Hurry! Listen To This Before It’s Too Late!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I haven’t published a “Tunes for Tuesday” in quite some time now. Ok. Maybe you’ve noticed and you’ve been too polite to ask about it. Afraid it might stir up something unpleasant or I might take it as a criticism of my lack of follow-through.

Oh, you’re so kind.

Or maybe, you haven’t said anything because whenever you’d see a “Tunes for Tuesday” post you’d quickly click the other way because you don’t need any music recommendations, thank you very much, and thank God Jane gave you a free pass to click somewhere else by posting something so dull.

This is the probable explanation.

But aren’t you dying to know the real reason I’ve been reluctant to post music recs (until now)?

Apparently, when I post a music video from YouTube – even a remote, homemade video created by Joe or Jane Commonmusiclover – it eventually gets pulled from my blog by the powers that be because I’m violating some privacy law. (Or some such thing.)

Seriously?

Lil’ ol’ me?

Crusader against plagiarism Jane?

So, I post the video on my blog? What’s the big deal?  It clearly says “YouTube” on it. (So, duh. That’s where I got it.) It clearly has the name of the artist and the name of the song.

And here’s the kicker. I don’t make a dime off posting it here. And I don’t make a dime from this blog. Never have. Never will. I’m not in this for the money. (Just the fame) I don’t have advertising. I don’t get paid to write. I don’t get kickbacks for pushing books, music or my favorite charities.

I do all this free advertising for you, dear YouTube and your artists, out of the goodness of my heart. I am the common man billboard, shouting out to all 12 of my readers to hurry and buy your product. And I don’t ask for a dime.

(But maybe I should……..? Hmmmmmm…….)

I’m taking a big chance here, posting a music recommendation. So hurry and listen before it’s too late!

My daughter gives me music recommendations. She’s the only reason that Lady Gaga and Flo Rida (among others) are on my ipod. I give her recommendations. I was listening to Cage The Elephant and All Rebel Rockers before her. She couldn’t believe I had Shake it by Metro Station on my ipod before her. But, hey. What can I say? I’m all cool like that.

I’m not like a regular mom. I’m a cool mom.

Now, I’m a bit behind in finding Paper Tongues. Apparently, they produced their first album in 2009. And this song, Ride to California, is my new favorite song. It’s like Cage the Elephant and Flo Rida mashed up together. Rock hip hop is the best way I can describe it.

It’s catchy. It’s fun. Turn it up loud and start cleaning your kitchen. Put it on repeat and you’ll have a sparkling house in no time.

That’s how I get through daily housework, anyway.

Enjoy! (While it lasts)

(Disclaimer to the powers that be: I am common Jane. I am merely pushing your product, FOR FREE, in the hopes that other like-minded individuals will buy your product. If your sales increase because of my recommendation? Yay! Good for you! I won’t ask for a dime. But they won’t plummet, either. I promise. Even the annoying Google ads still run on the video. Please consider this before pulling your video from my blog. Thank you.)

Tunes for Tuesday – Old

One of my favorite recent songs by Paul Simon is “Old” off of the “You’re the One” cd. It makes me giggle. It puts my age into perspective. And every year I wear out that track on my iPod during this week. It’s my birthday week! My husband calls it “Jane-a-kuh” because it lasts for at least a week. We kicked it off this past weekend going to a Christmas Tree farm to pick out our tree. The kids and I decorated it on Sunday listening to Christmas carols. On Monday I received my first card in the mail and this morning a friend called to set up a birthday lunch date. Such fun already and it’s only Tuesday!

One thing my parents did right was our birthdays. No chores on your birthday. You chose the dinner. You chose the activity to do as a family. It was all about YOU! People would ask me if I felt cheated because my birthday fell in the Christmas month. Nope. The friends and relatives that I saw at Thanksgiving, that I wasn’t going to see at Christmas, would start their birthday good wishes then. My birthday would arrive and we would celebrate. And then there are always people who are late (God love ’em!) or who wouldn’t see me until Christmas, so good wishes would continue until the December holidays. Before you knew it, I was celebrating for an entire month. Who wouldn’t love that?

Then I became an adult. Fewer gifts. Less of a desire for parties. And at certain milestones, not so excited to recognize yet another year on this planet. This year I turn 40-something plus one. (Oh, my heart just skipped a beat. Yikes!) It’s hard getting older. Physically. Mentally accepting the new age. Or not accepting it, as the case may be.

