to your nearest store and purchase this album. It's brilliant and it can light up your world in all sorts of psychadelic colours.
In other news, Taylor Swift, who is gearing up for her new album's release (am I excited? oh, yes.) has been weekly releasing a single from it onto iTunes every Monday. Aside from "Mine," (love it love it love it) the songs released have been: "Speak Now," "Back to December," and "Mean." From the small thirty-second snippets that I've worn out on iTunes, I'm predicting another shining collection of songs from the girl who periodically changes my life. And it seems to signal songs more grounded in the genre from which she grows, with a greater return to the tenets of country music, so the haters can shove that in their pipes and smoke it. Though, her spreading her wings really indicates that she is becoming even more of an all-around musician (rather than one limited by and contained within the borders of her specific genre), and a fantastic one at that. So it will come as no surprise to anyone that I will love next Monday no matter what happens, and I will always support the beautiful and talented and extraordinary Taylor Swift.
For those of you who aren't aware of this: Kenny Chesney is a superstar. He has become involved, also, with films and, in particular, documentaries. Case in point: his newest venture, called "The Boys of Fall," which is (from what I've heard) about football and what an impact the sport can have on the players who participated in it in high school, as did the singer himself (he has amassed interviews with many people, including those famous people Joe Namath, John Madden, Peyton Manning...yeah, the guys many many many people grew up revering [but whom I barely recognised...], as well as high school coaches and players in their element). To go along with this documentary, he recorded a "Boys of Fall" single and music video. And they're unbelievable. You can find them on Hemingway's Whiskey, Kenny Chesney's newest album, but I bought just the video, because I watch it and I'm instantly transported to fall at home. Apple cider; pumpkin products; the crisp air; lazy Sundays; Mommy's cooking in the kitchen; a football game on TV that no one's paying attention to, beyond a cursory and disinterested glance at the score from time to time; falling leaves to rake; etc. And I'm instantly blinded by a slew of tears, because growing up is painful and missing home is worse,...and things are never going to be as simple and beautiful as they were two years ago.
The double punctuation there, in that last sentence, was intentional.
Lately, I have discovered that I like to watch the CMT Top 20 Countdown - with host Evan Farmer - on CMT (down here, it's channel 170) during the weekends in the mornings. It's so comforting, and while I don't get any work done, it's a lot like being in the company of good friends. When I'm able to watch, my life gets exponentially better for a few hours - and that's saying a lot!
Well, I think we're all caught up with that. If I think of anything else, I'll plug it into a different post, but for now, we move onto the song I have for you today. It's called "I Thought You Were (White Picket Fence)," because of what the white picket fence connotes today and because recently, I had to grapple with a decision larger than myself and one that affected someone other than only myself. For the first time, I really had to make a choice between hurting someone and being caught in a situation that was harmful to myself. I generally pride myself on being the person who would rather do anything than put herself first, and would put aside whatever she thinks for the betterment of someone else's life and/or moment. But this time, I couldn't. It would have felt the lie, and it was more painful to me to be in the situation than it would be for someone else to no longer be involved. And out of the frustration and angst of the moments, out came this song. (Fun fact: I get a lot of my best ideas either in the shower or when I'm brushing my teeth. This came from the former.)
I Thought You Were (White Picket Fence)
I guess I should consider myself lucky, to find a guy like you who wants me
but if I'm honest with myself, it's not going the way I had imagined
because you're kissing me, and I'm not feeling anything
my heart's not racing and I'm wrapping myself tighter in the sweater you lent me
and I don't know why that is
you're enjoying yourself and I should be having fun, too, but I guess
CHORUS:
you're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I'm looking for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
You're not the guy I want to say that I'm his girl
but if it's any consolation, I thought you were
Idealistic notions can be altered, dreams of romance can be skewed
I lowered my expectations, but they still don't add up to you
I liked staying up late and talking all night, but I'm not feeling the next leap
and when we're alone, I find myself counting down the minutes until I can leave
my sentimentality is not fair to you, but here's the truth
CHORUS:
you're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I'm looking for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
you're not the guy I want to say that I'm his girl
but if it's any consolation, I thought you were
BRIDGE:
I'd just like to say I'm sorry, for leading you on the way I did
but all of a sudden, me with you makes no sense,
because
2nd CHORUS:
You're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I want to feel forever, you're not thinking 'bout love
and for me, that's not nearly enough
and after all I realised, you're not the guy I want to tell the world that I'm his girl,
but if it's any consolation, I thought
you were the one I would still be with twenty years from now
I thought I saw a white picket fence, but in my own defense
I'm trying for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
CHORUS:
you're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I'm trying for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
you're not enough for me
but if it's any consolation
I really thought you were
And there it is. As I was typing it up, I realised just how much of a justification for my actions it really is. It's more of an apology - and I know why that is. It's because I'm uncomfortable with the fact that I can't do what he wanted me to do, be what he wanted me to be, because that's what I strive for. I try to be the one who folds herself into the box someone has ready for me, even if at first glance it's impossible for me to fit there. And I didn't do that with him. And that's because I realised that, since he wasn't what he acted like and what he seemed to be, I didn't want to be someone other than me and me with him wasn't right. (I apologise if that sentence is utterly incoherent, but I had to get it out there and stream-of-consciousness was the best way to do that. And that was true stream-of-consciousness. My eighth-grade English teacher would've been so proud, as I was never able to do that during "free write.") But I don't believe that what I did was wrong, because at the beginning, "I really thought you were."
And there it is.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
3 days to Speak Now!
Ready, go.
This is what I came up with: It is Thursday. It is two days after the release of Sugarland's new album, The Incredible Machine. Three days to Speak Now.
Yes, I am boring. But this is how my brain functions. I think of days in terms of country music. You don't?
That said, I'm going to progress right into business, because there's so much to cover. I really should blog more often than just once a month, but I really can't write more quickly than that. And I don't really post unless I have a song...except I will do just that next week, because it'll be after the release of Speak Now! (Can you tell that I've had very little sleep over the past week - or past few weeks - and that this is the most stream-of-consciousness I've ever posted? Applause.)
So, first things first, I would like to alert my fanbase (ha, ha, I'm a stand-up comedian) that the new Sugarland album, Incredible Machine, is...well INCREDIBLE. It oozes Sugarland-ness in the best possible way. I read a critique from the New York Times that was none-too-pleased about the album, but I beg to differ. It said things such as, Kristian Bush's background harmonies take away from the dynamic of the songs and from the luster of Jennifer Nettles' voice, or that the songs are more of an homage to bands such as No Doubt and similar rather than country or even previous Sugarland products. I was astounded by exactly how wrong - in my opinion, that is - this guy was! The inclusion of Kristian Bush's vocals add such an extreme depth to the songs that was not utilised in the previous albums, and really creates new levels of melodies, which only underscores the message of the album. As for the reflections of other genres' bands' songs in the album, what is wrong with that? And while I may not be the most knowledgeable about No Doubt and therefore cannot comment as to the verity of his statement, I can say that "All We Are," the opening song, is more indicative of a Queen influence. The rest of the album, however, is more similar to the band's sophomore effort, Enjoy the Ride, in theme and in melody, which I welcomed and found very comforting. Sugarland distancing itself from country music? Hardly. (However, he also said that the bandmates are not the best songwriters in terms of the lyrics, and this is something I must agree with...except in the case of "Little Miss," which pretty much struck home with me and gave me goosebumps and almost shook me to my very core.) So yes, run - don't walk! - to your nearest store and purchase this album. It's brilliant and it can light up your world in all sorts of psychadelic colours.
In other news, Taylor Swift, who is gearing up for her new album's release (am I excited? oh, yes.) has been weekly releasing a single from it onto iTunes every Monday. Aside from "Mine," (love it love it love it) the songs released have been: "Speak Now," "Back to December," and "Mean." From the small thirty-second snippets that I've worn out on iTunes, I'm predicting another shining collection of songs from the girl who periodically changes my life. And it seems to signal songs more grounded in the genre from which she grows, with a greater return to the tenets of country music, so the haters can shove that in their pipes and smoke it. Though, her spreading her wings really indicates that she is becoming even more of an all-around musician (rather than one limited by and contained within the borders of her specific genre), and a fantastic one at that. So it will come as no surprise to anyone that I will love next Monday no matter what happens, and I will always support the beautiful and talented and extraordinary Taylor Swift.
For those of you who aren't aware of this: Kenny Chesney is a superstar. He has become involved, also, with films and, in particular, documentaries. Case in point: his newest venture, called "The Boys of Fall," which is (from what I've heard) about football and what an impact the sport can have on the players who participated in it in high school, as did the singer himself (he has amassed interviews with many people, including those famous people Joe Namath, John Madden, Peyton Manning...yeah, the guys many many many people grew up revering [but whom I barely recognised...], as well as high school coaches and players in their element). To go along with this documentary, he recorded a "Boys of Fall" single and music video. And they're unbelievable. You can find them on Hemingway's Whiskey, Kenny Chesney's newest album, but I bought just the video, because I watch it and I'm instantly transported to fall at home. Apple cider; pumpkin products; the crisp air; lazy Sundays; Mommy's cooking in the kitchen; a football game on TV that no one's paying attention to, beyond a cursory and disinterested glance at the score from time to time; falling leaves to rake; etc. And I'm instantly blinded by a slew of tears, because growing up is painful and missing home is worse,...and things are never going to be as simple and beautiful as they were two years ago.
The double punctuation there, in that last sentence, was intentional.
Lately, I have discovered that I like to watch the CMT Top 20 Countdown - with host Evan Farmer - on CMT (down here, it's channel 170) during the weekends in the mornings. It's so comforting, and while I don't get any work done, it's a lot like being in the company of good friends. When I'm able to watch, my life gets exponentially better for a few hours - and that's saying a lot!
Well, I think we're all caught up with that. If I think of anything else, I'll plug it into a different post, but for now, we move onto the song I have for you today. It's called "I Thought You Were (White Picket Fence)," because of what the white picket fence connotes today and because recently, I had to grapple with a decision larger than myself and one that affected someone other than only myself. For the first time, I really had to make a choice between hurting someone and being caught in a situation that was harmful to myself. I generally pride myself on being the person who would rather do anything than put herself first, and would put aside whatever she thinks for the betterment of someone else's life and/or moment. But this time, I couldn't. It would have felt the lie, and it was more painful to me to be in the situation than it would be for someone else to no longer be involved. And out of the frustration and angst of the moments, out came this song. (Fun fact: I get a lot of my best ideas either in the shower or when I'm brushing my teeth. This came from the former.)
I Thought You Were (White Picket Fence)
I guess I should consider myself lucky, to find a guy like you who wants me
but if I'm honest with myself, it's not going the way I had imagined
because you're kissing me, and I'm not feeling anything
my heart's not racing and I'm wrapping myself tighter in the sweater you lent me
and I don't know why that is
you're enjoying yourself and I should be having fun, too, but I guess
CHORUS:
you're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I'm looking for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
You're not the guy I want to say that I'm his girl
but if it's any consolation, I thought you were
Idealistic notions can be altered, dreams of romance can be skewed
I lowered my expectations, but they still don't add up to you
I liked staying up late and talking all night, but I'm not feeling the next leap
and when we're alone, I find myself counting down the minutes until I can leave
my sentimentality is not fair to you, but here's the truth
CHORUS:
you're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I'm looking for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
you're not the guy I want to say that I'm his girl
but if it's any consolation, I thought you were
BRIDGE:
I'd just like to say I'm sorry, for leading you on the way I did
but all of a sudden, me with you makes no sense,
because
2nd CHORUS:
You're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I want to feel forever, you're not thinking 'bout love
and for me, that's not nearly enough
and after all I realised, you're not the guy I want to tell the world that I'm his girl,
but if it's any consolation, I thought
you were the one I would still be with twenty years from now
I thought I saw a white picket fence, but in my own defense
I'm trying for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
CHORUS:
you're not the one I see myself with twenty years from now
there's no white picket fence, but in my defense
I thought there could've been
I'm trying for forever, you're not playing for keeps
and that's not enough for me
you're not enough for me
but if it's any consolation
I really thought you were
And there it is. As I was typing it up, I realised just how much of a justification for my actions it really is. It's more of an apology - and I know why that is. It's because I'm uncomfortable with the fact that I can't do what he wanted me to do, be what he wanted me to be, because that's what I strive for. I try to be the one who folds herself into the box someone has ready for me, even if at first glance it's impossible for me to fit there. And I didn't do that with him. And that's because I realised that, since he wasn't what he acted like and what he seemed to be, I didn't want to be someone other than me and me with him wasn't right. (I apologise if that sentence is utterly incoherent, but I had to get it out there and stream-of-consciousness was the best way to do that. And that was true stream-of-consciousness. My eighth-grade English teacher would've been so proud, as I was never able to do that during "free write.") But I don't believe that what I did was wrong, because at the beginning, "I really thought you were."
