Year 5, Day 294

What's Up. Today's song is Please Don't Go by Stephanie Rainey.

This Stephanie is from Ireland, and has been active since at least 2011. She's not very big, I only heard her because I went looking for this criteria, but this song is a pretty hard hitting one that did go viral a couple years ago. I could write about this, but I think her words are better so I'm attaching an excerpt that is on the video. "A few years ago, I lost my nephew very suddenly and it was something that changed my life forever. I can still remember how it felt and I know there are so many other people who have gone through the same thing in one form or another. I feel like this song has resonated the most with me since writing it. I remember the exact place it came from and it never loses its meaning no matter how many times I play it. Since then, I’ve wanted to create a music video that reflects this and which could potentially help people who are struggling with loss while also giving people a chance to tell their story." I love it, I fully support the message and I definitely can understand where she's coming from on this topis, so I hope you watch the video.

So this one is supposed to be a song by an artist who shares your name. While looking for mine I found that there's a lot of famous Stephanies, but not many singers. Will picked This Is Love by Will.I.Am featuring Eva Simons. Then Sammy wins this category with People Living by Sam Fisher. My mom chose Hardheaded Woman by Wanda Jackson and my grandma decided on Josie and the Pussycats by Josie and the Pussycats. She shortens her name a different way, but the long version is the same so it counts.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 293

Hi. So today's song is No Day But Today from Rent.

Okay so the link above is the culmination of what's officially known as this song, but as far as the criteria for the song I need goes and for what impacted me in the film adaption, it's the pieces of this song that are featured in a scene with an AIDS support group. Those clips are here and here. Anyone who hasn't seen this or didn't hear me talk about it before, it's a movie adaption of a play written about people living with AIDS and it was very controversial for its time (probably still is) but it has had such a huge impact since being created. It's still horrible to me that Jonathon Larson died before seeing it brought to life which is why I will continue to recommend it. The issues it covers is something I'll probably never have to deal with in my life, but watching this got rid of a stigma for me before it even began, and I will always be grateful to musicals for helping me to realize things about other walks of life and making me not be such a shit person.

This one is a song that makes us sad. My mom chose In Case You Didn’t Know by Brett Young, and my grandma picked Leader Of The Pack by The Shangri-Las. Will decided on Please Remember Me by Tim McGraw, and Sammy went with a tear jerker in What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 292

Hey everyone. So today's song is Good Die Young by Molly Kate Kestner.

No overview for you because I did one for her basically right before I started this music list, so if you want it go back about 50 days. Instead I can tell you about my day because compared to normal it's been intense. So my car got attacked kind of. Someone decided to siphon half the gas out of my tank which is new and awful, causing my grandpa to put a lock mechanism on my tank (which I can't lock back up myself so yay security!) I spent half the night staring out the front window watching my car because I'm paranoid and didn't get much sleep. Only to then be woken up at 7:30 (which really isn't early but that was about three hours of sleep) by the fire alarm. My sister's fiance sucks at making toast. My sister offered to bring me lunch at two when she woke me up from my mini nap to make up for the alarm debacle. She went and scored free ice cream which is nice, but did it with my name because apparently I'm known where they went and now I'm super creeped out... I started trying to consolidate all my childhood art which is working out okay, but now my room looks like a cyclone hit. So...ups and downs that I'll need to deal with at a later date but at least the day's almost done.

Today we needed a song by an artist whose voice we love. Will represents most people with Another One Bites The Dust by Queen. Sammy chose Why Don’t We Just Dance by Josh Turner, and my grandma picked Snowbird by Anne Murray. Anna decided on Shut Up Kiss Me by Angel Olsen, and then my mom ended with Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 291

Hello. So today's song is Until We Go Down by Ruelle.

