Year 5, Day 202

Morning. Today's song is Raise Your Glass by Pink.

I spent the other day with my grandma doing puzzles. Yeah, I know we're whitebread weirdos, but we own it. Anyway this was a kind of difficult puzzle because of the color gradients so we were having a rough time. Then my five year old cousin came over with her parents and just started putting pieces in like she was born for it. It was shocking. As was the fact that she actually sat still for like two hours while we did the puzzle. She can't even sit through a ten minute video, but she was all in on this. So moral of the story guys: give kids puzzles (even ones that seem too advanced.) That is all.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 201

Hey. So today's song is My Year from Z-O-M-B-I-E-S.

This one is much the same as yesterday. It's from something I should hate, but the music is too catchy I can't help but love it. So despite the childish movie and ridiculous premise, I sing this one frequently. If you ignore the zombie dialogue it's actually a pretty uplifting song, so mad props to the music writers they have over at the Disney Channel. I approve.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 200

Hello everybody. So today's song is That's How We Do from Teen Beach 2.

I don't care that I am supposed to ignore the Disney channel stuff now that I'm too old for it, but writing it off just because I should be cooler than that is stupid. These movies may be cookie cutter children stuff, but the music is really good. This one in particular gives me mad Grease vibes. (The last song in Grease when everyone's at the fair.) Just the dance moves and the made up words give it the same feel... which I assume they were going for. If not it's a happy accident that I'll never stop enjoying. You should too.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 199

Hey. So today's song is Shout by The Isley Brothers.

I know I should do an overview of these guys, but I'm in kind of a slump right now so I'm going to avoid it for now and possibly come back to it at a later date. If you've ever been to a wedding in the western hemisphere, you have heard this song. It's a staple and can only be thought of as iconic because literally everyone knows it. When I'm in the right mood this song is my jam so I'm hoping it will be for you too.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 198

Hello. Today's song is It's Not Unusual by Tom Jones.

Tom Jones is the stage name for Welsh artist Sir Thomas John Woodward. He sang in choirs as a kid, and then spent two years doing nothing but listening to music when he was bedridden with tuberculosis. He married his girlfriend and had a kid at sixteen, so he took a job at a glove factory to support them. In 1963 he joined a Welsh beat group. The group didn't have much success, and eventually Gordon Mills saw him, became his manager, and renamed him Tom Jones to capitalize on the popularity of a film with the same name. In 1964, Jones released his first single which didn't chart, but his second one became an international hit after being played on pirate radio. Two guesses which song I'm talking about. He rode the fame of this song until 1966 when his popularity dipped and he was rebranded as a crooner switching to more mainstream sounds. In 1967 he started focusing on live performances rather than recording music. By the end of the 60's he got into television, eventually trying to break into movies as well which didn't really go over well. In the 80's he tried country. By the 90's he started getting featured in shows and got a star on the Walk of Fame. As of now he's been a judge on a version of The Voice, which I saw him on but never realized it was him. So check him out on that if you're curious.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 197

Hi guys. So today's song is Sway by Michael Buble.

I've definitely talked about his career before, so we're not going to repeat that. The last couple days I've gotten into my dancing kick again where I imagine how great of a dancer I could be. It's not true in the slightest, I trip on air so trying to get me to be graceful in any sense is laughable, but a girl can dream. This song makes me think about dancing. It feels like a dance song and has probably been used as such a thousand times, but I don't care. Hopefully neither do you.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 196

Evening. So today's song is Bella Notte from Lady and the Tramp.

I feel like we are in need of some Disney magic right now so I pulled this one from the archives to showcase. It's always made me happy, so why not. It also could have cemented the romantic at heart thing in me which has been kind of shitty for cynical forever alone me, but it still makes me smile and want for the cute moments Disney displays. I'm curious if there's any Disney movies that you've modeled your expectations after. Let me know!

Peace.

