Year 5, Day 333

Hi. So today's song is Blinded By The Light by Electric Light Orchestra.

These guys are an English rock band that started in 1970 with Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan.They're still active today, but they have taken breaks throughout their career. So they were technically active until 1986, then had a brief comeback in 2000 for a year, then officially came back in 2012. The group started out of their other band called the Move when there was a desire to make different types of music. Obviously the picture shows more than just those two guys, with the others in the band briefly before leaving due to bad touring and clashes with the manager. Despite this, the group went strong for 14 years before Lynne got tired of the group and disbanded it. That was in 1986, and Bevan responded by making his own group called ELO Part 2 which was active from 1989 to 2000. Then Devan left, saying the band broke up, but everyone else continued without him under the moniker The Orchestra. This was because Bevan sold his rights to the name back to Lynne since they were the founding members, and Lynne was fully prepared to sue if the other guys kept using it. Dick move in my opinion, but the new name is much better than the old. Lynne reformed ELO in 2000 with a totally new lineup, but ultimately their tour got cancelled and everything was quiet for awhile apart from their back catalogue being released. Lynne and Richard Tandy (who had been a member on and off throughout their history) became what is now considered ELO, briefly popping up to add new songs to the albums of the old and playing charity concerts when fans requested it. They released their first completely new album in 2015 after nothing since 2000, which they followed up with a tour. As for what more is to come I really don't know, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

It’s a song you found out you really didn’t know the lyrics to. This one is easy for me because I still remember Anna razzing me about it. Sammy doesn’t know the word to anything, but she picked September by Earth, Wind and Fire because she legitimately did not know September was a word in the song, which is hilarious. My mom chose one that I don’t think anyone knows the words to in Benny And The Jets by Elton John. My grandma went with Waltzing Matilda by Slim Dusty and of course we were waiting for Will’s choice, and he finished with Battery by Metallica.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 332

Hello. Today's song is I Get Around by The Beach Boys.

These guys formed in 1961, originally made up of three brothers, their cousin, and a friend. They're easily considered one of the most influential groups of the rock era, and I can see why (although Will disagrees). As kids, Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson would practice harmonies while sharing a room and Brian would start recording some of it. He also played piano, and started writing music. They teamed up with their cousin Mike Love and his friend Al Jardine to form a band, originally called The Pendletones, which is a pun about a popular shirt. Dennis is the one who surfed and suggested writing about that, so they gave it a shot coming up with Surfin'. A publisher heard it, and it was actually his wife that demanded it be recorded. After that their name was changed and the rest is history.  They started doing gigs, and even did some stuff one the side as Kenny and the Cadets before Jardine left to become a dentist. So their old neighborhood friend David Marks joined in his stead. They got signed with Capitol Records, releasing their first album in 1962. Their branded as surf music, but their sound is apparently very different than other "surf music" of the time. It became a problem when they played for those crowds and they had to dodge projectiles. A year later they released the song Surfin USA and doubled vocals on the track. It exploded, hitting number two and launching them nationally. Their popularity continued to grow, and Brian expanded his reach by writing for some other groups like The Honeys. Then the British Invasion happened. They shared a label with The Beatles so there was some rivalry there affecting the members in different ways. This song came out in 1964 and was one of their last surf songs. Afterward Brian has a little mental breakdown and took a break from touring with the boys while he developed as an artist looking into new sounds and song types away from their notable beach culture. They next few years they managed to balance between what the studio wanted and what Brian experimented with pretty well, but when Brian showed the group the stuff he had for an album in 1966 there was some infighting, most thinking it just wasn't them. In the end Brian won, and the album was heralded one of the most innovative recordings of rock. He kept expanding and working on different sounds with new people which confused the rest of the guys when they saw it. By the beginning of 1967, Brian was spiraling, becoming increasingly paranoid and delusional, Carl was arrested for refusing enlistment, and eventually what they were working on at the time was scrapped. The label tried to drop them, but there was no sure information, so they remained in limbo. Some members left, but the brothers remained and the unreleased album became a bit of a cult legend. The group continued to flounder as they toured and faced obligations of an album, so they did a laid back version of the unreleased album which they all did together rather than just Brian. It missed the mark, and was their worst selling album to date, but it did get more appreciated as time went on. They're next album was a regroup for them to go back to basics with just one singer, and was unlike the music scene at the time, which made it unique. After that Brian stepped back a bit, their Capitol contract ran out so the label deleted their discography (to not have to pay more royalties) and rights sold to someone else. I might have to end it here because this is only about half their history, there's just so much. look up the rest if you're curious otherwise I'm done.