Ruelle is the stage name for Margaret Eckford. She grew up in Mississippi, moved to do music school in Australia, and now works out of Nashville. Ruelle is a french word that has multiple meanings including wolf and chamber, and she picked it for that and the sense of mystery the word invoked. Her first album was released in 2010, followed by another in 2012 that were both indie-pop and credited to her real name. It was after that that she adopted the stage name and anew sound, before releasing multiple EPs. Her music isn't big on the radio, but it is basically the go-to for commercials, television, and trailers. I chose this song for this criteria because it's in a car commercial (that played while I was writing this...way to be creepy TV). But I also thought about using it for yesterday's because I knew it was used for The Shannara Chronicles. Apparently she also does the song for Shadowhunters, but it's a different one than this. If I listed everything her songs have been featured in this post would be huge, but all I can say is it's damn impressive.

This one is a song from a commercial. Harder because most of us don’t actually have cable anymore. Still, my grandma chose Maybe Tomorrow by Terry Bush, my mom picked Strong by Will Hoge, and Will went with Like A Rock by Bob Seger. Anna and Sammy chose Hands In My Pockets by Jim Guthrie which was apparently written specifically for the commercial.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 290

Hi everybody. Today I give you Stop, I'm Already Dead by Deadboy and the Elephantmen.

These guys were an indie rock band from Louisiana active from 2000 to 2007. After the split of Agents of Oblivian, two of the members created this band. After a year they added a full lineup. The created a demo, but two people left and those songs got shelved because their absence changed the band's sound dramatically. Their first official album was released in 2002. Again, a bunch of members quit, which led to another new lineup. They released an EP in 2004 through their website, but it got discontinued and the songs re-released on their album released two years later. While the second album under the band name, this one had only two people which changed the way the band was so it's often thought of as the debut. Later that year one of them left the band with no explanation, and within a year it was reported that the band was done.

Looking at another selection based on pop culture, we have songs used a TV show theme music. Written directly for the show is my mom’s choice of the Big Bang theme by Barenaked Ladies. Will picked The Greenback Boogie by IMA Robot, and Sammy warmed 90’s kids hearts with I’ll Be There For You by The Remembrandts. My grandma picked a show only the two of us like, choosing Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker. Anna chose I Don't Want To Be by Gavin DeGraw.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 289

Hello. So today's song is Bellbottoms by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

These guys are an American alternative rock band formed in 1991 and made up of Jon Spencer, Judah Bauer, and Russell Simins. Jon was part of a lot of bands including Shithaus, Pussy Galore, Gibson Bros., Boss Hog and the Honeymoon Killers. It's with that last band that the group met and eventually formed. An interesting thing about this band is they are affiliated with the most labels I have ever seen. Legit, 19 to date. They've released 14 albums (pus extras) as a group, and each member has an extensive repertoire on their own and with other groups so look into them further if you're interested. These guys pretty much created this sound (although White Stripes made it famous) so I'm a little sad I only know them because of a movie, but at least I know now.

These are songs from movies. I don’t know which movie she was thinking, but my grandma said Joy To The World by Three Dog Night. Then my mom went eighties with a song titled the same as the movie in St. Elmo’s Fire by John Parr. Sammy picked Start The Commotion by The Wiseguys from Kangaroo Jack, and Will picked The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin because of Thor: Ragnarok. Then last was Anna with Why Should I Worry by Billy Joel from Oliver and Company.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 288

Hi. So today's song is Empty by Jaiden and Boyinaband.

So this isn't a traditional song in the sense that you'll hear it on the radio, but it is an important song for subject matter. These guys are both Youtubers. Boyinaband is David Brown who was in a band called You and What Army that you can look up, but they've been on a hiatus since 2014. David has made a name for himself by creating music that deals with heavy material, such as his viral Don't Stay In School video. Jaiden is primarily an animator, but made a splash when she came out with a video discussing her struggles with an eating disorder and how that's why she wouldn't show her face on camera. Since then she's come out of her shell more, and her video really touched the hearts of a lot of people. One being David who contacted her to see if she'd be interested making a song about it. There is a behind the scenes video that adds a lot to it and I hope you watch it as well. I personally have had my own food issues, though it's not quite at disorder level, but now anytime I think about it I think of this video. It hurts me that Jaiden went through this, but I'm glad she found her way out, and found a way to hopefully help others to get out of their own stuff or even give them an outlet to start a conversation. Every step helps.

