Year 4, Day 68

Hello. So today's song is Love Yourself/Fuck Yourself by Yo Preston featuring Kelly Kiara.

I've never really been a fan of Justin Bieber, even before he started being a dipshit and alienating his fans. So when he came out with a new album I was getting tired of hearing his songs everywhere, but this made it worth it. I never knew we needed a response from the other perspective until we had it. It's perfect. Now when I hear Justin's song I can only sing along with this version. I would have liked to have an entire parody of the song that was from her perspective rather than half of it still being the original, but I'll take what I can get.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 67

Hey. So today's song is Titanium/Pavane by the Piano Guys and Tyler Ward.

Anything on this YouTube channel is always perfection, and when the guys include other artists it gets even better. I know I've shown you their renditions of songs before, but what's another one in the grand scheme of things. I used to listen to this song when I was trying to focus on my schoolwork. Classical music (or songs made classical) have the same effect as video game soundtracks in keeping your concentration, although it's easier when there aren't vocals in it. This one was good for me though. I like that he doesn't do the high parts that you would expect for most of this song, it makes it a more unique experience when listening rather than the autopilot that happens on pieces you've heard a million times. I hope you like it.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 66

What's Up. Today's song is Drunk by Corey Gray.

Yes this is a cover. The original artist is Ed Sheeran in case you want to look up the original. This is the first in a group of vocally significant music so be prepared for that. I chose to feature this one because I really enjoy his voice, and everyone know Ed already so why not show off new up and comers first. He's got lots of other covers on his channel so if you like his voice check him out, and if you don't the think for the original song is there and you can listen to that.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 65

Hiya. So today's song is Bounce by Brasstronaut.

I'm going against the grain of this year a little bit with this one, as it's a new song and new artist never been featured before in any year. I know it starts kind of weird, but give it a chance alright? Patience is a virtue. It's a very chill song, a good way to calm you down if you're freaking out. The instrumental parts are great (I understand their band name now) and honestly anything that has a clarinet looming is bound to get my attention. It's a bit of conditioning that happened from me growing up with one in the house. Damn band kids... ugh. Anyone it's a great song so you should give it a listen.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 64

Hey guys. So today I give you Say Something by A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera.

Most people have heard this song, but it's too pretty not to showcase. I love the harmonies and the simplicity of it, although I always want to add another line at the end of the song. For me it feels unfinished, but that's just a style nowadays. So I have a fun story for you. Awhile ago Sammy and I were listening to this, and Sammy wanted to learn to sing it, so she was doing the main part. She can't sing high and I can so it works out. So I sang the girl part because I already knew it. What I didn't realize though is she was playing a version without the girl part in it so it was literally just me singing all alone. I hit all the notes perfectly thank god, but I think it kind of shocked her a bit? People typically get weirded out when I manage to continue a song or sing an excluded piece. I'm a choir nerd, I can't help it. This one is the version with Christina on it, so you can listen to both parts.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 63

Morning! Today's song is Don't Go by Rae Morris.

So this song has a special message, and since I'm sharing the song I will also act as a temporary boob ninja. The message is check your breasts! The song was made for the CoppaFeel! campaign and as you can see from the video and the charity page, it's very important that you check for lumps regularly (men and women) so that you catch anything early. Breast cancer doesn't run in my family thankfully, but I still check my boobs a lot because they're large enough that I wouldn't notice something offhand. It's a real fear of mine to deal with something as scary as cancer, so please guys while you watch the video and listen to the song CHECK YOUR BOOBS. Here is a video on the proper way to check and there's already a link to the campaign above so look at that to learn more about the foundation. Seriously though, check you boobs.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 62

Hi. So today's song is Possibilities by Freddie Stroma.

This one has been in my archives forever because I didn't know if I would ever show it to you guys. I figured since this year is a lot of random stuff, I might as well feature anything even remotely resembling music, and this more than fits that definition. It's also a song that was made specifically for a movie, but it's so pretty do it gets a pass. Plus Freddie's voice is gorgeous so I will always be game to listen to his stuff. Check it out.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 61

Hi. So today's song is Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney.