And there it is.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
3 days to Speak Now!
28 September 2010
Right By Me
Hi there!
If y'all remember, the last time I wrote with a song ("Poor Man's Susannah"), I mentioned the brilliant CMA Music Fest that was coming up. Well, it's come up and passed us over. Fortunately, I was watching it, and documenting the performances quite diligently, and will now proceed to describe them for you, in as much detail as I will permit myself to fall into.
The 2010 CMA Music Fest, though it took place in June, aired on ABC on September 1, 2010 at 8 pm. I tuned in, and watched the first few performances with a friend. It began with a Keith Urban cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" by the Beatles, with a backdrop of the horrific flooding that Nashville survived earlier in the year. In fact, the entire festival was "dedicated to the people of Middle Tennessee," and much of the proceeds went to help alleviate the flooding consequences. That opening was followed up by newlywed Carrie Underwood (of course, when the actual show happened, she was still engaged, as her big bonanza wedding to Mike Fisher...yippee...happened on July 10) and "Cowboy Casanova." After a commercial break, the festival returned with a montage of Lady Antebellum documenting the band's daily schedule on tour and in Nashville during the week-long festival, accompanied with a soundtrack of the hit song "American Honey"; when the package was over, Lady A played its new single, "Our Kind of Love," a song I've always liked. Jason Aldean followed this up with "Crazy Town," a performance I wasn't exactly watching; I was otherwise occupied. The dapper Tim McGraw took the stage next, and sang two songs: the first was "Somethin' Like This," which I had never heard before (yes, I'm human - shocker, I know...) and then "Southern Voice," from his latest album of the same name. The next piece which aired was a montage of Taylor Swift, documenting her 13-hour signing during the festival; in a show of how dedicated she is to her fans, it ended up surpassing the 13 hours and became something more like a 15-and-a-half hour signing to ensure that she made time for everyone who stood online. The song in the background was her hit, "You Belong With Me." This was followed up by none other than Cap Nash's Darius Rucker, with his new single from his new album, "Come Back Song." (Shameless plug: that album is out October 2, 2010, and will be called Charleston, SC 1966.) Rascal Flatts came on after the next commercial break; unfortunately, I missed the first song the band performed, so I can't tell you what it was, but I can say it was followed by "Summer Nights," from the band's Unstoppable album. Thinking back on it, it was probably "Why Wait," to be released with the Flatts' new album on a new label, Big Machine. In a comedic twist, the next package which aired was Carrie Underwood being interviewed by Brad Paisley about things that she likes; the twist was, he took it from her wikipedia page (featured passage: -"What's your favourite colour?" -"Blue." -"Oh, really? Well, it says here that your favourite colour is red." -"I like red, too."). This was followed by her double performances of the rockin' "Undo It" and "Last Name." The extraordinarily popular Zac Brown Band took the stage next, singing "Pass the Jar," presumably from its new album, You Give What You Get. The only song I know from it is "As She Walking Away," featuring none other than Alan Jackson. It's a good song, listen to it. Or you can get the whole album, it's probably been released by now. The "modern-day Dolly Parton," also known as Kellie Pickler, performed next, her new single, "Makin' Me Fall In Love With You." The subsequent performance was one from Reba McEntire, "I Want a Cowboy," from her last album; why does she always look like she's 40 years old? That's not supposed to happen, she's not supposed to be that stunningly gorgeous at 63 (or around that)! A duet between Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker, "Good To Be Me," was featured next, followed by the spectacularly talented Miranda Lambert and "Only Prettier" (fun fact: the music video for it is BRILLIANT, check it out, I implore you, your life will be better for it). Her fiance, Blake Shelton, took the stage with Trace Adkins, and the two combined their extraordinary talents to produce their smash hit, "Hillbilly Bone." In his first of two performances in the broadcast, Brad Paisley brought summer to the arena with "Water." Another montage came with the next artist, the newbie Justin Moore, with whom there was an interview prior to his "How I Got To Be This Way" (featured quote: "What makes me blush? Kellie Pickler"; and fun fact, the music video for that song is beautiful, it's a bunch of picture of his life, but that's so perfectly simplistic in its wordlessness that it can't help but be beautiful). Kid Rock, whose surprise country hit from two years ago, "All Summer Long" apparently qualified him for country status, was again in the arena, and this time he stayed for two songs: "Rock 'n' Roll Jesus" and "Born Free," which is, so I've heard, the song for the baseball playoffs (anyone, correct me if I'm wrong). And then, in an exclusive yet stunning performance, Taylor Swift presented, for the first time on television, her first single from Speak Now, "Mine." Who loves this song? I DO. With yet another single from his best album to date (my opinion only), Defying Gravity, Keith Urban performed "I'm In," followed by the beautiful Martina McBride with "Wrong Baby Wrong" from Shine. I think it's a sign that I'm becoming way too engrossed in country music (not that that's a bad thing, I certainly don't see it that way) when I can not only name the album from which a particular song is, but also have that album and know all the words and melodies to all the songs. My library is getting pretty full. Next to perform was Josh Turner and "Why Don't We Just Dance," an unimpressive song just by itself, but when paired with its visuals from the music video is absolutely fantastic. Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and Jamey Johnson combined forces in a private, intimate setting to bring Dierks Bentley's song, "Bad Angel" to life next. The third-to-last (yes, there is an end in sight) performance was the guy with the wonderful head of curls, Billy Currington, and "That's How Country Boys Roll." Alan Jackson was the penultimate performer, with his latest single and a song I've come to love lately, "Hard Hat and a Hammer," an homage to the working man (featured quote: "there's nothing wrong with a hard hat and a hammer / the kind of glue that sticks this world together / hands of steel and cradle of the Promised Land / god bless the working man"). And lastly, to bring the festival to the credits, if you were following along, you could figure out who it is, Brad Paisley lit up the night with his energetic "American Saturday Night," from the same-name album. I love the guy. Is anyone more wonderful? No.
I really breezed through that quickly, but hopefully, you got a sense of how much I love the CMA Music Festival. So much, in fact, that I can actually remember the performances of the very first one that I saw, and I can actually even remember what I had for dinner while I watched in on TV. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's right.
And now, onto this song. It was inspired by a quote by Mo'nique, when she won her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award earlier this year; when paying tribute to her amazing husband, she said something along the lines of what I'm about to horribly paraphrase (I'm sorry, Mo'nique): "Thank you, for allowing me to forgo what was popular for what I knew to be right." Yeah, okay, so that was wonderfully destroyed by yours truly. In fact, it's more what I would say if I were standing up there with the golden statuette, although I'm not entirely sure to whom I would be saying it. Perhaps to myself. Anyway. Moving on. I was inspired by the real quote of hers, whatever it actually was. And then, through a series of mental events, I knew what the song was about. There is an appositive to the song title, and by that I mean like what is with "Danielle's Song (Apple a Day)," with the parentheses, but that's for me to know and for you to never find out.
Right By Me
I have never been a quitter, so I'm sticking to this
It won't be easy, but that's one more reason to do it
And if the time comes for me to have to reach your closed mind
trust me, I'll do my best to build that bridge, but I'll never apologise
CHORUS:
this is my decision, so don't you dare judge me
I'm doing what I can so that I can feel free
I've made my choice between the moral and the mainstream
you may not agree, but I'm doing what is right by me
there have been times I've tried to go down this road before
but for some reason, I've always made myself close the door
this time is different, there's no room for excuses now
you might not recognise me on my way out, but
CHORUS (2x):
this is my decision, so don't you dare judge me
I'm doing what I can so that I can feel free
I've made my choice between the moral and the mainstream
you may not agree, but what I'm doing is right by me
It sure would help me if you were always on my side
as I move not according to what is popular but what is right
I've made my bed and I know that I'll sleep like a baby
but my life means nothing if I don't have you right by me...
I can hear you now, "WOW, that's a short song, you really outdid yourself with effort this time, didn't you?" And my response to that? If you don't like it, I'm sorry. But I like that it's not always corresponding to the pattern I've fallen into lately.
Well, there you have it. It kind of flickers between defiant and pleading, but it is what it is. For those of you wondering if the line "I've made my bed and I know that I'll sleep like a baby" was closely inspired by the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready To Make Nice," ("I've made my bed and I sleep like a baby"): (a) you know too much, and (b) yes. And I love "I've made my choice between the moral and the mainstream." It's amazing what flashes of brilliance come at 1 in the morning, as I'm holding my iPod open to the Notes function, trying desperately to come up with something good that rhymes with the word "me."
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
p.s. I was more excited about Ilya Kovalchuk's second contract with the Devils getting approved by both the NHL and the NHLPA than about getting my first kiss.
28 days until Speak Now!
If y'all remember, the last time I wrote with a song ("Poor Man's Susannah"), I mentioned the brilliant CMA Music Fest that was coming up. Well, it's come up and passed us over. Fortunately, I was watching it, and documenting the performances quite diligently, and will now proceed to describe them for you, in as much detail as I will permit myself to fall into.