Here are some songs that break our hearts. The only one I’ve heard of was Will’s with Don’t Take The Girl by Tim McGraw. Then Anna went with A Change Is Gonna Come by Otis Redding. Sammy picked Rocket Girl by Doc Walker, my mom chose How Do You Get That Lonely by Blaine Larson, and my grandma went with Little Joe by Red Sovine.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 287

Hey guys. Today I give you Payback by Vo Williams featuring Shockbit.

Vo Williams is a composer who's been active since 2015. He doesn't have a lot of information for me to grab from, but there is a list of the TV shows and movies on IMDB that his music has been featured in. This one I know from Pitch which is cancelled now, but if you look baseball there is a pretty stellar season for you to check out. Shockbit is Ricky Luna who is a music producer. There are at least two songs I've found that he's credited on (this one and one with Pitbull) so look that up if you're curious about more.

This one required a song that people would be surprised to know you like. Starting us off with Girls Just Want To Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper is my grandma, then Fuck You by Cee Lo Green from my mom. Then we have Sammy’s with Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, Will choosing Blank Space by Taylor Swift, and Anna picking Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 286

Hiya. So today's song is Ride Wit Me by Nelly featuring St. Lunatics.

Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. has been active since 1993 as Nelly. He formed St. Lunatics while in high school, but went solo to get signed, but the label ended up bringing in the St. Lunatics as well to amp up the rap scene stemming from the Midwest. His debut album came out in 2000 with this song on it, and it went big, as did his next albums in 2002 and in 2003. By 2011 he had five albums and a mixtape which again featured the St Lunatics. He's still around now, making music and has a TV show on BET. The St. Lunatics are made up of Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud. Like I said before, they got signed after Nelly did, and while City Spud got imprisoned for robbery, the rest made and released their debut album. Afterwards some of the members focused on releasing solo stuff, one even creating his own label. Their next album was supposed to come out in 2009, but wasn't released until 2011, and there hasn't really been anything since.

The criteria here is a song by an artist you hate. Hate is a strong word for someone you don't know, but I really dislike Nelly's music. Sammy went with Give It Away by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Will chose Beez In The Trap by Nicki Minaj featuring 2 Chainz, Anna said Mine by Taylor Swift, and my grandma picked Sorry by Justin Bieber. My mom settled on Born Free by Kid Rock.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 285

What's Up. Today's song is Pony by Ginuwine.

Ginuwine is the stage name for Elgin Baylor Lumpkin whose been active since 1991. He started his career as part of the collective called Swing Mob where he met and worked with some other influential rap artists. The collective eventually folded, but he continued to collaborate with some of those people to create his debut album in 1996. This song was the first single from that album, but it keeps popping back up every couple years from being used for pop culture. On his own he's done eight albums so far. In 2007 he also teamed up with two singers named Tyrese and Tank to form TGT. As a group they were signed in 2012 and released an album in 2013. He's also done a little bit of acting throughout his career, but music is his main thing.

This is supposed to be a song that drives us nuts. Going with older stuff was Sammy with Yellow Submarine by The Beatles, and my mom with Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. Then more modern was Will with Time To Win by Down With Webster, Anna choosing Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift, and my grandma picking Baby by Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 284

Hello. Today I give you Blame It by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain.

Jamie Foxx is the professional name for Eric Marlon Bishop who is not just a musician, but an actor, producer, comedian, and most recently TV show host. It's a show my mom keeps saying I should go on called Beat Shazam where you have to guess the music. Which...fair, I'm good at naming music, but I crack under pressure so maybe not. He was adopted and raised by his maternal adoptive grandparents and started with music in church. He chose the name Jamie Foxx when he started as a comedian in 1989, because it was ambiguous enough to pass as possibly a girls name, since female performers were often called up first. He released an album in 1994 which was unsuccessful, but his music career really started in 2003 when working with Kanye West. His second album was released in 2005 which did significantly better than the first. Since then he's split his time between making music and acting, and has had an amazingly successful career. T-Pain is the stage name for Faheem Rashad Najm whose been active since 2004. The T stands for Tallahassee and the name represents how hard it was for him growing up there. He's always loved music, even making his room a recording studio when he was ten. In 2004, he joined Nappy Headz releasing a parody of an Akon song. Akon heard it and immediately signed T-Pain to his label. He switched to singing instead of rapping releasing an album in 2005 and another in 2007. He promoted that album by featuring on lots of song which is why his name was suddenly everywhere. I remember being confused because I hadn't heard of him before then. He created his own label, releasing his third album on it by 2008. He famously uses auto-tune, which yes I think is kind of dead at this point, but it's his signature thing so power to him.