I'll take overused songs for $500 Alex. For a long time this song was the epitome of love expression in movies and TV shows. It's almost hard to listen to it without a plot point playing out overtop of it. Every girl had a crush on him, even a tiny one. I can't deny that I was in that boat too and it continues to haunt me that I got so sucked in by a perfect example of Bo Burnham's crack at male singers targeting teenage girls. If you don't know Bo Burnham he is my favorite comedian, and a musician (ish) to boot. I'll attach the link to that specific dig at singers here, but if you like it you should definitely check out more of his stuff.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 60

What's Up. So today's songs is Now I Can Be The Real Me by Adam DiMarco.

Alright, remember when I was talking about those horrible Disney channel movies that have great soundtracks? This song is from one of them. Actually it's the actor in the movie singing the song, so it probably isn't technically his (more written simply for the movie) but I still enjoy it immensely. It's a cute little acoustic, then grows into something more with a nice message. It was kinda used as the moral of the story/finale piece and in that respect it's a little anti-climactic, but standing alone I enjoy it. Maybe you will too.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 59

Hey guys. Today's song is My TVR by McFly.

I don't know if this song was ever officially released, the McFly music stopped pretty abruptly when McBusted became a thing. It's more or less just a video of them goofing around while writing. The point is though it shows how good they are. Added bonus you get to see how dorky they are also with all the false starts before getting the recording going smoothly. This is actually a pretty old recording from before some of the guys became family men. I can tell you now that there will be a lot more McFly stuff this year, but I'm trying to spread it out for you. So enjoy this one for now.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 58

Hello. So today's song is Rollercoaster by The Orion Experience.

I will forever show you guys their songs. They're all so good!! I'm glad that Anna showed me this group because I've listened to all their stuff and know pretty much all of it by heart now. It gets stuck in my head quite often even when I haven't listened in a while...although when I had obsessed with you in my head and was singing it at work that was... well it was awkward. Mostly for me, but I'm sure I creeped out some of the old conservative white men. This song is less bad if you sing it to random people, so sing it to the world because the more people who know them the better. And if you look them up on Facebook there's a good chance you can add Orion as a friend. I have him on there and it makes me feel extra appreciated as a fan. So make them famous!

Peace.

Year 4, Day 57

Heya. Today I give you This Love by Maroon 5.

Here's another song that I'm pretty sure everyone sings along to without noticing or even meaning to do it. Maroon 5 is always so catchy so I can understand how people might lose their restraint. I've always felt kind of bad for the other guys besides Adam Levine in this band, because no one pays any attention to them. It might as well be called Adam and a bunch of dudes. So since I feel bad about this, I want to shine a light on them: Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Ryan Dusic, and James Valentine. All of them were together as Kara's Flowers before Maroon 5, except Valentine who joined in 2001 when they switched it up. Also hats off to PJ Morton who joined the group in 2012 and their regular touring buddy Sam Farrar (who is in his own group, but likes touring apparently.) You guys create beautiful music and I would still listen to you without Adam singing vocals. Bask in your brilliance because this one's for you.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 56

Morning. So today's song is Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld.

This song is a bit of a conundrum. If you listen closely to her lyrics, it's a very masturbation heavy song? Like... it's sounds like that's what she's singing about which I think it's kinda strange, but whatever. And then if you watch the video, it's not so much about literally loving yourself, it's about the self esteem issue and being happy with the person you are. I don't know what she wants me to make of this: which kind of love are you talking about woman? I will say that the song is catchy and I like the mirrors and everyone dancing in front of them, it gave me the warm fuzzies to see them all so happy. And I think I'll just leave it at that...

Peace.

Year 4, Day 55

Hey. So today's song is Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon.

I'm sure most of you have heard this, it played nonstop on the radio for months. I'll never get tired of it though. It gives me that same happy feeling that the Clean Bandit song did although it makes me less calm happy and more happy happy...if that makes any sense at all. I don't know how to describe the range of emotions I get from music which I should maybe work on. One of the YouTube comments is calling this song the new Mr. Brightside as far as staying power goes. I can't really argue with the logic, but me being a baby emo at heart I'll always prefer Mr. Brightside to anything else. I'll let you decide where you stand on the comparison.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 54

Hi everyone. So today's song is Into Action by Skye Sweetnam.