The 2010 CMA Music Fest, though it took place in June, aired on ABC on September 1, 2010 at 8 pm. I tuned in, and watched the first few performances with a friend. It began with a Keith Urban cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" by the Beatles, with a backdrop of the horrific flooding that Nashville survived earlier in the year. In fact, the entire festival was "dedicated to the people of Middle Tennessee," and much of the proceeds went to help alleviate the flooding consequences. That opening was followed up by newlywed Carrie Underwood (of course, when the actual show happened, she was still engaged, as her big bonanza wedding to Mike Fisher...yippee...happened on July 10) and "Cowboy Casanova." After a commercial break, the festival returned with a montage of Lady Antebellum documenting the band's daily schedule on tour and in Nashville during the week-long festival, accompanied with a soundtrack of the hit song "American Honey"; when the package was over, Lady A played its new single, "Our Kind of Love," a song I've always liked. Jason Aldean followed this up with "Crazy Town," a performance I wasn't exactly watching; I was otherwise occupied. The dapper Tim McGraw took the stage next, and sang two songs: the first was "Somethin' Like This," which I had never heard before (yes, I'm human - shocker, I know...) and then "Southern Voice," from his latest album of the same name. The next piece which aired was a montage of Taylor Swift, documenting her 13-hour signing during the festival; in a show of how dedicated she is to her fans, it ended up surpassing the 13 hours and became something more like a 15-and-a-half hour signing to ensure that she made time for everyone who stood online. The song in the background was her hit, "You Belong With Me." This was followed up by none other than Cap Nash's Darius Rucker, with his new single from his new album, "Come Back Song." (Shameless plug: that album is out October 2, 2010, and will be called Charleston, SC 1966.) Rascal Flatts came on after the next commercial break; unfortunately, I missed the first song the band performed, so I can't tell you what it was, but I can say it was followed by "Summer Nights," from the band's Unstoppable album. Thinking back on it, it was probably "Why Wait," to be released with the Flatts' new album on a new label, Big Machine. In a comedic twist, the next package which aired was Carrie Underwood being interviewed by Brad Paisley about things that she likes; the twist was, he took it from her wikipedia page (featured passage: -"What's your favourite colour?" -"Blue." -"Oh, really? Well, it says here that your favourite colour is red." -"I like red, too."). This was followed by her double performances of the rockin' "Undo It" and "Last Name." The extraordinarily popular Zac Brown Band took the stage next, singing "Pass the Jar," presumably from its new album, You Give What You Get. The only song I know from it is "As She Walking Away," featuring none other than Alan Jackson. It's a good song, listen to it. Or you can get the whole album, it's probably been released by now. The "modern-day Dolly Parton," also known as Kellie Pickler, performed next, her new single, "Makin' Me Fall In Love With You." The subsequent performance was one from Reba McEntire, "I Want a Cowboy," from her last album; why does she always look like she's 40 years old? That's not supposed to happen, she's not supposed to be that stunningly gorgeous at 63 (or around that)! A duet between Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker, "Good To Be Me," was featured next, followed by the spectacularly talented Miranda Lambert and "Only Prettier" (fun fact: the music video for it is BRILLIANT, check it out, I implore you, your life will be better for it). Her fiance, Blake Shelton, took the stage with Trace Adkins, and the two combined their extraordinary talents to produce their smash hit, "Hillbilly Bone." In his first of two performances in the broadcast, Brad Paisley brought summer to the arena with "Water." Another montage came with the next artist, the newbie Justin Moore, with whom there was an interview prior to his "How I Got To Be This Way" (featured quote: "What makes me blush? Kellie Pickler"; and fun fact, the music video for that song is beautiful, it's a bunch of picture of his life, but that's so perfectly simplistic in its wordlessness that it can't help but be beautiful). Kid Rock, whose surprise country hit from two years ago, "All Summer Long" apparently qualified him for country status, was again in the arena, and this time he stayed for two songs: "Rock 'n' Roll Jesus" and "Born Free," which is, so I've heard, the song for the baseball playoffs (anyone, correct me if I'm wrong). And then, in an exclusive yet stunning performance, Taylor Swift presented, for the first time on television, her first single from Speak Now, "Mine." Who loves this song? I DO. With yet another single from his best album to date (my opinion only), Defying Gravity, Keith Urban performed "I'm In," followed by the beautiful Martina McBride with "Wrong Baby Wrong" from Shine. I think it's a sign that I'm becoming way too engrossed in country music (not that that's a bad thing, I certainly don't see it that way) when I can not only name the album from which a particular song is, but also have that album and know all the words and melodies to all the songs. My library is getting pretty full. Next to perform was Josh Turner and "Why Don't We Just Dance," an unimpressive song just by itself, but when paired with its visuals from the music video is absolutely fantastic. Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, and Jamey Johnson combined forces in a private, intimate setting to bring Dierks Bentley's song, "Bad Angel" to life next. The third-to-last (yes, there is an end in sight) performance was the guy with the wonderful head of curls, Billy Currington, and "That's How Country Boys Roll." Alan Jackson was the penultimate performer, with his latest single and a song I've come to love lately, "Hard Hat and a Hammer," an homage to the working man (featured quote: "there's nothing wrong with a hard hat and a hammer / the kind of glue that sticks this world together / hands of steel and cradle of the Promised Land / god bless the working man"). And lastly, to bring the festival to the credits, if you were following along, you could figure out who it is, Brad Paisley lit up the night with his energetic "American Saturday Night," from the same-name album. I love the guy. Is anyone more wonderful? No.
I really breezed through that quickly, but hopefully, you got a sense of how much I love the CMA Music Festival. So much, in fact, that I can actually remember the performances of the very first one that I saw, and I can actually even remember what I had for dinner while I watched in on TV. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's right.
And now, onto this song. It was inspired by a quote by Mo'nique, when she won her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award earlier this year; when paying tribute to her amazing husband, she said something along the lines of what I'm about to horribly paraphrase (I'm sorry, Mo'nique): "Thank you, for allowing me to forgo what was popular for what I knew to be right." Yeah, okay, so that was wonderfully destroyed by yours truly. In fact, it's more what I would say if I were standing up there with the golden statuette, although I'm not entirely sure to whom I would be saying it. Perhaps to myself. Anyway. Moving on. I was inspired by the real quote of hers, whatever it actually was. And then, through a series of mental events, I knew what the song was about. There is an appositive to the song title, and by that I mean like what is with "Danielle's Song (Apple a Day)," with the parentheses, but that's for me to know and for you to never find out.
Right By Me
I have never been a quitter, so I'm sticking to this
It won't be easy, but that's one more reason to do it
And if the time comes for me to have to reach your closed mind
trust me, I'll do my best to build that bridge, but I'll never apologise
CHORUS:
this is my decision, so don't you dare judge me
I'm doing what I can so that I can feel free
I've made my choice between the moral and the mainstream
you may not agree, but I'm doing what is right by me
there have been times I've tried to go down this road before
but for some reason, I've always made myself close the door
this time is different, there's no room for excuses now
you might not recognise me on my way out, but
CHORUS (2x):
this is my decision, so don't you dare judge me
I'm doing what I can so that I can feel free
I've made my choice between the moral and the mainstream
you may not agree, but what I'm doing is right by me
It sure would help me if you were always on my side
as I move not according to what is popular but what is right
I've made my bed and I know that I'll sleep like a baby
but my life means nothing if I don't have you right by me...
I can hear you now, "WOW, that's a short song, you really outdid yourself with effort this time, didn't you?" And my response to that? If you don't like it, I'm sorry. But I like that it's not always corresponding to the pattern I've fallen into lately.
Well, there you have it. It kind of flickers between defiant and pleading, but it is what it is. For those of you wondering if the line "I've made my bed and I know that I'll sleep like a baby" was closely inspired by the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready To Make Nice," ("I've made my bed and I sleep like a baby"): (a) you know too much, and (b) yes. And I love "I've made my choice between the moral and the mainstream." It's amazing what flashes of brilliance come at 1 in the morning, as I'm holding my iPod open to the Notes function, trying desperately to come up with something good that rhymes with the word "me."
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
Just Another Ordinary Girl
p.s. I was more excited about Ilya Kovalchuk's second contract with the Devils getting approved by both the NHL and the NHLPA than about getting my first kiss.
28 days until Speak Now!
01 September 2010
name change
This is just a short post to alert my fan base that I have to change my username. But don't worry, it will still be me.
Hm, you'll know it is me. I'm thinking to go with "ME." What do you think?
Much love and thank you for the musik,
ME
Hmm, does that work?
Hm, you'll know it is me. I'm thinking to go with "ME." What do you think?
Much love and thank you for the musik,
ME
Hmm, does that work?
29 August 2010
Poor Man's Susannah
So...who's excited about the CMA Music Festival, airing on Wednesday at 8/7c on ABC? I guess that's just me, then. Oh, well. At least someone is! And you know there'll be the annual run-down of the performances waiting for you here, only on this blog, the next time I post. So you have that to look forward to.
Anyway, that's about all of the information I have for you, other than a quick mention that the new Taylor Swift music video is out, for her new single, "Mine." It's AMAZING. Oh, yes. And if you watch it (it's not really on youtube yet, but you'll find it if you search for it on cmt.com or on iTunes), compare it to the "You Belong With Me" music video, and you'll see just how much she's changed and just how much her songs have matured. It's a beautiful story, and it makes for a beautiful video. Plus, it made me cry. Oh, yes. She's on a roll.
As for the song I'm about to treat you to, the song title is a bit...bizarre, no? "Poor Man's Susannah" is not exactly what you'd expect from me. But it's actually completely based on a true story. I know a guy who used to date a short, skinny, hard-working, beautiful, black-haired girl named Susannah (or some derivative of it), and when that relationship ended, a few years later he found another short, skinny, hard-working, beautiful, black-haired girl named Susannah (or some derivative of it). And I'm not saying anything with regards to which Susannah people I talked to liked better, but perhaps the song will give you some indication of it. I revered the first one (and still do), but I'm closer to the second one. But it's less what I think than what others project on her, and what I imagine she feels when they do. So here it is!
Poor Man's Susannah
you've got her vivid eyes, her dark black hair, everything's the same
as if to add to the misfortune, you even share her name
he's obviously got a specific type, that one thing's for sure
it's a shame everyone compares you to the lovely girl he had before
(and they say)
CHORUS:
you're just a poor man's Susannah
though in every way you could be her twin
you're wondering if they every really see ya
feeling like you'll never quite fit in
y'know, you're a star in your own right
so don't let them all discard ya
I hope her left-behind legacy won't fade you out of sight
so here's to you, little poor man's Susannah
do you ever wonder if you're only taking someone's place
when he looks at you, does he see someone else's face
since you share someone special's name
can you say that it's ever yours again?
CHORUS:
'cause you're just a poor man's Susannah
though in every way you could be her twin
you're wondering if they every really see ya
feeling like you'll never quite fit in
y'know you're a star in your own right
so don't let them all discard ya
I hope her left-behind legacy won't fade you out of sight
so here's to you, little poor man's Susannah
BRIDGE:
it's been three years, five months, and 27 days
since they broke up and her presence was erased
your relationship with him is now half a year long
but still her shadow's just as strong
CHORUS:
you're just a poor man's Susannah
though in every way you could be her twin
you're wondering if they ever really see ya
feeling like you'll never quite fit in
y'know, you're a star in your own right
so don't let them all discard ya
I hope her left-behind legacy won't fade you out of sight
so here's to you, little poor man's Susannah
you know, I'm pullin' for ya
sweet poor man's Susannah
So, there it is. Strangely enough, I think it's a funny situation. You have to be curious as to whether or not he knows other girls with other names exist. And I know that the two girls have met, which just adds to it.
Much love and thank you for the musik!
NBK
57 days until Speak Now!
Anyway, that's about all of the information I have for you, other than a quick mention that the new Taylor Swift music video is out, for her new single, "Mine." It's AMAZING. Oh, yes. And if you watch it (it's not really on youtube yet, but you'll find it if you search for it on cmt.com or on iTunes), compare it to the "You Belong With Me" music video, and you'll see just how much she's changed and just how much her songs have matured. It's a beautiful story, and it makes for a beautiful video. Plus, it made me cry. Oh, yes. She's on a roll.
As for the song I'm about to treat you to, the song title is a bit...bizarre, no? "Poor Man's Susannah" is not exactly what you'd expect from me. But it's actually completely based on a true story. I know a guy who used to date a short, skinny, hard-working, beautiful, black-haired girl named Susannah (or some derivative of it), and when that relationship ended, a few years later he found another short, skinny, hard-working, beautiful, black-haired girl named Susannah (or some derivative of it). And I'm not saying anything with regards to which Susannah people I talked to liked better, but perhaps the song will give you some indication of it. I revered the first one (and still do), but I'm closer to the second one. But it's less what I think than what others project on her, and what I imagine she feels when they do. So here it is!
Poor Man's Susannah
you've got her vivid eyes, her dark black hair, everything's the same
as if to add to the misfortune, you even share her name
he's obviously got a specific type, that one thing's for sure
it's a shame everyone compares you to the lovely girl he had before
(and they say)
CHORUS:
you're just a poor man's Susannah
though in every way you could be her twin
you're wondering if they every really see ya
feeling like you'll never quite fit in
y'know, you're a star in your own right
so don't let them all discard ya
I hope her left-behind legacy won't fade you out of sight
so here's to you, little poor man's Susannah
do you ever wonder if you're only taking someone's place
when he looks at you, does he see someone else's face
since you share someone special's name
can you say that it's ever yours again?
CHORUS:
'cause you're just a poor man's Susannah
though in every way you could be her twin
you're wondering if they every really see ya
feeling like you'll never quite fit in
y'know you're a star in your own right
so don't let them all discard ya
I hope her left-behind legacy won't fade you out of sight
so here's to you, little poor man's Susannah
BRIDGE:
it's been three years, five months, and 27 days
since they broke up and her presence was erased
your relationship with him is now half a year long
but still her shadow's just as strong
CHORUS:
you're just a poor man's Susannah
though in every way you could be her twin
you're wondering if they ever really see ya
feeling like you'll never quite fit in
y'know, you're a star in your own right
so don't let them all discard ya
I hope her left-behind legacy won't fade you out of sight
so here's to you, little poor man's Susannah
you know, I'm pullin' for ya
sweet poor man's Susannah
So, there it is. Strangely enough, I think it's a funny situation. You have to be curious as to whether or not he knows other girls with other names exist. And I know that the two girls have met, which just adds to it.