Today we required a song about drugs or alcohol. So many songs to choose from honestly. Will picked Master of Puppets by Metallica, and my grandma chose White Lightning by George Jones. My mom went with Drunk On A Plane by Dierks Bentley and Sammy went for Young, Wild, and Free by Snoop Dog and Wiz Khalifa featuring Bruno Mars. Anna chose Stoned and Starving by Parquet Courts.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 283

Hey guys. Today's song is Relapse by Shawn Hook.

His name is Shawn Hlookoff and he's another Canadian singer, this one from British Columbia. He started writing music when he was in junior high, but released his first official stuff in 2004 when his college teacher offered to produce it. He moved to Vancouver for engineering, where he created a second independent album under his full name. In 2008 he became the first artist to sign with ABC Studios which led to his song being used in a lot of their content. He officially switched to his stage name with the release of his debut album in 2012. He spent some time collaborating with other people until his fame found its stride in 2014. This led to him signing with a label in 2015 which coincided with his previous deal with the studio; and released another album. The next year he toured with Lindsey Stirling, and opened for Marianas Trench. Along with music he created a charity that's branded as Live To Give which raises money for various causes. We haven't heard much from him recently apart from a few singles last year, but I'm sure more is on its way.


This needed to be a song to exercise to. Which was hard to me. I ended up just going with one that has an even beat to keep pace to. Sammy picked What Goes Up by Hyper Crush, and Will chose Down With The Sickness by Disturbed. Anna picked Run To The Hills by Iron Maiden. My mom went with Somethin’ I’m Good At by Brett Eldridge, and my grandma chose Twist and Shout by The Beatles.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 282

Hey. Today's song is Closer by Tegan and Sara.

Tegan and Sara Quin are twins from Calgary, Alberta who've been making music together since 1998. They started at 15, forming a band called Plunk and used the school's recording studio to make two demo albums. A year later they won a band competition where the prize was professional studio time, and used it to make another demo. By the next year they had switched to the name Sara and Tegan, releasing a debut album independently. They switched the names around because people thought and pronounced it as if there was one artist (Aliexisonfire syndrome). They signed with a label the same year, then spent some time working on their next album before releasing it in 2000. The next two years were spent touring before releasing another album. So far they've made eight albums, and have worked with a lot of big names, gaining international fame. They are both out, and have centered most of their influence on benefiting LGBT rights and freedoms. Their music is great, and they seem like genuinely amazing people, and make me proud to know they came from here.

We needed to choose an artist from where you’re from. I got asked about this one a lot because that could mean city, province, or country. I said however they wanted to interpret it was fine. Anna picked Sea Lion Woman by Feist. So my mom went with Raise Your Glass by Brett Kissel, my grandma chose Who Would You Be by George Canyon, and both Sammy and Will chose the same artist. Sammy went with Alberta Bound by Paul Brandt, and Will picked That’s The Truth by Paul Brandt.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 281

What's Up. So today's song is Havana by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug.

Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao is an American singer who got her start on the X Factor in 2012. She was put in the girl group Fifth Harmony. She left the group in 2016, and I don't know why because each side has a different story. She started her solo career the year before with a collaboration with Shawn Mendes. She continued doing collaborations through to 2017 while working on her album, and began releasing singles later in the year. The full album was released in 2018, and she's been touring since. Young Thug is the stage name for Jeffery Lamar Williams, an American rapper, producer, and songwriter. He's been active since 2011 with the installments of his mixtape which got him noticed by another rapper in 2013 who helped get him signed. He released another mixtape through the label which garnered him major attention throughout the industry, leading to a major record deal by the next year. He worked with a lot of big name rappers on music throughout the year while working on his debut album. In 2015 a data breach cause all of his unreleased music to get leaked. His anticipated album was met with some controversy, so he ended up changing it into another mixtape and working on something else as his debut. It seems like his album still isn't out (I might be wrong) but he's done a lot of mixtapes and collaborations consistently for the last couple years, so if you like him there is plenty to look up.