Year 5, Day 195

Hey guys. Today's song is Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

The only Willa Wonka movie we acknowledge is the one with Gene Wilder. No other one is worthy of mentioning. I've made today's song Pure Imagination out of respect for Gene because I'm going to be singing his praises today, but I will admit my favorite song is actually Candy Man, so you get it as a bonus. We used to watch this one in my film studies class and analyzing it gave me a new appreciation for it. The one scene that I've never gotten over is Willy Wonka's entrance and I was astounded to learn that it only happened because of Wilder. He made that scene a condition of his signing on the the project. You can see what I'm talking about here. He wanted it so that way no one would ever know if Wonka was lying or telling the truth. Gene Wilder truly was a genius. If you've never seen the original movie watch it please. Sometime the originals are better than remakes and you'll never know unless you give it a chance.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 194

Hi. So today's song is Over The Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

I'm going to go ahead and assume that you all know this song, though most of you probably don't know Israel...which is going to be fixed right now. He's Hawaiian, and has always been into music because his was exposed to it a lot as a kid. His uncle was a musician, and he got to see some influential artists where his parents worked. He started playing when he was eleven with his older brother and cousin, and they continued that way until his brother joined the army and his cousin moved to the mainland. He released 15 albums and was a huge supporter of the Hawaiian independence movement. Yes, Hawaii was originally it's own country, look it up if you're curious. He was clearly meant to do music and I will fight anyone who thinks otherwise. He died in 1997, but the beauty he put into this world will last much longer than that.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 193

Hey guys. So today I give you One Love by Bob Marley and the Wailers.

I've been thinking about it and I think I know now why the version of yesterday's song that I mentioned gets to me so much. If you've read this blog for awhile you might know that I was in choir. So the moment when the two groups merge the way they each do the song is a moment I've had before. There had been a workshop where our school found out one of the songs we were doing was the same as another school, so when the accompanying concert began, our conductors decided we could do it together. It was the best performance of that song we'd ever done because we were all smiling and having a great time. I know I should be doing an overview, but I'm a little behind today so just getting something out is an accomplishment to me. Enjoy!

Peace.

Year 5, Day 192

Morning, today's song is Imagine by John Lennon.

Yep John Lennon, he is a legend. He formed the Quarrymen in 1957. The name probably means nothing to you, but that band changed their name in 1960 to The Beatles. Which let's be honest everyone knows, I don't need to do their career as a band. Lennon had been making his own music before The Beatles were over, but he had kept the break up quiet rather than using it to market his stuff. Apparently he got very upset when McCartney did what he hadn't and released the news on his solo album. I'll be honest guys, I prefer Paul McCartney. Personal opinion. Anyway, Lennon's first album didn't really float with the audience, so his second album he went for a more commercial sound. Imagine is easily his most popular solo song and was inspired by a Christian verse. I'm clearly glossing over a huge personal thing that ruled a lot of Lennon's life and music career, but I don't want to know anything about Yoko Ono because there have been so many jokes about it I'm just done without even reading anything. You'll have to look that up yourself. I'm focusing on the important thing here: the song. This song used in any context is honestly always heart wrenching but I'll admit it's the version that they did on Glee that always makes me feel like I need to cry. You can watch that version here if you want, but it's not really about the way the song sounds itself, but the context Glee tacked on to it that makes my emotions spike. I'm curious which moment with this song get to you guys. The original on its own? Used in something? A cover version? Let me know.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 191

Hello everyone. Today's song is Fix You by Coldplay.

I feel like Coldplay is another band everyone knows, but let's intro them anyway. The band started in 1996 at UCL and was called Pectoralz. Within a year they were playing local gigs and had changed names to Starfish. Along with the final line-up they settled on their final name, which was suggested by a classmate who had used it for his own group. They released an EP in 1998, and have gotten signed by 1999. After some disputes within the group, they made a pact to operate as a democracy and that no one is allowed to stay in the band and do hard drugs. I guess a couple other famous bands have had the same rules and considering the stuff I've read about everyone I'm featuring this year I think it's a smart move. Their whole career they've followed the standard album release, album tour, album release, tour, etc. Not a lot to say honestly because they're a pretty unproblematic band. And that's a good thing. It's refreshing to have a band that isn't shrouded in bullshit that you can enjoy without drama tainting it. So I hope you enjoy today, because I will.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 190

Hey. So today's song is How To Save A Life by The Fray.

These guys are a rock band from Colorado that formed in 2002. A lot of the guys had actually started out in worship bands, which are Christian groups that play at worship. It sounds straight forward, but some people (me) aren't familiar with all the religious this since that was never a part of my life. They released an EP in 2002 that got a lot of local fame, but they still struggled with getting into the actual music industry. They kept trying though, getting their songs played on radio stations until finally getting signed in 2004. If you've ever heard of the Fray you undoubtedly know them because of this song. It was never released as a single, but because it was featured on a few TV shows its popularity skyrocketed. The album itself received mixed reviews. Since then they've done two more albums, but nothing has reached the fame of this song. Still they're a great band and if you're in the mood for this kind of music, I'd recommend checking out their other stuff too.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 189

Hi guys. So today's song is Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne.