It’s also not the season for this, but we need a song that reminds us of winter. As you can tell mine does not make much sense, but that’s what happens sometimes. Sammy went more traditional with It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas by Bing Crosby, closely followed by my grandma with White Christmas by Elvis Presley. My mom chose a song called Fire And Rain by James Taylor, and lastly Will picked Voodoo by Godsmack.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 331

Hey. So today is actually half an album. It's How To Be A Human Being (Side A) by Glass Animals.

This is an English indie rock band active since 2010 and made up of Dave Bayley, Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward. They formed the band while at university and debuted on BBC radio. By 2012, they released their debut EP. The singer of the group had still been in school at that point, but once they got signed to a big label, he quite to do music full time. They spent some time finding their sound before releasing their debut album in 2014, and then touring throughout 2015. Their next album (this album) was released in 2016. This link is more than one song, so it's Life Itself, Youth, S2E3, and Pork Soda. For the next year they kept releasing radio edits for the songs and had a concert planned. Fun Fact: pineapples were banned from the show because the venue was concerned about the chaos and disorder that too many pineapples could bring. They've been doing touring, but had to stop abruptly last month after the drummer got hit by a truck while biking. They have said though that he's back on his feet so I'm sure we'll see more of them.

Now we require a song that is over five minutes long. I cheated kind of, mine are multiple songs in one, but I listen to it in that grouping so I say it counts. My mom chose Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf, and Will picked Iowa by Slipknot. My grandma said The Girl From Ipanema by Roger Williams and his orchestra, and then the hold out was Sammy who decided on Enter Sandman by Metallica.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 330

Hey guys. So today's song is Perfect by Pink.

I think by now you all know Pink, but I've never done her background. So Pink is a stage name for Alecia Beth Moore active since 1995. The name came from a character from a Quentin Tarantino movie and was a mean nickname that she owned when she started performing in clubs at fourteen. She auditioned and was chosen for a girl group that disbanded before ever making music. After that she formed a different group with two other girls and called it Choice. They got signed and were together for a bit before the label guy made her go solo. Pink was officially signed in 1999 and released her debut single a year later. Her album became huge, leading to her winning Female New Artist of the Year and then she toured with NSYNC. The next year she teamed up and did Lady Marmalade, which gained her even more fame. With her second album she changed the sound, tired of being written off as a pop act. This shot her into international fame and won her tons of awards. Over the years she's released a lot of music, collaborated with all kinds of people and stepped her game up in basically every way. I am floored by how incredible she is so you should really check it all out. I could go on and on, but this is already getting long so I'll stop here, but seriously look into her music.

This criteria is for a song that’s healed you, which made everyone curse at me. Starting with the sad stuff is Sammy with You’ll Be Okay by A Great Big World, and then Will went angry with I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace. Both of those I agree with and they also healed me too in different ways. My grandma chose You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone, which I can’t take seriously thanks to Miss Congeniality, and my mom went with Shake It Off by Taylor Swift.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 329

Hi everyone. Today's song is Right Now by Atomic Kitten.