Today is a song that we each didn’t like at first that grew on us. My grandma chose On The Road Again by Willie Nelson, which is surprising because she listens to him a lot. My mom chose Strip That Down by Liam Payne featuring Quavo, and Will picked Fight Fire With Fire by Metallica. Anna went with Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend, then Sammy chose last, settling on Solo by Clean Bandit featuring Demi Lovato.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 280

Hiya. So today's song is No Roots by Alice Merton.

She's technically a German musician, but her family moved a lot because of his job, so she's also lived in Canada, the States, and England. Her music career started in 2015 when she was featured as a singer/songwriter on the album of German band called Fahrenhaidt. A year later she won an award for promotion of talented newcomers. She then moved to Berlin, and with her manager started a record label which they used to release this song. The song obviously blew up, and rolling with its international success, she released her first EP. In 2017, she signed with a record label for in the States, and then released another single. She spent the rest of the year touring through Germany. I haven't heard anything from her for this year, but I expect great things.

This one is a song to relax to. Will chose a classical song we showed him with Peer Gynt by the Copenhagen Philharmonic. Anna decided on Home Again by Michael Kiwanuka. Sammy chose LOUVRE by Lorde, my mom went with Beautiful Mess by Jason Mraz, and my grandma picked Old Rugged Cross by Johnny Cash.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 279

Hello. Today's song is Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars.

This song has been so overplayed at this point, but I still can't hep but sing along. I think I've already talked about Bruno Mars, so instead today we focus on Mark. So Mark Ronson is an English musician/DJ. He's been active since 1993, although this song was his first hit in the Western hemisphere. Fun Fact: his step-dad was the guitarist in Foreigner, which is how he got introduced to music. He started out as a DJ while he was going to NYU, earning huge recognition in that, so much so that his stuff was featured in an ad. He was introduced to Nikka Costa when the manager heard his set, and Mark started producing her music. By 2003 he decided to release his own album, which technically flopped, and he got dropped by his label. A year later he made his own label. The next couple years he spent mostly producing for other people, and was nominated for a Grammy for the work he did with Amy Winehouse. He's released other albums that have done better than his first one. Much of his career has been in the background, doing soundtracks for things and making music that others sing so no one knows it's his stuff. After reading up on it I realize I'm really pissed off about that. So to anyone who says this is Bruno Mars' song? Don't.

This criteria is a song you would sing at karaoke. I don’t know if any of these would be available for karaoke, but my mom chose Who I Am by Jessica Andrews, and my grandma picked Put Your Head On My Shoulder by Paul Anka. Sammy went with Let It Go by Idina Menzel because she thought it was funny, and lastly Will decided on Bad Company by Five Finger Death Punch. The only song that I think you would actually find at karaoke was Anna's pick with Somebody To Love by Queen.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 278

Hey everyone. So today's song is I Wish by Stevie Wonder.

Okay this is a weird choice because my favorite artist is The Score. If you look at the parameters of today's song, you'll see why I'm not sure about this. The problem with getting someone to cover a song is that you want it to be different enough that the cover will be entertaining and original, but not too different that it ruins it. My favorite is a rock band, which is close but at the same time not to this. I would be curious to see what they'd do with one of Stevie Wonder's songs because they are all so groovy. What would it sound like without that? I mean it'll never happen, but I'm thinking about it now.

Following in the same vein as yesterday, this is a song we’d like to see covered by our favorite artist. My grandma’s favorite is George Canyon, who she’d like to see cover Four Strong Winds by Ian Tyson. My mom’s is Meatloaf, covering Talking To The Moon by Bruno Mars. Sammy is predictable, wanting Taylor Swift to cover Barbie Girl by Aqua, Anna is just as obvious wanting Beyonce to cover Feeling Good by Nina Simone. Will is also predictable given he has a tattoo of this band logo, choosing Trivium to cover I'm So Sick by Flyleaf.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 277

Hi. Today's song is Thriller/Heads Will Roll from Glee.