Much love and thank you for the musik!
NBK
57 days until Speak Now!
05 August 2010
My Heart
Hello, my dear friends!
I promise you, this one is going to be pretty short and sweet, in stark contrast to the last few posts. This is welcome news to you, I'm sure.
The first thing of which I would like to make mention is that Sugarland has announced its release date for the duo's new album. The album, called The Incredible Machine, is set to hit stores on October 19th of this year and has already spawned the unbeliveably catchy "Stuck Like Glue" as its first single. Of course, I've only listened to the 30-second snippet that iTunes provides (over and over and over and over again...), so I can't say if the song as a whole is good, but so far, so good. Like I said, catchy. 'Wah-oh wah-oh stuck like glue / you and me, baby, we're stuck like glue...'
And the second piece of news is [drum roll] the annoucement of Miss Taylor Swift's brand-new album! She announced it via a live chat on her website (yes, I watched. I'm overseas, and I still watched.), and it's going to be called Speak Now. The release date is six days after the Sugarland album, October 25th. I will be staying up until midnight, I assure you, and buying it early on the day! And my own personal hard copy, of course. A single has already been released from it. It was meant to be released a few weeks from now, but after a low-quality version had been leaked somehow, Big Machine decided to release it earlier, and "Mine" was sent to radio yesterday. Again, despite my eagerness to hear the song in its entirety, I have resorted to memorizing the 30-second bit that iTunes generously provides, and from what I have heard, the song shines. It's beautifully, unmistakeably Taylor. 'You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter / you are the best thing that's ever been mine...'
And that, my friends, concludes that section and brings me to the order of the business of the day.
How did I come up with this song? Well, I was writing a different song, and I came across (read: came up with) the line 'don't need pictures, I've got it in my heart,' and I began musing (as I so often happen to do when I'm tired) about the simple beauty of the phrase 'my heart,' and I thought that someone should write a song with that title. My next thought was, "well, why not I?" And then I did. And almost an hour later, it was done. I've found that the best songs I write are the ones that just come out by themselves. The ones I don't even have to really think about. And this one flowed out as naturally as....a heartbeat.
It's about as self-reflective a song as you can possibly get. My heart is a pretty stupendous thing, I've found, writing this song. And that, my friends, is the honest and simple truth.
My Heart
I know it's there, though I've never seen it
it beats sixty-five times in every minute
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
it's called a heart, and this one is mine
I've placed my hand over it every day
during the Pledge of Allegiance we all stood to say
and I learned its anatomy, the blood and the valves
when I was fifteen, in biology class
but I never learned more about what it can do
until the day I fell in love with you
CHORUS:
my heart breaks for the homeless I see on the street
my heart beats in time to a good song's melody
my heart tries to be good and put others first
my heart aches like the devil when it's been hurt
my heart burns with anger at what the unjust did
my heart melts when I see a sweet little kid
my heart beats when I'm excited, it beats when I cry
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
I've seen what a heart looks like on my TV
but I can't think how mine can hold all that it carries
like an image of you and your beautiful eyes
or the sting of all other guys' unfulfilled lies
it's fiercely loyal, this much is true
and if you believe that, it won't give up on you
CHORUS:
my heart breaks for the homeless I see on the street
my heart beats in time to a good song's melody
my heart tries to be good and put others first
my heart aches like the devil when it's been hurt
my heart burns with anger at what the unjust did
my heart melts when I see a sweet little kid
it beats when I'm excited, it beats when I cry
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
BRIDGE:
I'll say this, if you wanna know more
it used to be mine, but now it's yours
CHORUS:
my heart breaks for the homeless I see on the street
my heart beats in time to a good song's melody
my heart tries to be good and put others first
my heart aches like the devil when it's been hurt
my heart burns with anger at what the unjust did
my heart melts when I see a sweet little kid
it beats when I'm excited, it beats when I cry
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
I know it's there, though I've never seen it
it beats sixty-five times in every minute
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
it's called a heart, and this one is mine...
And that's that. I'm going to have the melody with which I wrote it stuck in my head all day, and I don't mind. I see it as a glorious triumph, but if you disagree, please let me know! This is, after all, what this blog is for and what the ability to write comments allows you to do.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
NBK
81 days until Speak Now!
I promise you, this one is going to be pretty short and sweet, in stark contrast to the last few posts. This is welcome news to you, I'm sure.
The first thing of which I would like to make mention is that Sugarland has announced its release date for the duo's new album. The album, called The Incredible Machine, is set to hit stores on October 19th of this year and has already spawned the unbeliveably catchy "Stuck Like Glue" as its first single. Of course, I've only listened to the 30-second snippet that iTunes provides (over and over and over and over again...), so I can't say if the song as a whole is good, but so far, so good. Like I said, catchy. 'Wah-oh wah-oh stuck like glue / you and me, baby, we're stuck like glue...'
And the second piece of news is [drum roll] the annoucement of Miss Taylor Swift's brand-new album! She announced it via a live chat on her website (yes, I watched. I'm overseas, and I still watched.), and it's going to be called Speak Now. The release date is six days after the Sugarland album, October 25th. I will be staying up until midnight, I assure you, and buying it early on the day! And my own personal hard copy, of course. A single has already been released from it. It was meant to be released a few weeks from now, but after a low-quality version had been leaked somehow, Big Machine decided to release it earlier, and "Mine" was sent to radio yesterday. Again, despite my eagerness to hear the song in its entirety, I have resorted to memorizing the 30-second bit that iTunes generously provides, and from what I have heard, the song shines. It's beautifully, unmistakeably Taylor. 'You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter / you are the best thing that's ever been mine...'
And that, my friends, concludes that section and brings me to the order of the business of the day.
How did I come up with this song? Well, I was writing a different song, and I came across (read: came up with) the line 'don't need pictures, I've got it in my heart,' and I began musing (as I so often happen to do when I'm tired) about the simple beauty of the phrase 'my heart,' and I thought that someone should write a song with that title. My next thought was, "well, why not I?" And then I did. And almost an hour later, it was done. I've found that the best songs I write are the ones that just come out by themselves. The ones I don't even have to really think about. And this one flowed out as naturally as....a heartbeat.
It's about as self-reflective a song as you can possibly get. My heart is a pretty stupendous thing, I've found, writing this song. And that, my friends, is the honest and simple truth.
My Heart
I know it's there, though I've never seen it
it beats sixty-five times in every minute
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
it's called a heart, and this one is mine
I've placed my hand over it every day
during the Pledge of Allegiance we all stood to say
and I learned its anatomy, the blood and the valves
when I was fifteen, in biology class
but I never learned more about what it can do
until the day I fell in love with you
CHORUS:
my heart breaks for the homeless I see on the street
my heart beats in time to a good song's melody
my heart tries to be good and put others first
my heart aches like the devil when it's been hurt
my heart burns with anger at what the unjust did
my heart melts when I see a sweet little kid
my heart beats when I'm excited, it beats when I cry
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
I've seen what a heart looks like on my TV
but I can't think how mine can hold all that it carries
like an image of you and your beautiful eyes
or the sting of all other guys' unfulfilled lies
it's fiercely loyal, this much is true
and if you believe that, it won't give up on you
CHORUS:
my heart breaks for the homeless I see on the street
my heart beats in time to a good song's melody
my heart tries to be good and put others first
my heart aches like the devil when it's been hurt
my heart burns with anger at what the unjust did
my heart melts when I see a sweet little kid
it beats when I'm excited, it beats when I cry
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
BRIDGE:
I'll say this, if you wanna know more
it used to be mine, but now it's yours
CHORUS:
my heart breaks for the homeless I see on the street
my heart beats in time to a good song's melody
my heart tries to be good and put others first
my heart aches like the devil when it's been hurt
my heart burns with anger at what the unjust did
my heart melts when I see a sweet little kid
it beats when I'm excited, it beats when I cry
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
I know it's there, though I've never seen it
it beats sixty-five times in every minute
as long as it's beating, I know I'm alive
it's called a heart, and this one is mine...
And that's that. I'm going to have the melody with which I wrote it stuck in my head all day, and I don't mind. I see it as a glorious triumph, but if you disagree, please let me know! This is, after all, what this blog is for and what the ability to write comments allows you to do.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
NBK
81 days until Speak Now!
15 July 2010
Two-Year Anniversary
It was on this day two years ago when, as a naive and optimistic seventeen year old, I first sat down to detail my ambitions and my plans for this blog, in the hopes that I would find the answers to my life somewhere within the words either I was writing or I would find written in the comments section. Well, here I am two years later, at the ripe old age of my very lucky number nineteen, with no more answers to life than I had then, except maybe having formed a more clearly defined picture of what I want than the nebulous and shapeless cloud I had lingering over my mind when I began.
And one thing I've found is that, more than ever before, I really and truly enjoy putting a piece of my heart and my soul onto paper in perfect, rhyming lines for the world (or the two people who read this blog) to see. It just makes everything make much more sense than it would normally, and it fills me with a sense of purpose as well as a sense of accomplishment, and somewhere along the way on the road to finishing a song I find a piece of myself cemented in, as though each song is another piece of myself I found and will never let go again. It may sound strange, and I hate to be all philosophical here (but it is the second anniversary of this blog, and what are anniversaries if not occasions to look back at the time that has passed and dwell on it, if only a little), but it's true. I may say a song I've written doesn't mean anything to me or I may forget about it, but it is still a part of me, whether I choose to acknowledge it or not.
A second thing I've realised is that my dreams in life - and I mean my absolute, make-me-cry-at-night-because-I-want-them-to-happen-so-much dreams - have become re-prioritised. The number one dream is different. And it may not be enough for some people, it may not be ambitious enough for some people, it may not be noble enough for some people, and it certainly may not be expected/typical for someone my age or for even people older than I am, but it is what it is, and I'm not going to change it because it's not good enough for you. It's enough for me, and I know that I will never feel whole until it comes true. I mean it. So there.
Well, moving on from that defiant paragraph, allow me to say that it has been my utmost pleasure and delight to have spent two years in your loving, kind, and understanding company.
Two years. My, my, how time passes.
As I've mentioned before, occasions such as an anniversary call for something truly special here at Thank You For The Musik, so I will not be including a song here. Also, I don't have another one written yet, so there you go. I mean, I have one partially written, but that's not enough. But what I do have will, hopefully, mean a lot to you as well as it does to me. You do remember me mentioning (I think I devoted an entire "special occasion" post to it, actually) my attendance at a Taylor Swift concert on May 13th of this year? Well, I did manage to take a few pictures and make a few videos before my camera died (silly me, I didn't charge the battery before I went to the most momentous occasion of my young life!), and I thought I would attempt to embed them here and share them with you, my dears.
Well, here goes. I hope you like my amateur photography.
 |
| Gloriana, the opening act, performing "How Far Do You Wanna Go?" |
 |
| Kellie Pickler, the second opening act, singing "Best Days of Your Life" |
 |
| better picture of Kellie Pickler and "Best Days of Your Life," moments later |
 |
| And here she is, the beautiful and talented Taylor Swift, performing "Hey Stephen" in the centre of the arena |
Those are the pictures I myself took on my camera. What follows are the slightly worse-quality pictures I took on my sister's cell phone, having not brought mine along. They're worse quality, but they're still pictures, so please reserve judgment. She and I have the same type of phone, and I like it.
 |
| "Hey Stephen," in the section right below us |
 |
| halfway through "Hey Stephen," relocating herself to the center of the arena |
 |
| going through the crowd halfway through "Hey Stephen," hugging everyone within reach |
 |
| "Fifteen" in the center of the arena |
And, if I'm lucky and/or figure out how to do this in time, you're going to be treated to a few videos, too. Let's see. The first is Gloriana, with "How Far Do You Wanna Go?," or at least, a portion of it. A short clip.