If I remember correctly I've already done an overview of Avril's career at some point so I'm going to avoid doing it again. I'm going to be very busy the next little while trying to get my myriad of projects completed (there's too many half started now, it's officially giving me anxiety) so I'm leaving this one short so I can go devote the whole day to that. Maybe by the end I'll feel like I can breathe again. Wish me luck!

Peace.

Year 5, Day 188

Hello. Today I give you Candles by Hey Monday.

Yes, more Hey Monday. I will always love this band (and low key always be bitter that they're done now). I've shown you their more rockish song, but this one is more emotional than anything so it fits my mood today. Hope you enjoy it!

Peace.

Year 5, Day 187

Hey. So today's song is What About Us covered by Davina Michelle.

So Davina is 22 and from the Netherlands. Today's song is a cover, but I do have a song of her own saved for a later date. This song came to my attention thanks to the great video series from Cosmopolitan. They have singers react to people covering their songs, which is an amazing concept because there are so many talented people out there floating around social media, and it's nice to see them get recognition. Here's the video that features this song is you're curious and I would recommend checking out the other ones too.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 186

Hi. So today's song is Start Me Up/Livin' On A Prayer from Glee.

So this song and yesterday's song feel like they need to go together. I honestly don't care if these mashups weren't in the same episode, or even in the same season, of Glee but they have the same vibe. There was a lot good and a lot bad about Glee in its time on the air, but one thing they always did really well was the mashups. I'll probably be showing you a few more before I'm done with the show, and I hope you enjoy it like I do. Mashups are really not that easy so anytime someone matches two or more songs well I love it. These ones I always come back to.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 185

Afternoon. So today's song is It's My Life/Confessions Part 2 from Glee.

I've talked about Glee and the original artist before so instead I'm giving you an anecdote about my life currently. I am so sore. So anyone who knows me in person knows that I bruise easily. Well... that's putting it mildly. As Anna put it, I bruise like a mushy peach. Which does not match well with the fact that I'm so accident prone. Because I've been working I've been doing what I do: bumping into things, burning myself, jamming literally all my fingers... doing this without being able to swear and having to smile in case customers were there, then move on. So I got home from work this morning and went to shower the indescribable work smell off and found out that I was bruised to shit. I legitimately look like I was manhandled with lines of bruises on my arms. Not to mention the clusters I have all over my legs. There may be warm weather now, but looks like I'm rocking the sweaters until these go away. I know the bruising easily thing is a problem in my family, but is it in yours? If yes give me some stories.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 184

What's Up. So today's song is Another One Bites The Dust by Queen.

I have a lot of Queen saved for this blog. So very much, but I could either do it all in one week or space it out and because I don't have any plan of ending this blog soon, I figured spacing it out would be better, so here is one Queen song for today. So Queen is a British rock band that can only be thought of as legends. Most people already know the band, and know about Freddie Mercury. The members include Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Freddie Mercury. Mercury is the one who coined the name of the band, and also made the crest logo which included the zodiacs of each band member.They had released two albums within the first four years, then their tour got cancelled when one member fell ill so they started their third album instead. They toured and made more albums throughout the 70's, then this song was released in 1980. They worked like crazy and released tons of albums, continuing even when Mercury's health started to decline. He denied the illness throughout the whole ordeal, focusing on recording as much as possible. In 1991 though, he released a statement confirming he was dying from AIDS. Within 24 hours he was gone. The tribute concert was held the next year and raised over £20,000,000 for AIDS charities. They released another album with Mercury posthumously, and after that continued performing and releasing music as Queen + whatever singer they were performing with at the time. Which is honestly a lovely tribute to their friend. So there you have it guys, an overview for this song. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 183

Hiya, so today's song is Highway To Hell by AC/DC.