Last Christmas, when my in-laws came to visit, they brought some things from the house they thought we might like. They were cleaning out their attic. “We’re only going to be around for about 10 more years,” my mother-in-law said. 10 more years? Whoa! I can’t think that way. I refuse to count down the number of years I may have left. But then I did it. And I doubled my age and if I’m anything like my grandparents I’ve just passed the top of the hill on my way downhill. Oh. My. God. Seriously? I truly am middle-aged. When did THAT happen?

Old – Paul Simon

“The first time I heard “Peggy Sue”
I was 12 years old
Russians up in rocket ships
And the war was cold
Now many wars have come and gone
Genocide still goes on
Buddy Holly still goes on
But his catalog was sold” – This is a bit before my time. But when I look back so much has happened in my short lifetime. First Man on the Moon.Vietnam. The Beatles. I’ll just insert those historical references.

“First time I smoked
Guess what – paranoid
First time I heard “Satisfaction”
I was young and unemployed
Down the decades every year
Summer leaves and my birthday’s here
And all my friends stand up and cheer
And say man you’re old
Getting old
Old
Getting old” – When I turned 25 my grandmother said to me, “Do you realize you’ve been alive a quarter of a century?” Whoa. When I realized that, I was a little depressed. A quarter of a century seemed sooooo old. I laugh now. To be 25 again? Where do I sign up?

“We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day
And Buddha found nirvana along the lotus way
About 1,500 years ago the messenger Mohammed spoke
And his wisdom like a river flowed
Through hills of gold
Wisdom is old
The koran is old
The bible is old
Greatest story ever told” – Jesus, Mohammed alive over 1500 years ago. And we’re still talking about them. Their presence is still felt so very many years later. That kind of impact is amazing – and old.

“The human race has walked the earth for 2.7 million
And we estimate the universe at 13-14 billion
When all these numbers tumble into your imagination
Consider that the Lord was there before creation
God is old
We’re not old
God is old
He made the mold” – That line always makes me giggle, “He made the mold.” He certainly did. And in 2.7 million years my existence here is a mere blip on the radar. I don’t even know if I rate a whole blip. I’m not really all that old after all, am I?

Click here to listen to this fun song. I tried and tried to find  a video of it or a way to showcase the song itself on this page but to no avail. It’s only 2:20 minutes long and it’s free (as long as you haven’t used up your 24 other free “listens” at this site). So, in honor of Jane-a-kuh – take a little music break. It’s on me!

Highly Marketable Yet Audibly Marginal

Driving in the car with my kids this morning a Miley Cyrus song came on the radio. I started to change the channel and I was verbally attacked. “STOP!” they cried, “We LIKE that song!” I turned to my daughter, age 17, surely a voice of reason. “Seriously?” I asked her. I mean, I get #1son and #2son liking it. It’s pop music and they’re 5 and 6. “Yeah,” she said to me with a look that said she was more than ready to defend her position.

I don’t get it. And quite frankly, I’ve never gotten it. Even way back in the day of Fleetwood Mac. I loved Fleetwood Mac. But Stevie Nicks? Her voice sounds like a cigar smoking chipmunk to me. (Uh-oh. I just lost a few readers I fear. 😦  Thanks for stopping by!) When I hear her version of Silent Night on the album “A Very Special Christmas” it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. How dare she massacre such a sacred song?

But then, I liked Rush. And Geddy Lee’s vocal quality isn’t exactly pure. Or Janis Joplin. Or Kim Carnes. Or Bon Scott of AC/DC. Even Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles had a touch of that chipmunk quality. But I could listen to her without cringing. What was it about Stevie Nicks that bothered me so? And what was the secret to her mass appeal?

And then along came Britney Spears. My daughter was in early grade school when Britney first hit the pop charts. I predicted her a teeny bopper flash in the pan. Whoops! I did it again.  I couldn’t have been more wrong. Another nasal voiced chipmunk dressed (or not dressed as the case may be) up as a credible pop singer. I just don’t get it.

I began formulating this post in my mind in the car. When I sat down to the computer to type I saw this article on msn.com. Evidently the Aussie’s are in an uproar because Britney Spears dared to lip sync her concert. I’m sorry. But ever since you could lip sync and get away with it pop stars have been doing it. Now the article I’m referring to actually brings up the Milli Vanilli debacle – but I’m not talking about lip syncing to someone else’s voice. I’m talking about lip syncing to your best recording or the one of your voice that been washed, scrubbed and tweaked in every way digitally possible to bring forth a version that is palpable to the ear. To some.