Next, we have... another Gloriana. This time, my very favourite song of theirs, "The World is Ours Tonight." And that person you hear screaming/singing along in the background? Totally, absolutely not me. Duh.
And next, we have the very very very beginning of "Best Days of Your Life" and the entrance of one Kellie Pickler. That's all I got before my camera decided to die.
The next two videos, if they upload, are of the one and only Miss Taylor Swift. They're taken from my sister's wonderful phone, so please enjoy them. The first is the entirety of her smash single, "Fifteen."
The last one is the entirety of the over-seven-minute-long performance of "Should've Said No." Thank you, thank you, Kristina.
Well, there you have this super-special anniversary episode of Thank You For The Musik. Last year, you got a glimpse into my scatterbrained songwriting and my notes, and this year you get the beauty and brilliance of the Fearless tour. I sincerely hope that you enjoyed yourselves, and that I can think of something good for next year (if, in fact, this blog survives the hassles and craziness of another year).
Much much love, and, as always, thank you for the musik!
NBK
p.s. This will be my last opportunity to say that I still have all of my money on Andy Schleck to win the Tour and that I wish him all of the very best of luck on the deciding stage and during the time trial.
11 July 2010
Imperfect Star
Greetings!
Well, first things first.
I would like to personally extend my congratulations to Miranda Lambert and Kellie Pickler, both of whom got engaged since I last wrote. Kellie Pickler to her songwriting boyfriend of two years, Kyle Jacobs. And Miranda Lambert, of course, is engaged to her boyfriend of five years, Blake Shelton. They're so adorable together, and I am happy that they're finally engaged. While we're on happy wedding news, let's take all of two seconds to acknowledge the fact that Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher got married last night. Why this is headline news on nhl.com, I have no idea. Congratulations to all.
The next order of business is the CMT Awards. I forgot that this is one event I do not recap here, on account of the fact that I had never before had access to a CMT/GAC channel that would allow me to watch it, until this year. However, I will not be changing tradition even despite the fact that I was able to basically watch it in its entirety this year, and will merely divert you to cmt.com if you're at all interested in watching the show.
I would like to talk about The Band Perry for a few moments here, if you'll indulge me. The first time I heard a song of theirs (we're talking about the catchy "Hip to my Heart," here), the first thought that crossed my mind was, "Uh, what the heck is this?", followed shortly by "I'm not a fan." Well, what do you know? I am now. You see, there exists something called the People Country Magazine (a spin-off of People magazine produced by the people at People (HA!) every couple of months, solely about the artists tangentially related to the genre of country music, it's heavenly), and whenever a new issue comes out, there are free downloads of music that the readers can take advantage of through iTunes. It's how I got such crackers of songs such as "The Call," by Matt Kennon (which is now proudly sitting at numer 11 in my Top 25 Most Played playlist with 83 listens since mid-April); "Sunshine," by Steve Azar (clocking in at number 21 with 75 listens); "Bring on the Love," by Coldwater Jane; "My Life Again," by the McClymonts (who are Australian...so cool!); "Rollin' Through the Sunshine," by the Trailer Choir; "Just Knowing You Love Me," by Jimmy Wayne; and "Pray For You," the hit single by new act Jaron & the Long Road To Love (who is actually one-half of the identical twin duo Evan & Jaron, of whom I've been a fan since their Half Dozen album, which I discovered in eighth grade - it was a gift, and it's not country, either, but I absolutely love it), among many many many others. The point of this story about The Band Perry is that in the latest offer in the latest issue, the July issue with Tim McGraw on the cover, their "If I Die Young" was among the songs. And it's absolutely beautiful, and chilling in its honesty and tenderness and simplicity. I may or may not be obsessed with it. And yes, I have become a fan of The Band Perry. What is so endearing about the band is that they're siblings (two brothers, who play the instruments and provide background vocals, and a sister, who does the lead vocals and plays the guitar), and they also write their own music. For example, Kimberly Perry wrote "If I Die Young" all by her lonesome, and she performs it as such, too. It's almost Alison Kraus-like. But stupendously beautiful. Remember their name, The Band Perry, because they will be huge one day, I guarantee it!
And now, onto the title song of this blog post. I've actually had the phrase "imperfect star like mine" bouncing around my head for quite some time now - actually it was originally "hitch your wagon to an imperfect star like mine," before I decided that a. it was way too wordy for my purposes, b. it sounded far too Oregon Trail-y, and c. it was just stupid - but I never really found what I could attach it to, until yesterday. You see, what really sparked the creation of this song (it's been a while since I've actually explained the meaning behind a song here, so let's see how it goes) was composed of two parts. One was during a conversation I had with a friend yesterday afternoon, in which we talked about Formula 1, and I mentioned how I am a fan of many sports, and how I try to be a little knowledgeable about all of them. He responded with, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't see how sports are a useful topic to know. I mean, they're not really important." I told him that I knew what he meant and that I was not in the least offended, but as I thought about it, I realised that he had basically insulted me, which I then felt foolish about. And upset. The second part of the creation of this song was my epiphany that you shouldn't change yourself completely for someone else, even if it seems like the best and most important thing to do at that moment. The only person who should be able to change you is...well, you. And it got me to thinking about how I overanalyse everything that people say, however casually, and use it to spawn more and more insecurities about absolutely everything I do, adding more imperfection and smudging to the star that I call mine. So yes, it's quite the personal song. It's meant to be from the perspective of a person who was in a verbally abusive relationship, in particular. But I think that everyone can point to at least one time in which s/he was in a verbally abusive relationship. And I find that I'm hurt more by offhand comments that people make, rather than the premeditated insults they throw my way, because it's the offhand comments that mean the most. Because they're the ones that are more honest than something that people have to think about for a while. Does that make sense? Anyway, enjoy?
Imperfect Star
you said, "your hair looks nice today,"
and I thought of all the days it doesn't
you said, "that looks expensive,"
and I ran to the store to return it
and I still hate myself for taking so long
to answer when you asked why I like that song
CHORUS:
they're just little words you say,
small things that you throw away,
words you mean but soon forget
but for me, they're everything I regret
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
you said, "you're really wearing that?"
and I changed my outfit at least three times
you said, "I don't like opinions,"
and I hurried to do away with mine
and since you told me my handwriting's tiny
I've worked on making it easier to read
CHORUS:
they're just little words you say,
small things that you throw away
words you mean but soon forget
but for me, they're everything I regret
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
BRIDGE:
twinkle, twinkle little star
please erase his words from my heart
or I'll never move on, and I'll never be free
why does it hurt so much to be me?
BRIDGE CHORUS:
all of the little things you said
still bounce around inside my head
words you meant, but soon forgot
are those I think about a lot
if all that you saw was what you didn't like
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
CHORUS:
they're just little words you say
small things that you throw away
words you mean but soon forget
but for me, they're everything that I regret
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
an imperfect star...like mine
Well, that's that. I really like it. I basically churned it out in forty minutes, while taking the bus. Incidentally, I sat next to, albeit across the aisle, from the guy who made that irreverential comment about my vast sports knowledge (does saying "my vast sports knowledge" seem like I'm bragging? probably...my building block of sports knowledge). But it seemed that I could not stop myself. And the rest was history. Please let me know any corrections/comments/criticisms/curiosities you have. It means far too much to me for me to explain in words.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
NBK
p.s. ESPANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I happened to be in Barcelona at the time of the World Cup, and it was a wonderfully monumental (I borrowed that word from my friend Kate's blog...thanks) experience. I wish I could've shared every moment of it with you, particularly that of Iniesta's goal, when the entire Plaza Espanya exploded with sound, light, color, flags, fireworks, applause, and the splashing of water from the adjacent fountains. Unbelievable. Incredible. Campeones del Mundo, would you believe it?! I would like to add Fernando Torres to my list of People I Would Like To Spend a Day With, even though this tournament wasn't his best. It's just that I would like to spend a day with him.
p.p.s. Let's dive into one of the sports I'm a little knowledgeable about, which is cycling. To win the Tour de France, I have my money onhot sexy super talented Andy Schleck, as I have since Paris of last year. It seems that Lance is out and Contador is not as in-form as he was last year, for example, which can only be good, although Cadel Evans, the world champion, is on fire. But then he always is, until it comes time for his team to back him up, whereupon the weakness of his domestiques cracks the already crumbling foundations of hope he's standing on and sends him further down the GC. The only thing that can potentially destroy Andy Schleck is the sad fact that his brother broke his collarbone and had to drop out of the Tour, which is dreadfully unfortunate.
p.p.p.s. I should mention two things, before I close up this post (which I had intended to curtail and have it shorter than the last one...whoops!). The first is, that the guy who made that sports comment is one of my closest friends, and I adore him. The second is that the song isn't about him and that I adore him as a friend, and seriously nothing more. Despite the fact that he looks like George Hincapie, if George Hincapie were a pre-med Indian college student from Ohio.
Well, first things first.
I would like to personally extend my congratulations to Miranda Lambert and Kellie Pickler, both of whom got engaged since I last wrote. Kellie Pickler to her songwriting boyfriend of two years, Kyle Jacobs. And Miranda Lambert, of course, is engaged to her boyfriend of five years, Blake Shelton. They're so adorable together, and I am happy that they're finally engaged. While we're on happy wedding news, let's take all of two seconds to acknowledge the fact that Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher got married last night. Why this is headline news on nhl.com, I have no idea. Congratulations to all.
The next order of business is the CMT Awards. I forgot that this is one event I do not recap here, on account of the fact that I had never before had access to a CMT/GAC channel that would allow me to watch it, until this year. However, I will not be changing tradition even despite the fact that I was able to basically watch it in its entirety this year, and will merely divert you to cmt.com if you're at all interested in watching the show.
I would like to talk about The Band Perry for a few moments here, if you'll indulge me. The first time I heard a song of theirs (we're talking about the catchy "Hip to my Heart," here), the first thought that crossed my mind was, "Uh, what the heck is this?", followed shortly by "I'm not a fan." Well, what do you know? I am now. You see, there exists something called the People Country Magazine (a spin-off of People magazine produced by the people at People (HA!) every couple of months, solely about the artists tangentially related to the genre of country music, it's heavenly), and whenever a new issue comes out, there are free downloads of music that the readers can take advantage of through iTunes. It's how I got such crackers of songs such as "The Call," by Matt Kennon (which is now proudly sitting at numer 11 in my Top 25 Most Played playlist with 83 listens since mid-April); "Sunshine," by Steve Azar (clocking in at number 21 with 75 listens); "Bring on the Love," by Coldwater Jane; "My Life Again," by the McClymonts (who are Australian...so cool!); "Rollin' Through the Sunshine," by the Trailer Choir; "Just Knowing You Love Me," by Jimmy Wayne; and "Pray For You," the hit single by new act Jaron & the Long Road To Love (who is actually one-half of the identical twin duo Evan & Jaron, of whom I've been a fan since their Half Dozen album, which I discovered in eighth grade - it was a gift, and it's not country, either, but I absolutely love it), among many many many others. The point of this story about The Band Perry is that in the latest offer in the latest issue, the July issue with Tim McGraw on the cover, their "If I Die Young" was among the songs. And it's absolutely beautiful, and chilling in its honesty and tenderness and simplicity. I may or may not be obsessed with it. And yes, I have become a fan of The Band Perry. What is so endearing about the band is that they're siblings (two brothers, who play the instruments and provide background vocals, and a sister, who does the lead vocals and plays the guitar), and they also write their own music. For example, Kimberly Perry wrote "If I Die Young" all by her lonesome, and she performs it as such, too. It's almost Alison Kraus-like. But stupendously beautiful. Remember their name, The Band Perry, because they will be huge one day, I guarantee it!