There were lots I thought about choosing, but I'm in a mashup mood. We've Got Thriller by Michael Jackson (obviously) and Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It's a good choice, Glee did a solid song with this one when some of their stuff is hit or miss. I always wondered why they were still considered losers after this because if our choir had done something like this we would earn the respect of at least some people. I don't know. They also chose great soloists for this so even if you don't care for Glee you might like this one. I was talking to my grandma about it and she misheard me an thought I said Grease not Glee. Now all I can see is Danny Zuko in zombie paint. I thought I'd let you share in that horror.

Today is a song that’s covered by another artist. The fun game is that you guys get to figure out who the original artist was. Anna went with Hurt done by Johnny Cash, and Will chose Since U Been Gone done by A Day To Remember, which is actually the ringtone I have for him. Sammy went with Liability done by Tove Styrke, my mom chose Die A Happy Man done by Nelly, and my grandma chose Teddybear done by Razzy Bailey.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 276

Afternoon. Today I give you Apex Predator from Mean Girls.

You guys know that I am a musical buff and have a stack of sings from them waiting to be played, but I decided today to go with a relatively new one. We've all seen Mean Girls. The movie is iconic, but now Tina Fey has gifted us with a Broadway show. I know some people get all antsy about that because what else could they show us, but I have seen this one. It has some of the funny lines from the movie in it so it's connected, but characters that were flat in the film get rounded out when you have two hours of expositional songs to get through. Barrett Wilbert Weed plays Janice (I've shown her before from Heathers) and I love it, it's a perfect casting, but honestly Grey Henson steals the show with his portrayal of Damian. Every actor in it is a superstar and it's hard to play favorites when they all are the best in different ways so just take my word for it when I say this would be worth seeing.

Now we need a song from a musical. I pride myself on my musical knowledge, but my grandma surprised me with one I’ve never heard of choosing After The Ball from Showboat. My mom picked one I showed her, it being Alexander Hamilton from Hamilton, and Will chose Greased Lightning from Grease. Then Anna went with the Cell Block Tango from Chicago.  Sammy chose Mamma Mia by ABBA which isn’t technically from a musical, but there was one built around their music so it counts as far as I’m concerned.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 275

Hey. Today I give you Found Tonight by Ben Platt and Lin Manuel Miranda.

So this is a mashup of two Broadway songs from different musicals. First Ben with You Will Be Found from Dear Evan Hansen which he stars in and then Lin with The Story Of Tonight from Hamilton which he wrote and starred in. It was created and released because of the march against gun violence from the shooting where the kids all took a political stand saying enough is enough, but I like this song without tacking on a specific event. The mashup speaks to me in a way the original songs never did. It's sad as hell, but also great and comes from two incredible shows. If you don't know about them you need to look it up.

This time we need a song we each think everybody should listen to. We’ve got some pretty well known artists here with my grandma going with Peace In The Valley by Johnny Cash, my mom choosing Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp, and Sammy picking Don’t Stop by S Club 7. Anna went for I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James, and Will took a while, then settled on Do You Feel It by Chaos Chaos.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 274

Hey. Today's song is Rhapsody In Blue by George Gershwin.

Jacob Bruskin Gershowitz was born in 1898 and died 1937. He changed his name before embarking on a career in music, which his family followed him on. He started his career at 15 as a song plugger, which is how they used to sell sheet music. Basically a musician would be hired to perform pieces as a sort of preview to decide if you want it. Think iTunes 15 second sneak peek, but in real time. He also recorded a lot of compositions for a company, often switching to a pseudonym (he has so many). Afterwards he went on to composing for Broadway musicals and operas alongside his brother. It's doing that where he wrote An American In Paris which is his other most famous work, and the opera Porgy and Bess which while technically a failure at the time is considered one of the most important operas of the century. After that flopped, he move to LA and worked in Hollywood on film scores until he died because of a brain tumor. They had a surgeon in and managed to remove it, but he still met his end. He created this song is 1924, and it was his first major classical work. It's his most well known creation, and set the stage for building his sound. Even with his death, his legacy has lived on, and I'm glad for it.