There's way too many people who have been in this band for me to get into specific people, so I'm going to talk generally about the band. I have always wondered why they're called AC/DC. It's apparently an abbreviation for alternating currents/direct currents which was written on a sewing machine. The current part also explains why there is a high voltage symbol in between letters in the design. The band formed in 1973 in Australia and had already gained a good following by the next year. The band line-up broke down at this point, but eventually stabilized with a new singer and a new image. By 1977 thanks to a regular spot on TV, they were considered one of the most successful acts in Australia. After that they broke into the international market, moving on to the UK around the same time that punk rock did (which was apparently something they hated). This song came out in 1979 around the time they were in London. In 1980 the singer died and the band was going to quite, but his parents urged them to keep going, so they found a new frontman and finished their album. Their success waned by the late 80's, but jumped back up by the 90's. The band is still going strong now, although most original members have moved on in some way by now. There's even talk going on of a new album so I guess we'll see what happens.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 182

Hello. So today's song is Shout It Out Loud by Kiss.

Kiss's first iteration was actually Wicked Lester, but when they wanted to go in a different musical direction, Kiss happened. The name comes from the connection of one of the guys being in a previous band called lips and then stylized the KISS with lightning bolts as the S which is a nod to the design for Wicked Lester. But if you live in some parts of Europe, that's not the logo you'll see because it's a little too close to Nazi designs for comfort. They started their first tour in 1974 in Edmonton (which I find just really fucking weird because nothing ever starts in this province, what??) and released their debut album the same year. The album failed so they cut the tour short to make a new one. That album still didn't really do well, but they were gaining a reputation for their live performances. Anyone who knows about Kiss knows this means the breathing fire, splitting blood, sparks and pyro tricks etc. This is what made the group honestly, and then money started rolling in mostly from merchandise. By the end of the 70's all of the members tried their hand at solo stuff. This happened around the time there was dissension in the band which kept up until a member was fired. They lost the makeup in the early 80's and continued with their music despite a few more line-up changes. My first impression of Kiss was honestly just Gene Simmons on MTV when I learned that he basically owned all the rights to Kiss merchandise making bank when the others didn't. Some know him for his tongue, I know him as being kind of a dick, which I feel is accurate. Good music though so I hope you enjoy it.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 181

Morning. Today's song is School's Out by Alice Cooper.

This is another legend with a truly impressive career that I someone have to summarize. He's been active since the 60's and is considered the grandfather of shock rock which is basically a rock and metal hybrid. Alice Cooper is the stage name for Vincent Damon Furnier. He and friends of his created a mock band for a competition before they knew how to play instruments, but it was so well received that they decided to become an actual band called The Spiders. After they graduated from high school, the band changed their name to Nazz and moved to LA. When they realized the name was shared with another band, that was when the name Alice Cooper came around coined from a character in Mayberry RFD. A lot of the hype and fantastical reputation that Cooper has developed over the years have started as an accident, but something that they just rolled with. Which I appreciate. It's very much the "you can't control what happens around you, but you can control how you react to it" mentality. The 70's saw them leaving LA and in Coppers words "drove a stake through the heart of the love generation." In 1975 the band was no more and Alice Cooper became a solo act. By the end of the decade, he had himself hospitalized for his alcoholism. The 80's he considers his blackout period because he can't remember it from being on too much stuff. He took a break to deal with personal stuff in the 80's as well, then did a bunch of appearances in the 90's. The 2000's saw a lot of extensive touring which has continued up to now. There was so much I honestly didn't know how to break it down, so if you want more you'll have to look it up yourself. Good luck!

Peace.

Year 5, Day 180

Hey guys. Today's song is Do You Wanna Touch Me by Joan Jett.

Most people should already at least a little bit know who Joan Jett is, but if not, she's an American rock icon. She was part of the Runaways from 1975 to 1979, releasing five albums and becoming essentially legends in a very short amount of time. There's a movie about this that you can watch if you're curious. After the Runaways, she tried for a solo career. Her debut album got rejected by 23 labels before she finally released it independently on their own label that they started specifically to release it. Joan Jett didn't do this alone, but with Kenny Laguna, who put up his daughter's college fund to start the label. Laguna told her to look after herself, but Jett was determined to have a band, so she started Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. They starte out with lots of touring building up a fan base, then signed with a bigger label to keep up with the demand for her album. There have been 13 album releases since then and a lot of the songs have become rock classics, so if you're going to talk about female rockers, Joan Jett belongs in the mix. Enjoy.

Peace. 

Year 5, Day 179

Hi. Today I give you Breakdown by Tonight Alive featuring Benji Madden.