And now, onto the title song of this blog post. I've actually had the phrase "imperfect star like mine" bouncing around my head for quite some time now - actually it was originally "hitch your wagon to an imperfect star like mine," before I decided that a. it was way too wordy for my purposes, b. it sounded far too Oregon Trail-y, and c. it was just stupid - but I never really found what I could attach it to, until yesterday. You see, what really sparked the creation of this song (it's been a while since I've actually explained the meaning behind a song here, so let's see how it goes) was composed of two parts. One was during a conversation I had with a friend yesterday afternoon, in which we talked about Formula 1, and I mentioned how I am a fan of many sports, and how I try to be a little knowledgeable about all of them. He responded with, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't see how sports are a useful topic to know. I mean, they're not really important." I told him that I knew what he meant and that I was not in the least offended, but as I thought about it, I realised that he had basically insulted me, which I then felt foolish about. And upset. The second part of the creation of this song was my epiphany that you shouldn't change yourself completely for someone else, even if it seems like the best and most important thing to do at that moment. The only person who should be able to change you is...well, you. And it got me to thinking about how I overanalyse everything that people say, however casually, and use it to spawn more and more insecurities about absolutely everything I do, adding more imperfection and smudging to the star that I call mine. So yes, it's quite the personal song. It's meant to be from the perspective of a person who was in a verbally abusive relationship, in particular. But I think that everyone can point to at least one time in which s/he was in a verbally abusive relationship. And I find that I'm hurt more by offhand comments that people make, rather than the premeditated insults they throw my way, because it's the offhand comments that mean the most. Because they're the ones that are more honest than something that people have to think about for a while. Does that make sense? Anyway, enjoy?
Imperfect Star
you said, "your hair looks nice today,"
and I thought of all the days it doesn't
you said, "that looks expensive,"
and I ran to the store to return it
and I still hate myself for taking so long
to answer when you asked why I like that song
CHORUS:
they're just little words you say,
small things that you throw away,
words you mean but soon forget
but for me, they're everything I regret
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
you said, "you're really wearing that?"
and I changed my outfit at least three times
you said, "I don't like opinions,"
and I hurried to do away with mine
and since you told me my handwriting's tiny
I've worked on making it easier to read
CHORUS:
they're just little words you say,
small things that you throw away
words you mean but soon forget
but for me, they're everything I regret
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
BRIDGE:
twinkle, twinkle little star
please erase his words from my heart
or I'll never move on, and I'll never be free
why does it hurt so much to be me?
BRIDGE CHORUS:
all of the little things you said
still bounce around inside my head
words you meant, but soon forgot
are those I think about a lot
if all that you saw was what you didn't like
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
CHORUS:
they're just little words you say
small things that you throw away
words you mean but soon forget
but for me, they're everything that I regret
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
if all that you see is what you don't like,
why'd you wish on an imperfect star like mine?
an imperfect star...like mine
Well, that's that. I really like it. I basically churned it out in forty minutes, while taking the bus. Incidentally, I sat next to, albeit across the aisle, from the guy who made that irreverential comment about my vast sports knowledge (does saying "my vast sports knowledge" seem like I'm bragging? probably...my building block of sports knowledge). But it seemed that I could not stop myself. And the rest was history. Please let me know any corrections/comments/criticisms/curiosities you have. It means far too much to me for me to explain in words.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
NBK
p.s. ESPANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I happened to be in Barcelona at the time of the World Cup, and it was a wonderfully monumental (I borrowed that word from my friend Kate's blog...thanks) experience. I wish I could've shared every moment of it with you, particularly that of Iniesta's goal, when the entire Plaza Espanya exploded with sound, light, color, flags, fireworks, applause, and the splashing of water from the adjacent fountains. Unbelievable. Incredible. Campeones del Mundo, would you believe it?! I would like to add Fernando Torres to my list of People I Would Like To Spend a Day With, even though this tournament wasn't his best. It's just that I would like to spend a day with him.
p.p.s. Let's dive into one of the sports I'm a little knowledgeable about, which is cycling. To win the Tour de France, I have my money on
p.p.p.s. I should mention two things, before I close up this post (which I had intended to curtail and have it shorter than the last one...whoops!). The first is, that the guy who made that sports comment is one of my closest friends, and I adore him. The second is that the song isn't about him and that I adore him as a friend, and seriously nothing more. Despite the fact that he looks like George Hincapie, if George Hincapie were a pre-med Indian college student from Ohio.
29 June 2010
I Did
Well, hello there.
And so, we continue. Even through travel, and work, and all sorts of fun and exciting things cannot stop this creative mind. You know, with the word "creative" kind of loosely defined. And "mind," too. Anyway, there are a few things I want to get to before I let you in on the next song that I've written. And it's actually a really special and unique one, so here's hoping you like that.
First off, allow me to share with you some new albums that I've discovered. Every summer, I go on this crazy rampage to re-invigorate my seriously undernourished country music collection, and I think I've done a particularly wonderful job this year. If I may say so myself. I was going to do this chronilogically, but it's been a few weeks and I no longer remember the chronology, but I'll do my best. The first couple of CDs I got to supplement those I had already had included The Foundation, the successful debut album of the Zac Brown Band; Shine, the latest Martina McBride; and Unleashed, the redneck album of one Mr. Toby Keith. The last I got simply because the radio that I had been listening to lately kept playing a few songs from that album and they kept getting stuck in my head! And those aren't my favourite ones, anyway. I like "Huckleberry" and "Rodeo Moon." As for the Zac Brown album, my absolute favourite song is the most successful single, "Highway 20 Ride." That's one song that I cannot get enough of. And I've talked about it before, so I'll move on before you get bored and stop reading. "Chicken Fried," the first single, is also wonderful. The other songs on the album haven't particularly wowed me, I have to say. And finally, the Martina McBride is no departure from her earlier albums, too much, as it is full of the optimistic, girl-power songs that she is known for. But my absolute favourite song from this album is the second song, the first single released, "I Just Call You Mine." Simply beautiful. It's...just breathtaking. I just want to listen to it over and over and over again, but it's so powerful that I can only listen to it a few times before I need a break. I recommend it to all. The next batch included the albums Southern Voice, the newest one by Tim McGraw; and No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems, the laidback album from the early 2000s from Kenny Chesney. They're both such different artists that you can tell the difference immediately, and, particularly with these albums, it seemed to me that to listen to them was to know the artists at their very core. Of course, neither one of them writes their own stuff (well, Kenny Chesney does now, but he didn't then), so that may be impossible, but still. I don't think I have an absolute favourite song on either album, but I like them all, which is probably the best anyone can say about an album. I had already had "Young" and "The Good Stuff" from No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems, so I know those are wonderful, but I also like "Big Star." As for the Tim McGraw album, there are a lot of chilling songs, that almost shake you. "Good Girls," "If I Died Today," "You Had To Be There," "Forever Seventeen," and "Love You Goodbye," are among those. And therefore, I can't choose a favourite. The next couple of albums that I got were Fly and Wide Open Spaces (which is alphabetical; the other way around if you're into chronological production) from the Dixie Chicks; and Pull My Chain by their nemesis, Toby Keith. The ones I do like from the latter album are "I'm Just Talkin' 'Bout Tonight," "I Wanna Talk About Me," and "My List," but for the rest, you have to get past the fact that he loves himself so much. As for the Dixie Chicks, just so you know, I'm only ashamed that they aren't from a cooler state than is Texas. They're so talented and so beautiful and so expressive that you just want to sit there and listen to the songs and then go and find them and give them a hug. Of course, these albums are those before IT happened, and they're typical '90s, in that there is very little background music, and the instrumentalisation is generally weak, but what the songs are lacking in music they make up for with vocal talent. I already knew many of the songs from their Top of the World Tour Live album that I already had, but of the ones I didn't know, my absolute favourite from Wide Open Spaces, their debut album, was "You Were Mine." I don't think I can describe the chills that run through my veins still when I hear "he's two and she's four / and you know they adore you..." It's just spectacular. "Let 'Er Rip" is also a pretty cool song. Uptempo, and it's got verve. As for Fly, "Cowboy Take Me Away" has always been one of my favourites of theirs, as well as "Goodbye Earl." Here's a fun little sidenote: I love listening to a song by Toby Keith, and then interrupting it with a song by the Dixie Chicks. I feel like I helped them fight back a little bit. The next batch of albums (the last, I promise) included That Lonesome Song, the breakout - but not debut - album of Jamey Johnson's; Unstoppable, the latest Rascal Flatts album; Some People Change by Montgomery Gentry and sponsored by one of my favourite places, Cracker Barrel; American Ride, another and the newest Toby Keith (yes, yes, I know); When the Sun Goes Down, and old old old album of Kenny Chesney's; Justin Moore, the self-titled debut of one Justin Moore; and, lastly, Defying Gravity, Keith Urban's latest venture. I'll try to make this as brief as possible, dwelling the most on the last album. The only song that really means anything to me on the Jamey Johnson album is "In Color," which I had already had, although "The High Cost of Living" is terrifying in its message. It's probably because the level of hurt and mistakes and mess-up that he was living with when he wrote the songs is one I've never experienced (thank goodness!) and therefore can't connect to, but they make pretty darn good and near-Johnny Cash-level country songs. Unstoppable was very mainstream, compared to That Lonesome Song, but my favourite song is "She'd Be California"; I found it odd that, with all three of them happily married, the majority (and by majority I mean 8 out of 11 songs) of the album was about loss and pain and moving on after heartache, but then I saw that they don't write their songs either, so that explained it. "Why" was tear-inducing for me, literally, and "Summer Nights" was also very fun to listen to. The Montgomery Gentry album was wonderful, from start to finish, but my favourite songs are "Takes All Kinds" and "What Do You Think About That." Although, "Twenty Years Ago" does still make me cry, and there are too many songs to choose from to also name. There is a connection to the Kenny Chesney album in the title song, "Some People Change," in that both have it on their albums, but I don't know if Kenny Chesney has the original and Montgomery Gentry made a cover of it, or if the song is an older one and both Kenny Chesney and Montgomery Gentry made a cover of it. Things to ponder. But the Kenny Chesney album is equally wonderful, although in a different way, of course. "There Goes My Life" and "I Go Back" had been songs that I had already known, but get only more beautiful the more times I listen to them; "The Woman With You" is probably my favourite song on the album, though, followed also by "Keg In the Closet." As for Justin Moore, well...I do actually like "Backwoods," as I had heard it often before, but as a women and as someone who isn't from the South and therefore lacks that entitled mentality, I didn't much appreciate the rest of his songs, particularly "Hank It," "Back that Thing Up," "I Could Kick Your Ass," and "Good Ole American Way." New Toby Keith in the making? Oh, yes. Speaking of, on Toby's album, I particularly like "American Ride" and "Ballad of Balad," because of their melodies, not so much their lyrics. I think I've talked about the former on this blog before, so I won't much go into specifics. "Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)," also one I have mentioned before, is also terrific, if you want a sad song. And lastly, here I come to the piece de resistance, Keith Urban's Defying Gravity. I am in love with this album, from start to finish, and back again. My absolutely absolute favourite is "If Ever I Could Love," the second song on the album, and I cannot get enough of it, I really can't. It's beautiful, and sensitive, and passionate, and gentle, and rhythmic, and poetic, and a triumph all at once. "Kiss A Girl," "My Heart is Open," and "Thank You," (to pick out just a few more) are also absolutely spectacular. But then they all are. The first time I heard "Thank You," which closes out the album, I was so overcome by the tremendous amount of love he pours into that song that I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. That's the dream, isn't it? And the last album that I just got around to importing into my iTunes was the final Doc Walker that I had bought in Montreal, Everyone Aboard. And it is phenomenal as well, from beginning to end. I had always liked "North Dakota Boy," but "The Show Is Free," "Just Drive," "Forgive Me (For Giving A Damn)," and "Heroes in the Sun" are just as good.
And that concludes that superlong-winded section of the blog post. Phew, I hope it wasn't that annoying to get through.