This one wanted our favorite classical songs. Which was easy for Sammy and I, but not so much for everyone else. Sammy chose Hounds of Spring by Alfred Reed. My mom went with Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia, and my grandma went with the William Tell Overture by Rossini. Will said he didn’t know any classical songs, so after showing him a couple he went with Fur Elise by Beethoven. Anna was last and settled on Cello Suite #1 by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 273

Hi guys. So today's song is Nearer My God To Thee by BYU Vocal Point and the BYU Men's Choir.

Like with sports teams, music people can sometimes be dicks about other groups. This school and all the groups that come from it are exempt from my bias because they're so much better than we were. Plus I have man envy. Look at all the dudes in this. Those are all men! You know how hard it is to find male singers for choir? My teacher pulled a Glee before that was a thing and essentially bribed normal students into joining. Legit we gave her a hit list at the beginning of each semester. It's different for these guys. One: it's a university. Two: It's a religious university. Which doesn't really mean anything except most religions have a place for choral music. So it's got a huge music program that is well respected and evolved. Another difference is it's not an automatic in. You have to audition and be excepted which ensures everyone is there because they want to be and are committed. These guys make me miss choir and miss being part of a unit, and I am in awe of their talent. I hope you are too.

Today is for a song with no percussion. Which everyone thought was super easy until I pointed out that percussion includes more than just drums. My grandma used the one my mom didn't want with Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin. My mom went with Friends O' Mine by Bowling For Soup, and Will settled on Walk On The Wild Side by Blue Reed. Anna said White Keys by Chilly Gonzales, Sammy took the longest but said Two Lips (Acoustic) by Hoodie Allen.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 272

Hiya. Today's song is The Cat Came Back by Fred Penner.

I don't think this is the original with Fred Penner, but it has the animation which was a staple of my childhood that I couldn't pass up. Fred though is an actually really inspiring dude that I was to talk about. He taught himself guitar in elementary school and learned how healing music can be by playing for his sister with downs. He then went to school and got a Bachelors in psychology (and economics) and started working with mentally and physically challenged kids with a type of music therapy to entertain and heal them. He then started a children's theatre company, and was invited to create an album which is how this song came about. Since then he's appeared on a lot of kids shows all over Canada sharing his music with them, and he still does it at the age of 71. He's an inspiring Canadian and his music definitely touched me as a kid. Fond memories all around.

Today's songs are about pets. And horses totally count as pets, so my grandma chose Wild Horses by Garth Brooks. My mom went with a song about a dog, choosing Feed Jake by Pirates of the Mississippi. My sister followed me in a cat song with What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones, and Anna picked Plea From A Cat Named Virtute by The Weakerthans. Will chose last and went with Surfin' Bird by The Trashmen.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 271

Hello. Today's song is The Doggie In The Window by Patti Page.

So Patti Page is a stage name for Clara Ann Fowler who was one of the best-selling female artists of the 50's. She got her start on radio, doing a 15 minute segment sponsored by a company called the Page Milk Company and that's where her stage name came from. After hearing her voice on the radio, she was invited to join the Jimmy Joy band, and stayed with them until they broke up in 1946. That ended up with her in Illinois where she sang for a bit before getting noticed and signed to Mercury records. Fun Fact: She was actually the first artist to ever harmonize with herself on her record due to a strike happening at the time and new equipment making it possible. Her doing this on her recordings did a lot to push her career up because it was different and cool. (Still is.) If you're from the same generation as me, this is probably the only song of hers you've heard of and I will admit I didn't think much of her as an artist with this as my reference point. But this song was created as a novelty tune, much the way songs popular from meme culture are. Think of Yvis, there's is all novelty stuff. So give some of her other music a try before you write her off, because she pushed music just a bit farther during her time to make her worth it.