Alright there is two versions of this song, so if you try to find it later make sure to pay attention to the artist. There is one for each singer to be the dominant contributor with the other being the featured artist. Personally I prefer her version over Tim Armstrong's version, but there's a lot of people who like his better so that why I tell you about the difference. If you want to listen to the other version you can find it here. See I didn't know about it before I downloaded the song and was quite surprised when I tried to sing along and got a completely different verse I had never heard. I'm always prepared with song lyrics and belt when I sing along so I was very very confused. Understandable since they both start the same way. It's the same way when I think I'm singing Ice Ice Baby and it turns out to be Pressure. Moral of the story: always check your music to make sure it's actually the thing you're looking for.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 53

Hey. So today's song is Rather Be by Clean Bandit.

Technically I already shared this song as done by Pentatonix, but at the time I had thought it was one of their original pieces. So due to my non-knowledge, it's time to give the actual artist their due, especially because I really enjoy the song. This is like the perfect track to listen to after waking up while you're getting ready for the day. Something about it makes me have that awake and optimistic feeling which is usually missing when I'm half asleep and pissed off knowing I have to get up. I think the only time in my life that I haven't been angry about waking is when I was going to SAIT, and that was only because I had a half hour train ride listening to my ipod while being the only person on there...and then usually like two or three hours sitting in the school building alone listening to my music. I guess really you should just listen to music and make time to be alone without interaction to keep yourself chill while preparing for the day. Probably. I don't know, test out the theory and see if it makes you less crabby in the morning then tell me how it went.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 52

Hey guys. So today's song is These Boots Are Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra.

This kind of isn't the same kind of oldie as the others, but we're easing back in to the modern music with it. I didn't know that this was Frank Sinatra's daughter, I just assumed that it was a common name. She made her music debut on a television special he father was doing. He had sent her to retrieve Elvis Presley who was coming home from war, and then she sang a duet with her father. That's quite the way to start a career. She was signed in 1961, but by 1965 she still was pretty irrelevant to the industry. So she got a complete overhaul and basically restarted her career with the release of this song. The song was inspired by a line from a movie her father was in, and went on to sell over a million copies. In 1966 and 1967, she went to Vietnam to perform for the troops, who adopted this song as their unofficial anthem. It seems like a bit of an odd choice to me, but whatever floats your boat right. Nancy obviously has a lot more career than what I'm explaining now, but that's because I'm sticking central to the song. So just be happy and watch the iconically 60's music video.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 51

Hi. Today's song is Dream Lover by Bobby Darin.

So Bobby Darin was raised by his grandmother and passed off as his mother's brother for most of his life. He never learned who his father was. His music career started in 1956 when he was signed to be a writer, but after a love affair with Connie Francis he moved on to a different label. His career actually took off in 1958 after his mom had an idea for a song title, so he wrote Splish Splash. That song was re-released a couple of time, and then the next year this song came out. Because it was a multi-million dollar hit his finances allowed for a little more free reign over his career. It was his next single the was the kicker, which hit number one on the charts and won Record of The Year in 1960. His next release was Beyond The Sea which I think everyone still knows by heart. Fun Fact: Darin owned a production company, signing Wayne Newton and giving him the song Danke Schoen (which I love thanks to Ferris Bueller.) In 1962, Darin began transitioned to country, and got involved with Disney for some soundtracks. I'm not going to talk about his acting career because this is already so much information, but now you know that he was also an actor while doing all since, which is pretty cool. Random side note: Ronald Reagan was also an actor before he was president which I never knew until one of his movies was on tv a few days ago. The more you know.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 50

What's up. Today I give you Save The Last Dance For Me by The Drifters.

So The Drifters are a kind of odd group. They were originally formed to back Clyde McPhatter. The band name was owned by George Treadwell so it was never one set group of guys. In fact there were over 60 singers who were a part of the group. This version of the Drifters that I attached is from when Ben E. King was involved. So in 1958, the old Drifters were gone and there were still contractual obligations so a new version was formed from the members of the Five Crown. All except one who apparently didn't make the cut because of a drinking problem. Considering that the tour was for people who wanted the old group, the new version didn't go over so well. Once they started releasing new songs, it became the "golden era" for the group, and they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000. The group only lasted about two years before their manager got into a spat with Treadwell. Eventually Ben E. King went solo and had a great career on his own and the Drifters was remade again. That's all the history I'll give you since it's accurate to the song I'm showing, but you can look up more if you're curious.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 49

Hello. So today's song is A Teenager In Love by Dion & the Belmonts.