I would like to address my style of writing these blog posts. Yes, my paragraphs are insanely long and hard on the eyes; I will try to account for that and keep both my comments brief and my topics less interesting. I separate paragraphs based on content, and therefore that paragraph was incredibly long, and I'm sorry!
That having been said, on to the next order of business. And that's the "ACM Presents 'Brooks & Dunn: The Last Rodeo,'" which aired on CBS a few weeks prior to the actual ACM Awards. For those of you who don't know, the event was being held in order to celebrate the career of the record-breaking, powerful duo of Brooks & Dunn (composed of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn), which is breaking up in August after over 20 years together. It's all really sad. In order to fully appreciate the duo, the Academy of Country Music called together a few of Brooks & Dunn's closest friends, all of whom sang a different hit Brooks & Dunn song. Lucky for you, I took detailed notes. What follows is a recapitulation of the events.
To begin, Miss Taylor Swift opened the show, welcoming the artists and the fans to the event, and recounting her favourite Brooks & Dunn memory, which was when the two called her into their bus during a tour in order to show her Ronnie Dunn's "Taylor Swift impression," throwing his head around the way only she does (if you don't know what I'm talking about, I only hope that someone rescues you from the rock you've been living under). She had even caught it on tape, and played it for the crowd. When she introduced the duo and they both walked out, saluted the crowd, and took their places on the couch of honour, Kix Brooks told her, "That's the first time in twenty years that I've ever seen him mess up his hair," to which she responded, "Twenty years....to me, that's like a lifetime." Cue the laughter.
After this opening, Keith Urban came on stage and told his favourite Brooks & Dunn memory, which was in the early '90s, before Keith Urban was Keith Urban; he and his band were playing in an obscure hole in the wall, when in came Kix Brooks and his wife, listened to the set, and invited Keith and his band to tour with the duo for a few weeks. "I thought he was completely hammered," joked Keith, and Kix Brooks spoke up from his couch, saying, "I was." Keith Urban performed "Brand New Man," to much applause. He was followed by the one and only Miranda Lambert, whose story consisted of a makeshift dance party on the Brooks & Dunn tour bus when Kellie Pickler got a hold of the iPod, and put on "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry, to which Ronnie Dunn danced harder than either of the girls. I would've paid anything to have seen that! She then sang, "Hillbilly Deluxe." The reigning Artist of the Decade, George Strait, was up next, and his performance of "Boot-Scootin' Boogie" was accompanied by Kix Brooks playing the harmonica from the couch.
After George Strait cleared the stage, one of the co-producers of the event, Matthew McConaughey, took a microphone and, prior to introducing the next act, joked around for a bit, saying that if needed, he could do a cover of a Brooks & Dunn hit. I myself was thrilled when he and his ego left the stage, leaving room for Kenny Chesney and "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone." The one and only Brad Paisley was next, and he performed "Workin' on My Next Broken Heart" just wonderfully. The next hit Brooks & Dunn song was performed by a fellow duo, Sugarland, whose lead singer, Jennifer Nettles, came onstage sporting a (fake) tattoo of Ronnie Dunn's face on her arm. "Eat your heart out, Taylor Swift," she said amid general amusement, "I can make him do that impression of you whenever I want," flexing and relaxing her arm and making Ronnie Dunn dance. Kristian Bush then sat behind the piano and Jennifer Nettles took a microphone and they both presented "Red Dirt Road." Jason Aldean, who was next, merely took the stage and basically said, "I'm a huge fan," and sang "How Long Gone." Clearly, despite his number 1 songs and his chart success, he's not (yet?) on that top tier of country music which would have allowed him a first-hand memory of Brooks & Dunn. However, the next artist is. And she is Reba McEntire, duet partner and close friend of the duo's, who got visibly emotional performing their latest (last) single, "Indian Summer." It's hard to tell which version I like better, the one she performed or the duo's original.
The chipper star of that tween show, iCarly, Miranda Cosgrove, appeared on stage next (not that I watch that show, mind you, I'd rather stare at the wall) and told the audience that she is a Brooks & Dunn fan because one of their songs hit number 1 status the same day she was born. The duo looked absolutely thrilled that they're that old already. She then introduced Taylor Swift, who did a wonderful interpretation of my very favourite Brooks & Dunn song, "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You," filled with much of that head maneuvre she does so well. Following in her wake was the enormously successful Lady Antebellum, whose Hillary Scott shared that when she was a child, her mother had been a backup singer for the duo and that she had spent many nights backstage during a show. She and Charles Kelley then launched into the hit duet Brooks & Dunn released with Reba McEntire, "If You See Him/If You See Her."
There then appeared a screen onstage, upon which was projected a video of Maya Angelou, thanking Brooks & Dunn for their work trying to bring peace, particularly with their song, "Believe," which Jennifer Hudson then took the stage to sing. Not that I understood a single word she sang (except for perhaps the word 'believe'), but she has such a tremendous voice that it almost didn't matter. The message was conveyed nonetheless. Carrie Underwood was up next, with the song "Neon Moon." Chilling stuff, that song. She was followed by none other than Darius Rucker, who performed "Hard Workin' Man." Rascal Flatts was the next act, with "Getting Better All The Time." None of these performers had any memories to share. Either that, of I was washing dishes at the time and couldn't get to a pencil to write them down. I mean, I was really washing dishes, I remember that. But I don't remember if there were stories. I apologise.
Faith Hill, however, had a cracker of a memory which she shared that night, prior to performing "The Long Goodbye." It was the story demonstrating how Brooks & Dunn are the masters of practical jokes, as all tours are accompanied by practical jokes of all sorts. During the one and only time she had ever toured with the duo, they were in Canada the last week; one night, she was falling down with exhaustion and excited to go to bed, only to find "a slimy eel defrosting in the sheets." In order to get back at the duo, she had them held up at the Canadian-American border and subjected to a strip search. "They never asked me to tour with them again," she laughed. After she had finished, she presented them with a box of eel from a Chinese restaurant, which they devoured right there on stage. Her husband followed as the last solo performer of the event, with "Ain't Nowhere to Go."
Following Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire came back on stage and invited Brooks & Dun to join her, recounting all of their records and listing all of their accomplishments and awards. She then presented them with an ACM Milestone Award, for all they've contributed to country music. There was a super long standing ovation, a well-deserved congratulations, afterwards. She next invited them to pick up their instruments of choice and implored them to "Play Something Country," which they did, inviting all of the performers of the night to join them onstage and sing along. It was a joyous ending to a beautiful night and a long and successful career.
I hope you noticed that I broke up the paragraphs for you. Is that better?
And now, after this marathon blog post (I don't know how that happened), we finally reach the last portion, which is my own song. At the beginning, I mentioned that it's special and unique. And it is. In the wake of that spectacular event known as Eurovision, I decided to challenge myself (as I had done before, see "Zach is Looking Hot Tonight") to write a duet, because it's not something I had ever done before and I wanted to see if I could succeed. And what came out of the challenge was "I Did." See for yourself if I succeeded.
I Did
(male)
I remember thinking, "Look at that, man, that girl's smile couldn't get any finer,"
I remember thinking, "Maybe I should throw caution to the wind and wink at her,"
and I did
(female)
I remember thinking, "Was there just sunshine in his eyes, or did he really wink at me?"
I remember thinking, "Maybe I should go to him and introduce myself casually,"
and I did
CHORUS:
(both)
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you
but I did
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do
but I did
No one believed in love at first sight
but I did
(male)
I remember thinking, "It's been two years, I should ask her to marry me,"
so I did
I remember thinking, "I'm going to say 'yes' when he gets down on one knee,"
and I did
CHORUS:
(both)
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you
but I did
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do
but I did
No one believed in love at first sight
but I did
(female)
No one believed in love at first sight,
and
BRIDGE:
(female)
they said it was a flirty thing, a summer fling
and that we weren't meant to last
(male)
but we've proved them wrong, still going strong
soaking up the time flying by so fast
CHORUS:
(both)
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you
but I did
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do
but I did
No one believed in love at first sight
but I did
yeah, I did
(female, spoken)
I still do
(male, spoken)
I do, too
Well, please let me know if you think I succeeded. Thank you for all of your input! I appreciate any time you take to write some feedback back to me.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
NBK
And so, we continue. Even through travel, and work, and all sorts of fun and exciting things cannot stop this creative mind. You know, with the word "creative" kind of loosely defined. And "mind," too. Anyway, there are a few things I want to get to before I let you in on the next song that I've written. And it's actually a really special and unique one, so here's hoping you like that.