This one is a song that's 40 years older than each of us. It brought up some interesting choices. Will went with Move It On Over by Hank Williams, Anna said You Belong To Me by Jo Stafford, and my grandma chose My Gal Sal by Byron Harlan. My mom went with Makin' Whoopee by Eddie Cantor because she thought it was funny and Sammy chose On Top Of Old Smokey by The Weavers because we grew up with the parody spaghetti version.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 270

Morning. Today's song is Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty.

So this is a Disney movie made before Walt Disney died (and was the last princess movie under his tutelage) and came out in 1959. The song is sung by Mary Costa (an opera singer) and Bill Shirley (an actor who also sings). Jack Lawrence and Sammy Fain composed the score and Ward Kimball was brought on as the film composer. Fun Fact: the score for the movie was recorded in Berlin. Now I said that those guys were responsible for the scores, but truthfully most of it was inspired by or directly pulled from the Sleeping Beauty ballet where music was famously done by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Over the years this song has been redone by people associated with Disney or other Disney projects, but the original is amazing and I miss this Disney. 

Since I brought some in yesterday, I figured we'd do the favorite Disney song category today. My grandma went with M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E which I've never heard of so hopefully I found the link by the time this goes up. Sammy went with When You Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio. My mom and Will both went with the same movie. My mom chose A Whole New World from Aladdin, and Will went with One Jump from Aladdin. And with my favorite choice is Anna with Everybody Wants To Be A Cat from the Aristocats.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 269

Hey. So today's song is Let It Go by Idina Menzel.

There will now be multiple generations of people whose first introduction to Idina is this song and this movie, but I first saw her in Rent. It was actually her first professional theatre job in 1995 and first time on Broadway (but definitely not the last). After Rent she released an album, and played roles in a number of other musicals including Hair, The Vagina Monologues, and Aida. Her next big role came in 2003 when she starred in Wicked alongside Kristen Chenoweth, another Broadway legend. She won the tony for her role in that while she was only nominated for Rent. Since then she's done tons of music, lots of musicals, forayed into TV and movies and basically been everywhere. She's also been accidentally memed because of her name, but she rolled with it and played the joke up since she's a good sport. I mean most Broadway people are the just role with it type, so I'm not surprised, but I still love it. Anyway I chose this song because when singing along to Idina, you can't not belt. 

The criteria is a song you belt shamelessly. I went Disney, but my mom went radio with Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson. My grandma went with Twist and Shout by The Beatles which is a great choice. Anna of course chose Countdown by Beyonce. Sammy went with Low by Flo Rida and Will chose I'm In A Hurry by Alabama.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 268

Hi everyone. Today's song is Single Ladies by Beyonce.

There's been a lot of her stuff on here featured over the years and I honestly can't remember if I've done an overview so I'm do a little short one to cover my bases. So the original members of Destiny's Child actually met when they were eight and put into a six girl ensemble called Girl's Tyme. From that they were put on Star Search but they didn't do well. Her dad started managing the group then, cutting it to four members and got signed, but then cut again quickly. They managed to get signed again in 1995, and started working on their album the next year. That's when the group name changed. There was some member shuffling, and that coupled with personal stuff drove Beyonce to a dark place, but she managed to come back from it. The group went on hiatus in 2001, and Beyonce started into acting and working on solo stuff. The group disbanded in 2005, and she continued to act and make music while building her relationship with Jay Z. As her popularity has grown, she's been nominated for a crazy amount of stuff, but has also shown tact and grace with how she responds to things from others (Kanye you dickhead) and tackles social issues. Her marriage has also been seen as life goals by many, but Lemonade kind of backtracked that one. They're making a comeback though and the beehive is alive and well.

Today is supposed to be a song that is overhyped. Yeah, I said it. Single Ladies is overrated, come at me! (Please don't, I'm fragile). Also Anna will destroy me when she realizes this is my answer so my reckoning will be coming. My grandma went with Rhinestone Cowboy by Glen Campbell. Then my mom chose Bubbly by Colbie Caillat, Sammy went with Havana by Camilla Cabello featuring Young Thug, and Will chose 24K Magic by Bruno Mars. Anna decided on Despacito by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber.

Peace.