This is another group that pays homage to where the guys lived...or at least two of them. Dion was part of a different group before, but after some unsuccessful singles he was paired with the Belmonts. They really got their career off the ground once they joined a new record label in 1957. They started performing on National Bandstand and people loved it. I miss music like this. Their success meant that they could go on some pretty major tours including the Winter Dance Party tour. It was in 1959 with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper and the tour plane crashed, killing everyone on board. I mentioned it last year in reference to Valens' history. Dion however was not on the plane because he had decided the cost of the ticket was too much. This song was released two months later and became known as one of the greatest songs in rock & roll history. In the 60's Dion checked into a hospital for a heroin addiction, and the group started to have infighting about where to go with the music. Personally I agree with the Belmonts about wanted to do harmonies, but when they went their separate ways we got some pretty good songs from Dion. Things like Run Around Sue and the Wanderer, which I believe I'll be showcasing later this year, so I'll cover his solo career then. The group has reunited a couple of times since the split. They were inducted into the vocal group hall of fame in 2000, but everyone (including me) was miffed that the group was excluded from the rock and roll hall of fame when Dion was inducted by himself. Personally I think it's a little unfair considering the hall of fame did a mass induction of pioneering groups that were left out when their lead singers were inducted. Apparently these guys didn't make the cut though.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 48

Hey. So today's song is Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis.

I really wanted to know what happened that made this guy be considered the first great wild man of rick and roll. Hies mother enrolled him in a religious school in hopes that he would only play evangelical music, but apparently that was not his destiny. He played a song in the talent show that caused the dean to expel him the very next day. Afterwards he ending up playing piano in clubs which eventually got him into his music career. He was first signed to play on other artist's records until a jam session he had with Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash in 1956 was recorded. In 1957 his own singles (including this one) brought him international fame, but also got him banned from some stations for the sexualness of his music. Clearly he was also pushing the boundaries. He was passionate when he played piano for audiences when he would pound the keys with his heel, kick the piano bench (which was originally an accident), sit on the keyboard and even stand on top of the instrument. He got a lot of hate for marrying his 13 year old cousin (rightfully so) when he was 22 which made a tour get cancelled. His career basically went downhill from there and I don't think it ever really recovered...until he went to country. He became the most bankable country star in the world by the 70's. I feel like this man's whole life was crazy so I'm gonna end it there, but I'm sure there's a lot more to learn if you're curious.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 47

Hi. So today's song is Mr. Lee by The Bobettes.

Jannie Pought, Emma Pought, Reather Dixon, Laura Webb, and Helen Gathers all met in Glee Club in 1955. Originally they were called the Harlem Queens, a little nod to where they lived. This song was released in 1957, and was actually written about their teacher. The original was very different than this version here, as they actually disliked their teacher. The song was not very flattering so the record label wanted them to change it, making it a confession of love. This song became a hit and is what made them the first girl group to release a #1 R&B hit that also made the pop top 10. They did some novelty songs before trying to release their original version (titled I Shot Mr. Lee) which led to a major argument and eventual split with their record label. They signed with a new label and released the song which is similar in some ways but a lot angrier. They released a lot more hits until the group disbanded in 1974. I had never known about the origins of this song so I thought you guys would find it as interesting as I did.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 46

Hey everyone. So today's song is Wake Up Little Suzie by the Everly Brothers.

We're going way back and having an oldies week!! Mostly because I love this kind of music and I've had it saved since the oldies week last year. It was much to short for everything I wanted to feature so we'll have two oldies weeks this year. It might be surprising to know that when the brother became a duo they had a bit of a rocky start. Their first song flopped and they got dropped from their label in 1956. In early 1957 they got signed to Cadence records and decided to accept a song that 30 other artists had turned down. Clearly those other artists were idiots because their song went to the top five on the pop, country and R&B charts. From there, their careers took off and they released some very popular songs (this one included). They did some great thongs in their hayday like touring with Buddy Holly. They also signed with Warner Brothers Studios, but had a falling out with their songwriting company so they didn't have access or rights to songs they had written themselves. Thus the pseudonym writing began. They tried using the pseudonym Jimmy Howard, but they were found out. At the same time, they set up a record label of their own and used a different pseudonym (Adrian Kimberly) to record Pomp and Circumstance. Do you guys get the importance of this. Pomp and Circumstance is the graduation song. The song everyone still hears, thinks of, and knows by heart today. These guys were partly responsible for my brain being bombarded by this all through high school. The record label failed quickly and then the boys enlisted. They tried to restart their career after they served, but with little success. At least they left behind a legacy so, one that will hopefully never be forgotten.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 45

Hiya. Today I give you Beam Me Up by Go Back To The Zoo.