These guys are an Australian rock band active since 2008. Currently the members of the band are Jenna McDougall, Jake Hardy, Cameron Adler, and Matt Best. Jenna had actually been working on her own acoustic music when she was approached to do vocals on a song for the group, and she joined up permanently shortly after. They released a debut album in 2010 which they funded themselves, and one of their songs got picked up to be featured in a tv show. They released a short EP the same year before heading out on tour. Around the same time, their music ended up with a producer who liked it and contacted them about making a full length album. They made that album in 2011 and then did more touring. A lot of their stuff has been featured in various pop culture entertainment including the latest Spiderman film. I chose this song to feature because I have a soft spot for Good Charlotte (90's baby) and that's where Benji Madden is from. I honestly love seeing these bands I grew up with coming in and working with new ones, essentially passing the torch to the next generation. It makes me happy for the music industry.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 178

Hey. So today's song is Feels Like Forever by Lacey Sturm.

Lacey Sturm is another person that has been featured on this blog before, but under a different name. If you've been around long enough, then you might remember me showing you the band Flyleaf. Lacey was the lead singer in that before she went solo. She was part of that band from 2002 until 2012 (the first two years it had a different name but was still the same band). She took a bit of a break from music right after to have a kid and write a book about her struggles and journey to religion, then started her solo career in 2014. Her debut album came out in 2016, followed by touring in 2017 with Letters From The Fire. She's going to do more touring this year so if you like her stuff keep an eye out for her.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 177

Evening guys. Today's song is She Wolf by Visionatica.

This band has been around since 2016 when their debut album was released. I think they're from Germany, but don't quote me on that because I can't verify it. They're technically a metal band, but they fuse metal elements with classical elements which makes it a sound all its own. There are four members in the group: Amara, Manu, Georg and Gerhard. No last names I can find though, but that's not necessary. They got second place in a Battle of the Bands the same year their album came out. This song is a little bit of a calling card for the group, as they mention a lot of wolf symbolism on their website. Anyway, let me know what you think.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 176

What's Up. Today's song is Bury Me Alive by We Are The Fallen.

This is an American hard rock band active since 2009. Listening to this has always given me Evanescence vibes, which makes sense as some members of this band are former members from that. This band is made up of Rocky Gray, John LeCompt, Ben Moody, Marty O'Brien, and Carly Smithson. Ben Moody had co-founded Evanescence, but after creative differences with Amy Lee, he left and formed this band. The name is a nod to the Evanescence album. Moody says this band is different because everyone is equal, but the sound is the same because that's the sound they created originally. They released an album in 2010. While they're still technically active, there has been radio silence from the group since 2012 so I don't know what to make of their future. For now just enjoy what's there.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 175

Hi guys. So today's song is Unbreakable by Firelight.

Not to be confused with another group of the same name from Malta. The band has been together since 2000, and is currently made of four members including Dawn Michele, Wendy Drennen, Glenn Drennen and Adam McMillion. They were with a label for eight years but have since branched out on their own since their music was going in a different direction than the label's brand. They use their personal life and the things they deal with in writing, so all their songs are very personal to them. This song is from when they were still with the label, so if you like it you should check out their more recent stuff and compare how the sound has evolved.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 174

Hello everyone. Today's song is Life Finds A Way by Helion Prime.

 
Any fans of Riddick out there will be looking at the name of this band with a little smile, it's a nod to one of the planets in the universe. Helion Prime was formed in 2014 and are considered a metal group. There are currently five members of the group, all male so this is an older song from when there was a female vocalist in the group, but if you like the sound, check out their new stuff.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 173

Hiya. So today I give you Like A Killer by Sumo Cyco.

This is a Canadian band from Ontario, and they are considered a punk metal group. The group started in 2011 and is made up of Matt Drake, Ken Corke, and Sever (formerly known as Skye Sweetnam). If you've been around long enough, you know I've shown you Skye before. What's interesting is I saved this band, I saw the video where she is, and even thought she kind of sound like Skye, but it never even crossed my mind that it was. They started out with a decent following, since every member had some kind of music career before being in this group, and has released seven singles and two albums to date. Anyway let me know what you think.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 172

Morning. Today's song is Bite Your Kiss by Diamante.

Diamante is an American female rock singer, and for the life of me I can't find her real name which I think is by design. Oh well, we can stick with what we know. She started out with poetry, and then fell in love with musical theater. After her family moved to LA, she attended a School of Rock rummer program, and found the style she wanted. She spent a few years doing local gigs honing her sound until she caught the attention of a record label and signed with them. She goes by Diamante because it means diamond in Spanish, which is one of three languages she speaks. Let me know what you guys think.

Peace.