I'm finding it really hard to believe this is the first time I'm showing you Atomic Kitten. It was such a big part of my childhood, and yet it took five years?! I will rectify this, there will be more in the future. So they are a British group who were around from 1998-2005, briefly came back in 2006 and 2008, then regrouped in 2013 going strong through now. Current members include Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon, but past members also include Kerry Katona, and Jenny Frost. The band was actually started by a guy named Andy McCluskey who was in a band called Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. When that band was dissolved, he formed this group for music he made which didn't fit the Britpop scene at the time. They were almost dropped from their label before one of the singles they released from the debut album became a huge hit. They ended up becoming internationally famous, making it big in the UK, as well as Germany, New Zealand, and Denmark. After the first album's success, tension mounted between the writers and the recording studio, until Andy and his partner were asked to leave. In 2003 they released an album in the States which included songs from their first and second album, which is how I was introduced to them. The hiatus took place because Natasha wanted to devote more time to raising her son, and the group didn't want to replace her. The two random years where they formed again were one-offs to record charity singles or do special event performances rather than it being the band forming again. In 2012 they reunited (though Jenny refused to come back) to tour and be involved in a series with other 90's pop groups. They started making new music in 2013 and had a lot of almost tours (cancelled before beginning) before finally touring in 2017. Kerry left again in December, but gave no reason why, although the other two say that they will be performing again sometime this year. So I guess we'll see.

Now for the last song stuck in your head. I had to be careful about when to ask this question, lest they be influenced by previous answers. My mom used Different For Girls by Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King, and my grandma went with The Ballad of Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash. Sammy went Disney with I’ll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan. When her anxiety spikes because of work, I have a habit of singing this one at her and I don’t really know why. It seems to help though, so I keep doing it. Will took forever. Every time I asked he would blank because apparently, he doesn’t have an endless loop of music playing in his head at all times which is unimaginable to me. I always have a song going. Once I cornered him though, he finally gave out Ace of Spades by Motorhead.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 328

Hi. So today's song is Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld.

Her career started in 2007, but with acting. This continued to be her focus with critically acclaimed and failing roles into 2015, until being Cast in Pitch Perfect 2. Around that same time she played some of her songs at an event in New York where some A&R reps heard her and soon she was signed to a label. She continued to take acting jobs while working on her music, and released her debut single a month after being signed. Since then she's continued to do music, collaborating with some other notable artists. So far she's only released singles and an EP, and has been working on her debut album in between her other projects, and it should be out fairly soon. Thanks to the segment that Glamour magazine does, I know that she seems to be really genuine when it comes to her fans and her career, so I have high hopes for her future.

Today's criteria is a female power song. Lady anthems are great and there are so many good choices. My grandma picked Man, I Feel Like A Woman by Sheryl Crow, and my mom picked Blown Away by Carrie Underwood. Sammy chose Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande. Will has trouble, but went with I Love Myself Today by Bif Naked.

Peace.

Year 5, Day 327

Hey. So today's song is Everybody's Lonely by Jukebox The Ghost.

These guys are a power pop band from DC made up of Ben Thornewill, Tommy Siegel, and Jesse Kristin. They've been active since 2003 when the guys met in college and formed a band called The Sunday Mail. After two years they had enough material that they decided to change their name, which they pulled from references of a Captain Beefheart song and a Nabokov novel. By 2008 they released their debut album before touring with Say Hi and Nightmare of You (both of which I've never heard of until now). They continued to tour with lots of other musicians while working on their second album. The uptick in their career was marked by their appearance on David Letterman in 2010. After that they toured even more, with some bigger names like Barenaked Ladies. They released their third album in 2012 followed by another in 2014. By 2015 they had signed with a label, re-releasing an album through them, but split from them a year later. While that was happening they spent three solid years touring before releasing a single in 2017 and another (this one) in 2018. They also released their new album in March and are planning a tour for it now.

This one is a song that reminds you of yourself. I spent a lot of time explaining the ways this should be different than the theme song one we did. I feel like the theme music is an outward portrayal of yourself while this one is about your feelings, they’re different perceptions. That’s probably why mine for each category are so opposite. My mom went with The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars, which she was obsessed with for a long time. My grandma chose Stand By Your Man by Loretta Lynn (hilarious, adorable, and so very accurate), and Sammy chose You Don’t Own Me by Grace featuring G-Eazy. Anna decided on both Dunes and Future People by Alabama Shakes (to be listened to together), and Will was last to answer, going with Life Is A Highway by Tom Cochrane.

Peace.