First off, allow me to share with you some new albums that I've discovered. Every summer, I go on this crazy rampage to re-invigorate my seriously undernourished country music collection, and I think I've done a particularly wonderful job this year. If I may say so myself. I was going to do this chronilogically, but it's been a few weeks and I no longer remember the chronology, but I'll do my best. The first couple of CDs I got to supplement those I had already had included The Foundation, the successful debut album of the Zac Brown Band; Shine, the latest Martina McBride; and Unleashed, the redneck album of one Mr. Toby Keith. The last I got simply because the radio that I had been listening to lately kept playing a few songs from that album and they kept getting stuck in my head! And those aren't my favourite ones, anyway. I like "Huckleberry" and "Rodeo Moon." As for the Zac Brown album, my absolute favourite song is the most successful single, "Highway 20 Ride." That's one song that I cannot get enough of. And I've talked about it before, so I'll move on before you get bored and stop reading. "Chicken Fried," the first single, is also wonderful. The other songs on the album haven't particularly wowed me, I have to say. And finally, the Martina McBride is no departure from her earlier albums, too much, as it is full of the optimistic, girl-power songs that she is known for. But my absolute favourite song from this album is the second song, the first single released, "I Just Call You Mine." Simply beautiful. It's...just breathtaking. I just want to listen to it over and over and over again, but it's so powerful that I can only listen to it a few times before I need a break. I recommend it to all. The next batch included the albums Southern Voice, the newest one by Tim McGraw; and No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems, the laidback album from the early 2000s from Kenny Chesney. They're both such different artists that you can tell the difference immediately, and, particularly with these albums, it seemed to me that to listen to them was to know the artists at their very core. Of course, neither one of them writes their own stuff (well, Kenny Chesney does now, but he didn't then), so that may be impossible, but still. I don't think I have an absolute favourite song on either album, but I like them all, which is probably the best anyone can say about an album. I had already had "Young" and "The Good Stuff" from No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems, so I know those are wonderful, but I also like "Big Star." As for the Tim McGraw album, there are a lot of chilling songs, that almost shake you. "Good Girls," "If I Died Today," "You Had To Be There," "Forever Seventeen," and "Love You Goodbye," are among those. And therefore, I can't choose a favourite. The next couple of albums that I got were Fly and Wide Open Spaces (which is alphabetical; the other way around if you're into chronological production) from the Dixie Chicks; and Pull My Chain by their nemesis, Toby Keith. The ones I do like from the latter album are "I'm Just Talkin' 'Bout Tonight," "I Wanna Talk About Me," and "My List," but for the rest, you have to get past the fact that he loves himself so much. As for the Dixie Chicks, just so you know, I'm only ashamed that they aren't from a cooler state than is Texas. They're so talented and so beautiful and so expressive that you just want to sit there and listen to the songs and then go and find them and give them a hug. Of course, these albums are those before IT happened, and they're typical '90s, in that there is very little background music, and the instrumentalisation is generally weak, but what the songs are lacking in music they make up for with vocal talent. I already knew many of the songs from their Top of the World Tour Live album that I already had, but of the ones I didn't know, my absolute favourite from Wide Open Spaces, their debut album, was "You Were Mine." I don't think I can describe the chills that run through my veins still when I hear "he's two and she's four / and you know they adore you..." It's just spectacular. "Let 'Er Rip" is also a pretty cool song. Uptempo, and it's got verve. As for Fly, "Cowboy Take Me Away" has always been one of my favourites of theirs, as well as "Goodbye Earl." Here's a fun little sidenote: I love listening to a song by Toby Keith, and then interrupting it with a song by the Dixie Chicks. I feel like I helped them fight back a little bit. The next batch of albums (the last, I promise) included That Lonesome Song, the breakout - but not debut - album of Jamey Johnson's; Unstoppable, the latest Rascal Flatts album; Some People Change by Montgomery Gentry and sponsored by one of my favourite places, Cracker Barrel; American Ride, another and the newest Toby Keith (yes, yes, I know); When the Sun Goes Down, and old old old album of Kenny Chesney's; Justin Moore, the self-titled debut of one Justin Moore; and, lastly, Defying Gravity, Keith Urban's latest venture. I'll try to make this as brief as possible, dwelling the most on the last album. The only song that really means anything to me on the Jamey Johnson album is "In Color," which I had already had, although "The High Cost of Living" is terrifying in its message. It's probably because the level of hurt and mistakes and mess-up that he was living with when he wrote the songs is one I've never experienced (thank goodness!) and therefore can't connect to, but they make pretty darn good and near-Johnny Cash-level country songs. Unstoppable was very mainstream, compared to That Lonesome Song, but my favourite song is "She'd Be California"; I found it odd that, with all three of them happily married, the majority (and by majority I mean 8 out of 11 songs) of the album was about loss and pain and moving on after heartache, but then I saw that they don't write their songs either, so that explained it. "Why" was tear-inducing for me, literally, and "Summer Nights" was also very fun to listen to. The Montgomery Gentry album was wonderful, from start to finish, but my favourite songs are "Takes All Kinds" and "What Do You Think About That." Although, "Twenty Years Ago" does still make me cry, and there are too many songs to choose from to also name. There is a connection to the Kenny Chesney album in the title song, "Some People Change," in that both have it on their albums, but I don't know if Kenny Chesney has the original and Montgomery Gentry made a cover of it, or if the song is an older one and both Kenny Chesney and Montgomery Gentry made a cover of it. Things to ponder. But the Kenny Chesney album is equally wonderful, although in a different way, of course. "There Goes My Life" and "I Go Back" had been songs that I had already known, but get only more beautiful the more times I listen to them; "The Woman With You" is probably my favourite song on the album, though, followed also by "Keg In the Closet." As for Justin Moore, well...I do actually like "Backwoods," as I had heard it often before, but as a women and as someone who isn't from the South and therefore lacks that entitled mentality, I didn't much appreciate the rest of his songs, particularly "Hank It," "Back that Thing Up," "I Could Kick Your Ass," and "Good Ole American Way." New Toby Keith in the making? Oh, yes. Speaking of, on Toby's album, I particularly like "American Ride" and "Ballad of Balad," because of their melodies, not so much their lyrics. I think I've talked about the former on this blog before, so I won't much go into specifics. "Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)," also one I have mentioned before, is also terrific, if you want a sad song. And lastly, here I come to the piece de resistance, Keith Urban's Defying Gravity. I am in love with this album, from start to finish, and back again. My absolutely absolute favourite is "If Ever I Could Love," the second song on the album, and I cannot get enough of it, I really can't. It's beautiful, and sensitive, and passionate, and gentle, and rhythmic, and poetic, and a triumph all at once. "Kiss A Girl," "My Heart is Open," and "Thank You," (to pick out just a few more) are also absolutely spectacular. But then they all are. The first time I heard "Thank You," which closes out the album, I was so overcome by the tremendous amount of love he pours into that song that I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. That's the dream, isn't it? And the last album that I just got around to importing into my iTunes was the final Doc Walker that I had bought in Montreal, Everyone Aboard. And it is phenomenal as well, from beginning to end. I had always liked "North Dakota Boy," but "The Show Is Free," "Just Drive," "Forgive Me (For Giving A Damn)," and "Heroes in the Sun" are just as good.
And that concludes that superlong-winded section of the blog post. Phew, I hope it wasn't that annoying to get through.
I would like to address my style of writing these blog posts. Yes, my paragraphs are insanely long and hard on the eyes; I will try to account for that and keep both my comments brief and my topics less interesting. I separate paragraphs based on content, and therefore that paragraph was incredibly long, and I'm sorry!
That having been said, on to the next order of business. And that's the "ACM Presents 'Brooks & Dunn: The Last Rodeo,'" which aired on CBS a few weeks prior to the actual ACM Awards. For those of you who don't know, the event was being held in order to celebrate the career of the record-breaking, powerful duo of Brooks & Dunn (composed of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn), which is breaking up in August after over 20 years together. It's all really sad. In order to fully appreciate the duo, the Academy of Country Music called together a few of Brooks & Dunn's closest friends, all of whom sang a different hit Brooks & Dunn song. Lucky for you, I took detailed notes. What follows is a recapitulation of the events.
To begin, Miss Taylor Swift opened the show, welcoming the artists and the fans to the event, and recounting her favourite Brooks & Dunn memory, which was when the two called her into their bus during a tour in order to show her Ronnie Dunn's "Taylor Swift impression," throwing his head around the way only she does (if you don't know what I'm talking about, I only hope that someone rescues you from the rock you've been living under). She had even caught it on tape, and played it for the crowd. When she introduced the duo and they both walked out, saluted the crowd, and took their places on the couch of honour, Kix Brooks told her, "That's the first time in twenty years that I've ever seen him mess up his hair," to which she responded, "Twenty years....to me, that's like a lifetime." Cue the laughter.
After this opening, Keith Urban came on stage and told his favourite Brooks & Dunn memory, which was in the early '90s, before Keith Urban was Keith Urban; he and his band were playing in an obscure hole in the wall, when in came Kix Brooks and his wife, listened to the set, and invited Keith and his band to tour with the duo for a few weeks. "I thought he was completely hammered," joked Keith, and Kix Brooks spoke up from his couch, saying, "I was." Keith Urban performed "Brand New Man," to much applause. He was followed by the one and only Miranda Lambert, whose story consisted of a makeshift dance party on the Brooks & Dunn tour bus when Kellie Pickler got a hold of the iPod, and put on "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry, to which Ronnie Dunn danced harder than either of the girls. I would've paid anything to have seen that! She then sang, "Hillbilly Deluxe." The reigning Artist of the Decade, George Strait, was up next, and his performance of "Boot-Scootin' Boogie" was accompanied by Kix Brooks playing the harmonica from the couch.
After George Strait cleared the stage, one of the co-producers of the event, Matthew McConaughey, took a microphone and, prior to introducing the next act, joked around for a bit, saying that if needed, he could do a cover of a Brooks & Dunn hit. I myself was thrilled when he and his ego left the stage, leaving room for Kenny Chesney and "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone." The one and only Brad Paisley was next, and he performed "Workin' on My Next Broken Heart" just wonderfully. The next hit Brooks & Dunn song was performed by a fellow duo, Sugarland, whose lead singer, Jennifer Nettles, came onstage sporting a (fake) tattoo of Ronnie Dunn's face on her arm. "Eat your heart out, Taylor Swift," she said amid general amusement, "I can make him do that impression of you whenever I want," flexing and relaxing her arm and making Ronnie Dunn dance. Kristian Bush then sat behind the piano and Jennifer Nettles took a microphone and they both presented "Red Dirt Road." Jason Aldean, who was next, merely took the stage and basically said, "I'm a huge fan," and sang "How Long Gone." Clearly, despite his number 1 songs and his chart success, he's not (yet?) on that top tier of country music which would have allowed him a first-hand memory of Brooks & Dunn. However, the next artist is. And she is Reba McEntire, duet partner and close friend of the duo's, who got visibly emotional performing their latest (last) single, "Indian Summer." It's hard to tell which version I like better, the one she performed or the duo's original.
The chipper star of that tween show, iCarly, Miranda Cosgrove, appeared on stage next (not that I watch that show, mind you, I'd rather stare at the wall) and told the audience that she is a Brooks & Dunn fan because one of their songs hit number 1 status the same day she was born. The duo looked absolutely thrilled that they're that old already. She then introduced Taylor Swift, who did a wonderful interpretation of my very favourite Brooks & Dunn song, "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You," filled with much of that head maneuvre she does so well. Following in her wake was the enormously successful Lady Antebellum, whose Hillary Scott shared that when she was a child, her mother had been a backup singer for the duo and that she had spent many nights backstage during a show. She and Charles Kelley then launched into the hit duet Brooks & Dunn released with Reba McEntire, "If You See Him/If You See Her."
There then appeared a screen onstage, upon which was projected a video of Maya Angelou, thanking Brooks & Dunn for their work trying to bring peace, particularly with their song, "Believe," which Jennifer Hudson then took the stage to sing. Not that I understood a single word she sang (except for perhaps the word 'believe'), but she has such a tremendous voice that it almost didn't matter. The message was conveyed nonetheless. Carrie Underwood was up next, with the song "Neon Moon." Chilling stuff, that song. She was followed by none other than Darius Rucker, who performed "Hard Workin' Man." Rascal Flatts was the next act, with "Getting Better All The Time." None of these performers had any memories to share. Either that, of I was washing dishes at the time and couldn't get to a pencil to write them down. I mean, I was really washing dishes, I remember that. But I don't remember if there were stories. I apologise.
Faith Hill, however, had a cracker of a memory which she shared that night, prior to performing "The Long Goodbye." It was the story demonstrating how Brooks & Dunn are the masters of practical jokes, as all tours are accompanied by practical jokes of all sorts. During the one and only time she had ever toured with the duo, they were in Canada the last week; one night, she was falling down with exhaustion and excited to go to bed, only to find "a slimy eel defrosting in the sheets." In order to get back at the duo, she had them held up at the Canadian-American border and subjected to a strip search. "They never asked me to tour with them again," she laughed. After she had finished, she presented them with a box of eel from a Chinese restaurant, which they devoured right there on stage. Her husband followed as the last solo performer of the event, with "Ain't Nowhere to Go."
Following Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire came back on stage and invited Brooks & Dun to join her, recounting all of their records and listing all of their accomplishments and awards. She then presented them with an ACM Milestone Award, for all they've contributed to country music. There was a super long standing ovation, a well-deserved congratulations, afterwards. She next invited them to pick up their instruments of choice and implored them to "Play Something Country," which they did, inviting all of the performers of the night to join them onstage and sing along. It was a joyous ending to a beautiful night and a long and successful career.
I hope you noticed that I broke up the paragraphs for you. Is that better?
And now, after this marathon blog post (I don't know how that happened), we finally reach the last portion, which is my own song. At the beginning, I mentioned that it's special and unique. And it is. In the wake of that spectacular event known as Eurovision, I decided to challenge myself (as I had done before, see "Zach is Looking Hot Tonight") to write a duet, because it's not something I had ever done before and I wanted to see if I could succeed. And what came out of the challenge was "I Did." See for yourself if I succeeded.
I Did
(male)
I remember thinking, "Look at that, man, that girl's smile couldn't get any finer,"
I remember thinking, "Maybe I should throw caution to the wind and wink at her,"
and I did
(female)
I remember thinking, "Was there just sunshine in his eyes, or did he really wink at me?"
I remember thinking, "Maybe I should go to him and introduce myself casually,"
and I did
CHORUS:
(both)
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you
but I did
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do
but I did
No one believed in love at first sight
but I did
(male)
I remember thinking, "It's been two years, I should ask her to marry me,"
so I did
I remember thinking, "I'm going to say 'yes' when he gets down on one knee,"
and I did
CHORUS:
(both)
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you
but I did
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do
but I did
No one believed in love at first sight
but I did
(female)
No one believed in love at first sight,
and
BRIDGE:
(female)
they said it was a flirty thing, a summer fling
and that we weren't meant to last
(male)
but we've proved them wrong, still going strong
soaking up the time flying by so fast
CHORUS:
(both)
Maybe I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you
but I did
Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do
but I did
No one believed in love at first sight
but I did
yeah, I did
(female, spoken)
I still do
(male, spoken)
I do, too
Well, please let me know if you think I succeeded. Thank you for all of your input! I appreciate any time you take to write some feedback back to me.
Much love, and thank you for the musik!
NBK
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