Music through the decades is a very interesting subject to me. I could spin 100 posts on the subject. But what interests me today is the highly marketable yet audibly marginal voices you hear on the radio. On American Idol last season (yes, I watch, unashamed) there are episodes when highly established pop singers perform. They sing live – as the contestants do. If you follow the program I’m remembering when Lady Ga Ga appeared. (I still giggle every time I hear that ridiculous stage name) She was horrible. Every AI finalist left at that point in the show had a better voice than she did. What is her appeal?

I’m not saying you need a PhD like Brian May of Queen or be an esteemed alum of the Juilliard School. Let’s try this. Let’s celebrate singers that can actually sing. Let’s honor people who have honed their craft and not simply covered themselves in glitter and called themselves a star. I could do that. We all could. When I turn on the radio I want to hear good music. Not the manufactured tones of a souped up studio mimed by a made up kewpie doll.

Tunes for Tuesday – Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

“Here is a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry be happy” – Everyone’s life contains sadness. Our home got another dose. My Great Aunt died last night. But please don’t be too sad for her, for us. She was sick. She was tired of living in a body that was failing her. When we last talked she told me she was ready.

“In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy……” – And this was her philosophy EXACTLY. What’s the point of worrying. Life stinks sometimes. It’s how you work through life that builds character, makes you a person worth knowing.

“Here I give you my phone number
When you worry call me
I make you happy” –  She was someone you could turn to. She gave great advice. She was so very, very wise.

“But don’t worry be happy
Cause when you worry
Your face will frown
And that will bring everybody down
So don’t worry, be happy” – Her laughter is what I’ll miss most. She could make ANYTHING funny. She taught me to think out of the box and look at things upside down. The bright side is the right side. Always looking up. She didn’t deny loss or sadness or crisis. She just saw a way around it. She got to the other side quicker than most.

“There is this little song I wrote
I hope you learn it note for note
Like good little children
Don’t worry, be happy” – Out of all my relatives she was the best teacher for me on how to parent. She has four children and grandchildren who absolutely adore her. In a post on Facebook today, her youngest son called her his best friend. And I know her other children feel the same way.

“Don’t worry don’t do it, be happy
Put a smile on your face” – And that’s just what I’m going to do today. I think of this song and listen to it whenever I need to turn myself around. Hope you find something to smile about today, too. Put those worries away and smile with me. 

(When you click on the video below you’ll see a message directing you to Youtube. Click the “Watch on Youtube” and it’ll take you right there!)

Smilin’ Into The Weekend

It’s been a long week. It’s been a tiring week. I am so ready for the weekend. And judging from some of your posts out there? You are, too!

Take the few minutes to enjoy this video. If you aren’t grinning like a fool by the end there is something seriously wrong. I know this was first introduced about 6 months ago – but watch it again. Really. It truly sends me to a happy place every time I see it.

If you’re in the mood for more fun check out Shauna’s latest post on her blog Is It 5 o’clock yet? I almost posted this one but she beat me to it!

Tunes for Tuesday – Sometime Around Midnight

It’s raining here. A melancholy song for a melancholy day.

This is my new favorite song. (Don’t get too attached. My favorites can change hourly.) Not only do I love the sentiment but I love the musicality of the song. It builds with the emotion of the words. You can feel the desperation of the narrator. I realize there are so many characteristics that make a song great but this song reminds me of a classical symphony. Words aren’t needed to feel the emotion of the song.

“And it starts
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that’s when you lose yourself
For a minute or two” – The moment before the surprise. Everything is quiet and then it hits you.

“But you know
That she’s watching
She’s laughing, she’s turning” – You see your crush, an old lover. The one you regret breaking up with or the one that broke up with you and you’re left wanting.

“The room suddenly spinning, she walks up and asks how you are” – Heart pounding out of your chest. Your chance to say everything you’ve replayed in your head over and over.

“And so there’s a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing like feral waves to your mind” – But you’re overcome with feelings for this person all over again and there’s hope you can set it right.

“And she leaves
With someone you don’t know
But she makes sure you saw her, she looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling, your stomach in ropes” – A kick in the stomach. You’re left where you were just a short while ago. Only worse.

“You don’t care what you look like
The world is falling around you
You just have to see her
You just have to see her” – But you don’t care. You’re filled with regret and longing and pain. You wonder what you did wrong. What you could have done better to make sure the relationship survived. And you have nothing.

“You know that she’ll break you in two”- Deep down you know that the relationship is toxic. And you’re left to wrestle, all over again, with regret and love, infatuation and pain.

Regret in a cherished relationship. An unfortunate universal theme.