This song comes from a new movie I found that I really enjoy. I get bored easily and being so anti-social as I am usually I tide myself over with random pieces of entertainment. It means I watch a lot of weird things, know the plot lines of about 30 TV shows at a time and end up in the weird part of YouTube a lot. For once though, my random watching led me not to some weird movie, but one that I actually found very funny called One Small Hitch. I archived it so that I could give it as an option if my family wants to do another movie night. You should look it up if you're curious, but for now enjoy some of the music.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 44

Hello. So today's song is Chapel Song by We Are Augustines.

 

I'll be honest with you guys the first time I saw this video and heard this song I was mesmerized. I usually multi-task while doing anything (like right now I'm also watching Charmed) but that first time the video was the only thing open and I couldn't look away. It's such a simple concept, but the execution is beautiful. I love the way it was shot. The formation of this band came from a sad event, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes of Pela. That was their former band. After a bunch of infighting and a personal tragedy, the band split up, but these guys knew they still wanted to make music and finish the record they had been working on. If you're wondering why the name: it was because of the culmination of events. Both guys were born in August, the old band dissolved in August and the personal event was the death of McCarthy's brother James who was also born in August. I hate that this was sparked by something that caused them pain, but I can't deny the final product that we get to see and hear.


Peace.

Year 4, Day 43

Hi. Today's song is Pull Me In by the Paper Lions.

There is a special place in my heart for these guys, which will probably always be there. I adore them. The are the embodiment of the warm fuzzies feeling everyone always talks about and this video amplifies that feeling for me. It might be a stereotypical thing as a Canadian, but the video is something so beautiful and wholesome to me. This comes from someone who can't skate at all, and yet I have actually been on the rink like that with my friends and it's fun. I've always gotten a nice feeling from just hanging out rink side, so maybe this song wont give you the same happy feeling that I get, but it's still an amazing song.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 42

Hey guys. So today's song is Young Fathers by Typhoon.

Alright enough with the old songs for a bit. Let's move into some of the songs I've found more recently that I really like. One of the things about these band that's cool is their music videos are always so strange and put together. You can tell they really care for their craft and the idea they want to convey through the music. It's a song that makes me very happy and almost calm. My hearts sores when you get about three and a half minutes in (you'll know the part). If you have them handy I would recommend headphones, they'll probably make the experience even better.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 41

Hiya. So today's song is Magic by Two Hours Traffic.

Here's a really happy and fun song for you guys. It's another Canadian band, one I've featured before but they still aren't very mainstream. I mean currently there are only 15,000 views on this video and a lot of those are mine. They are just a nerdy wholesome group of dudes from P.E.I and I think everyone should love them. So if you like their music share it with your friends. You never know if you could be introducing someone to their new favorite band.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 40

Hello. Today I give you 2 Heads by Coleman Hell.

So this is a super popular song right now. My ipod jack in my car has died and I'm too broke to replace it the way I want, so I've been forced to listen to the radio for months. This is one of the songs I don't mind being popular. It's kind of like when Imagine Dragons suddenly because everyone's favorite band. I mean I like pop and the stuff they normally have in the top 40, but it makes me really happy when different things make it there. Like this one. I don't know what genre I would classify it as, but it isn't really in the same grouping as stuff like Justin Beiber and One Direction. Also random little thing: he's Canadian! So glad to find another successful Canadian artist, even if he's from Thunder Bay.

Peace.

Year 4, Day 39

Hi. Today's song is Brand New Day by Kari Kimmel.

Surprisingly, this is not a song from my childhood. Hooray! It's actually from a movie on the Disney Channel. The new Disney Channel movies are really bad and dorky, but the one I got this from had really good music, so those tracks are spread throughout this year's list. A fun fact about the artist that I read was "Kimmel’s songs and/or voice have been used in more than 150 movies and TV shows." That's insane. I didn't think I had heard of her before this movie, but looking at the list of stuff she's been featured in...I just don't pay attention obviously. She's been in the business for awhile so there's lots of other stuff by her to check out if you like this one.

Peace.